'Jesus - a Syncopated Saviour' - transcript of sermon Sunday 17th August 2025 at St Oswald' Rugby

Continuing our exploration of the Book of Acts and the life of the early Church. Today we are exploring Acts 10 where Cornelious a Roman Centurian finds faith in Jesus and becomes a member of the new community of believers. 

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In a classic Morecambe & Wise sketch from their 1971 Christmass Show, Eric Morecombe attempts to play Grieg's Piano Concerto with Conductor Andre Previn as a guest on the show doing his best to conduct. After the orchestra plays the opening bars Eric comes in and plays a completely different tune. Andre Previn stops and speaks to Eric, saying you are playing all the wrong notes. Eric Morrecombe gives the now famous riposte…

“I am playing all the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order.”

As Alan reminded us of last week all the familiar aspects of the life of the Covenant People of God are here, but not playing out , as expected.

Let us remind ourselves of Jesus’ words that set the pattern for the expansion of the message of Good News across the world.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1.8

And this is what we have been tracking, this outward movement from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

Coming back to Morcombe and Wise one of the aspects of their very popular show was to have a famous person join them, like in this show with Andre Previn.

As we have journeyed through Acts we have had an array of key players in this unfolding drama of the proclamation of the Good News.

We have Peter mark two, no longer afraid, but speaking boldly.

We then have our first martyr, Stephen, who outlines in even greater detail the role of Jesus in the fulfilling of prophecies and God’s ultimate plan for the redemption of the cosmos.

We have had Ananias and his wife, Sapphira – not a good outcome on that story but it does show messing with God can be dangerous.

We have seen a very generous Barnabas.  And Philip being called to meet with an unnamed Ethiopian in the desert.

Last week we met another Ananias, not the same one we met earlier, this Ananias was obedient to God’s call, and we marvelled at his courage and obedience.

Which brings us to todays guest, and we really are reaching out now with Cornelius.

And as before we see the work of God in preparing the way with Peter’s vision of an oversized picnic hamper.

Let’s just think about that for a moment.

Question, where do you think God is?

Some words that may be familiar to you from the worship song, 'Gather Us In' 

(Marty Haugen 1994)

Not in Some Heaven Light Years Away,
But Here in This Place the New Light Is Shining,
Now Is the Kingdom, Now Is the Day.

A recurring theme of the Book of Acts is the work of God in preparing the way, in moving people about, in engaging with people, sending heavenly messengers. We might call this book the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

So, where do you think God is?

Do you believe God is still active and still working out his plans and purposes through you and through me, although we sometimes mess things up and get things wrong. Well, I know I certainly do.

Mind you, the vision of a huge picnic hamper would certainly grab my attention as would suddenly find myself mysteriously transported into the middle of the desert.

There have been times however when I have thought, just what I am doing here, how did this come to pass.

God’s activities in Acts are a tad special and unique, but if God is God, then unless we believe God has got bored and gone elsewhere surely he is still in business and continues to look for faithful partners to work with him, to discern his will and to then walk in it.

And today’s guest, Cornelius was certainly left field and unexpected.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. Acts 10.1

Cornelius was an Italian Roman soldier, a centurion, a key military person with command of a small cohort of men numbering between 80 and 100. And his posting was in the very significant seaport of Caearea. 

Now wouldn’t it be amazing to think that this centurion was the same one or perhaps friends with the one who stood and watched Jesus die and proclaimed, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God.’   And let’s not forget the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Maybe there is a connection between all three centurions.  

Cornelious was a God-Fearing Gentile, who prayed to God regularly and gave alms to the poor and he was well loved and respected.

Like springs bubbling up out of the ground we keep catching glimpses of a Gospel message that is expansive and inclusive.

And now the flood gates are about to be opened making way for the Gentiles to come flooding in as Isaiah had said,

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60.3. (Cf also Isaiah 56)

“While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.  So, when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” Acts 10. 27-29 

Peter has all the right notes, but he is not hearing them in the right order.

This is not sounding like a piece of ancient classical music, but more like a Jam Jazz session and Peter is trying to keep in tune and in step with God on the lead piano.

And I am rather amused when I read about Peter’s recounting the story of Jesus, all very good stuff, but then we read in verse 44,

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.’

Is this a frustrated Holy Spirit, ‘cut to the chase Peter,’ and while he was mid flow, bang, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. This was manifested as at the day of Pentecost and they spoke in tongues and praised God. 

This stuff leaves you breathless.

The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. Acts 10. 45-48

God is still on the lead piano and playing a Jam Jazz session that will ultimately bring about the reconciliation of all things both in heaven and upon the earth.

Now we may be more comfortable knowing all the right notes played in the right order, but that’s not always God’s way.

As Rowan William once said, “Mission is finding out what God is doing and joining in.”

Each and everyone of us has a particular instrument to play. And if you are still breathing God has not done with you. Band membership is for life not just for Christmass!

But we do need to learn to lean in deeper and listen more carefully to the tune of God’s redemption, reconciliation and renewal. 

And as in a jam jazz session that will mean taking a lead from the piano but also being very aware of all the others instruments and what they are playing as well.

And one more very important takeaway, absolutely no one is barred from participating in God’s jazz band, everyone is more than welcome.

However, to pick up the instrument God wants you to play you must first let go of what’s already in your hand – that’s called repentance.

Remembering that God loves us just as we are but loves us enough not to leave us that way.

This week let us be praying and looking for opportunities to invite people to join God’s jazz band because Jesus alone is worthy of every song we could ever sing and worthy all the praise we could ever bring,  because there is no one like him, our syncopated saviour. 

Worthy of every song....

https://youtu.be/xh86R7_w1_8?si=lF_lf6TZ8fbSIDNG

And if you want to see the sermon in context visit St Matthew's and St Oswald's website.

https://www.smso.org.uk/

'Them and Us' - Weekly Reflection 10th August 2025

When the music stops would you all please sit down.  And a chair will be removed every time the music strikes up again. Let’s see who gets to sit in the remaining chair.

A game I am certain you have played at some time, Musical Chairs.

It seems to me at the moment this is the sort of game we are playing across the world. People moving around not just in their own country but across the world.

Many have little choice because they are displaced internally or externally most often by war and violence.  

2024 saw a continuing rise in global displacement, with at least 117.3 million people forced to flee their homes, including nearly 43.4 million refugees, around 40% of whom are under the age of 18. These vast movements of peoples, and the associated costs and disruptions, can cause significant problems in host countries.

And we have seen those ‘problems’ being manifested on the streets of the UK this week with several ‘protests’ around the country. Sadly, these play directly into the hands of right wing popularist, like Reform UK.

In the justice system new laws and revision of existing laws are being put into place that will increase the number of foreign nationals being deported.

Foreign criminals will be deported immediately when they receive a custodial sentence, the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged.

The changes would apply to prisoners serving fixed term “determinate” sentences, and authorities would retain their power not to deport a criminal but instead keep them in custody, for example, if the offender was planning further crimes against the UK’s interests or national security.

“Our message is clear,” Ms Mahmood said. “If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing.”

This all appears to be a good way forward as in the ordinary course foreign nationals are deported when they have served 50% of their sentence, the new law will just bring that forward.

However, some of the rhetoric from the Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick feeds into the narrative of some of those ‘protesting.’  Jenrick said: “In Starmer’s topsy turvy world investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It’s a farce. “The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the ‘rights’ of sick foreign criminals.

That’s what I heard several ‘protesters’ saying when they were interviewed. That they don’t feel safe largely because of the increase in migrants whom they deem to be responsible for an increase in the level of crime.

That sought of language ought to be a cause for concern. Now I am not naïve about the huge problems faced both in the UK and across the world as people play this international game of musical chairs.

However, scapegoating and finding an ‘common enemy’ on which to put all our ills and troubles is very dangerous. We only need to have a cursory glance at history to show how toxic this can quickly become.

As Christians I think we need to sit deeply into our Scripture in two particular ways.

It is not that difficult to see that the heart of God is to draw all people to Himself creating a universal family. On Tuesday next I am taking a Service at Knox Court and will be exploring Mathew 15.21-28, the story of the Syrophoenician woman, the one that Jesus referenced as a ‘dog.’ Taken out of context this is not a good story. However, put within its context, literally where Matthew has placed this incident and what happens following this story, it is very obviously a story of the journey to the all-embracing and universal nature of God calling a peculiar people outside of ethnic Israel. Note who was part of the ‘great crowd’ that gathered around and note the feeding of the four thousand that nearly all commentators agree was made up of largely Gentiles, unlike the feeding of the five thousand being ethnic Israelites.

Our identity in Christ takes precedence over our ethnic identity.   

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3.28. (See also Isaiah 56.1-8)

And this from Paul who as ‘Saul’ sought to eradicate followers of ‘The Way’ whom he saw as apostates to the Jewish faith, and Jewish identity.  

The other major theme throughout Scripture also leans into the feeding of both the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. That of scarcity or abundance.

Out of which do we operate?  Do we really trust that God can and will provide for all our needs. Or are we scared that there will not be enough for everyone.

These are not easy times to live through, and we need to be cautious and careful in our conversations and not to jump too quickly to the ‘blame game.’ We ought to prayerful and careful about how we study the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Sprit seeking to discern the will and way of God in this our generation.

And here is a final thought from Edwin Markham and his poem Outwitted.

He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” 1 John 4.20

https://youtu.be/2MblrWZDpPQ?si=-ebR6tYazfuhE-xO

'Serious About Play' - Weekly Reflection 3rd August 2025

'Shaun the Sheep’ has a cousin named Timmy who is young lamb and member of the flock and often finds himself in chaotic situations. (There is also a spin off called ‘Timmy Time’ where Timmy and his friends have various adventures. One key thing you quickly learn about Timmy is that he has a teddy bear to which he is devoted and in one episode when ‘teddy’ goes missing. No amount of cuddles or persuasion will make Timmy settle down for the night and go to sleep.

 Last week we spent the day with our grandchildren, James and William, now six-year-old. They both have favourite toys and ‘cuddlee’s’ – one of James’ is Princes Peach. (Mario) Time for bed and Princess Peach was nowhere to be found despite a desperate search around the house and through the toy box, she was not to be found, and we had one very sad little boy. Then the thought occurred to me, I had noticed James playing on his bike and on the back of his bike is a little box. Down into the garage and a look in the box and there she was, squished up in the little box. James and Princess Peach happily reunited.

Anyone who has been around me for some time knows how much I adore our grandchildren. I love playing games with them.  And children love adults joining in with their games. (The real charm of ‘Bluey’ is parents engaging and playing daft games with their children, Bluey and Bingo) *

Being holiday time the boys came over on Wednesday last which was a fine day. We spent the morning in town, and some time playing in the park. Then after lunch as we sat outside one of the boys decided he would help grandad and water the plants. He filled up the big red watering can and then found he couldn’t lift it. I am just watching this and seeing where it was going. Together the two boys managed to pick up the watering can, with water sploshing out, and then water some of the plants. I don’t know quite how but it all very quickly became chaotic and very wet when I joined in to help them. They decided I needed watering and it ended up with us all being very wet, and – well you get the idea! Fortunately, Nana was able to find them some dry clothes.

Why do I mention this, because playing is serious fun…  

The Raising the Nation Play Commission, a year-long independent inquiry into why play is critical to the wellbeing and development of children, and how it can be restored to every childhood in England published its final report on June 11th (International Day of Play.) ‘Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play’.

I would also argue that not only is playing good for children it is also great for adults to join in with the fun.  It bothers me a lot when you see parents glued to their phones and not interacting with their children. I think every grandparent will tell you that those precious childhood years, that can seem at the time to be for ever and sometimes deeply challenging, but they pass in a heartbeat. And you can’t have that time back, you are unable to turn the clock back as much as you would wish you could.

There is of course a much darker and sadder side to all of this. Those who get some perverted pleasure out of harming or abusing children. Those children such as we see in Gaza and in many other places who face trauma beyond our imaginings.

And, in the UK it is estimated that three in every ten children live in poverty. Many more are caught up in modern slavery, often in the sex industry.

One of the things about ‘Bluey’ is the play acting in which mum and dad join in. Children have such a wonderful imagination and require little prompting to get involved and take things to all sorts of levels.  Big cardboard boxes can become rockets, cars and boats.

And so yes, we are grieved to the heart about children deprived of opportunities to play, which is part of the findings of the report mentioned above.

However, if we have the opportunity then let us play with our children. Yes there will be times when they need to play alone, certainly as they get older and you tire more easily!

And yes that may be the time when as we sometimes do, we all flop down together to watch something on TV but never allowing that to dominate.

There is a curious little story in Mark 7.24-30 and Matthew 15.21-28, about Jesus going to Tyre and Sidon.  We often focus on the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus’ encounter with her. But with a bit of imagination could this have been Jesus taking the disciples off for a Mediterranean beach holiday away from it all up on the Northwest coast. It was some distance, around thirty-five miles from Galilee.

Is this Jesus taking some R&R with his disciples.  Can you allow yourself to imagine Jesus skimming stones, playing leapfrog along the beach, evening BBQs.  Well, if not, park your ‘all the time serious Jesus’ and enjoy imagining Jesus having some fun and playing.

And then we do know that Jesus had a fondness for children even if the very ‘serious adults’ wanted them not to bother him for which they earned a rebuke.

^‘When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to  me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’

However, let me say that I have no rose-coloured spectacles when it comes to children. I know only too well about their tantrums, their noise and their smelliness at times!

And yes, children need to be schooled and disciplined, to know boundaries and what is and what isn’t acceptable behaviour.  In ministry I developed a skill set and equipment to run Games Session for children, young people and sometimes all age family gatherings.  Very often I looked for or designed games that had an underlying lesson that could be learned.  (As most ‘team games’ do as of a natural) I often said that I wasn't just playing games.  

When I was a boy I didn’t have Lego but a cheaper alternative ‘Betta Builder.’  It is amazing that Lego has gone on to become such a phenomenon for all ages and it is interesting to note that Lego is Danish for ‘Play Well.’

I hope that if you have an opportunity this summer you will “leg godt” – play well!

And let us always remember that we are all children of God and no longer slaves to fear and that includes the fear of looking foolish as you join in with the play. 

 https://youtu.be/HUjDwIw5ih0?si=4AgwygUpKbyF821D    

P.S.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“I rejoice to be little, because only children and those who are like them will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.”

This quote from St. Thérèse of Lisieux sums up her whole life and her teaching. The “Little Flower”, as she is known, spent her brief but full life striving to be little. This message of “littleness” is so important that she was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St. John Paul II. Her teaching goes to the very heart of the Gospel and has something to say to each one of us today.

* Researchers watched 150 episodes of Bluey. Here’s what they found | The Independent https://share.google/gzwdr78HHIrlCl2aF