Past Sermons

27 February 2011
13 February 2011
23 January 2011
9 January 2011
2 January 2011
25 December 2010
19 December 2010
12 December 2010
5 December 2010
28 November 2010
14 November2010
31 October 2010

27th February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

"Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, to his feet your tribute bring, ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven ....."

Last year I asked the congregation here at St John's to tell me their 20 most favourite hymns, and that one was the one which topped the list. The list of favourite hymns has helped me prepare a Lenten study for the days of Lent which begins on Wednesday week. I hope that you have signed up to use the study. Each day of Lent there is a hymn to meditate on and to consider what it might be saying to us in church life today. Please sign up !

But the hymn "Praise, my soul, the King of heaven..." has a verse in it which goes like this: "Father-like He tends and spares us; well our feeble frame He knows; in His hands He gently bears us; rescues us from all our foes".

You know, I somehow suspect that they won't be singing that hymn today at church services in New Zealand, especially not in Christchurch ... in those churches which still remain standing. Last Tuesday, and in the days since, did God "tend and spare" them ?... did God "rescue them from all their foes" ?

Sometimes, in hymns, we blithely sing these phrases about God. Do they ring true, in the wake of horrible tragedy, such as we heard about last Tuesday ?

In the first hymn this morning, "All creatures of our God and king", I deliberately omitted verse 4, where it says "Dear mother earth, who day by day, unfold rich blessings on our way". Well, Dear mother earth didn't exactly unfold "rich blessings" in Christchurch the other day.

We reel in horror at natural disasters such the one that afflicted Christchurch last Tuesday -- but we have to add that to the other disasters which have hit Australia's east coast in the last month or so... the floods in Rockhampton, Brisbane and elsewhere in Queensland, the floods in Victoria, the cyclone in North Queensland. Let alone all those other natural disasters that strike parts of the world which are not near us, or where the people are not "like us".

In the "9/11" tragedy 10 years ago we could point to evil men who deliberately caused the suffering. Here, in the case of the Christchurch earthquake, we can't do that.

We read in our gospel today that God feeds the birds and clothes the grass of the field ... but He also sends earthquakes and other natural disasters.

What is our response ? What does all this say to us about the God who we still hang on to believing in ?

Later in this service At our10am service this morning we will sing hymn 262 which begins "When pain and terror strike by chance, with causes unexplained, when God seems absent or asleep, and evil unrestrained, we crave an all-controlling force ready to rule and warn..."

The question as to why God allows suffering is a perennial one. The tendency to look for someone to blame for the suffering is also there, although perhaps less so in this modern generation than it was in the pre-scientific age when people didn't understand as much about Nature as we do now.

There were at least two instances where Jesus was confronted with these deep questions. There was one situation, mentioned in Luke's gospel, where a tower had collapsed and people had been killed accidentally, and Jesus was asked whether those people had been killed because they were worse sinners than anyone else -- in other words, (Jesus was asked) did they perish in the accident because of something they had done ? And then there was another instance where people brought to Jesus a man who had been born blind and they asked Our Lord was this man blind because of something He had done that was wrong, or because his parents had sinned.

In each case, Our Lord did not attempt allocate blame on anyone. He pointed out that it was not a question of someone deserving a terrible fate, but He turned the question around to the people asking the questions and he asked them in effect, well, what are YOU going to do about it ? What are YOU going to do with your life ? How does this event affect you and your relationship with God ?

Yes, that is the right approach. As Christians we are not to seek scapegoats, or people to blame. We are not to see terrible natural disasters as judgements from God on us. They will will happen, because that is the nature of the universe, and we live in that precarious universe, from day to day.

Rather our response should be to see how this relates to our relationship with God, and I would suggest a number of stages in how we deal with such matters.

The first thing we must do is to pray: to pray for the people affected, the ones physically hurt by the earthquake... the people who are now bereaved because loved ones have been killed, or are presumed dead ... to pray for the authorities in NZ as they seek to find bodies, as they seek to restore essential services, as they clean up the rubble. Such prayer can go on day and night, in our own time, in our own way. As we spend time in prayer, God can work through us. The act of praying alters our relationship with God... in some way, which we may take a long time to appreciate.

Then secondly, as Christians, we have a responsibility to exercise compassion and to provide help where we can. Our governments have responded, as you know, with the sending to NZ of police and emergency services personnel. There will no doubt be appeals for funds in the days and weeks ahead, to help pay for all the rebuilding. There no doubt will be special appeals to rebuild the Anglican Cathedral which, as you know, was profoundly damaged in the earthquake, with its steeple collapsing, and so on.

Compassion, immediate help, money.

Then thirdly, there will need to be ongoing support, in the days and weeks and months ahead. Tragedies like this affect people in their livelihoods, in their psychological & emotional states, and there will be long-term issues involved, and we will be tempted to forget about the victims, as the next news story arrives, and then the next news story after that. As Christians our relationship with God demands that we keep alert to the ongoing needs -- not just of the people of Christchurch but of all those people in the world who need us. The terrible event in NZ last week should prompt us to look more outside of ourselves, to the world beyond our own local community, and that disposition in itself allows God to work within us in a new way.

Fourthly, in our response to Christchurch, we should remember that we live in the world of Nature and its various forces, yet we have been given brains, intelligence, ingenuity... the ability to plan ahead, to plan for contingencies. All this should come into play as we, and those with political and economic power, deal constructively with the future. We will be judged by God as much for our use of our talents and abilities in the wake if this tragedy, as for our compassion.

And overall, the horrible events of last week should test us in our level of trust in God. A temptation might be to say, there is no God ... how could there be a God to let so many innocent people die and suffer. Rather, we are to say, "well, God, what are we to make of this ... of this tragedy?" "What are we, you and I, God, to make of it?"

We then are thrown back on our gospel reading today: seek first His kingdom and His righteousness ... God knows our needs ... God provides for those in need, quite often by the actions of other people ... we have to provide for ourselves and our future but then to get on with what really matters , knowing God and His rule in our lives, living by the light of His kingdom.

When it comes to the issue of suffering we see that the true character of God comes to the fore. We see that in the sufferings of Christ -- and, by coincidence, the earthquake came at this time of the year when we are about to start the season of Lent, and in the season of Lent we specifically focus on the sufferings of Christ.

In the hymn that we're going to sing a bit later in this service it says "When pain and terror strike by chance... we find, far-shadowed by a cross, a child in weakness born" .. we find, in our Saviour, one whose "tested way... was costly, risking life and love, betrayed and crucified ... .we trust that "fear and force will fail, and Wisdom win the day".

The insurance companies will say that what happened last Tuesday in NZ was "an act of God". Our challenge as Christians, living with the consequences of that tragedy, our challenge is to see what happened as an act of God's world, God's earth, with all its tremendous forces, stresses and strains -- but through all that to also believe that God is there in the act, and in its consequences, and in what humans will do as a result.

The ancient Israelites experienced many tragedies, not least being exiled from their beloved city of Jerusalem at one point. In retrospect, they saw that historical event as an Act of God, one that led them to a deeper repentance and a deeper faith in that God and a realisation that in spite of what had happened -- or perhaps because of what had happened -- God had branded them on the palm of His hands. It was as if God had them tattooed on His hands. But they were the hands that were to have nails thrust into them on Good Friday.

So .. we pray for the people of Christchurch today .. .we do what we can for them out of compassion .. we promise to ourselves and to God that we will not forget them as time moves on ... we use our wits, our brains, our skills, our talents, our experiences to rebuild in the future ... and we surround all of that with a deep trust in God.

13th February 2011

1 Matthew 5:21-37

The nation of Egypt has been in the news alot lately. Egypt has been in turmoil. Thousands of people have been demonstrating in the streets, demanding the end of the Mubarak regime. There has been anger .... there has been violence ... people have been killed .... essential services have been disrupted ... tourists have had to get out of the country quickly. ... and now we have heard that President Mubarak is going to leave . Time will tell as to whether conditions in that country are now going to improve. So that's something that we can say about the Egypt of today.

Another thing we can say about Egypt is that it is a country that is mentioned many times in the bible. Lots of different places, and nations, are mentioned in the bible, but many if not most of them have changed their names over the centuries, so much so that we're often not too sure what a biblical name might refer to. But that is not the case with Egypt. We know where Egypt is. We know where it was in the biblical times.

Egypt is mentioned often in the bible, & almost always the reference is in negative terms. Egypt, in the bible, was the place of oppression. Egypt, in the bible, was the place where the people of Israel, the Hebrews, the Jews, had spent years as slaves ... Egypt was the place of despotic, aggressive kings... Pharaohs... who were thought of as gods, man-gods, and when they died elaborate tombs were erected for these Pharaohs , as befitted a god. Many of these tombs, the pyramids, still are there. Egypt was the place where statues of those Pharaohs were absolutely huge. Human beings, writ large, as it were ... to be worshipped.

Also, Egypt was the place where Nature was, in a sense, a god too. The River Nile was the source of all life for the Egyptians, and its yearly cycles of floods sustained the Egyptian agriculture. The Nile, the cycles of Nature, were divine influences on the people of that land.

In the bible stories we read how the people of the one true God rejected all that Egypt stood for. Egypt stood for oppression, slavery, human pride, and it stood for dependence on, and worship of, the immense powers of Nature -- and being at the mercy of the immense powers of Nature. For the people of the one true God all that was to be rejected. Those people of God therefore had to be delivered from it. And as we know, the biblical story says that they escaped from Egypt, through the Red Sea, they escaped from slavery, from Pharaoh -- and they then proceeded to have a life of wandering in the wilderness, for 40 years -- a life where there was no despot to rule over them... a life where everybody had to work at the same level, there were no slaves ... a life where one could not depend on the cycles of Nature ... there was no River Nile to sustain the harvest . No, the people in the wilderness had to depend entirely on God, and this God was not one who had great statues and tombs to show how important He was. He was an Unseen God, a not a mere mortal who had designated himself as a god.

The bible story tells us that the people of God journeyed, struggled, were tested -- often some of them wanted to go back to the security of Egypt -- but they were led on, by God, and eventually they "crossed the river', crossed the Jordan, into their Promised Land.

That was the great story, the great saga, which sustained the Jews, and still does -- their most important festival is still the Passover, which is the commemoration of that escape from Egypt.

Now Christians have taken that whole story, that saga, that legend, that myth -- with all its historical and geographical elements ... Egypt .... waters of the Red Sea ... wilderness ... feeding in the wilderness .... manna from heaven ... crossing a river at the end ... a Promised Land to come. Christians have taken all that "material" , from past history, with all its geographical references, and they have used it and talked about it and sung about it in a symbolic way. We have taken all that material and we have "spiritualised" it.

We take that saga, and we say "Egypt" now is not a country... no, "Egypt" represents something, it represents a state of existence which anyone can be in, at any time in history -- it is the state of being oppressed, of being a slave, being a slave to forces which seem to be overwhelming. "Egypt" ... (inverted commas) ... is that state where we are oppressed by powerful human beings who think they are gods. "Egypt" (inverted commas) is that state where the powers of Nature, particularly the powers of human nature, rule the roost.

And we as Christians say that we can be delivered from that "Egypt" state, we can be saved from that, by the life, the death, the resurrection, the work of Jesus Christ. And, interestingly enough, we even symbolise that "saving" by using ... water. Not the water of the Red Sea, of course, but the waters of baptism.

The Christian life then proceeds,as we journey through life -- and life is sometimes like a wilderness, it is a struggle, it is an ordeal in many ways -- who would deny that? -- and our challenge, in the Christian life, is to depend entirely on God, yes, but we are tempted all the time to want to go back to the old ways, to the "Egypt" because there at least there is some sense of security, even though it is security in slavery.

The Christian life, so we believe, is a journey, a struggle, an ordeal sometimes, but, at the end of it, we then enter the fullness of the Kingdom of God. We "cross the river" -- not the River Jordan into the Promised Land -- no, rather, we cross the 'river of death', as it were, and are promised a place in God's eternity.

And as we journey we must have that end-point, that vision, of the Kingdom of God, in our sights.

Now... this is where that gospel reading comes in to play. You remember the gospel reading of today: it is that part of the Sermon On The Mount where Our Lord talks about the laws against murder, the laws against adultery and divorce, and against the taking of oaths. And you remember how He says "You have heard that it was said .... such and such ... but I say to you ... such and such". What Jesus does is that He takes the letter of the Law, from the Old Testament, and He bores into it, He goes to the inner, spiritual, meaning of that Law. Yes, He says, murder is wrong, but anger and being unreconciled with other people is just as bad. A perpetual sense of anger within us, a perpetual sense of not wanting to be reconciled with others, is like a little phial of destructiveness within us, which when opened can release a deadly poison which could well lead to murder.

Yes, He says, the old Law says that adultery and divorce are wrong, but any lack of fidelity in marriage is just as bad, any lustful attitude can work inwardly to destroy what should be a wholesome human relationship.

Yes, He says, the old Law says that swearing false oaths is wrong, but any departure from truthfulness is just as bad.

What I believe Jesus is saying to us in these words is that there is a perfection which we have to aim for, a perfection that has more to do with what goes on in our hearts, in our deepest personality -- more to do with that inner self-- than our actions, our actual behaviour. So He presents us with the code of ethics of the Kingdom of God, because that Kingdom is what we are journeying towards as we approach our death, our "crossing the river" into God's promised life beyond.

Now, obviously, in this life, we never get to the fullness of the Kingdom of God. We all fail the test: we all get angry ... from time to time ... we all harbour grudges and don't allow reconciliation with others, from time to time ... we all fail the test of fidelity in relationships .. .we all fail when it comes to truth-telling. That's certain. But Our Lord nevertheless gives us this vision of perfection to aim for, and His Spirit is available to give us the power to break away from human nature, to utterly depend on God -- to "not go back to Egypt", as it were -- as we journey on in life.

One writer has put it: "a glance through newspapers tells us that hate, revenge and lust are still the cause of much conflict and despair. If we could begin in small ways to return compassion for hate, restrain ourselves from acting out of anger, turn the other cheek when abused, or give freely of our possessions and time then there is a better chance that the causes of conflict could be dealt with and broken relationships begin to be healed. Only then can we begin to reflect something of the glory of God".

God's kingdom has to do with our inner life. And as we heard in our first reading today, our hearts need to have a mark on them that marks us out as being different from everyone else who is dominated by the negatives of human nature. Just as circumcision was an outward sign on the male people of God in the past, so our hearts need to be "circumcised", marked out as being different.

As we journey through the Christian life, we are to have that Code of Ethics of the Kingdom of God always in our sights.

To think back again to Egypt. In the bible it is a symbol of slavery, oppression, the domination of human beings who think they are gods... it is a symbol of subservience to and absolute dependence on Nature. Jesus delivers us, saves us, from that.

But spare a thought for the real Egypt of today. The modern country is an important player in the affairs of the world today. Some of us may indeed have visited the Egypt of today. It is proud nation, but a troubled one. It needs our prayers. There are many Christians in Egypt -- part of what is called the Coptic Church, which dates right back to the earliest years of the Christian era.

So while we think today about the symbolic meaning of "Egypt" let us not forget the real Egypt today, and its plight, and pray for peace and justice there, and the welfare of its people.

January 23 2011

Fr John A Simpson

Let the Light �IN�

�The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness �

on them the light has shined.�

When Jesus heard that John was arrested he left Nazareth and moved to the very place this prophecy of Isaiah concerns, Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee of the Gentiles. This is often in deep darkness for two reasons: It was on the route that all the armies took on their way to conquer and form their empires. Also it was pagan territory with all the darkness associated with the worship of idols.

Light is the continuing powerful image of the Epiphany season, for light is the fundamental unit of all created life; where it is dimmed life does not flourish, nor hope or understanding.

From darkness to light

Some time ago I was privileged to see a spoof on Richard Attenborough, the great naturalist. In his dulcet tones an actor says: �Today we are going to see the territory of a male of a unique species; we are to visit the human male�s shed/garage. As we open the door items fall out amidst dust and cobwebs, items stored that one day they might be of use or even repaired!�

I know many here identify with the man-shed! In it are old and broken chairs that he hoped to repair but after 15 years are still in disrepair. Two bicycles meet us next that were got to ride so as to keep fit and now the tires are flat and one is punctured!

Jesus lifted the door for us all: �Repent of your sins! The kingdom of heaven is near.� That is we are to turn away from the past and come from darkness into the light. I may know that many things in my shed are sinful matters. But other things are mistakes that I keep visiting to no useful end.

In my shed are things I began and never completed; I hoped that one day I would but now they are irrelevant to my life in Christ. So Jesus says to me �turn away from those things, do not keep revisiting them however good your intentions were in keeping them�.

Light re-orders my life

Matthew uses light as one of the themes of discipleship; a disciple is one who is taught, and then begins to order their life according to the teachings of Jesus. Matthew gives us five major sections of teaching concerning our life in the kingdom of heaven; The Sermon on the mount, Missionary instructions, Parables of the kingdom, life in the church community and the last judgment.

Looking through my shed I see how disordered is my collection, with things that took my interest and soon forgotten; good intentions written out and self-help books to guide me. But the light I needed is Jesus the light of the world, for it is his light that I see what really matters, the kingdom�s life and growth.

One year in a small group we decided to read through together the Gospel of Matthew. Each week we�d read two or more chapters, comment on them, ask questions and discuss how the teaching can change our Christian pathway. We discovered many things we never knew before and often were challenged.

Like: �If you do not forgive another�s trespasses then God will not forgive your trespasses�. In the Church section, Jesus gives a simple way to deal with differences and disagreements between us � take it up with the person concerned as soon as it happens.

Jesus calls four men to follow him: Peter, Andrew, James and John, and they had the full light to reorder their lives. They were ready and they let the light shine IN them not just upon them.

Light empties the basements

A woman asked her priest if he would come and bless her home, the home of her family. The priest came on the appointed day and began with a reading about Mary, Joseph and Jesus in their home at Nazareth. Then he went from room to room blessing each one for its intended purpose, sprinkling with holy water.

They came back to the entrance hall and the priest noticed some steps leading down to a basement. As he turned to go the woman cried out, �No! No! not into the basement its all the junk there!�

Each of us too have our �basements� with many things that may well be causing ill health. But instead of dealing with it and emptying it we keep it hidden away.

When I invited Jesus into my basement things that I�d feared or was simply scared of were seen in a new light and Jesus said to me: �Let the light in and let them go!� Empty your basement.

Amazingly what I found was I had room to be, to grow and thrive. One lovely thing about moving our own home is that I now do not feel cramped but expansive. Some years ago Rotary had a poster with these words:

If you want something to happen, make room for it, sow some seeds, water them and wait.

We made room in one of our front flower beds and on the advice of a Bunnings gardener put in some petunias. Chris watered them and without us doing it they have just flourished! A real kingdom miracle, like the parable of the Sower where seeds multiply one hundred fold!

So Move from darkness into the light; re-order your life by the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew; and empty the basements to make room for kingdom life in you. Amen.

January 9 2011

Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ

Fr John A Simpson

Scripture Note: The story of Jesus� baptism is an epiphany story: Jesus is revealed as the Son of God. This is Matthew�s emphasis, along with the words that it was right for the Lord to be baptized to �fulfill all righteousness�. As it was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, this was a source of embarrassment to the early church. Why did he undergo it?

To give an example of humility, to raise John�s Baptism to a new level, to show solidarity with sinners, and to begin his mission to sinners. Isaiah paints for us a beautiful picture of this mission: it will bring to all cleansing and put them in a right relationship with God.

SERMON

When a form of leprosy broke out among the people of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the 19th Century, the authorities responded by establishing a leper colony on the remote island of Molokai. The victims were snatched by force from their families and sent to the island to perish.

But moved by their plight, a young Belgian Catholic priest, Damien De Veuster, asked to be allowed to minister to them. Straightaway he realized that there was only one effective way to do this: That was to go and live among them.

Having got permission, he went to Molokai. At first, he tried to minister to them while maintaining a certain distance. But he soon realized that he had to live among them in order to gain their trust. As a result he contracted leprosy himself.

The reaction of the lepers was immediate and wholehearted. They embraced him and took him to their hearts. He was now one of them. There was no need, no point for him to keep his distance. The lepers had someone who could talk with authority about leprosy, about brokenness, about rejection and public shame and about isolation.++

The baptism of Jesus was a source of embarrassment to the early Christians. Even John the Baptist himself found it incongruous and as we heard in the Gospel, tried to prevent it. Why was this? It was because John�s baptism was a summons to repentance; it was for sinners who were aware of their sin.

Now these early believers were convinced that Jesus was no sinner. He did not stand in need of repentance. So why did he insist on it? It was a symbolic act: Jesus wanted to show his solidarity with the people he had come to help. For this reason he needed to be baptized alongside sinners. He saying to them and us, �I�m on your side!� He identified with us.

Indeed this was God�s will for he said it would fulfill all righteousness. Amazing that part of God�s will is to be in solidarity with sinners. While leprosy is not sin, the priest Fr Damien modeled this ministry of Jesus. He was in solidarity with the lepers and like Jesus fully understood their human sufferings and trials. And in that unity with them Fr Damien became as Christ to them, a Christ who died for his people.

My own parish priest has been a prison chaplain for some time; he often jokes saying, �Now, when I was in prison�!� He does not stand apart, he placed himself among the prisoners so as to bring them out of their darkness into the light of Christ. It is in this solidarity with others. that the Epiphany light shines into more and more people & places, dispelling the darkness.

Just like Jesus those who identify with those they seek to help, will have their integrity called into question. After all Jesus was called a sinner and condemned as a criminal.

Here at St John�s you have a solidarity with the hungry and provide with the other churches meals on weeknights for these needy ones of Christ�s flock. Some of you take communion to people who are unwell or unable to move and come into this place. In the charities Christians have never been backward in coming forward to meet even the direst human needs. This was one of the telling points in the Atheistic attack on Christianity last year: many of those helping the needy are people of faith.

It should not surprise us theologically for it is the principle of the Incarnation continuing in Jesus� many brothers and sisters. Listen to St Teresa of Avila:

Christ has no body now

on earth but yours.

No hands but yours,

no feet but yours;

Yours are the eyes

through which is to look out

Christ�s compassion to the world;

Yours are the feet with which he is

to go about doing good;

Yours are the hands

with which he is

to bless us now. Amen.

This is what Jesus� baptism is about �Service to others. Think where you are in this incarnational mission, as HIS:

Body � your just being there with a child, an adult, is Jesus being there. During my years as a priest, I�d hear folk say something like: �What you are doing I agree with; however I can�t be with you. But I�ll be you with in spirit!� Help! The Lord wants bodies, real people there for others.

Hands** � with hands we can reach out and do useful things to help, we can prepare meals, we can greet and touch as He did.

Feet � our feet are what take us in the right direction, and by them we can speak the gospel of peace and calm, and we can stand up for those who are not being treated fairly.

Eyes � What do you see that cries out to you for action and response? You are his eyes to see and act to redress the pain. Your eyes may well see what none other does; trust therefore what you �see� and act.

Ears � Ever wondered why we have two ears but only one mouth? It signifies the importance of paying attention to what others are saying, and what they say they need. I need ears to listen to my heart; and to listen for the whispers of God in Creation.

Heart � In entering your own heart you are nearer to the very heart of God; what you feel in compassion for people is also the compassion of God for us. �Can a mother forget her child? No more can the Lord forget you�.

God did not make us to be disembodied spirits; he did make us Christ�s body a physical reality for others � just like Jesus, Fr Damien, and you meal-makers! Indeed all who share in the incarnational mission of Jesus Christ our Lord.

++ Quoted from Flor McCarthy, New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies

You need hands to hold someone you care for

You need hands to show that you're sincere

When you feel nobody wants to know you

You need hands to brush away the tears

When you hold a brand new baby

You need tender hands to guide them on their way

You need hands to thank the Lord for living

And for giving us this day

You need hands to show the world you're happy

And you need hands when you have to stop the bus

But the hands we love so dear are the hands we love to hear

Are the hands that you give to us

Everybody, are the hands that you give

Everybody, that's nice, thank you,

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, thank you

(Transcribed from the Max Bygraves recording by Mel Priddle - August 2005)

January 2 2011

Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ

Fr John A Simpson

Driving through the early mornings on the way to Lakes Entrance I�ve seen what looked like large monsters, dragons, and other scary beasts. Yet as the dawn has come up, or when I travelled back in the daytime, I see them to be large logs, cut down trees, and old sheds! As children some have woken up scared that a monkey is in their bedroom only to have mum or dad reassure them it is not by turning on the light.

Epiphany is like a time when the light goes on and I can see that in Christ God is good to all peoples. The word means simply to pull back the veil so we can see something hidden from us � until that moment.

The Birth and then the Epiphany, are when God turns on the light for us at a fairly high power! In one we behold that God has become the man, Christ Jesus; light fills the paddocks around Bethlehem to draw Shepherds to this man child who will change the world by his light.

In the other the Wise men and guided by a star, a heavenly body emitting vast amounts of light, which was sent out years before. These men-kings have rightly discerned that this star signifies a birth of cosmic significance. And in themselves they become a part of the Light. For they are Gentiles, the non-Jews, who until then had been outside of God�s dealings for salvation.

Their coming shows that Jesus is to be known by all nations, all will stream into Jerusalem which is commanded to �Arise shine for your light has come!� Then we are told that �Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn�. These gentiles are a part of the light a visible demonstration of what God wants.

Paul spells it out in Ephesians writing: �The Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ through the gospel� The light is now fully on! And for some it�s too much, even blinds them!

The light is on! What do we see in the Christ-light? A light that still shines with His radiance of God.

[1]All will come

�Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest� is an amazing summons from Jesus the light of the world. At first it was made to a mainly Jewish audience but soon it is heard by a great many Non-Jews who responded. It took something of a push by God to help the apostles get a hold of this! Initially Peter was the one who made the breakthrough with the message of Jesus, to the household of Cornelius.

However it took Paul to keep on pushing this light before the Church accepted its truth. He saw the universal meaning that Christ overcame the walls that divided us, that Jesus is our peace.

Illustration of Red Carnations finding out there are white and even pink ones when they looked over their garden walls. What are the walls that divide you or separate you from others? Take a look over them and be surprised : The making of banners with the Xmas Greeting in twelve languages led to many people with little English asking for our ministry. Yugoslavian family, confirmation and their love of food!

[2]Confidence to come

It may be that I fear what the light will reveal to me. Once when I was with a spiritual director he said: �John, Let the light in�. I found that matters I was unhappy about, did not look so worrying in Christ�s light.

You can let the light in by:

� Honesty and truth telling

� Owning up to mistakes

� Thankfulness which gives life to the soul

� Worship, homage which is our humility before God

[3]Wonder - the light is not Overcome

Some of us have experienced power-outs during this last week or so. Being plunged into the dark is scary. Yet as my eyes adjust there I see that the darkness has not overcome, quenched the light.

St John the Divine expressed it brilliantly in John 1:5 �The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it�

John means the darkness of human lives alienated and separated from God. In the ordinary realm this is true, where a little candle can dispel a room full of darkness and it is not dimmed by it. Light and darkness are opposites, but not opposites of equal power. Light is stronger than darkness; darkness cannot prevail against it.

There is no room here then for dualistic systems where darkness is as strong as light and can defeat it. �The darkness is already passing away and the true light is already shinning�

I find then no reason to be afraid of the dark. In fact I have often found that letting the light in on things that troubled me, showed me I had little to fear. Just like those monsters of the night being old tree trunks.

Conclusion: God turned on the light! The light of Christ by which all kinds of people can come to God; in his light we are freed from fears and see hope; know that the darkness will never overcome the true Light-Christ.

Christmas 2010

So here we are at the end of another year. I wonder what you would say was the most significant event that has happened in 2010 ?

Perhaps what has been most significant has been all that rain that we've had ? Or would you say the Downfall of Kevin Rudd ...and the "hung Parliament" ? Most significant ?Or the Wikileaks revelations ? Perhaps the most significant thing that has happened this year was that tragic shipwreck of the boat off Christmas Island, of the asylum -seekers, only a few weeks before Christmas. We pray of course for the families involved, and that lessons will be learned from that event, by all concerned, so that the vexed issues of refugees in the world may be handled with compassion, and fairness, and justice, and with a realistic awareness of the unintended consequences of good intentions.

So, what was the most significant event of the year ? The tied Grand Final ? The fact that Australia lost its bid to stage the World Cup ? Or perhaps the engagement of Prince William to Kate ? Or maybe for you the most important thing for you this year was the visit to Australia, the grand Arrival here... of... O-prah !! (Is she still here ? I haven't heard anything about her for the last 48 hours!)

Well, all of these events might have something to say about them, but there is one other issue that has arisen this year which strikes me as being very significant: and that has been the Rise of Aggressive Atheism. There have been a number of books published this year, with TV appearances and news stories, all on the subject of atheism -- where it has been promoted in a quite direct and aggressive and antagonistic way. The scientist Richard Dawkins... the journalist Christopher Hitchens .... that big campaign in England to put slogans on buses saying "there is no God". We have even had a Prime Minister come out and admit honestly to being an atheist. We have had PMs before who have admitted to being agnostics, but not one who openly says "I am an atheist".

I believe that that change in the climate of opinion is quite significant. But in parallel to that there has been something else that has been going on, but without as much publicity or hoop-la -- and that is the slow and steady and unobtrusive rise of what is known as the inter-faith movement. Dialogues going on between people of different religions ... discussions and meetings, taking place in a good spirit, with respect, with no violence. All in the cause of harmony & understanding.

A Parliament of World Religions was held in Melbourne at the end of last year. I heard an interesting fact about that the other day. Apparently, the bureaucrats in the Victorian Government did not want this PWR to go ahead. They thought it would be divisive & controversial in the wrong sort of way. They did not want the Victorian body politic to be seen as promoting religion. But the Victorian politicians overrruled them, and gave the go-ahead, because, from the grass-roots up, politicians know that there is an underlying desire among people for faith, for religion ... of some kind. The PWR went ahead, and it was a great success. Atheists had their own convention a few months later, and found that support from the Victorian body politic was not forthcoming. So ... despite their high-flying personalities, atheists haven't won the battle yet with the populace at large.

You know...I feel sorry for atheists. When I ask them what sort of God do they think I believe in, they bring out all of the horror stories they can think of. They quote all sorts of bible texts, out of context. They give examples of bad things religious people have done throughout the ages -- and there is no shortage of such examples. I end up having to say to them "Well, if that's the sort of God you think God is, I don't believe in 'Him' either."

Just imagine you have been placed in a very, very large room, and you are standing in the corner of that room. You could stand in that corner, and face the corner, in which case all you could see would be two walls, and the floor, and the ceiling, and maybe other people who are standing near you. Your view of the world would be limited.

Or, you could stand with your back to the corner of the room, and you could see much more, you could see the whole room, in all its hugeness. You may not be able to see too clearly what's in the distance, but you are nevertheless focussing your gaze on a larger view, a grander scheme of things.

In a sense, that is what a person "of faith" is like, set in the context of huge room. If you are a person of "faith" it is as if you are standing facing the whole room ,with so much before you, not necessarily understanding or seeing clearly everything that is there in your gaze -- but humbled by the immensity of the reality which is before you.

The person of faith will say that God is always greater than what we can grasp, that God is always greater than our perception of God.

I think the atheist is a bit like the person standing in the corner, but facing the corner, and missing out on the wonder, the awesomeness, the mystery, the hugeness of what is really there ... if only they could perceive it.

As some of you know, I have had some involvement with inter-faith activity during this past year and I am beginning to see that we can learn more about God from engagement with people of other faiths than by sticking in our own corner, talking only to those who absolutely agree with everything we agree with. I am beginning to see that there is nothing to fear by engaging with people of other faiths. As the Dalai Lama has said, "Other faiths lead us to discover the undiscovered in one's own religion". And in dialogue with people of other faiths, I must not only talk about the "best" of my faith in contrast to the "worst" of theirs.

So this is Christmas. It is a time of the year when everyday activity is overlaid with all sorts of things that make our atheist friends feel uncomfortable: our everyday activity at this time of year is overlaid with all sorts of non-rational stuff, irrational stuff, unscientific stuff ... images, customs, traditions, mystery, awe, beauty, transcendance.

Our atheist friends might well mock some elements of the Christmas story, such as the Virgin Birth -- by taking those elements out of their context -- but what is less easy to mock, let alone ignore, is the message which shines through the Christmas story: that profound message about humility, about weakness, a message of topsy-turvyness. Remember that the Christmas story begins in Imperial Rome, in the capital of the world, in the Roman Emperor's palace -- where Caesar calls for a census of the whole world -- yet the story ends in a village stable, with a baby being placed in a makeshift cot, with a motley crew of dirty, low-life shepherds watching on, wondering what on earth the significance of this event will lead to.

What begins with a man and woman, a couple, dealing with difficult circumstances inflicted on them by the politics of the day, and by a strange intervention of God's will, ends up with a child being being born in an unlikely place, a child who has a destiny that is to shake the foundations of the world.

At Christmas we stand in our little corner gazing out into the huge, vast room, the huge, vast expanse of the universe, the vast expanse of history, of human experience. We are awe-struck by all that we see, by all that we perceive but don't see, and by all that we know is real but which we cannot scientifically or rationally explain. Our finite minds can never grasp the infinity of God.

Nevertheless we are presented with an Infant who enters our finite world. Heaven takes the risk of appearing on earth. We see in Jesus the perfect ambassador who perfectly conveys God's message to all people ... that the light of the eternal God is not quenched by our smallness, our selfishness, our stupidities, our sinfulness ... that by following Jesus Christ, from the cradle (the manger) to the grave, through to His resurrection, we are given the power to become, ourselves, children of God. We can say "Yes" to a future when others may say "there's no future".

To conclude, some words from the poet Laurence Housman:

'Light looked down and beheld Darkness.

"Thither will I go", said Light.

Peace looked down and beheld War.

"Thither will I go", said Peace.

Love looked down and beheld Hatred.

"Thither will I go", said Love.

So Light came and shone.

So came Peace and gave rest.

So came Love and brought Life.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. '

Sunday 19 December 2010

Matthew 1:23

Many years ago there was an Australian movie called "Smiley". It was one of the first colour films made in Australia. And it had an actor in it whose name was Chips Rafferty. You might remember him -- a very tall man, and a real Aussie actor.

The name of the film was "Smiley", and I know that some of you probably saw it when you were teenagers .. there in the back stalls of the local picture theatre, on a Saturday afternoon ... & who knows what was going on in those back stallls ... rolling the jaffas down the aisles, etc.

The film was "Smiley" and it was about a little boy who lived in a small country town, out in the bush - it was about his adventures, and all the things he got up to. And Chips Rafferty was the policeman in the movie, if I remember correctly,.

But the opening scene of the movie was the baptism, the christening, of this child, and there they were in the church, the little country church, and the vicar was played by some pompous British actor, and he played a pompous, idiotic, vicar, as you usually see in films ... and there they were, in this bush church, the mother, the father, the relatives, and the vicar was holding this baby boy and he said to the parents "'name this child", and the mother proceeded to give out the names she had chosen for the baby, and I think they were quite normal names like Marmaduke Horace, or Eustice Perceval .... normal names like that....or Timothy .. or some name like that..

But as soon as she mentioned the names, the little boy's father shouted out, "NO, we are going to call him Smiley. And the mother shouted back, No his name is going to be Marmaduke Horace ... or whatever it was.

And then there was this shouting match between the mother and the father, Smiley ... Marmaduke Horace ... Smiley ... Marmaduke Horace .. and all the congregation were all sort of watching all this ... .like a tennis match at Wimbledon.

Well, the upshot was the that poor old vicar gave in and christened the child "Smiley", and so the movie went on.

It was case of different names being given to the same person.

I would like us to think this morning about names, particularly when there's more than one name for a person. Quite often we have more than one name, don't we -- a first name and a middle name.

Sometimes people are embarrassed about their middle names. Perhaps we could have a bit of a competition here in the parish one day and the winner will be the person who has the funniest or most unusual middle name. I'll let you into a secret: my middle name is Maxwell. What's yours ?

I'm mentioning names this morning , not just because of the baptism, but also because if you had been listening carefully to that gospel reading today you would have heard something about the naming of Jesus, and the fact that He had two names and a surname.

The gospel story tells us that Jesus was, in effect, adopted by Joseph, and because Joseph was of the tribe of David, so Joseph's family name, his surname, was "Son of David", and part of the reason for that gospel reading this morning was to highlight what a good man Joseph must have been, what a caring, compassionate, upright citizen he must have been, to have followed God's will in the tricky situation he found himself in, what with Mary giving birth without Joseph being the natural father of the child, and so on.

But apart from the matter of the surname ... "Son of David" .... the child was also given two "given" names. His first "given" name was, of course, "Jesus" -- and that's a word we hear alot. Unfortunately we sometimes hear "Jesus" as a swear word. I heard someone the other day doing that and I had to say to them "please , please don't use my best friend's name as a swear word"...

That was the child's first name : "Jesus" . But there was a 2nd name as well, given to this child, and that name was "Emmanuel".

So this child, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, was named Jesus and Emmanuel. Two names.

But why are there the 2 names ? Jesus and Emmanuel ?

The answer is that both names were deliberately given to that baby to refer to His destiny. The names were there to refer to what the child would grow up to be .. but the 2nd name, the middle name, if you like, could only make sense when the "first" name", "Jesus", had proved true.

Let me try to explain to you what I mean by that: the Christmas story tells us of a special child being born. Rather unusual circumstances, to say the least. But this child is born, and , ever since, people have been fascinated by the story of His birth -- including us today. Is a lovely story that jumps out and grabs us. The Christmas birth story, the Nativity story, takes us out of the ordinary. We acknowledge that in our customs & traditions at Christmas time -- and children know more about this than adults: they know that at Christmas there is something mystical, mysterious, supernatural, something special and out of the ordinary that's "in the air" at Christmas: the birth of this special chid.

So, a special child, yes., But that is not the end of the story. The special child had a destiny to filful, over and beyond the Christmas events. And that is often a hard and difficult point to get across to many people in today's world: that there is something more to this special child than just His birth in the stable, with the shepherds , the stars and the wise men and so forth.

There are many people, I would suggest, who would like to "leave Jesus as a child in the manger". They are quite happy with all the peace and joy and goodwill and celebrations and sentimentality of Christmas, but they won't let the child grow up !

Now, as we know, parents who won't let their children grow up are asking for trouble. How much more strife we are in when we don't allow Jesus to grow up.

Well He did, and it is as He grew up that the meaning of His first name came to be apparent -- because the name "Jesus" means "God saves". And as we heard in our gospel reading today, the message from God was that Jesus was to be called that name because He would "save His people from their sins".

So, Jesus' first purpose, the first part of His destiny, was summed up in the meaning of His first name: that He was to save His people from their sins. In other words, He was to do something that would break down the barriers between God and Mankind.

Human beings have a great capacity and a great ability to put up barriers between themselves and God. God does not put those barriers there, we do.

One could list what these barriers are: the things which separate us from God ... greed, envy, bitterness, selfishness, pride, money, possessions, neglect of the poor and the weak and the hungry... the using and abusing of other people, the willingness to be independent of God .. and the list goes on and on .. .these are the sins of mankind.

Now Jesus' birth does not help us much in breaking down those barriers. Tinsel, and Christmas trees, and presents, and sentimentality ,and family gatherings ,and nice feelings cannot help us get rid of the sins of mankind. No, what does bring about the saving from sins is actually the adult life of Jesus: His teaching about the way we should live .. his drawing of people to Him for healing and reconciliation and forgiveness .. .Ultimately, His death. His giving of His life for us on the Cross.

And incidentally, the best Christmas carols are those which mention the significance of Jesus' first name; and the significance of His adult life ... His saving of us.

The interesting thing though is that it is only when His destiny as our Saviour is fully taken on board that we can then appreciate the significance of His middle name -- that other name He was given before His birth: Emmanuel.

"Jesus" means "God saves". But "Emmanuel" means "God is with us". Notice that Jesus' middle name , Emmanuel, does not mean, "God is with Him'". Yes, certainly, God was with Him -- but the story of Jesus goes beyond that. Because of His saving work, because of the "Jesus" part of His name, it is now possible for those who have been saved to have God truly with them, there are no longer needs to be a distance between them & God and us.

Becaue of the saving from sin, God is with us.

What I have been saying to you this morning, about names, has been sparked off, not just by a baptism of two children, but by our gospel today, which tells of the birth of that child , His naming, as Jesus and Emmanuel.

May we allow that child of the first Christmas to grow up. May we allow Him to save us from our sins. We will then find, as it says at the end of St Matthew's gospel, that He is with us even to the end of time.

A famous Christmas carol puts it much better than I can: O holy child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray // cast out our sin and enter in // be born in us today // we hear the Christmas angels // the great glad tidings tell // O come to us, abide with us // Our Lord Emmanuel.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Matthew 11:11

Jesus said :"Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist.."

I wonder why Jesus said that ? That John the Baptist was the greatest person ever ? What the are the characteristics of "greatness" ? Who is the greatest person ever, in your estimation ? Hundreds of people went out to see John the Baptist, so we read -- at some expense to themselves and their comfort, because John was out in the desert, apparently. That was their vote for him, as being "great". On Friday, thousands of people crowded into Federation Square to see......Oprah !! Is she the greatest person ever ?

It is an interesting question: what are the characteristics of a "great" person ?

Well, Jesus qualified His statement about greatness by identifying a number of characteristics that are NOT what a great person should be.

He asked the people: did you go out to see John the Baptist because he was a "reed shaken by the wind"? Of course He expected the answer "No' -- but what did Our Lord mean by that expression ? "A reed shaken by the wind".

Around the Sea of Galillee -- which is really an inland lake -- there are shallow areas where lots of reeds grow, and this is the case of course with a lot of lakes, even here in Australia. There are these reeds growing, up out of the water, and when the wind blows, they just bend with the wind, they bend backwards and forwards; they don't break, they just go with the flow.

When Our Lord was saying that John the Baptist was not a reed shaken by the wind He was using a figure of speech that is quite easy to understand: what Jesus was saying was that John was not someone who vacillated, not someone who changed his opinions according to the prevailing views of others. John did not acommodate himself to what everybody else wanted him to say or to be. He didn't say one thing to please one group and then say another thing to please another group.

Isn't it interesting that this week we have had the Wikileaks business, where it points out that Kevin Rudd was saying one thing to the Chinese and another thing to the Americans ....well, he wouldn't be the first politician or diplomat to do that sort of thing, to change his answer depending on who was asking the questions.

But that is what is meant by Our Lord's expression "a reed shaking in the wind". He is talking about someone who would "run with the hares and hunt with the hounds" ... to use another old expression.

No, this John the Baptist was an admirable character, according to Our Lord, a great person, because he had strong principles and he stuck with them, no matter what anybody else thought or said. That is a true mark of greatness, and few of us could ever be in that category I'm sure.

Another interesting little aspect of this is that the leader of the Jews at that time was King Herod. He was the "King of the Jews" -- but he was only in that position because he was a puppet king, put in place by the Romans -- and Herod cunningly accommodated himself over and over again to whatever the Romans wanted him to do. He was a reed shaking in the wind. It has been noted that the coat of arms of Herod's family was actually some reeds from the shore of Lake Galilee -- so maybe Our Lord was having a sly dig at Herod in his comment about reeds... reeds shaking in the wind !

Secondly, Jesus asked the people: did you go out to see John the Baptist because he was someone who was "dressed in soft robes" ? -- and again He expected the answer "No'. The reference here is to ... and I've got to be careful because I'm wearing soft robes, aren't I ? .... the reference is to people who would hang about in palaces, people who would be confidants and courtiers in the palaces of kings and of the Roman Governors and so on. Living in those luxurious conditions, they could wear "soft robes". So the reference is to those people who hung around palaces, who hung around centres of power, and who would be "yes men" to political and royal personages, people who would flatter, and who would kowtow to those in power. Jesus is saying that John the Baptist was in no way one of those type of people.

We think of that TV series "Yes, Minister" with those slimy, sneaky characters who would flatter Jim Hacker -- was that his name ? -- the Sir Humpheys of this world, who flatter on the one hand, and then manipulate their leaders behind their back. We think of those TV documentaries which appear often about the Royal Family, where smarmy former confidants of the Queen or of Prince Charles, who whoever it is ... insiders ... and they go on TV andl spill the beans, tell their gossip.

No, John the Baptist was not a yes man, not an insider ... and that is not a mark of true greatness.

"Who did you go out to see?", asked Jesus, to the crowds. "A prophet?" Yes, a prophet can be a great person, but remember that, in the bible, a "prophet" was not necessarily someone who could foresee the future. A prophet, in those days, was someone who could see what God wanted, and who would speak out, and act out, what God wanted, without fear or favour. A prophet would say what was going to happen in the future, yes, but on the basis of what was happening now. A prophet would not just give abstract moral teaching, but would live it out.

There have many great people in history who have been prophets in that sense. Even on the local scene, I was noticing the other day that it was the anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of St Laurence -- perhaps the 70th or 80th anniversary -- and I would say that the founder of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Father Tucker, was a prophet in the biblical sense: Father Tucker stood up for what he believed, no matter what, no matter how unpopular the cause -- you might remember how he campaigned against having the Olympic Games in Melbourne in1956, as he thought it was a great waste of public money, and when he did that he was very unpopular -- and that was only one of his causes. He did what he believed, no matter what. That is what a prophet is, and, as I said, many prophets have been truly great people.

Yes, and this John the Baptist was a prophet in that sense -- but Jesus said that John was more than just an ordinary prophet; rather, John was a herald, a divine forerunner, a signpost to something greater, and while doing that while fulfilling that task, he, John, exhibited an amazing humilty, He put himself second to what he was announcing. He was prepared to stand back and let someone greater than he take the stage.

That sort of humility is a mark of true greatness, and perhaps you would know of great people who have really shown that type of humility in their lives.

Well what was John the Baptist standing back from ? What ... who ...was He heralding ? The answer of course is Jesus Himself.. John had been earnestly seeking the truth, living it out, patiently, but realising that someone greater than he was to come along.

John didn't know exactly all that was to be involved with the coming of Jesus, but he fulfilled his forerunner role nevertheless.

There is a story told about a town in Europe where they had gaslights in the street, and every evening a man had to walk around the streets lighting the lamps. And this man followed the same route every evening, he knew exactly where to go, & what to do, to light the lamps but ... this man was blind. He still was able to do the job, to find his way around the streets, and light the gaslamps, but he never saw the light himself. He enabled others to see light, but he did not, himself, ever see it. And this was the situation, in effect, of John the Baptist. He proclaimed Jesus, but he never saw all that Jesus was to be. The New Testament stories tell us that John was beheaded -- on the command of King Herod -- during Jesus' ministry, so John did not have the chance to witness the end of the Jesus' story. John did not see Jesus going to the cross, and he did not witness the resurrection of Christ.

He lacked the full knowledge of who Jesus was to be.

The text I began with this morning started with the words "Jesus said, Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist...." but the verse goes on "yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he".

A puzzlng thing for Our Lord to say ...... and the implication is that we are in the Kingdom of Heaven, and therefore we are greater than John the Baptist, because we have seen the complete story of Jesus. John had not seen the full story. He was executed before he had the chance. But we have seen the full story, and we celebrate it every time we come to church on Sunday: we remember, we celebrate the cross ... and the resurrection.

So what is true greatness ? Who are the truly great people today ? Are they those who only are strong in their beliefs ? Who won't bend with the wind ? Are the truly great people only those who are not flatterers, and who do not kowtow to the powerful political personages ? Are the truly great people today only those who are prophets ? Only those who are humble ?

The radical thing which Jesus tells us this morning is that, no, the truly great, are those people -- and I hope you and I are among them -- are those people who fully know and experience and appreciate the significance of the cross... Jesus taking on to Himself the worst that humanity can do to people, taking on to Himself the sins of the world, for our sake. The truly great people are those who fully know and experience the significance of the resurrection of Christ, namely that Jesus conquered death; that death is not to be feared, or avoided, but that it can be the gateway to eternal life.

Our calling is to show our "greatness" by proclaiming that message and living it out.

Sunday 5 December 2010

Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:11-12

A story about 2 people. Let's call them Jack & Jill. Not their real names. I know something about these people.

Jack is a man probably in his late 60's. When he was a small child both his mother and his father died in tragic circumstances. He had some older brothers and sisters but they were much older. Jack was sent to boarding school, and then had to go and live with some elderly relatives.

He looks back on his life and would say that these were scarring experiences which he had in early life, and he would be the first to admit that the effect of this "scarring" is that he finds it hard to have close relationships with other people.

Jill - not her real name, but she's real person -- is about the same age as Jack. She was born into a very happy home, with everything going for her, but when she was about 2 or 3 years old she contracted a very unusual disease which required her to be isolated from people for long periods of time. She would say that she has never really got over that. She too would admit that she has difficulties, even today, with close personal relationships with others, difficulties with intimacy, difficulties with sharing her life and her life experiences.

Well , there are a couple more things to say about Jill and Jack: they are both, on the surface, today, quite successful people -- good jobs, good standards of living -- but socially, in social terms, they don't "fit in" to the majority point of view... they are "different". Some people might look at them and pity them, feel sorry for them; they might often be "put down" by other people -- maybe not deliberately... but it hurts when it does happen.

So we can say that about them. But the other thing we can say about each of these 2 people is that despite the scarring experiences of their childhood, despite the social uncomfortableness that they feel, they each have a deep and living faith in Jesus Christ. They accept their situation, but they both yearn for a "Day" when their difficulties will have gone, a "Day" when there is harmony and integration ... of course they yearn for a Day when their pain has gone. And they hope for that Day, as part of their Faith.

During this season of Advent we are challenged to think about the subject of "Hope" -- and to explore how "Hope " means more than optimism and how "Hope" means more than wishful thinking -- Hope is stronger than that. "Hope" is all about the eventual coming to pass of something that others might think is impossible.

Now I've told you about these 2 people, who I know something about, and I have changed a few details here and there -- but the point I am making is that things early on in one's life can have a profound effect on the rest of one's life. Scarring, tragic, sad, nasty experiences & events early on can have their continuing consequences.

And probably you could tell me stories about people you know -- or about yourselves -- which resonate with these stories.

Scarring, tragic events having a continuing effect.

And isn't that also what we can say about the whole of human history ? And isn't that what the Christian says about "the way things are"?

Yes, I believe that the Christian says that "in the beginning", at the beginning of time, there were some traumatic, scarring events for humanity. We use the story of Adam and Eve to describe this. In the story, in the "myth", of Adam and Eve, we see mankind disobeying God, falling from grace -- and we human beings have been living with the consequences of that ever since. When we use religious language we call it "sin". In the Christian understanding of things we, in effect, say that "things are not right in the world" because it all goes back to a tragic beginning, to Adam and Eve -- when human greed, selfishness, violence, & exploitation came into the world.

One does not have to believe the Adam and Eve story literally. It is a "myth", but it is a "true myth" because it describes what human beings are really like. It is a story that tells the truth about human nature.

And it is not just that things are "not right" with the human race, but the whole of Nature is out of kilter too: animals are not at peace with each other: they fight each other and kill each other; little viruses and cancers can't keep to themselves, they get inside us and wreak havoc; and there are floods and earthquakes..... "Nature" is not tamed.

Yes, that's the beginning of the Christian story -- in that scarring events have their continual consequences -- but the END of the Christian story is that ONE DAY everything will be restored to what it should be. The end of the Christian story is that one day there will be peace, harmony, integration.... things will not be out of kilter any more, but they will be "in kilter"! -- if that's an expression! The end of the story is what we heard of in our Old Testament reading this morning: (Read Isaiah 11:6 etc)

Just as the Adam and Eve myth is an image of the origins, so this reading, from Isaiah, is an image of the end-point, of the Christian hope. It is the hope that Jack and Jill live with -- it is the hope that Christians should live with: harmony ... integration ... wholeness.

But if that is the end of the Christian story, it is only made possible by the middle of the story & the middle of the story is the story of Jesus, because it is Jesus and His work that bridges the beginning and the end. He came into the world to start the process of restoration, integration, bringing of harmony and peace, that will come to its conclusion only at the end of time.

Our Lord, in His life and ministry, started the process. I am not sure that there is anything that He did that will heal Nature of its destructive powers: Jesus didn't stop earthquakes ever happening again, He didn't stop cancers and viruses getting started in human lives, He didn't do anything to get the wolf to lie down with the lamb -- but He DID begin work on human nature.

And that's where we come in. In the middle of the Christian story there is Our Lord coming into the world to begin the transformation of humanity -- taking further the work which John the Baptist was trying to do. John the Baptist was trying to get people to turn around, to change their ways. But even John the Baptist realised that just voluntarily coming forward for a cleansing ritual in the River Jordan was not enough for people -- there needed to be more than water to change human nature. There needed to be fire. There needed to be an external force coming into people's lives burning out what is bad & evil and unworthy, purifying the heart. After all, fire is a much stronger purifying agent than water.

So, in a way, the middle of the Christian story is where we are now: with people accepting Jesus as Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit's fire to start purifying them, transforming them, getting them ready for the end of the story where we have this vision of the peaceful kingdom.

To get back to the 2 people I mentioned before. Jill and Jack. From what I know about them they would say that because of their Christian faith the flame has already burned away something that needs to burnt away in their lives. In Jack's case there is now no resentment towards God for taking his parents from him at an early age. There is now no bitterness towards his relatives or to the boarding school he had to go to as a child. Plenty of cause for bitterness, but he has allowed that to burn away.

As for Jill, well, the flame is working in her life as well. It is working on the anger that she feels towards that health system of many years ago that isolated her from family contact at an early age. The purifying flame is also working in her life burning away her resentment and bitterness towards those people who even today ridicule her, "put her down" because socially she doesn't quite "fit" into "normal" life.

A question then for each of us: can we see where the purifying flame is needed to work in our lives ? Are we allowing it to burn ? Maybe there are scars and tragedies in our past. To an extent we always will have to live with them. But in themselves their very pain reminds us that we are destined for something more: an "End" to which we are all heading: that Kingdom where Christ is truly the Prince of Peace.

Let us, during this Advent season, pray for the coming of Christ's Kingdom in its totality. Let us yearn for it more and more, and be ready to share in it.

Sunday 28th November 2010 Advent Sunday

Romans 13:9-14; Matthew:24:36-44

Today is Advent Sunday, the first day of the new church year. The season of Advent starts each new church year by reminding us of an important point: that the Christian life is lived between two special moments. We live between the first "coming of Christ" and the second "coming of Christ". We believe that the first coming of Christ was at a point in time (just over 2000 years ago), at a particular place, in what we now call the Holy Land, in Israel. And, of course, we celebrate that first "coming of Christ" with great gusto every year, at Christmas time -- and the celebrations have already begun, around us, for that.

But we live between that "first coming" and what we call the "second coming" of Christ. What we mean by that phrase is harder to comprehend. The "second coming" is not something that we can put a date on -- even an approximate date. It's not something that has a particular place associated with it. There is a great sense of mystery and lack of knowledge about what exactly the "second coming" of Christ really means. The hope is that it will be an event that finally brings the universe to its perfection, in a way that is way beyond our control or understanding.

As Christians we receive a tradition that says that Jesus "will come again" and that we need to be ready & prepared for that. It is a bit like a child being told by its mother to sweep the front path and porch because a special visitor is going to arrive at some time in the near future. The child doesn't necessarily know who the visitor is; the child doesn't know when the visitor is to arrive, but the child believes that someone is coming -- so he or she is ready for it to happen at any moment. That's the sense of uncertainty and suspense that we are called to live in.

So, we live, as Christians, between these two "poles": the first coming of Christ and the second coming. But then the question arises "how then should we live?" in this "in between" time ?

To get back to the position of a child. A child doesn't think much about "how should I live?". They are told by their parents, and an example is set. But when the child becomes a teenager, a period of questioning comes into the picture. Usually also a period of rebellion against what the parents say and do. "How should I live?" ? The teenager looks to other teenagers, and to other role models, and the "peer group" pressure comes into play -- and that's how the teenager wants to live, often to the dismay of the parents.

However, by the time we become mature adults, we are a bit more able to make our own decisions about how we should live, and we look for guidance, and we set our course.

How then should the Christian live, "between the times", as it were ... between the 1st and 2nd coming of the Lord.

Our scriptures give us some material to work on, and some images to explore.

The first guiding point, I believe, is to say that we should always be alert, expecting that the Lord might come at any moment. We need to be "awake", "watchful". The image of sleep, awaking from sleep, being prepared for the unexpected, is there in various scriptural stories and parables ... for example, being prudent about keeping watch on your house lest a burglar comes, and so on. Being watchful, being ready, being alert.

So, a question for each one of us: Do we live in a state of expectation -- believing that Jesus can come to us at any time ? The Lord can always be there in another person. Would we recognise Him ? I think it was Mother Teresa who used to say that she often met Jesus, in the slums of Calcutta, but He was heavily disguised.

Do we come to church on Sundays expecting to "meet Jesus" in a special way ....in the liturgy, via the readings, in the hymns, in the prayers ? Do we come to church expecting to "meet Jesus" when we receive the sacrament ? It is a state of mind that I believe we are called to have.

How then should we live ? Expecting the presence of Christ to come into our ambit at any time, and not to nod off and miss it.

The second guiding point: to cast off what belongs to the "night" and to "put on" what belongs to the "day". If the analogy of sleep is to be pursued, then this point would say that when you get out of bed, ready for the day, you normally put on certain clothes that are appropriate. You don't go out into the world wearing your pyjamas !

So, to live as Christians we are to appreciate the difference between the darkness and the light, the night and the day, and consciously to work at casting off habits and attitudes and modes of thinking that we know, deep down, are not to our credit, habits, attitudes and modes of thinking that belong in the realm of "darkness". St Paul, in today's reading from the Letter to the Romans, lists a few of them. We sometimes feel sorry for ourselves, and get a bit indulgent about some of the habits and attitudes we have, even when we know they are not "Christian". We sometimes even say to others ,"I know this is not very 'Christian', but ......." --- and then we go and say something that doesn't do us any credit, when in fact what is called for is a courageous attempt to throw off the bad habit, the bad attitude

And having cast aside the works of darkness what we are to then "put on" is the "armour of Christ", and I take it that that means we are to "put on" Christ's attitudes, His ways, to absorb and put into practice His teachings.

In the ancient baptismal liturgy, when the person was baptised, and came up out of the water, they were invested with a baptismal robe -- not just a new "Christian" name, but also a new garment, to symbolise the "putting on" of Christ. And the fact that it was given at baptism was a sign that the newly-baptised person is now to "grow into it".

I suppose the question then is: are we willing to grow into what we are destined to be ?

How then should we live, between the times, between the first and second coming of Christ ? To be alert, awake, ready for the unexpected .... to put on the "armour" of Christ.

And then St Paul gives us a third guideline: and that is to see the "desires of the flesh" in their right perspective.

"The desires of the flesh".

Yes, of course, we have to eat. But perhaps we eat too much. Yes, of course, we have to accumulate certain material necessities for ourselves and those who are dependent on us. But perhaps we could live a simpler lifestyle. Yes, there are the many physical and sensual pleasures we enjoy. But do we notice that they continually press us to give them more and more room ? Can we say "No ... enough!" ?

Jesus, in the gospel reading today, gives the chastening example of the people of Noah's time, who were so preoccupied with daily life and its pleasures that they didn't notice the cataclysm that was about to happen. They suspected nothing.

We live between the times, between the first Christmas and the time when time itself will end. The clarion call of Advent is to urge us to a quality of life where the ordinary can be transformed into the extraordinary, where everything shows forth God's love for us and our love for God. If we can be already starting to live that life, then people who aren't Christians might then look at us and ask "what have they got?", "what is their secret?"

Sunday 14th November 2010

Luke 21:5-19

What is your "image" of the Christian Church. It is an interesting exercise for us to think about and talk about how we "see" the Church...what our "image" of it is.

Perhaps you have a very localised view of what the church is, and that your image of the church is that of a collection of nice friendly people, holding hands perhaps, in a big circle ... a church that is a collection of people like you , a collection of people whom you like... a place where there is friendship, comfort, fellowship, caring...sweetness and light.

Or maybe your image of the church is to have a wider vision, and you see the Church as a worldwide network of peoples of all races, all colours, cultures, nations .. all worshipping the one God, acknowledging the one Jesus... a network or a net, even, a net to catch others into this vast organisation.

Or maybe your image of the church is that it is a place, a place of beauty, grandeur. Your image of the church is influenced by some of the great buildings that you have visited, or seen in pictures. A vast, awe-inspiring place, where people experience mystery, awe, silence, music, coloured light.

Or maybe your image of the church is that it is a solid rock, the bedrock of our civilisation .. the only sold, unchanging, secure place in a difficult and fluid world ?

One image of the church which I appreciate is that which was thought up by the World Council of Churches when it was formed after the Second World War, and that is the image of the church as a boat.. a simple boat, with a sail... a boat, or a ship, on a journey, on a voyage to a destination .. being blown by the Holy Spirit ... but travelling across a rough sea. And the image, the logo, of the WCC has that ship, not on the level, so much, but rather on a bit of an angle, being buffeted by the waves. It's not smooth sailing, but it is proceeding across the troubled waters.

As I look at today's gospel reading I note that it comes from what is considered to be one of the most difficult passages in St Luke's gospel, but those words we heard this morning are essentially Jesus predicting the future for the Church.

In some sense He was using language that related to the conditions of the first century of the Christian era -- perhaps using some phrases and concepts that are strange to us today. But in many ways His words are an inspired insight into the the way the church proceeds through History. It is as if one is standing on top of a mountain, looking across all the peaks of the other mountaitns, and you can't tell what the distances are between them ... you can't measure the distances ... but you get the sweep, the vision, of the total landscape.

So, what we heard in our gospel reading today is an image of the way things are to be -- and are -- with the church. And it relates, I believe, much more closely to that image of a ship voyaging across a troubled sea, than it it does to those other images of the church which I mentioned earlier.

To start off with, Our Lord's image of the Christian Church is that it is not to be related to a grand building, a static structure or organisation -- like the Temple in Jerusalem, with its whole organisation and system and hierarchy . Jesus says, in today's gospel reading, that that Temple will collapse. The Temple may have been seen by the Jews of His time as the supreme symbol of permanance & beauty and security ...the place where God had chosen to dwell, the God who they had relied on for deliverance from their enemies. But it had become a distraction from the the real centre of the Jewish faith. And this mighty edifice was to be destroyed -- so Jesus predicted -- and so it happened, not long after his death and resurrection. All that remains today of the mighty Jerusalem Temple is one of its walls. You can see that wall today in Jerusalem -- it is called the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. It is where Jews still gather to lament the fact that the mighty Temple is no more.

And Our Lord predicted that, and His image of the church is not therefore related to that idea of a durable edifice -- neither a building, nor a stable structure of organisation.

We, in the church today, of course, have buildings -- this one, for example. ... our Cathedrals and shrines, yes ... but we are to consider them only as way-stations in the Christian voyage, the Christian journey... shells within which we gather for the real business of the church. They are not the destination. We, in the church today, have a great superstructure or organisation ... parishes, clergy, bishops, dioceses, denominations etc. They are not the destination either.

That was Our Lord's first point about the future of the Church.

Then He goes to say that, in His vision of the future of the church, we will always live in danger of thinking that we have arrived at the destination -- particularly when certain people, or theories, or doctrines, arise and claim that they are the final word. Our Lord warns His disciples about false Messiahs .. about the danger of being led astray by people who try to raise their hopes, who claim that they have the fulfilment of all that is to be, who claim that they have all the answers.

Well, how true that is. One look at the history of the church over the last 2000 years and we can see countless examples of that, and we see it even today: religious leaders, Christian leaders even, denominations and sects and movements within denominations ...who claim that they know for sure exactly what the church should look like, that they know for sure exactly what the church members should believe, and how we should act -- and many of these "false Messiahs" even try to tighten up the organisation of the Christian Church ... in their own image.... to prove their point.

Our Lord predicted this. It has happened. It happens.

Then He goes on, in His vision for the future of the church, to talk about wars and insurrections .. .earthquakes, famines, etc. Again, this relates to that image of the church, which I mentioned earlier, where the ship travels on .... powered by the Holy Spirit ...blown by the Holy Soirit ... but nevertheless it is buffeted by rough conditions. This is reality. The life of the Church is not smooth sailing. Difficulties come, and they are part and parcel of life out there in the world. The church lives in the context of natural disasters and catastrophes and man-made disasters and catastrophes. We cannot escape them, and while we might hanker for the church to be a place of peace, permanance, and security, we live in danger of kidding ourselves .. of retreating to a fantasy, a make-believe church, which does not live in the real world.

Our Lord did not mince words. As He looked to the future, He could see the diffcult conditions through which the church must travel.

But, in His vision for the future, He does not leave us in despair. The concluding verses of that gospel this morning say that even though the difficulties will be there for the church, for the disciples -- and these difficulties will include hostility, persecution, treachery, betrayal --- even martyrdom for some -- even though there will be grounds for dismay, disillusionment, loss of faith -- even though many of the disciples will experience the sort of ordeal that Jesus Himself experienced at the end of His earthly life, that God will not give up on us. He will give us the ability & the wisdom to survive, even the ability and wisdom to speak up when we need to. Nothing is outside His plan.

There is a destination, of this voyage of the church, across these troubled waters. The destination is that new paradise which we heard about in our first reading this morning, that idealised "new earth" where there is no more weeping or distress ... where there is no child mortality .. where everybody lives to a happy & contented old age ...where one has one's own house and vineyard, where one can enjoy the work of one's hands .. where the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and serpent will no longer be a threat.

Well, that is of course Utopia, but it is a poetic way, which Isaiah used, to express His faith that God will not give up on us. The journey of the church, its voyage across troubled waters will not be smooth sailing but -- and this is where our faith comes into it -- we are called to believe that God will eventually bring good out of evil, that right will triumph in the end, and that the Christian's task in the present is to show patience and endurance.

Sunday 31st October 2010

Luke 19:1-9

Just imagine. There is , on Jerusalem TV, on "A Current Affair", in the year 50 A.D., a special program where the equivalent of Tracey Grimshaw is interviewing Zaccheus ... 20 years on from the event we read about in today's gospel. It might go something like this:

"Yes, I am Zaccheus. I am an old man now, but I remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday.

As Jew, living in Jericho, I , Zaccheus, was working for the Roman authorities. Jericho was a trading town, on the border of the country .. a lot of merchants coming and going... a lot of tax to be collected. The Romans needed collaborators like me to collect the taxes. I took on that job. There wasn't much else around. Yes, I, Zaccheus, became a tax collector. People didn't like me because of my job. Even the Romans despised me. I was never greeted with a friendly smile. I was lonely. Yes, OK, I was rich enough. In fact I could work the job to make a bit of extra money on the side. But I was miserable. I had a half-formed determination to have done with it all ... to get out of that caper ... my conscience was not at ease .... but I had dug a hole and there I was in it.

So that's where I was at. Miserable. Not at ease with myself. Lonely. Rich enough ... but not happy.

When I look back on it, I'm sure something like that has been the experience of many people, even today. Stuck in a job that they don't really like ... but the pay is OK ... stuck in a social situation where they don't feel really at home, don't feel welcomed, don't see much future. I'm sure something like that has been the experience of many people, where, for better or worse, they have dug a hole and are stuck in it. Yes...well ...

To get back to my story...

When I heard that this Jesus person was coming through Jericho, I thought maybe it was worth just seeing what He was really all about. I had heard a rumour that this Jesus was someone who was friendly to outcasts. I was an outcast. A self-inflicted outcast, I know, but an outcast nevertheless... perhaps this Jesus could be relevant to me in some small way. I just had this niggling feeling that I should investigate.

When I look back on it, I'm sure something like that has been the experience of many people even today. People who would say that Jesus is an attractive character in some strange way -- but they would say that "the church" isn't attractive ... oh no. The church is full of hypocrites ... church is boring .. church is irrelevant ... churches are only after your money ... they're wowsers... .. they're quaint and old fashioned ....but .. Jesus ?? He is OK. Could He be relevant ?

To get back to my story ...

What's that, Tracey ? Oh, we have to go to a commercial break ... OK. This is me being interviewed on "A Current Affair" after all ... 20 years after the event we heard in that gospel reading. So..... commercial break.

To get back to my story.

Yes, I, Zaccheus, remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday. This Jesus was coming to town. I thought, well, I'll take a look at Him .. .from a distance of course. I am a short man, so it was no good being in the crowd, because I knew that I may not be able to see over everybody else's head. But, I I knew what I could do. I climbed up a sycomore tree, and hid in the branches. I was trying to be what I really wasn't. What I was was a public figure in the town. One of the tax collectors. But I was hiding my identity. What I was was a short person. Yet I hid my identity on that score, too. I hid in the branches of this tree. I distanced myself. To compensate for my shortness I climbed that tree.

When I look back on it, I'm sure something like that has been the experience of many people, even today. People who have difficulty facing up to who they really are. People who have to pretend. Who have to compensate by wearing something, or acting a certain way, or using certain language, to take account of their inadequacies ... and yet they know they want to seek the truth, but they want to do it from a distance so that nobody else notices. They hide their true identity, and yet are curious ... just like I was that day, in Jericho, so long ago, and I'm telling you my story, Tracey, and I hope you're still interested ... or have we got to go to another commercial break ... oh, no, we don't have to .. OK.

To get back to my story. There was I, Zaccheus, hiding in the tree. Jesus was walking down the road. And then lo, and behold. He stopped underneath. He spotted me. And He called me by name. And He called me down from the tree, and started speaking to me. And the people around Him were annoyed at this. They muttered. They grumbled. "It's disgusting", they said, "that Our Lord would want to spend any time with this tax collector, this despised collaborator".

But I didn't care. I realised that I had nothing to lose. Why not take the plunge ?

And He said to me that He wanted to come to my place. Well, the die was cast. I couldn't get out of it now, so I said yes.

At my home, we sat down and this Jesus talked to me pretty straight about my life ... about my poor opinion of myself... about my feelings of inadequacy .. about how I'd dug myself into a hole, and had got into a job which had fed my dishonesty, which had fed my disregard for other people.

It was uncomfortable. But He was putting His finger on the truth about me. And as He was talking to me, I, Zaccheus, felt that, nevertheless, He accepted me. There was a sense in which He revealed to me what I was capable of becoming.

Before, I had felt trapped in the consequences of my own mistakes, my own bad choices. But now, I could see what I had to do to put things right.

When I look back on it, I am sure that something like that has been the experience -- or could be the experience -- of many people, even today. To hear the call of Jesus, through the leaves of the tree (as it were), through the facades they put up around them, through the disguises they put on. The call from the Lord which says that He wants to come to where they actually live, to come in to their home -- not to meet them in the public space where the disguises and the pretence can go on -- but to come and meet their real selves, to be with them where they really live.

To get back to my story. This encounter with Jesus, in the privacy of my own home, away from the play-acting ... this encounter unleashed within me a great sense of gratitude and liberation. I could break from the past. I could admit my mistakes and the fraudulent practices I'd been engaged in. I could acknowledge what my life had been like. I realised that back in the Old Testament scriptures Moses had said that if you had defrauded someone, then "pay back 4 times as much as you have stolen" so I promised Jesus to do just that -- and, more than that, I promised to give half my money to charity as well.

Then He said something to me that almost made me cry: 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham'. I wasn't an outcast any longer. I was one of God's family. I belonged! I was lost, and He found and changed me.

Tracey ... have we got to go to another commercial break? ... oh, we do. Well, perhaps during the break, the people watching this show can think about themselves .. and the people they know ... and perhaps they can identify a few parallels with my story. The story of Zaccheus.

< Back to top