Sunday 12 February 2017

'Looking backwards to go forwards' - transcript of sermon 17th February 2017


Sermon – St Anne’s Brown Edge 12th February 2017

Deuteronomy 30.15-20 Psalm 119.1-8
1 Corinthians 3.1-9 Matthew 5.21-37





Here we are, a dozen Christian gathered together on the 12th February 2017 in a place called Brown Edge on the very edge of Stoke.

Here we are in this rather strange building and before us are some very ancient texts – and it is good to remind ourselves that these texts are ancient texts, none of them less than 1,500 years old.
Manifestly what we are doing here this morning is of little concern or interest to the majority of people in and around Brown Edge.

And as we sit in here this morning the world out there, we might say, appears to be going to hell in a handcart.
We have one of the most powerful men in the world of one of the most powerful nations not giving a great deal of thought to any texts, ancient or contemporary. Admitting to receiving news mostly through TV.

He prefers to tweet – government and pronouncements reduced to 140 characters.
Across the world at the moment there are an estimated 1.5 billion people living in an area of armed conflict or a war zone.

Europe has taken a million migrants and refugees fleeing the violence and war.  They are amongst us, and they are traumatised, especially the children and not 3,000 but 350 is scandalous.
In our own country, we have campaigns to end hunger, one shortly to begin in Stafford. Food Banks have become normalised.

Our heath service is on the verge of collapse.

We have seen advancement with robotics and AI and it is predicted that they will replace a good percentage of humans in the work place over the next twenty years.
People are beginning to seek cybernetic implants for aesthetic reasons and not simple prosthetic because of the loss of a limb.   

Members of the Cybernetics Society say this will become as mainstream as tattoos and body piercing has over recent years.
Today, if you were to read one daily newspaper from cover to cover, you would absorb more information that a person would have done in the whole of their life 100 years ago.

There is an increasing call for gender to be a matter of personal choice and not specified as male female binary but anywhere along that spectrum. This is leading to more gender-neutral toiles in public places, schools and colleges.
And we sit here this morning with these ancient texts and going through some rather strange rituals.

However, do not these very text, written by men and woman over thousands of years, men and woman inspired by God's Holy Spirit, do not these texts tell us a different story.
Do they not tell us that this earth is God’s good creation and that God is bringing everything back into good order?

Do they not tell us about how God became man and then became King – King of over all. We find that supremely in Philippians 2 – ‘The Hymn of the Kenosis’ or ‘Song of Self-Emptying.’
Do these texts not tell us about the people of God as they grasped the reality of God come amongst them – of sins forgiven and the possibility of reconciliation not only with God but also with each other?

If, Jesus says, you come to the Temple, to bring an offering, and as you get near to a Holy God in the Temple, and you realise you are in contention with a brother or sister (not necessarily relatives I think we can presume) then leave your gift and go and be reconciled. That would mean a round trip of about a week – now that’s a serious undertaking.
Our Gospel reading is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (mountains are important for Matthew and the places where key things happen) and it would appear that Jesus is saying that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart, perhaps with verses like this one in mind.

From Ezekiel 36.26-27
"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.…

And this is a choice put before us as we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy…
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it

So, what is your choice individually and what is your choice as the people of God in Brown Edge?
Just what does it mean to love the Lord, walk in his ways and keep his commandments, his statutes, and his judgments? 

It would appear for the most part that the People of Israel thought this meant keeping rules and following regulations. Regulations that Jesus was to say on one occasion, that appear bright and shiny on the outside, like whitened tombs, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.
Jesus calls for a heart surgery that removes stony hearts that are satisfied with ritual and regulations for one that beats with the blood and fire and passion of the living God.

Jesus call for radical discipleship where we would rather mutilate ourselves than offend God and go against his good will and create dis-ease with our brothers and sisters. 
Cutting of hands and tearing out eyes is a serious suggestion – albeit obvious hyperbole.

Jesus knows that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Jesus knows that the thought is father to the deed and must be stopped at source.

Jesus knows what it is to live as an authentic human being and invites us to follow him.
Jesus invites us to become a different kind of community where love and forgiveness prevail.

Jesus calls us to demonstrate that we as the People of God are people of hope and we know that God is bringing everything to good order.
However, how do we go about doing that?

I would want to suggest that it isn’t by pulling up the gang plank on the Ark and shutting ourselves in and away from the world with all its problems and challenges.
Sitting here singing familiar hymns and going through certain rituals and studying ancient texts in some vain hope that we can escape from all that is going on in the world.

In The Message translation of John’s Prologue, we hear this…
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighbourhood.


If we are to have anything meaningful to say to our neighbourhood, I would want to suggest that we need to do far more than we already do to be and become an authentic Faith Community of God’s people set here in Brown Edge.

We need to gather regularly as God’s people to study together and wrestle with these ancient texts. We need to do more life together, to eat more together and most certainly to pray more together with and for each other and for the wider community in which God has called you.

In these dangerous times, in these times of huge complexities, where there is so much uncertainly, so much pain and suffering we need to speak with a different voice and with confidence that this is God’s good world and that God is bringing all things together for the good. That we, as a Community of God’s Kingdom People, demonstrate how to live as authentic human beings in today’s world and to invite others into this Community, so that they might taste and see that the Lord is good. So, that they may have their own heart transplant and come to experience life in all its fullness.

In the ancient world, such radical communities quickly spread the Gospel around the Roman Empire.  Today, such Communities and Fresh Expression of Church are offering hopeful signs and showing real growth. You can read about this in this month’s copy of Inspire magazine.

Maybe the Churches future does lie in the past – if we go back far enough!

Let us pray…

O Saviour Christ, in whose way of love lays the secret of all life, and the hope of all people, we pray for quiet courage to match this hour. We did not choose to be born or to live in such an age; but let its problems challenge us, its discoveries exhilarate us, its injustices anger us, it possibilities inspire us, and its vigour renew us. Pour out upon us a fresh indwelling of the Holy Spirit; make us bold and courageous in sharing faith in both word and deed for your Kingdom’s sake we ask.

Amen

Saturday 4 February 2017

Captains Blog February 2017

My first engagement with Faith Pictures began this month and I really like it. It is so much fun and yet has a great way of engendering some fantastic conversations about our Faith and our journeys to faith.  It gets a massive thumbs up from me! Check out the Church Army web site for more details - www.churcharmy.org.uk


Three preachment's this month

St Anne’s, Brown Edge for my regular monthly visit.

St Bartholomew’s, Norton-le-Moor – this is a parish that I am also meeting with regularly to discuss their MAP alongside a short Scriptural reflection. I also met with their PCC this month.


St James’ Barton-under-Needwood for a Church Army preachment.

On most occasions I will put a transcript of my sermons on my Blog.

Exciting plans emerging from planning meetings for the Shrewsbury Flower Show and the Staffordshire County Show.  On the latter I have been invited to be the Honorary Show Chaplain. 

We had another great ‘Chewing the Cud’ – based around FCN. These are open meetings and our next one is on the 8th march 10.30 at Amerton Farm, Stafford. We are also having several cases coming in and could I please ask you to pray for Farmer K. The situation is very challenging. We are also desperate for more ‘case workers’ who need to have some knowledge of farming. www.fcn.org.uk

With the retirement of our Rural Officer I have been picking up some of this work. In particular I was invited to attend a meeting of the Central RO’s  who are planning an exciting Day Conference on Brexit on the 30th March and to be held at Germinate ARC, Stoneliegh Park.

‘Love Stafford’ was launched a year ago picking up a rather tired ‘Churches Together.’  A year on and we are in good heart and have engaged together in numerous projects and ‘leaders’ meet monthly for a short time of prayer.  We had a fantastic celebration with a Mission Market Place and I was able to take along a Church Army display.  I have also been invited to sit on the Executive of Love Stafford. I am particularly keen to use my contacts to try and draw in our more Catholic minded friends in the Anglican Church and it would also be nice to see the Roman Catholics get more involved.   

 With the Report ‘Setting God’s People Free’* recently published it is a great joy to be part of a team working with LICC to create a Suite of Resources to help with Frontline Discipleship. It is our hope that as we journey over six to twelve months with a church/benefice there will be a change in practices that will lead to a cultural shift in churches. It is about viewing the 10 hours spent in church activities alongside the 110 hours ‘outside’ through a different perspective and one that sees the symbiotic relationship between gathered and dispersed church.  www.licc.org.uk




Some appointments & engagements

Wednesday 1st
Meeting with George Fisher as Line Manager
In the evening Session 5 ‘Faith Pictures’

Thursday 2nd
Love Stafford Executive – my first meeting

Monday 6th
Meeting with my Spiritual Companion
Lunch at Shallowford House & meeting those new in post following their weekend together.
In the afternoon FCN Staffordshire Group meeting

Wednesday 8th
Session 6 ‘Faith Pictures’ with St Peter’s Rickerscote. Last session – so where do we go from here?

Thursday 9th
Love Stafford Leaders Prayer Meeting

Saturday 11th
Attending Book Review with Mark Ireland and Mike Booker ‘Making New Disciples’

Sunday 12th
Preaching and leading Morning Prayer at St Anne’s Brown Edge

Monday 13th
Personal Quite Day

Tuesday 14th
Church Army Cluster (I am now Lichfield Diocese CA Cluster Coordinator)

Wednesday 15th
Social Supper with Bishop Geoff and Archdeacon Matthew and respective spouses

Thursday 16th
‘Chew & Chat’ at Brook CafĂ©, Rising Brook Baptist Church. Lunch and chat with friend(s)

Also in this period above, I need to prepare for a Webinar and a Diocesan Rural Consultation Day.

Friday 17th – Friday 24th
Taking some time out that will include a self-led retreat (both Jane and I) at the Sheldon Centre with the Mary & Martha Society.

Saturday 25th
Rural Ministry Solutions – Webinar looking at the opportunity for Spring.

Monday 27th
Rural Ministry Solutions – Rural Mission Consultation for the Diocese of Chelmsford, in partnership with Barry Osborne.