Easy or Hard? Galatians or Luke?

Christmas 1 – 31 December 2017

Reading Galatians 4

⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. ⁶ Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,

the beginning and the end.

Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 2:15—21

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Sermon

Today’s gospel is familiar—announcement of birth of Christ child to shepherds—their journey to place of nativity in Bethlehem—Mary’s reaction—circumcision of the baby Jesus on 8^th day as required by Jewish law.

Today’s epistle from Galatians is unfamiliar—it’s obscure theologically—talks of Jesus being born under the law—our adoption as children and co-heirs whereby we receive God’s spirit in our hearts—the Spirit that calls out Abba, Father—our future status as heirs—where previously we were slaves.

All this is hard to comprehend—I don’t want to appear as the ghost of Christmas past—just repeating all the past sermons about infancy narratives and those who took part in momentous events—I want to tackle Paul just for few minutes—New year; new understanding.

If we can understand these 4 verses of Scripture by Paul—we can understand more about God’s design of the Christ event that leads to salvation—that would be good as we stand at the gates of the New Year—as George VI quoted in his Christmas broadcast in 1939:

“Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.”

May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all.

So let’s attempt a paraphrase of what Paul is actually saying in these 4 verses from Galatians:

1. God chose to change the very fabric of life in order to liberate it from the power of Sin and Death—to which it had become enslaved.

2. God’s own Son was commissioned with the task. Jesus Christ entered the cosmos in the form of a vulnerable human being—like us, and all living things, he was constrained by the power that enslaved us.

3. The man Jesus, a Jew faithful to the Word of God, took upon himself the curse that came with this bondage on the cross—so that humanity might become the righteousness of God.

4. By his action—through our baptism into his death and resurrection—we receive the spirit of the exalted Christ—and so become adopted heirs—through which we rightfully call God Abba, Father.

If we can engage with it—Paul opens up for us a story of amazing scope—the world as he knew it before Christ has ceased to exist has been replaced with something entirely different—a difference as radical and far reaching as Life is from Death. That is why we celebrate the birth of the Christ child in the Christmas season.

You may ask why these events took place when they did—on the one hand it was God’s good pleasure—on the other hand conditions were favourable. They were right for the spread of the Gospel—the Roman empire had established the Pax Romana—Antony was defeated by Augustus—trade stabilised—roads were built—Greeks established common urban culture and language—there was an interest in religions.

The Jewish religion was monotheistic—contrasting the multiple gods of pagan Rome. The message of Christianity was summed up in a single commandment—love your neighbour as yourself—and this tendency towards peace and order was in the end adopted by the Roman empire. No longer would we be subject to the law—but one in Christ Jesus.

So let’s take to heart the message of Christmas—the Incarnation occurred “in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.”

Like Mary and the shepherds—let us contemplate the momentous news of the incarnation—and treasure these things as Mary pondered them in her heart—and as the shepherds glorified and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Amen

New Year’s Eve at Wingrave

1st Sunday of Christmas

Reading Galatians 4

⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. ⁶ Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,

the beginning and the end.

Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 2:15—21

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Sermon

Today’s gospel is familiar—announcement of birth of Christ child to shepherds—their journey to place of nativity in Bethlehem—Mary’s reaction—circumcision of the baby Jesus on 8^th day as required by Jewish law.

Today’s epistle from Galatians is unfamiliar—it’s obscure theologically—talks of Jesus being born under the law—our adoption as children and co-heirs whereby we receive God’s spirit in our hearts—the Spirit that calls out Abba, Father—our future status as heirs—where previously we were slaves.

All this is hard to comprehend—I don’t want to appear as the ghost of Christmas past—just repeating all the past sermons about infancy narratives and those who took part in momentous events—I want to tackle Paul just for few minutes—New year; new understanding.

If we can understand these 4 verses of Scripture by Paul—we can understand more about God’s design of the Christ event that leads to salvation—that would be good as we stand at the gates of the New Year—as George VI quoted in his Christmas broadcast in 1939:

“Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.”

May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all.

So let’s attempt a paraphrase of what Paul is actually saying in these 4 verses from Galatians:

1. God chose to change the very fabric of life in order to liberate it from the power of Sin and Death—to which it had become enslaved.

2. God’s own Son was commissioned with the task. Jesus Christ entered the cosmos in the form of a vulnerable human being—like us, and all living things, he was constrained by the power that enslaved us.

3. The man Jesus, a Jew faithful to the Word of God, took upon himself the curse that came with this bondage on the cross—so that humanity might become the righteousness of God.

4. By his action—through our baptism into his death and resurrection—we receive the spirit of the exalted Christ—and so become adopted heirs—through which we rightfully call God Abba, Father.

If we can engage with it—Paul opens up for us a story of amazing scope—the world as he knew it before Christ has ceased to exist has been replaced with something entirely different—a difference as radical and far reaching as Life is from Death. That is why we celebrate the birth of the Christ child in the Christmas season.

You may ask why these events took place when they did—on the one hand it was God’s good pleasure—on the other hand conditions were favourable. They were right for the spread of the Gospel—the Roman empire had established the Pax Romana—Antony was defeated by Augustus—trade stabilised—roads were built—Greeks established common urban culture and language—there was an interest in religions.

The Jewish religion was monotheistic—contrasting the multiple gods of pagan Rome. The message of Christianity was summed up in a single commandment—love your neighbour as yourself—and this tendency towards peace and order was in the end adopted by the Roman empire. No longer would we be subject to the law—but one in Christ Jesus.

So let’s take to heart the message of Christmas—the Incarnation occurred “in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.”

Like Mary and the shepherds—let us contemplate the momentous news of the incarnation—and treasure these things as Mary pondered them in her heart—and as the shepherds glorified and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Amen

Midnight Mass–the Promise Shared

24 December 2017 – Wingrave Parish Church – 11.15PM

Reading Isaiah 9:2—7

² The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
³ You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.

All   Alleluia.

Gospel Luke 2:1—14

The birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’

Sermon

You probably have never heard a sermon preached on Isaiah 9. The content is difficult—warrior’s boots and garments rolled in blood—but it is set alongside Luke 2 birth narrative in Christmas readings, and who would not choose that?

Good news is clear—population census—Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem ‘city of David.’ Baby is born as had been foretold—angels appear to shepherds—sing glory to God and peace on earth.

Reading from first book of Isaiah is set around 732BC—northern kingdom of Israel has fallen to Assyrians—Tiglath Pileser III is conquering the whole region—only 2 centuries later Judah will also fall—this time to Babylon and exile.

All is darkness and failure—but the prophecy sets a different tone. People who walk in darkness have seen a great light—they are joyful and rejoice—a child is born who will reverse their fortunes and save them—he will become a great governor—a man of peace—there will be justice and righteousness throughout the kingdom. This saviour will reign on the throne of David forever.

The parallels in Luke 2 are self-evident—in both times, background is oppression, failure, separation from God, and despair—all symbolized by the brooding presence of darkness. From this unpromising context there emerges hope—the birth of a saviour from the line of David—the dawn of the light—rejoicing—a statement of faith, hope and gratitude. Just as it appears the powers of this world have a firm hold on humanity—God’s power brings the final victory.

How can we Christian listeners fail to hear in the words of the 8^th C prophet the whole reason why we are here tonight?

⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Amen—Come Lord Jesus.

Advent Carol Service

3 December 2017 at Wingrave Parish Church

Gospel Luke 12

Watchfulness

³⁵ ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; ³⁶ be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹ ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

Sermon

How many words can you think of that end in -fulness? What is the longest, shortest or most obscure word you can think of? Sounds like a Pointless quiz question doesn’t it?

According to my sources, there are several 15 characters long. They include reproachfulness, resourcefulness, and disgracefulness. The longest word I thought of has 17 characters—disrespectfulness. Perhaps you can do better?

The shortest word I could find is awfulness.

Some words are bad, like unfaithfulness, sinfulness, or shamefulness. Some are good, like joyfulness, mercifulness, and prayerfulness. Others are uncertain, like wistfulness, regretfulness, or mournfulness.

Watchfulness is the theme of Advent. The usual translation of the Latin word Adventus as ‘arrival’ does not seem to me to properly describe what the church invites us to do. Often Advent is defined as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. But surely we should be ready and longing for the Kingdom of Heaven at all times, not just now.

In our gospel reading from Luke, the servants of their Master are not just waiting, however expectantly. No—they are commanded to be watchful so they can open the door immediately when he comes. They are not hanging around waiting—but ready—whatever the hour—because they don’t know when the Master is coming, and there may be false intruders who try and break in like a thief in the night.

For some reason, the lectionary misses out the warnings and sanctions awaiting those who are not ready. Jesus’s standard is clear:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

But we are consoled by the introductory verses:

Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

‘Do not be afraid’ is the hallmark of good news throughout Scripture and occurs many times in Luke’s story of Jesus as well. Not only does God long to give us the kingdom, but like the lilies of the field or the ravens, he will provide for our needs. Quite often we must provide for others by our almsgiving, for we have been entrusted with much, and much more will be expected of us.

As we enter the season of Advent, there is much to ponder and resolve. Generosity is a hallmark of the Christian life. Faith is not a measure by which we will be judged—but a shared promise, a mutual expectation which binds us to God in a new relationship of hope and fulfilment. Watchfulness is not an anxious wait for the end of time but an eager anticipation of God’s pleasure to give us all good things.

All of the commands and instructions about the way we live our lives—our faith, use of money, love for God, care for others, watchfulness and so on—are anchored in this shared promise that it is God’s good pleasure to bring us into his kingdom.

Later on in the same chapter:

⁴¹ Peter asked, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?’

The answer is obvious to all of us I hope, but not if we are unfaithful and unprepared. So:

³⁵ ‘Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.’

The trouble with watchfulness is that in the past couple of decades the electronic and communication distractions have multiplied greatly, and now offer so many competing calls for our attention that we find it hard to concentrate on any one thing for more than a few seconds at a time.

What we have lost is peace. The pleasure of TV series such as Grantchester is that we are taken back to a life of greater simplicity with more time for others.

It seems to me we must find a way to release ourselves from the competing pressures, and open up our minds again to real watchfulness. In Lent we might deny ourselves good things we enjoy. This Advent, why not take a different approach? Make space for watchfulness. Rediscover peace.

The message of this gospel reading and of Advent is that we will be richly rewarded and enabled to make ourselves truly ready and watchful for all the good things of the kingdom, which Jesus has promised for those who are ready to accept him. Amen

The Sheep and the Goats

Christ the King – Bow Brickhill Church – 26 November 2017

Gospel Matthew 25

The sheep and the goats

³¹ ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

³⁷ ‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”

⁴⁰ ‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

⁴¹ ‘Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”

⁴⁴ ‘They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”

⁴⁵ ‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

⁴⁶ ‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’

Sermon

Christ the King—recent addition to church’s calendar—first instituted by RC church (1925) as last Sunday in October. Adopted by other churches with Revised Common Lectionary. Final Sunday in Ordinary Time—last Sunday before Advent.

Significance

· Christ the Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth

· All people, purchased by the shedding of his precious blood, are subject to his dominion—including judgement [as in today’s parable of sheep and goats]

· Christ does not only reign for all time over all people—he reigns over our minds and wills—he reigns in our hearts.

Sheep and Goats—last of 4 consecutive ‘judgement’ parables in Matthew chapters 24-25

1. Faithful and Wise Servant—Keep watch for the day and the hour are coming—the faithful and wise servant is ready at all times—the wicked servant is tired of waiting his master’s return—starts beating and abusing other servants.
The punishment is shocking:
⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Weeping and gnashing of teeth appears 7 times in NT—6 in Matthew—signifies torments of the damned—Matthew the evangelist has an apocalyptic view of the end of time.

2. 10 Virgins—the door is closed on the unprepared young women who do not take with them a sufficient supply of oil for their lamps

3. Bags of Gold—the servant who buries his master’s wealth in the ground instead of making it work and earning a return is condemned:
²⁶ ‘His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
²⁸ ‘“So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Not a sympathetic or moral picture of God—like other parables such as the Unjust Judge.

4. Sheep and Goats—the goats are sent to eternal punishment for their lack of care towards followers of Jesus, especially the vulnerable.

Interpretation—Matthew sets scene with gathering of all the nations before the Son of Man. Greek word for all people is used in Matthew sometimes for ‘Gentiles’ and sometimes in a universal sense—we’ll assume here Jesus is judge of all people, but this interpretation is controversial.

³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

This picture of judgement seems to include all Christians—whether they are inside or outside the church. Christians are condemned for their failure to take care of and nurture their brothers and sisters in Christ:

⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”

⁴⁴ ‘They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”

⁴⁵ ‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

The point is well made—do we see the face of Christ in the beggar on the streets or do we step over them and pass by on the other side? For his audience at the time, Matthew’s stress on neglecting fellow Christians must of course include those who do far worse—persecution of the early Christians was horrific.

Where does ‘justification by faith’ come in? Fear not—Matthew’s account of Jesus’ judgement parables and his insistence that Christian righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees is countered by Jesus’ words, when he says in chapter 11 that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Matthew’s Jesus is concerned to encourage and empower the persecuted Christians of the early church—but above the judgement and condemnation is the universal command to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us.

If our faith has grown lukewarm—we would do well to take to heart the judgement parables—which are at least as radical as the command we should love our enemies. And if in our comfortable existence here we fail to care for our sisters and brothers throughout the church and across the world who suffer real and increasing persecution and violence, we are in some danger of neglect or worse.

It seems to me this encapsulates the message of Christ the King for us—judgement yes—not only that we should appreciate the risk of condemnation—but that we must work for Jesus in bringing in his kingdom of truth and life, holiness and grace, justice love and peace. Listen out for these words in the extended preface to our communion. Amen

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

2nd Sunday before Advent – Wingrave Methodist Church – 19 November 2017

Gospel Matthew 25

The parable of the bags of gold

¹⁴ ‘Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ ‘After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”

²¹ ‘His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

²² ‘The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold: see, I have gained two more.”

²³ ‘His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

²⁴ ‘Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

²⁶ ‘His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ ‘“So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Sermon p187 12

One month later—we are still mired in eschatological parables. Seemingly harsh God treats people unfairly—but it is the same God in Matthew who casts wedding guest into outer darkness—place of weeping and gnashing of teeth—as the compassionate God of the Beatitudes and the One who clothes the lilies of the field.

Talents—One of ‘difficult’ parables—Unjust Judge; banquet holder; labourers in vineyard. If these all portray Jesus or God the Father, why is he so unfair?

Traditional explanation—businessman represents Jesus—servants the church members—extended journey is life of church until end of time—reckoning is return of Jesus and settlement of accounts is judgement—bags of gold are wealth of spiritual gifts given to us according to abilities and χάρισμαtα.

Jesus portrayed as harsh master— I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed—gospel of Matthew redresses somewhat the balance which has swung towards comfy churches with padded chairs and justification by faith alone—towards a righteous and perfect God who is slow to anger but turns away from sin—who requires only the best from us and sits in judgement at the end of time.

Justification by Faith—still we have to remind ourselves we cannot attain the Kingdom through any works of ours—however Christ-like, sacrificial and dedicated to serving others they may be. We cannot effectively work out our own salvation—for most of us that is a comfort because of our inadequacy and recurrent sin.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth—yet in these parables we constantly hear of those who fail to make the grade—consigned to outer darkness for failing to get dressed for the wedding.

Talents—again, we should remember that God freely gives out bags of gold—impossible riches for a slave—signs once again of God’s abundance and generosity towards us.

Master of Slaves—the parable is an allegory—must beware of pushing any allegory too far and too literally—associating God with an unjust judge and a slave master too closely brings far too many problems to the text. But Matthew’s concentration is not on the first two slave who do well—both turn a 100% profit and are rewarded with a happy outcome—but all the emphasis is on warning us to avoid the fate of the lazy slave who did nothing with his money—still, he did not lose it but returned the gold intact.

Outcome is not inevitable—for Matthew, the end of time and our place in it is not a foregone conclusion—his portrayal of outer darkness is not consigning us to oblivion—but his parables are warnings and admonition to us as to how we live our lives and use the abundant grace that God has given us.

For all the difficulties of this parable—Matthew uses the words of Jesus to encourage faithfulness—not condemn us. For the early church the eschatological parables deal with the extended absence of Christ and how Christians should behave. Rather than focussing on judgement of failure—instead we should give thanks for the fact God in his mercy and abundance has entrusted his wealth to us [v14]. God does not want the destruction of anyone

Words and Faithful Deeds in Matthew’s gospel are inseparable—in this sense, justification by faith alone means that our faithfulness is translated into action. As faithful servants of Jesus the Messiah, the ending of the parable of the talents comes as a goad to faithful action. God’s judgement is deeply related to his divine justice and mercy.

God is with us—Immanuel. That’s how Matthew starts his gospel:

²³ ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). [Matt 1:23] God is with us—and that extends to the end of time. Amen

All Saints

BCP at Great Brickhill – All Saints – 5 November 2017

Reading Revelation 7:9—end

The great multitude in white robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’

¹¹ All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, ¹² saying:

‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’

¹⁴ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’

And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

‘they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ “Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
    “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”’

Reading 1 John 5:1—3

Faith in the incarnate Son of God

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

Gospel Matthew 5:1—12

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:
³ ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Sermon

Today I have a clear choice, to preach on the Beatitudes, or to take my text from Revelation.

Thing about Beatitudes—Jesus not saying it is desirable to mourn, to be poor, to hunger or thirst. He is saying you have the assurance you will eventually be blessed if these things happen to you. Meek will inherit the earth—those who mourn will be comforted—the persecuted will inherit the Kingdom of heaven.

Reading from Matthew is set for All Saints. So is the glimpse of the end of the world in Revelation 7. The 7^th seal is about to be broken. Just when we are expecting more apocalyptic destruction there is a pause. A ‘salvation interlude.’ The 4 angels at each corner of the world hold back the destructive winds—signs of God’s judgement—at least until God’s own people can be ‘sealed’ on their foreheads.

Initially the number is the often quoted 144,000—12,000 from each tribe of Israel. After that, John sees a ‘great multitude in white robes that no one could count.’ They come from every nation, people and language. Unlike some other faiths, Christianity is an inclusive and welcoming place for all.

These people stand in the presence of God and worship him. Their tribulations are over. Far from staining their robes with the blood of Jesus the lamb, their garments are now white as snow, and God will shelter them in his presence.

Notice the parallel here with the Beatitudes:

¹⁶ “Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
    “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”’

Or Psalm 23:

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    for ever.

Even though we find apocalyptic literature hard to take, still we can understand the promise of God. At the time when the vision of John the Divine was written down, the tribulations suffered by God’s people were terrifying. State sponsored persecution, torture and death. Social and economic marginalisation. These woes awaited those who refused to participate in the Roman economic and political system. For contemporary audiences, the promise of the future in God’s nearer presence and under the protection of his Son was likewise very real.

“Who is able to stand?” is the rhetorical question left dangling in the air following the breaking of the 6^th seal. Interlude portrayed in today’s reading gives God’s people their answer to that question. We are the redeemed community, dressed in white, standing in God’s presence and worshipping him. By the end of the salvation interlude, we can confidently answer, as God’s people, “With God’s help, we are able to stand.”

In a strange reversal of identities, Jesus the lamb morphs into Jesus the Shepherd and Saviour.

¹⁷ For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
    will be …our shepherd;
“he will lead …us to springs of living water.”
    “And God will wipe away every tear from …our eyes.”’

This last verse explains why the passage from Revelation is sometimes chosen for funerals. The language and style of revelation in general might be unfathomable and plain weird, but there’s no getting away from the promises laid out before us.

I am sure the Kingdom of Heaven will not involve us standing around in the huge multitude singing songs and waving palm branches, but you get the idea. What lies behind the imagery is the promise of the Father.

During my ordination training, my tutor declared Revelation his favourite book in the Bible. He took a 6-month sabbatical to write a commentary. The fact he ended up not writing a word was not, to his students like me, greatly surprising. I doubt this part of the NT represents regular reading for you, but perhaps we might learn from what we have heard today and try again to penetrate this strange and daunting literature for ourselves. Amen

A Harsh God?

Wingrave Methodist Church – Sunday 22 October 2017 – Trinity 19

Gospel Matthew 22

Paying the poll-tax to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the poll-tax to Caesar or not?’

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’

²¹ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied.

Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Sermon

4 weeks ago—Bow Brickhill—workers in vineyard. Mother—Proverbs 31. Parables about Kingdom—portray God negatively—Unjust Judge, Vineyard owner, Talents.

Gospel reading—paying tax to Romans—follows on from Wedding Banquet. Responsibility as citizens to civil and religious authorities—often conflict. Our responsibilities to law of land—our faith when there is conflict.

What is right and what is wrong?—how do we act when our faith collides with the law or the way society expects us to act?

Examples—same sex marriage in church—Sunday working—standards of honesty and conduct.

Poll tax question was a trap—opens with these words:

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.

Follows previous verse:

¹⁴ ‘For many are invited, but few are chosen.’ Many=Jewish nation=Pharisees. Herodians—political party supporting Herod the Great.

Trap question—no easy answer—started with flattery—called Jesus Teacher—commended his impartial integrity. One answer—trouble with Romans—subversion—campaign of disobedience. Opposite—trouble with people.

Margaret Thatcher latter-day example of troubled tax! Poll tax unpopular—recalls Can’t Pay-Won’t pay—slogan from 1990 riots. Jews traditionally paid religious taxes:

· Telos—merchandise and travelers—VAT

· Phoros—property

· Kensos—tribute to foreign rulers—started with first King—unpopular

· Temple tax—ancient—half shekel yearly by males over 20.

Teaching of NT[i]—people should pay tax to lawful rulers—here Jesus seems to concur. In UK—no church tax—no right to withhold.

Text is about Righteousness. Trap is set—Jesus answers cleverly—talks about two kinds of righteousness.

1. Civil righteousness

2. Spiritual righteousness

1. CIVIL—Martin Luther—discusses in introduction to 1535 commentary on Galatians. Civil—we work out daily—we are accountable for how we behave.

2. SPIRITUAL—our relationship with God—not something we can work on—determined by God’s love in Christ—we can no more increase it than walk on Jupiter.

In his answer to the trap—Jesus is drawing our attention to similar division of rightness in modern life.

1. Our obligations and duties as citizens locally, of our country, and the World—we owe to the state what is demanded of us by government

2. Our obligations and responsibilities as citizens of the Kingdom. We owe to God what is God’s.

If the two conflict, what we owe to God supersedes.

There are dangers—relying on our own strict interpretation of Scripture—current immigration and asylum seekers debate—some obligations are far from clear, like declaration of War and conscription.

In answering the trap, Jesus exposes the irony of the Pharisees—in paying taxes they give tribute to the Emperor—in seeking their own power over other people, they are failing to honour God.

We are to be in the world not of the world. What to do if we are at odds with the society in which we live? We may find our civic duty and rightness in voicing our opposition to government policy—engaging, being involved with, and understanding political debate—may lead to civil disobedience—Nelson Mandela—Desmond Tutu—Dietrich Bonhoeffer—Dalai Lama—Mahatma Gandhi—Mother Teresa—Malala Yousafzai.

We are not to confuse civil and spiritual—some churches and organisations are well known for their work for justice, peace human rights, relief of deprivation—but the danger is they place this work above the spiritual—Jesus asks us to keep them separate. We are in the world not of the world.

Equally the trap can be that we spend a lot of time on the spiritual realm—leading to being silent on the civic realm—we must do both, not one or the other.

Jesus did not come bringing harmony. He came bringing love, but especially in the church we recognize that we don’t always agree on everything. There are Christians on opposite sides of many issues, and that includes doctrine, authority of scripture, national and international relations, ethical and moral issues, and so on.

These present many traps for us. We recognize that people of conscience view the world in sometimes polar opposite ways. The key might be to find a way to proclaim the good news of God’s love for us while also calling people to think about what God’s good news and justice might look like in the world.

Essential to this endeavour is being open to listening for that call while realizing that others might hear it differently than we do. When we disagree, can we trust that God is at work even in those who think differently than we do? This is where today’s gospel comes in. We give back to God those things that are God’s. Let’s hope that we can. Amen

---

[i] Romans 13:1-7 1 Peter 2:13 1 Peter 2:14

A new reflection on the Parable of the Vineyard

Bow Brickhill – 24 September 2017 – Trinity 15

Reading Exodus 16

² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat round pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.’

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?’ ⁸ Moses also said, ‘You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.’

⁹ Then Moses told Aaron, ‘Say to the entire Israelite community, “Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.”’

¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked towards the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² ‘I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, “At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”’

¹³ That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

Epistle Philippians 1

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Gospel Matthew 20

The workers in the vineyard

20

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ ‘About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the market-place doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, “You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” ⁵ So they went.

‘He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, “Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?”

⁷ ‘“Because no one has hired us,” they answered.

‘He said to them, “You also go and work in my vineyard.”

⁸ ‘When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.”

⁹ ‘The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² “These who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”

¹³ ‘But he answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

¹⁶ ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

Sermon

As I learnt from 20 years as a shopkeeper, the inhabitants of this island have a particular way of grumbling. It’s generally:

· Just loud enough to be audible, but not so loud as to elicit comment

· Accompanied by a roll of the eyes, and a look to the heavens

· Expressed with a tut, or a sigh— and a word such as “Typical” or “Honestly”

In retail, the implication was that customers would have done the job better than those who were paid to do it—and that what went wrong, or was missing, was deliberate and a personal slight.

There is a lot of grumbling in Scripture. Two of today’s readings are full of it. The people of Israel grumbled throughout their time in the Sinai, either against Moses and Aaron, or against God or both. And in the parable of the Vineyard, there was a wage dispute of biblical proportions.

My mother was not a grumbler. In fact, she was always positive, leaving the complaining to my father. But she did object strongly to two passages. One was the Good Wife in Proverbs 31—who did all the work morning, noon and night, whilst her husband sat meeting his friends and chatting in the city gate. The other was the way the workers in the vineyard were treated. If this parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven, she felt, then an ethereal version of RMT or Unite was certainly called for.

If you’ve ever worked in a vineyard through the heat of the day, you’ll know how draining it is. And if those who had only worked for an hour in the cool of the evening were given a full day’s minimum wage, who can blame those who had laboured in the heat of the day for being disgruntled when they received the same?

I did try several times to explain that parables were allegories and intended to shock as a means of teaching, but my mother was redolent. I trust and hope God in his wisdom has straightened her out now she is with him. I’m sure by now she’ll understand.

In the parable, the criticism of the owner of the vineyard is that he is being unfair. Of course, if the first men hired earned a denarius, and the others pro rata to the hours actually worked, no one would have grumbled. It was done deliberately for impact—why else would the boss have instructed his foreman to pay the last first, and the first last?

All the power is with the owner. He can do what he likes with his own property, and that includes treating a plentiful supply or day labourers just as he pleases. After all, in effect he owns the labourers too. They are powerless to complain.

Traditionally, like the strange parable of the Unjust Judge—where a poor widow is denied justice until she makes life a misery for the lazy judge—perhaps we should ask ourselves whether Jesus meant to portray the owner as representing God himself, or whether there is another explanation?

What are we meant to think about the sneering way the owner addresses the chief grumbler as “friend?” Elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, the King who bound a man hand and foot and kicked him into the outer darkness was addressed as “Friend.” His crime? He came to the wedding feast improperly dressed. Jesus himself called Judas “friend” when he came to betray him.

Should we blame ourselves? Somehow we are programmed to associate figures such as kings, fathers, and bosses with God, merely because they are powerful, however badly they behave? Maybe my mother was right, and the parable is intended for us to be more critical, and not so accepting of bad conduct merely because we tend to accept what authority figures say and do, even when that flies in the face of reality?

At the same time, should we not question the vilification of the workers? All they wanted was fairness and equality. All of us measure ourselves against others. What’s wrong with that? Can God’s system of right and wrong be so different from ours, and did he not create us the way we are?

On the other hand, if the owner represents God, are there not equally important lessons to be learned? God is generous, feeding the Israelites with endless meat and manna when they grumbled. God treats everyone who comes to him the same—regardless of whether they have laboured for the gospel all their lives, or come to faith in him at their lives’ end. Our version of right and wrong is limited by our understanding—only by faith can we fully accept what sometimes feels wrong to us. In God’s good time we will fully know, as we are known.

For the moment, and with our limited understanding, the parable depicts a false form of justice—because far from offering healing and wholeness, it produces envy and division. Jesus condemned his disciples’ infighting only a couple of chapters ago, when they argued for places of status and prestige in the kingdom, and like the workers in the vineyard risked becoming splintered and alienated rather than loving and faithful.

So maybe we have to read the parable in several different ways: as a glimpse of the kingdom when a generous God will bring in a reign of love and acceptance, without merit on our part, but full of grace and truth. In this vision, there is no room for bickering and strife, inequality and abuse of power, favouritism and unfairness.

Are you envious because I am generous? Asks Jesus? That can only be because in God’s kingdom, the last will be first and the first last. Amen

Intercessions

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy.

For N our bishop, for the leaders of our sister Churches, and for all clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy.

For Elizabeth our Queen, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy.

For this community, for every city, town and village, and for all the people who live within them, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy.

For good weather, and for abundant harvests for all to share, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy

For those who travel by land, air, or water, for the sick and the suffering, [for … ,] for prisoners and captives, and for their safety, health and salvation, let us pray to the Lord. All Lord, have mercy.

For our deliverance from all affliction, strife and need, and for the absolution of our sins and offences, let us pray to the Lord.
All Lord, have mercy.

Remembering [ … and] all who have gone before us in faith, and in communion with [ … and] all the saints, we commit ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our Lord. Amen

Take Up Your Cross

Holy Communion at Wingrave – 3 September 2017

Gospel Matthew 16

Jesus predicts his death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ ‘Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

Sermon

Here’s a good question for a pub quiz:

“Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning”. Where does it come from?

1. Shakespeare

2. The Bible

3. A well-known phrase of unknown origin.

The answer:
Jesus quoted it at the beginning of Matthew 16:

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

² He replied, ‘When evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” ³ and in the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

The signs of the times are of course the miracles of Christ—especially the stilling of the storm, walking on the water, and feeding of the 5,000.

The Pharisees and Sadducees asked for their own personal sign, as we heard in last Sunday’s gospel reading; but they had too much self-interest to be able to interpret what Jesus was doing—who he was and what was his mission here on earth.

Privately, Jesus asked his disciples who people thought he was: he received a variety of answers, but this discussion led on to the most important question of all: “Who do you say I am?” Like so many of the interactions with his followers, Jesus is also addressing us down the ages, as well as his contemporary audience. Who do we say he is, in our lives, in our worship, and in our very being?

Peter impulsively jumps in with what seems the perfect answer: “You are the anointed one, the Messiah, Son of the Living God.” He is commended for what the Spirit had confessed through his lips. The turning point comes when Jesus warns his followers not to tell anyone he is the Messiah, the so-called Messianic Secret as theologians have dubbed it, and this leads on to him predicting his own death in Jerusalem.

In just a handful of verses, Peter goes from the ultimate praise for his confession that Jesus is Son of the Living God to absolute condemnation when Jesus likens him to everything that is evil. Peter, the Rock, has become Peter the stumbling block.

Can you imagine how this must have felt? All Peter was doing was trying to save Jesus from certain death. In the circumstances, who can argue with him for offering comfort and reassurance to Christ, and attempting to divert him away from a journey to Jerusalem and to keep him safe? For this, Peter was likened to a hazard on which people will trip, thinking more of human concerns than God’s.

You see, Peter acted quite reasonably as any human being would act. He wanted to keep the disciples and their leader safe. To steer them away from threat of danger. He wanted to live in love: maintain good relations with friends and acquaintances. He wanted to make a little money, enough to feed and clothe his family. He wanted to protect them.

All these things are understandable. They are how you and I would instinctively act. But they are all human concerns, and not what God may want us to do. Instead, we are to take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow God’s way rather than our own.

Perhaps Jesus is saying to Peter, and to us, that if we think we have everything sorted out in our minds, just as Peter did in his declaration of faith, we might be completely wrong. We might think our theology is tight, right and settled. But perhaps Jesus is telling us, like Peter, than we are wrong and have become a stumbling block for others who are working out their faith or seeking their own mission.

For Peter, the way of the cross was unthinkable, avoidable and a gross failure. For Jesus, the way of the cross was the only way. For the cross can be a symbol of death, pain, humiliation and rejection, but I don’t think this is the sense in which this passage is to be understood. The cross can be a sign of sacrifice and a heavy burden, but on the other hand it became a symbol of atonement, new life, salvation, forgiveness, and freedom from the weight of sin.

For the disciples, and for us, the sacrifice must be made, for nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of the will of the Father. Our lives must be turned upside down. As it says in our reading from Romans 12:

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 

And in the gospel:

‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  Amen

Who do YOU say I am?

11th Sunday after Trinity at Stoke Hammond 27 August 2017

Gospel Matthew 16

Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

¹⁴ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

¹⁵ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’

¹⁷ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Sermon

Here’s a good question for a pub quiz:

“Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning”. Where does it come from?

1. Shakespeare

2. The Bible

3. A well-known phrase of unknown origin.

The answer:

Jesus quoted it at the beginning of Matthew 16:

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

² He replied, ‘When evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” ³ and in the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

The signs of the times relate to Jesus’s miracles, like the feeding of the 5,000, the stilling of the storm, and Jesus walking on the water which were described in the chapters leading up to today’s gospel reading.

The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for their own personal sign from heaven, but Jesus tells them they can predict the weather, but cannot interpret the signs of the times. All they wanted was to test and trap him, not understand and accept who he is and what he represents.

Jesus is clearer with his followers. They have just entered the region of Caesarea Philippi, where he asks them two questions. The importance of these two questions cannot be overstated.

1. Who do people say I am?

2. Who do you say I am?

The disciples cast around for a few answers to the first. They suggest John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah or one of the prophets. They know of course that all these are wrong. They have seen the signs, and in some cases understood the meaning from the lips of Jesus himself.

Shortly afterwards, at the beginning of the following chapter, Peter, James and John are invited to witness the theophany called The Transfiguration when they see Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus, so it’s clear they cannot be one and the same person. So, having dismissed the gossip, Jesus asks his followers directly who they say he is?

We don’t know their answer, except that the ever impulsive Peter jumps in:

‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’

¹⁷ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

As usual, things are not precisely as they appear. You might think Peter has come up with the perfect reply, yet this same man will go on to deny Jesus three times. Still, for the moment, the confession hangs in the air. It is the Ultimate Truth, as we who have read the gospels know full well. But Peter and the others are still finding their way. We have the benefit of hindsight. They do not.

Jesus singles out Peter, and there follows a much misquoted verse about the church and Peter’s place in it. Peter was Simon son of Jonah, before being renamed by Jesus as Cephas from the Aramaic word for stone. So he is the Rock—πεtρα in the Greek. This leads Jesus to say the church of God will be founded on this rock, and successive Popes have claimed succession by reference to this particular passage in Scripture. Or does it?

The word commonly translated “church” was rendered by early translators as more correctly meaning an “assembly” of Christians, a gathering, since at the time Jesus used the word εκκλησία there was no established church, and would not be for a long time.

Then again, Jesus could not have intended to mean that the church would be built on Peter the Rock— πεtρα is feminine—likewise εκκλησία is feminine too. You can see why there was such division between peoples during the Reformation about what this passage actually meant.

But I don’t think we need to get too diverted by theological arguments, when the question posed to the disciples is as clearly asked by Jesus of us. “Who do you say the Son of Man is?”

This question can only be answered individually, and I suppose my response is to ask myself what place Jesus holds in my life. Is it central to everything I do? Is Jesus fitted into the cracks—of the 112 waking hours in each week, how much does he occupy, not just 1 hour in the assembly of God here, but everything else too. You may like to do an audit and ask yourself whether the balance of faith and secular life is quite right? If you’re anything like me, you are probably short changing the time you spend on matters of the soul.

My time is up, but I will leave you with a reflection. On the rock Jesus has built the assembly, where we are now. It is through this assembly that we receive the keys to the Kingdom—herein lies the signs of the times. We keep our eyes on the weather forecast, and know how to interpret the look of the sky. Take a moment—take many moments in mindfulness—maintaining contact with the knowledge of the signs of the times and keeping close to God. Amen

The Parable of the Weeds

TRINITY 6  -  SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 – WING CHURCH

Introduction

Rod and Mary—two weeks ago contemplating Parable of Weeds—problem of Good and Evil.

Why did God sow the fields himself? Who created the Evil One, who contaminated the crop with darnel and vetch?—Why did God not order the weeds to be removed, as was usual, when it was possible to do so and leave only the good seed?

Invitation to Confession

Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart.

Absolution

May almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life.

Collect

Merciful God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
pour into our hearts such love toward you
that we, loving you in all things and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Reading Romans 8: 12—25

Present suffering and future glory

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Gospel Matthew 13: 24—30,36—43

The parable of the weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ ‘The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?”

²⁸ ‘“An enemy did this,” he replied.

‘The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”

²⁹ ‘“No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”’

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.’

³⁷ He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰ ‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Sermon

Parable of Weeds—Matthew 13. About Good and Evil in our world. Exist side by side. Uncontrolled. No checks and balances. No judge or adjudicator limiting the scope of either. No attempt to keep order—for time being. Not everyone plays by same rules. Nor do we share a common moral compass or conscience.

Where did evil come from?—one of most challenging and problematic issues in history of theological thought.

Surely God cannot create evil—evil can come about through the allowance of freewill—what was once wholly good but having freewill has chosen the path of evil.

This does not explain the presence of “evils” in our world—cruel diseases; natural disasters; suffering of innocent babies—and so on. That is for another sermon, another time.

Bible OT generally invents alternative being alongside a good God—call him Satan. We did not create him. It’s not our fault. We are not to blame. Yes we share in the presence of sin in our lives—but Satan has tempted us and we fell for it—or rather, our remote ancestors did.

Does this provide a wholly satisfying rationale to ease our minds and explain some horrific evils, many not even the responsibility of humans?

NT Jesus gives an alternative illustration to the problem of evil in the Parable of the Weeds. But it is only an illustration, not a fully satisfying explanation. We have to admit the difficulties, inhabit the discomfort, and resist any superficial explanation for what we observe in the world.

Parable of the Weeds

· One of few parables that Jesus explains—Jesus himself is creator of a good world—healthy and productive seeds producing abundant crops. These are people of Kingdom.

· At night, evil one comes—his people sow weeds— vetch which grows and resembles the good seed, or darnel that winds its tentacles around the crop and competes with it.

· Servants of the Son of Man ask whether they should pull the weeds up—normal practice. Jesus says no—leave both growing side by side and separate them only at the end of the age—harvest time:
‘The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”
²⁹ ‘“No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

· Our present reality is that the Son of Man cannot, or will not take steps to conquer evil—at least until the end of time. So we have a world with good and evil people—it would be possible to destroy the evil people, but not at the risk of hurting or prematurely judging some of the potential people of the Kingdom

· So we wait for the harvest—doing good and resisting evil—until Jesus comes again

Warning—this parable is in one sense a warning—if you think you’ve got it all worked out, think again. If you are sure of good and evil, and have identified those responsible, you’re probably misjudging the situation.

Our job as people of the Kingdom is not to judge between good and evil but to live our lives in the love of God and for our neighbours—whether they are weeds or main crops—not to look around us and judge, for that is to elevate ourselves unjustifiably and open ourselves up to the judgement of God and others.

The difficulty of this parable is that the righteous take no responsibility for the presence of the evil one. The parable perpetuates the alternate being, not created by God, but somehow a fallen being, who is ultimately responsible for sin, when we know that we are all sinful beings, and the careful division between good and bad crops does not hold water. We as humans are a mixture of good and bad, constantly challenged by failure and seeking forgiveness. We ourselves share the blame for most of what is evil in our world, by the way we have acted, by our arrogance, by false judgement, by selfish greed, by neglect of this good world, by emulating the powerful and discriminating against the weak.

So we have to be careful not to push the analogy too far—but the essential truth of the parable told by Jesus casts new light on the co-existence of good and evil, and the need for us not to judge but live as people of the Kingdom.

That leaves unanswered the big question—why is the world the way it is?—why did God not remove evil before it took hold, when it was still possible to do so? These are questions for us to ponder.

But the essential truth—the message of the parable is this. When it seems we are overwhelmed by evil, and no one is in control, still we know there will come a reckoning in the fulness of time when justice and peace will hold sway in God’s realm.

In every service and at home, we pray for God’s kingdom to come, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus—we are your harvest—the people of your realm. Amen

Discipleship

Wingrave Methodist Church – 25 June 2017 – Trinity 2

Collects

Lord, you have taught us
that all our doings without love are nothing worth:
send your Holy Spirit
and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.
Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ's sake,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen

Faithful Creator,
whose mercy never fails:
deepen our faithfulness to you
and to your living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Reading—Psalm 86

¹ Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
² Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
    save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; ³ have mercy on me, Lord,
    for I call to you all day long.
⁴ Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
    for I put my trust in you.

⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶ Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷ When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
    no deeds can compare with yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made
    will come and worship before you, Lord;
    they will bring glory to your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do marvellous deeds;
    you alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name for ever.
¹³ For great is your love towards me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.

¹⁴ Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me –
    they have no regard for you.
¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;
    show your strength on behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness,
    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Reading—Romans 6

Dead to sin, alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

 

Gospel—Matthew 10

²⁴ ‘The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.²⁵ It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶ ‘So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³² ‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

³⁴ ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn

‘“a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law –
³⁶     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

³⁷ ‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Sermon

Today’s readings related—Psalm is plea for help from someone who trusts in God

¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;
    show your strength on behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did. Psalm 86

1 Psalmist surrounded by enemies—but God is compassionate and merciful.

Jesus brought up under OT law:

⁵ Do not trust a neighbour;
    put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
⁶ For a son dishonours his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law –
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

⁷ But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Saviour;
    my God will hear me. Micah 7.

Jesus’ mission was not to divide family members, but this is what will inevitably happen.

³⁷ ‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

In Matthew 12—Jesus even rejects his mother and brothers when they come to see him—because they think he is putting himself and them in danger and want to divert him from the path he has chosen.

2 Romans: Our path to faith is not to change—but to be born anew. Not remain the same being, however radically we change our ways—not even to be like Christ—but to be a new creation—mini versions of Jesus himself

Romans 6 explains—we walk parallel to Christ:

⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

We are no longer the same as we were—we are a new creation—we are dead to the sin of our old ways and united with Christ in his resurrection.

3 Matthew 10 continues theme of disciples imitating their master. We live in Jesus’s home—imitate our master as students imitate their teacher—or as an apprentice learns their trade.

But there is a house of Evil—Βηλζεβουλ is the head of the household—Lord of the Flies or Satan—if the master represents all that is evil, how much more so with his followers.

First part of chapter 10 Jesus gives instructions to disciples as he sends out the 12. They are to trust solely in God—take nothing with them. They are warned they will suffer rejection—even death.

¹⁶ ‘I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Even their own families will reject them and betray them to death.

Matthew 10:24 leads us into second part of instructions for disciples—applies to us—Jesus tells it like it is—still same warnings of what we might face—but there are many reasons for hope.

We are told not to be afraid of what the world can throw at us—nothing will be hidden but everything is out in the open—what Jesus tells us quietly is to be proclaimed from the rooftops. God’s care for us is illustrated by his care for creation—even the death of a small bird is known to him—and the very hairs on our heads are all numbered.

Discipleship is compared to an apprenticeship—we learn from our master and try to follow his instruction. This relationship we must acknowledge before others—whichever disciple denies their master will be disowned by him before God. Since we have been crucified with Christ, we must take up our cross beside him—for to lose our lives in this world is to gain a new life in the world to come.

Discipleship can take many forms:

a) Psalmist serves God, just as his mother did
b) Romans—we walk parallel to Christ—having died with him, raised with him, so that we may lead a new life
c) In Matthew, we have the clearest form of discipleship. This is a two way process—we listen to our master and try to be like him—similarly, others less mature in faith walk alongside us and listen to what we have to say and watch how we lead our lives.

Most of us can remember those who have brought us up in the faith and owe a lot to them, perhaps when we were young. This is a grave responsibility—one not to be taken lightly or abused. If we are truly effective disciples, others will be following us—and we must lead them with the same intensity that we are led by Christ.

This disciple-teacher relationship might not be a comfortable and cosy one—Jesus described his mission as one that caused dissention—similarly in channeling what we heard from our master and repeating it from the roof tops might be uncomfortable if as also tell it like it is—this is something we are warned to expect.

Rewards are undimmed
³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

This is the first reference to “cross” in Matthew—even before the crucifixion. We have to take up our cross as a prerequisite to following Jesus. As we look forward to his return in glory, and we identify him by seeing the marks of the cross on his hands and feet, it may not be out of place for us as his disciples not only to recognise the proofs of Jesus’ passion—but they should be even more familiar to us because they match our own.

Amen