SERMON 19 - SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2013

Sermon at St. Mary’s Hall, Whaddon   -  Evening Prayer  – Sunday 24 February 2013

Luke 14:27-33

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

There is a wonderful children’s worship song which has a really joyful jolly Judaic tune which goes something like this:

JESUS SAID, 'GIVE EVERYTHING UP
If you want to be my disciple.'
Jesus said, 'Give everything up
If you want to be my disciple.'
D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E
Luke 14 verse 33
Jesus said you won’t need anything;

all you need is me

 

But how jolly and joyful would most of us really be if Jesus came into this room right now and made this demand upon us.  I am sure that we all have unfinished projects to fulfil, places to go, people to see; but conversely, what a privilege he would be bestowing on any one of us by offering this invitation!

This song is taken, as the very words suggest, from this evening’s reading from Luke beginning at Verse 27. But this is a “sanitised” version because we need to really read the previous two verses to have a better understanding of what Jesus is actually saying. Those first two verses read:-

“Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them: Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes even life itself, cannot be my disciple”.

Without an unpacking of these words, they seem to be teaching a gospel of hatred towards family and life.  How can that be squared with Jesus’s own teaching of love and tolerance elsewhere in the Gospels?

What He appears to be doing here is challenging us to  walk an impossible path if we really want to follow Him.  It harks back to the Genesis story of Abraham and his son Isaac on the Mount Moriah.  Abraham was also instructed to do something completely against his inclination – to sacrifice his only son. And again, when Jesus told the young rich man to give away all of his possessions if he wanted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I believe that what Jesus is saying here to the crowds is that it is not enough simply to follow him around the place – to be seen with the “in crowd”.  As a charismatic personality, he had clearly amassed a huge crowd of followers who wanted to hear his parables and witness his healings and he had a huge popularity – very much like those people who follow celebrities around today.  But like those people today, there may have been an element of fashion – being seen to be around - especially as the Jews were looking with great expectation for a leader to bring them out of Roman oppression.

Jesus isn’t telling them to hate their family in the sense of the word we use today.  In Hebrew, the word “hate” means to “like less” than something else and it used to emphasise the opposite of “like more”.  The corresponding passage in Matthew reads more plainly – “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” – in other words, not that you should hate your family in the modern sense but that you should love Jesus no less and in fact more.  The use of the word “hate” here is down to the fact that Luke liked to use vivid and flamboyant Greek and this should always be borne in mind when reading his gospel or Acts.

However, that aside, back to our reading. 

Jesus uses expressive language and a wonderful analogy to explain what the true cost of following him will entail. To follow Jesus, is to devote ourselves fully and to give our life over to him even if this means “bearing our cross” – a reference to the ultimate penalty of crucifixion which he himself was to suffer.  He was speaking to the “in-crowd” and explaining that a true follower must be prepared to suffer pain and humiliation.

I have often said to my son, that to be a true supporter of a football team you need to be there during those cold and wet Saturdays when your team faces relegation, when it doesn’t play well and is humiliated on the football pitch – not a fair-weather follower or a supporter simply because it is fashionable to do so – not mentioning any clubs in particular of course. I am sure that this would be a modern parable which Jesus would use if he was walking on this Earth today – amongst England’s not so satanic mills and football grounds.

Jesus actually uses as his analogy the construction industry – something which we actually can relate to - even today.  When a building is planned today, apart from the developer himself there are three principle players:

·        Architect – who designs the building with his creative mind

·        The Builder who actually brings the creation into a physical state by putting the materials together

·        And the one the previous two both hate – and in this context I do mean to use the word hate as we understand it - the Quantity Surveyor

I speak from experience having known a quantity surveyor for many years who often told me he was despised by both architect and builder – often piggy in the middle - but not often by the developer.

The role of the quantity surveyor is to cost out the project and ensure that it comes out at budget or to advise on cost adjustments if it is likely to go beyond the budgeted project cost. This might mean that materials will need to be downgraded, reduced or the architect’s dream amended in a way to ensure that the project is delivered on time and at the budgeted cost.  He may adjust the whole project or some or part of it.

The Quantity Surveyor will be brought in at an early stage of the project to tell the developer whether the whole project is feasible or not – and at what cost. Jesus is telling the crowds, what kind of idiot would start to build a tower without having brought in the quantity surveyor?  Because there is always the possibility that a project may be started which cannot be finished and the developer will become both a laughing stock and seriously out of pocket!  I remember well, wandering around Benidorm in Spain, one time seeing hundreds of unfinished buildings – and more recently in Ireland. The reason, the developers had overestimated the number of potential visitors and had run out of money in the process.

Jesus also uses a military analogy – who is going to go into battle or start a war without first doing a quantity surveying exercise on the size and strength of the opposing army?  In such circumstances it is better that he sues for peace rather than suffer a crushing defeat which could have been avoided.

Jesus is telling the crowds to understand and to count the cost which following him will have to be paid and then, and only then, be fully committed to Him, for God requires 100% commitment and nothing should dilute that. 

Jesus then goes on to give a third analogy “What use salt, he says, if it has lost its taste or its saltiness?  In other words, we cannot dilute our commitment once made otherwise it is useless.

Jesus says we must give up our possessions.  Does he really mean that?  No, I don’t believe that we are being asked to sell all our possessions and become hermits, beggars, reliant on the state or charity but that we must give full control of our possessions to Christ to guide us how we should manage them best. At each Eucharist we pray “All things come from you and of your own do we give you”.  When we truly follow Christ we are expected to do just that.

When Christ says, “you must hate life itself” he means that we must be inwardly free from worldly-mindedness, envy, selfishness and be wholly devoted to Him.  In other words, give up those aspects of our daily life which separate us from God’s will for us.

Yes it is a tall order; but one with the richest of rewards.  Christians who face persecution in places like China, Nigeria and the Middle East know how costly is the price they often have to pay.

Let us hold them always in our prayers and remember the last words of that children’s song:

Jesus said you won’t need anything;

all you need is me

 

Let us pray,

 

Lord Jesus, in this busy world in which we live we often don’t make room for you in our lives and follow you as fully as we should.  We thank you for all those who, in places of persecution, still follow you along the difficult path that has been laid before them and continue to spread you gospel.

 

We pray that during this coming week and during the period of Lent that we will, in the words of St. Richard of Chichester, use this time to know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day

 

Amen

 

SERMON 18 - SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2013

Sermon at St. Mary’s Parish Church, West Dean   -  Morning Worship  – Sunday 10 February 2013

Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4.2; Luke 9:28b-43;

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

Mountain tops feature heavily in our readings this morning and as I sat down to write this sermon the song “Climb Every Mountain” from the musical “Sound of Music” came into my head and I just couldn’t get rid of it!  A song whose lyrics are so familiar that if I were to recite just a few of them to you now, I am sure that the tune would enter your head too and you would find it difficult to get it out again:-

“Climb every mountain,
Search high and low,
Follow every highway,
Every path you know.

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
'Till you find your dream.

A dream that will need
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life
For as long as you live…”

Anyone who has climbed to the top of a hill such as Pepperbox Hill, let alone a mountain, will know that exhilarating feeling of being on top of the world – where you might feel closer to God.  One of my favourite spots in Wiltshire is Cley Hill near Warminster where, having reached the top, there is a marvellous vista looking across the Wiltshire and Somerset countryside with views, on a clear day, to Glastonbury Tor and beyond.  It has also been reported to be a haunt of strange lights and UFOs and there is something quite compulsive about the desire to climb it when you drive past – as I have done many many times.  On those clear days, it is often very hard to want to climb down again and return to the mundane life at the bottom.  You want that magical moment of feeling on top of the world to go on for ever.   As the song says, there is something of a dreamlike quality about being up there – a searching for a different perspective on life.  To feel above it all – to follow a dream.

The story of the Transfiguration of Christ, as we heard in our gospel reading, was one such moment for the disciples who accompanied Jesus up to the top of what biblical scholars now think was Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights – sitting astride modern day Lebanon and Syria.  Jesus took just three of his disciples up there with him to pray – Peter, John and James – who from Luke’s account were very tired, presumably having already travelled a good distance and then climbed to the top of this mountain which is some 9,200 feet above sea level. 

The story, to some extent, is suggestive of the events later in Gethsemane except on this occasion, despite being tired, the disciples stayed awake and were to witness a fantastic event.  In a foretaste of the resurrection and ascension, Jesus appears to glow, to be transfigured from the normal human being they had known into something clearly divine and accompanied by the figures of old, Moses and Elijah.  “They were speaking of Jesus’s departure” we are told – which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem.  Clearly this is a reference to Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection a few weeks later.

Whenever I hear this story, I immediately think of myself in the shoes of Peter; good old Peter who always seems to have the knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time but who also often speaks for us.  He frequently reminds me of those situations where, in a business meeting or other gathering, I have held my tongue because I haven’t wanted to look foolish; but always hoping that there will be a Peter who will ask the same question on my behalf.  Frequently there is, and many of us, not just me, are so glad he did.

Here Peter is clearly enjoying his mountain top moment, just as I have on Cley Hill.  I have often thought what it would be like to build and live in a house up there.  Peter obviously thought the same – how great it would be if that mountain top moment could last for ever.  He doesn’t just want to stay up there but he also wants to capture the actual event and seal if for all time by building shelters for Moses and Elijah.  Fanciful, yes, but Peter had witnessed so many miracles - and if Jesus could walk on water, calm storms, heal lepers, raise the dead then building a few shelters to keep Moses and Elijah up on the mountain with them wouldn’t be beyond his abilities! 

But, as so often on mountains, the weather and mood can suddenly change – as it did here.  Mountain tops can indeed be beautiful and inspirational places but they can also become dangerous and uncomfortable when the weather sets in.  On this occasion we read that a dark cloud descended and from the cloud they heard the voice of God say “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to Him”.  Wow, it must have been like witnessing one of the fabled UFOs on Cley Hill! 

Luke doesn’t comment on their reactions, neither does Mark in his account but Matthew’s account tells us that they were afraid, fell to the ground and Jesus had to reassure them that all was well;  the other two figures disappeared.

Then all four returned down to life in the valley and, as we read, back to business as usual – on this occasion another healing – a boy possessed by demons.  Of interest here is the fact that the boy’s father, who implores Jesus to act, says something so similar to what the disciples had heard from the clouded voice – “I beg you look at my son, he is my only child”. But here it the words are spoken down in the valley.  It is following this miracle that Jesus then tells the disciples that he is shortly to be betrayed.

It is great to go up to the top of the mountain, it is great to look over all the land and marvel at the wonders of God, but just as Moses in our first reading had to come back down from Mount Sinai, to put into practice the laws which he had been given by God, so Jesus, his disciples and indeed all us have to come back down into the valleys of our lives at some time.  From the top of the mountain, the only way we can move on is to come down back to the real world with all its darkness and sorrows. 

Theologian Steve Chalke, in his excellent little book “Change Agents” entitles his first chapter “Others only ever see your mountain top experiences” –  talking about how people perceive successful individuals - yet for every successful person, there are as many, if not more, valley experiences.  Winston Churchill once said – “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” and more recently Richard Branson wrote “The reason I am so successful is because I have failed more times than most people”.  

The Transfiguration was the ultimate mountain top experience – but Jesus knew that he couldn’t end his ministry there.  Neither Peter nor the other disciples then understood that there was more that Jesus had to do – and that it would shortly entail entering a deep dark valley which would initially cause fear and despair to the disciples.  Moses also originally came down from his meeting with God on Mount Sinai to find the people worshipping an idol.  Mountains are only ever distinctive and special when there are valleys surrounding them.

This is the last Sunday before we enter Lent on Ash Wednesday.  Lent is traditionally a time for reflection.  We often give things up – things which we consider our naughty pleasures – alcohol, chocolate, cakes.  That is all well and good but if we do that we should equally think about why we are doing it and reflect on that.  For some it might be like descending that wonderful shining mountain top and entering into a dark dismal valley.  But even as Jesus began his dark period in the wilderness, he continued in his ministry of healing and so should we continue with the ministry which God has called us to do – whatever that might be.

Let us use Lent for that reflection and think of it as a valley between two mountains – in the real world; and be ready to climb another mountain at Easter – strengthening our Faith with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and that he continues to live in us and with us.  That he had his mountain top and valley monents like all the rest of us.  That way, whenever we feel ourselves in a dark valley we know that we can, indeed, climb every mountain, and find our dream – a dream which God already has created for us to fulfil.

Amen