Sermon for Sunday 1st September 2013
How to please God.
Luke 14 v 5-14 Hebrews 13 v 1-8
‘The leading Pharisees and people were watching closely’ !!!!!
‘Remember your former leaders who spoke God’s message to you, think back on how they lived and died and imitate their faith.’
Can you remember back that far and think on those people who made a good impression on you by the way they lived their Christian life.
As I read these passages I thought on all those beautiful Christian people who tried to encourage me to lead that Christian life, and I am so thankful for them, for it helped change me, in fact it was God using them for they were God’s power changing and moulding me into the person that God wanted me to be.
Indeed God started it and instigated it all in the first place but he used so many beautiful people to show me how it was all possible.
For sure they all prayed and they worshipped God in the best way that they knew which was pleasing to God, because God wants us to make a joyful noise unto him, certainly not a miserable noise.
But what my early upbringing into God’s word taught me was that they did all things together. What I mean is that when the Church needed to act in some way or another, all no matter who they were joined in and played their part in the event. I know that society has changed and we cannot turn the clocks back to how life was when we were young and extract all the good parts, for not all were good, but there was a collective bonding within and outside the Church. Some will argue that this still exists, probably it does to a limited extent but not everywhere. In so many ways our society has moved on and changed. But how can we ensure that we are bonded together in God’s power with the Holy Spirit- because that is what we mean being bonded together-the power of the Holy Spirit uniting us in all things.
As in a family each member has a responsibility and likewise within the Church each of us has a responsibility-and I know speaking here about St Chads all of us as we are able, will do that-but remember it is not just for a few –it is for all of us as we are all God’s family- and as in a household jobs are never ending- so it is the same with a Church! Sure we do not expect Grandma to scrub the floors but Grandma has a voice and a voice of experience! She can always come to the Coffee Pot morning!
When the family sits down for Sunday lunch, not all the family enjoy the same vegetables, or eat in the same manner, likewise at Church we do not all enjoy singing the same hymns- or worship the same- it does not matter as long as we share the meal and eat together, as longs as we are coming to God’s house together to sing his praises together, to worship him together, we shall all be richly blessed according to our needs. Surely that is what God’s family must do ? Similarly we cannot all make the headlines in the local press or the Church magazine showing off our gifts or delights, but we all have a contribution to make, we are all valuable members. And we are all needed!!!
In our bible readings we hear of humility and hospitality and how we are to please God and we have heard this morning how we should do that, but do you and I please God? Most of us have been coming to Church quite regularly over the years, so it should be an easy question to answer, is God pleased with you and I? Perhaps we need to re-examine ourselves and maybe we all need a kick ‘up the bum’ and for sure at times I do.
We come to Church, we worship, we pray we lead a good life is that not what God wants from us? Giving to God, giving to God’s work is not just about money-of course if we do not give our monies then the building and all its activities will begin to crumble, but we need to learn to give again of ourselves, to give more of our time. Should we give more of our time, should we spend more time at Church doing more,- arranging the flowers, attending the prayer half hour, the cleaning of the Church, the Coffee Pot morning- enjoying the fellowship together of the Harvest lunch- do we have to do that- but we are God’s family-he expects us to just that – this is how God can be pleased with us. For we want God to be pleased with us, it is not a question of giving our time or more time to God, time belongs to God in the first place, God gives us our time to use it wisely and justly!, We should be anxious to use our time for the benefit of our God.
Remember again those early years when you first heard about God- heard the message of Jesus, of how exciting it all was for whatever reason- re-create that vision now within yourself so that your whole being becomes totally excited at the prospect of being within Gods Kingdom.
Eight months ago the door of retirement opened itself to me, I had not wanted to retire, I wanted to continue working as I had done for the past forty years, I needed that adrenaline that my work gave me but it was not to be-perhaps God had other ideas.
I am so pleased he did because the excitement never stops, each day takes on a new dimension. I never stop remembering all those wonderful Christian people so early in my life who spoke God’s message to me by word and deed, and that is how we can please God today by speaking his message of Jesus by word and deed.
By showing to all those around us how much we enjoy the company of our fellow Christians in worshipping together eating together, having fun together– because we are indeed all one family, we need each other to grow in our spiritual journey , we are God’s family, and the world is watching- just as the leading Pharisees were watching Jesus closely- so the world watches God’s people closely as well to see how we accept the challenges of the modern day and how God through his people will adapt and move forward. We must remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever and that fundamental truth never changes. So concentrate on the ‘forever’. The message of Jesus is still central to the foundation of the world in which we live-, central to our faith, it has been so for two thousand years.
The saddest thing that we can do, as disciples of Jesus Christ, is limit God’s power with our limited understanding and knowledge -from his birth to his death to the resurrection of Jesus- God is much bigger than we can ever imagine or comprehend. The message of the gospel is for everyone- we must not do anything that harms the gospel of Jesus.
Our life on this earth is so short- it does not matter what or how he or she said or what or how he or she does. The Church of Christ- our Church must unite as a family eat and drink at the same table.
For God so loved the world that he sent his Son Jesus into this world to endure death and to give the world his resurrection power and glory. This is so much beyond our comprehension but the fundamental truth is there; the person of Jesus Christ – who will bind us and unite us together as we duly support our Church and all its activities in promoting the message of Jesus, in the best way we know how – is with us.
In the distant future many will remember us hopefully as the people of God who allowed his word to continually grow and ignite minds across our land to allow boys and girls to think about the person of Jesus so that future generations will recognise us as yet another generation that pleased God. So the question we ask ourselves this morning, is, ‘do I please God’?
Amen
Brian Scotcher Reader.