Sermon preached at St Mary the Virgin, Lapworth at 11am Coral Mattins on Sunday 24th October 2010. A shorter version of this sermon was preached at the 8.30am Said Eucharist and at Evensong at 3pm St Michael’s, Baddesley Clinton.
Last Sunday after Trinity (Also Bible Sunday) – Year C
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 35: 12-17, Luke 18: 9-14
(outline notes only)
I now put Sunday scripture readings in the Parish Magazine.
- people can read them before or after worship
- this helps the scriptures to sink into our hearts
But maybe people had trouble finding Ecclesiasticus
– deuterocanonical / apocrypha book
- There are 7 such deutrocanonical books (plus bits of Daniel and Ester)
- they are in Greek Septuagint version of Old Testament (used by early church)
- they are not in Hebrew Bible (put together by 1st century Jews)
What books are included in the bible is called the “Canon”. Canon means ruler for measurement, a standard, an authority. The Canon is the list of books which the church regards as authoritative, which are treated as Holy Scripture.
Disputes about the Canon mainly settled at Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which took the Greek Septuagint to be the Old Testament. At Reformation, Luther and reformers took the Hebrew Bible to be the Old Testament. Seven books left in an ambiguous state. Protestant Bibles sometimes include them in “The Apocrypha”.
It is interesting to reflect on bible history on Bible Sunday. Note that we often think of the church gaining its authority from the bible, which sets its standards and norms. But it is also true that the bible gets its authority from the church, which wrote the NT and defined the Canon.
The key text today from Ecclesiasticus 35:
Give to the most high as he has given to you.
Be generous
For the Lord repays – sevenfold.
Giving, generosity – Paula Gooder (lay canon biblical scholar at Birmingham Cathedral described the ethic of giving/generosity as the central ethic of the NT.
Not thinking just of financial giving, or even gifts like those we exchange at Christmas
Rather thinking of living for the good of other – loving the other person as I love myself.
More routinely than money or gifts, the things that we are called to give might be:
a smile
encouragement
give the time necessary to deal properly with people
give real attention when listening
give forgiveness
give help making use of our knowledge, skills or experience
give by being patient with someone who is exasperating
Generosity with time and money and gifts, is also part of this. Note that everything that is given, is given always for the good of the other.
(Sometimes the good of the other demands us to give something that they may not like – give a child a good telling off, give food to a drunkard rather than money or drink. Our attitude is still one of giving – still working for the good of the other – not judging or criticising or dominating.)
Now if we are to give generously we have to have the ability to give.
You can’t give what you don’t have.
We must have first received from God, and from others before we have anything to give.
Ideal situation – we are always receiving and always giving – cycles of mutual giving.
How can we build up that those healthy cycles of receiving and giving. How can work towards a position where we freely give all the time.
- practice generosity, it’s a virtue, a skill that grows with practice
- develop our awareness and our trust in God’s giving to us
- use prayer and mediation to build our awareness of God’s love for us
- use thanksgiving to be more aware of God’s love for us
- meet with other Christians in worship, in groups and socially to receive
- hold our shortcomings and our needs before God in prayer
- don’t hide them away, or pretend not there.
- if possible discuss them with other Christians
- remember the promises of God, e.g.
- give and there will be gifts for you – a full measure shaken down and overflowing (Luke 6: 38)
- Peter said – what about us who have left everything to follow you. (Mark 10: 28ff) Jesus said – what you have given up for me and for the gospel, you will receive 100 times as much in the present age and in the future age – eternal life.
Example of the gifts of God – I remember cycling round Lapworth years ago thinking it would be a lovely place to live. I had forgotten that – but lo and behold – I now live here!
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
24 October 2010
01 August 2010
Being Rich towards God
Sermon preached at St Michael’s, Baddesley Clinton at 9.45am Holy Communion (BCP).
Sunday 1st August 2010 – Trinity 9 – Proper 13
Adapted versions of this sermon were preached at St Mary's, Lapworth at 8.30am and 11am.
Readings: Col 3: 1-11 Luke 12: 13-21
If we wanted to retell the parable of today’s gospel in a more contemporary setting and with a sharper cutting edge we might say something like this.
There was once a man who owned a business in the city. And the business did well and generated plenty of cash. And the man said to himself, “What should I do, I have got more money than I can spend,” then he said, “I’ll do this, I’ll sell my house in the city and buy a bigger one just outside the city. I’ll store up my money in my house, because house prices always rise, and quite soon I shall be able to retire. I’ll be able to relax, eat drink and take lots of holidays. But they day before he retired God said to him, “You fool! This very night you life is being demanded of you, and all this wealth you have accumulated, what good will that do you?
We are all familiar with that great tragedy of people who die either just before or just after they retire. We often think, they have worked so hard, and really deserve a good retirement, and yet it seems that God has other plans for them. And I have to say that very often this particular tragedy does seem to affect people with a particular role in serving the community; clergy. school teachers, politicians. But hopefully, if they have served the community well, if they have managed to focus their lives on the benefit of others, then they will be well prepared for the kingdom of heaven, well prepared to serve and be served in the heavenly realm. And if this is the case, who are we to think that an earthly retirement might be better for them than the heavenly blessings.
But what about the man in our story, who has not thought about serving other people? In fact the story does not even mention a wife and family so it does seem that he thinks only of himself, of his own wealth, or his own desire to relax, eat drink and be merry as the parable says. Well God’s words to him are, “You fool!” – “You have invested all your energy in earthly wealth, and tonight I am transferring you to the heavenly realm where you have invested nothing.” – “You fool”.
The man in our story is a bit like the arrogant management consultant who transferred all his personal wealth into Railtrack shares, just before they spectacularly lost all their value in 2001. He put all his eggs in one basket, and the basket collapsed. The man in our story put all his resources into earthly wealth and then died. But, as Jesus said, “a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his processions.” Jesus ends the parable by saying, “so it is for those who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich towards God.” Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steel, but store up for yourselves treasurers in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steel, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6: 19-21).
We got exactly the same message from St Paul in our epistle reading today, “…seek the things that are above…set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things of that are on earth…”
So how do we, “seek the things that are above?” How do we make sure that we are rich towards God? How do we build up treasure in heaven? How do we invest in our eternal future, remembering that our 70 or 80 years on earth is quite short compared to the eternity for which we are created? How do we invest in assets that will pass the ultimate “stress test” of death?
Well, paradoxically, we do it by thinking not of ourselves, but of others. We do it by following the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour. We try to live each moment, each day, attentive to what God wants from us in the moment and that day. And typically, what God wants from us, becomes clear from the people around us. He wants us to be attentive to them, to help them, to serve them, to take them forward on their journey towards God. It is as though the wealth that we create in other people is the wealth that endures to eternity. The dynamic of heavenly wealth is a dynamic of giving, not a dynamic of accumulating.
So what about our worldly wealth? How should we think about that? Well first of all, let’s give thanks to God for it, because any wealth that we have has come to us through God’s good gift. We may have worked hard for it, but without the grace of God we would have nothing. Secondly, let’s remember that we can’t take it with us. When we die we lose it all, so the protection and security that it affords us is limited; we must enter the kingdom of heaven without it. So this means that we should use our wealth wisely and prudently, while we are on earth, in order to build up treasurers in heaven. We should be generous in giving and investing; generous, not reckless. We should seek to use our giving and investing to build relationships of trust. We want to build up other people, build up other organisations in a sustainable way. Now it has to be said that in the current environment this is very hard. Even the banks appear hardly worthy of our trust. But let’s hold the resources that we have before God, and pray for the grace to use them well. Let’s be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us, seeking to invest in others wherever we can; build relationships, build trust, find prudent ways of giving, live for God, live for others. These are the ways to build up treasure in heaven. Amen.
Sunday 1st August 2010 – Trinity 9 – Proper 13
Adapted versions of this sermon were preached at St Mary's, Lapworth at 8.30am and 11am.
Readings: Col 3: 1-11 Luke 12: 13-21
If we wanted to retell the parable of today’s gospel in a more contemporary setting and with a sharper cutting edge we might say something like this.
There was once a man who owned a business in the city. And the business did well and generated plenty of cash. And the man said to himself, “What should I do, I have got more money than I can spend,” then he said, “I’ll do this, I’ll sell my house in the city and buy a bigger one just outside the city. I’ll store up my money in my house, because house prices always rise, and quite soon I shall be able to retire. I’ll be able to relax, eat drink and take lots of holidays. But they day before he retired God said to him, “You fool! This very night you life is being demanded of you, and all this wealth you have accumulated, what good will that do you?
We are all familiar with that great tragedy of people who die either just before or just after they retire. We often think, they have worked so hard, and really deserve a good retirement, and yet it seems that God has other plans for them. And I have to say that very often this particular tragedy does seem to affect people with a particular role in serving the community; clergy. school teachers, politicians. But hopefully, if they have served the community well, if they have managed to focus their lives on the benefit of others, then they will be well prepared for the kingdom of heaven, well prepared to serve and be served in the heavenly realm. And if this is the case, who are we to think that an earthly retirement might be better for them than the heavenly blessings.
But what about the man in our story, who has not thought about serving other people? In fact the story does not even mention a wife and family so it does seem that he thinks only of himself, of his own wealth, or his own desire to relax, eat drink and be merry as the parable says. Well God’s words to him are, “You fool!” – “You have invested all your energy in earthly wealth, and tonight I am transferring you to the heavenly realm where you have invested nothing.” – “You fool”.
The man in our story is a bit like the arrogant management consultant who transferred all his personal wealth into Railtrack shares, just before they spectacularly lost all their value in 2001. He put all his eggs in one basket, and the basket collapsed. The man in our story put all his resources into earthly wealth and then died. But, as Jesus said, “a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his processions.” Jesus ends the parable by saying, “so it is for those who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich towards God.” Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steel, but store up for yourselves treasurers in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steel, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6: 19-21).
We got exactly the same message from St Paul in our epistle reading today, “…seek the things that are above…set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things of that are on earth…”
So how do we, “seek the things that are above?” How do we make sure that we are rich towards God? How do we build up treasure in heaven? How do we invest in our eternal future, remembering that our 70 or 80 years on earth is quite short compared to the eternity for which we are created? How do we invest in assets that will pass the ultimate “stress test” of death?
Well, paradoxically, we do it by thinking not of ourselves, but of others. We do it by following the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour. We try to live each moment, each day, attentive to what God wants from us in the moment and that day. And typically, what God wants from us, becomes clear from the people around us. He wants us to be attentive to them, to help them, to serve them, to take them forward on their journey towards God. It is as though the wealth that we create in other people is the wealth that endures to eternity. The dynamic of heavenly wealth is a dynamic of giving, not a dynamic of accumulating.
So what about our worldly wealth? How should we think about that? Well first of all, let’s give thanks to God for it, because any wealth that we have has come to us through God’s good gift. We may have worked hard for it, but without the grace of God we would have nothing. Secondly, let’s remember that we can’t take it with us. When we die we lose it all, so the protection and security that it affords us is limited; we must enter the kingdom of heaven without it. So this means that we should use our wealth wisely and prudently, while we are on earth, in order to build up treasurers in heaven. We should be generous in giving and investing; generous, not reckless. We should seek to use our giving and investing to build relationships of trust. We want to build up other people, build up other organisations in a sustainable way. Now it has to be said that in the current environment this is very hard. Even the banks appear hardly worthy of our trust. But let’s hold the resources that we have before God, and pray for the grace to use them well. Let’s be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us, seeking to invest in others wherever we can; build relationships, build trust, find prudent ways of giving, live for God, live for others. These are the ways to build up treasure in heaven. Amen.
14 February 2010
The light for the nations
Short sermon preached at 8am Eucharist at St Alphege, Solihull on 14th February 2010.
The sermon was also preached at St Michael’s, Oak Cottage, Solihull at 4pm that day.
Sunday next before Lent
Readings 1 Kings 8: 22-23 & 41-43 Galatians 1: 1-12 Luke 7: 1b-10
(RCL alternative to the normal CofE readings)
Our first reading today comes from one of the real high points in the history of Israel. King Solomon, the wise and wealthy king, is dedicating the new temple that he has built for God in Jerusalem. No expense has been spared! The temple is huge and richly decorated. The priests have moved the ark of God into the inner sanctuary of the temple, and the glory of God has filled the temple, like a great cloud. And King Solomon is standing before the altar of the Lord in the temple and he makes a great, long prayer dedicating the temple to God, and we read just a short part of that prayer of dedication today.
But the part of the prayer that we read was particularly interesting because it tells us that the temple in Jerusalem was built not just to aid the prayers of the nation of Israel but to aid the prayers of foreigners, as well! And this is very significant. Most of the Old Testament is about God’s covenant with his chosen people Israel. But every now and again, especially at key moments like this one, there are very clear reminders that God’s covenant with Israel is not solely for the benefit of Israel, but ultimately it is for the for benefit of the whole world (e.g. Genesis 12: 2-3, 18: 18, 22: 17-18, 26: 3-5, 28: 13-14 and Isaiah 40: 5, 42: 1-9, 45: 22-25, 49: 5-6, 51: 4-5, 52: 10).
And we see this same thing in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is born and brought up as a Jew. Simeon in the temple foresaw that the baby Jesus was the “light for revelation to the gentiles” (Luke 2: 32), but much of the time Jesus clearly focused his mission on the people of Israel (e.g. Matt 10: 5-6, 15: 24). But then there are several remarkable moments, like the one in our gospel reading today, when the generosity of Jesus spontaneous pours out over people beyond the Jewish nation.
In our gospel reading we heard that Jesus was profoundly moved by the faith that he found in the centurion. Of course, the centurion was not a Jew, and as an official of the Roman Army he might easily be thought of as an enemy of the Jews, but Jesus did not hesitate to cure the centurion’s servant. He even presented the faith of the centurion as an example to Israel. There was never any suggestion that the centurion should become a Jew.
Those hints in the Old Testament that God will bless all the nations of the earth through Israel do eventually find their fulfilment in Jesus. The religion that Jesus establishes becomes a universal religion. Christianity is for all people. Everyone is called to become part of the church. Rich and poor, young and old, saints and sinners; all called.
But I think it is very helpful for us, in the Church, to reflect on the generosity of Jesus and of his love pouring out upon people beyond the nation of Israel. In the same way we have to pour out love from the Church into the world, even into the non-Christian parts of the world. In our daily lives we probably encounter many people who are nominally Christian, but who seem to have minimal relationship with the church, and may not even be baptised. We probably encounter people from other faiths beyond Christianity, and people who say they have no faith at all, who might even be hostile to faith. These people are to us what the centurion was to Jesus. Like Jesus we need to reach out to them all, to work for their good. We need to help them and serve them in all their good aspirations and to build relationships of trust with them. We need to see God’s good creation in them, and help them to see the good that we share. It’s about a having generous attitude and a willingness to give.
And it seems to me that just as the love of Jesus spilling out beyond Judaism lead to the creation of a new, bigger and broader “People of God”, so too our love spilling out beyond the visible boundaries of the Church will somehow lead to a bigger and fuller salvation. In this way the gospel really becomes “Good News” for all the world, the Church really does become the light for the nations. Amen.
The sermon was also preached at St Michael’s, Oak Cottage, Solihull at 4pm that day.
Sunday next before Lent
Readings 1 Kings 8: 22-23 & 41-43 Galatians 1: 1-12 Luke 7: 1b-10
(RCL alternative to the normal CofE readings)
Our first reading today comes from one of the real high points in the history of Israel. King Solomon, the wise and wealthy king, is dedicating the new temple that he has built for God in Jerusalem. No expense has been spared! The temple is huge and richly decorated. The priests have moved the ark of God into the inner sanctuary of the temple, and the glory of God has filled the temple, like a great cloud. And King Solomon is standing before the altar of the Lord in the temple and he makes a great, long prayer dedicating the temple to God, and we read just a short part of that prayer of dedication today.
But the part of the prayer that we read was particularly interesting because it tells us that the temple in Jerusalem was built not just to aid the prayers of the nation of Israel but to aid the prayers of foreigners, as well! And this is very significant. Most of the Old Testament is about God’s covenant with his chosen people Israel. But every now and again, especially at key moments like this one, there are very clear reminders that God’s covenant with Israel is not solely for the benefit of Israel, but ultimately it is for the for benefit of the whole world (e.g. Genesis 12: 2-3, 18: 18, 22: 17-18, 26: 3-5, 28: 13-14 and Isaiah 40: 5, 42: 1-9, 45: 22-25, 49: 5-6, 51: 4-5, 52: 10).
And we see this same thing in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is born and brought up as a Jew. Simeon in the temple foresaw that the baby Jesus was the “light for revelation to the gentiles” (Luke 2: 32), but much of the time Jesus clearly focused his mission on the people of Israel (e.g. Matt 10: 5-6, 15: 24). But then there are several remarkable moments, like the one in our gospel reading today, when the generosity of Jesus spontaneous pours out over people beyond the Jewish nation.
In our gospel reading we heard that Jesus was profoundly moved by the faith that he found in the centurion. Of course, the centurion was not a Jew, and as an official of the Roman Army he might easily be thought of as an enemy of the Jews, but Jesus did not hesitate to cure the centurion’s servant. He even presented the faith of the centurion as an example to Israel. There was never any suggestion that the centurion should become a Jew.
Those hints in the Old Testament that God will bless all the nations of the earth through Israel do eventually find their fulfilment in Jesus. The religion that Jesus establishes becomes a universal religion. Christianity is for all people. Everyone is called to become part of the church. Rich and poor, young and old, saints and sinners; all called.
But I think it is very helpful for us, in the Church, to reflect on the generosity of Jesus and of his love pouring out upon people beyond the nation of Israel. In the same way we have to pour out love from the Church into the world, even into the non-Christian parts of the world. In our daily lives we probably encounter many people who are nominally Christian, but who seem to have minimal relationship with the church, and may not even be baptised. We probably encounter people from other faiths beyond Christianity, and people who say they have no faith at all, who might even be hostile to faith. These people are to us what the centurion was to Jesus. Like Jesus we need to reach out to them all, to work for their good. We need to help them and serve them in all their good aspirations and to build relationships of trust with them. We need to see God’s good creation in them, and help them to see the good that we share. It’s about a having generous attitude and a willingness to give.
And it seems to me that just as the love of Jesus spilling out beyond Judaism lead to the creation of a new, bigger and broader “People of God”, so too our love spilling out beyond the visible boundaries of the Church will somehow lead to a bigger and fuller salvation. In this way the gospel really becomes “Good News” for all the world, the Church really does become the light for the nations. Amen.
29 March 2009
Discerning God's call
Short sermon preached at 8.00am Eucharist at St Alphege on Sunday 29th March 2009.
Lent 5, Year B, but with a special reading from the Parish Lent Course. The Parish Lent Course follows the book Life Calling by Robert Warren and Kate Bruce (London, Church House Publishing, 2007).
Readings: 2 Samuel 7: 1-17 John 12: 20-26
First three paragraphs are repeated from sermon for Lent 3, 15/03/09.
In our Lent Courses so far we have been thinking about God’s call in our lives. We have seen how God’s call is very personal to each one of us. We have seen how God calls us from where we are right now. God’s call takes perfect account of the person we are with all our specific talents and attributes and virtues, and also with all our many sins and hurts and difficulties and weaknesses. God calls me “just as I am”.
But although God’s call starts with us “just as we are”, it leads us to somewhere new. It is a calling to draw closer to God. It is a calling to grow in love, because God is love. It’s a calling that draws us forward towards our true identity, towards being the person God created us to be. It is a calling to live in perfect harmony with God and with all the other citizens of God’s kingdom. It is a calling to holiness and to the life of heaven.
So it is that we can think of our lives as a journey, a journey towards heaven, towards complete fulfilment, towards discovering our true identity within the love of God. And how do we make progress on this journey. We make progress by following the call of God, by following God’s will for our lives.
But how do we hear God’s call? How do we understand what God’s will is? Well, in our Old Testament reading today there was an interesting story of David trying to discern God’s will. First of all he has an intuition, that it would be good to build a house for God. Then he tests this intuition by talking to the prophet Nathan. Nathan initially says, “Yes”, but very quickly God corrects this understanding. God then talks to David through Nathan, and basically God says “No”.
Notice that God’s generosity in this story far exceeds David’s. David offers to build God a house, but God says that he will make the House of David great, and he will establish the throne of David for all time. As Christians we see this promise fulfilled in Jesus, the eternal king, who was born into the line of David.
Also it is clear from other parts of the book that God does have his own plans for his own house. It is David’s son Solomon who builds a great temple for God. And because of Solomon’s great wealth the temple he builds is altogether far bigger and grander than David could ever have imagined.
So David gets a “No” from God on his suggestion to build a house for God. If we had read further we would have heard that David tests this “No” by praying over it as some length. But then once he is satisfied that he understood correctly he seeks out other activities. In the next chapter of the book he returns to his military conquests, and in this he is greatly blessed by God. Notice that most kings would instinctively want to conquer their neighbours, but would not think to build a house for God. With David it is the other way round, and he has God’s full support.
So, how do we discern God’s will for our own lives? Well, like David, we should certainly listen for intuitions from God. These are often planted by the Holy Spirit. On important matters we should certainly talk our intuitions through with others for verification. Who do we talk things through with? Who has the role of Nathan in your life? Then prayer certainly has an important role in verifying the will of God. God’s will is often suggested to us by circumstances. It is often something very simple and natural and low key. But following God’s will, moment by moment as our lives progress is the key to walking the journey towards heaven. It is growing in love and in holiness. It is walking towards the full realisation of God’s creation in us. It is our fulfilment as human beings. Amen.
Lent 5, Year B, but with a special reading from the Parish Lent Course. The Parish Lent Course follows the book Life Calling by Robert Warren and Kate Bruce (London, Church House Publishing, 2007).
Readings: 2 Samuel 7: 1-17 John 12: 20-26
First three paragraphs are repeated from sermon for Lent 3, 15/03/09.
In our Lent Courses so far we have been thinking about God’s call in our lives. We have seen how God’s call is very personal to each one of us. We have seen how God calls us from where we are right now. God’s call takes perfect account of the person we are with all our specific talents and attributes and virtues, and also with all our many sins and hurts and difficulties and weaknesses. God calls me “just as I am”.
But although God’s call starts with us “just as we are”, it leads us to somewhere new. It is a calling to draw closer to God. It is a calling to grow in love, because God is love. It’s a calling that draws us forward towards our true identity, towards being the person God created us to be. It is a calling to live in perfect harmony with God and with all the other citizens of God’s kingdom. It is a calling to holiness and to the life of heaven.
So it is that we can think of our lives as a journey, a journey towards heaven, towards complete fulfilment, towards discovering our true identity within the love of God. And how do we make progress on this journey. We make progress by following the call of God, by following God’s will for our lives.
But how do we hear God’s call? How do we understand what God’s will is? Well, in our Old Testament reading today there was an interesting story of David trying to discern God’s will. First of all he has an intuition, that it would be good to build a house for God. Then he tests this intuition by talking to the prophet Nathan. Nathan initially says, “Yes”, but very quickly God corrects this understanding. God then talks to David through Nathan, and basically God says “No”.
Notice that God’s generosity in this story far exceeds David’s. David offers to build God a house, but God says that he will make the House of David great, and he will establish the throne of David for all time. As Christians we see this promise fulfilled in Jesus, the eternal king, who was born into the line of David.
Also it is clear from other parts of the book that God does have his own plans for his own house. It is David’s son Solomon who builds a great temple for God. And because of Solomon’s great wealth the temple he builds is altogether far bigger and grander than David could ever have imagined.
So David gets a “No” from God on his suggestion to build a house for God. If we had read further we would have heard that David tests this “No” by praying over it as some length. But then once he is satisfied that he understood correctly he seeks out other activities. In the next chapter of the book he returns to his military conquests, and in this he is greatly blessed by God. Notice that most kings would instinctively want to conquer their neighbours, but would not think to build a house for God. With David it is the other way round, and he has God’s full support.
So, how do we discern God’s will for our own lives? Well, like David, we should certainly listen for intuitions from God. These are often planted by the Holy Spirit. On important matters we should certainly talk our intuitions through with others for verification. Who do we talk things through with? Who has the role of Nathan in your life? Then prayer certainly has an important role in verifying the will of God. God’s will is often suggested to us by circumstances. It is often something very simple and natural and low key. But following God’s will, moment by moment as our lives progress is the key to walking the journey towards heaven. It is growing in love and in holiness. It is walking towards the full realisation of God’s creation in us. It is our fulfilment as human beings. Amen.
16 May 2008
Trinity Sunday
Article for Faith Matters column of Solihull News
On Sunday (18th May) the churches celebrate Trinity Sunday. This is when we reflect on the great mystery of our God who is both “one” and “three” at the same time.
It is important to understand that the Holy Trinity is a mystery. As human beings we don’t have the capacity to understand our creator, who is so much greater than we are. We try always to grow in the love and knowledge of God, and by God’s grace we can make some progress, but we can never hope to fully understand God. If we think we understand God through and through then we are deceiving ourselves!
It is also important to recognise that the threeness of God in no way compromises the oneness of God. The perfect unity of God is central to Christianity, and to many other religions as well.
And yet within this extraordinary oneness of God, Christians recognise relationships of complete self giving between different “Persons”. God the Father gives everything to God the Son (c.f. Matt 28: 18). God the Son gives everything to God the Father, being ready to lay down his life for the Father (c.f. Matt 26: 39-44). God the Holy Spirit shares with us what the Son shares with the Father (c.f. John 16: 13-15).
Human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We were created to have loving, giving and sharing relationships like those that we see in the Holy Trinity. It is relationships like these that give us our true identity and our dignity as human beings. Trinity Sunday therefore invites us to grow in generosity, being ready to give time, money, attention and care to the people around us. Growing in generosity helps us to become the people we were created to be.
Revd Patrick Gerard
Assistant Curate, St Alphege Church, Parish of Solihull
On Sunday (18th May) the churches celebrate Trinity Sunday. This is when we reflect on the great mystery of our God who is both “one” and “three” at the same time.
It is important to understand that the Holy Trinity is a mystery. As human beings we don’t have the capacity to understand our creator, who is so much greater than we are. We try always to grow in the love and knowledge of God, and by God’s grace we can make some progress, but we can never hope to fully understand God. If we think we understand God through and through then we are deceiving ourselves!
It is also important to recognise that the threeness of God in no way compromises the oneness of God. The perfect unity of God is central to Christianity, and to many other religions as well.
And yet within this extraordinary oneness of God, Christians recognise relationships of complete self giving between different “Persons”. God the Father gives everything to God the Son (c.f. Matt 28: 18). God the Son gives everything to God the Father, being ready to lay down his life for the Father (c.f. Matt 26: 39-44). God the Holy Spirit shares with us what the Son shares with the Father (c.f. John 16: 13-15).
Human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We were created to have loving, giving and sharing relationships like those that we see in the Holy Trinity. It is relationships like these that give us our true identity and our dignity as human beings. Trinity Sunday therefore invites us to grow in generosity, being ready to give time, money, attention and care to the people around us. Growing in generosity helps us to become the people we were created to be.
Revd Patrick Gerard
Assistant Curate, St Alphege Church, Parish of Solihull
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