Sermon – St Peter’s
Bexhill (
Psalm:
119.65-72 Readings
* MEMO
TO: JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH, WOODCRAFTER CARPENTER SHOP,
NAZARETH
FROM: JORDAN MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, JERUSALEM
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men you have
picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now
taken our battery of tests; we have not only run the results through our
computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our
psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are
lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of
enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would
recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial
ability and proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of
temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers,
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company
loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to
undermine morale.
We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has
been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have
radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive
scale.
One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is
a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business
mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and
responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man.
All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely yours,
Jordan Management Consultants
Jordan Management Consultants
Whether by modern
techniques or ancient wisdom the 12 disciples would probably not be your first
choice for an enterprise such as Jesus sought to bring about upon earth.
There a story told of
Jesus’ return to heaven and the angels eager to hear what transpired.
So Jesus told them about
what he had done and what had been achieved and what had happened.
“And no doubt,” said one
of the angels, “you have left your work in the hands of the best minds, the
teachers of the law, the finest religious leaders and the greatest
theologians?”
“Well no,” replied Jesus.
“I did leave 11 disciples who formed of my inner team. There were twelve but
one betrayed me.
They are good simple folk,
fishermen, workmen, oh, and although not part of the inner team we did have
some woman among our group who were very important. Including one woman who
had several demons possessing her - until I cast them out!”
The angel began to look
nonplussed and said, “what if they fail - is there a Plan B?”
“No,” said Jesus, “there
is no Plan B”
The story of Jesus is an
uncomfortable one of his choosing to invite, meet and mix with all the wrong
sorts of people.
But all the wrong sort of
people according to whom?
And God continues to
welcome all sorts of people – some very strange people, have a look around and
you will see what I mean, but also make sure you also look in the mirror!
Therefore it is of the
utmost important that people experience that welcome when they meet with the
people of God.
Do you remember that awful
experience, perhaps from your school days, of two Captains choosing their teams? Well it was awful for me; I
was always one of the last to be chosen.
God reverses that around,
the last first and the first last.
I began work at Church
House nine years almost to the date. I remember the questions I had in my mind
as people buzzed about busy and apparently knowing exactly what they were
supposed to be doing. This was my very first experience of working in an office
and it was even more daunting with being open plan. What do I do about coffee,
where is the photocopier, how does it work.
Have you had an experience
like that, I am sure you have.
So how do you think the
other disciples felt when Jesus invited Matthew to join them?
When they went along with
him to Matthew’s house for a meal?
Remember the disciples
were good Jews and would have in all probability been very uncomfortable and
deeply puzzled by associating with Jesus in this kind of place with these kinds
of people.
But that's Jesus for you,
both then and now.
No barriers, no social
class, no moneyed class, all alike are welcome to come and feast at the table
and to know the new life that is on offer.
And that is a very
important point to note and one we sometimes can overlook.
Both our Psalm and the
reading from Proverbs speak of a new way of life, a different pathway to
follow, seeking after the wisdom of God.
Our passage from
Corinthians picks up a similar thread; we are called to be a different kind of
people now that we have responded to God’s invitation and been welcomed into
the family of God’s people.
Max Lucado in his little
book ‘God's Story, your story’ writes ‘ God loves us just the way we are, but
loves us enough not to leave us that way.’
I am sure that once
Matthew responded to the welcome from Jesus his life changed.
That is why we need to
have nurture courses and discipleship courses available. So that those who do
come among us are given a welcome no matter whom they are, what they look
like, or smell like or where they are from. Being welcomed into the Family of
God is the start of a glorious transformation.
‘Changed from glory into glory
Till in heaven we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before thee
Lost in wonder love and praise.’
That begins with our
getting to know people, and then proceeds on to our inviting them to Church or
whatever is the most appropriate activity. That may or may not be Sunday
Worship. Then our Nurture Courses help those who do not yet know Christ to make
an informed decision. Following this we then seek together to become all that
God would have us become as His people in this place at this point in history.
So that, like Matthew and
many, many others, people are called out from the life of death to life
eternal.
“I have come,” said Jesus,
“so that you may have life and life in all its fullness.”
Mediation
from His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XV1
And only where God is seen does life
truly begin.
Only when we meet the living God in
Christ do we know what life is.
We are not some casual and
meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a thought
of God.
Each of us is willed,
Each of us is loved,
Each of us is necessary.
There is nothing more beautiful than
to be surprised by the Gospel,
By the encounter with Christ.
There is nothing more beautiful than
to know him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.
I
might add, and to give them a warm welcome into the great company of God’s
People, the greatest adventure of all.
Amen
* I claim no originality for this ‘memo’ it has been around
now for some time.
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