The Feast of the Assumption- There be Dragons

 

 Readings: Revelation 11:19-12:6, 12,

Luke: 1:46-55 

Here be dragons is something that can sometimes be found printed on old maps, it can also be said of our reading from revelation today.What are we to make of this weird, fantastical passage?

Well, the first point I would like to make is that the book of revelation is a form of writing known as apocalyptic. It deals with the end of the world and therefore we should not be attempting to read it as a factual account. Apocalyptic writings by their very nature are a mix of prophecy, symbolism and imagery used to write about cataclysmic events. By their very nature these writings are not easy to understand, indeed they can have several layers of meanings.

Scholars have often interpreted the writings of revelation as being about Nero’s persecution of Christians and the impending collapse of the Roman empire. Indeed the author and original readers of the text may well have understood it that way. But what about us two thousand years later?

The text can still speak to us in our time and place and be reinterpreted to our times. There is a seven headed dragon that seeks to destroy heaven and earth and the mother and child that will bring God’s redemption to the world.Mary is the mother and Jesus her child. But what then does the dragon represent? The dragon is the power of evil, the force that works against the goodness of God, as he sweeps down the stars from the sky so he attempts to persuade us away from the path that God sets before us.

I remember as a child standing in the assembly hall at school singing the hymn when A Knight Won His Spurs, which includes a line about fighting against the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed. Whilst dragons as actual scary reptiles may not exist, the evil that they represent in Revelation most definitely does. Dragons can be found both in the world around and also inside us, tempting us to act in ways that are not of God.

It is in Mary’s speech to Elizabeth that we heard as our gospel this morning, that we can start to discover not only what the dragons we may face are, but also the power to defeat them.

Mary says he has scattered the proud, pride is known as one of the deadly sins, and it is one we can all be guilty of. A quiet pride in a job well done is not a sin, but the problem comes with the pride that says look at what I’ve done, look at how great I am, people should respect me now, I’m so great people should all do as I say! That pride can creep into people and communities very easily and ultimately lead to conflict.The dragon of anger as the hymn says, let loose.

There are other dragons too in our day and age, those that seek power for their own glory and reward, instead of wanting to use it to improve things for all people in society. The rich that hoard their wealth and use their talents only for their own gain.

It’s easy to think but those sins don’t apply to me. I’m not rich or powerful. However, a lot depends on where you’re looking from. For many people in the poorer parts of the world we living in the UK are rich, for those living without democracy we have the power of the vote. Are we using it to try and push society as a whole onto a better path or just to improve things for ourselves?

Mary’s Magnificat shows us how to defeat the dragons, it starts with praise and joy, if our souls are busy magnifying God’s goodness and rejoicing in the joy of our relationship with him, then there is nothing to feed the dragon. Mary remembers all of God’s goodness, not just to her but to her ancestors as well. Mary is rooted in God’s long relationship with the earth and us humans. Mary was a young woman, facing a difficult journey to do the task that God has called her to, to be the mother of Christ, the bringer of redemption to the world, at a time when a young unmarried pregnant girl had little power in society. Yet she remains strong, well rooted in her faith and her relationship with God. Whilst we may not have been given a task as great as Mary’s her example shows us how to walk the way of God and fight the dragons that seek to destroy God’s kingdom. We too need a faith that is well rooted in the faith of those who have gone before us.

Strong roots support a strong faith. A faith that can rejoice in God even when faced with the great challenges and dangers of the world today. I came across a post on X recently. It was from a Christian Lord of the Rings fan account. They were writing about Frodo in the lord of the rings. They made the point that everyone wants the peace of the shire but no one wants to walk to Mordor.Frodo’s willingness to give up his cosy life in the shire to safeguard it for others is at the heart of the Lord of the Rings.

In the same way Mary is willing to give up the safe normal life she could have had to walk to Mordor and fight dragons for all of us.It is through Mary fully human as she is that the world receives redemption. However, Mary understands that this is an ongoing task, from generation to generation until the apocalypse truly does come. We can talk to Mary in prayer asking for her help and protection as we fight our own dragons on our own road to Mordor as we work to bring about the peace of God’s kingdom for all.

Sermon for the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalen

Today we are celebrating the feast of our patron Mary Magdalen, but what do we really now about her and what can she teach us? She seems to have been a woman around whom myths and legends have gathered. These have included that she was descended from a noble family, that she was the sister of Martha and Lazarus,that she married Jesus and had his child, that she was a high priestess in a Roman temple at Magdala, after the crucifixion and resurrection she went to Franceor she went to Ephesus with Mary the mother of Christ. Both those last two statements can not be true, so what do we know of the real Mary Magdalene?

In the New testament she is introduced as Mary who is called Magdalen. The most likely explanation for this is that she was from Magdala, a town on the shores of lake Galilee near Tiberius. We don’t really know much about her family background, however she is listed as one of the women who travel with Jesus and support him financially, therefore she must have had some sort of independent source of income. According to both Mark and Luke, Mary had had seven demons driven out of her by Christ. She was present at the crucifixion, the burial and of course, as we heard in the gospel today the resurrection of Christ.

Now, there seem to be several key scenes missing from that little summary, wasn’t Mary the woman caught in adultery, and didn’t she pour ointment over Jesus’s feet and wipe it all up with her hair?

We don’t know who the woman caught in adultery was. The Mary who poured ointment over Jesus’s feet in John’s gospel was Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus and from about 591 until 1969 the Roman catholic church did say they were the same person, although the Eastern Orthodox church has always claimed they are two separate people. However the story of the anointing of Jesus’s feet in Luke’s gospel doesn't name the woman. It may have been Mary Magdalene we just don’t know.

What we do know is Mary was a woman of great courage. It must have taken courage to walk away from her family and everything she knew to follow Jesus. It certainly took courage to remain at the foot of the cross, with the suffering Jesus and the jeering Romans, when most of the male disciples had fled into hiding.

Mary Magdalen was a woman who loved Jesus, not in a romantic way, but with a grateful love for what he had done for her. Whatever Mark and Luke were referring to when they said Jesus had healed her of seven demons, Mary had clearly been in a dark place. Like many people with mental health problems today she had probably felt at rock bottom that no one could care for her or love her. Then Jesus came along and showed her that she was loved and cared for. Mary responds by loving him back. It is this love that may have given her the courage to follow him and stay with him until the bitter end. It was this love that took her to the tomb to care for his body and allowed her to be the first to meet the risen Jesus.

Mary is also ready and willing to tell others about Jesus. In part of Chapter 20 of John’s gospel that we didn’t hear this morning, Mary has seen the empty tomb and fetched Peter and John. The gospel tells us that Peter and John saw the empty tomb,but not the risen Jesus, they saw and believed and went home. Peter and John believe but they don’t understand and they go home. Mary meanwhile stays at the tomb and has her encounter with the risen Christ. She receives the full revelation of the resurrection. She then rushes to tell others, in this case the disciples the wonderful news about the risen Christ. This is the action that earns her the title apostle to the apostles, she is the first evangelist, the first to spread the good news of the resurrection.

So, what does all this mean for us? In the coming months as we adjust to the interregnum we may need the courage of Mary Magdalen. As a community we need the courage to face an uncertain future, like the early church, we need to be sure of our identity and as a community face any problems that may come our way. Individually, now may be the time when we need courage to maybe volunteer to take on a new role or responsibility within the church community. After all as the saying goes many hands make light work. It can be tempting to think it’s easier to sit back and wait for a new priest first, but that may be a long wait. As a church community we need to pull together so that we can keep doing God’s work in this place. Have the courage of Mary Magdalen to do your part.

As Mary was grateful for what Jesus had done in her life, so we can be grateful to God for the ministry we shared with Fr Edward over the past five years, for how he helped us grow individually and as a community. We can give thanks for what he taught us and how he helped us to learn from each other. Marys gratitude led to her love for Jesus and her giving her life to his service. So for us, gratitude to God for what we have received in the past can help reaffirm our desire to follow him now.

Rather than feeling sad for what we have lost, we should be grateful for what we had and be able to look forward in hope for how we will continue to serve God in Chapelfields going forwards.

Mary was the apostle to the apostles, the first to spread the good news of the risen Christ. So, we too, need to be prepared to tell others of the life changing good news of the gospel. In a culture where many people do not even know the basics of the Christian story, where misinformation is rife, it is even more important that we are able and have the confidence to explain to others the faith and why it is so important to us and could be to them.

So, as we celebrate our patronal feast, let us try to be a little more like Mary Magdalen, have courage, be grateful for what we have had, love God and tell people about him.

Sermon on prayer

 

May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

One of the phrases often used when talking about our prayer live outside of church is having a quiet time with God. A time set aside to concentrate on our relationship with him. In our gospel reading this morning we find Jesus going of on his own to pray.

Now, I know Jesus is supposed to be an example for us to follow, but I have some problems with this. Firstly he gets up early, when it is still dark, well at the moment that would mean having to be up by half four in the morning. I struggle with getting up at 7 to get to work on time so I would really struggle getting up that early and he doesn’t even mention coffee! I don’t know about you but I can’t function without a coffee in the morning!

He then leaves the house and goes of to a quiet place to pray. Our gospel story takes place in Capernaum. This was clearly a much nicer place than inner city Coventry.

I really don’t think heading out from my flat in the dark and early hours to find somewhere to sit and pray is the best plan.

However, I can see what Jesus is trying to achieve. In going out to find a quiet place he is removing himself from any distractions. Finding time without distraction in the modern world can be really hard. Most of us will have people we live with, who while we may love them dearly, can also be annoying and disrupt us when we are trying to find that quiet time.

We also have these things called mobile phones. They can be a great resource for prayer, I use the church of England daily prayer app, however that does also mean that I have my phone in my hand when praying and it can be so easy to get distracted, to check that email that’s just come in in case its something important,

it never is but the temptation is still there. The other problem I find is that I think I’ll just check the news to see what needs praying for and half an hour later I have spent half an hour looking at stuff on my phone and no time with God. The intention may be good, but without a good dose of self discipline the result is not always so good.

Yet, I know that if I can mange to find the time to pray, to have that quiet time with God, I will feel better and stronger, and cope better with the days challenges.

It’s like physical exercise will build a stronger body, spiritual exercise will build a stronger relationship with God and provide us with inner strength. It allows us to build an internal strength and resilience to avoid the temptations that come our way and instead to keep us following the path of God.

Whilst, in this instance, we may not follow exactly what Jesus did when he prayed, after-all we are are living in a very different time and place. His example can still give us some pointers about how to pray and grow our relationship with God.

Jesus went out to pray early in the morning, but not everyone is a morning person.I don’t think the point is at what time do you pray. The important thing is to make sure that we find time. For some of you, early morning when you get up might work best, for others it may be the evening before we go to bed,

or you might find you have time when you finish work, before you step back into the pressure of family life. The time you pray doesn’t have to be the same time each day,

it can be worked around work and other commitments. The important thing is to make sure that you have that time set aside. Put in your diary even, schedule your meeting with God into your day and commit to it like you would any other meeting.

Jesus went out to pray because he wanted peace and quiet. I suspect where ever they were staying in Capernaum was probably very full and busy with people all around and little private space available. The thing is it doesn’t matter where you pray, as long as you do pray. I live in a small flat, we have a very small spare room.

I keep a candle and a cross on the table next to the bed in that room, and that is my prayer space. It’s not a lot but I can shut the door, light my candle and sit on the bed, and that is my time to concentrate on God.

Prayer doesn’t have to involve a space where we sit still, for some people sitting still can be hard and they may find they pray better moving. Look for a quiet place to walk, maybe a local park or the towpath along the canal.Have a walk and a chat with God.

I have a bookshelf full of books on prayer, and I have spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect way to pray, the way that will instantly lead to a wonderful revelation of God’s purpose for my life. What I have learnt over the years is that no such thing exists. There is no one absolute best way to pray. God created us all as wonderfully different people, and because we so wonderfully different, what helps one person pray, may not work for someone else. At different times in life we may find we respond better to different ways of praying. The really important bit isn’t how we pray, it’s to make sure that we do pray. In prayer we can find that quiet centre within ourselves that allows us to be fully open to God. We can build that relationship with God, knowing his love for us, sensing his guidance for us. The more we pray, the stronger our relationship with God becomes and from that relationship we can draw on his strength to help us deal with the problems and troubles of our lives day by day.

When the disciples come to find Jesus, he has been strengthened by his prayer time and is ready then to go and continue his work, carrying the good news to more villages, preaching and driving out demons.

So, we too, through a regular and committed prayer life can be strengthened to go out and do the work that God is calling each of us to do.

 

Audio link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hag606dm9plmzzyupms0w/Foleshill-Road-5.mp3?rlkey=03evom28n40wijdxgg15thg0q&st=vaj23fhf&dl=0 

Preached at the parish of St Paul, Foleshill, Coventry 

Easter 4: Good Shepherd Sunday

 Acts 2 42-end

1 Peter 2 19-end

John 10 1-10

The description of the early church we had in our reading from acts, sounds wonderful at first, but maybe I am getting cynical in my old age I just don't see it working. I mean it sounds nice sharing everything and giving to everyone what they need, but how do you define need? I mean I would argue that I need books and teddy bears but others in the community may disagree and argue that say, having a train set is more important. 

There are and always have been some people who are called to live in community to a much greater extent than most people and these people became monks and nuns. However, I think for most people, being the varied and individual people that we are this type of close community living is too hard.

However, as the church of St Mary Magdalen, Chapel Fields, we are a community. We are not a community that has chosen each other, one where people are checked out when they walk through the door to see if they will fit in. Instead we are an odd assortment of all types of people, with all types of views, all with different things going on in our lives. Yet Sunday by Sunday we choose to come and spend time with each other. Whilst the main reason we come, I hope, is to worship together. We also share in drinks and biscuits after the service, choosing to continue spending time with each other. Talking, possibly arguing, but also sharing our lives and supporting each other. In a world which seems to be becoming ever more polarised, where some people seem to think they can't like or have anything to do with someone they disagree with, the church can be a radical community showing that a different way is possible.

The early church in Acts, was in a very different time and place to us, but some of how they lived out their faith can still provide an example for us today. The early church spent time together in the temple. So we should spend time together, in worship, but also in learning about the bible and about our faith with and from each other. 

They also had glad and generous hearts, now I know we are in England and English people love to moan and grumble about things. However, maybe we should try finding things to be happy about instead. Finding things that bring us happiness, and that can be anything from enjoying the sunshine on a warm day, spotting a rainbow on a wet day or spending time with people we like, or achieving something that we have been working for. We can be grateful for these things and that can lead on to us being thankful. Thankful both to people who have helped us and to God who is the source of all help. 

The early church is also recorded as being generous. Being generous doesn't just mean in terms of giving to charity, or giving money to the church, although that is very helpful, as am sure our treasurer will agree. We can be generous in our time, many of us are generous in giving of our time and skills to the church or other charitable organisations. However, we also be generous to each other, giving our time to help or even just to listen. We may have skills that can be used to help each other and we should be happy to offer and receive help. That is how we can grow as a community, in our relationships with each other and with God. 

In our gospel today Jesus tells us that he comes that we may have life and have it abundantly. A life that is abundant does not only mean a life rich in material wealth and physical things. An abundant life is one that is filled with relationship, with each other here, with friends and family and with God. An abundant life is also one that will bear fruit. By living a generous and thankful life, even in the midst of life’s storms, we can show others the hope of abundant life that can be found in Christ.

To gain and keep this abundant life isn’t always easy. Building relationships and a grateful mindset requires work and effort. In our gospel the sheep are at risk of bandits and thieves, but what are the bandits and thieves that may impact our abundant life? 

What takes our time and attention from the important things, how many hours are spent scrolling on social media, playing addictive mobile phone games, watching repeats of old TV shows or whatever our particular vice may be. 

Now, I am not saying that any of these things can be bad in themselves. Relationships can develop on social media as much as in the “real world”, games and TV show can be ways to relax. The problem comes when these things take over time that could be better spent. When we ignore relationships in the here and now for the internet or fictional worlds. I must admit I am very guilty of replying to Andrew asking me something with, just let me finish this chapter, I am putting the fictional world of whatever I am reading before the real relationships that I need to nurture. I am going astray like many sheep do. So who is the shepherd that can stop me going astray? Well, of course, the obvious and one of the correct answers is Jesus. Reminding myself that I am trying to follow him can help, but there are others. 

A priest is called to shepherd his flock, but soon, sadly, we will be a flock without a shepherd of our own for a while. In that gap we all may need to be shepherds as well as sheep. To support each other, in the task we have of being God’s visible presence in Chapelfields, to show his love and care to those around us, to provide opportunities for worshipping and learning about God and his relationship with us.

We need to keep following the example of the early church to live generously, thankfully and as a radical community that can attract others to come and join us and find relationship with God and with us.

Palm Sunday

 

 

 Imagine Jerusalem that first palm Sunday. The city is busy, full of people there for the festival.
People who may not be so keen on the occupying Romans. From the west a cloud indicates a
great procession approaching the city. Horses, carriages, soldiers, pomp and splendour. It is the
governor coming to the city from his summer home, ready to impose his law and order, with
force if necessary. After all he can't let a Jewish uprising take place. That could destroy his
political ambitions.

From the east another group approaches. A rag taggle band led by a wandering messianic
preacher. No horses or smart carriages here, no guards for protection. Someone has found a
donkey for the leader to ride. People are cheering, there is something in the air, an expectation
that change is coming. The people have had enough of their imperial Roman overlord, maybe
this is the chance to stand up and fight back, to take back control of their lives and land.

Two leaders riding from opposite directions into Jerusalem and in the next few days they will
meet and the world will be changed, but not in the way anyone on the streets of Jerusalem that
day is expecting.

Two leaders with different views on leadership, for Pilate it is about control and power. He wants
to keep the people obedient to him, through force if necessary. He sees this as the only way to
keep his position, his status and his wealth, and possibly even his life, in the turbulent world of
Roman politics, and to Pilate it is Pilate that is important.

Jesus of Nazareth, seeks to love people, he wants people to follow him through choice not
force. He wants to bring people closer to God, through showing them God’s love and care. He
doesn’t seek wealth and status, in fact the opposite, he acts as a servant to his friends. He looks
to ensure their needs are met, providing food when needed.

Pilate, as he rides into Jerusalem, has the possibility that he might die if he loses control at the
back of his mind. He fears death, he thinks, maybe rightly, that an uprising in Jerusalem will lead
either to his death at the hands of the Jews or to his death as punishment from the emperor.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem knowing that he is riding to his death. Knowing that the next few
days are going to be unimaginably hard for him, betrayal, pain and suffering. Yet he comes
willingly, willingly to pay the ultimate price for the fate of the world.

Two leaders, two very different ways of thinking. We are called to follow Jesus, but how often do
we think more like Pilate? How often do we allow what we think other people will think of us to
impact our actions, putting our social status first. When we are out shopping how often do we
buy something as an extra little treat for ourselves, but don’t buy something to donate to the
food bank? We are loving ourselves, putting our selfish wants before the needs of others. We
are being more Pilate than Jesus.

The world around us these days seems to be moving ever closer to world war three, yet here in
the UK we are, so far, relatively safe. How easy is it to say it’s not our problem, we shouldn’t get
involved, even as our Christian brothers and sisters are being killed for their faith, or for standing
up against an oppressive regime.

I admit, it can be very difficult at times, to judge what is the right thing to do, what actions will
lead ultimately to more peace and less war. Yet if we fail to engage with these issues, we as
Christians, risk be seen as washing our hands of the worlds evils and doing nothing about it. It
may take time and hard work, double checking with other sources rather than just blindly
re-posting something, but if we don’t engage, if we don’t stand up for those being persecuted,
then we are being more Pilate than Jesus.

Even as he heard the cheering crowds, Jesus knew the cost of what was to come for him.
Although they didn’t know it yet, the disciples and other followers of Jesus would also face a
high cost for their belief in him in the years to come. This Holy week through our services we will
follow that journey, to the cross and beyond. This journey may in some ways reflect our life
journeys. There may be times when life seems hard, to choose the way of Jesus rather than the
way of Pilate seems hard, but to quote Sam in Lord of the rings

“But in the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.”

Because of the events of Holy Week, we know there is hope for a better future and that can give
us the strength, to do our part, in helping create a better world, by being more Jesus than Pilate.

Sunday before lent

 

Readings: Exodus 24. 12- end

       2 Peter 1. 16-end

                 Matt. 17 1-9

The last remains of Christmas are gone, the decorations down, the last mince pie eaten and this week on Wednesday in our ash Wednesday services we will enter into the barrenness and darkness of lent. But today we are given one last blast of brightness to carry us through the darkness to come.

The liturgical year can be like the patterns of human life, periods of joy and light and periods of darkness and despair and everything in between. In the dark times of life we can often reach for things that we think will help or give us temporary comfort, a bar of chocolate, a bottle of wine, a cuddle with a teddy bear. Some of these things are better for us than others, but they all only provide temporary comfort. 

In the story of the transfiguration that we heard today, Jesus is for a few moments transfigured into the glory that will become his for eternity at Easter. It is a glory that points to a better future for all mankind. Yet right now that better future feels almost like a lost hope. The days feel dark and damp and cold. Somebody said to me the other day, I would rather it snowed, there might be a bit more light then, but all we seem to have is dark, damp, greyness. Looking beyond our own immediate concerns, the news from the world around us just seems to be an unending stream of conflict and hatred of one group to another. Sometimes, the thought of grabbing alcohol, chocolate , a teddy bear and hiding under my duvet seems very tempting.  

The transfiguration however, means that that is not an option for us. The light of Jesus’ transfiguration shines on us as it did on Peter, James and John and tells us that there is hope, there is a brighter future. The transfiguration appears a very strange event to 21st century western minds. It would be easy and to some people tempting perhaps to dismiss it as a vision or a hallucination, these things don’t really happen. Yet Peter is quite clear in his letter, written to some of the early churches when he became concerned about the spreading of false teaching. He says “for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 

The transfiguration is no cunningly devised fable or vision or hallucination. It was a real event, but then what are we to make of it? The story of the transfiguration in Matthews gospel is preceded by a conversation where Jesus asks the disciples who they think that he is. Peter says that Jesus is the messiah and the son of God but then the conversation moves on and Jesus tries to explain about what must happen to him and Peter denies it. At the transfiguration Jesus’s identity is confirmed as it was at his baptism with a voice from heaven, this is my son. The disciples are, not surprisingly, somewhat afraid, but then Jesus comes and touches them and tells them “get up, do not be afraid.”

 There is a contrast here, you have the dazzling, holy, figure, the son of God the almighty, surely someone to be worshipped and in awe of. Then you have the simple, human touch, the acknowledgment of what the disciples must be feeling and the gentle encouragement, do not be afraid. Words that am sure would help the disciples in the weeks to come. Words that can give us strength today when we face the problems of the world.

When Moses came down from the mountain the people saw that he had been changed, transfigured, by his encounter with God. Taking time during lent to deepen our encounter with God and our understanding of our reliance on God in times of struggle and temptation can change us. It can lead to our own transfiguration, to us growing more like the people God wants us to be.

Fr Edward, in some of his sermons, has introduced us to the concept of theosis. How we can grow to become like God and share in his divine nature. The first stage of this process is to learn to trust God when we feel despairing or tested. The spiritual disciplines associated with lent such as fasting and self examination or confession can help us with this. Fasting helps strengthen our resisting temptation muscles, and give us strength to make more God focused, rather than me focused choices. Self examination and confession can help us face up to the truth about ourselves, not always an easy thing to do, but only when we do this can we change for the better. People often look at taking up a new prayer practice in lent and this can lead us into a deeper relationship with God. A relationship that can sustain us not just through lent but through whatever else may be to come.

This process can lead to our own transfiguration. Whilst I don’t expect us all to be shining like Jesus and Moses were, maybe this lent our spiritual discipline can lead to changes in how we are, in how we act. Changes that others may notice and start to question. Like Jesus we can say to people do not be afraid but come and know God, come and let the light reach you. Others may then be transfigured and light spread against the darkness. In one of our post communion prayers we pray that we whom the spirit lights will give light to the world. This lent do not be afraid, allow yourself to be transfigured and to be light to the world.

Advent 4: Saying yes to God

May I speak in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit

When the angel Gabriel brings Mary God’s request that she becomes the theotokas, the Godbearer, Mary, eventually, agrees and says yes. Now, there are many different ways of saying yes. There is the simple response to the question would you like a cup of tea? Yes, the slightly more emphatic, would you like some chocolate, yes please. There are other questions where we might pause before saying yes, maybe something sounds too good to be true and we are wondering what the catch is a question such as would you like £1000 to spend in a bookshop. Whilst clearly, I would love £1000 to spend in a bookshop, I would also be thinking why are you offering me this, what do you want in return? Nobody makes such a good offer without wanting something in return.

Then there are the times when we say yes but don’t really mean it, someone gives you a present you don’t want and asks if you like it and you say yes out of politeness, someone asks you to do something that you feel you should do but don’t really want to, so you say yes. Your partner asks if you’ve been listening to them and you say yes, even though you’ve been thinking about something else and not listening to them at all.

Sometimes saying yes can be a simple interaction and sometimes it can be life changing. Or even world changing. Will you marry me, will you be the mother of God? Saying yes in these circumstances isn’t always easy. Things that are life changing require thought and careful consideration before answering. Saying yes may require us to make changes to our life. In some circumstances we can know that saying yes may be the right thing, but also know that it may be difficult. God has a tendency to ask us to do things that may not be easy, that may require a not easy yes.

Mary in saying yes to God, needed amongst other things to be brave. But what does being brave mean? Well, it can mean different things to different people. Recently when visiting my mum I went for a run. Now my mum lives in a nice village on the edge of the Yorkshire wolds. I set of for my run after lunch, in good weather with plenty of daylight. However as I was running down the village street a woman said to me you’re brave. Now I don’t see going for a run in daylight in a yorkshire village as something I need to be brave to do, I mean unless there’s something I don’t know like the local sheep really hate runners and will chase me and attack me, I don’t see anything to fear in what I was doing. However clearly for that woman, something that I was doing made her feel that for her to do that would require bravery. Saying yes, especially to God, can often lead to us having to step outside our comfort zone and be brave.

To say yes to God can lead us to places we never expected. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he addresses the letter to “all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints”. Imagine that you received a pastoral letter from Bishop Sophie to all God’s beloved in Chapelfields, who are called to be saints. What would your reaction be, do you see yourself as someone called to be a saint? You might not think so but everyone who responds to God’s call on their life is called to be a saint. To follow God, to be called to be a saint can bring many joys, but it can also push us well beyond our comfort zone. It’s so easy to tell ourselves, I can’t do that, you need to be be clever or rich or whatever other excuse you may think up to tell yourself that God can’t really want you to do that. Yet, if we look at the bible it is full of ordinary everyday people, people that weren’t seen as rich or clever. In fact some of them are down right scoundrels, yet God has a task for them and when they say yes and accept that task, things that couldn’t be imagined start to happen. I must admit when Fr. Edward first proposed the fresco and said how much it would cost, my first thoughts were it would be fantastic but we will never raise that much money. Yet as a congregation we said yes and we raised the money and have a fantastic fresco which I think adds so much to our worship space.

God isn’t going to give us all a task that is as great as the one given to Mary. However, he may ask us to do things, that for each of us in our own way, can feel scary, that may require us to say a brave yes. It may not be something big, this time of year there is often a focus on families and relationships. Is there someone in your family or an old friend that you’ve lost touch with and now are too worried about what they think to try and reach out to them? Or maybe you’ve seen a volunteer opportunity or group that interests you but are holding back from trying something new because you’re worried about how others will see you or that you won’t be able to do it. Maybe that group is the place that God is calling you to be. It could even be joining one of the rotas in church, new servers are always welcome. Whatever it is, however big or small it may seem, saying that yes to God, can profoundly change your life, it may change the lives of others around you, it may even change the world. 

What is God asking you to say yes to this Christmas and can you follow Mary’s example and say yes to whatever God has planned for you?

Sermon 12/10/25

 

Readings: Luke 17 11-19

Today I want us to think a bit about gratitude. Last week our harvest festival service was focused in giving thanks and being grateful for the food we have to eat. However that was a one off occasion. How many of us spend more time in prayer asking for things than being grateful and thanking God for what we have? When we send up an arrow prayer asking for help with a situation how many of us offer a prayer of thanks when things work out the way we want? If the rest of you are like me, I suspect the answer is not as often as we should.

In our gospel this morning ten lepers are healed, but only one comes back to Jesus and thanks him, and that one is the dodgy Samaritan. We can assume that all ten were healed and that all ten had faith. In the first century once you developed leprosy you had to live apart from society. Leave your family and friends, your job. You became an outcast and a beggar. If you did go near other people you had to ring a bell announcing you were unclean. 

If by some miracle you recovered from leprosy you could only rejoin society when a priest had inspected you and declared you fit. In our gospel today things get a bit mixed up. The lepers ask Jesus to heal them and Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. At this point they are still lepers, still suffering and showing signs of this terrible disease. You would think they would stop and say look Jesus heal us now, then we will go. What's the point of going to the priests when I am still clearly ill and suffering from this terrible disease. So all ten clearly had faith as they go off and all are healed by the time they get to the priest. However, only one comes back to thank Jesus. The bible doesn’t tell us anything about the motivations for why one came back and nine didn’t. Maybe the one had had a parent who had insisted they write thank you letters and the habit had become so ingrained that he had to come back and say thank you. Maybe he was the only one without family close by, the others all rushed of to rejoin their families, thinking they could come back and thank Jesus later, but that is all speculation, we just don’t know.

The acts of giving and receiving thanks can have an important role in forming relationships. The one leper that came back can then begin to form a relationship with Jesus. Relationships are two way things. If someone is taking from others all the time, whether that be in terms of physical help and effort, material things such as money, or in emotional ways. If one person in a relationship is always demanding or moaning, the relationship isn’t likely to last. It takes two to tango and it takes give and take on both sides for a relationship to work. 

This applies as much to our relationship with God as it does to our relationships with each other. I don’t know about you but I know for me it is very easy for my prayer life to slip into a quick Hi God, can you fix X.Y and Z, can you help me deal with this and that, OK see you tomorrow! I’m so busy worrying and being concerned for all the stressful and negative things in the world and my life that I don’t think as often as I should about saying thank you for the good things. What the leper know 2000 years ago, a quick internet search will show that modern science has confirmed. Taking time to notice the good things, give thanks and be grateful can improve your mental health. We maybe need to make thanking God, and identifying things to be thankful for, a core part of our prayer life.

But, it’s one thing saying be grateful when you have a roof over your head, warm clothes and food on the table. When I was writing this sermon I found myself thinking but what if you are really struggling, how can you be grateful then? I then came across an interview with a guy called Eli Sharabi. Eli’s wife and two daughters were killed in the 7th October attack on Israel. Eli was taken as a hostage into Gaza. Initially he was kept in a family home but then he was moved to an underground cell where he was with three other hostages. I want to read you an extract from the interview report.

“To keep hope alive, he encouraged the others to take part in a nightly ritual. Each hostage had to tell the group about a good thing that had happened that day “it was very difficult in the beginning” he admits

Good grief, I should say so Eli. You were all in the pit of hell and you’re saying please come up with something positive.

He nods as if that was obvious “Yes and believe me, it was many, many good things… You know, that the guy who is very cruel to us didn’t give us food today. It was a better guy. So that was a very good thing. We succeeded to sleep without having a nightmare, or somebody made you laugh today, or it was the that we got a shower – so that was a very good day.

After two or three weeks, Eli says, with evident satisfaction, each one of them could find four or five very good things in that day. And it was like a muscle that you train. That’s how we stay optimistic” *

I can’t even begin to imagine how awful Eli’s situation was, and it amazes me that they could still find it in themselves to be grateful for things. I think Eli was onto something important. It can be so easy to get caught in a cycle of negative thinking, concentrating only on the bad things. This can damage our relationship with God as we may start to blame Him for all the bad stuff. Yet, it seems even in the very worst of situations, if you look hard enough, you may find something to give thanks for. It seems that giving thanks to God and to each other is good for our relationships with each other and, more importantly with God, and for our mental health. So my challenge, for myself and for you to try and do this week, is like Eli, each night, find something to thank God for, if it involves another person try and thank them as well. So, I will finish by thanking you all for listening to me.

*Article by Alison Pearson published in the Daily Telegraph 3rd October 2025

Sermon on faith

 Luke 12 32-40

Heb 11 1-3, 8-16

Gen 15 1-6

Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. These words are from our gospel this morning and something struck me when I read them. In the modern world we are often told to follow our heart. If we seek to have all that our heart desires then we shall be happy. What does your heart desire? In my case the answer is, if I’m honest, money, my own personal library, the biggest collection of teddy bears and a nice large country manor house. However the gospel doesn't tell us to follow our heart, rather it tells us our hearts will be fulfilled when we find our treasure, and I don't think it means money, nice houses, books and teddy bears.

I think the treasure here is faith. So, what is faith? Well according to the dictionary it can mean to have great trust or confidence in someone or something. As a Christian I think faith means, firstly believing in the existence of God and then believing in the goodness of God and trusting that he knows what is going on and somehow things will work out for good. This can be difficult sometimes, when we look at all the trouble in the world, or when we are facing our own personal problems such as grief, financial worries, and illness, both physical and mental. In such times faith is something that can sustain us.

To quote from the Lord of the Rings “the world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” 

Our faith can reassure us as we pass through the dark places that one day we will arrive at a better place. That love will be greater than grief. That if we have faith in what is good and holy, that faith will be rewarded.

When we think about faith, especially in a church context, we tend to think about it in terms of what we believe, what we have faith in. But have you ever thought about God having faith in you? In the confirmation service we are told that God has chosen us and called us by name. Would He do that if he didn't have faith in us that we can respond to that call and respond well? 

Just stop and think about that a moment isn’t it amazing and awesome and mind blowing that God knowing you and me, knowing all our imperfections, still has faith in us. That thought can be something to hold onto in times of struggle and doubt, if God has faith in us then surely we can do whatever it is we need to do. 

I've always looked at the story of Abraham as being about Abraham having faith in God. Abraham takes a massive risk, he uproots his family, which in those days would have probably been quite an extended kinship group, not just what we would consider his immediate family. He sets out not knowing where he was going, his own people may have thought him a bit crazy and mad. Abraham had faith that he was following the path God had laid out for him, but God also had faith in Abraham that he was the right person to lead His people on this next stage of their journey.

Faith it seems can work both ways.

How many times when you have voiced doubt about doing something to someone have they said I’ve got faith in you. That knowledge that someone else believes in you can be a reason to carry on, to start believing that you can conquer whatever the challenge is. Now imagine, you have doubt, you are struggling to believe that you can achieve something or find a way forward through some problems and God whispers in your ear, I have faith in you. How encouraging would that be? Well, God does have faith in you.

In our modern scientific rational world faith can sometimes be seen as a negative, blind faith, believing in something without firm evidence is irrational, it's not scientific it's not how we should be thinking in the modern age. Yet how many people who rubbish a spiritual faith, have faith in science to solve all the world's problems? Faith is not about knowing all the right answers, about being able to evidence why something is the right thing. Faith isn't about being able to solve the problems we may face. Faith is about the hope and the belief that things will get better. If we have faith in each other, in God and God has faith in us, then we can all support each other to deal with the storms of life.

I came across a comment on what faith is on twitter when I was writing this sermon, it said “faith doesn't always take you out of the problem, faith takes you through the problem. Faith doesn't always take away the pain, faith gives you the ability to handle the pain. Faith doesn't always take you out of the storm, faith calms you in the midst of the storm.”

Faith is not just a belief in God, although that is a very important part of Christian faith. It is the glue that binds us together as a community, it is the thing that can help you get out of bed in the morning when all seems pain and despair, but most of all faith is what gives us hope for a better future and the strength to make that future a reality. I pray that we as a community here can grow in out own faith and strengthen each others faith.

The Good Samaritan

Luke: 10: 25-37

Colossians 1: 1-14

Today's gospel reading, the story of the good Samaritans, is one that most of us are probably familiar with. 

One of the things I like about preaching is that it gives me a chance to really look at a text and try to find something new. 

This story is so familiar, so much a part of out culture that the phrase a good Samaritan is used routinely outside of church contexts. 

As I was reading and thinking I realised that the lawyer that Jesus is in conversation with wasn't someone I had thought much about. A lawyer in the biblical text wasn't quite the same as we think of a lawyer today. They were experts in religious teaching and religious law. They didn't really have anything to do with civil law.  

So, when this expert in religious law asks Jesus what should we do to inherit eternal life? 

Jesus seems to respond with an attitude of your the lawyer, your the expert here, you tell me the answer.

In response the lawyer says love the lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself. 

The lawyer is quoting from the book of Deuteronomy. It’s a passage that forms part of the Shema prayer in Judaism. The shema is a central prayer in Judaism. For observant Jews it is a requirement to recite it twice a day and it is an integral part of morning and evening prayer, a bit like the Lords Prayer for us. So, it is something that would have be well known to both Jesus and the lawyer. 

So, if the lawyer knew the answer, why did he ask the question in the first place? Well, he asks a follow up question, who is my neighbour? and maybe this is what he really wanted to know but needed a way in to asking. 

In response Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. When he finishes the story, he asks the lawyer who was the neighbour in the story. 

The lawyer doesn’t respond by saying the Samaritan. It’s almost as he can’t admit that it might be a Samaritan who is his neighbour.

The hostility between Jews and Samaritans dated back a long time, to the death of King Solomon in about 930 BC. 

After Solomon's death the Kingdom split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judea, due to differences in how rulers should be selected. Jerusalem was in Judea and remained the capital there, but Israel needed a new capital, which ended up as the city of Samaria. 

After about 200 years Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, who took a large part of the native population away, and replaced it with colonisers from elsewhere. 

Some Jews had remained and over time they intermarried with the colonisers and began to follow some of their traditions. 

Judea, of course, faced it’s own exile sometime later under the Babylonians. It was during this time that the later parts of the Old Testament were written, and brought back after the Babylonian exile. 

So when the exiles returned Judea had a different set of religious texts to the Jews living in what had been Israel. 

Also Samaria and Jerusalem are quite close to each other so while the Jews that had lived in Jerusalem had been in exile, some of the Samaritans had moved onto their land.

So you had two peoples who although they had shared roots, they now had different religious texts, different ways of worshipping and living, and conflict over land. 

Some of the returning Jews thought the Samaritan people were weird and strange and definitely not like them and not to be counted as proper Jews. 

By the time of Jesus the differences and hatred had deepened. The Judeans had taken a stance of trying to resist outside influence at all cost. Meanwhile the Samaritans had developed a better relationship with those around them in the Roman empire and become more like them. To a Judean Jew, the worst insult you could give would be to call them a Samaritan. 

So, to return to our lawyer, Jesus has basically just told him that he has to love a Samaritan, one of these terrible, scum of the earth, not the right type of Jew people, as his neighbour! I mean it’s like telling Putin and Zelensky they need to be best friends! 

We don’t know how the lawyer reacted to this, but I suspect he found it difficult to deal with what Jesus told him.

But, what about us? How often do we think or act like the lawyer?  How often do we think, oh that charismatic, evangelical church, they don’t do worship the right way, they understand the bible differently to me, don’t want anything to do with them! Or, that person voted for a political party I totally disagree with, I’m not having anything more to do with them! 

Well, I have some bad news for you, according to Jesus, they are your neighbour, and you need to love them, or at least try and treat them with respect. 

We can see across the world the terrible consequences of what happens when people fail to do this. The other starts to be seen as less, it’s OK to insult them, then to hurt them, then to kill them.  

We have seen recently how disagreement with the actions of the Israeli army quickly turned to chants calling for all members of the Israeli army to be killed including those that are there by conscription, not choice.  

There needs to be another way to deal with conflicts, otherwise we will be in a never ending cycle.

The church of England often talks about the need to disagree well, But how do we do that?  Whilst we may all hold to our views with passion and possibly for deep seated emotional reasons, we have to accept that it is the same for the other person. Their experiences and thinking may have brought them to a different view but they may hold that view as passionately and emotionally as we hold ours. Treat them like you would want to be treated. 

Be open to the fact that you may be wrong. If you enter a conversation determined to prove that you are right, you won’t really listen to the other person and may seem to just dismiss their experience and thinking, leading them to then resent you.

We need to listen well, and respond well. In the first letter of Peter, Peter writes about how the Christians should answer people who challenge them, he says be prepared to give an answer “But do this with gentleness and respect.”  We also need to think about the words we are using in one of the letters to Timothy this advice is given “Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” 

Wise words indeed. Too often we can twist or misinterpret what someone else has said, leading to more misunderstanding and conflict.

Later on today we are having lunch and a bible study. I hope that we can keep in mind the need to disagree well. 

It’s not an easy thing to do, but if we can start by managing to disagree well among ourselves, then maybe we can show the wider world what we have learnt. Show them that there is another way, the Christian way, and that it’s a way that’s worth following and can help move the world onto a more peaceful path.

Good Shepherd Sunday

Today has traditionally been known as Good Shepherd Sunday after the gospel reading we have just heard and the psalm set for today. 

A good shepherd seeks to keep his flock together and bring his sheep along with him. Now if God is the shepherd that makes us the sheep, and I suspect that we can be a very troublesome flock. To use a biblical phrase we all like sheep have gone astray, each to our own way. 

We all have our own views, our own way we prefer things to be done, and of course, it’s obvious, to us, that our preferred way is clearly the best and right way and everyone else should just do as we want.

 The culture we live in these days can seem to reinforce that view. We are inundated by articles, inspirational quotes etc telling us to find our true self, that the most important thing is me and what makes me happy and the implication is not to worry how that might make others feel.  We are told to speak our truth and if we speak the loudest our truth will be the truth. 

 However, if we are all shouting, then we can fail to listen. Jesus says his sheep know him because we hear his voice. If we are to hear the voice of the shepherd than that means we have to stop shouting about my truth, or my rights, or why everyone should do things my way. We need to shut up and listen for the voice of the shepherd. We can do this through spending time quietly in prayer and contemplation of scripture.

 There is another danger in listening to our own voice, it might not be telling the truth. I was on a training course one day this week. I was learning about a form of cognitive behavioural therapy. One point raised is how we as humans developed language as a way to communicate. Language, whilst extremely useful, can have a dark side. When we tell ourselves we are useless, no one can love us we are that bad, not even God and we can come to believe it. Our own inner voice can start to drown out the gentle voice of the good shepherd calling us and telling us that he loves us. 

The gospel tells us that the sheep will recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd. We need to atune our ears and make sure we are listening to the shepherd.   

If each sheep follows it’s own way then the flock scatters. A scattered flock then becomes easy pickings for the wolves and other predators. If we all seek our own way, divisions grow, relationships break down.  We stop being a caring Christian community and can instead end up hurting others, making them feel excluded and cast out. Meanwhile we end up as a club for those that think like we do. This can be clearly seen in the history of the church, and in our own church of England now.  The new Archbishop of Canterbury, whoever they may turn out to be, will have a hard job to shepherd his or her flock.  This is why our shepherd calls us to a different way. 

In our reading from Acts this morning, we heard about a lady called Tabitha. Tabitha is a faithful disciple of the church. She is also clearly a person who has good relationships with others. She cares for the widows and helps them. The other members of the community clearly care about her. When she becomes ill and dies, they don’t just accept her death and move on, they know that Peter has recently performed a healing miracle, and is nearby so they send for him. 

Peter travels from Lydda to Joppa a journey of around eight miles. When Peter comes, he tells them to clear the room, prays, then speaks to Tabitha and bids her rise. It is not Peter’s prayer that triggers Tabitha’s return to life, rather it is when Peter speaks to her, that she responds. 

 We all respond when we hear things, especially our name. How often have you being having one conversation and you hear your name mentioned by someone in another conversation and instantly switch your attention. 

Our names are important. When we meet someone new, we tell them our name and they tell us their name, this is the first step of building relationships. Relationships will only grow if we are prepared to listen and to hear what the other has to say. By listening to each other, we can learn from each other about what we each feel  is important and why. When we do that we can start to compromise, to find a path that the flock can all follow, hopefully without any sheep going astray.  

God is the good shepherd  who calls each of his sheep, you and me, individually by name into relationship with him. A relationship that can be life changing. However he is also calling us into relationship with each other. Relationships, where whilst we might not always agree with each other we can build trust, build a community or a flock, that has God’s love and care at the heart of it.  A community that can show the world another way of being, a way where it’s about us, not me, where thorough compromise and understanding of each other, we can achieve more, become more of our best selves than we can if we just focus on me.  

I pray that this week we can all find time, to pause and listen for the voice of the Good shepherd that loves us and calls us by name.

Holy Week 3: Judas Iscariot

 Today, the Wednesday in holy week is traditionally known as spy Wednesday and the focus is on Judas Iscariot. As with the other nights this week I am starting tonight by using my imagination and trying to see what Judas may have been thinking

It wasn't supposed to end like this. When I first met him and heard him preach I thought he was surely the one. The next great Jewish leader. The one to overthrow the Roman oppressors. He was supposed to lead a great uprising. Kill the oppressors, drive them out. Make the Jewish people free again. I wanted to be part of that, to play my part in the glorious new government that would follow his victory. But then he just kept talking about forgiveness. But I truly thought when we came to Jerusalem he would take action. I thought when we gathered for that meal in the upper room, we would be planning the insurrection, the overthrow of the Roman oppressors, but no. I thought if things came to a head, if the temple authorities tried to stop him, then it would be a catalyst. The spark that would start the fire, the fire that would burn down the Romans and leave the Jewish people free. But then, even when Peter drew his sword, he told him to put it away. He let them arrest him without any resistance. I know now they mean to kill him, and I’ve helped them, how can I live with that, but why oh why won't he stand up and be the great leader we need, why allow himself to be killed, to kill all our hopes when he should be leading the fight.

Judas wanted Jesus to be something that he wasn't. The Jews had been living for years under Roman persecution and Judas believed the only way to change that was to physically fight back. The problem is that that is not God’s way. God sees things from a different perspective to us. He has an understanding of how things will pan out over the span of eternity. We are stuck in the here and now. We may often ask or even try to demand of God that he does something, the something that we think is the right thing to do, now. Like Judas we focus on our own understanding and what we think should happen for the best. We need to realise that God may, sometimes, know better. That things happen according to God's plan and time, not ours. 

Judas is also focused on money and on what prestige he can gain from being in Christ's inner circle. This makes it hard for him to hear Christ's message of a different way of being. How often do we prioritise what we want over what God wants? Judas’ motivations for following Jesus isn’t always the right one. When our motives are more about seeking what we want, even if our actions look good, we are not following God. Once we start to make decisions for the wrong reasons, then we can start to lose sight of what is good and right. Evil can start to creep in to our hearts and minds and corrupt our thinking and our relationships. Our focus shifts to what is the right thing for me, what will benefit me the most, and not what does God want? If other people start to get hurt, they become collateral damage. This is not the way God wants us to be. God calls us to be a community, to make decisions for the common good not just our personal good. We can only do this if we have a good relationship with God, if we spend time in prayer where we don’t just issue a list of demands to God, please can you fix X,Y,Z now. We also need to allow time for stillness and to listen to what God may be saying to us. To accept that our way is not God’s way and sometimes we just have to trust that God has a plan, even if we don’t understand it.

Over the last three nights I have tried to explore the events of Holy week through the eyes of three different people involved. On Monday we learned from Mary that we should always aim to bring our best to God. On Tuesday from Simon Peter, we learned that we will probably all mess it up at some point, but because of the events of this week there is always forgiveness and redemption available. Tonight Judas has shown us the importance of seeking to understand God’s ways and recognise that they may not be the same as ours. Judas has also shown us the importance of ensuring that what we do, both in our worship and outside in the wider word is done for the glory of God and not ourselves. I hope that over the next few days as we journey to the cross and to the heart of God’s love we can also grow closer to God and stronger in our faith.

Holy Week 2: Simon Peter

 

Today we continue our journey through holy week by looking at events from the perspectives of different people. I am using imagination and starting each evening with a monologue from the viewpoint of a different character. Today we are looking at Simon Peter. 

Was it only a few days ago, that marvellous entry into Jerusalem? It seems like a thousand years ago. Everything was going so well. I really thought this was it. Jesus would be accepted as the next great Jewish leader. The important people, those in authority would recognise who he was. Then it all went so wrong. We shared the Passover meal, he wanted to wash my feet, but I protested. He’s the leader I should serve him, but somehow he turns everything upside down. Insisted that he serve me. At that last meal when he was talking about one of us betraying him, I promised to lay down my life for him, and I meant it. When they came to arrest him, I tried to fight back and stop them, but He stopped me. When they took him away I followed him, I wanted to help, find a way to rescue him. But then, then, I betrayed him as much as that snake Judas did. They asked if I was with him and I was scared, worried what they would do to me, worried that if I said yes I would have no chance to save him. I wasn't able to save him anyway, and now I’ve let him down, let myself down, can I ever find forgiveness for my actions that night.

We know that Simon Peters world is going to be turned upside down several more times over the next few weeks, but ultimately he will find the forgiveness he seeks. 

Simon Peter always strikes me as a bit of a larger than life character, the one that's always rushing in almost without thinking. In the transfiguration, when Jesus is on the mountain top with Moses and Elijah, he rushes in wanting to build shelters. When he sees Jesus walking on the water towards the boat he immediately wants to go to him and finds himself walking on the water, then he has a moment of realisation and starts to sink. In Holy week it is Peter who declares he will lay down his life for Jesus, then when the reality sets in, in the courtyard, surrounded by the leaders and people that want Jesus dead, he falters.

How often do we act like Peter? Keen to follow Jesus at first, but then when things get a bit tough, when lent seems long, we may give up. I see this in myself, a lot. I want to follow Jesus, I want to have a good spiritual life, but when I’m tired or when I'm rushing about trying to do several things at once and get out the door in time to get to work, that quiet time in the morning for prayer is the first thing that gets lost. If I'm honest it can even just be spending too much time scrolling on social media. Time that could and should be spent building my relationship with God. 

However, we know how Peter’s story ends. That beautiful scene on the beach where Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to say that he loves him three times, cancelling the three denials. The same Peter that denied Jesus, will through faith go on to die for him.

The events of Holy week and Easter mean that this same life changing forgiveness is available to us all. Now, that isn't a reason to just carry on as we are. The reality is that we are human and however hard we try, we are going to mess it up at some point. That in essence is how we end up at the cross. 

We, both individually and as humanity in general, get it wrong so often. We let our own self interest, our laziness, our lack of ability to focus on what we need to do and instead spend twenty minutes looking at cute cat videos get in the way of what is really important. Our relationship with God and our seeking to discern God’s will through prayer and other spiritual practices should come first. However, like for Peter, forgiveness is there. On Easter Eve, we have the chance to renew our baptism vows, to reset our relationship with God, to seek and receive forgiveness. We may mess things up but Simon Peter's story tells us that, no matter the mistakes we make, because of the cross and resurrection we can ask for and receive forgiveness and get a fresh start.

Holy Week 1: Mary Magdalen

 Over the next three nights I want to explore the events of Holy week from the viewpoints of three different people involved, starting tonight with our own Mary Magdalene and moving on to Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot. 

These sermons will be a little bit different from normal. I have let my imagination lose and each one will begin with a monologue that imagines what the person we are focusing on might have been thinking and feeling, then going on to explore what we can learn from them and their experience.

So, let's imagine what Mary Magdalene may have been thinking.

I love him, he saved me from myself, from the madness that was tearing me apart. He brought me healing and wholeness. When we entered Jerusalem with the crowds cheering, I was happy at first. I thought everyone else saw what I saw in him. But crowds can be fickle, and I started to have a bad feeling. Others thought I was being over dramatic I can almost hear them saying “that Mary Magdalene, she's still a bit weird”. I just thought if something does happen I want him to know what he means to me, I want to give him the best that I can. That's why I went and spent my money on that expensive perfume and poured it on his feet. I know Judas and a few others complained, they thought the money could have been better spent, but I'm so worried about what might happen in the next few days. The atmosphere on the streets is so charged, with everyone gathering for the festival, anything could happen and I’ve got this feeling that everything's going to change how and when and if it will be good or bad I just don't know. I just want him to know how much he means to me. He has helped me to become the person that I am. I want to give the best that I can to him.

Mary Magdalene’s actions in pouring expensive perfume onto Jesus’ feet are motivated by her love for him. When we love someone we want to express it, to them and to let others know the way we feel. How do we show what Jesus means to us? One way is through the worship we offer. We want to make the worship we offer the best that it can be. Vestments that looks good, that reflect the richness of God’s love for us. The wonderful organ music that Tim provides for us, the lovely smell of the incense, covering any not so nice smells. What about us though, do we always bring our best selves to worship God? If I’m honest I know that I don't always. There can be so many other things going on that even in the time that is supposed to be dedicated to and focused on God, I find my mind wandering to more day to day issues such as do I need to buy some more bread? Did I remember to get something out the freezer for dinner? I wonder who the killer is in the latest crime novel I’m reading. So many things competing for our attention but Mary reminds us that we if we truly love God, we should pay him attention. God wants relationship with us, but it's hard to build relationship with someone who is constantly distracted by other things. Let's try and use the liturgy and time of holy week to really give God our full attention and build our relationship with him.

Mary doesn't just bring herself to God, she offers to him the most expensive perfume she can buy. How often do we spend money on ourselves first and put how God might want us to spend money second? I will put my hands up and admit this is an area I really need to work on. Why do I always buy more books, when I have a to be read pile that will take me several years to get through? Could I be using that money better by giving it to the church or other charities whose work can show God's love to people. The answer is almost certainly yes. 

Mary's actions also tell other people how she feels about Jesus. Mary is the sort of person that I should imagine everyone would be talking and about her relationship with Jesus. But what about us? Do our actions tell the people around us about Jesus and how great he is? Do people that know us even know that we are Christians? Mary provides an example of how to live a life of unashamed deep love of God. A relationship to which she brings everything that she is and has, and through which she finds wholeness and healing. 

Mary challenges us to do the same. This Holy week I hope we can provide some amazing worship, that we can bring the best of our skills and talents to God. I pray that what we do will draw people into relationship with God and that we can learn to be people that reflect God to others and make them want to find that relationship with God for themselves.

Baptism of Christ

May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of The Holy Spirit.

A voice came from heaven, you are my Son, the beloved. Words from our gospel this morning, but what do they mean? 

The voice from heaven is presumably that of God, declaring that Jesus is his son, his beloved. A statement is clearly being made about Jesus’s identity. He is the son of God, no ifs, no buts. 

Some people have claimed that Jesus was just a good man, a wise teacher whose teaching we should follow, even a prophet, but he was just a man. Our gospel this morning makes it clear that they are wrong. Jesus is both man, the son of Mary and divine, the son of God. 

Theologians have wrestled for centuries over how this works. This year is the 1,700 anniversary of the council of Nicaea, which led to the formulation of the Nicaean creed which we proclaim each week.  The issue of the relationship between the divine and human natures in Jesus, and how they work was a key point in the debates. 

Were the divine and the human natures separate but in one body, a bit like a split personality? Or were they somehow mingled together? Is Jesus two natures in one body or something else?I was struggling to find a way to articulate these ideas that is easy to underunderstand then I came across a column in the church times by Angela Tilby, in which she discusses the nature of Christ and gives the following analogy. 

“two nature, one person Christians understood Christ as we might experience a drink of whiskey and water: 

a combination in which the distinctiveness of the two components remains apparent to the taste.

 One nature Christians on the other hand, thought the person of Christ to be more like gin and tonic: 

the ingredients once mixed, can no longer be distinguished.”

I did think about doing a practical experiment as part of my sermon but decided it might not be a good idea. So, which is it? The church decided that Jesus was more whiskey and water than gin and tonic. Even with a helpful drink, I still struggle sometimes to really understand how Jesus can be both God and man.  

How does it work? Does Jesus the man know that he is also God? How does that impact on how he thinks and acts? Maybe for the time he is human he doesn't know that he is also God? But there are times in the gospel narratives where he does seem to know. The more I try and think about this, the more I seem to tie myself in knots and the more my brain seems to turn to fluff like Winnie the Poohs. 

However, maybe the answer is that we can’t understand it by just our own thinking. Having faith in something is not the same as knowing something. Speaking about the words of the creed Cardinal Basil Hume wrote

 “these words are but a formula – abstract, cold and unreal- unless our minds and hearts are touched, 

that is unless out hearts are involved in our prayer and our prayer involves our hearts.  

It is only gradually that the words of scripture and the creeds reveal something of their inner meaning. 

It is like the viewing of a landscape. 

The more we look the more we see. 

The eye cannot, at first glance, convey to the mind all the beauty that lies before it, 

nor study every detail that is part of the whole. 

It needs time, patience, persistence before the eye becomes one with the reality it is contemplating , and it with the eye.”

For some matters of faith, trying to understand them in a logical, practical way is the wrong approach. Our human language can at times be limited, God can be and act in ways that go beyond what we can describe with our limited language. It may be at times that we can only come closer to understanding God, through prayer and meditation on what He is saying to us through scripture and the creeds. 

For now, I maybe just need to accept that Jesus is God’s beloved son. But what about us? Whilst Jesus is in a special way God’s beloved son, through our baptism we are all also children of God. 

In our Isaiah reading we are told we are precious in God’s sight, we are honoured and He loves us. 

Sometimes, though, it might not feel like that. We are starting to settle back into normal life after the bright lights and celebrations of Christmas. Although I know the days are starting to get longer, it still feels very dark and cold. Post Christmas the pounds on the scale have gone up, whilst the pounds in my bank have gone down. The news seems to be all doom and gloom, yet here we have this wonderful passage. It tells us not to fear, for God has redeemed us. Yes, we may face problems but God will be with us and can help us not be overwhelmed. 

Note, it doesn't say you won’t face difficulties and hardships, but that God will be with you and protect you through them.  He cares about us so much that he is prepared to give up nations in exchange for you or me. The passage ends with this glorious description of God gathering up his children from north and south, from far away, even from the ends of the earth. 

In our baptism we become part of God’s family, a family that he will protect and care for. Jesus was Son of God and Son of Man and because of that we can try to stop being afraid of the world or of God, we can face the things we are afraid of knowing we are beloved children of God. 

So as we struggle through the dark days of January, we can know in our hearts, even if we don’t understand it with our brains, that we are all children of God, loved and protected by God. 

Amen

 

Christmas Day

Readings: Isaiah 9: 2-7

                 Psalm 96

                 Titus 2: 11-14

                 Luke 2: 1-20

May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

In the words of Noddy Holder its christmas! Did that surprise you? 

Christmas can have lots of surprises.  For some of us some of the joy comes from planning surprises we hope people we love will like, or from trying to work out how they may surprise us. 

Has anyone else spent the last few days feeling the parcels under the tree trying to work out what might be under the bright wrapping paper or is that just me?

 But that first Christmas the only ones who might have been expecting something surprising to happen would probably have been Mary and Joseph,  certainly not the shepherd's, they would have just been trying to keep warm and keep their sheep safe, out on the hillside.  Maybe they could see the lights of Bethlehem and would have been dreaming of being inside, in the warmth with a nice hot drink.  

Then suddenly, Wham, bam, the sky's lit up by the angelic host, what a surprise. 

We like to think of surprises as nice things, but I think this one might have been slightly terrifying as well. Indeed, Luke tells us that the shepherds were terrified, but they still accept the message of the angels and act on it. Something about the angels must have convinced them to accept and believe what the angels said, and not just assume that there had been some dodgy mushrooms in the stew. 

So the shepherds leave their sheep, or most of them, in most depictions of the nativity there always seems to be a few sheep that have come with the shepherds. 

They go down into Bethlehem, a town that was stuffed full of families there for the census and in all the chaos and the crowded streets, surprisingly they find the one child, the one family they are looking for. 

Mary, who probably just wanted to get some rest in peace and quiet, was probably equally surprised by a bunch of shepherds turning up.

We don’t know what happened to the shepherds after that first surprising Christmas night, but I hope they kept something of the connection they found with God that night with them for the rest of their lives.  

God can still act in surprising ways now, in some ways I’m surprised to find myself standing here in the pulpit on Christmas day. 

The world into which Jesus was born was, much like the world today, a place of uncertainty and violence. The Jewish people were looking for a leader to come and set them free from Roman oppression.  

They looked to the writings of prophets like Isaiah to give them hope that a great leader would come, such a leader is surely going to be born into wealth and power. Someone who can grow learning how to lead and govern wisely. Great leaders aren’t born to a carpenters family from a back water town like Nazareth. 

Surprise, says God, that’s exactly whats going to happen, oh and by the way, he wont be that great military leader you are expecting. 

But He will change the world.

Isaiah 9 was written at a time when the Israelite people were suffering the consequences of war and occupation. They were feeling like a people living in darkness with no hope.  

However the vision Isaiah offers is one of hope, not just that this war will end but that all wars will end,  swords will be beaten into ploughshares, to grow food and give life rather than kill. 

No matter how deep the darkness, even when we may feel overwhelmed, there will be glimmers of light and hope.

God uses surprises to help us see that anything is possible. 

At the end of 2024 peace, especially in the place where the Christ child was born seems more impossible than ever. Yet because of the surprising events that took place there around 2000 years ago we can have hope that not only is peace possible but it will come, and probably in a way that will surprise us. 

Surprises even from God don’t always have to be big and involve angels or miracles. 

God can and does speak in the stillness and the calm too, in the smaller things of life. 

The other week I had had a stressful day at work. As I left work and was walking to the bus stop feeling tired and stressed I looked up and saw a beautiful sunset, and looking at that beauty I felt some of the tiredness and stress fade away and be replaced with a sense of God’s presence with me even in stresses and strains of daily life. 

God can surprise you even in the dark streets of Coventry.  

In the midst of the tinsel and the wrapping paper, the food and the drink, as we celebrate Christmas, you may find yourself suddenly seeing or hearing something that surprises you and connects you to God.

Pope Francis once said God enters history and does so in his original style- surprise. 

The God of surprises always surprises us. The Christmas story is a story of a big surprise, the word becomes flesh, God becomes man, the curtain between heaven and earth is opened. 

However, God also surprises us in the small things, a bird singing, a beautiful sunset, the perfect gift.

How will you find the God of surprises surprising you this Christmas?

Amen

Rememberance Sunday

Readings; Jonah 3:1-5, 10

                  Hebrews 9. 24-end

                  Mark 1: 14-20

May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Today we are thinking of all those that have died as a result of conflict, some of whom may have been known to us or form parts of our family histories, those who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to safeguard our peace and freedom. They were and still are prepared to answer the call to serve wherever they should be sent and whatever the cost may be. 

The disciples in our gospel reading this morning were also answering a call. Like those that answer the call to serve in our armed forces they did not know where this call would take them. Yet they chose to follow that call, leaving behind the relative safety and security of their life as fishermen. John the Baptist had just been arrested, there was growing tension between the Jews and their roman rulers. The sensible and safe option would have been to stay where they were, keep their heads down and get on with their normal daily life. Instead they chose to follow a calling which would lead them to danger and even death. A calling which those who answer the call to serve in our armed services still choose to answer today, despite the dangers of growing global tensions.

War is never a good thing, but it can sometimes be a necessary thing. There is a saying if you want peace, prepare for war. Much as we may want to believe in a world where everyone is happy to let everyone else live as they want, that is not our present reality. We have seen it in Putin wanting Ukrainians to be Russian, the Taliban wanting everyone to live according to their extremist religious laws. Many of the values that we see today as secular western values, actually have their roots in Christianity, care of the poor, concepts of mercy and justice. Many of these come from the Christian belief of man being made in the image of God and therefore everyone having something of God in them. If we want the freedom to keep living by these values and putting them into practice we may need to fight for them. Today we give thanks for all those that have been willing to do just that on our behalf. 

Jonah in our first reading, was also following a calling, although he had tried to escape it. If we follow the story of Jonah beyond what was in our reading, we find that Jonah was successful in his mission, the people repented, God forgave them , and Jonah? He goes of in a huff because the destruction he had been told to prophesy hasn’t come true. Jonah illustrates a problem we humans often have. We want to see people that we feel have done us wrong made to suffer, the losing side in the war must be punished, and whilst there is some truth to that, if that is not tempered by mercy it can lead to the losing side starting to feel they are being treated unfairly and they need to fight back and so another war starts. So, whilst we may need to fight sometimes to defend what is right we also need to show mercy to our enemies, not an easy task.

It can sometimes all seem a bit hopeless, are we doomed to be stuck for ever in a cycle in which the punishment for one conflict lays the seeds for the next one? After all, today's act of remembrance dates back to the end of the great war, the war to end all wars, accept it then became the first world war as we started a second and conflicts and wars continue to this day.  

Well, I have some good news for you, there is hope. In the letter to the Hebrews, the author makes a distinction between a sanctuary made by human hands, and the heavenly one. The one made by human hands is a mere copy. Imitations and copies are often seen as second best, the soft drink Irn Bru uses the slogan the original and the best. So, according to the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, what we have now on earth is only an imitation of what will be in heaven, only a copy and not the original and best. In the Jewish temple based worship, sacrifices had to be made repeatedly, but the offering of Christ’s suffering on the cross, was once for all. This action brings forgiveness once and for all. It ends the repetitive cycle of human action and reaction. In this world which is just an imperfect imitation of what is to come, we may end up making multiple sacrifices. However, one day this kingdom will be replaced by God’s kingdom and there won’t be a need to keep repeating ourselves. The one sacrifice of Christ will transform everyone and everything.

Today we remember and give thanks for those who have paid the greatest price to ensure our freedom. The state of the world may look bleak at times, but we can have hope that one day there will be an end to the cycle of violence. If we want to truly honour those who have given their lives in conflict, we all need to play our part in working for a more peaceful world now and sharing the hope of the peaceful kingdom that is to come.

Amen