Liquid Church Questions, Gifts and Love John 3.14-21 Ephesian 2.1-10, Anne

On the radio a couple of weeks ago, the author Kathy Lette was promoting her new book about a single mum and her autistic son. The main character is modelled on her own son Julius, who is now a young adult. Because of his disability, he struggles to make sense of the world and he has his own particular, unique way of interpreting the world around him. In the book she uses real examples of the sorts of questions Julius asked as he was growing up, questions such as: If onions make you cry, are there some vegetables which make you happy? Is a harp just a nude piano? What’s the speed of dark? And finally: Why isn't there another word for synonym? (think about it!)

At one level, his questions are both breathtakingly profound and sensible and yet at another they seem a little ridiculous because he doesn’t understand what appears obvious to us. He can't filter out his own particular way of looking at things in order to make connections and to understand new information.

Nicodemus has the same sort of difficulty – like Julius, his view of the world is based on preconceptions, but his preconceptions come from his background knowledge and experience as a Pharisee and leader. We enter the story halfway through a conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus has come to Jesus in the dark – it’s night-time, but he’s really in the dark – because he’s struggling to understand. But as a Pharisee and a leader, he already thinks he knows what is or isn't possible with God. So, Jesus says to him: I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again, born from above (Jn 3.3)

Now Nicodemus is a learned man, he’s not stupid. He knows he’s alive, he’s breathing, walking and talking. So he asks what appear to be perfectly sensible questions, but they’re a bit like Julius’ questions: they’re only sensible in relation to his view of the world but that’s the point, Jesus’ view is different. Jesus talks to him about a radical new birth, a life born of water and the Spirit. And so Nicodemus’ questions, How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born! (Jn 3.4) are a bit ridiculous. Jesus answers him, but Nicodemus’ idea of what’s possible, stops him from embracing His words and so Nicodemus asks a final question, How can this be? (Jn 3.9).

Jesus then likens the lifting up of the Son of Man to Moses lifting up the snake in the desert. He refers back to a story Nicodemus understands and knows well – a story from the Book of Numbers, from Hebrew Scriptures. The Israelites in the desert desert God and are poisoned by snakes. God tells Moses to make a bronze serpent’s head, place it on the top of a pole and lift it high so it can be seen. Those who are bitten who look up at the serpent’s head will not die – they are saved.

And so Jesus then makes a statement, a statement which is the essence of the gospel message, a statement that is one of the most well known pieces of Scripture in the Bible. It’s so familiar – and yet I wonder sometimes if we take the words for granted? I wonder if we recite the verse and yet don't really hear what it says? I wonder if we read it, and don’t really look at it? Jesus says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn 3.16)

Using Julius’ and Nicodemus’ questioning approach might slow us down enough to examine the words more closely, might help us to embrace the words. So: -

What does God do? He gives..

What does he give? His only Son

Who does he give him to? The world

What’s ‘the world’? You, me, all of us

What does he give his Son for? So that we shall not perish, but have eternal life

Why does he give? Because he loves us.

As a society, we know about gifts – especially on days like today. On Mothering Sunday we might give or receive a gift to say thank you; at other times we might give a gift to celebrate a birthday, a wedding or to mark some other special event.

An experiment carried out on a busy London street shows how we interpret the giving and receiving of gifts; it highlights our preconceptions about gifts. A man stood on a street corner giving out leaflets to the passers-by. The leaflet said: ‘Return this leaflet to the person who gave it to you and he will swap it for £10’. And what do you think people did? Quite a lot didn't even read it, assuming a piece of paper wasn’t worth having and just threw it away. Others read it – but it was too good to be true, they assumed that there must be a catch in it somewhere, after all, you never get something for nothing - there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The £10 gift must be conditional on answering a survey or signing up to something. The smallest proportion of people by far (less than 10%) took it back to the vendor and hesitantly and tentatively gave back the card and received the £10.

In John 3.16, God’s motivation is clear: he loves us. He gives us the gift of His Son so that we might live. But we’ve got preconceptions - there must be a catch, right? There must be conditions, after all, why would you give the most precious thing you have to a whole bunch of people like us? Surely we have to sign up first; we have to believe in order to be offered the gift? Or maybe we have to earn it by doing good things. So it might be a bit like having a nectar card or Tesco club card, every time you give up your seat on a bus, you get ‘points’ which you can then swap for God’s ‘free gift’ - only the gift is not free because you had to earn the points in the first place. Even on Mothering Sunday there is an expectation that the flowers and chocolates are a thank you for the sleepless nights, for the taxi service, for putting up with the angst of teenage years - we’ve certainly earned those flowers and chocolates – it was hard work!

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul preaches that love is God’s motivation. Do we have to believe first? Is the gift conditional on ‘signing up’? No - “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2.4-5).

Do we have to earn God’s gift? No – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2.8-9).

What does this mean? The whole point of grace is that it is undeserved and unconditional. The gift of God’s one and only Son is freely given - in love.

Questions

Lent is a good time to reflect, to question, to face our struggles and challenges. As we journey towards Good Friday, towards Jesus being lifted up, towards the act of God’s saving love, we can place before Him our questions and struggles. In your group, after discussing the questions, you might want to have some time for silence, to bring before God your questions, your struggles and the preconceptions that make it difficult to receive his most precious gift.

1. Are there parts of the gospel message you struggle with?

2. Like Nicodemus, are there parts of the gospel message that challenge your preconceptions?

3. God offers his gift – what’s our response?

4. In John 3.16, the word “believes” means ‘believing into”. It is more than believing in whether Jesus exists or not, but rather has the meaning of trusting in and commitment and obedience. Thus the verse calls us to discipleship - to be followers of Christ. Paul also says: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” How are ‘discipleship’ and ‘in Christ Jesus doing good works’ linked and played out in our lives?

SERMON 11 MARCH 2012. THE CROSS - GOD’S POWER AND WISDOM 1 Corinthians 1: 18 – 25 John 2 : 13 – 22, Robert

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.” This is one of those riveting verses that was instrumental in galvanising the Reformation in the 16^th century, and this whole passage really ought to jump off the page at us today and fill us with joy in our salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. Yet it is not immediately clear exactly what Paul means. I want to take a closer look with you this morning at this highly compressed passage which nevertheless packs such a mighty punch.

First of all: What is this message of the cross? This is just such a highly appropriate question for us to explore as we travel through Lent. The message of the cross...

Let’s start by looking at what Paul means by the words ‘the cross’ – which comes over as a sort of short-hand expression. The message of the cross.....

Jesus has spent some three years in a ministry of teaching, healing and exorcism, in which he has confronted every kind of sin, and disease, and human failing - every kind of malicious opposition and threat – and indeed confronted Satan himself; and has shown such authority, discernment and command that on each occasion he has been victorious. But all the time, that ministry has been leading towards a climax – a final show-down between the forces of good and evil.

And that climax comes quite suddenly as Jesus is forcibly arrested, led away to a trial on trumped-up charges in what we would describe as a kangaroo court, handed over to the Roman authorities who find that the easiest way to keep the peace is to condemn him to death by crucifixion. It would seem that this is a classic case of the triumph of injustice and cruelty – indeed the triumph of all the powers of evil, personified in the New Testament in Satan himself.

But what is not apparent at the time, either to his followers let alone all the powers arraigned against him, is that – in his suffering and death – Jesus, representing us all – is absorbing all our sin and wrong-doing, which is to be buried with him for ever, while he himself rises victorious from the grave to offer us all a new life. And that forgiveness of sin and offer of new life is now the good news which is offered freely to all who turn to the risen Jesus and put their trust in him. This is the ‘message of the cross’. Not easy to grasp, certainly, and full of mystery and awe. But as God himself helps us to glimpse by faith its life-changing impact, we discover in our own lives that it is a message of forgiveness and hope and freedom.

Now Paul goes on to say, (not surprisingly), that to those who see no particular need for forgiveness and are perfectly happy in their own way of life, this makes no sense at all. Paul’s word for their reaction is that the message of the cross is simply ‘foolishness’. It confounds all reason and common-sense. Is it not obvious that – as usual – the well meaning efforts of a good man have been ground into the dust. Evil has triumphed and we just have to face facts and accept that the world is full of such manifold injustice.

But to those whose eyes have been opened and have perceived the reality beneath the surface, God’s love and power have actually triumphed and the powers of darkness have been decisively defeated.

To ordinary human eyes, the cross was a disaster and confirms all our fears about a meaningless world in which the strongest triumph using whatever means they choose. That is the received worldly wisdom.

But the good news of the Gospel always confounds worldly wisdom. In human terms, the Gospel is always a paradox. Jesus had taught us all along that, if you want to find life, you have to give it away. It is the poor in spirit who find true riches. Above all, true victory is not achieved by human force, but by selfless and self-giving love. To believe that, and put it into practice, is the key to true life, freedom and fulfilment. Christ himself, therefore – declares Paul – is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And the proof of it lies in the cross and the resurrection. It is only love and self-sacrifice which will ultimately triumph over sin and evil. God’s power does not express itself in worldly force, but through the power of love to change lives.

Now this is not to say that we meekly allow manifest evil to trample the poor and innocent, while we stand by and hope that somehow love will win out. There is a time to be angry and a time to fight the forces of evil, and in our Gospel reading we find Jesus both angry and violent in his cleansing of the temple. Sometimes I believe we should be more angry than we are when we see wrong prevail. The ravages of disease should make us sufficiently angry to give every support to the battle for a cure. The evil and cruelty that we humans are capable of inflicting on one another must be forced into the open - exposed and opposed. We must fight to ensure that – sooner or later – those who perpetrate barbarity and death are brought to justice.

But ultimately only the cross is the bench-mark of the final victory over sin and death. And this is because the root of the problem does not lie in people’s actions, but in the depths of their hearts. That is where the critical change has to happen. You don’t change people’s hearts by meeting violence with violence. You change people’s hearts through prayer and the power of love.

There’s no time to recount examples this morning – of which there are hundreds. But I remember vividly the testimony of a town under gang rule where violence and death were everyday occurrences. And a small group of Christians moved in and begun to pray and become a community that had the cross at the centre of its message. And miraculously the life of that town changed because people’s hearts and attitudes were wonderfully changed by the power of God. The message of the cross was revealed as the power of God.

On the other hand, whenever an institution – particularly a religious institution – tries to impose its own will by force, it may force everyone into line, but - in doing so - it automatically becomes a mirror-image of the Kingdom of God, and therefore, by definition, demonic. Whereas true authority and true royal power are exemplified by loving and faithful service to others – Jesus, the Master, kneeling to wash the disciples’ feet and dying on the cross for your sins and

mine. This is true royalty – the only kind of royalty in God’s kingdom which He recognises. (And, just to say at this point, a description of true royalty wonderfully exemplified at this point in our history, by our own Queen, who has dedicated herself so entirely to this model of Christian service).

The world is divided, so Paul tells us here, between those who live by this world’s rules and standards, where might is right and if you can’t beat them, you have to join them. They are the ones who have got it wrong, and are on the road which blindingly leads them to destruction. And, on the other side, are those whose eyes have been opened by the grace of God, and come to the foot of the cross seeking forgiveness and new life, and find that their lives are now filled with hope and a new strength – not in worldly power and ambition – but filled with outgoing love lived out in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Those whose attitudes and actions live out God’s words through the Old Testament prophet Zechariah (4:6): “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

As we travel with Jesus on the road both to the cross and the resurrection, we need to discover where God’s power and God’s wisdom are truly to be found. And that lies in the cross of Jesus, where (as Paul says) Christ is for us the power of God and the wisdom of God.” “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.” Robert

Discussion

1. What do you understand by the ‘message of the cross’? Why is it ‘foolishness’ to normal human values? And what does it mean to say that people are ‘perishing’?

2. Can you think of experiences – either personal or ones which you have read about – where prayer and God’s power have changed lives/situations in a particular and positive way?

3. ’Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom’. Can you think of modern equivalents?

Sunday 4 March 2012, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38, All you need is ...., Bruce

All you need is faith. Well, you also need love and hope and a few other things, but in order to receive a not-guilty verdict from God and be guaranteed a place with him in glory, Paul tells us that all we need is faith. He cites Abraham as the father of all those who have faith.

Some will say that is too easy. What about living an ethical life, being kind to others and working hard at our salvation? Is this not the kind of “easy believism” that results in a shallow Christian experience that has not been thought through?

My first answer is that faith is allied to obedience. Paul says of himself in Romans 1: ⁵ Through him (Jesus) we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. We all want to live obedient lives; the problem is that none of us manages it. Thus we need forgiveness, and that is something our Father God chooses to give to us, on the basis that Jesus has died in our place. An attitude of submission to the will of God is a primary evidence that we have received his grace, and have gone through that narrow door of faith in Jesus. Peter is very happy to make the joyous statement that Jesus is the longed-for messiah; he is not so willing to accept it when Jesus talks about his necessary betrayal and death. Peter has his own ideas about how the will of God should play out. He (and we) must learn obedience, and this is the flip side of believing and trusting Jesus. God is good – all the time, even when outward circumstances do not seem to confirm that.

My second answer is that faith is allied to perseverance. Paul here assumes that we are familiar with the life history of Abram, whose name was subsequently changed to Abraham. He originates in Ur in Mesopotamia, and we meet him in Haran, aged 75, married to Sarai who is barren. God promises him descendants, a land of his own, and that he will be a blessing to many through his descendants. He has many adventures in Canaan and Egypt, and by the age of 85 has become prosperous and respected – but he has no children. God renews his promise of descendants; they will be as numerous as the stars they can see in the heavens. Genesis 15: ⁶ says Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

So all is well, except that Sarai his wife is still barren. Sarai persuades Abraham that God needs a little help, and that he should sleep with her servant girl Hagar who duly conceives. This causes upset in the family(!). Furthermore it appears that the son Ishmael who appears 9 months later is not the child of the promise. Silence falls for 13 years and then God speaks again. He changes the name of Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of many), and changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. God reaffirms his promise that Abraham will be the father of a son, and that Sarah will be the mother. Abraham is at this point 99, and Sarah is 89 or 90.

Do you see the patient nature of faith? Abraham has been carrying this promise for 13 years, wondering how God would fulfil it, watching himself and his wife getting older. It was not getting any easier. He was obedient, and he was dogged in his expectation that God would do what he had said. He was obedient in that he acted; nothing much would have happened if Abraham and Sarah had slept in different beds or even tents. And in due course Isaac, the child of promise, was born. Do you see that faith is far from easy? Abraham looked at that which was as good as dead, their own bodies, and saw the possibility of life. He staked everything on this.

This is the same faith that we have that God could take the lifeless body of Jesus and raise it to new life. This is the same faith we have for ourselves. We trust that the Holy Spirit will shed God’s love abroad in our hearts and help us to a personal relationship with him. As we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, so we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds, proving in our own lives what his good and acceptable will is. We will truly encounter him and grow in him, as we experience his love and forgiveness across all that life throws at us.

How can we have this faith? It is a gift that we receive. Ephesians 2: ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

So we see that an ethical life, being kind to others and working hard are entirely in keeping with a life of faith in God through Christ Jesus. We live the life of Christ in the office, shop or school where we work, at the school gate, or when we meet our neighbours and friends. We are God’s handiwork when we are pacing the midnight hours away with a fractious child, or brushing away our neighbour’s snow.

These things are not what make us Christian, though. They are rather what we should expect to see in our lives because we are Christians. Our Lenten disciplines of prayer, bible reading, fasting and the like are ways that many find helpful to unfog the mind, remove the distractions, and free us to receive the gift.

May God give us obedience and perseverance as we grow in the faith of Abraham, and follow Jesus in the way of the cross.

Discussion Starters

1. What do you think Sarah (Sarai) thought when it was announced to her that she would conceive Isaac? (Genesis 18)

2. Paul bases his argument upon the experiences of Abraham. How do you respond to the stories of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph)?

3. How would you define faith? What is it in your experience?

4. Please take time to pray for each other to encounter God afresh by faith, and take steps of growth in him.

SERMON. 26 FEBRUARY 2012. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 1 Peter 3 : 18 – 22 Mark 1 : 9 – 15, Robert

The two readings set for today invite us to consider Lent within the framework, first, of the beginning of Jesus’ public earthly ministry, and, second, its triumphant and glorious end.

This Gospel reading from Mark 1: 9-15 tells us how it began. Jesus, aged (we believe) about 30, hears of John’s preaching and baptizing in the River Jordan. He perceives this as his call, goes out to John and is baptized. At that moment the Holy Spirit descends upon him and fills him, and this mighty endowment both signals the start of his ministry and empowers him to carry it out. Jesus receives the clear sign of God’s approval and blessing. That same mighty Holy Spirit then literally drives him out into the desert to confront Satan and the powers that oppose and resist the will of God.

Mark doesn’t say so in so many words, but we are to understand that (in that encounter) Jesus wins a decisive victory, and is so enabled to begin his ministry of teaching, healing and exorcism. He is able to announce that the moment has at long last arrived when God himself is making his appearance on earth to exercise his rule and achieve victory over the powers of sin and evil – that authority being personified in the person of Jesus himself. That is the beginning.

Our Epistle, 1 Peter 3: 18-22 tells us of the final end victory of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This was accomplished by Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday, his descent to the place of the dead where he preached the good news (the Gospel), his resurrection from the dead in triumph, and finally his ascension into heaven to take his rightful place, and where all spirits, angels, and powers come under his supreme authority.

So there you have the framework – the beginning and the end. We now have some 40 days (or about 6 weeks) to reflect on that journey from the River Jordan to the empty tomb, as Jesus’ decisive ministry on earth is worked out step by step until (at the greatest possible cost to Jesus) final victory is won, and the complete, eternal salvation is forever secured for everyone who trusts in him and embraces that victory personally.

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1. EXAMPLES OF THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

If we were to read on in Mark’s Gospel we would find Jesus (so to speak) setting out his stall. He says that the day of God’s coming to earth has arrived, and that this is ‘good news’ for all who hear it and believe. It is also the day of judgment of all the powers of evil and injustice, and everything that militates against our wholeness and well-being. And for those of us caught up and entangled in these webs of evil and destructiveness, it is the good news of forgiveness, healing, hope, freedom and new life.

And to prove that these are not idle words, Mark illustrates with five carefully chosen and distinctively different types of miracle.

First, Jesus encounters a man in a synagogue whose life is being utterly ruined by an evil spirit. Jesus drives the spirit out, and the man walks away free and whole.

Second, Simon Peter’s mother in law is sick with a fever, and Jesus heals her.

Third, a leper - the ultimate outcast in that society – with an incurable disease which was also believed to be contagious – is completely healed and restored to his rightful place in the community.

Fourth, a man suffering from paralysis is completely cured and given new life through the forgiveness of his sins.

Fifth, Levi, who is a tax collector and thus regarded as an outcast both by Jewish society and religion, is called by Jesus to join him, and to be included in his specially chosen followers.

These five very different miracles are intended to encompass and illustrate for the reader both the content of the ‘good news’ that Jesus was proclaiming, and its results in practice. They illustrate the broad scope of the good news. As one commentator (Jeffrey John) sums it up, it is a story of ‘healing, liberation and inclusion’.

2. EXAMPLES OF JESUS’ MIRACLES TODAY

Now these may seem to us rather rarefied examples, usually far removed from our everyday experience in the 21^st century. But let’s try re-stating what Jesus was doing in his earthly ministry in a different way.

Jesus was touching the untouchable – those from whom others drew back and shunned. He was releasing those imprisoned in webs of evil, whether by habit, addiction, circumstance, relationship or indeed any way of life which prevented their ability to live truly whole and wholesome lives. Jesus was taking notice of those in society who seemed shrouded in cloaks of invisibility, and whom people just passed by. Jesus was cleansing the unclean so that they could put all the past behind them. Jesus was reaching out to those who were regarded as unreachable. Jesus was observing the outcast and the lonely and inviting them to join the party. Jesus was showing immense and practical love to the unloved and the unlovable. Jesus was healing the sick. Jesus was giving new hope and a new future to those in despair, and drawing close to the inwardly grieving and broken hearted.

If we express it like that, which of us cannot place ourselves somewhere on the list of people Jesus came to heal and save? Which of us does not inwardly long to hear the good news that Jesus came to bring to the world?

And which of us does not discern here a challenge to reach out ourselves, in the name of Jesus, to those around us whom we see to be in need of caring and prayer and love?

3. MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE

I want to suggest that we use Lent this year to reflect day by day on the ministry of Jesus as he journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem, and ask him to meet us at our particular point of need. Ask him to show you what is the true desire of your heart. Ask him to heal your deep hurt. And if you are praying about a problem that seems to you the most important thing, ask him to show you whether perhaps, underneath that presenting problem, there is something deeper. And if that is addressed or changed or healed, many other good things will flow from it, and move you in the direction of the wholeness of life to which he calls each one of us. Jesus came to confront and defeat all that spoils the wonderful and fruitful life he intends for us. When any of that happens, it is for you - surely – a miracle.

AND, if – in the name of Jesus – you reach out to someone in need with love and prayer and practical help, then you yourself will find you are working a miracle in someone else’s life, and be a bringer of blessing to that person. May God give us eyes and ears to see and to hear and act in Jesus’ name.

Do you believe in miracles? If we will take time, and pay attention, and listen in prayer to what Jesus is saying to us personally, what a miracle could happen in your life. Miracles are not just for people of long-ago. I was reminded recently of a song which says: ‘I believe in miracles – they happen every day’. Jesus told us that he had come to give us life in all its fullness.

Would it not be wonderful to arrive at Easter this year having experienced – in whatever form it may take – a kind of resurrection miracle in our own lives, because Jesus has touched our life with healing and blessing – new hope, new life, and made us a source of blessing to others. You and I are intended to embrace for ourselves the triumphant victory of the Easter resurrection. My prayer is that each one of us will experience a miracle in our lives this Lent. As you come to communion this morning, ask the Lord to do something new and wonderful in your life in the coming days. Surely He will answer.

DISCUSSION

1. Do you observe Lent in some particular way? Discuss in your group, if you belong to one, or consider prayerfully for yourself. Can you make these coming weeks more spiritually constructive so that – when Easter comes – you will have experienced some kind of spiritual growth and resurrection in your own life. If in a group, compare ideas.

2. You hear people say sometimes: “I feel so much better, it’s like a miracle!” Or “My life has really changed for the better, it’s like a miracle!” Does a miracle need to be ‘supernatural’ in a scientific sense? If Jesus meets you in prayer in a way that is a life-changing experience, would that not be a miracle? Do you think he is willing and able to do this in your life if you ask him? Discuss and share encouraging experiences.

3. The ‘miracles’ that Jesus can work in your life often begin with a small change. And a small change can sometimes set off a chain reaction. Bring the problem(s) you are most aware of (however small) to Jesus in prayer and ask for his help and see what happens! Discuss how you can make this Lent an adventure in prayer and its answer. Keep a note, and share wherever appropriate with those you trust and who pray alongside you.

4. Consider how you can discern better those around you who are perhaps lonely, unloved, in special need of some kind, and how you can reach out to them, probably in some quite simple ways – but ways which may make a difference beyond your imagining.

Sunday 19 February 2012, The Word, Colossians 1:15-20, John 1:1-14, Bruce

In a late change to the running order for our service today, I reinstated the second verse of our last hymn. We will now sing “At his voice creation sprang at once to sight”. Jesus is The Word, the logos, the revelation of God. He is the image, the eikon, of God. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Creation is the solidified expression of who God is. Except that for many of us, creation is like lava flows – cold solid rock that only in our imagination reminds us of the fire and passion and love of our Father God. Many look at the state of the world, this whole world system, and see chaos and disorder and lack of harmony, and find it hard to see an all-wise all-loving all-powerful God at the back of it. Paul explains: Romans 1:¹⁸ “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” It is not a big step from there to “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.”

And thus Jesus comes as light into our darkness. The process of creation that he began is continuing, and so he constantly refers to himself as doing the work that his Father has given him (John 5:36). He is the living expression of the love of God that led him to give his Son so that everyone who believes in Jesus should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). He is The Word, the continuing point of contact between us and our Father God. I suggest that this plays out in three ways, the Word, the World and in Worship.

The Word, the written scriptures, are not themselves divine, but they point us to the Living Word himself. The stories and teachings contained in this book are a gateway to the experiences of others who have encountered God. As we listen or read, we understand more and we allow our thinking to be shaped so that we become more like Jesus, the living Word. Just to play a cd or mp3 recording of the scriptures is like giving our minds and souls a refreshing cleansing bath that transforms us. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8” You cannot dose yourself with anything better than the Word of God, even if you do not understand or retain every single sentence.

The World, itself, as we have seen points us to the reality of God. The problem is that our view of creation has become distorted. We were placed here to cultivate and tend to creation, to be the park-keeper in the garden but we have come to view all of creation as there for our personal benefit. This extends to our treatment of other people, so that we are perpetrators of evil as well as innocent victims. We are part of the problem. Thus Jesus, The Word, comes “to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace though his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20). As our relationship with Jesus grows and deepens, so we see God’s blessed hand revealed in all of creation around us. “Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green; Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen.” (G. W. Robinson) This is a process, not an event; as we grow in confidence in Jesus, so he allows us to encounter more of the pains and difficulties of this fractured creation. In our prayers and practical works we seek for his kingdom to come, his will to be done, and we as we do this we grow in perseverance and character. We learn to view The World through lens of The Word who created it and has redeemed it though his blood.

Worship is our proper response. Peter writes “ ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.... ²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks unto thee,
O Lord, holy Father,
almighty, everlasting God,
through Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord.

May the red hot lava of God’s love for the world flow in our praises and worship as we encounter the living Word and grow in him. As we read or listen to his word, or as we walk in the wonders of creation, or as we gather to sing, read and worship together, let us be open for all that all that he has for us, open for all that he would teach us, open for every person who would seek after him, and open to follow him wherever he leads us.

Discussion Starters

1. What have been the most important ways that you have learned about God?

2. In what ways has your experience of God grown recently, and how?

Sunday 12 February 2012, 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, Matthew 18:15-20, Bruce

In Matthew 22 we read that “³⁷ Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'

⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

There is debate about how often Paul quoted directly from the words of Jesus, but my contention this morning is that Paul’s teaching to the Corinthian church is very much in the spirit of these words. Jesus singles out two commandments from the Hebrew scriptures (Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18) that encapsulate all the teaching we have about how to live. Although they are two, they work together and in keeping one we find ourselves keeping the other.

How do we love God? By trust, by faith, by expressing worship and adoration. This is our main purpose and excitement. After all, we have a brief time on earth to practice, but then we have all eternity to join in the songs of the angels and all those who have gone before us, singing Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, as we gather around the throne. O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height. And in doing this, we show his love for those he has placed us to live amongst.

Therefore it mattered that in the church in Corinth they were more interested in displaying their own apparent knowledge or wisdom. It mattered that in the communion services they displayed wealth and privilege and boorish manners. It mattered that in their worship they acted in ways that seemed completely out of touch with the surrounding culture, thus setting up barriers and making it more difficult for outsiders to come in. They were not open for all.

We have seen over previous weeks that God has given to each one of us at least one gift of the Holy Spirit for the common good, that we are to see ourselves as different members of one body with our own unique part to play, that the gifts we are given are a mix of what we would consider natural and supernatural, but that they are given to build up the church, and of greatest importance that none of this has any use if we do not love. We have observed that the sometimes puzzling gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongues seem to have been overused in unregulated ways so that worship would remind one of a kindergarten, and would hinder outsiders from encountering God and growing in him. My understanding is that Paul wants to encourage responsible use of these gifts, but only in ways that show love and respect for God and concern for the outsider.

Now we come to Paul’s summary of his careful argument over these three chapters, and we note two principles.

First, All Involved. “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of revelation, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.” This does not sound like the way that we run a Parish Communion, with pre-chosen and carefully rehearsed hymns, readings and a sermon planned in advance, with certain authorised people to “preside” at the Lord’s Table. I wonder if I call for a show of hands – what shall we sing next? Does anyone want to share a thought that has come to them while they were reading the scriptures? Have you felt when praying that God has a message to pass on to us? I could come among you now with the hand-held microphone. I wonder how we would respond to that?

The reality, however, is that we have probably selected this style of worship as it is what we are most comfortable with. To gather several dozen people and engage in collective worship almost necessitates a certain degree of formality. We should be aware, however, that this style is not the only one, and it has not been specially commanded by God. It can even be a stumbling block to outsiders. Imagine introducing the concept of eating to someone who has never seen it. If you take them to a formal dinner with special etiquette, where there are frequent stylised toasts, and it is made obvious if you use the wrong cutlery, they may be put off. They need to know that there is also a family Sunday lunch, and a casual supper around the kitchen table. We do all of these, but at different times. We should consider carefully the extent to which our ways of worship show love for God and for our neighbour.

One way that we try to live these words out today is to consciously do church in different ways at different times. Paul’s command that we all take an active part in worship makes sense when we meet in smaller groups of eight to ten people; we can all have our voices heard and make a meaningful contribution. This is not a different church from our Sunday service, or an extra activity to be shoe-horned into our busy schedules, but the flip side or completion, just as the two great commandments are to be taken as one. I will be delighted to discuss with you further how you could take this thought forward.

The second thought is that in our openness to all, we have order, a proper sense that we are acting in submission to God, and for the good of others. It is possible that you have nodded through the talk of tongues, revelations, prophecy and the rest because you cannot see how it is relevant to you, but you are very interested to hear what I will say about women in church. I would merely urge that you spend time asking God to help you be open for all that he has for you in the area of spiritual gifts. You might otherwise be in the position of a driver who is unaware that there are fourth and fifth gears to be used, or a cook who knows about the hotplate but is ignorant of the oven. No wonder we sometimes wonder, in the deepest recesses of the heart, if being a Christian is all it is cracked up to be.

Just as driver revels in the use of fifth gear but should not exceed the speed limit, and the cook should enjoy the use of the oven but take care not to burn everything to a crisp, so worship should be exciting, joyous, honouring to God and a blessing to all who attend, whether regular attendees or visitors. Paul sets some guidelines to help us. He encourages use and experimentation with spiritual gifts in worship, but always in the context of order, courtesy, mutual understanding and submission. He also talks about the conduct of women in worship. It seems that many people feel very happy to bring their preconceived ideas to these verses.

These verses read very strangely to us in the 21^st century west, and are controversial. We need to be aware of their cultural context, and also the ways that we are influenced by our own culture as well.

There are some in the worldwide church who would interpret them to mean that women should literally refrain from speaking in church, meaning to take part formally in the service. We should note however that Paul talks in chapter 11 of women being careful to cover their heads when they pray or utter prophecies – and this may well indicate that women did take a part in worship services. This has obvious relevance as the debate continues about women bishops in the Church of England, and as we note that all the folk going forward for various forms of ministry in this church community are women.

It has been pointed out that these verses make perfect sense in a community that has carried on the synagogue practice of seating men and women on opposite sides of the meeting. It may very well be that there was a problem at Corinth with engaged, inquisitive women throwing questions and comments across the room. In a culture much more akin to what we see today in the near east than to our own, this would have been profoundly shocking. Put this together with unbridled and unwise use of the good gifts of the Spirit that God has given to us, and a general free-for-all at the Eucharist, and we can imagine that love for God and for neighbour would possibly have seemed to be at a low ebb.

Let us seek to be open for all that God has for us and for all who seek him. Let us be Christ centred, personally seeking to be individually disciples, resolved to use the gifts he has given us to be servants of others, striving to do all that we can to build up the community of believers, and passionate to see others brought in to know his love.

Questions to promote discussion

1. What do you imagine would have struck you as most strange about worship services in Corinth? And do you think they would think of ours at St Michael’s?

2. What makes it easier for you to take part in worship?

3. Thinking more widely, how much do you know about the spiritual gifts that you have received through the Holy Spirit? Have you taken a test yet?

Sermon for Sunday 5th February 2012 – 1 Corinthians 14:13-25 (and beyond a little)

Why come to church? We, God’s people assemble for one purpose – to worship God. Yes?
We come to worship Him by our prayers and singing (v. 15) by the teaching and preaching (v.3). Worship should result in bringing glory to God and a blessing for God’s people (v.3), and fear and conviction for sinners (vv. 23-25). But for these things to happen, Jesus Christ must be Lord of our lives, and we must yield to the Holy Spirit. If we come to church to display our spirituality, we will not only miss blessing ourselves but also cause others to miss the blessing. We come to honour Him. We also come to edify each other. A key word in this chapter is edification (vv 3-5, 12, 17, 26), which means ‘building up’. A worship service should lift up the Lord and build up
the saints, not puff up the participants.

We are all aware of the many different languages throughout this world. Indeed you only have to pause for few minutes and listen to people walking by in Park Street speaking, to realise that we have Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Asian, South African dialects going on in Camberley. One could say we need a present day Pentecost in Camberley, another Paul speaking in ‘tongues’ proclaiming the good news to all in Camberley’s Park Street. It’s certainly a challenge for churches in Camberley. How do we help the people from foreign lands express their faith in Camberley?

While I was working in other countries throughout the world, I encounter many different languages but I made sure I could order steak and salad and four white wines in the language needed that day. I hasten to add that the four white wines were not just for me! But most of the time we would get by with sign language and our crude attempt of speaking in the language and English.

The disciples were the first to speak in tongues on the Day of Pentecost. People often think that on that day the disciples were speaking human languages, because the people could understand what they were saying. The passage in the book of Acts writes about the many languages that were spoken on the day by the disciples. But there had to be something more than that because there were two different things taking place that day: the miracle of speaking and hearing: The first was the speaking in tongues. The second was the enabling of some to understand(interpretation) the tongues. Not everyone understood the tongues, because some onlookers made fun of the disciples and accused them of being drunk (Acts 2:13); this clearly shows that they did not understand the tongues. And the ones who did understand the tongues were bemused because each one heard only their own native language not the languages of the other people (v. 6). Each person who heard, the disciples praising God in their own language and they could not figure out how this was possible. Sometimes this happens today. The miracle was in the hearing of the people.

Speaking in tongues has been talked about in Christianity for thousands of years. Yet with all the talk about speaking in tongues, few understand what it's all about. It is the least understood subject among believers. People will be surprise to find that the Bible mentions speaking in tongues thirty-five times. That is a lot, so this subject should not be cast lightly aside as unimportant to the Church. God does not fill His book with things of minor importance.

Many people inaccurately define speaking in tongues as "speaking gibberish" or "talking nonsense." The truth is, speaking in tongues is the most intelligent, perfect language in the universe. Why because it is God's language.

What language do you suppose people speak in heaven? Languages are given their name
based on the countries they come from. For example, English comes from England. Spanish comes from Spain. Italian comes from Italy. Tongues are the heavenly language. It is what is spoken in heaven; the only difference is that the people in heaven understand what they are saying. Here on earth Paul says, "For anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understand him; he utters mysteries with his spirit" (v.2).

Jesus says that those who believe in Him will "speak in new tongues" (Mark 16:17). The word "new" means appearing for the first time. No one hadspoken these languages before. It is only appropriate that "new tongues" should be spoken by those of the "new birth." It is natural and normal to speak in the language of your birth. We are born again from above, we therefore should speak the language from above - that language is called "new tongues."

Why speak in tongues? Paul writes, "He who speaks in tongues edifies himself...I would like every one of you to speak in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:4, 5). With this positive statement about tongues, why do so few Christians speak in tongues? The answer could be because there is very little sound, logical and scriptural teaching as to the scope and value of speaking in tongues.

So what does ‘speaking in tongues’ do for us, for you and me? It does exactly what the bible says it does. ‘He who speaks in tongues edifies himself." The word "edify" means to "build up" or "charge up"--much like charging up a battery. We all need a spiritual charge. All of us at times
feel spiritually drained. One of God's ways to charge your spirit is through speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is the physical, biblical evidence that one is baptised in the Holy Spirit. We should not settle for anything less than the scriptural evidence.

In our passage today, Paul is talking about public ministry gifts that are manifested in the church. He is not talking about tongues as the initial sign of the baptism in the Spirit, nor is he talking about tongues as a private, devotional, prayer language. You can recognise this by simply looking at the language Paul uses concerning speaking in tongues. In this chapter he calls
speaking in tongues "different kinds of tongues" (see 12:10, 28). "Different kinds" means "not the usual." The usual kind of speaking in tongues is a language no man understands or interprets. However, speaking in "different kinds" of tongues enables the speaker or someone else to recognise the meaning of the tongue and thereby interpreting it.

So when Paul ask the question, "Do all speak in tongues?", he is referring to the public manifestation of tongues which enables a person gifted in interpretation to speak out the meaning of the tongue. Not all have been given this gift of "different kinds" of tongues.

In 1 Cor 14, Paul corrects the misuse of tongues in the church. He tells them to stop the practice gathering "the whole church [so] everyone [can] speak in tongues" (v. 23). This clearly shows us that everyone in the Corinthian church was speaking in tongues. Most of them should have allowed those gifted in the "different kinds" of tongues to exercise their gift, and the rest should simply "keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (v. 28).

Now, there seems to be an acceptance in many churches that charismatic gifts like prophecy
and speaking in tongues are for today. But are we actually seeing a desire to exercise them? How many of those who believe in the gifts of tongues actually pray in tongues every day? How many prophesy? I want to suggest that there is a discrepancy between Paul’s Church and the Church today, and I believe we’ve subconsciously believed certain untruths. The first is that the manifest
presence of God is an optional extra for God’s people. And the second untruth is that the gifts of the Spirit are optional extras for God’s people. Both of the untruths are refuted by Scripture. God’s gifts are for all his people and God wants each of us to have a desire to receive and use them.

The Gift of Tongues is for all and God is willing us to use the gift to edify ourselves and others as well as to worship Him and bring Him glory. A gift for private and individual use as well as for Corporate use and when used in a church setting should be used with caution and care – being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Whether private or corporate to edify – build up. Should be not be exercising the Gifts of Tongues and Interpretation today? The Heavenly Language is not something we should be afraid of – indeed we should embrace the fact that God want to speak to us as individuals as well as a corporate body. However, we should always ensure that we enable God to speak without hindrance from ourselves. AMEN.