SERMONS

16th November 2003. The Parable Of The Weeds Amongst The Wheat.

The parable of the weeds amongst the wheat. After Jesus has told us the parable, ten verses on we see his disciples asking him to explain the parable to them. Which he does.

His explanation is quite straight forward really, and one that speaks of the harvesting of souls at the end of time. I like this parable as it is very clear and very relevant.

As Christians we need to take heed of the words that are written and to mull them over, also to pray because this parable applies to each and every one of us and the way in which we choose to live our lives.

Obviously, as Jesus states the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, Gods’ children, and the field is the world in which we live. The weeds also inhabit this world and grow and flourish with the rest. We all grow together, and sometimes it would be very hard to tell apart the wheat from the weeds, the good from the bad, or not so good. That is why it will be God with his angels who will bring in the harvest, on that final day of reckoning.

Have you noticed that most news that reaches us through the media is bad news? Bad news sells, to such an extent in fact that in some cases we can become almost immune to the sheer horror of it. Watching for example the famine taking hold in the third world countries while we are still eating our evening meal. Or following the trial of the Soham murders while shouting at our own children.

Are there so many different shades of grey? Do we judge by one standard and administer justice by another? We see war and killing as common place and yet harbour grudges against others. We are not above reproach, we should remember that while we are living among weeds we are not immune to their touch.

We are called to live in this world as children of God and to make a stand for his Kingdom and for his values of justice, peace and of truth. Our task is a very hard one, it is not easy to remain unaffected by the evil that surrounds us.

For the past eleven years I have always tried to be true to the gospel truth, to never preach anything but the word of God and not to use the pulpit as a soapbox for my own ideas but to remain relevant in my expounding. In the light of this passage and of recent world events I believe we need to ask ourselves some very important questions and to do some serious soul searching.

Questions like: Was it really appropriate to remove Saddam Hussein by force, evil though his regime was?

Or questions that affect us even more directly and the way in which we choose to live our lives. Should an openly practising homosexual be ordained bishop? Should this action be allowed to split the Anglican Communion? Where do we stand?

Only you can answer this question for yourselves, but I would urge you, read your scriptures, pray, pray and pray again. This subject has and does severely test me and I’m continuing to pray.

Ask yourselves What price inclusivity?

What price liberalism?

Sitting on the fence is not a spiritual option we are told in Revelation Chapter 3 verse 15 If you are neither hot nor cold I will spew you out of my mouth. One of my favourite verses as I can often blow very hot or cold depending on the circumstances. But to remain neutral is to be ineffectual, and indesicive and to become vulnerable to the wind of change where ever it blows for good or for ill.

We must take spiritual responsibility for ourselves, for our salvation, and decide in all good conscience what we believe. There will be no firm confirmation of our answer this side of eternity but at least we are doing our best for God, as we see it.

We are in this world to grow, as Christians, to spread the good news, to extend God’s kingdom. Let us put our energy into doing just that because we don’t know when the harvest will be, or who will be gathered into the Kingdom. God is the God of surprises, the God of love, and we his children are called to follow him, in love and in truth.

Jan.

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28th January 2007. Candlemas at St Chad's.

Today we celebrate another special festival in the Church's year; it's the Feast of the Presentation of Christ, or Candlemas. It's the last of the feasts for Christmas and Epiphany, and as we heard in our Gospel reading, it commemorates the visit of the Holy Family to the temple in Jerusalem forty days after the birth of Jesus.

In this story Mary and Joseph were doing what was required of them as devout Jews. According to the ancient Mosaic Law, women were considered unclean after they had given birth, and were not allowed into the Temple to worship. It was therefore the custom to bring the new mother to the Temple for ritual purification, 40 days after she'd had a male child, and 80 days after she'd had a daughter. (Girls, of course, being much more dubious then boys!) Only then was the woman thought to be pure enough to go to religious services again, and generally go out in public.

It might seem strange to us, but old customs die hard, and it isn't all that long since women in England were kept indoors after having a baby until they had been 'churched'. You can still find the service in old prayer books, though we have replaced it now-a-days with a service of thanksgiving.

Another reason for Mary and Joseph to go to the Temple, was that the first-born male, whether of man or beast, was thought to be special to God and to belong to him. Animals were killed and bunt, but babies could be 'reclaimed' by the offering ofan alternative sacrifice. So Mary and Joseph travelled to Jerusalem to present their first born son to God, and to offer the appropriate sacrifice in his place.

The required sacrifice was a lamb, but those too poor to buy a lamb could make the lesser offering of birds, and this is what Mary and Joseph did. Faithful to their religious duty, they went to the great city, entered the outer-Temple precincts where women were allowed, and made their offering. So far the story is that of any devout Jewish family at the time, but then something unique happened.

Living in Jerusalem was an old man named Simeon. He was a very holy old man, and he had spent his life waiting for the coming of the expected Messiah, the one who would save Israel. It must have seemed a long, weary wait, for Israel's recent history had not been encouraging and now the whole country was chafing under the Roman occupation. Simeon knew he could not have much longer to live, but somehow he had always felt that God would not let him die until the time of liberation came, and on this day, we're told, the Holy Spirit guided him to the Temple.

The minute he saw Mary and Joseph bringing in their baby son, he knew the waiting was over and that the salvation he had yearned for all his life was finally come. He took the baby Jesus into his arms, and uttered the beautiful words which we call the Nunc Dimittis, and which we still use in our evening services:

'Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all people, to be a light of revelation for the Gentiles, and to be the glory of your people Israel. '

With these words the whole focus of the story changes, for this child, Jesus, is no longer just being symbolically offered to God in obedience to the ancient Law ofIsrael: instead, Simeon recognises him both as the fulfilment of that Law, and as an gift to the whole world. Jesus is the promised Messiah who is to restore Israel and renew its fteedom, but he will also bring salvation for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.

And in our Gospel reading, Simeon was not the only one to understand the importance of the child brought into the Temple by Mary and Joseph. There's another significant person present there that day, Anna, an old prophetess. Widowed for many years she, like Simeon, has spent her time praying and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. who would save the Jewish nation. When she saw the baby Jesus, she too recognised that the longed for saviour had been born, and she began to speak out loud, praising God and talking about the infant to anyone else who had come to Israel's holiest place hoping to find a sign that redemption would come.

The acceptance of Jesus by these two devout and respected old people is a key moment in the Gospel revelation of who Jesus is. In the Nativity stories the birth was marked by God in several special ways: by the Angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary of what was to happen to her; by the choir of angels who appeared to the shepherds; by the Star which led the Wise Men to Bethlehem trom their home in the East. Now Jesus is recognised by his own people as part of God's plan for salvation. He is the promised Messiah of Israel's old Covenant with God, but he is also the one who will inaugurate a new world-wide kingdom of righteousness and treedom. He will be the 'Light of the world.'

Light is such a powerful symbol for us. Without light we are aftaid of the darkness, we lose our way. More than that, our very growth becomes stunted and withered. Light is still one of the most essential elements in our lives, and for our ancestors who did not have the benefit of artificial lighting, it was even more precious. So they incorporated it into many of their religious festivals, and today's feast of Can diem as has been celebrated since the 4th century.

It became known as Candlemas because it was the day on which the year's supply of candles for the church were blessed. They still are in the Roman Catholic rite, and it is a very important and solemn celebration. Special prayers are said, anthems sung, the candles are sprinkled with holy water and surrounded by incense. A great procession winds its way in and around the church. The day becomes a feast of candles, for they are more than just practical aids to sight. The warm candlelight is a tangible reminder of that greater light which radiates trom the figure of Jesus. It shows us that Jesus is the Light ofthe World that Simeon recognised, the' light of revelation for the Gentiles,' and 'the glory of Israel.'

For us these words are an affirmation that Jesus is our salvation. God has come among us in human form to live as we live, experience life with us in all its wonder and sorrow, and lead us to a new appreciation of what it means to be truly human.

But that makes extra demands of us, for if we are to be truly human, then we must be like him. As Christ's body on earth we must show his life and his love. We must, like him, be 'The Light of the World. '

It can seem a daunting task. The world is so big, so complex, so full of needs, so full of darkness. But we must have courage. We may not be capable of great acts of mercy like the saints; our efforts may seem to be of very limited significance, but every time we allow Christ to work through us, we bring a little of his light to others.

I don't know if any of you remember a simple little hymn that you may have sung as a child:

'Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light,

Like a little candle, burning in the night..

In this world of darkness, so we must shine.

You in your small corner, and I in mine.'

That is what is asked of each of us, to light 'our little corner' of God's world. And we won't be acting alone.

I'm sure that many of you will know the famous painting by the nineteenth century artist Holman Hunt, called 'The Light of the World'. It shows Jesus standing outside a house and knocking on the closed door. There are thorns around his head, and in his hand he holds a lantern.

The painting was finished in 1854, and when Hunt showed the completed work to some friends, one of them pointed out that there seemed to be an omission: there was no handle on the door.

"Ah," the artist replied, "But it is we who must open to the light. The handle is on the inside. "

Christ, who is the True Light of the whole world knocks at the door of our hearts, and if we open to him then we will be so the world, out mto the lives of others.

A we celebrate this feast of Candlemas, let us pray that we, like Simeon and Anna, may recognise Christ, open our hearts to him, and shine like candles in the world, 'you in your small corner, and I in mine.'

Carol Hoare.

25th March 2007. 200^th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

25^th March 1807 was a truly momentous day in human history, for on it Parliament received the Royal Assent to the bill for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It had been a long and difficult struggle for the bill’s supporters, and it would be another 26 years before those who were already slaves would receive their freedom, but at least now the terrible trade itself was finally at an end.

What made this a particularly special day was that Parliament had finally recognised the need to listen to the demands of morality and justice, even when it meant abandoning a system that underpinned the very foundations of the British economy.

The British involvement in the Slave Trade was long established., the first recorded voyage being Sir John Hawkins's shipment of slaves to the Spanish West Indies in 1562. It was a very profitable venture and other nations soon joined in, but none was quite so successful as Britain, and by the end of the 18th century, Britain had become the largest and most accomplished slaving nation in the world.

The ‘triangular trade’, as it was called, meant that manufactured goods were shipped to Africa where they were exchanged for slaves. These were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas to be sold in return for sugar, rum, cotton and coffee. After these had been carried back to Britain, the whole business started again. The ships were never empty, and every leg of the journey made money. There’s no doubt that the commerce in slaves was highly profitable, and it affected more than just those immediately involved in it. Banks were founded and grew rich from the profits made through the Slave Trade, and it also contributed to the development of Britain as the world’s first industrial power.

As well as needing workers for the 120 sugar refineries in England, there was a huge expansion in manufacturing. Slave labour in America fuelled the unprecedented growth of the cotton industry in Lancashire, while commodities such as beads, pots and kettles, guns and other metal goods were needed to exchange for human beings in Africa. Birmingham in particular boomed, making machinery to process sugar on the plantations, and cutlasses to cut the cane, but it also fed on the demand for trade goods, including fetters, chains, padlocks, and guns. 150,000 weapons were produced each year for trade with West African rulers, and there was actually a factory making gun barrels for the Slave Trade here in Sutton Coldfield. Altogether it was a mercenary business, and indeed Birmingham became famous for cheap, very low quality goods, known derisively as Brummagem ware, made especially for the African market.

There were cultural changes too from the economic effects of the Slave Trade. Cities such as Bristol and Liverpool expanded and grew wealthy on the profits that were amassed, and money was poured into new buildings, houses, schools, museums and art galleries, including the National Gallery in London. Another very basic change for ordinary people was that sugar itself, which had once been a rare and expensive luxury, now became and everyday part of the British diet.

We are still benefiting today from the economic and social effects of the Slave Trade, but they came at a terrible price.

Slavery was nothing new, from the earliest times we have records of men and women being kept as slaves, and there are numerous references to slavery in the Bible, but the transatlantic slave trade was something different. Never before had slavery been established on such an institutionalised basis or carried out with such a callous and almost total disregard for human dignity.

Men, women and children were captured by warlords in Africa and marched down to the coast. There they were sold to slave traders who loaded them into ships, cramming as many as possible into the dark holds, and chaining them so that movement was almost impossible. Conditions were appalling: food was meagre, water polluted and sanitary arrangements almost non-existent. Diseases like dysentery were rife and many slaves simply gave up the will to live. Women were sometimes kept separately with the children, but they were always at the mercy of sailors who could rape them with impunity.

When they arrived in America or the West Indies, the slaves were cleaned up ready for sale then taken to the slave auction. There they would be examined as if they were horses or cattle, and sold to the highest bidder. The fear and the anguish they must have felt is almost unimaginable, especially when husbands and wives were split up, and children torn from their parents’ arms.

Once on the plantation they would be allocated duties according to their age and strength, but all work was hard, much was dangerous, and discipline was rigorously enforced. For any kind of rebellion slaves could be branded, chained, or forced to wear spiked collars that prevented them lying down. They could be beaten, sometimes to death, or mutilated by having hands or feet cut off. Even killing a slave, though technically murder, would be excused, because a slave was not a person, but a piece of property.

And this is the core of the evil that lay at the heart of the Slave Trade: the idea that any human being could be regarded just as a thing, a commodity, without value, dignity or basic rights. It was part of a general feeling that the white European nations were superior to any others, and that at best Africans were backward savages, and at worst, they were less than human. It was an attitude that has left a legacy in the racism which is sadly, still to be found in parts of our society today.

But it was very wide-spread, and it affected all kinds of people. Though many of the reformers who fought for the abolition of the Slave Trade were Christians, not all shared their convictions. It has to be a source of shame to us as Anglicans, that the Church of England once owned a number of plantations which were worked by slave labour; and that in 1834 the bishops in Parliament actually voted against the abolition of slavery.

And for those who supported slavery, the Bible could be used as propaganda. A text in Genesis suggests that Noah’s son Ham was cursed for misdoing, and his children – who were the ancestors of the African races - condemned to slavery by God. Many other references, especially in the Epistles were also used to prove that slavery was compatible with Christianity.

Contradictory texts, such as the story of the Exodus, where the Children of Israel were led out of bondage in Egypt, or the limitations on slavery laid down in other parts of the Old Testament, were ignored, and it was forbidden to allow slaves access to such subversive material.

But these were the very parts of the Bible that inspired those who were against the slave trade. From very early on, the Quakers believed that slavery was sinful and they used the Bible as a weapon against the trade. They sincerely believed the teachings of Jesus, that all men and women are equal in God’s sight, and they organised their lives and work according to this belief. Two of the most famous and effective abolitionists were William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, both of whom devoted their lives to changing the attitudes of the wider population.

William Wilberforce, a committed Christian, was elected as an MP at just 21 years of age. He was a powerful speaker, and was soon persuaded to spearhead the abolitionist cause in Parliament. He was part of the group of evangelical Christians, men and women, who fought tirelessly for justice and freedom, and he gave his life to this work. Feelings ran very high, and Wilberforce endured attacks from the press, was physically assaulted and even received death threats, but nothing would stop him. Twenty times he presented his bill for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, before it was finally passed in 1807. Wilberforce is remembered particularly for his courage, his persistence and his passion.

Thomas Clarkson was a curate’s son from Wisbech in Cambridegeshire. While at University, he began to research into the Slave Trade and what he learnt changed his life. He met other abolitionists, including Wilberforce, and became convinced that once the British public was informed of the true horrors of the slave trade, their anger could put pressure on Parliament. To this end he collected detailed information about the actual conditions endured by slaves, and published them in books, pamphlets and on posters. One of his most famous diagrams shows the inside of a slave ship, every inch of space being filled by a human body. It’s a very shocking and powerful image. Clarkson also organized mass-meetings and petitions; helped inspire hundreds of small groups to work against the slave trade, and encouraged the boycotting of sugar and products that had been produced using slave labour. Like Wilberforce he faced great hostility, but he never faltered, and fought on until the whole system of slavery had been abolished throughout the British territories.

Wilberforce, Clarkson, and others like them were brave and dedicated pioneers in the cause of racial justice, but it would be wrong to think that they were the only ones involved in the struggle. The Africans themselves fought hard for their own emancipation, and increasing resistance on the plantations helped to make the system less easy for the owners to control. One of the most influential Africans was Olaudah Equiano, an intelligent and astute man who was enslaved as a child, but managed to acquire an education, earn enough money to buy his own freedom, and then devote himself to the abolitionist cause. Settled in England he married a white woman, and in 1789 published an auto-biography that took England by storm and sold 50,000 copies in the first two months. It’s still in print today.

The example of men like Wilberforce, Clarkson, and Equiano, along with the countless other men and women who campaigned so tirelessly and for so long, stands as an inspiration to us all, but it is also a challenge, for though today we can give our heartfelt thanks that the transatlantic slave trade no longer exists, we cannot afford to be complacent. It left behind it an ongoing legacy of racism and of mistrust between people of different colours, and that is something all men and women of good will must continue to resist. We also have to remember that slavery still exists in many parts of our troubled world, so the fight goes on. We must not ignore it.

A philosopher once said: ‘ For evil to exist it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.’ The African Slave Trade flourished for so long, not only because of the active involvement of its organisers, but also because ordinary men and women closed their eyes to what was happening. There are so many forms of slavery and oppression still existing today, and it is vitally important that we join the struggle against these evils. As Christians, we have a charge: to do justly; to love mercy; and to walk humbly for all are made in the image of God. We might have no control over what happened in the past but we can control how we respond to cruelty and injustice today.

I want to finish with some words of Thomas Clarkson. Not long before the end of his life he called for everyone to: “Take courage, be not dismayed, go on, persevere to the last, ahead lies the elimination of slavery from the whole world”. May we too heed his message and answer his call, so that Christ’s Kingdom of peace and justice may come a little nearer in this generation.

Carol Hoare

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Easter April 2007

If we’d used the psalm appointed for today, we would have heard these famous words:

The Lord is my shepherd:

therefore I shall lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

and leads me beside still waters.

He refreshes my soul;

and guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for you are with me,

your rod and your staff comfort me.

You prepare a table for me

in the face of those who trouble me;

you have anointed my head with oil

and my cup runs over.

Surely your goodness and mercy

will follow me all the days of my life:

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23.

It’s a wonderful psalm, and one that has given comfort and hope to generations of anxious or grieving people. Though it speaks in terms of a rural idyll, far removed from most modern people’s experience, it’s still the psalm most people know, and choose to have read, especially at funerals.

Our Gospel this morning echoed the imagery of Psalm 23, for in it we heard Jesus describe himself as a shepherd, ‘My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me’, and in last week’s Gospel, we heard his charge to Peter: ‘Feed my sheep’. Jesus was talking to people 2000 years ago who lived in a pastoral setting, but isn’t it interesting how powerful that metaphor of sheep and shepherd has remained down the centuries, and how we still respond to it today? Despite the fact that most of us live in urban surroundings, and have little to do with animal husbandry, somehow it still represents for us the need we have for someone to guide us, nourish us, protect us. Throughout his ministry, the disciples and other people followed Jesus because this was exactly what they, too, needed: some were sick, some confused, some anxious, but all were searching for healing, direction and hope.

There are so many searching people in the world today, people hungering for instruction, people looking for a direction and purpose in life. We may talk of living in a secular and materialistic society, but if you go into any bookshop, you will see shelves full of books on self-help, on fringe and new-age religion, and on the supernatural and the occult. The need for meaning in life is as great as ever, and the big questions are still with us.

We still worry about our children and their futures; we still feel worthless because we have no employment; we still suffer sickness, and ultimately face death, and we still have to face the agonizing realisation, that the more we love, the greater the pain of separation and loss will be. Then there are the wider questions: how we should behave towards other people; what we should be aiming for in life and whether material things can give real happiness. Why is there suffering in the world? Is there a God, and if there is, what is he like?

Well it’s easy enough to ask questions like these, but where can people find real, lasting answers? If we’d started our Gospel reading a little earlier in the chapter, we’d have heard Jesus described himself as ‘The Good Shepherd’, the one who would lead his flock of followers into safety and righteousness. But he also warned them that they would meet with false shepherds who would seek to lead them astray. We need guidance, but how can we tell the difference between good shepherds and bad ones?

We live in a complex and uncertain world; what we know and believe seems constantly challenged by new ideas and discoveries. But the disciples and other people around Jesus also lived in a time of uncertainty and transition. Their country had been occupied by an alien force, the Romans. The religion that was the basis of their state was only just tolerated, and their way of life was under frequent threat. So they came to Jesus for guidance; he taught them, and we have many examples of his teaching throughout the Gospels. But what can we find in his teaching that might help us to identify a Good Shepherd?

Well I think we can start by considering the two great commandments that Jesus gave us: love God, and love your neighbour as yourself. For Jesus, loving God meant relating to him as Father and drawing close to him. Formal religion would provide the basis for this, and Jesus often reminded people of the Judaic Law, but it must never become a straightjacket. His teaching that ‘the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ can be applied to all aspects of religious life, and it suggests that a Good Shepherd is one who is comfortable with God and knows him personally; one for whom loving God is about relationship rather than about rigid rules and regulations. A Good Shepherd is one whose message is life-enhancing, not life-denying.

And loving God is conditioned by loving your neighbour; as the Sermon on the Mount and the parable of the Good Samaritan show us. So it would seem, that a Good Shepherd is someone who is sincerely concerned about the well-being of others, and who reaches out to others whoever they are, without making distinctions about race or worthiness. Good Shepherds don’t pit one section of the church or community against another, stirring up conflict and driving people away. Instead they work to dismantle the walls that keep us apart, speaking words that gather us together, and bring healing, reconciliation and support, instead of distrust, separation, and abandonment..

The last words of the commandments – love your neighbour ‘as yourself’ - also suggest to me that a Good Shepherd would be someone who is at ease in themselves, not out of complacency or indifference to their own failings, but because they are secure in the knowledge that God loves us as just we are, with all our faults and inadequacies, and that if we open our hearts to him, we will, finally, be perfected.

And I think there are other aspects of Jesus’ teaching that can give us guidelines. If you look at the way Jesus spoke, you can see that a lot of the time he told parables without explanations, and, as in today’s Gospel, often avoided direct answers to questions. For Jesus wanted to challenge his hearers, to make them think for themselves; to work out their own solutions. We can’t run away from life’s dilemmas by following a neat set of rules, and so a Good Shepherd would be someone who, grounded in faith, faces up to difficult decisions, works through to their own conclusions, and then enables others to do the same.

My final thoughts today about Good Shepherds, is that, like Jesus they are people who walk with us in the dark valleys. When we are facing the most terrible things that life can offer: sickness, bereavement, the loss of hope, comfort does not come from assurances that everything will be all right or from platitudes that try to explain why everything that happens is God’s will. Comfort comes from the simple presence of companions who are willing to sit alongside us in our darkest hours, to walk through the darkness with us, and to rejoice with us when some small glimmer of light finally begins to shine. Good Shepherds share despair and danger with others, even at the risk of their own safety.

There’s a story of a tourist who was walking in the highlands of Scotland when a storm suddenly blew up. The wind howled and snow started to whirl around the frightened man. Instinctively he began to hurry down the hill, and was heading for a hollow below him, when he met a flock of sheep, guided by an old shepherd struggling up the hill past him. ‘Where are you going?’ he asked anxiously, ‘Surely the sheep would be safer down in the hollow than on the exposed hillside, and you’re too old to be going up there in this.’

‘I am their shepherd,’ replied the old man, ‘Where I lead, they will follow. But if the sheep go into the hollow, drifts will cover them, and they will die, only on the open hillside, facing the storm, with me to keep them together, will they have any chance of survival.’

Trusting in God will not guarantee us an easy path through life; it won’t save us from all dilemmas and difficulties, but it will promise us that we will never be alone. Jesus, our Good Shepherd will be with us through life’s storms, guiding us, protecting us and, in the end, bringing us through safely into his everlasting life. As we heard today in our Gospel, if we follow his way, no-one will be able to snatch us out of his hand, and like the psalmist of old, we will walk in the paths of righteousness, and lack nothing.

Amen.

Carol Hoare.

***

2 September 2007. Accepting a Subordinate Role. John 3 V 22 – 36.

How do you feel when the ''new kid on the block" steals your thunder, steals your limelight? Or when something you've worked long and hard for is taken away and given to someone else? Or perhaps the client-base that you've spent so long building up starts to go elsewhere, and your customers find an alternative source of supply? Or perhaps your flock leave to follow another path?

It can feel like a personal insult, a kick in the teeth, you feel you have a right to be hurt, offended, and you begin to question yourself. What have I done wrong? What could I have done differently? Am I no longer good enough and if not, why? It is hard not to take rejection personally, not to feel hurt, betrayed or let down.

In our passage from John's gospel this evening, John is baptising people. Jesus also is baptising close by, and we are told all are going to him. John is being deserted by many as they turn to Jesus. John does not take this as a personal insult or as a slight against his own baptism. He replies "I am not the messiah but 1 have been sent ahead of him."

This passage demonstrates the loveliness of the total humility of John the Baptist. Men were leaving John for Jesus and John's disciples were worried, they did not like to see their master take second place. They didn't like to see him abandoned while the crowds flocked to hear and see the new teacher instead. In answer to their complaints it would have been easy for John to feel injured, neglected and unjustly forgotten. Sometimes a friend's sympathy can be the worst possible thing for us. It can make us feel sorry for ourselves and encourage us to think that we have not had a fair deal. This is not however John's attitude to the situation. He told his disciples three things.

Firstly: he tells them that he had never expected anything else. Instead he reaffirms the fact that his position was not the leading place but that he was merely sent as the forerunner and the preparer for someone greater who was to come. He is merely the indicator pointing the way. Life would be much easier if more people were willing to play a more subordinate role, to support others rather than compete with them. Many people seek the greatness for themselves, but John was not like that. He knew the role that God had given him and he was happy fulfilling that role, and part of that role was to point the way to and prepare the way for Jesus; to prepare hearts and minds to receive the messiah. Preparation is the key to so many things. Perhaps it would save a lot of resentment and heartbreak if we could realise that there are certain things which are just not for us and instead accept with all our hearts the role that God has given us to play and to do it well, for God's sake. To do any task for God, even if perceived a small insignificant or subordinate role is to be great in the eyes of God.

Secondly: John says that no man could receive more than God gave him. If a new teacher was winning more followers it was not because God was stealing them from John but because he was giving them to Jesus. God will move hearts and minds of men to receive him and if that meant turning from John then so be it. Perhaps it was time to move on. And we too need to recognise when it is time to move on, to follow Jesus more closely than previously, to perhaps leave the comfort of the past behind and to move onto fresh pastures, to new and greater things. We need to be open to the prompting of the Spirit, and the ways of the Lord. We need to recognise the signs and to follow them.

Finally: John uses a vivid picture recognisable to all Jews. He calls Jesus the Bridegroom and refers to himself as the mend of the Bridegroom. One of the great pictures of the Old Testament is of Israel as the bride of God and God as the bridegroom of Israel. The union between God and Israel was so close it was likened to a wedding. The New Testament also uses this analogy when it speaks of the church as the bride of Christ. And it is this picture that John portrays. Jesus had come from God; he was the Son of God, Israel his bride. The one place that John claims for himself is that of the mend of the bridegroom.

The mend of the Bridegroom has a unique and an important place at a Jewish wedding. He acted as a liaison between the bride and the bridegroom, he sent out the invitations and he prepared the way for the wedding.

John's task was to bring Israel and Jesus together. His job complete, he would be happy to fade into the background. He, like us, is one of God's servants, with a specific but valuable task to perform. He was happy and honoured to do his bit for God. We too have our tasks to perform, however menial they may appear to us. We should be both happy and honoured to perform them for the glory of God and for the furtherance of his Kingdom.

Jan.

***

Sermon for Sunday 19^th October 2008.

Matthew 22: 15-22.

Give to God what belongs to God.

Money was no easy matter in Jesus’s day. Different kinds of currency were in circulation at this time. The Roman currency was the denarius with the head of Tiberius the then Roman Emperor; it seems that Jerusalem had its own commercial Shekel - a currency different from the rest of Palestine; and then there was the currrency used in the Temple. Hence there were many money changers dealing in these currencies.

Taxes for Rome were collected in denarius of which one was to be given as a poll tax each year: this gave rise to much political unrest. The tax had been one of the bones of contention in the recent rebellion of Judas which was brutally suppressed by the Romans.

“Tell us, then, what you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” the question asked by the Pharisees was intended as a trap; Jesus was aware of it. It was an explosive question; they were asking him, ‘are you a Roman sympathizer or a terrorist?’ Either answer would lead to trouble.

Jesus answered by pointing to the image on a denarius offered by a Pharisee. (Notice neither Jesus nor his followers produced such a coin, possibly because they did not have one or use them).

“Whose head is this and whose title?”

They answered, “the emperor’s.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

He seems to say – you’ve got some of Caesar’s property in your pocket, why not give it back to the minter? But then – give to God.

And what belongs to God?

Well in one sense everything, as we sing in a modern hymn: “O Lord all the world belongs to you”. But maybe Jesus meant something more specific.

The coins were ‘made in Caesar’s image’ but what is supposed to be made in God’s image? We are: humankind. ‘God said, “Let us make humankind in our own image and likeness”’ (Genesis 1,28).

So Jesus tells the clever questioners to make less fuss about paying taxes, focus more on how you spend your own lives.

That implies some global questions, so now let’s take this step by step. We are invited to take three big steps.

1. Recognise to whom we belong(‘Give to God what is God’s’):

We belong to God because God Created us, shaped us and gave us his Spirit.

More than that, when we failed God, Jesus Redeemed us at the cost of his death.

So we can join with John Wesley’s words in the Covenant service:

‘I am no longer mine, but yours.’

2. Accept that its payback time; time we gave back to God the life God has given.

We do this in worship - we give glory to God, which means giving away our own claims to glory. And we do this in service, when we make our lives available to do what God wants of us.

Thank God that we serve a liberating creator and redeemer: God’s service is perfect freedom, God wants us give ourselves up in order to become our true selves.

3. Take stock of how we spend our days and our money. Do we try to live as though everything we possess is held in trust - as trustees for God?

To quote John Wesley again: ‘It is not a question of how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God’s money will I keep for myself.’

Does it sound tough? Not really, because we are handing our lives and our goods back to the one who alone can bring us to perfection.

Rev’d Canon Peter Fisher.

***

The Reality of the Resurrection. Third Sunday of Easter 2009.

I don’t know if you have any phobias but I do not like spiders! I never have done although I think the huge one that ran over my shoulder as a ten year old, whilst I was in the car with my Dad driving down the motorway at 70 mph did rather finish me off. (Mind you, it is to my Dad’s credit that the scream I emitted at the time did not cause him to lose control of the car and so finish us all off!). The psychoanalyst, Freud suggested a deep seated reason for a fear of spiders but it is not appropriate to say in a family service. I will tell anyone interested afterwards what Freud thought! Anyhow, I have just moved flat and my new home has rather an abundance of spiders. So far, on average I have dealt with about 3 a day. I know I am being a baby but I don’t like it! The result is that I am always keeping an eye out for anything moving, or dark shapes sitting on the skirting board. The trouble is that half the shapes I swoop on turn out not to be spiders at all, but dirty marks or shadows. I am seeing spiders in places where there are no spiders. It is an illusion.

The Resurrection stories, and the one we have heard from Luke today is no exception to this, all tell us how the first disciples and friends of Jesus were being scared by shadows and living under illusion. They could not see the reality that Jesus had been raised from the dead. In part this was because they were conditioned to think in a certain way, like I am conditioned to think anything small and dark is a spider on the loose. The disciples, like all Jews were expecting a Messiah –they thought he would be one who would sort the Romans out and rule justly, and champion the cause of the Jews. They thought they had found their man in Jesus. And they tried to put their money where their mouth was by backing him. So when he got murdered their whole lives fell apart. That was it, their hopes and dreams crushed and broken. They thought they knew how the story went and therefore the story had come to an end. They had been wrong about Jesus, he was not the Messiah they had been waiting for, so, in the resurrection they were repeatedly being confronted with a reality that was for them unexpected: Jesus had come back from the dead. He was alive! They did not understand that and so were still seeing bogeymen in the shadows and missing the point that Jesus had risen and all that that would mean.

The trouble is that we do know what happened to Jesus and why, and, as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Imagine if you thought you knew the ending to a story and it turned out differently. Take Goldilocks and the 3 bears for example. I guess you all know that story, but actually it didn’t quite happen as it is usually told: The bears came back all right from their trip out and went to the dining table to sit down for breakfast. Daddy Bear said ‘Who’s been eating my breakfast?’ and Baby Bear said ‘Who’s been eating my breakfast?’ and Mummy Bear said ‘Oh don’t be so silly, I haven’t even made the breakfast yet!’ That is not the ending we were expecting. We are surprised by a twist in the tale.

So it was for the disciples. They expected one thing from Jesus, and when he died they seemed to get another, and yet the reality of what actually happened was totally different again and it was a surprise. Jesus had gone through death and out the other side. What a twist to the tale! They had to get their heads round it. They had to realise that they had missed the point and that their idea of Jesus had largely been based on an illusion. Now it was time to face reality!

Jesus really was alive, he wasn’t a figment of their imagination. He could be touched, he could eat, he could be talked to. He was tangible. Alive. Real. And what a reality! A whole new way of seeing God and relating to him. A whole new way of thinking and being. Throughout his time on earth Jesus had tried to explain it to them but they did not get it. Now, he explains it again and in the light of the resurrection it makes sense. They see! Rejoice and exult with all of your heart. The Lord has taken away any judgement of you. God is in our midst. God loves and saves everyone, no matter how much on the edges, no matter what they have done. The outcast, the lame get healed in the name of Jesus. No shame for anyone. Whatever has gone on before is over – a new start awaits us all. God looks at us all and sings his heart out with joy! In his eyes, because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are all welcome as friends of God.

It is the same events, the same story but given a completely different meaning by Jesus to the one that the disciples had given it. And the disciples believed what Jesus said and it changed them. And it changed those with whom they came into contact. People got healed. People began to live differently; in a countercultural way, sharing their belongings, gifts and time. They studied the Scriptures, spent time in prayer, trying to understand how to follow Jesus, how to relate to a God that they were suddenly seeing in a new way. And they were prepared to stand up and be counted as Christians. They were witnesses.

I wonder whether our familiarity with the Resurrection stories has led us into complacency. Maybe we no longer see the surprise, the wonder, the power, the challenge to live differently to how the world expects us to, the totality of commitment that God calls from us, the radical nature of being a Christian. And the love and joy that God has for each of us. We, too, are his witnesses. Maybe we need to re-experience the impact of the message of Easter in order to be better witnesses.

In front of you there is a little picture (on the right here). What do you see? It is one of those illusion pictures where there is another picture hidden. There is another reality to the one which immediately strikes the eye. Take it home with you. Look for the other reality and let it remind you, however much it may feel like an illusion, of the reality of the resurrection and the promise of new life in Jesus, and of his call for us to grasp it, follow him and be witnesses for Him in our lives today.

Susie. April 26^th 2009.

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24 May 2009. The Disciples. The Jesus Team.

Ezekiel 36 24-28; Acts 115-17 21-26; John 17 6-19.

Put a member of a rugger team in the Sin Bin and the team deems itself lucky if the opposition only manage to score three points during the 10 minutes forced to play with a below strength side.

If a team plays with a member short, it affects the overall performance.

Ask my son. He plays football for a team which "gets together when it can" and often they have to play an under strength side because some of the team members are unable to make the match. Those are the occasions when they are very glad to come away from the match with a draw rather than a loss.

The performance of any team with a member short is affected. And that is what faced the disciples.

They were used to working as a team. They went in two's, rarely on their own , so 11 was not a good number.

And 12 is a special number. It points to the 12 tribes of Israel and if the apostles were to be like a New Israel they would have to make up their team to 12. So with Judas' death they needed a replacement. And this is where we realize that it was not just the 12 who followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry but also many others were involved in the journey.

We are told there were about 120 gathered, that is 10 people suitable for every apostle.

The decision is made that it should be someone who had been with Jesus from the beginning. One of those who saw the Baptism on the Jordan and at that life changing moment followed Jesus for the rest of his earthly Ilfe. The person also had to have been there at the resurrection, and to have seen the ascension.

We hear of a resurrection appearance to some 500 Christians at one time, check out 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6. So this gathering in Jerusalem is a much smaller group.

The ascension was now past and they were in prayer in anticipation of important work.

But first they needed to replace Judas. That there was to be such an appointment at all was a tragedy. The shadowy figure of Judas had been fully involved in the apostolic group, then had made a not wholly explicable and ultimately heartbreaking compact with the enemies. The ugly details of his death would indicate that this was neither dignified nor creditable suicide. So a replacement was needed, but it was essential that the person would be God's choice.

Certain criteria were agreed. The person had to have been with Jesus throughout his ministry, had to have met him risen from the death and be able to proclaim, credibly and authentically, the resurrection of Jesus. So the selection of a new apostle depended on long associafion with Jesus.

The important thing was having someone who knew Jesus, not someone who had just heard of him. The person had to have followed and loved Jesus. It had to be someone who would show others that Jesus was alive, that Jesus was not just a figure of history or a holy man of the past, but the Living Lord.

Two people become obvious candidates: Joseph and Matthias. And the final choice was taken in prayer and by casting lots. We may find this a little strange but they wanted the choice to be God's and 2,000 years ago it was a natural way of seeking that choice. The names of the candidates were written on stones they were placed in a vessel and that vessel was shaken until one stone fell out. The one whose name fell out was the chosen one, the one God wanted. So Matthias become apostle Number 12. Matthias was now part of the team. And Matthias in his new role is both witness that the Lord has been raised and also guardian of the gospel tradition, able to ground new Christians in the teaching of Jesus and to preserve the memories of his ministry in an expanding fellowship.

Today we are part of that expanded fellowship. The teachings of Jesus have been passed down from generation to generation. Yes there have been a few hiccoughs as gospel interpretations have veered from the truth, but over the years these have been brought back to the message that Jesus Lives.

We are all needed to expand the fellowship. And by spending some time each day with our Lord we can get to know him. Are we sure we speak of a risen Lord? And do we speak of Jesus in the present tense?

Does the prayer that we heard Jesus make in the Gospel from John resonate with our souls? IT is a prayer as much for today as it was for the disciples on the evening before Jesus made his lonely way to the cross.

Jesus prays for the disciples whom he has gathered and who will continue his work on earth. They have heard and heeded his word and realise that he is sent by God. They have become a distinct community within the world and now they are sent into the world as Jesus was sent with purpose, to do God's work. There may be controversy and pain; for they do not belong and will not always be popular.

Jesus prays for them, for their unity and joy. He guarded them while he was with them, - with one exception only and even this was in fulfilment of prophecy - and he prays that the disciples and followers may still be protected. Jesus requests not their complete detachment from the world but their separation from evil.

The church must be involved in its surroundings, but different, distinctively committed to God and to godly living.

We are part of the expanded fellowship. We are the church here today. It is important that we each know Jesus personally and it is important for us to realise we are part of the team. The Jesus team.

Edwina.

***

14th June 2009 Evensong. Amend Your Ways And Your Doings. (Jeremiah 7:2-4).

Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim this word and say, “Hear the word of the lord, all you people of Judah you that enter these gates to worship the Lord, thus says the lord of hosts, the God of Israel, amend your ways and your doings and let me dwell with you in this place”. (Jeremiah 7: 2-4. )

Plain speaking indeed. Amend your ways and your doings. The newspapers and the television news have been filled recently with the scandal over the M.P.’s expenses. They seem to have claimed for everything from already paid off mortgages, to repairs, to cleaning and even in the bizarre for duck houses.

Most of us at this time are in one way or another being affected by what is being called the credit crunch. Jobs have been lost by the thousands, manufacturing shut down or scaled down, shares and interest rates have fallen through the floor, and many others have had their overtime and even their hours cut. We as a nation and as many individuals will also testify are struggling. Struggling to pay off one mortgage let alone two, struggling to keep our heads above water and to make ends meet. While pay goes down and petrol and the cost of living go up.

Amend your ways and your doings.

A number of M.P.s have been forced out, some have resigned, and now they are looking for a new speaker for the house. Maybe now is the time to amend the system. The system, let’s face it, sucks. It smacks of one rule for them and one rule for us, and no it is not fair. But then it never really has been, has it?

When I was a child I used occasionally to complain to my father “It’s not fair” to which he would reply, “Life isn’t fair”. But our ways are not God’s ways, nor our thoughts God’s thoughts. God shows us another way, a different path, not one of money and materialism, not one of status. God is the God of the under dog, of the dispossessed, the orphan, the widow, the abused, the sick. God is the God of the poor, he is the God of the common man, He is our God.

When we look to Jesus, Son of God, we see him in action taking no regard for the structures of the society in which he lives. He mixes with tax collectors and sinners, he talks to women and people from Samaria (despised in their day) he heals on the Sabbath (thus breaking the law). He shows nothing but total love and compassion for the orphan, the widow, the sick, the everyday people in everyday places. He does not set himself apart from or above others, he does not live according to the dictates of the world structure, he does not claim expenses. Jesus gives, and gives, and gives, himself, his time, his love everything he is. He is the embodiment of the new order, the right way.

Amend your ways and your doings.

M.P.s aside, governments aside, they must look to their own amendments and make changes as necessary if we are to have our faith restored in them. But we must look too at our ways, at the distribution of our own personal wealth (or otherwise), at the distribution of our personal time and the way in which we relate to others.

It will be a big job, we will feel constrained by opinion, by circumstance, but there is always room for improvement. Even in the smallest things, the smallest gift, the smallest gesture, for from little acorns mighty oaks can grow. I am having a bit of a clear out at home, decluttering, giving a little away, but I am also looking at my religious life; at what I do for God and for others. Traditionally these things are kept for lent, but the lent rule provides a good rule for life. Live simply so others may simply live.

So let’s live and let’s give, let’s amend our ways and our doings little by little so that we may enter the gates of the temple and worship the Lord with a little less baggage and a little more love.

Jan.

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Sunday 19 July 2009 Sheep and Shepherds. (Jeremiah 23: 1-6. Ephesians 2: 11-22. & Mark 6:30-34, 53-56).

I don’t know about you but I am not a fan of adverts on the TV. One or two of them are ok but mostly they get on my nerves and their real value for me is that they provide an opportunity to go and make a cup of tea without missing anything. However, I have managed to note that there are a couple of adverts on at the moment which feature sheep. Of course the downside of not paying attention is that I can’t be sure what they are actually advertising so maybe any of you who do know might like to enlighten me after. One of these adverts I think is for train tickets and we are told we are sheep if we don’t get cheap ones in advance and save money. The other features a sheep dog who after competing in a sheep dog trial where he splits the flock (was he meant to?) then is seen seated at a dinner table with another dog. Haven’t a clue what advert is for and can’t imagine what can the advertisers think we are like if they expect ads like that to cut the mustard. It makes me just think I wont buy the product.

Shepherds and sheep appear in our Bible readings today. Probably you are thinking ‘again?’ Yes, well they do appear a lot. The sheep is the animal that is mentioned most in the bible; over 400 times apparently though I have not counted. It is understandable when sheep farming has played such a huge part in the life of that part of the world. It is familiar and rich imagery. Frequently leaders, rulers, Jesus are compared to shepherds and frequently we are compared to sheep.

But in our book, it is not really very complimentary to be called a sheep. Sheep are thought of as rather stupid and written off as dull and boring. Sheep are often the butt of jokes (excuse the pun). 2 sheep were out grazing and fell into a hole. “Help, help,” cried the first sheep (only he said it in sheep language). “Help ,help” cried the second sheep. No one heard. “Perhaps we would be louder if we shouted together,” said the first sheep to the second. “Together, together,” shouted the second sheep............

However, sheep behaviour has been formed from instinct and over 1000s of years of learning what works and there is much we can learn about ourselves by looking at the characteristics of sheep. Compare and contrast as they used to say in exam papers before they all became multi guess.

Sheep are a herd animal. They need each other to survive. They are not an aggressive animal (in fact they only have bottom teeth) and can’t attack predators and enemies. Though apparently one should not scratch the head of a ram cos if you do he’ll take it as a threat and head butt you to remind you of your place in the flock. As they can’t attack then their safety lies in sticking together. Needless to say when they get together in the huddles that they do, the strongest ones in the flock push their way to the middle because that is the safest place to be – in danger the ones on the edge are going to be the ones most at risk. When they are not in danger they still stay quite near each other but ideally they each like a bit of space around them. It is called a flight distance. How close they want to be to another sheep depends on how well they know them. They don’t like strangers to be right on top of them. The more comfortable they feel with each other then the nearer they can be and cope.

Well lets just pause there a minute and take stock. Is that like us? Please no comments about some of us only having bottom teeth, that was not the point! Certainly I have to say that the flight distance is very true! Look at us all spread out over the church! We are happy to be near those whom we know I am sure but how many of us would feel comfortable if a stranger came into church and sat right down in the seat next to us? We would prefer a gap would we not. But we also need each other. Is it possible to be a Christian and not be linked into other Christians through a church or fellowship group? I don’t know but those of us who are here recognise that we do need others. The church as an institution needs us all to be here and playing a part or it would not survive and at a personal level we need each other to support each other and seek God together. In this 21^st Century there are many dangers for us Christians to face both at a personal and societal level and to face them we must stick together. And, unlike the sheep, our faith is one that looks outwards so we are not just here for our own sakes but because we believe we have a responsibility to the world. We have a job to do.

Sheep are very timid creatures and easily spooked at the slightest thing and they have plenty of opportunity to see the slightest thing as their eyes have good peripheral vision and can see 320 degrees. So the tiniest thing that is a bit scary and a sheep is off. And if one is spooked then they all go. You don’t get one running off and another one turning round and saying “oh don’t be so silly there’s nothing to be scared of.” One goes, they all go. And sometimes the other way round in that they wont go somewhere which would actually be good for them because they are too scared. Sometimes too they get ideas in their heads and will not be dissuaded. So they head off on false trails because it seems like a good idea at the time. Or if they see a hole in a fence they want to get through they will try and even if the hole is too small they will keep trying. They don’t always learn very well.

So how often do we do that? How often, both as individuals and as a church, do we get ideas in our heads and go off following them when if we stopped to think about it, it is chasing fools gold. How often do we let one person influence our opinions or behaviour, and not for the better? Do we need to be more discerning about to whom we listen? We have a responsibility to each other to influence each other wisely; to build up not tear down; both at the church and at a personal level. Leading each other on in a bad way can really destroy a group. We can’t afford to be destroyed.

Sheep cannot look after themselves: they need someone one else. If they get caught in brambles, they cannot free themselves. If they end up on their backs they cannot right themselves. Because they are so timid they don’t always know what is safe to do. They need protecting from themselves and from danger and they need leading into good places for eating and care. That of course is where the shepherd comes in. Sheep learn to know and trust the voice of the shepherd who cares for them. Mix 4 flocks of sheep up and have the 4 shepherds call their flock and each flock will go to their shepherd. Much has been written about shepherds and Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Our first reading talks of bad shepherds and the damage they can do but all human shepherds can make mistakes because they are human so it is very important that all of us try and listen for the voice of Jesus and support our leaders in doing the same. We need to follow our Shepherd in order to be safe and well.

We often talk about good and bad shepherds but what about good and bad sheep? I leave you with the question. What kind of sheep are you? And can you be a better sheep? Unlike real sheep who behave just by instinct and response to their circumstances, we actually have a choice and can choose what kind of sheep we are and whose voice we are going to follow. It is up to us.

Susie.

St. Chad’s 11am Sunday 4^th October 2009. Trinity 17.

The disciples were astonished and said, “Then who can be saved? ”. Mark 10.26.

I’ve stolen that text from next week. Why? Not to spike the next preacher’s guns but because it’s the right reaction to today’s Gospel – last week’s too.

Reading Mark, we have to forget ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’. We see instead someone who at first seems paradoxical. Contradictory: Hard to understand. He seems with one breath to ask for perfection and with the next to welcome and accept the hopeless and unacceptable.

Today we hear him set the bar higher than any of his contemporaries in relation to divorce, higher even than the rules of his own Scriptures (you can see them set out in Deuteronomy, chapter 24) . These rule provided for a regular form of divorce. But Jesus goes back to square one: God’s original intent, that man-woman should become one indivisible flesh.

Yet a moment after this teaching, which (to our ears) seems stringent and rigorous, here is the same Jesus welcoming the little brats whom his disciples were sternly excluding. And, yes, they would have been seen as little brats by the unsentimental adults of those days. Then he tells his disciples (and us) to be like them.

“Who then can be saved? ” Does Jesus rule out all divorcees, all those who will not give up all their wealth to follow him (next Sunday’s reading), anyone who swears, anyone who gives the glad eye to someone of the opposite sex or calls another person a fool? (All in the sermon on the mount).

Here’s how it is. Here’s how we can make sense of it. Jesus preaches a whole new creation which he calls the Kingdom of God.

In one sense that means going right back to square one; to everything that God intended in creating us in the divine image to reflect divine love. So Jesus will allow no settlement, no rules of convenience, no compromise which might help us to forget God’s fabulous founding intention. Yes, Jesus asks the very best of us.

But then, if we ask Jesus, “What is the route from the mess we’re all in now to that Kingdom, that re-creation of righteousness and love? He will say over and over and over again: this is the way, by receiving the forgiveness and acceptance I offer you from God – just as these little brats let themselves be scooped up onto my knee. You shop-soiled, life-soiled imperfect images of God, forget your self justification and self-concern, and let yourselves be scooped up into the new creation by Jesus’s love.

Reverend Canon Peter Fisher.

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1 November 2009 ALL SAINTS DAY.

At a school assembly some time ago where we were thinking about All Saints Day as we are today, I interrogated a group of children at the front of church over how they did at keeping God’s commandments. Were they a sinner or a saint? Did they deserve a halo or horns? Were they going to heaven? Don’t worry, we are not going to do the same thing in this service. Anyway, as each of the children owned up to the commandments they had broken I was left by myself at the front, not because I am not a sinner I should add but because I was the one who was getting to play God.

This exercise reminded me of an old story in Jewish folklore about what happens at the end of time. On Judgement Day, God summons all the people who have ever lived. “Here’s what we’re going to do”, he explains. “Gabriel will read out the Ten Commandments, one by one. As he does, those who have broken them will have to depart into everlasting darkness.” Commandment number one is read out and a number of people are led off. The same thing happens with each of the commandments until, having read eight of the ten, only a small crowd remains. God looks up to see this handful of stern, smug, grim-faced, self-righteous, joyless miseries staring back at him. He pauses and contemplates the prospect of spending eternity with this lot. “All right!” he shouts, “Everybody back; I’ve changed my mind.”

And that’s what I said to the kids in assembly too. “Everybody back,” because going to heaven isn’t primarily about being good and keeping God’s commandments. It is far more about knowing God loves you as you are and then loving God back; having such a heart for him that you want to keep his commandments because you want to love him better.

The Saints understood this point and therefore found a freedom that most of us can only long for. When we, like them, can get it then it fixes us in another dimension of living, it gives us different priorities, a different focus. It doesn’t, as we have said before, mean everything is going to be honky dory; it just means that we begin to have a foot in heaven as we wait for heaven, the kingdom of God to come in wholeness.

All of the world is waiting for that day and the imagery in our readings is very strong. When God’s kingdom comes in fullness, there will be no crying or sickness or war but, instead, peace, joy and lots of fab food. An endless celebration and delight for all.

The message is clear: where God is there is life and life in abundance. In so far as any of us grasp that then we are moving more and more into heaven.

We see it very clearly in the story of Lazarus. Lazarus is dead and buried. No life there at all. But Jesus comes and calls him out to new life. It isn’t an easy situation. There is the stench of death, Lazarus is bound in grave clothes and can’t move properly. Jesus, Lazarus’s friend, and the Lord of Life calls to him. “Lazarus, come out, come back to life.” And he does. Where God is there is life. And note that Lazarus’s friends are called upon to help set Lazarus free. He needed help to receive life. Presumably he got that help though we are not told in the story.

I wonder what is keeping us buried; whether we are bound in grave clothes and need to be set free to live again. I wonder if others around us need our help to rid themselves of their grave clothes. Can we hear God calling us to new life? “Come out!” Choose life. Choose heaven.

To choose life is to move closer to heaven and God and it also means becoming more who you are meant to be, not less. It helps you become the very best you can be, to fulfil your whole potential. It doesn’t change your circumstances but it does give us a new hope of the fullness of life that comes with Heaven. That’s what the saints understood.

It did not make them perfect people though. In fact some of them were extremely hard to live with. I am not sure that we would always appreciate them if they lived around us. St Martin, for example, a 4^th Century bishop, was so compassionate that he was always giving things away. Constantly he would be in the vestry waiting to take a service and the churchwardens would come in and find he had given his clothes away to someone worse off than himself and so was sitting in his underwear. The wardens would have to go out and buy him some more clothes. Can you imagine if Edwina did that! When I was a nun I was told of a Sister who once gave away the ConventTV to a family who hadn’t got one. I don’t suppose she was popular.

Mother Teresa we all have heard about and know some of the good stuff she did in India. Apparently though she was a very strong willed and was very stubborn about having things done the way she thought they ought to be. I guess that could be hard to be at the receiving end of.

St Lawrence was told by the authorities to hand over all the riches of the church or be killed. So he paraded all the poor people before the authorities as he said they were the riches of the church. Needless to say the authorities thought he was taking the mickey and roasted him to death on a griddle. But hear what he stood up for – the poor, the weak, the frail. People like you and me. We are the riches of the church! Lest you don’t believe me, think of Bernadette of Lourdes. She was a 14 year old peasant girl when she had the visions of the Virgin Mary that made her famous. She wasn’t even especially religious at the time; certainly not a good churchgoer. Other saints like Therese of Lisieux were really physically ill or frail but still were much used by God. So take heart, whoever you are and whatever your circumstances.

Saints did not become saints because they were perfect but because they had such a love for God and were prepared to live that love out above and beyond anything else in their lives. For them, and for us, it means choosing God’s life, knowing that in doing so we glimpse heaven. And every step that we take towards God, every grave cloth we can shed leads us closer to heaven, that fullness of the Kingdom of God, which one day, along with the saints, we will all see. Let us think what steps we can take today to choose God’s life.

Susie.

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15^th November 2009 Holy Baptism.

I'd like to begin this morning by re-introducing ourselves to you all. Firstly we have our vicar, Edwina. Her name means rich or valuable friend, as I'm sure she is to many. Then we have Brian, one of our Readers, whose name means strong one, or high and noble. Then there's Pauline, another of our Readers, whose name means small and good, and myself Jan meaning God is kind and merciful. However, not all names necessarily have a positive definition. Cameron, for example, means crooked nose. Personally, I prefer to think of Cameron as an anagram of the word romance. But also this morning we welcome a new family and a new child into the body of the church, as baby Sophie is christened. Sophie, as I'm sure her parents already know, is a name derived from the Greek and it means wisdom. For the rest of us, perhaps you know the meaning of your own name, or perhaps you might like to look it up sometime. Perhaps your name has special associations with a certain time or a certain place. But what's in a name?

Names are so important, they are what identifies us, what make us each unique, individual, they say so much and the choosing of a name or the changing of a name is important too.

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Cornwall and stayed in the middle of nowhere near a small hamlet called Carleen. We liked the name and so with it's romantic connotations, when our daughter was born some years later we called her Carlene after the village. She has never quite forgiven us for this but then I tell her she should be thankful we didn't take our honeymoon in Grimsby. She calls herself Carly, a modern abbreviation that she prefers.

Our names can define us and yes we can change them, but primarily they are chosen for us and remain with us. In the Bible names often denote a person's place of origin. For example, we have two Mary's, Mary of Bethany, from Bethany and the other known as Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala from the town of Magdala.

Saul is on the road to Damascus when he encounters God in a most dramatic fashion. Saul has been persecuting the Christians but after his conversion he becomes known as Paul, a new name for a new person, a new life. He is no longer Saul the persecutor but Paul, the follower of Jesus. Another example is when Jesus calls together his disciples and he calls Simon the fisherman, whom he re-names Peter, meaning the Rock, the rock on which Christ will now begin to build his church. Another encounter with Jesus, another new beginning, a new name to denote a new life.

And today marks the beginning of a new life too, as Sophie is baptised into our church family and into the greater family of God. Her parents and Godparents will undertake promises on her behalf until she is old enough to do so for herself. We pray for them all and we pray for God's blessing, his strength and his wisdom for Sophie as she grows and explores the world and comes to know God better.

Amen

Jan.

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2nd Sunday of Epiphany. 17th January 2010.

The Wedding at Cana in Galilee. (John 2: 1-11).

As I have been reflecting upon the season of Epiphany, which we are currently celebrating, I have had inside me a question that I have pondered over quite a lot. What did Mary, Joseph and Jesus actually do with the gifts the wise men brought? Did they keep them, give them away or use them? We are not looking at the visit of the wise men to Jesus directly today, but I feel justified in raising the question, partly because I hope to be enlightened and partly because Epiphanytide is about revealing and showing, and our gospel reading today is the first of what John calls Signs; a miracle that shows who Jesus is if only those around him have eyes to see it.

That miracle takes place at a wedding feast. You wont be surprised to learn in view of my earlier ponderings on gifts that I have thus been wondering what happened over wedding gifts in 1^st century Israel. It won’t have been how it seems to be nowadays where bride and groom specify in exact detail a list of items they desire and none of them seem to be cheap. I mean when did you ever see on a wedding gift list ‘nail brush from Wilkinson’s’ or ‘plastic plant pot holder from Poundland?’ More likely to be asked for is a state of the art washing machine or a top of the range music centre. I suppose it does stop couples ending up with 6 steam irons or 30 sherry glasses that don’t match but it must be a far cry from the Jewish wedding in question here where they didn’t even have enough wine.

Why Jesus’ Mother and Jesus got involved in the crisis is not really clear and has been the subject of much debate but the point for me is far more what Jesus did, not why he did it. He turned what was probably about 120 gallons of ordinary water into a very good wine. I am not a wine drinker but that strikes me as being a huge amount of wine especially given the fact that there had already been a supply that had run out. It is a bizarre tale; the servants must have thought Jesus was mad when he told them to fill up the stone jars with water but they did it anyway and Jesus turned it into an abundance of wine that astonished those who were told about it because of its quality.

Jesus used what was there: plain water. He didn’t need something special to make something good. The only thing had to happen to make something commonplace turn into something amazing was that people had to bring the water to Jesus. Someone had to be prepared to take a risk and do something that didn’t necessarily seem very sensible in order to allow a miracle to happen.

So I ask the question with which I began this sermon again in a slightly different way: What does Jesus do with what we give him? In Jesus everything can and will be used for the good of the Kingdom and often we will be surprised at the unlikely things that can be done with what we bring and offer to Him. If we look back over our own lives and over the life of our Church we may glimpse some of what God has done with situations that either were so ordinary we didn’t notice them at the time or so impossible we felt hopeless. But often, too, we will never know what has been done with what we bring and give to God. We don’t get to see. How many people at the wedding knew what miracle had taken place? How many of us know what results our actions and words have? How what we have done has changed the course of events for others without us knowing? Or what consequences our struggle to live the Christian Life in truth and faithfulness to the gospel has for others? Every action, every offering count however ordinary a place it has in everyday living and will bear fruit of some sort somewhere. Water is as about as ordinary as you can get. God, in Jesus, did great things with it. And he always does do great things with what we bring. How do we know that? Because God has to be true to whom he is. A theologian called Sam Wells in his book ‘Improvisation; the Drama of Christian Ethics’ which sounds as if it is going to be a dull and dreary book but which is actually an exciting exploration of our formation in Christ, says that we act out of how we are formed; we can’t help it. Well neither can God; love, abundant generosity is His nature and he cannot help but do great things with what we give however small or ordinary they may seem to us.

I guess some people may be sitting here thinking that they feel they haven’t even got water to bring to Jesus. They may feel like dry stone pots. Well that has to be ok too. Our God creates something where there is nothing but emptiness: that is how our world began. If all we have to bring is our emptiness then that is our gift. In the emptiness and parched wastelands of the desert there are extravagant blooms that no one except God will ever ever see! If we bring our emptiness to Jesus then that, too, will be magnificently used by Him.

Some of us will have to go further and admit that actually our pots feel all cracked and not capable of holding anything even if God Himself put something there. We have to dare to believe that that must be ok too. Cracks let in the light and God’s Kingdom needs things that let in the light. We are quite good at wanting to give God our best and that is right and proper but we aren’t the magi with treasure chests. We are what we are and have to know that that is all we can and are asked to give and live. And in the giveness of each of us God does miracles.

The miracle at Cana is a foretaste of the ultimate fulfilment of the Kingdom where all are welcome and all have gifts. At Cana, we see God’s generosity and abundance poured onto humankind; God’s glory spilling out into every day life in the presence of ordinary men and women. That’s what Jesus does with what we bring him. What that means in the specifics of everyday living, like a lot of us, I don’t really know. Life often seems in a muddle to say the least and I am not sure a lot of the time that I, for one, know what is going on! But when we look around and see the pain in the Anglican Communion, the struggles we all have individually and corporately and the uncertainty of what God is leading us into, we must take seriously the need for us each to faithfully carry on giving what we can and who we are, in trust that He takes us as we are and will do wonderfully exciting things with it whether we see it or not. One day at the heavenly party to end all parties we will see and understand but until then let us be encouraged to carry on giving all we can no matter how insignificant we may feel our gift is and trusting that God will respond in an amazing way. Let us do it and pray that we see the Kingdom of God come in its fullness amongst us.

Susie Walker

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Candlemas. 31^st January 2010.

Jesus bids us shine, as a pure clear light,

like a little candle burning in the night.

In this world of darkness so let us shine,

You in our small corner and I in mine.

The words of a chorus learnt in Sunday school, complete I believe with actions. This morning we are celebrating Candlemas (normally on 2^nd February). This ancient festival marks the mid-point of winter, halfway between the shortest day of the year and the forthcoming spring equinox. In years past many people used to say that the Christmas season lasted for forty days, like lent and therefore Christmas officially finished on the second day of February – Candlemas.

Traditionally this was the day in the year when all the candles that were to be used in the church during the coming year were brought into the church and a blessing would be said over them. So it was a festival day, or mass of the candles.

Obviously candles were more important in the past because there were no electric lights to read or work by and many people also believed that they offered protection against the plague, illness and famine.

Today they tend to be more of an accessory, for decorative purposes, but also they mark occasions like birthdays, baptisms and anniversaries. I have at home a special 25^th candle from my silver wedding.

The Romans had a custom of lighting candles to scare away evil spirits in the winter, and in Scotland Candlemas was the day when the children brought candles to school so that the classrooms could have light on dull days. As time went on gas lighting took over from candle light. The children took money to the teacher who was supposed to spend it on sweets and cakes for the children. Th boy or girl taking in the most money were then declared the Candlemas King and Queen and ‘ruled’ for six weeks; having the power to make one afternoon a week a playtime and they could also let anyone they wished off punishment. I bet Ofsted would have something to say about that! And it hardly meets the healthy eating policies now promoted.

For Christians of course candles hold much more importance – they were and still are both a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world and representative of the light of goodness and of God shining in an otherwise dark world.

“The light shines in the world and the darkness has not overcome it.”

“Behold I am the light of the world” says Jesus.

Jesus is God’s light in flesh – a human candle bringing the message of salvation, the light of hope and of love. Children are often afraid of the dark and between you and me if I am ill at night, I sleep with the bedside light on. There is comfort in light and shadows and fear fades. I love candles, candles at Christmas, a candlelit dinner, so much more romantic and I use candles in my prayer life. Many people will light a candle for someone who has died – showing their passage from darkess into eternal light and life.

Each candle has its own representation, on a cake one for every year, in church perhaps one for every soul, on a table symbolic of love, in private, one for every prayer, but always they represent light in darkness; Jesus in The World. When we look to Jesus we glimpse the light of eternity. When we look to Jesus he lights up the darkness in our souls, the darkness in our lives in the world. He is light and hope and faith and love. He drives from us the snares of evil and leads us. Wise men followed a star at Christmas – we follow Jesus the light of the world, and we celebrate someone when we light just one candle.

Going back to the words of our song:

Jesus bids us shine like a pure clear light,

Like a little candle burning in the night.

Jesus bids us shine – to show further his light in the world to others, indeed to take his light to others so they too may remain no longer in darkness – our lives should shine forth; where ever we are, whoever we are, whatever we do, we should shine for Jesus, you in your small corner and I in mine.

Jan.

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7^th Feb 2010. The Nature of Worship. Gen. 24b-9 15-25; Rev. 4; Luke 8 22-25

In a play by George Bernard Shaw, Don Juan says, "Heaven is alright, of course, but for meeting old friends and acquaintances you can't beat hell."

There is a powerful truth in that facetious remark. People concerned only about themselves would find the ceaseless praise of God and the Lamb intolerable. Worship on earth, a foretaste of heaven, is just as unpalatable to them as Don Juan's thoughts. But to those who profess to follow Christ, worship is our deepest need just as it was to the seven churches in Revelations.

Worship is our response to God.

This image of the heavenly court sees God enthroned surrounded by various attendants.

John was undoubtedly drawing on the most precious things in his experience to describe the glory of God's presence in the passage from Revelations. It is not up to us to decipher each image, but to be captured with the significance of worship that transcends time and space. Highlighted in John's words is the importance of the Rainbow. It made its first appearance in the old testament when God promised Noah that he would never again send a flood which would cover the whole of the earth. The rainbow is God's promise. And as we meet the rainbow in the first chapters of the bible we meet it again in the closing chapters when the rainbow is a sign of God's glory. The rainbow in Revelations is a powerful statement that God's sovereign rule in the disasters that will follow are not at the expense of mercy. God's promise to Noah is not forgotten. This scene which John describes is lavish, dramatic and appeals to our faith. It is rich in biblical imagery and is designed to show us that worship is the dominating perspective of the Christian life. What appears to be a waste of time and wealth is holy waste and meets our deepest need.

John sees 24 elders. This has been described as symbolizing the ideal church represented by the 12 patriarchs of the Old Covenant and the 12 apostles of the new. And the four living creatures may stand for everything that is noblest, wisest, strongest and swiftest in nature. The king of beasts, the lion; the supreme among domesticated animals, the ox; the supreme among birds, the eagle; and the supreme among all creatures, human. This chapter from Revelations shows the throne of God towering above the troubled course of human history and the scroll of destiny to be handed to the Lamb who when the time comes, will bring history to a close. The great biblical theme of creation and redemption are underlined and these form the subject of the worship of heaven.

The 24 cast their crowns before the throne singing, ‘You are worthy , our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created’.

So many people see worship as people pleasing. It's not. It is important to direct ourselves to be God pleasing. It is not what WE get out of worship, it is what we give God in our worship. It is important for us to concentrate on the kind of worship given to God. The English word worship means literally worth -ship. And God alone is worthy or worth-ship.

True worship is not the mechanical repetition of rituals, but should be wholehearted and reverent. It should be based upon trustful and obedient lives in that obedience is itself to be seen as an act of worship.

The supreme reason for human existence is to worship God for his love, greatness and saving deeds. True worship goes beyond mere form and can be hindered by a wrong relationship to God or to others. Remember what Jesus said, ‘before you lay your gift on the altar go and make peace with your brother’.

Praise and thankfulness are important elements of worship which also includes confession of sin, the reading of scripture and music. We are encouraged to worship with awe, worship with joy, worship with music and worship with dance. But I do accept we are a bit constrained by the aisle to follow that instruction too closely, although I have been in churches where the challenge of the aisle has been used creatively. Worship which not only gives God what is due to him but also results in many benefits to his people.

There is blessing, guidance, deliverance, a sense of God's presence, a deeper sense of Jesus's lordship and a boldness to witness.

Worship is praise, adoration, and reverence of God, both in public and private. While our worship may not include flashes of lightning and thunder one thing we can all do is ask God to teach us how to worship him.

And if we do that humbly, prayerfully and meaningfully, God will answer.

AMEN

Edwina.

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