St Michael's Day sermon,,,

Back to Church Sunday/St Michael 2013

 

 

Genesis 28.10-17 Psalm 103.19-22 Revelation 12.7-12 John 1.47-51

Peshawar Kenya Nigeria – although we all had a fantastic day yesterday at the Pulborough Harvest Fair I trust you have these places in your hearts and minds this morning.

After yet another catastrophe was posted on my Facebook page this past week - I shared it and simply added the comment ‘what is happening in the world?’

It would be only too easy at the moment to quote from Matthew’s Gospel – ‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. There will famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginnings of birth-pains.’

This pushes my mind to reflect on Paul’s Letter to the Romans 8.19 ‘The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.’

In the dramatic story we heard from Revelation, we hear of a war in the heavens.

However we need to tread carefully and not fall into thinking along the lines of ancient Greeks who assumed earthy conflicts were simply replications of heavenly wars.

But there is a spiritual battle ensued nevertheless.

In Ephesians we are encouraged to put on the full armour of God - ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms.’

And we take heart as we read in Ephesians 2.15

‘And (Jesus) having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.’

This is also picked up in 2 Corinthians 2.14

…’thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.’

Here the picture is of a returning Roman General who heads up a Triumphant Procession. Following him are his soldiers, followed by the spoils of war, and last of all the captives, many of whom will be summarily executed and others sold as slaves.

Alongside the General incense would be burned as a sweet offering to the gods in thankfulness. To those victorious, the sweet smell of success, to those held captive, the smell of death.

Picture that scene and imagine where you would place yourself this morning.

Are you in the vanguard or are you still held captive to sin, fear and misery?

Of course when a General won a battle there was often a rearguard action. There was still a task to be done to bring people under the rule of the new authorities. There would still be smaller battles to overcome.

And that’s what we sign up for.

That’s what our baptismal promises are all about.

We are those who look on the world of chaos and destruction and we know who is the author of all the misery in the world; the father of lies.

We also know that such an enemy is defeated; Christ has won the victory and invited you and me to share in that triumph. 

However there is nothing for us to be triumphal about.

This is all of Christ’s doing, it is all of grace poured upon grace of which we are invited to be recipients.

Jesus called Philip to follow him, who in turn went to find Nathaniel and invited him to meet Jesus.

Nathaniel responded, and we have the interesting interchange that is rich in metaphor and reference to Jacob’s ladder with angels ascending and descending from Genesis 28.10-19.

Jacob here refers to the place as Bethel, that is, House of God. In context Jesus appears to be saying that from now on, Nathaniel (and others) will see Jesus as the incarnate Bethel, the House of God, the Temple. 

Jesus is Israel and the Temple personified.

And Jesus calls us to this Temple to worship and invites us to become members of New Israel, just as he called Philip and Nathaniel.

On the 1^st January 1975 I made a response to that call, making it a New Years Resolution.

I was soon recruited, quite literally into God’s Army – the Church Army.

And God continues to call, he continues to send texts, tweets, emails and asking you to be his friend on Facebook.

The call is to come and be a member of the community of faith – the New Israel.

However the choice is always yours, you can join the triumphal procession anywhere you wish.

However should you place yourself in the vanguard be aware that just like Nathaniel God knows which fig tree you are sitting under.

He knows if we are playing a game of pretence.

He knows if we are simply playing the religious game.

Saying all the right things today but then not living it out during the rest of the week.

If you are in the vanguard then let us sing and rejoice as we celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. That although the earth be moved and the foundations shake we will be kept safe.

That there will come a time when death shall be no more, and sorrow and sighing will be over.

When we shall share in creations joy as she is redeemed and brought to full, everlasting glory.

However should it be that you are uncertain about where to place yourself in the triumphal procession, or know that you are one of those to whom the fragrance of Christ is condemnation and judgment, then do speak to me afterwards.

Those at the back of the triumphal procession had a third choice over slavery and death. They could join the ranks of the victorious and serve the new authority.

I would love to help you respond today and be counted as a friend of Christ and become a member of the household of faith, to  move into the vanguard of Christ’s glorious triumphal procession.  

(If you want to explore more about the Christian faith check out www.christianity.org.uk)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages, for ever and ever. Amen

 

Following Jesus...

 Luke 14. 25 – 33

 Sir Winston Churchill's speech on 13th May 1940 to the UK's House of Commons on taking over as Prime Minister.

"I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime."

When we approach this passage in Luke’s Gospel this is the image we should have in mind.

Speaking to the large crowd following him Jesus spoke very soberly about the war being waged and the cost of signing up as a soldier.

Today many of our Christian brothers and sisters will pay the ultimate price for their faith, whilst millions more across the globe face harassment and persecution.   

Jesus begins with a call that may at first strike us as harsh, about hating one’s own family.  However we must put aside our understanding of hate as something or someone that we loath. In the times of the Patriarchs such a term would be used when someone like Jacob favoured Rachel over Leah. It was a matter of choice. When Jesus was dying on the cross he took care to see that his mother would be cared for, so we mustn’t take this idea of hating your family out of context and make it a pretext.

However as those going in battle have to be prepared to say goodbye, perhaps for ever, to loved ones, so is the call to be a disciple of Jesus. Single minded and focused.

It may also be as we heard from one lady we met on holiday in an Anglican Church. As a direct result of her becoming a Christian her husband ended their 38 year marriage.

And whilst on holiday we kept in touch on Facebook. My daughter wrote on there about having just finished a Mt Eiger of ironing, mostly my T-shirts.

As a runner I have accumulated quite a few over the years. She decided that she was going to cull some and take them to the charity shop. I responded by saying that perhaps I should emulate St Francis.

I had in mind the time when Francis’s’ exasperated father drags him before the Church leaders because Francis had been emptying his father’s store house of merchandise. So, Francis strips naked, giving back to his father everything he had given him, and embraces his heavenly Father and lady poverty.

 Now despite the modesty of most depictions of the crucifixion this is exactly what would have happened to Jesus. Part of the punishment and humiliation would have been to be stripped naked.   

So, when people heard Jesus say about taking up your own cross there would have been absolutely no confusion in their minds that this meant being prepared to give up absolutely everything.

 

Jesus then talks about weighing up the cost of following him with two illustrations.

The first is about a building project.  Could it be that Jesus has cast an eye on the Temple? This great building project that obviously had ongoing work and was the focus and intended locus of Yaweh. A building Jesus knew could never be all that it was hoped to be or intended to be.

And when he speaks of a king going into battle and the need to ascertain military strength, was Jesus perhaps looking at one of those who were advocating open armed rebellion against Rome? Might Jesus not also be saying in effect, have you really considered the might of Rome?

Jesus as true King will stand against Rome soon enough. And Rome will try to do what Rome and all bullies try and do, beat down by force. Initially as Jesus dies, naked, with a sign ironically declaring him King of the Jews in three languages, it would seem that Jesus has himself miscalculated.

However we know that although this temple was destroyed God raised it up to glorious triumph three days later.

And that my friends is the battle we are called upon to fight and sign up for.

That we stand against all the bullies of this world, against all the wrong and evil in this world. Not with Peter’s Garden of Gethsemane sword, but Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

We will put ourselves under discipline, so that we can be better equipped, stronger and bolder, not having the spirit of timidity but of boldness borne of our having spent time in the presence of Father God.

We will spend time with each other, mutually encouraging each other, laughing and weeping together as we soldier on, offering our blood, toil, tears and sweat in our Gospel endeavours.

On Facebook this week friends have been posting pictures of their children going to school with their new uniforms on.

As Christian’s what uniform might we wear?

Might I suggest that it is the fruit of the spirit we find outlined in Galatians 5:22-23

… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Can you imagine if we were disciplined enough to be able to bear these out in our daily lives?

Can you imagine what a difference this would make in our homes, in the supermarket, on the roads as we drove our cars? At work or at leisure, on our holidays, especially when queuing up to book in at the airport?

Every day we have opportunities to be a blessing to people if we are attuned and alert, listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. By such means, little by little, step by step, the Kingdom of God will advance and the Lord’s Prayer shall become a greater reality in our communities.

Winston Churchill said… “You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime."

That war continues, but not personified in a single person like Hitler, but in the evil that consumed him. That monstrous tyranny continues to wage war and seeks to despoil and destroy. However at Calvary this monstrous tyranny was struck a mortal blow.

Jesus, now raised from death leads us on his disciples singing a victory song…

March we forth in the strength of God,
with the banner of Christ unfurled,
that the light of the glorious gospel of truth
may shine throughout the world:
fight we the fight with sorrow and sin
to set their captives free,
that earth may filled
with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August's Doing

Rural Evangelism Network www.ruralevangelism.net

We had a good committee meeting at Selly Oak. Two new committee members joined Barry Osborne and I who hopefully will bring some new life to REN. Some argue that faith in rural areas is more implicit than explicit. A faith more caught than taught, a process of osmosis with the faith being imbued through engagement with the church. However we need to recognise that fewer people are engaging with the church, even in rural areas. Therefore whilst we might accept the historical reality of implicit faith we also want to offer the dynamic of an explicit faith with people being called to a living, personal relationship with God. That, in large part, is the remit of REN. In rural terms a farmer sows the seed and looks for a harvest. Therefore if we are sowing Gospel seeds through words and actions should we not be looking for a harvest?

 This was very much the topic of two seminars on Rural Evangelism I gave at the Detling Summer Festival. http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/

Apart from the enjoyment of being able to offer some creative and challenging aspects of rural evangelism, God had obviously worked to ensure Jane and I were there for a few days. (Holidays prevented us from staying the whole time) God spoke powerfully to us both and in particular with the theme of ‘To Boldly Go.’  (with due apologies for the split infinitive!) Neither of us can say exactly what but we both have that feeling that something is going to change, perhaps a new direction for one or both of us. We also loved a phrase that we were asked to repeat, ‘I am not my history, but I am my destiny.’  Although as you know I am not a card carrying Evangelical, I did find the Festival Theme Book ‘To Boldly Go’ by Eric Delve a real challenge and very exciting. I read through the entire book on a recent Quiet Day. Interestingly it reads in a similar fashion to Teresa of Avila’s ‘Interior Castle.’  Both speak of the necessity to go further and deeper into the Father heart of God, to discover that all we are and are meant to be are waiting there as treasure to be discovered. (Colossians 3.3.)

It was a quick turn around to go home, drop off the Caravan and then head for Gatwick the next day. We flew out to Corfu for twelve sun and fun filled days. This was a perfect follow up to Detling as it gave us an opportunity to begin to process what God had been saying to us, individually and as a couple. What was also a delight was the simple joy of enjoying each others’ company 24/7.

We swam, laughed, ate perhaps a little too much, certainly drank more than was good for us on occasions and only had the odd ‘disagreement’ when discerning maps and directions. Driving in Corfu is a really interesting experience! We also managed to get to the Anglican Church in Corfu. Over coffee we chatted away and I reflected on how they face similar ‘problems’ as many rural Churches in England. So I mentioned the Rural Evangelism Course and the ARC and sent on the links when I got back home. www.arthurrankcentre.org