'Look busy, Jesus is coming!' - Sermon Transcript Advent Sunday 2025

 

Advent Sunday 2025 Matthew 24:36-44

When I was working in the stables back in the 60’s we had a chap who was a Yard Man. This was an older person who didn’t ride out but worked around the yard doing various jobs. My recall of this chap was that he wasn’t the most diligent of workers, you might even have called him lazy. Now the Governor, Bruce Hobbs, wore Blackey’s on the heels of his riding boots and had a habit of whistling through his teeth, so you could tell if he was approaching. On hearing the Governor approaching this chap would suddenly start hustling and bustling about, huffing and puffing and even sometimes dip his hand into the water bucket and put it on his brow.   I am sure the Governor was not fooled by these theatricals.

‘Look busy, Jesus is coming’

Is that a suitable motto for Advent?

“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

On Emmerdale a few weeks ago week a landlady made an unexpected visit to a tenant farmer who was panicked because she has people upstairs, some of whom are illegal immigrants, following a story line of modern slavery. The tenant farmer would certainly have welcomed prior knowledge so she could be ready.

What are we to make of this ‘second coming,’ sometimes given the technical term, the Parousia, which like Advent which means, coming.

Well, lots and lots it would seem. The ‘second coming’ has proved to be fertile ground for books and films over many, many years.

When I became a Christian in 1975 it was Hal Lindsey’s book, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ that was all the rage amongst some Christians. I bought into all of that in a very deep way. I really believed Jesus’ return was imminent and all the stuff of what would happen to those left behind was for real. Only those who had given their hearts and soul to Jesus would be saved and be taken into glory.

And ‘Left Behind’ is another series of books and films produced more recently.

And on this phrase, ‘left behind’ we begin to see something of our difficulty in sorting out what Jesus is saying here and how we can easily get very confused. Is Jesus talking about contemporary events, or events that are yet to come to pass, perhaps heralding the consummation of all things with Jesus’ returning to earth as judge and Lord of all. And then, take all the faithful off to heaven and eternal life, with unbelievers left behind.

Well, first off it is important to note that Jesus states that these things will happen before this generation passes away.

Matthew 24.34 ‘Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.’

So, as the first generation has passed away, we therefore can assume that what Jesus is talking here about has happened. But what exactly has happened, verified by history and not speculation.

Now we certainly do not have the time, space or capacity to try and explore all what might be going on here, all the very many theories and understanding amassed over the years about the ‘second coming.’

That, however, could be something fruitful to explore during this Advent season.

The one thing we know for certain that happened within a generation was the First Jewish Revolt and the ensuing war with Rome and then the finally the destruction of the Temple in AD70.

And part of a Roman terror tactic was to take someone, a person here, a person there - and then kill them. A strong message to those ‘left behind’ not to mess with us, or you will be next. Here, you would be pleased to be left behind!

The fall and destruction of the Temple is key to Jesus’ message and a vindication of all that he said and did.  When he rose from death, he declared, ‘All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.’ Matthew 28. 18

Put simply, the destruction of the Temple, the place where God resided and could be accessed, the place that had developed from the Tent of Meeting in the desert wanderings, that Age had now gone and the new Age spoken of by the prophets had begun. 

That leads to Pentecost and onward as we, God’s people, are now mini-temples out and about in the world.  

Jesus knew that this was all going to happen as part of God’s overarching plan. And it would happen because they had refused to listen to his warnings, his teaching, his message, his gospel.

Biblical scholar, Tom Wright, argues that it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that he ascends the throne and sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus has already come ‘riding on the clouds,’ and is now ruling both heaven and earth, and with all authority being given to him, referencing Daniel 7.13-14.

And here, in these passages he lays it on even thicker, all the signs that will take place. Yes, couched in typical Jewish apocalyptic language, that for us modern readers are cryptic, which means we have some work to do to try and grasp what is being said and what’s not being said in its original context, culture, time and space.

However, we do have our own phrases that we know aren’t factual but make a point using hyperbole.  Manchester United slaughtered Liverpool the other day. I literally jumped out of my skin. It’s proper taters out. That in large part, it what is going on here in the language Jesus uses. Basically, it’s heightened picture language.

And in the Greek, it is worth noting that apocalyptic means, to reveal, to uncover, to disclose. Hence we have the ‘Book of Revelation.’ It is only later that it has come to mean something like the end of the world usually through some catastrophe or some such thing.

Our ‘Yard Man’ learned to be able to discern when the Governor was around by being alert to the sound of his boots and the distinctive whistling.

I wonder what we might discern that would indicate God’s presence.

That’s a question Bishop Sophie is inviting all of us to do this Advent.

Mission, said the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, is seeing what God is doing and joining in’.

In other words, we should be seeking to do more of what is God is blessing rather than asking God to bless what we are doing.

So, what do we see God doing in our community?

What stories are we hearing?

Remembering as Ian opened out 1 Corinthians 15 last Sunday and spoke about the bigger picture that Paul was trying to put before those in Corinth. Reminding them, and us, that our stories are part of a bigger story, God’s story. A story that has a goal and a purpose in mind.  

The technical phrase for that is teleology. It has several meanings, but it broadly means heading towards a meaningful goal or purpose and bringing something to completion.

The destruction of the Temple meant the end of the Age and the beginning of the Age to Come – that phrase ‘beginning’ is important.

Rather like the D Day landings, that wasn’t the end, the last chapter, but the beginning of the end.

We are living in the now and not yet of God’s overarching narrative to bring about the full and complete redemption of the entire cosmos. That’s the goal and place where the Biblical story leads us towards.

And we are invited into this bigger story, to make it our own and to play our part in this story.

Michel Quoist in his book ‘The Christian Response’ writes, ‘You are a unique and irreplaceable actor in the drama of human history, and Jesus Christ has need of you to make known his salvific work present in this particular place, at this particular moment in history.’

Jesus Christ has need of you and of me to play our part.

“Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not” said St Augustine.

Therefore, ask yourself this question - what do you see as the goal and purpose of your own life?

And what do we see as the goal and purpose of our life here as the People of God, this Church family of St Oswald’s?

Or as I sometimes like to ask people, just what do you think you are doing for God’s sake.

What do you think some of the current world leaders see as the goal and purpose of life and where we are all heading?

What about some of our political parties?

This must be one of the most important questions we could ask.

God’s story is revealed, through Scripture, as moving towards the goal spoken of in the poetic language of a marriage feast.

‘Look busy, Jesus is coming.’ Yes, we are awaiting that time, ^‘when earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea’.  Habakkuk 2.14

But while we await that final consummation isn’t Jesus already here, present in His people, acting as His ambassadors, ushering in the Kingdom, offering a foretaste, setting up signposts pointing ahead.  

We need to learn to be alert to the sound of his footfall - do you know what that sounds like?

Not necessarily someone with Blackey’s on the heels of their shoes but those wearing the sandals of the gospel of peace…

^‘….and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.’  Ephesians 6.15

And it may not be the sound of someone whistling through their teeth, but it may be the sound of someone worshiping King Jesus.

It may sound like a song of hope sung gently in places of darkness and despair.

And it may be the song of lament as we weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.

It may be a song of defiance, as we stand up to the bullies of this world and as we cry out for justice.

Jesus invited those around him to be alert, vigilant, to be aware of what was happening around them.

As we journey towards the great festival of Christmass, as the people of God in this now and not yet of the Kingdom come upon earth, we are also to be similarly alert, vigilant, watchful, expectant and hopeful.

Seeking to always walk in God’s will and way, in all places, in every circumstance and in all situations.

In others words we look for God in our living, and in our breathing,​ we look for God in our waking, and in our sleeping. We look for God in our resting, and in our working. We look for God in our thinking, and in our speaking.

God is to be our everything….  If you are able, let us rise and sing as Jesus centred, God dependent, missionary disciples…  

https://youtu.be/vSfVI8aIE9Y?si=rNFxgs4UqVa-vDlW​

O Lord, I humbly seek Your guidance and wisdom in every aspect of my life. As I surrender my own understanding, I ask You to illuminate the path You have prepared for me. Open my ears to hear Your gentle whispers and my heart to receive Your divine instructions. Guide me in making decisions that align with Your will. Let Your Holy Spirit be my compass, leading me through life’s uncertainties. I surrender to Your loving guidance, knowing that You have plans to prosper me and not to harm me. In Your hands, I find true direction and purpose. Amen.

 To see the sermon in context visit the home web page of St Oswald's.

www.smso.org.uk

'Singing a song of freedom' - Weekly Reflection 23rd November 2025

On the 28^th August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that has gone down into the annals of history.

He began by saying, ‘I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.’   

Then went on to speak passionately and prophetically about freedom ending with words Free at last! Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!¹

I was listening to a fascinating podcast recently that was exploring the whole issue of Christians and the use violence and whether it is ever permissible for Christians to use violence.² Historically we know that ‘Christians’ have used violence and added to which we have the whole vexed question of war.  Sadly, something that has become very real to us once more in Europe. 

 I don’t want to go too far down that line as it is easy to be mired up in all sorts of various understanding, thinking, philosophising, etc.

Although one comment from the podcast that I did find interesting was regarding fighting for freedom and how much the average soldier on the battlefield has this noble sentiment in their minds. The most immediate thought is on survival and looking after your comrades.

Much to ponder upon and no doubt the debate will continue as to whether Jesus calls us to the position of non-violence and total pacifism.

In Galatians 5.1 we read, ‘For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.’

It is this freedom that I would like us to reflect upon.  We have been making our way through the First Letter to the Corinthians in a sermon series at St Oswald’s. Today we concluded with Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection in Chapter 15.

The overall thrust of Paul’s letter is trying to get the Corinthian Church to recognise is that they have become part of God’s overarching narrative that would lead to the full redemption of the entire cosmos, including freedom from death.

However, this freedom wasn’t to be used as a license to indulge in just any kind of practise. That, it would seem, to be the case with at least some in the Corinthian Church, even to the point of one man sleeping with his father’s wife. 1 Cor.5:1.

Paul takes them to task on this and on their ‘freedom’ to eat what they liked with no thought if what they were doing might offend someone or cause them confusion over what was the right thing to do.

What we need to do is to turn ‘freedom from’ into ‘freedom for.’

This circles back into the overarching narrative and asking where this is all heading and what part do I have to play in making all of this happen.

Michel Quoist in his book ‘The Christian Response’ writes, ‘You are a unique and irreplaceable actor in the drama of human history, and Jesus Christ has need of you to make known his salvific work present in this particular place, at this particular moment in history.’

When people step out of prison they are freed from the restraints of that regime, albeit they may have further restraints placed upon them.  

We might well ask, not so much what are they freed from, i.e. prison, but what are they freed for?

What are the going to do now that they are ‘free.’

Can I encourage you read 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul speaks of his being free and yet not using that freedom to exercise his rights if that means others might be harmed or not find their way into fullness of life in Messiah Jesus.

^‘Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.’ 1 Cor.9.19

Now that is something worth pondering upon. Can you begin to imagine a world in which something like this was a guiding principle, a servant heart and a servant attitude to one another.

We might then be able to sing along with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Free at last! Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!¹

 

Let use the freedom we find in Christ to be the servant of others....

https://youtu.be/QqtfmmwEbIw?si=_wDocLZpwi6gS2_K

 

1) FREE AT LAST Official Site of Negro Spirituals, antique Gospel Music

 2) https://open.spotify.com/episode/63NW5BDnWkOEWvKC7bFpV9?si=33bc130fe31b4f75

 

 

 

 

'Rythm and blues, blacks, white and other colours!' - Weekly Reflection 16th November 2025

If you were to meet me on a Wednesday the chances are I would be wearing black clothes!

1. 
   I have very mild OCD tendencies and like a degree of order and pattern to my life. Therefore, I have my T shirts set out in six piles, two random colours, black, white and then a Church Army pile.  On Wednesday’s it is the black pile!  And invariably this is teamed up with black trousers or joggers and a black top, sometimes that may change to grey or another matching colour.  For a long time now, I have a thing about matching colours and try not to wear more than two colours. This works it way to both hats, coats and bags should I be carrying one that day!
   

   For some people patterns and procedures must follow very strict rules otherwise they can become very upset and struggle to function.  As I said, my own OCD is very mild, although pictures or other items not straight drive to me to distraction.  

   I must add that for me I can change routines if the need arises, this pattern forms the basis.

   Recently our ‘vicars’ Jane and Alan announced their retirement after Easter 2026. I began to ponder on the regular 9am online prayer meeting set up during Covid that continued afterwards. It lasts for about 20 minutes, Monday – Thursday.  I really hope it will continue because it sets up my day and gives me a pattern, especially now that I am retired.  

   Some years ago, we explored as a Church community a book by Ken Shigematsu, ‘God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God.’

   

   
   

   Through a series of exercises, you are invited to learn how to live with the peace and presence of God amid our hectic, busy lives. Spiritual formation is more than just solitude and contemplative reflections. Spiritual formation happens in the everyday, in every moment of life. For those caught up in the busyness of work, family, and church, it often feels like time with God is just another thing on a crowded to-do list.

   The idea is not to create a slavish straitjacket where we become guilt ridden if we failed to keep with the set pattern and routine, but we have it there as the core, as a daily practise. That practise of course must be flexible to accommodate workdays and weekends or time off and holidays.  

   

   The idea is not to load you with a load of other stuff to do, but to invite you to write up for yourself a simple daily pattern, a rule of life.

   To help with this there is a simple scaffold on which you can build a pattern and a rhythm.

   The challenge for us to reflect on is how balanced does our life seem. Are we always chasing the next deadline, trying to read that book, feeling guilty because we have not read the Bible or said our prayers.

   Back to my T shirts. I remember somewhile ago a nun being asked about her life. She was one that always wore a ‘habit.’  She said the beauty of this was that it was one less thing to think about when she got up in the morning. She knew what she was going to wear.

   Something of that lies behind my organised T shirt piles.  When I was in ministry I took to wearing something of Church Army whenever I was ‘on-duty.’  Depending on the task to be undertaken, that would range from very casual to very formal. The other benefit to this was that on my ‘days off’ the children knew that I was available, out of ‘uniform.’  And now retired I have found a similar helpful pattern with my organised shirt piles.

   Also important to remember is that we will have various seasons in our life and so our rhythms, patterns, rules of life will need to change and adapt and be subject to review.

   Matthew 11.28-30 The Message

    “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

   In a world of frenetic activity may it be that we could offer a different way, taking heed of these words from the hymn ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.’

   Drop Thy still dews of quietness,

   Till all our strivings cease;

   Take from our souls the strain and stress,

   And let our ordered lives confess

   The beauty of Thy peace.

   An ordered life will not happen automatically, it requires some work in organising our life, building a framework to help us measure and make sense of our lives and live our best life under God’s guiding hand.   

    Above all we want God to be our everything and in everything...

    

                               https://youtu.be/0bhJHMoDsdE?si=2Y43f9Q6iO9Lwnte

2.  

   
   
   

'Do you remember when...' - Weekly Reflection 9th November 2025

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason

Why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Well, at one level I also see no reason that this event should be forgotten. However, I could give you several reasons why I think we should have long ago dropped the ‘celebration’ of oppressed Roman Catholics, terrorist that they may be, being brutally tortured and then executed in about the most barbaric way imaginable.

However, that is not what I want to invite us to reflect upon but rather on the whole concept of remembering which in some ways seems to mark out the month of November.

We have November 1st, All Hallows Day,  November 5^th and very significantly we have November 11^th and although perhaps not so well known we also have Road Peace Sunday on the 16^th November when we are invited to remember all those killed or injured on our roads. (About RoadPeace - RoadPeace)  

Remembering is part of what enables us to function as human beings and helps us to analyse or process information.  Once you being to reflect of the key role ‘remembering’ plays in our life it quickly becomes a huge topic and one well beyond the scope of a short weekly reflection. I only hope to start of your thinking and let you decide where it takes you or how deep you wish to go.

At one level we need to remember all sorts of things, from the mundane to the global level. For example, how to get to the shops, what we have gone there for, and then how to find our way home again. Although with an increase in online shopping that function is becoming less important. A little like satnavs, for the most part we have lost the skill of map reading and navigation and in some cases geographical locations.  As somebody said recently, as technology gets smarter we are becoming dumber!

And for those suffering from certain forms of dementia remembering brings a whole raft of issues into play and can make life very difficult for the person and family and friends.

And then consider what we do when we remember. How that makes us react and act in certain ways. We are currently watching a ‘remembering’ being played out between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. That remembering is hate filled and spilling out in violence and retribution.

Of course, our whole justice system is predicated upon remembering. What happened, who was involved, what was said or done.  And for the perpetrator of the any ‘crime’ – are you able to remember why you did this, what was your motive, what was the reason behind your actions or even inactions? For the victims of crime, what does ‘remembering’ do for them? That can be a very long fraught journey.

And today, Remembrance Sunday, just what are we remembering and perhaps the hardest question of all is, are we learning anything in our remembering?

With over one hundred armed conflicts across the world currently, it would seem the answer is no.

And our Scriptures are replete with story after story, command after command, encouragement after encouragement to remember.

At the core of our Christian faith are these words from our Lord, ‘do this in remembrance of me.’

Here I find that if we consider the word re as a prefix it brings something very important to mind. We are invited to ‘re member’ someone – to bring them back into membership, back into memory, back into our thoughts.

However, immediately we follow this line of thought we see that this can be for both good or for ill, there are some people whom we don’t wish to remember. (But why is it those are the ones we seem to more readily remember, we seem to have a way of remembering more of the brickbats than the bouquets life has presented us with)

However, we cannot help but remember, we need to do that to be able to function and navigate our way through life. That being said, what we remember, and what we do with those memories is something we can cultivate and seek to attune more to the will and way of God. To purposefully focus on the bouquets and who offered them rather than the brickbats.

And remembering God’s faithfulness in the past can offer HOPE.  (Holding Onto Past Experience.)

Sadly, too often the way the ‘world’ handles remembering is not always the most healthy or helpful way, leading to bitterness and ongoing violence, seeking retribution.

Romans 12.1-2 helpfully reminds us 'not to let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.’

And then….

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.’  Philippians 4.8

And as we remember the horrors of the two world wars that engulfed the world amongst the many stories of courage and self-sacrfice surely the story of Maximillian Kolbe stands out as a supreme expample of someone out of love giving their life for another in a selfless act of grace.  This is a truly noble story, excellent, praiseworthy and certainly worth continuing to think about and remember.

This is the story Maximillian's act of sacrfical love in Auswitch.

https://youtu.be/A8MbKF8YfiU?si=zbvpO_5GfIPA3dGv   

 

 

 

 

'Taking One-Degree' - Weekly Reflection 2nd November 2025

As a child I was fascinated by perspective, or to be specific one aspect of perspective. I was never very good at drawing and yet the concept that you could have two parallel lines that would run on side by side at the same distance apart for infinity. And yet if you introduced just the smallest dot in between the lines and continued with this new trajectory the two lines would begin to get further and further apart.

Emmerdale is currently running a very disturbing story line, and for me I mean that. I know it is a soap and yet the reality of this story line I know is so real it is disturbing me, and that’s not a bad thing.

There are some aspects that are just a tad fanciful like how all the main characters end up living in Emmerdale but that apart it has a real tone of authenticity.  The story line is of two young teenagers, a boy and girl who are in a relationship and are groomed initially to be carriers of ‘soft drugs.’ However, this begins to develop, and the girl is being lined up to offer sex to ‘clients.’  (In the story line she is sixteen)

There is obviously a lot more behind the story but the couple manipulating these young people are a mum and adopted son. Both becoming established as respectable people in the village and as part of their deceit becoming romantically involved with the grandfather of the young girl and the son with another woman in the village.

Gradually as the story line continued the tone of the mother and son changed from being kind and generous to becoming more menacing as they tricked the younger couple into believing they owed them a considerable amount of money because during a drug drop the drugs were stolen. But this too was a deceit to get them hooked and dependent. In the latest episode the woman said with chilling menace, I now own you and Dillon, and you will do as I say, and I will keep you and use you for a long time.

If this be true for following a path of destruction, death and chaos then for certain the opposite must also hold true.

One of my favourite passages of Scripture is the Letter to the Hebrews and chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 11 is a long litany of all those who remained firm to faith and then chapter 12 opens with these words that are so full of encouragement.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And we have just celebrated All Saints Day, 1^st November. Not that you would know it as the evening before, All Hallow’s Eve, has morphed into Halloween and confused with Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival celebrating the beginning of winter.  And somewhere in this conflation we have the whole celebration of darkness, ghouls, ghosts and monsters. The most grotesque thing for me is the utter confusion, the Americanisation and all the hype and the cost of it all.

Thankfully the idea of an alternative, Light Parties, and the like have grown exponentially.

And as with the Gallery of the Faithfull in Hebrews 11 we can now add a plethora of all the saints, the notable ones who feast days we celebrate but also all the thousands of ‘saints’ who kept the faith and whose legacy of faithfulness we have inherited.

But I want to draw us back to perspective once again. However, this time thinking of the perspective of becoming more and more like Jesus.

Ephesians 4:11-14

^‘So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.’

Mesiah Jesus came to share our humanity so that we can come to share his divinity.

So, here is the challenge. What is the one degree shift we can make in our life, beginning next week, to help us in the task of realigning our lives to be more like Christ like.

Prayer, Bible reading, a Psalm for the Day, developing an attitude of gratitude. It might also be something like a simple act of kindness, or even as I try and do on most days, to pick up at least one piece of litter as I am out and about demonstrating a care and concern for God’s earth and where we live.

What is that one thing we can put in place and allow it to become positively habit forming.

That one-degree shift can help push us back on course as apprentices of Jesus and help us shine more brightly as a lights in the world of darkness. 

 

https://youtu.be/21GTTM2TIYA?si=Tp9QeZdO4QELAMHd

 For all the saints....

 

 

 

 

 

'What clothes does Christianity wear?' - Weekly Reflection 20th October 2025

What clothes does Christianity wear?

On Sunday 12^th October Jane and I wandered into Rugby Town following our morning worship at St Oswald’s. The Town was buzzing with Diwali Celebrations. A large car park had numerous stalls and venders, there was music and dancing and costumes. It was very vibrant and very full on making a very clear statement about this Hindu Festival of Light.

Looking around at this vast array of activity I somewhat sarcastically said to Jane, “and we might sing a few carols at Christmass.”

Later I began to ponder on this coupled with some of the animosity and violence shown towards both the Jewish Community and the Muslim Community.

What is interesting is how easy people appear to be able to link what is happening in Gaza or what happened on October 7^th in Israel with everyone who embraces the faith of either Muslim or Jew.

A Jew sneezes in Israel and therefore all Jews everywhere have colds!

Further reflection led me to thinking what would a Christian Christmass Celebration look like.

Ponder on that for a moment and see what answer you might come up with.

Then consider this, would the Christian Christmass Celebration in Rugby look any different in China, or Mozambique, or Mexico, Russia or even America.

Christianity is chameleon like and has a unique ability to adapt to its surrounding culture.

Some few years CMS produced a resource called, ‘The Christ We Share’ * that included pictures of Jesus portrayed in many different cultural contexts.

Historically of course the Christian faith and a particular culture sometimes developed a symbiotic relationship. This was something that happened in the UK and  during the days of the British Empire we sought to export and plant both across the world.  

This ability to adapt, to blend and to merge is both a blessing but also bring a challenge.

Hinduism is very clearly present in the cultural expression of Diwali, it is there in the music, the clothes the food.  You can see easily that it is primarily from the Indian sub-continent.  You couldn’t mistake the dancers on this Sunday for Morris Men!

There is something very special and unique and beautiful about the Christian Faith that sets it above and beyond culture while being rooted and ground in culture, incarnate in the soil in which is it planted and takes root.

At St Oswald’s we have just begun a series look at the First Letter to the Corinthians. This morning, we explored chapters 1-4.  (However, we didn’t read all the chapters, but 1 Corinthians 1:5-18, 1:26-2:5)

This is a Church planted by Paul who stayed there before moving on to Ephesus. Despite Paul having planted and established a Christian community they had wandered away from the Faith as first delivered.   They had overly embraced the local culture and allowed that culture to infect and affect their life together as the People of God.  The very proud Greek tradition of the sophist and philosophers, the ‘pop idols’ of the day. Factions had arisen and began to gather around Christian ‘celebrities.’ It is possible to look behind the list of the celebrities noted in 1 Cor.112. (Although we shouldn’t deduce that these men looked, fostered or invited such adulation)

Apollos we know as Greek speaking and well-schooled.  

Acts 18:24 “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.”  Alexandria was a major centre of education and learning in Egypt. Being from there, Apollos had access to strong Jewish and Greek teachings, making him well-educated.

Cephas (Peter) could he have brought a certain traditional Jewish slant to those who sought to follow him.  And then Paul, what was the peculiarity he brought to the table?

And some saying, ‘I belong to Christ.’  That was probably a bit of ‘close down the conversation’ group, can you really top saying you follow Christ. However, reading this in context this group also seemed to have certain quarrels with others.

Paul takes them all to task and goes over once again the basics of the Gospel of Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews who look for signs and foolish to Greeks who seek wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1.23

What clothes does Christianity wear, what songs does it sing, what food does it eat?

Christianity wears a cross and a mantle of servanthood with a belt of humility.

Christianity sings out the Gospel of salvation, that in Jesus, the God of the universe, who called things into being, entered the world in the particularity of the human person we know as Jesus.

Christianity eats the bread of heaven, symbolised in the Eucharistic Feast.

How Christianity dresses, how it sings the Gospel and serves and even how it celebrates the Eucharistic Feast will vary across the world.

And currently the Church of England is struggling to ‘maintain the bond of peace in the spirit of unity’ (Ephesians 4.3-6).  Perhaps we would do well to heed the words of Richard Baxter (1615-1691). Puritan pastor Richard Baxter took an old Latin phrase and popularized it in his day, in English. It is simple, but profound: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

One further question to ponder on during this week. If you were to find yourself in a court accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In other words, how do you wear your Christianity?

* https://youtu.be/BPOb-IM-UNY?si=3Am4-8a-1uJuacsw

'Seeds of the past sown for the future' - Reflection 13th October 2025

Today at St Oswald’s Rugby we had a very fulsome Service with Bishop Sophie. She was with us to dedicate the refurbished Church which included prayers for various ‘items,’ the Holy Table, the Lectern and a War Memorial made from a repurposed pew.  We also had six people of various ages Confirmed along with four children Admitted to First Communion.

Historically St Oswald’s, built in 1864, was Anglo-Catholic and its style and the furnishing and fabric reflected this. .

We were reminded today that in 2020 the PCC began to consider the condition in which the Church building had fallen. The first step was to recognise the failings in looking after the legacy of previous generations. From there it was time to move forward with bold ambitious plans for a total refurbishment. Since the move of St Matthews, a thriving Evangelical Church, to St Oswald’s in 2011 it has moved more towards the Evangelical tradition.  

For me, it was a delight to see the care, love and attention given to ensure nothing of the ‘ornaments’ of it Anglo-Catholic legacy where not simply discarded. Everything from the Rood Screen and a huge Cross and many other items found a good home.  The ‘Stations of the Cross’ have been replaced on one wall but not disposed.  A pew has become a lovely board with brass plaques as a War Memorial.  Other pews have been used to build a gorgeous sound desk. The transition is truly breathtaking. And now there is a functional and comfortable building that is available to be used not only for the purpose of worship but also for a wide range of purposes for the wider community.

And all of this has been done with a mind to becoming carbon neutral with items such as heat pumps and later solar panel are going to be installed. These undertakings amongst other things have led us to be awarded the Arocha Gold Award. (A Rocha UK – Caring for creation) This was given to Malcolm Wright by Bishop Sophie as part of the celebrations.  Malcolm  heads up our Church Eco Group.

                                                      St Oswald's have regular Litter Picks.

It can truly be said that in building for the future great care was taken to respect the past.

And in her sermon Bishop Sophie said, ‘that the future is built on the seeds of the past.’

On Thursday last I helped with the Harvest Services from two of our local Primary Schools, St Matthew’s and St Oswald’s. Again, it was a delight to see everyone seated and comfortable on the chairs, everything could be heard and seen clearly thanks to the new audio and visual equipment. And as part of the refurbishment the former vestry has been turned into a separate room with a window so that you can see into the Church and the sound is relayed. This has been called The Nest and is kitted out to accommodate those with special needs. It was wonderful to see this being used by one of the children with his assistant.
My part in the Service is as a puppeteer with a puppet called ‘Grandad’ who helps his grandson James who always seems to be getting things wrong or misunderstanding what he has been told. Grandad gently helps James navigate through various things he is trying to understand.

One of the ‘items’ spoken about during the Service was a loaf of bread. The children were invited to consider how a loaf of bread came to be on our Supermarket shelves with the help of PowerPoint slides. 

Tracing this all the way back to Gensis 1.29, ‘Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with its seed in it. They will be yours for food.”  (No meat at this stage!)

The result of these ‘seeds’ I have been reflecting on have brought joy and hope but what about other types of seeds. What about the seeds such as those being sown in Gaza or Ukraine or in many other places across the world. What about the seeds sown by poverty, by bad parenting and damage done to children. That ‘damage’ sometimes resulting in people finding themselves in prison as those seeds bear fruit.  

Some people view such ‘miscreants’ as utterly beyond redemption, the seeds sown earlier have brought their own type of fruit, fruit we do not want or care to have living in the community and much better to see it locked away.  And yet it is worth reminding ourselves that John Newton was a former slave trader and yet went on to write ‘Amazing Grace.’

And this month we begin to see a new Restorative Justice programme being trialled, birthed out of the seeds of the Sycamore Tree Course.

‘The future is built on the seeds of the past.’ 

Therefore, as much as it lies within us, let us ensure we plant good seeds, seeds of forgiveness, generosity, love and kindness, to name but a few. 

Galatians 5.22-23 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’

That is the kind of fruit we so desperately need to see everywhere, in our lives, amongst our family and friends and across the nation and the wider world.  Such ‘fruit’ would make prisons unnecessary.  Now that is something to dream about, pray for and work towards.