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 giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giving. 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.
01 February 2009
Giving from our gifts
Preached at St Michael’s,
10.30am Eucharist on
Presentation of Christ in the
Last week I was talking to a lady, and she was experiencing panic in her household because 31st January was the last date for submission of an on-line self assessment tax return. Well today is 1st February, so I hope that they got the job done and can now relax. This got me thinking about tax. I don’t know about you, but I always used to think that it was very strange that people who worked for the government had to pay tax. I used to think it would make much more sense to pay government employees smaller salaries, but to pay them tax free. Would this not save all kinds of administrative costs involved in paying out money and then taxing it back in again? But as I have got older I have come to understand the wisdom of everyone paying tax. There are many administrative advantages, but it seems to me that the biggest single advantage is that government employees share in the experience of being a taxpayer. If taxes go up, because of some government policy, then they share the pain with everyone else. If taxes go down they share the benefit. If some mess up in government wastes a lot of tax payers money, then government employees are likely to be just as annoyed and frustrated by it as any other tax payer. So the additional circulation of money caused by paying government employees and then charging them tax ensures government employees and the rest of us have a shared experience of being tax payers. This common experience of paying tax helps us to understand one another. It helps the nation to build a common mind on the way that government money should be spent. In its own small way it helps us to build unity in the nation.
And we have a similar situation in our financial giving to the church. There are people, like me, who work for the church and are paid by the church, but we also give money to the church. Just like everyone else in the congregation we have to sit up and take notice when the church asks us to review our giving and perhaps to give more. So church employees face the same challenges on giving as other members of the congregation. And this additional circulation of gifts in the life of the church gives us a shared experience of giving. This helps us to understand each other and to build unity in the church.
This pattern of giving from the gifts that we have received is also evident in the Presentation of Christ in the
Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was the Son of God. So they knew that the whole temple, and all its officials which exist for the worship and glory of God, also exist in a certain way for the worship and glory of Jesus. And yet this did not prevent them from making the sacrifice required by the law, “a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.” In fact we are told that Mary and Joseph did everything that was required by the law of the Lord before they returned to
So even though the Holy Family received very special gifts from God, given to them for very particular purposes, they still felt the need to give gifts back to God. And so we see a circulation of gifts a bit like the circulation caused by government employees paying taxes, or church employees giving money to the church.
And this pattern of receiving gifts and then giving back goes very deep. It is central to the life of God himself. God the Father gives everything to Jesus. In Ephesians (1: 21) we read that the God has set Jesus far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and … has put all things under his feet and has made him head over all things. And yet Jesus too gives everything to the Father. In
As Christians we are called to share in the glory and holiness of this life of God, this divine life of heaven (e.g. 2 Th
Let’s give then, not just money, but of time, attention, talents and prayers. And let’s not be ashamed to receive gifts or love or attention from others, because these enrich us and allow us in turn to give more. All this giving helps goods, and money and news and experiences to circulate within the life of the church, and within the life of the wider community. This helps to build up a common life, a shared understanding. It leads to a sense of belonging and cohesiveness in the community, and it leads to unity in the church. Unity! This is perhaps God’s greatest gift to us, but we can only receive it when we are giving ourselves completely to one another.
19 October 2008
Giving to God the things which are God's
Sermon preached at Solihull School Chapel at 6.30pm Coral Evensong
Sunday 19th October 2008, Trinity 22, Proper 24 Year A
Readings: Isaiah 45: 1-7 Matthew 22: 15-22
Lady Nancy Astor once looked Winston Churchill in the eye and said, “If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.” Churchill looked back at her and said, “Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.” It was a quite brilliant, if rather hurtful, repost.
I heard another one recently. A man at a diner party in New York was asked what he did for a living. He replied, “Oh I hate it when people ask that. Nowadays I don’t like to admit it … but I’m an investment banker.” There was silence around the dinner table. Then the reply came, “Don’t worry about it! Next week you’ll be able to say that you’re unemployed.”
I think we all admire a good repost. My trouble is that I always think of the good repost five minutes after I needed it. It seems that this is a very common problem. The French apparently have two different words to distinguish the repost you actually made from the repost you would have like to have made if you had had time to think about it.
In our gospel reading today we heard about Jesus giving a quite brilliant response to a very difficult question. In fact it was a trick question, specifically designed to catch Jesus out.
At the time of Jesus, God’s chosen people, the Jews, were living in Judea and Galilee. This was the land that God had promised to their forefather Abraham almost 2000 years earlier. It was good for them to live in this land, but the trouble was that had been conquered by the Romans and they were ruled by the Romans. Cunningly, the Romans had put, a Jewish man, King Herod, in charge, so it was Jews governing Jews, but there was no doubt that the Rome Emperor was ultimately in control. On anything really important the Romans made sure that King Herod did what they told him. Taxes were collected and paid to the Romans. The Roman army of occupation was always there should there be any failure to cooperate with the Roman Empire.
For the Jews, this Roman occupation was a terrible humiliation. They had a very clear religious understanding that they were God’s chosen people; that they were destined to be a great nation and to be owners of this land and to be a nation so blessed that through them all the nations of the world would be blessed (e.g. Gen 12: 2, 13: 15). Being ruled by the Roman did not make them feel like a great nation. Being ruled by the Romans did not feel like a blessing, it felt like a curse. It was a violation of the land that God had promised to them. So the Roman occupation was not just a humiliation, it was also a religious evil, something all good Jews should struggle against.
Jesus was asked, “Is it lawful [under the ancient Jewish religious law] to pay taxes to the [Roman] emperor?” If he said, “Yes” then he would be seen to be denying the Jews understanding of themselves as a great nation, God’s chosen people and as owners of the land. Jesus’ enemies would be able to portray him as a collaborator with the Romans, a traitor, an enemy of God and of God’s people. On the other hand if Jesus said, “No!” then his enemies would be able to portray him as an enemy of the Roman Empire. They would be able to report him to the Roman authorities, who would no doubt punish him very severely for daring to say that taxes should not be paid to Rome.
So what did Jesus do? He asked them to show him the coin with which the taxes are paid. They showed him one of the Roman coins. He asked, “Whose head is this on the coin? Whose title?”
“It’s the Emperor’s” they replied. Jesus said, “Give therefore to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words pay the taxes to the Roman’s but continue to give to God the things that God wants from you.
It is, I think, the most brilliant advice. Usually we have no choice but to give to the authorities the things, like tax, that the authorities want from us. But we should not let this distract us from giving to God the things God wants from us.
So what does God want from us? What does it mean for us to give to God the things that are God’s? Well first of all I think it means giving God credit for, and thanks for all he has given us; for our lives, our families, our world, our houses and schools, all the people around us and all the good things we have. These things do not come to us by accident or by our own hard work (although sometimes we do need to work hard). They come to us by God’s good gift and we need to give thanks for that.
Then we need to give to God proper time and attention. It is all too easy to let a day slip by without saying our prayers, to let a Sunday slip by without going to church. But saying our prayers and coming to church does help us to give attention to God. It does help us to be attentive to the things that really matter. It does help us to know the ways of heaven and to grow towards eternal life.
Then we need to show our love for God in the people who are around us. Jesus said, “What you do to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me” (Matt 25: 40). So loving the people around us is a good way of loving God. Serving the people around us can be a service to God. Giving time or attention or patience or a welcome or gifts to the people around us is a way of giving these things to God.
And if we can do these things, if we can give thanks to God, if we can set aside time for God and if we can love God in our brothers and sisters, then it seems to me that we are giving to God the things that are rightfully his. And if we give generously to God then God will richly repay us. And the gifts that God gives us are not so much things that pass away like money and health (although he often does give these) but rather things of eternal value; happiness, self-fulfilment and eternal life. Giving to God the things that are God’s is is so, so worth it!
Sunday 19th October 2008, Trinity 22, Proper 24 Year A
Readings: Isaiah 45: 1-7 Matthew 22: 15-22
Lady Nancy Astor once looked Winston Churchill in the eye and said, “If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.” Churchill looked back at her and said, “Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.” It was a quite brilliant, if rather hurtful, repost.
I heard another one recently. A man at a diner party in New York was asked what he did for a living. He replied, “Oh I hate it when people ask that. Nowadays I don’t like to admit it … but I’m an investment banker.” There was silence around the dinner table. Then the reply came, “Don’t worry about it! Next week you’ll be able to say that you’re unemployed.”
I think we all admire a good repost. My trouble is that I always think of the good repost five minutes after I needed it. It seems that this is a very common problem. The French apparently have two different words to distinguish the repost you actually made from the repost you would have like to have made if you had had time to think about it.
In our gospel reading today we heard about Jesus giving a quite brilliant response to a very difficult question. In fact it was a trick question, specifically designed to catch Jesus out.
At the time of Jesus, God’s chosen people, the Jews, were living in Judea and Galilee. This was the land that God had promised to their forefather Abraham almost 2000 years earlier. It was good for them to live in this land, but the trouble was that had been conquered by the Romans and they were ruled by the Romans. Cunningly, the Romans had put, a Jewish man, King Herod, in charge, so it was Jews governing Jews, but there was no doubt that the Rome Emperor was ultimately in control. On anything really important the Romans made sure that King Herod did what they told him. Taxes were collected and paid to the Romans. The Roman army of occupation was always there should there be any failure to cooperate with the Roman Empire.
For the Jews, this Roman occupation was a terrible humiliation. They had a very clear religious understanding that they were God’s chosen people; that they were destined to be a great nation and to be owners of this land and to be a nation so blessed that through them all the nations of the world would be blessed (e.g. Gen 12: 2, 13: 15). Being ruled by the Roman did not make them feel like a great nation. Being ruled by the Romans did not feel like a blessing, it felt like a curse. It was a violation of the land that God had promised to them. So the Roman occupation was not just a humiliation, it was also a religious evil, something all good Jews should struggle against.
Jesus was asked, “Is it lawful [under the ancient Jewish religious law] to pay taxes to the [Roman] emperor?” If he said, “Yes” then he would be seen to be denying the Jews understanding of themselves as a great nation, God’s chosen people and as owners of the land. Jesus’ enemies would be able to portray him as a collaborator with the Romans, a traitor, an enemy of God and of God’s people. On the other hand if Jesus said, “No!” then his enemies would be able to portray him as an enemy of the Roman Empire. They would be able to report him to the Roman authorities, who would no doubt punish him very severely for daring to say that taxes should not be paid to Rome.
So what did Jesus do? He asked them to show him the coin with which the taxes are paid. They showed him one of the Roman coins. He asked, “Whose head is this on the coin? Whose title?”
“It’s the Emperor’s” they replied. Jesus said, “Give therefore to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words pay the taxes to the Roman’s but continue to give to God the things that God wants from you.
It is, I think, the most brilliant advice. Usually we have no choice but to give to the authorities the things, like tax, that the authorities want from us. But we should not let this distract us from giving to God the things God wants from us.
So what does God want from us? What does it mean for us to give to God the things that are God’s? Well first of all I think it means giving God credit for, and thanks for all he has given us; for our lives, our families, our world, our houses and schools, all the people around us and all the good things we have. These things do not come to us by accident or by our own hard work (although sometimes we do need to work hard). They come to us by God’s good gift and we need to give thanks for that.
Then we need to give to God proper time and attention. It is all too easy to let a day slip by without saying our prayers, to let a Sunday slip by without going to church. But saying our prayers and coming to church does help us to give attention to God. It does help us to be attentive to the things that really matter. It does help us to know the ways of heaven and to grow towards eternal life.
Then we need to show our love for God in the people who are around us. Jesus said, “What you do to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me” (Matt 25: 40). So loving the people around us is a good way of loving God. Serving the people around us can be a service to God. Giving time or attention or patience or a welcome or gifts to the people around us is a way of giving these things to God.
And if we can do these things, if we can give thanks to God, if we can set aside time for God and if we can love God in our brothers and sisters, then it seems to me that we are giving to God the things that are rightfully his. And if we give generously to God then God will richly repay us. And the gifts that God gives us are not so much things that pass away like money and health (although he often does give these) but rather things of eternal value; happiness, self-fulfilment and eternal life. Giving to God the things that are God’s is is so, so worth it!
21 September 2008
Human fairness and God's justice
Sermon 21/09/08
Preached at the Eucharist at St Catherine’s, Catherine-de-Barnes at 11am on
Sunday 21st September 2008 - Trinity 18 – Proper 20 – Year A
Readings: Jonah 3: 10 - 4:11 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
In 1987 I joined British Gas as employee. At that time in British Gas there used to be an annual pay negotiation. The unions would argue that gas workers should get a pay rise to give them parity with what was earned by staff in telecoms or the electricity board. The management would argue that a more appropriate comparison was with council workers and the water board, and gas employees already received more than what theses groups earned. In the end a compromise was always worked out, but to achieve this, the management and unions had to put aside their chosen comparisons and focus on what made sense for the gas industry.
We know that comparison with other people is a very common way of determining appropriate pay in the working world. But we also know from today’s gospel reading that this is NOT how the kingdom of heaven works! In the parable there were some workers who had started work in the early morning, some had started at 9, some at noon, some at 3 and some at 5. At 6, when everybody finished work and was paid the landowner chose to give each one the normal full daily wage. It is very, very easy for us human beings to understand why the people who started work first thing in the morning might find that frustrating. The landowner has been very generous to some people, who started work late. Those who started early might well hope that he will be generous with them too. In fact he pays exactly what was originally agreed, which felt like a fair wage when it was agreed, but now suddenly it feels very stingy because other people have done a lot better.
But Jesus tells us that this is what the kingdom of heaven of like! The truth is that God gives out his gifts just as he pleases to each different person. We should not make comparisons between different people, because if we do we soon start to think, “It’s not fair!” And it is certainly true that on a comparative basis life can be very “unfair”. This “unfairness” is most obvious in the way people are born. Some people are born rich, beautiful and intelligent. Others are born poor, ugly and stupid. Some people are born into good families, are loved by their parents and grow up secure and happy. Other people are born into miserable family situations and grow up believing that nobody is out to help them and everybody is out to exploit them. But “comparative unfairness” is not just about birth. As we grow up, some people land good jobs, and buy into the housing market just before a housing boom. Other people struggle with jobs and get caught in negative equity traps on their mortgages. Some people enjoy good health, some people have poor health and some people die young from accidents or terrible diseases.
And religious gifts are not dished out equally either. Why should God have a “chosen people”? Are they any better than the rest of us? Why did God choose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be “blessed among women” (Luke 1: 42)? Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem and not in Catherine-de-Barnes?
If we think in comparative terms we can quickly start to see God as very unfair. We can even start to feel resentful or indignant towards God. But of course we know we should not think about God in this way. So why is it that God seems so completely unconcerned about fairness from a human perspective? Well this is something of a mystery which we need to ponder over time. But there is a big difference between the justice of God, and our human notions of fairness, especially comparative fairness. I would like to set out a few pointers to help us ponder the mystery.
First of all there is something very personal about our relationship with God. Each of us is completely unique. Each of us is loved by God in a way that exactly and perfectly matches our uniqueness. For each of us God has a plan, a route to eternal life, and this plan, this journey is very specifically ours; nobody else can walk the journey for us, nobody else can experience God in exactly the same way as we do. So the challenge for each one of us is not to grumble about the gifts that God has evidently given to other people, but rather to discover and make the most of and to rejoice in the gifts that God has specifically given to us personally.
Secondly, in the Church, the body of Christ, the community of Christian people the gift that God gives to one person is not solely for the benefit of that person but is for the benefit of the whole community. We all need to use our gifts for the benefit of the others. The one who can welcome, should welcome on behalf of us all. The one who can pray well should pray well on behalf of us all, the one who can make tea and coffee should do it for us all. We need to develop a culture of giving, of sharing. When we get to heaven I suspect that we will find that our gifts and good fortunes will be so perfectly shared among us that we will not pause to worry about which individual God originally gave them to.
Thirdly, as human beings we are created for eternal life. The time we spend on this earth is relatively brief, and although things might seem unfair in this earthly life they might look very different over all eternity. Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled, blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh,” (Luke 6: 20-21). St Paul teaches that the sufferings of this present life are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed (Romans 8: 18) and Peter preaches that after we have suffered for a little we will be restored, supported, strengthened and established by God (1 Peter 5:10).
Fourthly it was through his passion and death that Christ reconciled us to God. When we approach our sufferings in fellowship with Christ in his sufferings then they become immensely valuable. Through fellowship with Christ in his sufferings we can hope for fellowship with Christ in his resurrection and new life. Even if some people seem to suffer more than others in this life, we should not assume that they are less blessed. In fact the opposite might be true. Surely Jesus suffered greatly, and surely he is greatly blessed.
And I believe that we can use these four pointers to align our own lives with the kingdom of heaven, and to make our communities more like heaven. In particular we make our own contribution by seeking to walk the path that God has planned for us personally, discovering all its beauty and potential. We should not worry, but rather should rejoice, if God appears to have given other very attractive looking paths to other people. And we must also work on that culture of giving. The good things we have been given are given to us for the benefit of all. We need to be generous in giving and in receiving. Let’s not be too proud or ashamed to share in the good things that God has given to others. Rather, let’s give thanks and rejoice when this happens, because we start to make earth look more like the kingdom of heaven that Jesus described.
Preached at the Eucharist at St Catherine’s, Catherine-de-Barnes at 11am on
Sunday 21st September 2008 - Trinity 18 – Proper 20 – Year A
Readings: Jonah 3: 10 - 4:11 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
In 1987 I joined British Gas as employee. At that time in British Gas there used to be an annual pay negotiation. The unions would argue that gas workers should get a pay rise to give them parity with what was earned by staff in telecoms or the electricity board. The management would argue that a more appropriate comparison was with council workers and the water board, and gas employees already received more than what theses groups earned. In the end a compromise was always worked out, but to achieve this, the management and unions had to put aside their chosen comparisons and focus on what made sense for the gas industry.
We know that comparison with other people is a very common way of determining appropriate pay in the working world. But we also know from today’s gospel reading that this is NOT how the kingdom of heaven works! In the parable there were some workers who had started work in the early morning, some had started at 9, some at noon, some at 3 and some at 5. At 6, when everybody finished work and was paid the landowner chose to give each one the normal full daily wage. It is very, very easy for us human beings to understand why the people who started work first thing in the morning might find that frustrating. The landowner has been very generous to some people, who started work late. Those who started early might well hope that he will be generous with them too. In fact he pays exactly what was originally agreed, which felt like a fair wage when it was agreed, but now suddenly it feels very stingy because other people have done a lot better.
But Jesus tells us that this is what the kingdom of heaven of like! The truth is that God gives out his gifts just as he pleases to each different person. We should not make comparisons between different people, because if we do we soon start to think, “It’s not fair!” And it is certainly true that on a comparative basis life can be very “unfair”. This “unfairness” is most obvious in the way people are born. Some people are born rich, beautiful and intelligent. Others are born poor, ugly and stupid. Some people are born into good families, are loved by their parents and grow up secure and happy. Other people are born into miserable family situations and grow up believing that nobody is out to help them and everybody is out to exploit them. But “comparative unfairness” is not just about birth. As we grow up, some people land good jobs, and buy into the housing market just before a housing boom. Other people struggle with jobs and get caught in negative equity traps on their mortgages. Some people enjoy good health, some people have poor health and some people die young from accidents or terrible diseases.
And religious gifts are not dished out equally either. Why should God have a “chosen people”? Are they any better than the rest of us? Why did God choose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be “blessed among women” (Luke 1: 42)? Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem and not in Catherine-de-Barnes?
If we think in comparative terms we can quickly start to see God as very unfair. We can even start to feel resentful or indignant towards God. But of course we know we should not think about God in this way. So why is it that God seems so completely unconcerned about fairness from a human perspective? Well this is something of a mystery which we need to ponder over time. But there is a big difference between the justice of God, and our human notions of fairness, especially comparative fairness. I would like to set out a few pointers to help us ponder the mystery.
First of all there is something very personal about our relationship with God. Each of us is completely unique. Each of us is loved by God in a way that exactly and perfectly matches our uniqueness. For each of us God has a plan, a route to eternal life, and this plan, this journey is very specifically ours; nobody else can walk the journey for us, nobody else can experience God in exactly the same way as we do. So the challenge for each one of us is not to grumble about the gifts that God has evidently given to other people, but rather to discover and make the most of and to rejoice in the gifts that God has specifically given to us personally.
Secondly, in the Church, the body of Christ, the community of Christian people the gift that God gives to one person is not solely for the benefit of that person but is for the benefit of the whole community. We all need to use our gifts for the benefit of the others. The one who can welcome, should welcome on behalf of us all. The one who can pray well should pray well on behalf of us all, the one who can make tea and coffee should do it for us all. We need to develop a culture of giving, of sharing. When we get to heaven I suspect that we will find that our gifts and good fortunes will be so perfectly shared among us that we will not pause to worry about which individual God originally gave them to.
Thirdly, as human beings we are created for eternal life. The time we spend on this earth is relatively brief, and although things might seem unfair in this earthly life they might look very different over all eternity. Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled, blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh,” (Luke 6: 20-21). St Paul teaches that the sufferings of this present life are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed (Romans 8: 18) and Peter preaches that after we have suffered for a little we will be restored, supported, strengthened and established by God (1 Peter 5:10).
Fourthly it was through his passion and death that Christ reconciled us to God. When we approach our sufferings in fellowship with Christ in his sufferings then they become immensely valuable. Through fellowship with Christ in his sufferings we can hope for fellowship with Christ in his resurrection and new life. Even if some people seem to suffer more than others in this life, we should not assume that they are less blessed. In fact the opposite might be true. Surely Jesus suffered greatly, and surely he is greatly blessed.
And I believe that we can use these four pointers to align our own lives with the kingdom of heaven, and to make our communities more like heaven. In particular we make our own contribution by seeking to walk the path that God has planned for us personally, discovering all its beauty and potential. We should not worry, but rather should rejoice, if God appears to have given other very attractive looking paths to other people. And we must also work on that culture of giving. The good things we have been given are given to us for the benefit of all. We need to be generous in giving and in receiving. Let’s not be too proud or ashamed to share in the good things that God has given to others. Rather, let’s give thanks and rejoice when this happens, because we start to make earth look more like the kingdom of heaven that Jesus described.
20 March 2008
The New Commandment
Preached at St Alphege Church on Sunday on Maundy Thursday, 20th March 2008 at 7.30pm Eucharist, Year A
Readings: Exodus 12 1-4 & 11-14 1 Corinthians 11 23-26 John 13: 1-17 & 31b- 35
In March 2000 our family was preparing to go to India for what was expected to be a three year work placement. As we planned the move we were advised that alcoholic products could not be taken to India and could not go into UK storage. I was therefore faced with the solemn task of giving away my malt whisky collection. I remember giving an old Dalwhinnie to one friend, a very fine Bowmore to another friend and my beloved highland malts went to the curate. There was a sombre feel to these gifts. There was joy in the giving, but sorrow in losing the whisky and a foreboding sense of departure; going away from my friends for a long time.
Some of these feelings are present with Jesus at the last supper. Our New Testament readings today present Jesus as opening his great spiritual treasure chest and sharing gifts of incalculable value with his friends before he leaves this world.
The first big gift that Jesus gives us at the last supper is the gift of his body and blood in the Eucharist. He asks us to repeat the Eucharist in remembrance of him, proclaiming his death until he comes again.
A second big gift is the example he gives in the washing of the disciples’ feet. Washing feet is a very humble task, traditionally assigned to the lowest servant and yet done by Jesus the Lord and Teacher. The example is to serve one another in very simple and practical ways. He adds, “If you know these things you are blessed if you do them.”
This evening however I would like to focus most on a third big gift. The gift of Jesus’ New Commandment; “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
Now the scary thing about the New Commandment is the level of love implied. Jesus loved us to the point of giving up his life for us, so “as I have loved you” tells us that we should be ready to give our lives for one another; ready to die for one another. So in the church we are called to love one another to the point of being ready to give our lives for one another. And if I am ready to give my life for you, how much more ready am I to wash up for you, to put up with some of your irritating habits, or to help you, or to give you the things that you need.
Now, in the life of the church, it is very important that this loving and self giving is mutual. If one person does all the loving and giving, and is not loved and does not receive anything back, then very quickly the giver starts to run out of steam.
In church we often don’t live the New Commandment very well. Often we do not even know the people around us, never mind love them. As ever, we need to hold before the Lord our various shortcomings and to pray for his mercy and help. And yet I believe that there are signs of hope. During the House Eucharists this Lent I heard many people talking about their favourite hymns. Sometimes through this process small, and even not so small, pieces of spiritual treasure were given and received. Some sharing of our spiritual goods started to take place and this is very significant. I hope that we will find more opportunities for this through Fan the Flame so that we san start to build up the bonds of mutual love between us.
I believe that this is very important. It is important for us as church as we think about Going for Growth. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” So mutual love among Christians is central to our witness to other people. It is central to our mission. It is central to our aspirations for church growth.
But the New Commandment is also important in forming us into good citizens of heaven. It seems to me that we cannot think our place in heaven as something that is ours by right, or something that we own. Rather it is a gift that we are given, that we must be humble enough to receive and ready to share with others. I suspect that Jesus wants us to live the New Commandment in the church so that we can be well trained and ready to live the life of heaven when we get there.
So as we contemplate the awesome mysteries of the Triduum. As we mediate on Christ who gives himself for us completely even to the point of death, let us pray that the Lord will help us to love one another, to serve one another and to grow into the ways of the New Commandment. Amen.
Readings: Exodus 12 1-4 & 11-14 1 Corinthians 11 23-26 John 13: 1-17 & 31b- 35
In March 2000 our family was preparing to go to India for what was expected to be a three year work placement. As we planned the move we were advised that alcoholic products could not be taken to India and could not go into UK storage. I was therefore faced with the solemn task of giving away my malt whisky collection. I remember giving an old Dalwhinnie to one friend, a very fine Bowmore to another friend and my beloved highland malts went to the curate. There was a sombre feel to these gifts. There was joy in the giving, but sorrow in losing the whisky and a foreboding sense of departure; going away from my friends for a long time.
Some of these feelings are present with Jesus at the last supper. Our New Testament readings today present Jesus as opening his great spiritual treasure chest and sharing gifts of incalculable value with his friends before he leaves this world.
The first big gift that Jesus gives us at the last supper is the gift of his body and blood in the Eucharist. He asks us to repeat the Eucharist in remembrance of him, proclaiming his death until he comes again.
A second big gift is the example he gives in the washing of the disciples’ feet. Washing feet is a very humble task, traditionally assigned to the lowest servant and yet done by Jesus the Lord and Teacher. The example is to serve one another in very simple and practical ways. He adds, “If you know these things you are blessed if you do them.”
This evening however I would like to focus most on a third big gift. The gift of Jesus’ New Commandment; “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
Now the scary thing about the New Commandment is the level of love implied. Jesus loved us to the point of giving up his life for us, so “as I have loved you” tells us that we should be ready to give our lives for one another; ready to die for one another. So in the church we are called to love one another to the point of being ready to give our lives for one another. And if I am ready to give my life for you, how much more ready am I to wash up for you, to put up with some of your irritating habits, or to help you, or to give you the things that you need.
Now, in the life of the church, it is very important that this loving and self giving is mutual. If one person does all the loving and giving, and is not loved and does not receive anything back, then very quickly the giver starts to run out of steam.
In church we often don’t live the New Commandment very well. Often we do not even know the people around us, never mind love them. As ever, we need to hold before the Lord our various shortcomings and to pray for his mercy and help. And yet I believe that there are signs of hope. During the House Eucharists this Lent I heard many people talking about their favourite hymns. Sometimes through this process small, and even not so small, pieces of spiritual treasure were given and received. Some sharing of our spiritual goods started to take place and this is very significant. I hope that we will find more opportunities for this through Fan the Flame so that we san start to build up the bonds of mutual love between us.
I believe that this is very important. It is important for us as church as we think about Going for Growth. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” So mutual love among Christians is central to our witness to other people. It is central to our mission. It is central to our aspirations for church growth.
But the New Commandment is also important in forming us into good citizens of heaven. It seems to me that we cannot think our place in heaven as something that is ours by right, or something that we own. Rather it is a gift that we are given, that we must be humble enough to receive and ready to share with others. I suspect that Jesus wants us to live the New Commandment in the church so that we can be well trained and ready to live the life of heaven when we get there.
So as we contemplate the awesome mysteries of the Triduum. As we mediate on Christ who gives himself for us completely even to the point of death, let us pray that the Lord will help us to love one another, to serve one another and to grow into the ways of the New Commandment. Amen.
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