Harvest Sunday 3 October 2010, John 6:1-13, Bruce

The first character that we meet is Jesus. After a busy period in the region of Galilee at the beginning of his ministry, he takes his disciples for a quiet rest and some one-to-one teaching on the other side of the lake. But they are not alone.

The crowd is following. It is near the time of the Passover, March or April when the grass is green. There is excitement in the air; it is a time of nationalistic fervour and celebration, rather like 4 July in USA or 12 July in Northern Ireland. The Passover is the time to remember when Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and when God fed them in the wilderness with bread, manna, that he sent down from heaven. They remember the prophecy in the Old Testament that God would raise up another prophet like Moses who would deliver God’s people. Could Jesus be the one who was promised?

There is Jesus and his disciples preparing for their quiet time together when crowd shows up. We learn from the other gospel accounts that Jesus teaches them for quite a while, but now he asks the question about how the crowd will be fed? It says something about Jesus’ openness to others and his willingness to serve and care; he will teach them when they show up uninvited and he will feed them.

So he tests the disciples to see what they make of it all. Philip produces the accountant’s answer. “I have done the sums, assessed as accurately as possible the financial realities, and I have to advise you that this is not a viable proposition.”

As we saw last week, Andrew’s strength lies in bringing people to Jesus, and this is a good thing. He does it even is he cannot really believe that it will do any good. I am not sure if this is desperation “We have searched everywhere and this is all we have come up with”, irony “Here’s the answer to our problem, I don’t think!” or sanctified hope “This is the best we could come up with, but it is not going to do much good is it?”

And the boy? What a wonderful example of sharing and making one’s self available. Some have been tempted to reduce this whole episode to a parable about how good it is to share with each other. It is much more than that, but we should never lose sight of the fact that sharing is a mark of love and Christian commitment. Together with prayers, bible reading, and breaking of bread, sharing is what we do.

Nevertheless the story remains a reminder of the Exodus event. We see the link with the Passover and the manna; immediately after this we see Jesus walking on the water, and then we are led into a tempestuous discussion about who Jesus is that reminds us that for 40 years the people contended with God.

Harvest is a time for us to celebrate God’s rich provision and all of creation. We take delight in the foods, the clothes, the homes, the games, and everything else that he gives us. We take stock and remember to have a care for those less fortunate than us.

We see also that these lead on to a discussion. Who is Jesus? Can we trust him?

The obvious answer is that, yes, we can trust him and indeed we have no other choice.

This is true when we consider our relationship with God. How can we be forgiven and have peace with God? What can we do when our lives seem to be so much at variance with the way that we would like to live? We try to live well, do we not? And yet we cannot live well enough to please God.

This is also true when we consider our finances, whether our own personal finances or those of the church. The need is so great and such are the uncertainties we face that we are reduced to the position of a Philip: “Our need is so great that we do not stand a hope.” Or of an Andrew: “What we have got is totally inadequate to help us meet the need.” Either way, we are doomed. Or are we?

We can be so familiar with the story that we lose sight of the strangeness, the wonder. Jesus turns water to wine, he feeds 5,000 men (perhaps 20,000 people) with practically nothing.

He is trying to tell us something!

He is sowing a seed in each of us. We can trust him. Even if the seed is very small, and we are very small in our faith and Christian experience, he can and will do something mysterious and miraculous in us.

We can know his rich provision, as much as we want or need, and there is much more left over.

There is nothing that Jesus cannot and will not forgive in your life. You have only to trust him. There is no need that you have that he cannot or will not fulfil for those who trust him, obey him, surrender their lives to him. This is the true harvest that he is looking for.

Sunday 26 September 2010, John1:35-42, Bruce

Each of us is here today because we have responded to an invitation. Some of us were specifically invited to attend because today is Back to Church Sunday. The card says to “Come as we are”. Others of us have been attending this church fellowship and perhaps feel part of a community; in some way we must have felt invited or called to be here. Still others of us cannot remember any time in our lives when we were not part of the church; our parents or others issued the invitation to us when were very small and too young to remember.

Our gospel passage this morning begins with John the Baptiser pointing out his cousin Jesus to two of his followers; they were already seeking the truth. We proclaim Jesus to everyone around us, but we do not go out of our way to force him upon the unwilling!

John calls Jesus the “Lamb of God”. Perhaps this was mysterious to them at the time, but as we have later learned the story of Jesus sacrificing himself for us on the cross, it becomes full of meaning.

The disciples follow Jesus, prompting him to ask them what they want. They want to be with him. Jesus issues the invitation “Come ....”, and they spend the rest of that day with him.

There must have been something. We are not told what they did or what they talked about (there are plenty of Jesus’ talks recorded later in the gospel). We do guess, however, that it was a time of excitement and wonder. Something must have happened.

I think this because of the effect on the disciple called Andrew of his time with Jesus. We are told that the first thing he does is to find his brother Simon. It is a time of excitement and sharing. If it had been taking place today we would call it a Facebook/Twitter moment!

We learn first that you do not have to have the gift of the gab. We hear very little of Andrew but he pops up at key moments helping people to meet Jesus: the boy with five loaves and two fish, some anonymous Greek seekers, and here his own brother Simon. Andrew does not seem to say much, but at the important times he speaks.

Second, it is good to share good news about Jesus in our networks, perhaps among groups of friends or colleagues or as here within the family. (Note that there are two brothers, and that only one will end up leading their party!)

Third, Andrew does not share good news about a thing or an experience or an ideology, but about Jesus. When we talk about Back to Church, we are not making out this building or the particular group who meet here to be the main thing. It is short hand for saying that we see no substitute for living in a real relationship with Jesus.

Fourth, Jesus meets us where we are. For Simon this involved a new name Cephas, Peter, the Rock. Jesus not only saw Peter as he was, but could see what Peter could and would become if he threw in his lot with him.

For Simon now called Peter this was the start of an adventure that would transform him. There would be other invitations, to be a fisher of men, beside the lake shore to feed Jesus’ sheep, to rise up kill and eat.

For each of us, whether we are newly arrived this morning or if we have been following Christ for many years, the invitations keep coming to encounter him, to grow in him.

As a church we will spend time this coming Wednesday in responding to the invitation from Jesus to be his church here in the way that is right for Camberley at this time. I invite you to come as you are, to follow him and work for him.

Sunday 19 September 2010, Luke 16:1-13, Bruce

Who is God? What is he like? Luke did not insert chapter breaks, so this story of the shrewd manager follows in a sequence. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The Pharisees and teachers of the law demonstrate that they do not have ears to hear: God obviously only favours respectable people like them. Jesus on the other hand tells the story of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost Sons (both the younger and the older, and at the end the status of the older is still in doubt), and finally this story of the Shrewd Manager.

“What is this I hear about you?” is usually the prelude to hard bargaining. The man is to be fired, but is expected to plead his case, fight for his job, and at least try to get compensation. His silence is an admission of guilt.

“What shall I do now?” He considers the options of labouring and begging, but he is unsuited for either. He is not strong enough to dig, but paradoxically, he does not have the handicap that would inspire pity and make him a successful beggar. He wants to be welcomed into another house, in other words to get another job. But there will be no reference.

Inspiration! The manager has only a little time, one or two hours at the most before he must hand over the account books. Only the master knows that he has been fired. He instructs servants to call in his master’s debtors; the servants will assume he is carrying out orders from his master, and therefore so will the debtors. Each debtor is instructed to write in his own handwriting a reduced amount. Are the debtor and the manager to divide the difference and make a profit? If so, it is a scam, and they are implicating themselves in it! Or are they innocently being involved in the manger’s machinations, blithely unaware? After all, the manager would never have done anything so radical unless on his master’s instructions, would he?

By the time the manager returns to the master to hand over the incriminating books, there is a hubbub of joy and celebration going around the village. Everyone is feeling better off as their debts have been written down. They are all saying what a useful fellow the manager is to know; a bit shady perhaps, but what a good chap to have working for you if he is so shrewd. And the master – well he is obviously generous and wise and good to know; his kindness will be the talk of the village for years to come.

What is the master to do? Legally, he could go throughout the village and explain the scam, and that the manager was acting illegally and beyond his powers, and that the debts still stood at their original amount. But his name would be mud.

Or he could do what the manager has gambled on. Ruefully, perhaps shaking his head, the master commends his roguish servant – not for his honesty or trustworthiness, but because the manager has accurately understood his master and how he would respond, and has risked everything on that.

His master is just and upright. He listened to claims that the manager was dishonest and, if true, act on them; the manager instinctively knew that there was no point pleading or making excuses. The master is also compassionate and merciful: he could have thrown the dishonest manager into jail, or sold him and his family as slaves to recoup his losses; he opts instead merely to fire him.

The manager sees that the way out of his predicament is to risk all on his master’s compassionate and merciful nature. He cannot earn his way out of trouble, or bribe his way. He cannot pull a fix. All he can do is put himself in a position of great risk, trusting that his master will be kind.

And, Jesus says, this is exactly what those who have ears to hear will do.

God is the one who loves the sinner and seeks us, like a shepherd searching for one lost sheep in a hundred, like a housewife who has lost the gold coin given her on her wedding day, like a loving father who will forgive his lost sons anything, like a landowner who is compassionate as well as just.

We can trust him. Indeed, we have no alternative than to trust him for nothing else we can do will bring forgiveness for our sins, bring us into a right relationship with God, help us to enjoy the life of God and his kingdom now here on earth.

To follow Christ is not the safe, soft option that we can do diplomatically, quietly, with no one noticing. Rather, we will risk all to know Christ and to be his. We will be excited by the prospect that our relationship with him will inevitably affect everything else – how we spend our time, how we react to other people, yes – and how we spend or do not spend our money. To pretend otherwise is to fool ourselves and demonstrate that the most important thing for us is our own wishes, our comforts and the respect and good opinions of those around us.

How much better to throw ourselves completely on the mercy and goodness of God? That way he will audit the books, and discover that Jesus has paid every debt for us. He is worthy to be praised!

Questions for discussion

1. Who is the hero of the story, and why?

2. What do you learn from this story about who God is?

3. How would you imagine that Jesus would like us to respond to this story, and how might our lives be different if we did? Would you welcome this?

ST MICHAEL’S. 12 SEPTEMBER 2010. ST PAUL – BEFORE & AFTER. 1 Timothy 1: 12 – 17 Luke 15: 1 – 10 Robert

I wonder what picture comes into your mind when you try to visualise St Paul. I won’t try to guess, but I suspect it isn’t quite how Paul saw himself before his conversion. In our Epistle today from his first letter to Timothy, we get a fascinating flash of autobiographical detail – fresh (so to speak) from his own lips. He describes himself as “a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man” and then (twice) as the worst of sinners. The language is very strong and he describes a man whom, frankly, you would not want to know, let alone cross. A potential Christian? – absolutely not!

He calls himself a blasphemer, which must mean that he not only rejected outright any idea of Jesus as God’s promised Messiah, but must have used some extremely unpleasant words to describe Jesus. We get just a tiny insight into his thinking in his letter to the Galatians. It had been ingrained into him since his early lessons in the Torah, that in Deuteronomy (21:23) God had said through Moses that anyone who was hung on a tree was under God’s curse. He quotes this in Galatians 3:13 (although he draws a wonderful conclusion from it). So you have to imagine the sheer vehemence with which he must have asserted again and again that ‘Jesus was cursed by God’ when he was crucified.

He calls himself a persecutor. We read in Acts 8:3 that Paul ‘began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.’ And his reason for undertaking that life-changing journey from Jerusalem to Damascus is described in Acts 9: 1f: Paul ‘still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that, if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.’

He calls himself a violent man. His murderous thoughts against Christians clearly translated into violent actions in the way he handled these men and women whom he seized them as prisoners. Who knows in what other ways his violent nature manifested itself?

We hear a lot at the moment about this woman in Iran whom they want to stone. Buried up to the neck and then pelted with rocks of a specified size so that death does not come too quickly. We don’t know whether the stoning of Stephen (as described in Acts 7) was as organised as that, or whether it was more like a spontaneous lynching. But those taking part threw off their cloaks or outer garments, so that they could hurl rocks more effectively, and left them with Paul to look after, as he stood by watching with approval. He was very close to being a murderer.

I don’t think you or I would have seen him as a potential church leader, let alone a leader who probably had more influence on the spread of the Gospel than any other single person, ever. But the risen Christ saw him in an entirely different light. We read in Acts 9:15 that Jesus said to Ananias: ‘This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’

If ever there was a lost sheep or a lost coin, Paul was it. He was, in every sense, a ‘fully paid up’ member of God’s people. He gives us his credentials – his CV – in Philippians 3. He was a totally dedicated worshipper of God and committed member of God’s chosen people. He must have been eagerly hoping that God’s Messiah would appear.

Yet, when God’s plan came to fulfilment in Jesus, Paul refused it outright, and turned decisively against God’s purposes. Not, of course, exactly on purpose – any more than the sheep or the coin went missing on purpose – but (as he says here in 1 Timothy 1:13) through ‘ignorance and unbelief’. But entirely through grace, the risen Christ stepped in and summoned him to be his follower. What a miracle!

To the end of his life, Paul was overwhelmed by gratitude and wonder that Christ had sought him out when he was at his most violently rebellious, and - like the shepherd and the woman in Jesus’ stories – brought him back into his care, with much rejoicing in heaven.

The point of these autobiographical details here in 1 Timothy, is so that he can express his thankfulness and praise at the grace of God – grace, which is unmerited love for sinners. And now the negative and destructive elements in Paul’s character could be channelled into strength and total dedication and perseverance for the Gospel and for his Saviour, Jesus.

What are some of the things we can learn from this? For today I suggest three.

First of all, there simply couldn’t be a clearer illustration of the fact that every Christian is saved by grace, and not by our own efforts. The shepherd found the sheep, and the woman found the coin – not the other way round. Here is a wonderful affirmation in real life that God loves us so much – each one – that he comes looking for us even when we are far, far away. Surely we must have the same sense of overwhelming gratitude and praise, expressed every day and in every single aspect of our lives. Think about it as we approach Pledge Day.

Secondly, we should not be put off in our witness when someone is antagonistic to our faith – even aggressively so. How often do you read in Christian books, stories of how the most fiercely aggressive atheists have been converted quite suddenly when a Christian has had the courage to witness to them. Beneath Paul’s furious anger lay some past personal agenda which was actually very brittle. Personally I think he had been more moved by Stephen’s speech and subsequent murder than he cared to admit, and – as he travelled to Damascus – furious questions were going round and round in his mind. If people are angrily aggressive about Christianity, there is generally a reason lying somewhere in the past which is not expressed. A personal story from our own lives about the grace and love of God, and the forgiveness of sins, can sometimes break through the most unlikely façade. Perhaps we should be much bolder in our testimony – think about it as we approach Back to Church Sunday.

Thirdly, God saw in Paul huge potential, where ordinary Christians saw only hatred and aggression. When we need help in the church’s ministry, we should not just be looking at the obvious people. We all have gifts for ministry and often they are not apparent on the surface. We need to pray for spiritual discernment to see beneath the surface. And there is nothing more exciting in Christian ministry than to see a person’s unnoticed gifts blossoming beyond all possible expectations when they are encouraged and we have faith in them. I could give you so many great examples from my years in parish life. You have gifts to offer – spiritual and practical gifts – and we have so many needs. If God can make something great out of a character like Paul, just think what He could do with you! – if you are open and willing, and we are perceptive and encouraging. If all the gifts in this church were being fully exercised in the power of the Holy Spirit, this church would be transformed. Think about it. Pray about it.

In conclusion, though, let us come to Communion this morning full of thankfulness for the grace and mercy of God who has sought us out and saved us like the sheep and the coin, and lavished his love and grace on us, and brought us to faith and eternal salvation. We join with Paul here in verse 17: ‘Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.’

ROBERT




Discussion

1. What do you understand by the term ‘Saved by Grace’? How do you think it applied to Paul? Do you think it applies to you?

2. In what different way do you think our gratitude to God can be expressed – spiritually and practically?

3. We believe that every Christian has gifts for ministry. How can these best be discerned, developed and used in our church?

4. Have you any experiences to share of someone who, previously antagonistic, has now become a Christian? Describe how this came about.

ST MICHAEL’S 29 AUGUST 2010. WALKING THE TALK. ROBERT Hebrews 13: 1 – 8, 15 – 16 Luke 14: 1, 7 – 14

We have probably all had the experience at one time or another of giving or attending a party where there has been no seating plan. It never fails to cause an element of confusion and jostling – who should sit next to who etc, and where? The Pharisee in this story had obviously forgotten to organise the table seating plans, or perhaps they didn’t have such essential things. Certainly if I were invited to some important civic event, I would definitely want to know where I was expected to sit! And at really important dinners, where you sit will indicate your status and importance, and of course, at events such as weddings, much will depend on your relationship with the host.

The advice Jesus gives in the first section of today’s Gospel from Luke 14 is, I have often felt, so obvious and – in a way – mundane, that you find yourself wondering why Luke included this advice in his Gospel when papyrus was quite expensive and you couldn’t just pop round to WH Smith and buy a pad of paper.

But, after the social behaviour strategy plan, the punch-line comes in verse 11 : “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus is constantly telling us that, in the Kingdom of God, our normal, worldly, human values are reversed – turned on their head. As Jesus had told his hearers in the Beatitudes, it is the meek (the humble) who will inherit the earth. Try telling that to your average politician, business executive or pop-star! Of course, in practice we know that usually the more exalted they are, the further they fall and the more they are humbled. They who exalt themselves will be humbled, and when – like Icarus – they fly too near the sun, they come crashing down to earth. The epitaph for most VIPs and celebrities could well be Macbeth’s reflection as he faced ruin and death: “A poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.”

As always for the Christian, our model is Jesus. As Paul so wonderfully states it in His letter to the Philippians (2: 5 – 11): “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant...he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even (the most humiliating and ignominious) death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name....”

The dinner party in the story is simply an everyday working out of this supreme example in a daily life.

So we have the role model of Jesus becoming a servant to us, so that we might become servants to each other and to the world outside. Hence the words of Jesus to his host that follow (verses 12 – 14): When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame – people in need who will never be able to invite you back.

This is living according to the principles of the Kingdom of God. And when you try it, sometimes wonderful things happen. The writer to the Hebrews says: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” It can be the apparently unlikeliest of people who turn out to be those who bring a special gift, or a vital message from God.

Tom Wright, whose Bible commentaries many of us are engaged with in our groups, is retiring as Bishop of Durham. He was interviewed on Friday on the Today Programme on Radio 4. He said that people are basically as religious as they ever were, but that - to be impressed and interested - what they look for are actions not words. He pointed out that the Gospels are full of the actions of Jesus, and that it was mainly those actions which drew people’s attention. And his teachings are often not ‘stand alone’ words of wisdom, but rather in commentary or explanation of something he had just done. He suggested that the outside world should be looking at what the church is doing, rather than concentrating on its internal arguments and quarrels. And in many parts of the country, the churches locally are actually doing some very impressive work. When people see that, they begin to ask why – where the motivation comes from.

The writer to the Hebrews in our epistle is just as insistent on actions. “Keep on loving one another...remember those in prison as if you were a their fellow prisoners, and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering...” And he ends by saying that, as Jesus has now offered, once for all, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, the old temple sacrifices are redundant, and (verse 15), this way of living service and witnessing has become our sacrifice - a sacrifice of praise – the fruit (the practical product) of lips that confess his name (verse 15).

So, how can we put this into practice? One initiative that has clearly caught the imagination of the public is the Street Angels scheme, and it’s a very good example of how the church can serve the community in a positive way that catches the attention and positive media interest. A guest at our lunch meeting here on Thursday came up with a quotation that sticks in the mind. The church is not a cruise-liner - it’s a lifeboat! And when it acts like a lifeboat instead of a large passing cruiser, people take notice and want to know more. Our primary aim is not to seek happiness and enjoyment for their own sake. But when we serve others, we find that happiness and enjoyment come naturally as part of the Christian package.

Clearly, being a street angel is not for everybody. We need always to think of ways in which we can all both serve one another in love, and also the wider community. Our work among children is much appreciated through Butterflies already, and that work is to be expanded in mid-September to include older children. Volunteers to be present at such events, and do the simplest of jobs will be essential to make it work – look out for more information. We can keep our eyes open and our imagination at work to see who needs care, invitations or visits. Often it is something very simple, done in the name of Christ the servant, which make an impression quite out of proportion to the deed itself.

As one writer cogently remarks, in the Kingdom of God, service to others is the only kind of status – the only kind of royalty - that is recognised.


Discussion

1. What sort of actions might count as Christian service? Broaden the list as much as possible, and perhaps come up with some ideas for practical follow-up.

2. What sort of words might count as Christian service? Broaden the list as much as possible, and consider whether you need to put this into specific practice.

3. How can St Michael’s become more suitable for service to the community, both as a building, and as a congregation of people?

Sermon for Sunday 15th August 2010 Luke 12:49-56 and Hebrews 11:29-12:2 , Kim

When I saw what the readings for today were, I felt gee, thanks Bruce. (Not really his fault (the Lectionary) and I did offer to do this week!) Suffering and hardship, divisions among our kinfolk, our friends and churches; all seemingly doom and gloom. One could get quiet depressed as we read on and find in Hebrews that people who followed God were sawn in two! But if you take another look at the two passages, if you read between the lines, they are about hope and perseverance, about being focused, about joy, about reaching the goal that is set before each of us. They give us a clue as to how we should live of lives, how we should run the race, and they give warnings.

The Book of Hebrews gives us examples of OT figures who trusted in God to preserve them in times of suffering and hardship. Now that the saving work of Christ has been completed, they with us can enjoy the promise of eternal life.

Our Luke reading is not one you find on many fridge doors or on greeting cards. It's not a verse we encourage our children to memorise, and I believe there is a song which includes the line: "Jesus was sent to upset and annoy." It doesn't describe the meek and mild Jesus we are more familiar with. The Luke reading is an upsetting and annoying text, it speaks of a crisis coming. It has several loosely joined sayings about the end of the current times. Luke refers to fire as used to separate the genuine from the dross, it purifies, and it separates the godly from the ungodly. Its purpose is to test us, to find out if we are true to him. Will we follow him into the unknown, uncomfortable places of this world? Will we do as He asks of us without thinking of the cost? Are we willing to be spent, poured out like wine and get ridiculed for doing so? Will we be loyal? Will we put our complete trust in God in the middle of a crisis?

Luke tells us that Jesus has come to bring peace, but not at any cost. Jesus has come to cause division between godly and ungodly people. We are His and are set apart from the world. Yes, we live in the world, but we are should not party be to the lies, deceit, the unforgiveness, envy and jealousy, discrimination, immorality, wrong attitudes and this will lead to arguments and rivalry within our family and friends, even in the church. We will find ourselves against others because of what we stand for.

The Luke reading points out that the crowds are able to interpret signs of impending weather, but they, in spite of seeing signs in the “present time”, fail to see their implications for the end of time. Red sky at night, shepherds delight – the crowds knew what that meant, but they could not see the ‘baptism’ Jesus had to go through. Why couldn’t they see what was going on around them, from the Roman occupation to the oppressive regime of Herod, from the wealthy and arrogant high priests in Jerusalem to the false agenda of the Pharisees and in the middle of it all, a young prophet announcing God’s kingdom and healing the sick? Why can’t they put two and two together and realise that this is the moment all Israel’s history has been waiting for? Why can’t they see that the crisis is coming? Why can’t we see the crisis coming? If they could, they would be able to take action while there was still time. There is still time for us to act today.

The Church has from very early on seen this chapter as warning that each generation must read the signs of the times, the great movements of people, governments, nations and policies, and we must react accordingly. If the kingdom of God is to come on earth as it is in heaven, them part of the role of the church is to understand the events of the earth and seek to address them with the message of heaven. And, if like Jesus, we find that we seen to be bringing division and we are caught up in a crisis, so be it.

But we have that great cloud of witnesses from Hebrews that has gone before us, that surrounds us and invites us to a shared pilgrimage and to move on towards our divine destiny. This great cloud of witnesses is filled with wanderers and wonderers, visionaries who journeyed into the unknown towards a place of promise. These pioneers and perfectors of faith were always moving out, continuing on and forging ahead. Often hungry, thirsty, exhausted, discouraged, abused, persecuted, killed; they were driven by an inner restlessness and compelled by an invitation from God. They believed in a better way and were not content to withdraw into work, or alcohol, drugs, sex; instead of conforming to their situation, they were transformed by an encounter with God. Their faith became a dynamic relationship with God. The Lord intervened in the human situation, sustained and guided them all along their journey of life. They threw off everything that held them back. Noah threw off his doubt. Abraham threw off his homeland; Enoch threw off the weight of the world and went to walk with God. We need to throw off everything that holds us back. We need to throw off whatever is wrong as well – whatever tempts and tangles and trips us up. Rehab threw off her idols, Jacob his deceit, Moses the pleasures of sin as he chose the plight of his people. We need to run with perseverance and run the whole course and never give up. Like Joseph waiting for his dreams to come true, Samuel’s search for a king and Gideon watching his army weaken to the point he could claim God’s victory. We also need above all to focus. Fix our eyes on the one out in front of us all. He is setting the pace. He is leading and He is the author and perfector of our faith.

Jesus. We need to keep our eyes on Him. We must endure and not grow weary; we must run the race despite what is thrown at us. There is a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, cheering us on. Can you hear them? Can you hear the ones who’ve run the race before?

When I was at Stopsley High School, in Luton, we were challenged by Ashcroft High School to a cross-country run. The day dawned grey and drizzly but I was young, fit and raring to go. As I jogged comfortably along, I held hopes, secret ones, of dashing triumphantly over the finishing line in first place. (A delusion of grandeur). Then we reached the steepest part of Badgers Hill, half a mile long. I swear to this day that it was Ashcroft High’s secret weapon, carefully chosen as part of the route. It may even be that they prayed for rain! Whatever the case, the slope was so slippery that, after a couple of steps, my feet gave way and I slid stomach down right back down the hill to where I had started. Before long I was joined by a succession of Stopsley Highers in the same situation. Strangely, the Ashcroft Highers had no such problem; they sailed up that bank so though they had wings. Hum! Did I ever complete the course? Eventually, yes, but only after some of my colleagues had inspired me through their heroic efforts to persevere for the sake of those following.

The Christian life can be equally demanding sometimes. We start off thinking its plain sailing but suddenly unexpected obstacles appear in our path. At times we can feel like giving up, but we have the example of those who have gone before us to inspire us onwards, and a responsibility to future generations to lead the way in turn. Whether the race is easy or hard, we need to persevere, looking to Jesus and the joy set before us. For me, that day, the incentive finally was very simple – a hot shower and a cup of tea! The joy we look to through Jesus is something far more wonderful – too wonderful for words.

Questions:
1. What must one believe to be pleasing to God? If one so believes, what will he be doing?
2. What did Abraham do as the result of his faith and what did Rahab do as the result of her faith?
3. On the basis of the great cloud of witnesses, what does the writer encourage us to do?
4. What does considering Jesus prevent us from not doing?
5. How does it feel to be called a hypocrite by God?

Sunday 25 July 2010 Matthew 20:20-28, St James, Bruce

As some of you may know, getting on for four years ago I undertook the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, the shrine of St James in Galicia in northern Spain. You will recall that the fascination of this pilgrimage is not with the destination itself, but with the process of travelling, and the lessons one learns about the journey of faith that we all make.

Nevertheless I found myself thinking about saints and their shrines in general, and James in particular. He was the first of the Twelve to be martyred, in 44AD. During the preceding eleven years he was thought to have travelled to Spain to found the church, before making his way back to the Holy Land. After his death, faithful disciples were supposed to have placed his body in a stone coffin that miraculously floated, and navigated itself back to the northern coast of Spain where it was buried; it was providentially discovered in the ninth century just when a symbol was needed to help the armies of Christendom in their conflicts with the Moors.

All this is fantastic stuff. The underlying story of the man, however, is true and instructive for each one of us. James and his brother John were the sons of Zebedee, with the nickname “Sons of Thunder”. They liked results, to make an impact; on one occasion they wanted to call down fire from heaven on a village that seemed inhospitable. And they were ambitious; I bet their fishing business was successful. They were members of the inner circle with Peter who had special times with Jesus; they were present for the transfiguration. Jesus has just said that the twelve disciples will sit on twelve thrones when Jesus sits on his, and they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus had added that many who are first will be last. Perhaps they felt that Peter’s star had dimmed somewhat; he had earlier told Peter: “Satan, get behind me!”

Where has this got us? Jesus has just told the parable of the workers in the vineyard, repeating the saying that many who are first will be last. He has just announced he was going up to Jerusalem to be betrayed, condemned, mocked, flogged and crucified. On the third day he would be raised.

It all feels a little uncertain: what will become of us? There is more certainty in the housing, employment or pensions market today than it must have seemed to Jesus’ disciples at that point in the story.

And so their mother goes to Jesus, to try to get a handle on the situation, to gain a measure of control. But we know that James and his brother were there too, because Jesus asks them a question which they answer. The request is simple and direct: “can we have the top positions in the coming administration; can we be your Right Hand and Left Hand men?”

Jesus parries with another question: “You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink from my cup, walk in my steps?” And they reply “Oh yes”.

“Well,” says Jesus, “you’ve got it.” And James did die a martyr’s death, and John was imprisoned for years on the island of Patmos.

The remaining Ten are outraged. The Two have made their play, stolen a march, got in first. It seems that they were just as ambitious, but a bit slower!

So Jesus has to explain again to all of them, and to each one of us, the very basis of the Christian life.

Jesus came as a servant. He was attentive at all times to his Father’s will, and was determined at all times and in every way to be obedient. He was a servant.

This is at odds with the way the world likes to run. Take a look, says Jesus, at the way that every Chief Executive or office manager operates. Have a look at the way many parents demand obedience. See how often people like to be in control. See how often marriages and families founder on the rock of people wanting everything done to please them. Humankind likes to think that all of creation is there for us to exploit to fulfil our desires, that we have a right to food, to shelter, to emotional support, to the comforts of life. When I was younger and in a hurry, I used to fix my eyes on a person in front, and determine to overtake them so that would walk faster; so often we seek to inspire children to work harder by encouraging them to compete with others. Even in the Garden, we wanted to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge so that we could get ahead.

How different it would be if we were each centred on Christ. If we aspired to live as he lived, seeking to please our heavenly Father. How different each one of us would be, if we each sought as individuals to be disciples of Jesus, learning from him and humbly looking to have our characters changed to be like his. How different St Michael’s would be, if we each took seriously the imperative to serve other people, and this was our driving force, rather than the need to be right or to impose our views and wishes on others. How different Camberley would be, if we each sought to serve others in ways that build community and take seriously the needs of those on the edge, those without influence or power. What a difference we would see, as our families, neighbours, colleagues and friends saw in us the influence of the Jesus who was servant of all, and gave his life as a ransom for many; the church would grow.

To be a servant is to acknowledge that ultimately we all have to allow our Father God to be in control. We pray for his will to be done, not ours, for his kingdom to come, not ours. We are forced to pray for our daily bread. We would love to be able to amass sufficient resources that we would never have to rely on anyone else, but this is not possible and if we ever feel that we have achieved it, we are deluding ourselves. We need him to forgive us, and the evidence that we are forgiven comes in the way that we cannot help ourselves forgiving others. We are helpless to avoid the trials and temptations of this life; we pray to him to keep us.

James later became the quiet humble leader of the church community in Jerusalem, and it was on account of this that he was singled out by Herod for death. His name and reputation were later taken up and used by centuries of Christian communities to suit their own ends, so that you may wonder about the real James. It seems to me that he was a companion of Jesus, who changed over time to be the person Jesus wanted him to be. Amen. May that be true of me, and may that be true of you.

Discussion Starters

1. Name a personality from the history of the church who has inspired you; what lessons have you learned from him or her?

2. How much do you agree with the statement that we all want control or to be in charge? And to what extent do you think that you really have control in your life?

3. What message do you think God would like to convey to the Vicar, the Wardens and the PCC of St Michael’s about the way that we serve each other? Can you write these down and send them in?

4. Please pray for yourself and for brothers and sisters that we may all become more like Jesus in this.