Readings were Isaiah 25, 6-9 and Mark 16, 1-8
As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to ask, what does the Christian teaching of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead mean?
Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 25 poses this question in its expectation that God will destroy death. In actual fact, there is almost no certain resurrection hope in the Old Testament, but Isaiah uses metaphorical language to describe the nature of the era that would result from God's saving intervention. In the short term he was talking about a return to Jerusalem from exile – reference to “On this Mountain” is intended to mean the city built on Mount Zion. As we read the passage with our New Testament Easter perspective, it is hard to avoid reading the cross and the resurrection into verses like “on this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples… he will swallow up death forever.” Today of all days, these words evoke a dramatic picture of Calvary’s hilltop scene, and of Matthew’s image of the Temple veil being torn in two as Jesus died. The first thing resurrection means then, is that death need not be the end.
This theme is echoed in Revelation 21, which speaks of the New Jerusalem, the ultimate intimacy with God, where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. This is what the resurrection of Jesus opens up for us. The language of salvation in Isaiah 25 points us to the work of Jesus upon the cross, and the love of God in raising him from the dead. So the second thing resurrection means is that we can be in a personal relationship with God, both in Christ and because of what he achieved.
But who is “we”? In the Old Testament as a whole, the focus is on God’s relationship with his chosen people, the Jews. In this passage however there is a prefiguring of the New Testament’s re-definition of that term, as the biblical hope for Israel is extended to include all of humankind. This universal hope and the promise that death is irrelevant make this an entirely appropriate passage to be thinking about on Easter Sunday. What Jesus won by conquering death is available to all who put their trust in him, not just people of one ethnic group. Even this seems to be prefigured in Isaiah 25 verse 9; “This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” So the picture Isaiah paints of a people returning to their home city has become a picture of the Kingdom of God, of those who by putting their trust in Christ have been delivered from death and will dwell with God. The third thing that resurrection means is the redefinition of humanity as potentially all being the people of God. No one is outside this scope, no matter how evil they may appear; the victory of the cross and the empty tomb is just as available to a mass murderer as it is to you and me. We would both simply have to place our faith and trust in Christ, and the burden of our sin, whether great or small, is washed away.
So what actually happened at the resurrection? Well Mark 16 is as interesting for what it does not say as for what it does say. It describes the appearance of an angel but not that of Jesus himself. When we set Mark’s account alongside the writings and theology of St Paul, Paul has no description of the empty tomb and Mark has no description of the resurrection appearances.
In fact we must read both narratives in the light of each other. The empty tomb, as described in the Gospel, is an unambiguous symbol which finds its meaning when read alongside the resurrection appearances, which we will be looking at over the coming weeks. The resurrection appearances gain their definitive meaning from the description of the empty tomb. Put together, the Easter message is that Jesus, in rising from the dead, was revealed as a glorious heavenly being who was entitled to universal worship. The absence of a body supports a faith in the resurrection of the body rather than just a separation of body and spirit. The fourth thing that resurrection means then is that in Christ God re-drew the boundaries of heaven and earth, and opened the gate between them.
The original version of the Gospel probably ended at Mark 16.8, since what follows is a kind readers’ digest version of the resurrection appearances from the other gospels. If this is the case, the subtle absence of full narrative closure is striking. The women said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. Indeed, the original Greek wording appears unfinished: 'they were afraid of … ' what? We never find out. Somehow, Mark is hanging on to his notion of a secret right to the end, and doesn't ever actually say that the risen Christ was seen. So we need to acknowledge that resurrection also means a mystery. We simply don’t know how he did it.
In conclusion, Mark’s account brings us back to the question of what the resurrection means and how the disciples became convinced about it. It leaves space for doubts and fears but is unequivocal in the description of the empty tomb, and of the coming mission of the disciples to go into Galilee, and thence into the entire world. From there we return to Isaiah’s picture of a salvation given by God for the whole world to benefit from. Yet there is no passivity in this; in language reminiscent of the New Testament, Isaiah portrays the nations of the earth acknowledging God, and putting their trust in him for salvation.
To fully take the meaning of resurrection on for ourselves, for our own faith, this is what we are called to do as well.
Let us pray.
Some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight taken from www.rootsontheweb.com and is copyright © Roots for Churches Ltd 2008.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Monday, 6 April 2009
Lindsell and Stebbing Palm Sunday 09
Readings were Psalm 118 and Mark 11,1-11
You know that feeling you get when someone starts telling you a story about something that happened to them, or a joke, or whatever, and about 5 seconds in, you remember that they have already told you this thing, and you know what’s coming at the end of the story, you’ve heard the punchline? You are usually too polite to stop them and say, actually you told me this yesterday or last week or whenever, so you listen on to the end, and there is no impact for you, because you’ve already heard it.
Well, as we arrive at the beginning of Holy Week, I am only too aware that we know the end of the story; it is a story that has been told many many times to us and to our forebears; how Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was welcomed as a King, but within days had been tried and condemned to death, executed and buried as a convicted criminal, yet rose from the dead after 3 days in the tomb. We know the end of the story because we are still living in its light. We know the end of the story, but that ought not to diminish the impact for us of this episode. It certainly did not diminish for Mark’s first readers, who evaluated the triumphal entry in the light of the resurrection. Of course, we can only call it the triumphal entry if Jesus does go on to rise form the dead.
I’m fascinated by the fact that the crowds welcomed Jesus with open arms, they put down their cloaks and their palm branched to line his route from the Mount of Olives into the valley and up into Jerusalem. So they welcomed him but really they had no idea who he was; only the disciples – and arguably not all of those, had any clue. I was reminded of this on Thursday morning when, while waiting for my sports news bulletin on BBC breakfast TV I was subjected to 25 minutes of coverage of g20 leaders arriving at Excel; the cameras were all waiting for Barak Obama, but he was in a jam (or something) and so in the delay a stream of lesser faces were shown arriving, and the hapless newsreaders struggled to work out who the people greeting Gordon Brown were – the classic example being, on the arrival of an oriental chap, “So that’ll be the prime Minister of Japan”, “ no Bill, that’s Ban Kyi Moon, the UN secretary general.”
In our celebrity driven culture there is a tendency to run from one media hype to the next – for journalists and photographers that is sometimes literally true – if you have ever happened to be in an airport when film or sports stars are arriving you’ll know what I mean. They didn’t have media hype in Jerusalem in 33AD, but they did have an expectation of a coming King, a coming Saviour, to deliver the people from Roman occupation. So if the news came that Jesus was riding into town, the expectation would be high. The gospel writers reflect this expectation by showing Jesus as King – and not just King of Israel but of the entire world. The expectation may then have been exaggerated, much as tabloids tend to exaggerate today, but the gospel writers had a good reason for that – they wanted to make sure their readers got the point about the Messiah’s kingship being of David’s line, but of a different order – Jesus did not ride in as a conqueror but as a suffering servant. He did not come to boot the Romans out but to inaugurate a Kingdom not of this world.
It’s perhaps mostly about perceptions. Jesus was perceived by the crowds to be one kind of King, when actually he was and is a different kind of King altogether; his Kingdom is not of this world; he may have been born into a royal family but in order to ascend to the throne he had to die rather than stay alive, and citizens of his Kingdom are not limited by time space or geography. This has been a big challenge to me recently. As both Lindsell and Stebbing have bee thinking in recent months about how to describe ourselves and our vision, it is good, although not always easy, as part of that process, to consider how we are perceived by those who do not come to church.
In Lindsell I find that there is generally at the moment a perception of the church as being indeed a place of traditional values, an open door and a warm welcome. Our challenge is to make that perception into a motivation for people to welcome God into their lives in Christ. I am happy to be part of a church that stands for the things we say we stand for; what I wonder is, do any of them matte to those who aren’t here? And if not, how can we make it so that they do matter. My hunch is that we will need to carry on doing what we do – caring for others, those in need and those bereaved, and caring for our community, with a servant heart. This I believe is the pattern that fits with Jesus’ example.
In Stebbing I am beginning to realise that our pattern of church is a broken one. Firstly, because of a potential misunderstanding of what this service and the service at 5 pm tonight, are actually about. They are not primarily designed for people who already come to this church; rather, they are both intended to provide a means for us to open our door wide. In the morning, it is open those who do not currently come but who would prefer this kind of formal liturgical worship, and in the evening the same – for informal café style worship. So if regular church members are staying away “because they don’t like that kind of service”, then they are unable to invite anyone to come along, and the evangelistic endeavour is undermined.
Secondly, it may be that the perception of what church is for, who church is for and how we are part of church, is mismatched between church and village. In order to rectify that there is only one solution – to turn ourselves inside out. Then the village as while can see who we are and what we stand for, and then also there will be no wall between us. This will make is quite vulnerable, but I believe it is the pattern that fits with Jesus’ example.
That is the question to ask, isn’t it? “What would Jesus do?” There are many answers to this question, but they would all involve 2 things – a servant heart and a desire to glorify God.
One thing I know Jesus would not do is vote for the BNP. I only mention this because you are going to start seeing election posters for the European elections soon with an assertion from the BNP that Jesus would vote for them because they stand up for the persecuted. Of course, this is a democracy and you are free to vote for those loonies er… I mean that party of you so wish, but let us remember that Palm Sunday is not about democracy, it’s about monarchy, the Kingship of Christ over the entire world. Jesus’ Kingdom is not like a country or even a nation on this earth; it is not subject to elections for it is a true theocracy, in which God reigns, and as our Psalm reminded us, The Lord is good, and his love endures forever.
So even though you know what happens at the end, journey with me this Holy Week. Come with us on the Good Friday walk, and hear and re-live the passion narrative, the story of Jesus’ trail and crucifixion and death. And as you journey, reflect upon your own lives, as I will be reflecting upon mine. And as we near the celebration of resurrection, just after we have held our APCM, let us also think about a new start, for a new year, with a new and fresh vision to serve the people and glorify God. We need not worry if we are going over old ground, after all, at the end of the Triumphal entry, Jesus left the city and went back to the Mount of Olives.
The end is a bit sudden, but "live", we went straight into an act of commitment and the blessing of the palms
You know that feeling you get when someone starts telling you a story about something that happened to them, or a joke, or whatever, and about 5 seconds in, you remember that they have already told you this thing, and you know what’s coming at the end of the story, you’ve heard the punchline? You are usually too polite to stop them and say, actually you told me this yesterday or last week or whenever, so you listen on to the end, and there is no impact for you, because you’ve already heard it.
Well, as we arrive at the beginning of Holy Week, I am only too aware that we know the end of the story; it is a story that has been told many many times to us and to our forebears; how Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was welcomed as a King, but within days had been tried and condemned to death, executed and buried as a convicted criminal, yet rose from the dead after 3 days in the tomb. We know the end of the story because we are still living in its light. We know the end of the story, but that ought not to diminish the impact for us of this episode. It certainly did not diminish for Mark’s first readers, who evaluated the triumphal entry in the light of the resurrection. Of course, we can only call it the triumphal entry if Jesus does go on to rise form the dead.
I’m fascinated by the fact that the crowds welcomed Jesus with open arms, they put down their cloaks and their palm branched to line his route from the Mount of Olives into the valley and up into Jerusalem. So they welcomed him but really they had no idea who he was; only the disciples – and arguably not all of those, had any clue. I was reminded of this on Thursday morning when, while waiting for my sports news bulletin on BBC breakfast TV I was subjected to 25 minutes of coverage of g20 leaders arriving at Excel; the cameras were all waiting for Barak Obama, but he was in a jam (or something) and so in the delay a stream of lesser faces were shown arriving, and the hapless newsreaders struggled to work out who the people greeting Gordon Brown were – the classic example being, on the arrival of an oriental chap, “So that’ll be the prime Minister of Japan”, “ no Bill, that’s Ban Kyi Moon, the UN secretary general.”
In our celebrity driven culture there is a tendency to run from one media hype to the next – for journalists and photographers that is sometimes literally true – if you have ever happened to be in an airport when film or sports stars are arriving you’ll know what I mean. They didn’t have media hype in Jerusalem in 33AD, but they did have an expectation of a coming King, a coming Saviour, to deliver the people from Roman occupation. So if the news came that Jesus was riding into town, the expectation would be high. The gospel writers reflect this expectation by showing Jesus as King – and not just King of Israel but of the entire world. The expectation may then have been exaggerated, much as tabloids tend to exaggerate today, but the gospel writers had a good reason for that – they wanted to make sure their readers got the point about the Messiah’s kingship being of David’s line, but of a different order – Jesus did not ride in as a conqueror but as a suffering servant. He did not come to boot the Romans out but to inaugurate a Kingdom not of this world.
It’s perhaps mostly about perceptions. Jesus was perceived by the crowds to be one kind of King, when actually he was and is a different kind of King altogether; his Kingdom is not of this world; he may have been born into a royal family but in order to ascend to the throne he had to die rather than stay alive, and citizens of his Kingdom are not limited by time space or geography. This has been a big challenge to me recently. As both Lindsell and Stebbing have bee thinking in recent months about how to describe ourselves and our vision, it is good, although not always easy, as part of that process, to consider how we are perceived by those who do not come to church.
In Lindsell I find that there is generally at the moment a perception of the church as being indeed a place of traditional values, an open door and a warm welcome. Our challenge is to make that perception into a motivation for people to welcome God into their lives in Christ. I am happy to be part of a church that stands for the things we say we stand for; what I wonder is, do any of them matte to those who aren’t here? And if not, how can we make it so that they do matter. My hunch is that we will need to carry on doing what we do – caring for others, those in need and those bereaved, and caring for our community, with a servant heart. This I believe is the pattern that fits with Jesus’ example.
In Stebbing I am beginning to realise that our pattern of church is a broken one. Firstly, because of a potential misunderstanding of what this service and the service at 5 pm tonight, are actually about. They are not primarily designed for people who already come to this church; rather, they are both intended to provide a means for us to open our door wide. In the morning, it is open those who do not currently come but who would prefer this kind of formal liturgical worship, and in the evening the same – for informal café style worship. So if regular church members are staying away “because they don’t like that kind of service”, then they are unable to invite anyone to come along, and the evangelistic endeavour is undermined.
Secondly, it may be that the perception of what church is for, who church is for and how we are part of church, is mismatched between church and village. In order to rectify that there is only one solution – to turn ourselves inside out. Then the village as while can see who we are and what we stand for, and then also there will be no wall between us. This will make is quite vulnerable, but I believe it is the pattern that fits with Jesus’ example.
That is the question to ask, isn’t it? “What would Jesus do?” There are many answers to this question, but they would all involve 2 things – a servant heart and a desire to glorify God.
One thing I know Jesus would not do is vote for the BNP. I only mention this because you are going to start seeing election posters for the European elections soon with an assertion from the BNP that Jesus would vote for them because they stand up for the persecuted. Of course, this is a democracy and you are free to vote for those loonies er… I mean that party of you so wish, but let us remember that Palm Sunday is not about democracy, it’s about monarchy, the Kingship of Christ over the entire world. Jesus’ Kingdom is not like a country or even a nation on this earth; it is not subject to elections for it is a true theocracy, in which God reigns, and as our Psalm reminded us, The Lord is good, and his love endures forever.
So even though you know what happens at the end, journey with me this Holy Week. Come with us on the Good Friday walk, and hear and re-live the passion narrative, the story of Jesus’ trail and crucifixion and death. And as you journey, reflect upon your own lives, as I will be reflecting upon mine. And as we near the celebration of resurrection, just after we have held our APCM, let us also think about a new start, for a new year, with a new and fresh vision to serve the people and glorify God. We need not worry if we are going over old ground, after all, at the end of the Triumphal entry, Jesus left the city and went back to the Mount of Olives.
The end is a bit sudden, but "live", we went straight into an act of commitment and the blessing of the palms
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Lindsell Stebbing and Great Saling 29th March 09
It's quite a rare thing for mew to preach in all three services in a day, and probably even rarer to preach the same sermon in all three churches.
The readings were Hebrews 5, 5-10 and John 12, 20-33
There were a lot of ad libs, for example about PSA. The bit of the shack I read out was from page 31 where Mack and Missy are talking about whether God is mean to send Jesus to the cross
Why is Jesus like the Internet?
One reason is my spell checker won’t let me write either of those two words without a capital letter!
This week in Stebbing the broadband Internet connection wasn’t working.
As a result I found myself getting quite stressed, and realised just how much I rely on these things for communication, to stay connected to lots of networks and to receive and send lots of information. I felt cut off, and it made me think about being cut off from God.
Last week after church at Little Saling, young Oscar Roe asked me “What is salvation?” I gave him an answer, but I’m not sure it was an adequate one. This week, I might have answered using the broadband cut off metaphor.
Without Christ, we are cut off from God, we cannot get through to him and we cannot come into his presence, but Christ provides for us a means of communication with God, and he is also the provider to us of everything God wants to give us. Just as our computers give and receive information from other computers via the Internet, Christ the means both of our communication with God, and his communication – of his love, his guidance, his power and his comfort – with us. When our Internet connection goes down, we may feel cut off, but that state of isolation is nothing compared to the condition of being cut off from God.
In this sense then, Jesus is, as the writer to the Hebrews says, the source of our salvation, as well as being the means. He is how we receive God’s gift of eternal life – through faith in him, and he is the reason we can receive it, because of his death upon the cross. Hebrews tells us that Jesus’ priesthood was not a human institution but a divine appointment. It was God’s purpose, and Jesus’ choice, to take the path he walked, the path to the cross.
So then, another way Jesus is like the Internet is that you don’t need to know how it works to benefit from it.
What I mean by that is, I don’t understand computers beyond a limited amount of information like how to switch them on and off, or how to … er, actually that’s about it. Yet I can still use one and benefit from the communication tools it affords me (when it is working of course!)
In the same way, there are whole libraries full of books on the theology of the cross. Theologians from all shades of the church have spent the last 2 millennia puzzling over the mechanics of the cross, how it is that one man’s death at one point in history can have such far-reaching and fantastic consequences. There are lots of different theories of the atonement, but they remain theories. I am not one of those people who assess a Christian’s orthodoxy on the basis of which theory of the atonement they subscribe to. But there is one issue surrounding this that has been debated recently, and which our readings today offer interesting insights on.
Hebrews speaks of Christ’s obedience, and John’s gospel portrays Jesus predicting his own heath, and speaking of its consequences. John’s Jesus is a man who knows what he has to do, yet still chooses to do it in the face of extreme distress. Some people say they do not like the idea of God forcing his Son to die, railroading him into making a sacrifice. This, it is said by some, is inconsistent with the idea of a God of love and grace, which the New Testament tells of. This approach regards the idea of God sacrificing his son as barbaric, just as we would regard the story of Abraham and Isaac as barbaric, if God had not intervened to stop the patriarch from killing his own son.
However, it is clear that Jesus knew his own mind – he was daunted by the prospect, but he trusted God. He was aware of the stakes, but he chose to go to the cross; he was not railroaded and could have taken another route; yet he knew the Father’s will. Not that it was a vindictive death sentence laid down by a vindictive God, but that when he was lifted up form the world, he would draw all people to himself. Lifted up in John is a reference to the cross, the throne of the King.
To reinforce this point I would like to read a paragraph from the Shack (p31)
So, if you like, to answer Oscar’s question more articulately, salvation is the fact that Jesus chose willingly to die for us. He knew his sacrifice would not be in vain, and he became obedient to his father in choosing to die. His death conquered death for us; that is salvation, that even though we die yet shall we live, because that’s what he did – but we must save the last bit for Easter.
So to conclude, Oscar, salvation is being saved from death, being brought into God’s family, God’s kingdom. It is something Jesus has done for us upon the cross, but we are not passive it this. Just as Jesus chose to die – his Father did not compel him, but he chose to die, we have to choose to follow him, to trust him and to believe in his promises.
When we have done that, if it’s not too trivial a comparison, Jesus is our Internet connection to God. Through him we receive messages, reassurances, encouragement, rebukes, healing and forgiveness. Through him we send to God our worship, our praises, our prayers, our confessions, our frustrations and our distress. In doing this we draw closer to Christ, closer, by the power of the Spirit in us, to each other, and closer to our Father God.
The readings were Hebrews 5, 5-10 and John 12, 20-33
There were a lot of ad libs, for example about PSA. The bit of the shack I read out was from page 31 where Mack and Missy are talking about whether God is mean to send Jesus to the cross
Why is Jesus like the Internet?
One reason is my spell checker won’t let me write either of those two words without a capital letter!
This week in Stebbing the broadband Internet connection wasn’t working.
As a result I found myself getting quite stressed, and realised just how much I rely on these things for communication, to stay connected to lots of networks and to receive and send lots of information. I felt cut off, and it made me think about being cut off from God.
Last week after church at Little Saling, young Oscar Roe asked me “What is salvation?” I gave him an answer, but I’m not sure it was an adequate one. This week, I might have answered using the broadband cut off metaphor.
Without Christ, we are cut off from God, we cannot get through to him and we cannot come into his presence, but Christ provides for us a means of communication with God, and he is also the provider to us of everything God wants to give us. Just as our computers give and receive information from other computers via the Internet, Christ the means both of our communication with God, and his communication – of his love, his guidance, his power and his comfort – with us. When our Internet connection goes down, we may feel cut off, but that state of isolation is nothing compared to the condition of being cut off from God.
In this sense then, Jesus is, as the writer to the Hebrews says, the source of our salvation, as well as being the means. He is how we receive God’s gift of eternal life – through faith in him, and he is the reason we can receive it, because of his death upon the cross. Hebrews tells us that Jesus’ priesthood was not a human institution but a divine appointment. It was God’s purpose, and Jesus’ choice, to take the path he walked, the path to the cross.
So then, another way Jesus is like the Internet is that you don’t need to know how it works to benefit from it.
What I mean by that is, I don’t understand computers beyond a limited amount of information like how to switch them on and off, or how to … er, actually that’s about it. Yet I can still use one and benefit from the communication tools it affords me (when it is working of course!)
In the same way, there are whole libraries full of books on the theology of the cross. Theologians from all shades of the church have spent the last 2 millennia puzzling over the mechanics of the cross, how it is that one man’s death at one point in history can have such far-reaching and fantastic consequences. There are lots of different theories of the atonement, but they remain theories. I am not one of those people who assess a Christian’s orthodoxy on the basis of which theory of the atonement they subscribe to. But there is one issue surrounding this that has been debated recently, and which our readings today offer interesting insights on.
Hebrews speaks of Christ’s obedience, and John’s gospel portrays Jesus predicting his own heath, and speaking of its consequences. John’s Jesus is a man who knows what he has to do, yet still chooses to do it in the face of extreme distress. Some people say they do not like the idea of God forcing his Son to die, railroading him into making a sacrifice. This, it is said by some, is inconsistent with the idea of a God of love and grace, which the New Testament tells of. This approach regards the idea of God sacrificing his son as barbaric, just as we would regard the story of Abraham and Isaac as barbaric, if God had not intervened to stop the patriarch from killing his own son.
However, it is clear that Jesus knew his own mind – he was daunted by the prospect, but he trusted God. He was aware of the stakes, but he chose to go to the cross; he was not railroaded and could have taken another route; yet he knew the Father’s will. Not that it was a vindictive death sentence laid down by a vindictive God, but that when he was lifted up form the world, he would draw all people to himself. Lifted up in John is a reference to the cross, the throne of the King.
To reinforce this point I would like to read a paragraph from the Shack (p31)
So, if you like, to answer Oscar’s question more articulately, salvation is the fact that Jesus chose willingly to die for us. He knew his sacrifice would not be in vain, and he became obedient to his father in choosing to die. His death conquered death for us; that is salvation, that even though we die yet shall we live, because that’s what he did – but we must save the last bit for Easter.
So to conclude, Oscar, salvation is being saved from death, being brought into God’s family, God’s kingdom. It is something Jesus has done for us upon the cross, but we are not passive it this. Just as Jesus chose to die – his Father did not compel him, but he chose to die, we have to choose to follow him, to trust him and to believe in his promises.
When we have done that, if it’s not too trivial a comparison, Jesus is our Internet connection to God. Through him we receive messages, reassurances, encouragement, rebukes, healing and forgiveness. Through him we send to God our worship, our praises, our prayers, our confessions, our frustrations and our distress. In doing this we draw closer to Christ, closer, by the power of the Spirit in us, to each other, and closer to our Father God.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Little Saling mothering Sunday 09
Readings Psalm 34, 11-20 and John 3, 14-21
Today as we celebrate mothering Sunday I am going to explore our two readings with regard to how God is like a mother, and how his church is a family for believers. These readings might not necessarily have jumped out at you as the obvious ones for the festival we celebrate today but I hope that by bearing with me you will see how it all fits together. I want to begin by saying that when reflecting upon human motherhood and parenting I am pretty much assuming that we have had a good experience in that regard. If this for you is not the case and so this celebration of mothers is a difficult one for you then I hope that you can draw comfort from the pattern of our Lord, if not from your own mother. Please, if you are struggling with this issue, take the opportunity to speak with me after the service and we can arrange to meet up and talk things through prayerfully.
The Gospel reading, John 3.14-21 is of course one of the most famous passages in the Bible. At first glance it says nothing to us about mothers, being the outcome of a meeting of two men, Nicodemus and Christ. However, there are some connections, which I will unpack in a moment, but first let us dwell a moment on verse 17; everyone is familiar – some perhaps overly familiar – with John 3, verse 16, perhaps one of the most famous verses in the Bible, through which many people have come to faith. But its neighbour verse 17 is always in its shadow and deserves an outing – “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. If verse 16 is an invitation to find hope in Christ, verse 17 gives us a pattern of how to behave when, living in that hope, in faith in Christ, we relate to the wider world. God’s purpose is driven by love for the world. It may not always feel like that or appear like that, but as Christians we are called to bring the salvation that God offers to the attention of the world, rather than to condemn it.
John 3 picks up the thought of Numbers 21, where Moses commanded that a snake be lifted up so that those who looked to it could be delivered from the bite of poisonous snakes. The New Testament Christian significance of this image is of course the concept of looking in faith to the cross of Christ, to be delivered and saved from death. Those who look to the crucified saviour can be delivered from sin if they believe in the offer God has made. Belief/faith/trust is the New Testament equivalent of covenant responsibility in the Hebrew Bible. There is a delicate balance to be maintained here. God's offer of salvation in Christ, like his entry into covenant with Israel, depends on God's free choice as creator dealing with creation. The biblical view is that God both demands but also enables our response to him.
In this way God is very like a human mother, who in relation to her children both enables (by her love and care for them) and demands (by her parental influence and discipline) their response to her. To me Psalm 34, while it does not specifically refer to God as a mother, contains many things that we would naturally associate with a motherly role – protection, care, healing, watching out for us. All of these are ways in which our mothers (and our God) love us and provoke in us the response of love and trust.
Whilst we have to believe and trust, which God himself will enable but not compel, it is God's initial grace and not our response that enables the saving action. As St John’s first epistle puts it, we love because he first loved us. Christian theology is full of paradoxes! God offers us salvation, will enable us to enter into it but never compel us to do so. If we decline God's offer, however, we place ourselves in a position where we will be judged for failure to respond to God. This is as much a call to be moral in our dealings with our neighbour as to honour God.
It may seem paradoxical but it still seems to me to be a good pattern of parenting, to inspire mothers and fathers today. For example, I am very aware of the pressure my children are under as vicarage kids – at the age they are now, they have to go to church, and have no choice. However, if one of them expresses doubts or disbelief it is our practice to allow space for that, and to allow for disagreement with our approach to faith. We do not compel our children to follow Christ just because we do so “professionally”, but we provide for them a means by which to follow him as and when they wish to.
And the church, which for me, with respect to the recipients of posies on Mothering Sunday through the ages, is the focus of today’s celebration, has a key role in this. The church provides the context not only for us to freely enter into relationship with God, into salvation, and also the context in which we as parents or even grandparents pass on without compulsion the faith we have received to the next generations of our families. On mothering Sunday it is right to celebrate and pray for mothers, but we ought also to be praying for and celebrating the family of the church, the household of faith.
Using some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight taken from www.rootsontheweb.com
Today as we celebrate mothering Sunday I am going to explore our two readings with regard to how God is like a mother, and how his church is a family for believers. These readings might not necessarily have jumped out at you as the obvious ones for the festival we celebrate today but I hope that by bearing with me you will see how it all fits together. I want to begin by saying that when reflecting upon human motherhood and parenting I am pretty much assuming that we have had a good experience in that regard. If this for you is not the case and so this celebration of mothers is a difficult one for you then I hope that you can draw comfort from the pattern of our Lord, if not from your own mother. Please, if you are struggling with this issue, take the opportunity to speak with me after the service and we can arrange to meet up and talk things through prayerfully.
The Gospel reading, John 3.14-21 is of course one of the most famous passages in the Bible. At first glance it says nothing to us about mothers, being the outcome of a meeting of two men, Nicodemus and Christ. However, there are some connections, which I will unpack in a moment, but first let us dwell a moment on verse 17; everyone is familiar – some perhaps overly familiar – with John 3, verse 16, perhaps one of the most famous verses in the Bible, through which many people have come to faith. But its neighbour verse 17 is always in its shadow and deserves an outing – “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. If verse 16 is an invitation to find hope in Christ, verse 17 gives us a pattern of how to behave when, living in that hope, in faith in Christ, we relate to the wider world. God’s purpose is driven by love for the world. It may not always feel like that or appear like that, but as Christians we are called to bring the salvation that God offers to the attention of the world, rather than to condemn it.
John 3 picks up the thought of Numbers 21, where Moses commanded that a snake be lifted up so that those who looked to it could be delivered from the bite of poisonous snakes. The New Testament Christian significance of this image is of course the concept of looking in faith to the cross of Christ, to be delivered and saved from death. Those who look to the crucified saviour can be delivered from sin if they believe in the offer God has made. Belief/faith/trust is the New Testament equivalent of covenant responsibility in the Hebrew Bible. There is a delicate balance to be maintained here. God's offer of salvation in Christ, like his entry into covenant with Israel, depends on God's free choice as creator dealing with creation. The biblical view is that God both demands but also enables our response to him.
In this way God is very like a human mother, who in relation to her children both enables (by her love and care for them) and demands (by her parental influence and discipline) their response to her. To me Psalm 34, while it does not specifically refer to God as a mother, contains many things that we would naturally associate with a motherly role – protection, care, healing, watching out for us. All of these are ways in which our mothers (and our God) love us and provoke in us the response of love and trust.
Whilst we have to believe and trust, which God himself will enable but not compel, it is God's initial grace and not our response that enables the saving action. As St John’s first epistle puts it, we love because he first loved us. Christian theology is full of paradoxes! God offers us salvation, will enable us to enter into it but never compel us to do so. If we decline God's offer, however, we place ourselves in a position where we will be judged for failure to respond to God. This is as much a call to be moral in our dealings with our neighbour as to honour God.
It may seem paradoxical but it still seems to me to be a good pattern of parenting, to inspire mothers and fathers today. For example, I am very aware of the pressure my children are under as vicarage kids – at the age they are now, they have to go to church, and have no choice. However, if one of them expresses doubts or disbelief it is our practice to allow space for that, and to allow for disagreement with our approach to faith. We do not compel our children to follow Christ just because we do so “professionally”, but we provide for them a means by which to follow him as and when they wish to.
And the church, which for me, with respect to the recipients of posies on Mothering Sunday through the ages, is the focus of today’s celebration, has a key role in this. The church provides the context not only for us to freely enter into relationship with God, into salvation, and also the context in which we as parents or even grandparents pass on without compulsion the faith we have received to the next generations of our families. On mothering Sunday it is right to celebrate and pray for mothers, but we ought also to be praying for and celebrating the family of the church, the household of faith.
Using some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight taken from www.rootsontheweb.com
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Great Saling 15 March 09
The readings were 1 Cor 1, 18-25 and John 2, 13-22.
I have been thinking a little about fame this week, and about how our society behaves towards those who are in the public eye. This has mostly been because of the media coverage in recent weeks of the reality TV star Jade Goody, who is dying of cancer, and who was baptised into the church of England this week.
Just a couple of months ago many people who never watch reality TV had never heard of Jade, but now even the Prime Minister is sending her his condolences, and even the broadsheet newspapers are giving her headlines, whereas before she was a staple for the tabloids. Jade is one of those people who is famous for being famous (or infamous); it was clear from the start that her aim was to get as much media attention (and so also as much money) as she could, by profiting from Britain’s current fashion for reality TV programmes like Big Brother. Jade wanted fame and fortune and she got it; now she (or rather her agent) is even making money from coverage of her terminal illness (although she has at least decided to use this money to set up a trust fund to provide for her sons after her death.)
Our society encourages the promotion of the self, over and above ideology, theology or ethics. Famous people are to be looked up to just because they are famous not because they have even said or done anything worthwhile – It might just be because of what they wear, or who they are married to. The sad thing is that the public lap it up as well. They truly believe the old adage that anyone can be famous for 15 minutes, even if it is by humiliating themselves on national TV.
It’s sad mainly because it is the exact opposite of the approach that Jesus took, and which Paul advocates in his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus might have made a bit of a spectacle of himself in casting out the moneychangers and merchants from the Temple, but he did not do it as an act of self-promotion, but because zeal for his Father’s house had consumed him. In this episode we see Jesus' zeal for the law. The Christian meaning of the passage in John 2 is that, in Jesus, God's will has been perfectly disclosed and that he is the man who both embodies the kingdom and challenges on its behalf. Indeed, while he might arguably be called the most well known figure in human history, Jesus never did anything to make himself famous; he just wanted to point people to God.
And in the early church, the apostles undertook a similar task. They were often misunderstood or misinterpreted. For example, the preaching of the cross did not always commend itself to outsiders. According to Deuteronomy 21.23, those whose bodies were exhibited on a gibbet were regarded as cursed by God; while Romans saw crucifixion as a worthless person's death. Paul's rhetoric turns the situation on its head: what the world regarded as folly was in fact the supreme demonstration of divine wisdom. Here we have the tension of Christian living in a nutshell. The Christian Messiah was rejected by the priestly authorities as a pretender and crucified by the Romans as a troublemaker. It follows that those who follow Jesus follow a path of suffering as well as service, in the footsteps of their Lord. We need to learn to look beyond the obvious to see the true meaning of Christianity in action. But we should not confuse being a fool for Christ's sake with merely being a fool.
For now it seems the world is upside down again, because foolish and adolescent behaviour by “celebrities” is regarded by the media as a wise thing to report on, because we have an appetite for knowledge of Wayne Rooney’s brother in law’s court appearances, or Jade Goody’s husband’s conviction. Why is this? According to the BBC it is partly due to the death of the Fleet street investigative reporter and the rise of the PR agencies who make money out of telling us what is or isn’t news. I prefer to see this as an unfortunate turn in society towards the self and away from community. In matters of faith therefore we are called to put others first, to build a community that points other s to Christ.
John places the 'Cleansing of the Temple' at the beginning of Jesus' ministry whereas the Synoptic Gospels locate it at the end, during Jesus' last days in Jerusalem. Additionally John changes tack half way through, referring the Temple in Jerusalem to the temple of his own body under the assertion that Jesus would be raised three days after death.
John uses a story about Jesus to make a point: that Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection from the beginning of his ministry. Both of these points make sure the reader understands God’s plan was always there; Christ’s redemptive work was not a self-centred ploy to gain attention, but a sacrificial self-giving, that gave eternal life to those who follow him. Now that really is good news!
Using some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight
taken from www.rootsontheweb.com and is copyright © Roots for Churches Ltd 2008.
I have been thinking a little about fame this week, and about how our society behaves towards those who are in the public eye. This has mostly been because of the media coverage in recent weeks of the reality TV star Jade Goody, who is dying of cancer, and who was baptised into the church of England this week.
Just a couple of months ago many people who never watch reality TV had never heard of Jade, but now even the Prime Minister is sending her his condolences, and even the broadsheet newspapers are giving her headlines, whereas before she was a staple for the tabloids. Jade is one of those people who is famous for being famous (or infamous); it was clear from the start that her aim was to get as much media attention (and so also as much money) as she could, by profiting from Britain’s current fashion for reality TV programmes like Big Brother. Jade wanted fame and fortune and she got it; now she (or rather her agent) is even making money from coverage of her terminal illness (although she has at least decided to use this money to set up a trust fund to provide for her sons after her death.)
Our society encourages the promotion of the self, over and above ideology, theology or ethics. Famous people are to be looked up to just because they are famous not because they have even said or done anything worthwhile – It might just be because of what they wear, or who they are married to. The sad thing is that the public lap it up as well. They truly believe the old adage that anyone can be famous for 15 minutes, even if it is by humiliating themselves on national TV.
It’s sad mainly because it is the exact opposite of the approach that Jesus took, and which Paul advocates in his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus might have made a bit of a spectacle of himself in casting out the moneychangers and merchants from the Temple, but he did not do it as an act of self-promotion, but because zeal for his Father’s house had consumed him. In this episode we see Jesus' zeal for the law. The Christian meaning of the passage in John 2 is that, in Jesus, God's will has been perfectly disclosed and that he is the man who both embodies the kingdom and challenges on its behalf. Indeed, while he might arguably be called the most well known figure in human history, Jesus never did anything to make himself famous; he just wanted to point people to God.
And in the early church, the apostles undertook a similar task. They were often misunderstood or misinterpreted. For example, the preaching of the cross did not always commend itself to outsiders. According to Deuteronomy 21.23, those whose bodies were exhibited on a gibbet were regarded as cursed by God; while Romans saw crucifixion as a worthless person's death. Paul's rhetoric turns the situation on its head: what the world regarded as folly was in fact the supreme demonstration of divine wisdom. Here we have the tension of Christian living in a nutshell. The Christian Messiah was rejected by the priestly authorities as a pretender and crucified by the Romans as a troublemaker. It follows that those who follow Jesus follow a path of suffering as well as service, in the footsteps of their Lord. We need to learn to look beyond the obvious to see the true meaning of Christianity in action. But we should not confuse being a fool for Christ's sake with merely being a fool.
For now it seems the world is upside down again, because foolish and adolescent behaviour by “celebrities” is regarded by the media as a wise thing to report on, because we have an appetite for knowledge of Wayne Rooney’s brother in law’s court appearances, or Jade Goody’s husband’s conviction. Why is this? According to the BBC it is partly due to the death of the Fleet street investigative reporter and the rise of the PR agencies who make money out of telling us what is or isn’t news. I prefer to see this as an unfortunate turn in society towards the self and away from community. In matters of faith therefore we are called to put others first, to build a community that points other s to Christ.
John places the 'Cleansing of the Temple' at the beginning of Jesus' ministry whereas the Synoptic Gospels locate it at the end, during Jesus' last days in Jerusalem. Additionally John changes tack half way through, referring the Temple in Jerusalem to the temple of his own body under the assertion that Jesus would be raised three days after death.
John uses a story about Jesus to make a point: that Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection from the beginning of his ministry. Both of these points make sure the reader understands God’s plan was always there; Christ’s redemptive work was not a self-centred ploy to gain attention, but a sacrificial self-giving, that gave eternal life to those who follow him. Now that really is good news!
Using some material by Rev'd Dr Jonathan Knight
taken from www.rootsontheweb.com and is copyright © Roots for Churches Ltd 2008.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Stebbing 8th Feb 09 - Our Vision
This sermon accompanies our current home group work of discussing and working towards a statement of Our Vision for the church. At one point I mention a video was shown ; the one I have posted here from Youtube is the same text but an inferior visual experience. The original, produced by Worship House Media, I first saw at New Wine in a seminar by Nick Cuthbert
The readings were Exodus 3, 1-12 and Matthew 14, 22-33
The readings were Exodus 3, 1-12 and Matthew 14, 22-33
After 700 years of doing what he was built for, he’ll discover what he was meant for.
Well this church is not quite 700 years old, but unlike Wall-E the robot, we have known for a while what we are meant for. The question before us today is, how do we put that knowledge into action, to bring the gospel to this community, and to build up God’s church in this place, at this time??
Today, as I outline in a bit more detail the process that we are going through at the moment, as we prepare for the vision away day at the end of March, there are a number of things I need to make sure we all understand.
First, I want to make absolutely clear that we are not developing this Vision because the church has been ineffective in the past; rather, following a period of reflection and consolidation among the Leadership Team, we are seeking to lay out clearly what our core values and core purpose are, so that we all know what we are aiming for, and also so that we can see whether a proposed event or action fits into that purpose, and is consistent with those values.
Second, we feel that a greater involvement in the process of discernment will lead to a higher degree of ownership across the church, once we arrive at the end of the process and have our Vision. We have been getting homegroups to think carefully about a number of aspects of the Christian life, and of the life of this Church, and the leadership team will be reflecting on those discussions both in the run up to the away day and on the day itself. However, Vision is not developed by consensus, it should produce consensus.
By that I mean it is to God ultimately we are looking for a Vision together, so this process is no guarantee that everyone will get their idea included in the end product. Having said that I believe that the process of discernment is enhanced by the inclusion of as many people as possible. With that in mind we are holding a half night of prayer in Church on Friday 13th March, to under gird this process with prayer and to ensure we are listening intently to the Holy Spirit. Please come along, even for only a few minutes. Everyone is welcome.
Thirdly, I want to let you know exactly what we are aiming at. I know many of you will have been involved in the formulation of vision or mission statements in the past, at work or school or other churches, so you might be familiar with what I am talking about, or you might have done it differently. If you know other churches’ vision statements, they might help us, they might not, but it’s always worth looking out for them. Of course, the Army has already nicked my favourite – “Be the best”.
You may have noticed that this year we don’t have a motto verse on the monitor. Can anyone tell me what the motto verse was for last year? And the year before?
The statement of our vision is intended to give us as a church a clear direction, not going from pillar to post, on the crest of the latest wave of trendy schemes and ideas, but staying a course God has set for us and being clear about our aims. Our motto verses changed every year at the whim of the vicar and the leadership team, but this is OUR VISION. It will be a statement that says who we are, what we do and what our aims are. It will be renewable and revisable – say every 5 years, since I think it’s about 5 years since you were last engaged in anything like this.
Our Vision will have a set of concise core statements behind it – rather as we have used the New Wine values in the past. There’s nothing wrong with them but can you remember them all? The most important thing about our vision is that we will all be able to see it, understand it and put it into action. As Bill Hybels of Willow creek Community Church said, “Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion in people”, and alongside that goes a saying of Walter Wright, “Vision is seeing tomorrow so powerfully it shapes today”.
The Bible says in Proverbs 29 that where there is no vision, no revelation, the people run wild; in developing our vision, we want to set a course that will keep us focused today, keep us in tune with God’s will for this community, and above all, keep us growing and moving faithfully forwards to the coming of the Kingdom.
If you are thinking we don’t need a vision, have a look at this, a parable of what happens when a church loses direction. (SHOW LIFEBOAT VIDEO).
Now, when Moses encountered God at the Burning Bush, he had a vision of God, who gave him a vision for his people – “to bring my people out of Egypt”. God also give Moses a promise that he would be with him, and a hope for the future – “you will worship me on this mountain”. I believe God is with us on this journey, and that he has given us a hope for the future in Christ.
On Wednesday at prayers, Mary had a picture of a coil of rope all neatly placed. She saw a contrast between the size of the rope all neatly coiled, and how far-reaching it would be, how much more able to do what it was meant for it would be, if the rope were uncoiled. It would get wet and dirty, but it would be doing what it was meant for. I do believe this church is like that coil of rope.
I want to acknowledge that this kind of strategic exercise can make a church feel a little insecure, a little wobbly. As I have said we have been consolidating in the leadership team, and it may be that as a result of the development of our vision, things might change, but as with the Israelites leaving Egypt, the changes that came along were all made in order to achieve God’s purposes. It is also worth repeating two things I have said before from out here; first, just because you change something doesn’t mean what was there before was wrong, it’s just different now, and the second thing is “do it afraid”.
When Jesus walked on the water out to the boat his disciples were in, they were terrified. They were without their leader and they were at a loss to understand or explain what they saw. Peter though, showed signs of visionary leadership, signs of great faith, when he said “if it is you Lord, tell me to come to you on the water”, although maybe he didn’t think it really was Jesus and didn’t think he was going to have to get out of the boat! In that sense, then his challenge was to handle the surprise he got when Jesus said, “Come”. Of course, he might have done well to take the advice on this poster but unfortunately for him it didn’t come out until 1906 years after his water walk.
Because of course he faltered, and Jesus saved him. I am fascinated by the lack of response to Jesus’ question “why did you doubt?” Peter didn’t doubt Jesus, he doubted himself. I don’t believe for a second he doubted that Jesus would save him. What was most amazing then was not that Jesus walked on the water but that Peter did; but as John Ortberg famously said, “if you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat!
But actually if we just keep calm and carry on, we’ll end up like the life saving club. Getting out of the boat means trusting God to save us and guide us, but also believing in ourselves, that with his help, we can do it.
So please pray, and please listen to what God says in response. This is so much more than just a marketing exercise.
Remember, what we are after is a core ideology, our core values and our purpose. This will be something that defines the enduring character of a church like us, and which will give us guidance and inspiration for the future, today. If it is short and snappy and easy to remember that’s great, but we are not advertising executives.
Francis Drake, in 1577 at the beginning of the exploration of the Western Hemisphere, reputedly prayed this prayer, which I think sums up well what our attitude should be as we set sail on the next stage of our journey.
Disturb us, Lord, whenWe are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
But actually if we just keep calm and carry on, we’ll end up like the life saving club. Getting out of the boat means trusting God to save us and guide us, but also believing in ourselves, that with his help, we can do it.
So please pray, and please listen to what God says in response. This is so much more than just a marketing exercise.
Remember, what we are after is a core ideology, our core values and our purpose. This will be something that defines the enduring character of a church like us, and which will give us guidance and inspiration for the future, today. If it is short and snappy and easy to remember that’s great, but we are not advertising executives.
Francis Drake, in 1577 at the beginning of the exploration of the Western Hemisphere, reputedly prayed this prayer, which I think sums up well what our attitude should be as we set sail on the next stage of our journey.
Disturb us, Lord, whenWe are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirstF
or the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
To push back the horizons of our hopes;
To push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Stebbing 18 01 09
Readings John 1 43-51 and Revelation 5, 1-10
Who’s in charge?
Who rules the world?
Is it the governments?
Is it the armies?
Is it the financiers and the markets?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
Who’s in charge?
Who rules over your life?
Is it your parents?
Is it your spouse?
Is it your children, your boss, your workforce, your colleagues?
Is it your teachers, your neighbours, your bank?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
He reigns; he is the Lion and the Lamb (at the same time apparently, a careful reading of Revelation 5 will show us). He is the lamb that was slain in the Exodus and on the cross, and the Lion of Judah, the King of God’s people, the head of the Church, his bride.
Now, all of that is what the Bible teaches us; if when he walked the earth Jesus could see into the heart of humble and faithful (yet apparently prejudiced) men like Philip and Nathaniel, he can quite easily see into our hearts, and in most of us he will see I suspect a tendency to doubt. A tendency to watch the news and read the papers about Gaza, about Zimbabwe, about children neglected dying in this country let alone in Palestine through lack of care, knife wounds and gunshots, to think about divorce rates, financial rates and heart rates, and conclude that God doesn’t care, that he isn’t here (or these) and that we – you and I – don’t matter.
Now we might not consciously be thinking that. Of course we are here because we are Christians, and it is not my intention to disparage your faith; quite the opposite, I wish to build it up, and to do so by reminding us all that in spite of everything, in spite of how we feel, or how our circumstances or the circumstances of the world are changing, Jesus reigns. I can say that as someone whose wife has been off work for nearly six months with a mystery illness. I’m not saying it’s easy, or even that it’s meant to be easy.
I’m just saying, he reigns.
He reigns because “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to him.
He reigns because he was enthroned – upon the cross he was lifted high, and declared a King. When he rose from the dead and ascended he brought the physical to the spiritual realm, as the first fruits of the new creation his is a physical body in a heavenly realm.
His triumph over death enables him to open the scroll in the right hand of God, and in the act of taking it from God’s hand, he attracts the worship of heavenly and earthly creatures. Those are the actions and status of a King.
He reigns because his death and resurrection brought in his Kingdom, peopled from every nation tribe and language.
And that includes you and me.
In his commentary on Revelation, Robert wall says,
“The community of faith represents God’s rule on earth as an alternative to the world order and its evil powers and principalities. “
That’s what it means when Revelation tells us that “they” – that is the kingdom of priests to serve our God – “will reign on the earth”.
Does that mean that one day the world will be run by a bunch of vicars?
I hope not!
Of course these are the priesthood of all believers, and before we all go power crazy at the thought of reigning over the world, lets just remember that for St John the Divine, who experienced these visions of heaven, the priests of the kingdom have a primary function – to serve God – and a secondary status as part of the kingdom community that reigns, yes, but only with the authority that Christ has, nothing of our own.
And the Kingdom’s essential purpose this side of the new creation is to provide, as we’ve just read, an alternative to the world order and its evil powers.
An alternative way of reigning, by serving and an alternative way of winning, by dying.
By the way, reference to “the world order and it’s evil powers” does not mean that this sermon is going to turn into one of those political rants that I have been a little bit prone to recently, although I do defy anyone to tell me that evil principalities and powers are not involved in what’s going on between Israel and the Palestinians right now – no matter whose side you’re on, its evil.
Now Nathanial didn’t know very much about Jesus, if anything, but somehow he was able to discern that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. The “greater things than that”, which Jesus promised that day, are for the time of the church, the time we live in today. That’s exciting, isn’t it?
It is, and even though often we are working on the basis that our default setting as Christians should be “we are not worthy”, the worthiness of Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, means that we have a worthiness, a worth, in God’s sight; we will reign with him.
That means we are important in his sight, we have a value for God, and so also for each other.
If the discussions of Psalm 139 at your homegroup this week were anything like ours you will have had some pretty honest sharing, but you will have also perhaps dwelt on the importance of the church family, on the joy of fellowship and the blessing of receiving support and encouragement form each other.
Because sometimes it is a tough thing to think God goes everywhere with us – as Erasmus once said (except he said it in German, and Carl Jung had it on his wall in German) “Bidden or unbidden, God is present”.
This is not always a pleasant thought, because we don’t always like where we are or who we are inside.
But God’s plan for us is that we will reign with him; he wouldn’t have planned that if there was a means test for the kingdom based on how sorted we can get ourselves.
Because that’s the best of it, he is with us all the time because he wants to be, because he longs to transform us and make us the people we were meant to be.
There could be a thousand different things in your life that you love, and a thousand that you wish would just go away or shrivel up; God loves you because of and in spite of all of these, and he wants by his Spirit to free us form the burdens we carry.
The Holy Spirit reigns; we don’t talk about that much, we mostly think of Jesus and the Father reigning but if the Spirit didn’t reign I wouldn’t be here today, nor would I ever conduct a wedding of non-Christians or baptise a child.
The lamb upon the throne of God is a heavenly scene; the Spirit’s reign is among the kingdom of priests upon the earth; the church invisible that transcends the human institutions.
It is this reign that we submit ourselves to by assenting to God’s will, because the Spirit will not invade your borders uninvited, or blast you with rockets you don’t want, but if you want to be a citizen of heaven, a priest of the Kingdom, the Spirit of God is there for you to work God’s transformation so that you and I can daily be renewed and become ever more Christ like, in growing to be the people God wants us to be.
So let’s just remind ourselves,
Who’s in charge?
Who rules the world?
Is it the governments?
Is it the armies?
Is it the financiers and the markets?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
Who’s in charge?
Who rules over your life?
Is it your parents?
Is it your spouse?
Is it your children, your boss, your workforce, your colleagues?
Is it your teachers, your neighbours, your bank?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
Who’s in charge?
Who rules the world?
Is it the governments?
Is it the armies?
Is it the financiers and the markets?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
Who’s in charge?
Who rules over your life?
Is it your parents?
Is it your spouse?
Is it your children, your boss, your workforce, your colleagues?
Is it your teachers, your neighbours, your bank?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
He reigns; he is the Lion and the Lamb (at the same time apparently, a careful reading of Revelation 5 will show us). He is the lamb that was slain in the Exodus and on the cross, and the Lion of Judah, the King of God’s people, the head of the Church, his bride.
Now, all of that is what the Bible teaches us; if when he walked the earth Jesus could see into the heart of humble and faithful (yet apparently prejudiced) men like Philip and Nathaniel, he can quite easily see into our hearts, and in most of us he will see I suspect a tendency to doubt. A tendency to watch the news and read the papers about Gaza, about Zimbabwe, about children neglected dying in this country let alone in Palestine through lack of care, knife wounds and gunshots, to think about divorce rates, financial rates and heart rates, and conclude that God doesn’t care, that he isn’t here (or these) and that we – you and I – don’t matter.
Now we might not consciously be thinking that. Of course we are here because we are Christians, and it is not my intention to disparage your faith; quite the opposite, I wish to build it up, and to do so by reminding us all that in spite of everything, in spite of how we feel, or how our circumstances or the circumstances of the world are changing, Jesus reigns. I can say that as someone whose wife has been off work for nearly six months with a mystery illness. I’m not saying it’s easy, or even that it’s meant to be easy.
I’m just saying, he reigns.
He reigns because “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to him.
He reigns because he was enthroned – upon the cross he was lifted high, and declared a King. When he rose from the dead and ascended he brought the physical to the spiritual realm, as the first fruits of the new creation his is a physical body in a heavenly realm.
His triumph over death enables him to open the scroll in the right hand of God, and in the act of taking it from God’s hand, he attracts the worship of heavenly and earthly creatures. Those are the actions and status of a King.
He reigns because his death and resurrection brought in his Kingdom, peopled from every nation tribe and language.
And that includes you and me.
In his commentary on Revelation, Robert wall says,
“The community of faith represents God’s rule on earth as an alternative to the world order and its evil powers and principalities. “
That’s what it means when Revelation tells us that “they” – that is the kingdom of priests to serve our God – “will reign on the earth”.
Does that mean that one day the world will be run by a bunch of vicars?
I hope not!
Of course these are the priesthood of all believers, and before we all go power crazy at the thought of reigning over the world, lets just remember that for St John the Divine, who experienced these visions of heaven, the priests of the kingdom have a primary function – to serve God – and a secondary status as part of the kingdom community that reigns, yes, but only with the authority that Christ has, nothing of our own.
And the Kingdom’s essential purpose this side of the new creation is to provide, as we’ve just read, an alternative to the world order and its evil powers.
An alternative way of reigning, by serving and an alternative way of winning, by dying.
By the way, reference to “the world order and it’s evil powers” does not mean that this sermon is going to turn into one of those political rants that I have been a little bit prone to recently, although I do defy anyone to tell me that evil principalities and powers are not involved in what’s going on between Israel and the Palestinians right now – no matter whose side you’re on, its evil.
Now Nathanial didn’t know very much about Jesus, if anything, but somehow he was able to discern that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. The “greater things than that”, which Jesus promised that day, are for the time of the church, the time we live in today. That’s exciting, isn’t it?
It is, and even though often we are working on the basis that our default setting as Christians should be “we are not worthy”, the worthiness of Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, means that we have a worthiness, a worth, in God’s sight; we will reign with him.
That means we are important in his sight, we have a value for God, and so also for each other.
If the discussions of Psalm 139 at your homegroup this week were anything like ours you will have had some pretty honest sharing, but you will have also perhaps dwelt on the importance of the church family, on the joy of fellowship and the blessing of receiving support and encouragement form each other.
Because sometimes it is a tough thing to think God goes everywhere with us – as Erasmus once said (except he said it in German, and Carl Jung had it on his wall in German) “Bidden or unbidden, God is present”.
This is not always a pleasant thought, because we don’t always like where we are or who we are inside.
But God’s plan for us is that we will reign with him; he wouldn’t have planned that if there was a means test for the kingdom based on how sorted we can get ourselves.
Because that’s the best of it, he is with us all the time because he wants to be, because he longs to transform us and make us the people we were meant to be.
There could be a thousand different things in your life that you love, and a thousand that you wish would just go away or shrivel up; God loves you because of and in spite of all of these, and he wants by his Spirit to free us form the burdens we carry.
The Holy Spirit reigns; we don’t talk about that much, we mostly think of Jesus and the Father reigning but if the Spirit didn’t reign I wouldn’t be here today, nor would I ever conduct a wedding of non-Christians or baptise a child.
The lamb upon the throne of God is a heavenly scene; the Spirit’s reign is among the kingdom of priests upon the earth; the church invisible that transcends the human institutions.
It is this reign that we submit ourselves to by assenting to God’s will, because the Spirit will not invade your borders uninvited, or blast you with rockets you don’t want, but if you want to be a citizen of heaven, a priest of the Kingdom, the Spirit of God is there for you to work God’s transformation so that you and I can daily be renewed and become ever more Christ like, in growing to be the people God wants us to be.
So let’s just remind ourselves,
Who’s in charge?
Who rules the world?
Is it the governments?
Is it the armies?
Is it the financiers and the markets?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
Who’s in charge?
Who rules over your life?
Is it your parents?
Is it your spouse?
Is it your children, your boss, your workforce, your colleagues?
Is it your teachers, your neighbours, your bank?
No, it is the Risen Christ.
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