Some sermon notes since June 2010

June 6^th  

THE COSMOS  

Revd John Parker homed in on a verse in Paul’s letter to the Romans expressing his conviction that “in the end, the universe itself is to be freed from the shackles of mortality” (NEB) or, as J.B.Phillips translates it, “our hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God”.  This chapter clearly suggests that the complete cosmos is linked with Man’s redemption; our destiny is inextricably connected to the fate of the entire universe. The whole of Creation, said John, had been affected by the sinfulness of humankind and death was an inevitable feature of every part of the created world. So Paul is claiming here that Christ’s atoning work on the cross applies to all living things:  animals, plants, everything. (This gave rise to some rather whimsical thoughts about what such liberty would mean for, say, a tree, rooted as it is in one spot.) The implications of this chapter are vast, and certainly perceive our death to be the penultimate event, quite a small event really, on a longer journey to the “holy City” where God’s glory will be revealed.

 June 13^th  

A DODGY WOMAN  

Revd. Ian Richardson considered two firmly delivered rebukes :  Nathan’s to King David (2 Samuel 11 v26 – 12 v15) and  Jesus’ to Simon the Pharisee. (Luke 7 v36 - 8 v3)  Simon must have felt he was doing his best to be a good host, but no one could miss the sensual, embarrassing things that this rather dodgy woman of ill repute was doing to Jesus, anointing and kissing his feet, weeping and drying his feet with her hair. But the illustration of the two debtors that Jesus uses in responding to Simon’s disapproval clearly sets her behaviour in its rightful context from God’s point of view. Not only that : her behaviour is seen by Jesus not as some kind of transaction with him hoping to obtain forgiveness, but the heartfelt relief and responsive love of a sinner who knows she has already been forgiven. Something profane has become holy when dedicated to God. In many ways, said Ian, we are more at home with the Old Testament God speaking sternly through Nathan and condemning David’s sin (though even here, David will be forgiven after the punishment of losing his baby son). The New Testament God revealed in Jesus by his very nature forgives, “that’s what he does”. We meet here completely unmerited grace and forgiveness, a God who removes our sin from us “as far as east is from the west”.

June 27^th  

TO BE A PILGRIM  

For many, the question of why Christ was so determined to die is a mystery. To Revd John Edwards the answer is simple – he knew it was his destiny, the cup that the father had given him to drink in the joyous anticipation that we might have eternal life. In the words of Cecil Alexander’s famous hymn “there was no other good enough to pay the price of sin; he only could unlock the gates of heaven and let us in.” As Christians we know that we are the citizens of heaven, and our natural response is to love God and our neighbours wholeheartedly. Despite the horrors of this evil world we can no more deny the fatherhood of God that of our own earthly parents. Our relationship with him is bound up with our relationships with our neighbours, and when we live in his way we live with him. The gospel is, however, a paradox in that despite the free gift of eternal life we have already received through the grace of God, that does not mean we can slacken our endeavours to look after our spiritual as well as our physical health. Just as driving a car requires continual concentration so does our spiritual pilgrimage.  Paul reminds us that we must always wrestle and fight and pray lest we miss the mark and fall into temptation.  

July 4^th

UNWANTED

In another but very different sermon about the incident of the woman with the precious ointment (John 11) Revd. Claire Wilson drew encouraging lessons from what happened there. Here, after all, was a person “of the wrong gender and the wrong social order in something of an emotional mess, intruding on a respectable dinner party”. Claire asked if we had ever experienced the conviction that we were unwanted! (She included a hilarious and touching illustration from her own experience of the reception she got when visiting the National-Trust-like home of a college boyfriend. A girl from a two-up, two-down council house in Deptford was definitely not what his parents could tolerate!) The “woman of low reputation and extravagant behaviour” saw clearly who Jesus was, and that he must soon die. The religious leader who hosted the occasion didn’t recognise him. We should be aware that a despised “outsider” may have prophetic insight that “in-people” lack We must be ready for surprises. The outcast may well have much to teach us. Moreover, we can be comforted at times when we may feel we have little to offer to our community. The message here is clear : all are welcome in God’s Kingdom All that we have and are belongs in that “holy place of transformation and healing.”

July 11^th  

WOMEN OF GOD  

On the weekend when the Church of England Synod was locked in debate over the subject of women bishops, Revd. John Taylor chose to look at the very “Old Testament episode” in Judges (majoring on Chapter 5) when the leadership and extraordinary courage, faith and resolve of two women played a big part in shaping the history of the chosen people.  150 or so years after the victorious exit from Egypt , the people of Israel had “settled into tribal insularity”. The sense of being one nation had been diluted and accordingly they were more vulnerable when any part of their territory was under attack. And now the Northern tribes were indeed being oppressed by the armies of Tabeth under their formidable commander Sisera.  Remarkably, it was a  woman, Deborah, who urged Barak to counter attack and to trust in God for victory. And against all the odds they did win a mighty victory. And it was yet another brave and wily woman, Jael, who put an end to Sisera with a mallet and a tent pole! The main application John drew from the story was this : that whereas in an earlier more patriarchal culture, the installation of women as leaders could possibly have reflected badly on the Church, in today’s society those who oppose it so vehemently would do well to ask themselves if it is their divisive stance on the issue which brings the Church into disrepute  and adds  to the weaponry of those outside the Church who increasingly seek to mock and marginalize it.  John’s opening text said it all :  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus… There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.   [Galatians 3^{26, 28}]

July 18^th  

PEACE  

Revd Simon Marshall began in the Upper Room after the crucifixion when the dispirited disciples were relying for their safety on a bolted door and were in the grip of abnormally high levels of stress. And Jesus came offering them “his peace”. Simon saw this “peace in the inner being” as a serious issue in our modern “driven” culture. There was little room in the modern diary for responding to the unexpected, for enjoying “the rhythm of the Spirit”. Peace, he said, does not relate to the size of a paypacket or one’s performance or one’s possessions. Scriptural peace can only come through the assurance that God is on our side. It is something described in the Hebrew word, Shalom. Well-being beyond our powers to imagine, wholeness, complete restoration. Something beyond the rational. And Jesus, in giving them his peace, was not ratifying their “safe house” approach,  but equipping them with both peace and power to emerge into whatever life had in store for them. Festina Lente : Rush Slowly”

July 25^th  

PRODIGAL  

Ian Carnell described the parable of the prodigal son as one of the “priceless pearls” of the New Testament. But he moved immediately to the question: “What has this parable got to do with us?”  Here was a young bloke who wanted to take his father’s money and clear off and make it on his own. Perhaps we don’t identify ourselves with this wastrel and his descent into debauchery. But Ian asked us to consider if we, too, eagerly accept all the resources God gives us our health, our money, our brains etc and then get on with our lives as though he didn’t exist. And what of the elder brother? Ian saw him as representing the unattractive “goodness”  of the self-righteous. Supposing the younger son had encountered him rather than his father on his return. How differently the story would have  ended. Ian asked “Are people afraid of encountering “good” people, judgemental people suffering from fault-findingitis if they come to church?” To underline the passion and joy unleashed in the father on his son’s return, Ian told one of his many stories: of a son coming home on a train after years of idle and immoral living and fearful of his reception. He asked for a sign of welcome, a white towel on the washing line, which he would see from the train . But there were dozens of towels, sheets as well festooning the whole farm. That is the picture of a God who desires an intimate loving relationship with all his creation. Another of Ian’s quotations : Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future.  (Psalm 139   Luke 15 v1-3 and 11-32)