Sermon preached at St Catherine’s, Catherine-de-Barnes, Solihull at 11am Eucharist.
Easter Sunday, 12th April 2009.
A shortened version of the sermon was preached at that 8am Eucharist at St Alphege, Solihull
Readings: [Acts 10: 34-43] 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11 Mark 16: 1-8
Biblical scholars seem to be convinced that the words we have just heard from Mark’s gospels are the last words in the gospel that can be properly attributed to Mark. Most present day bibles include two additional endings to Mark’s gospel, but apparently, for stylistic reasons, scholars seen sure that these come from a different source. The scholars debate whether Mark’s original ending has been lost, or was never written or whether it was really Mark’s intention to end the gospel with the passage that we heard today.
If we do take what we heard today to be the end of the gospel then it is a very strange end in deed. Although the young man dressed in a white robe tells the women that Jesus has been raised, there is no record of anyone actually seeing the risen Christ. Also the joy of the resurrection has not filtered through at all. We are told that women fled from the tomb because terror and amazement had seized them and they said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.
If these are to be thought of as the last words of Mark’s gospel, then they are in complete contrast to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15. First of all Paul does not talk about “terror and amazement” but rather he confidently describes the Christ’s death and resurrection as good news.
There is a secondly contrast because the women in Mark’s resurrection account said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid, but what Paul writes is completely focused on the proclamation of the gospel. He talks about the way the gospel was proclaimed to him, and the way that he and others have proclaimed it to the Corinthians.
A third contrast, and this it seems to me is crucial, is that in the words we heard from Mark today, nobody actually sees the risen Lord. In Paul’s account he produces a list of people who saw the risen Lord, including a crowd of 500 people, and himself, who by some miracle on the road to Damascus, saw the risen Lord in heaven.
So what is it that changes the fear, amazement and silence of the women we read about in Mark’s account into the confident and joyful proclamation of the good news that we read about from Paul?
Well in part it is the passage of time. The resurrection of Christ was a very big and surprising event, and it takes time for it to sink in, and for us to realise all the wonderful implications it has. But it seems to me than it this passage of time the thing that makes the big, big difference was encounters with the risen Christ.
Let’s think about the resurrection accounts in John’s gospel. In John’s gospel we read of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb, and the story is fairly similar to Mark’s version, with the stone rolled away, and the body gone and the angel. But in John’s gospel, while Mary is weeping he sees Jesus, who she initially thought was the gardener. Seeing Jesus made all the difference.
Or we might think of the disciples in John’s account who gather together, very much afraid and behind locked doors. But when Jesus appears in the midst of them we are told that the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Or we might think of Thomas who was absent on that occasion, but who was completed turned around when he later encountered the living Christ.
It is encountering the risen Christ which turns the resurrection for being about a rather bewildering and frightening empty tomb into a piece of joyful news which people want to proclaim to others.
And in many ways this is still true for us today. It is the encounter with Christ which turns our faith from something rather strange and uncomfortable into to something wonderful that we want to express and share. So how can we encounter the risen Lord. Well, since the ascension, we have not been able to meet Jesus in his physical body on earth, but there are still places where we can meet him.
First of all we can meet him in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist he gives us himself, his life, his very body and blood, and certainly we can meet him here.
Secondly we can meet him in his word proclaimed. We think of Jesus as the Word of God and when the scriptures are read Jesus the word is present to us.
But thirdly, and importantly for a gathered Christian community like this one, Jesus is present when we meet in his name. “Where two or more gather in my name there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18: 20) Jesus said. So when we meet as a Christian community we have the possibility of having Jesus present in our midst. To do this we must meet in Jesus’ name, which means in the essence of Jesus. This means meeting in mutual love, and in obedience to God’s will, but when we meet like this, Jesus is present. When Jesus is present in this way we feel our hearts burn within us, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
So as we gather let’s try to gather in the name of Jesus. Let’s gather in mutual love and in accordance with God’s will and if we do this Jesus will be present in our midst. We will have the encounter with the risen Christ, the encounter that makes all the difference! Amen.
Showing posts with label proclaim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proclaim. Show all posts
12 April 2009
08 February 2009
One with Christ in the other
Short sermon preached at 8am Eucharist at St Alphege, Solihull
Sunday 8th February 2009 – Third Sunday before lent
Readings for Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B
Readings: Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 Mark 1: 29-39
The Apostle Paul is often seen as the archetypal missionary preacher. Certainly the New Testament, especially in the Acts of the Apostles, shows Paul as extraordinarily effective in proclaiming the gospel. This was his great passion; “Woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel” we read from him today. And for me, as a child, an image of this formed in my mind. A huge figure Paul is standing high above a crowd, preaching the gospel in a loud voice and with great emotion and with lots of finger waging. And the people in the crowd are cowering before him in fear for their immortal souls, and are weeping in repentance for their sins.
As time has gone by I have come to realise that this image is not quite right, and in places it reveals some serious misconceptions about what it means to proclaim the gospel. For a start we know that Paul’s physical stature was neither big nor impressive (Acts of Paul and Thecla 3 - late 2nd century). Paul notes of himself that, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." (2 Cor 10:10) But above all, what is wrong is the impression that Paul, through strength of argument or personality was somehow able to force or coerce people into accepting the gospel. I am quite sure that it was not like this at all. In fact the techniques Paul described in our reading today are the very opposite of force or coercion. They show the love of someone who places great value on the experience and opinions of others.
First of all Paul says, “I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.” Paul sees himself as a slave or a servant of those who he seeks to convert. This does not mean that he allows them to dominate or control him or walk all over him. Rather it means he will look at these people with great charity, trying to see them as God sees them, and trying to recognise and understand God’s creation in them, and above all trying to find within them the new life of Christ. It is this new life in Christ and God’s creation in them that Paul is seeking to serve. He will do whatever he can to nurture it, understand it and help it to grow. And the point about being a servant or a slave is that this is done, not on Paul’s terms, but on the terms of the one who is served. Paul serves Jesus, present in the other people.
But then, even more mysteriously, Paul says, “To the Jews I became a Jew… to those not bound by the law of Moses I became like one not bound by the law of Moses…to the week I became week…I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means win some.” This means that Paul seeks to set aside his own agenda and priorities in order to focus properly on the experience and aspirations of Christ present in the people he meets, be they Jews, or non Jews, the week or the strong. Paul is ready to die to Christ in himself, in order to rise with Christ in the other person. Paul seeks to empathise with Christ in the other person. He seeks to walk in the shoes of the other in order to understand the other and to share in their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears. And Paul remains convinced that it is this losing of himself for Christ in the other that will eventually win the other over to Christ.
And this is the pattern for our love too. We need to be ready to lose everything in order to seek out and love Christ present in the other person. We seek to empathise with and share in the experience of Christ in that person. And this helps Christ to grow, both in them and in us and so it brings forward the kingdom of God. Amen.
Sunday 8th February 2009 – Third Sunday before lent
Readings for Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B
Readings: Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 Mark 1: 29-39
The Apostle Paul is often seen as the archetypal missionary preacher. Certainly the New Testament, especially in the Acts of the Apostles, shows Paul as extraordinarily effective in proclaiming the gospel. This was his great passion; “Woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel” we read from him today. And for me, as a child, an image of this formed in my mind. A huge figure Paul is standing high above a crowd, preaching the gospel in a loud voice and with great emotion and with lots of finger waging. And the people in the crowd are cowering before him in fear for their immortal souls, and are weeping in repentance for their sins.
As time has gone by I have come to realise that this image is not quite right, and in places it reveals some serious misconceptions about what it means to proclaim the gospel. For a start we know that Paul’s physical stature was neither big nor impressive (Acts of Paul and Thecla 3 - late 2nd century). Paul notes of himself that, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." (2 Cor 10:10) But above all, what is wrong is the impression that Paul, through strength of argument or personality was somehow able to force or coerce people into accepting the gospel. I am quite sure that it was not like this at all. In fact the techniques Paul described in our reading today are the very opposite of force or coercion. They show the love of someone who places great value on the experience and opinions of others.
First of all Paul says, “I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.” Paul sees himself as a slave or a servant of those who he seeks to convert. This does not mean that he allows them to dominate or control him or walk all over him. Rather it means he will look at these people with great charity, trying to see them as God sees them, and trying to recognise and understand God’s creation in them, and above all trying to find within them the new life of Christ. It is this new life in Christ and God’s creation in them that Paul is seeking to serve. He will do whatever he can to nurture it, understand it and help it to grow. And the point about being a servant or a slave is that this is done, not on Paul’s terms, but on the terms of the one who is served. Paul serves Jesus, present in the other people.
But then, even more mysteriously, Paul says, “To the Jews I became a Jew… to those not bound by the law of Moses I became like one not bound by the law of Moses…to the week I became week…I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means win some.” This means that Paul seeks to set aside his own agenda and priorities in order to focus properly on the experience and aspirations of Christ present in the people he meets, be they Jews, or non Jews, the week or the strong. Paul is ready to die to Christ in himself, in order to rise with Christ in the other person. Paul seeks to empathise with Christ in the other person. He seeks to walk in the shoes of the other in order to understand the other and to share in their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears. And Paul remains convinced that it is this losing of himself for Christ in the other that will eventually win the other over to Christ.
And this is the pattern for our love too. We need to be ready to lose everything in order to seek out and love Christ present in the other person. We seek to empathise with and share in the experience of Christ in that person. And this helps Christ to grow, both in them and in us and so it brings forward the kingdom of God. Amen.
Preaching the message of God
Thought for the Parish Pewslip, 8th Feb 2009
Readings for Epiphany 5, Year B: Isaiah 40: 21-31, 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23, Mark 1: 29-39
Our readings today tell us about the compelling need to preach the message of God. There are also some top-tips on how this should be done!
From Isaiah, the prophet’s message is about the greatness of God. He wants to remind people of the God’s extraordinary power. The prophet wants to assure God’s people that those who wait on the Lord will receive new strength. He seems frustrated that people don’t understand this; “Have you not known? Have you not heard?” he repeats.
In our reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that he is under an obligation to proclaim the gospel. But for Paul this means being empty of self and being ready to lose his own agenda. Paul focuses on empathising with other people and becoming one with them. He is even prepared to make himself weak with the weak. Somehow, through this emptiness of self, the blessings of the gospel are shared.
In our gospel, Jesus too is keen to proclaim his message. For Jesus, loving and serving others (by healing the sick and casting out demons) is an integral part of the proclamation.
Readings for Epiphany 5, Year B: Isaiah 40: 21-31, 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23, Mark 1: 29-39
Our readings today tell us about the compelling need to preach the message of God. There are also some top-tips on how this should be done!
From Isaiah, the prophet’s message is about the greatness of God. He wants to remind people of the God’s extraordinary power. The prophet wants to assure God’s people that those who wait on the Lord will receive new strength. He seems frustrated that people don’t understand this; “Have you not known? Have you not heard?” he repeats.
In our reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that he is under an obligation to proclaim the gospel. But for Paul this means being empty of self and being ready to lose his own agenda. Paul focuses on empathising with other people and becoming one with them. He is even prepared to make himself weak with the weak. Somehow, through this emptiness of self, the blessings of the gospel are shared.
In our gospel, Jesus too is keen to proclaim his message. For Jesus, loving and serving others (by healing the sick and casting out demons) is an integral part of the proclamation.
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