Sermon – St Oswald’s Second Sunday in Lent 2022 John 1:
1-18
If Matthew presents his
Gospel with his arms full of Torah scrolls, and Luke comes with his notepad and
pen, and Mark rushes into the room all breathless and full of excitement, then bring to mind the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah by Handel and read John's Prologue.
(Please forgive me for saying Hallelujah during Lent!)
This is a very popular piece at Christmass as is the Prologue to John’s Gospel we have just heard. Most often during the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols. This is read as the final great culminating reading to which all the previous readings have been leading us towards.
Much the same as our in our 100 Essential Readings as we turn to where they have all been leading us, to Jesus,
the Word made flesh.
In both the Hallelujah Chorus
and in the reading of John’s Prologue it is customary to stand.
With the Hallelujah Chorus the
custom of standing originates from a popular belief that, at the London
premiere, King George II did so, which would have obliged all to stand. However,
there is no convincing evidence that the king was present, or that he attended
any subsequent performance of Messiah; the first reference to the practice of
standing appears in a letter dated 1756, three years prior to Handel's death.
For John’s Gospel it would
follow the custom of always standing when the Gospel is proclaimed in an act of
worship. This is a royal proclamation about the King of kings and Lord of
lords, and so we are invited to stand.
Standing when something exciting has happened or is about to happen is a very natural response. It happens all the time in theatres, sports stadiums and in countless other places.
For me, these opening verses
of John have that exciting feel about them. I am reminded of a chorus we used
to sing some years ago from The Fisherfolk called “On Tiptoe,” that
references J.B. Philips translation of Romans 8.19 which speaks of creation
groaning in anticipation of its redemption.
“I walk with you my children,
Through valleys filled with
gloom;
In echoes of the starlight
and shadows of the moon.
In the whispers of the
night-wind are gentle words for you
To touch you and assure you,
It’s my world you’re walking
through.
And all creation’s straining
on tip-toe just to see,
The sons of God, come into
their own.
If life were filled with
bubbles, they’d glisten and they’d burst,
If life were filled with
jewels, they’d line a rich man’s purse,
But life is filled with
water, which flows from depths of love
for you and all your
children, with blessings from above.”
John’s Prologue opens with
the words that echoes Genesis 1.1…
In the beginning…
John is reframing the
creation narrative and bringing into clearer focus ‘The Word’ as the active
presence of God in creation.
How do you imagine God
bringing the created order into being?
C.S. Lewis has Aslan singing
the world into existence which I find a very appealing idea.
Some years ago, I imagined
God as an artist painting the world into creation. However, the paint once placed on the canvas
had a dynamic and life force that gave them autonomy over the artist, to change
and shift and morph.
This idea became formulated
into three poems, a trilogy I entitled ‘Reeves.’
The first poem was ‘In the
beginning there was Reeves.’
This outlined the creation
narrative as colours were placed on the canvas. Culminating by the artist on
the sixth day signing the painting with an image of himself.
The second poem picks up the
self determination of the colours with disarray and chaos, and enmity and
strife between the colours arising and more and more evil unleashed. The artist
de-created the painting, covering it in solid blue apart from a small remnant
he allowed to remain as a symbol of hope. Gradually the blue was pulled back
and the colours once again began to emerge. And as a sign and symbol of the
unity between all the colours the artist painted a huge multi-coloured arc in
the sky.
But things didn’t stay that
way and very soon dark black and red began to creep over everything. The artist
selected one colour he hoped would remain true and pure, but even that colour
rejected and tried to throw off this interference from the artist.
It was time for the master
plan. This is picked up in the third poem, Reeve’s Incarnate, and this is how
it reads…
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The artist came, looked, and
wept,
His beautiful painting now
turned ugly,
Torn and slashed, bruised and
broken.
The artist came,
He laid down his paints,
He laid down his brushes and
palate knife,
He took off his painter’s
smock,
(C) Gordon Banks
John puts it like this…
And
the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the
glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men can become the sons of God.
If that is a tad too gender specific, then maybe the Collect for the First Sunday of Christmass will be more helpful, noting in particular this phrase - grant that, as he came to share in our humanity, so we may share the life of his divinity.
However, this kind of language makes some Christians
uncomfortable.
The Orthodox Church has no such qualms and theosis
or divinization is part of their understanding of salvation.
The reason we might be wary is that it can begin to
sound like we are trying to become gods. Something that is part of Latter Day
Saints teaching based on the quote, “As man is, God once was; as
God is, man may become.”
For which there is no
Biblical mandate.
However, on
the idea of our becoming sons and daughters and God and of our sharing in the
divine nature - we read in 2 Peter 1:3-4…
Jesus
has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and
to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his
glory and goodness. Through these he gave us the
very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s
nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires.
And we read
in Ephesians 4. 9 and the purpose of the gifts given to the Church, the body of
Christ which are…
…to equip the saints for works of ministry and to
build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the
stature of Christ.
This is so
that…
‘We will no
longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind
of teaching and by the clever cunning of deceitful people in their scheming.…
(That would
include the non-Biblical teaching of the Latter Day Saints.)
Question –
how might people know that we are sons and daughters of God, seeking to share
in God’s divine nature?
Now I am
not much of a gardener, but our son bought us a plum tree for Christmass and so
far, it is doing okay sitting in our conservatory.
In due
course there is the hope and expectation that it will produce fruit – plums.
Some wee
while ago Jane gave us a list of the Fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5.22
Note however that it is the fruit of the Spirit, not fruits of the Spirit.
Therefore,
as sons and daughters of God, seeking to become fully infused and immersed in
God’s divine nature, all these attributes should flourish.
No good
saying, well I am rubbish at self-control, but I am pretty good at peace.
And this
fruit goes way beyond mere personal piety. Imagine if you will what the world
would be like if everyone was filled with God’s Spirit, walked as a child of
God throughout the world, and bore this fruit in their lives.
Let’s sit just for a moment and look at this list and ask ourselves what kind of world it would be if people bore this fruit in their lives.
- Faithfulness Self-Control Patience Goodness Gentleness Joy Kindness Peace Love
This is
more than personal piety but a programme for peace and plenty across the planet.
Here’s an
idea…
Download and run off the Fruit of the Spirit Prayer Resource from Jane Hulme's All Age Worship website.
Personal Prayer PPR004 (allageworshipresources.org)
In the
morning take the first attribute and live with it throughout the day. Allow it
to inform your thinking and your actions.
Remember we
are called to be doers of the word not just hearers. At the end of the day reflect back,
confessing any shortcomings and giving thanks for the opportunities that
presented themselves to help you display this particular attribute. Once you
have covered all nine, circle back and begin again.
You may
like to build this discipline into your Rhythm or Rule of Life.
The Son of
God became the Son of Man so that we can become the children of God.
In John’s Prologue verse 12 we read; Yet
to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God—
Now if we are children, we read in
Romans 8.17, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed
we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
How
is all this sitting with you this morning?
Last
weekend we looked after our twin grandchildren, James, and William so that mum
and dad, Tabitha and Peter, could have a weekend away. However, both boys had a
bug of some sort. We had to deal with sickness and diarrhoea during the night
causing endless amounts of washing, stained carpets, and disturbed sleep.
Okay
you may mutter a bit as you sleepily arouse yourself and try to sort out one of
the boys who has been sick all over the bed clothes.
But
it won’t surprise you to know that we still love those little boys, and never
stopped loving them and wanting the best for them and to try and make them as
comfortable as we could despite our own tiredness.
Remember
Jesus saying one time; ‘What father among you, if his son asks for a fish,
will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a
scorpion’
Your
heavenly Father will never stop loving you, or give up on you, and he will
always be there, day or night, for the Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps.
How’s
that sitting with you this morning?
Have
you experienced the love of Father God?
Have you heard him saying to you, you
are my son, you are my daughter, in whom I am well pleased?
Are
we able to say with confidence…
I’m a child of God
In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I am chosen
Not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me
Not against me
I am who You say I am
I am a child of God.
And held fast and firm in that knowledge we
are called to grow to the full stature of Christ, becoming Jesus centred, God
dependent missionary disciples.
*********************************
(Part one of a trilogy)
In
the beginning
The
canvas was blank,
Void
and without form.
On
Sunday the artist came,
He
painted light and dark
And
separated them, one from the other.
On
Monday the artist came,
He
painted blue above,
He
called the blue, sky blue.
On
Tuesday the artist came,
He
painted brown below,
Surrounded
by blues and greens,
From
the brown came up other colours,
Red,
yellow, pink, all manner of things.
On
Wednesday the artist came,
He
painted a brilliant yellow and red ball,
On
the other side a silvery orb,
And
lesser things dotted around.
On
Thursday the artist came,
From
the brown below came yet more colours,
Colours
that seemed to move and dance,
Both
in the blue above the brown,
And
also through the blue below.
On
Friday the artist came;
And
still more colours to come from brown,
Colours
that crept, ran, and jumped.
Then
the final part, the ultimate,
The
artist signed the painting,
With
an image of himself.
On
Saturday the artist came,
He
was pleased with his work,
So,
he took the day off,
For
a rest!
The
artist came back the next day,
He
found his work spoilt,
The
brown was stained with crimson,
The
colours seemed at enmity
One
against the other.
Perhaps
the artist should not have taken a rest?
REEVES GOES BANKRUPT
(Part two of a trilogy)
The
artist came,
He
covered the whole painting with blue,
Blotting
out all the other colours,
Except
for a remnant he allowed to remain,
A
sign of hope!
The
artist gradually drew back the blue,
Again,
colours began to appear,
And
to signify unity between the colours
The
artist painted an arc with every colour included.
And
so, for a while the painting was good.
The
artist introduced a unique and favourite colour
And
placed it in a unique and favourite place on the canvas.
But
vandals were abroad and soon blue became red,
Black
crawled over the painting,
Like
an ugly disease,
Even
contaminating the artist's favourite colour.
The
artist tried all ways to keep his colour pure,
But
to no avail,
He
put his signature upon them,
But
now the colours themselves rejected
And
threw of this interference.
It
was time for the 'master plan'.
REEVES INCARNATE
(Final part of a trilogy)
The
artist came, looked, and wept,
His
beautiful painting now turned ugly,
Torn
and slashed, bruised and broken.
The
artist came,
He
laid down his paints,
He
laid down his brushes and palate knife,
He
took of his painters’ smock,
And
was found in his painting.
(c) Gordon Banks January 1983
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