SERMON 121 - SUNDAY 9 SEPTEMBER 2018

Sermon delivered at All Saints’ Parish Church, Winterslow, Wiltshire on Sunday 9 September 2018

James 2:1-10; 14-17; Mark 7:24-end

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

I love the Book of James in the New Testament.  It appeals to me as a pragmatic learner – someone who likes to be taught in a way which has clear practical value; something which I can understand in the context of the world in which I live and something which I can use, teach or share with others.  We cannot be certain of whom the author is but general consensus amongst theologians is that it was written by James, the brother of Jesus. 

James’s Epistle is full of clear practical advice written in a no-nonsense way.  Although regarded as one of the seven “general” letters – so called because they are addressed to several groups of Christians in the Greco-Roman world – it is more in the form of an address than a letter and I think should be read as such.  It is a short book and one I strongly recommend you read in full.

In the passage read out to us this morning, James is at great pains to point out the need to respect the poor and less well off. James recognises that there is a natural human tendency to defer to social superiors and despise those who are below us on the social scale.  Whether we like it or not, this really does exist and you will recall the story I told in my last sermon of the new rector who arrived a week early at his new church dressed as a tramp and the natural tendency to shun him.  There is nothing Christian about this – the right thing is to treat everyone with equal respect – to love our neighbour as ourselves as God’s Commandment teaches us.    

               

In this country, the divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” seems to be widening and through Alabare I am seeing more and more people on the streets. James’s words are as relevant today as they ever were when he wrote them. James talks of the law that gives freedom in Verse 12 (which was not read out) reminding us that God’s law or judgment is merciful.  Mercy will always triumph over judgment. To be judgmental without mercy is not to be like Christ.

Our reading moves on to the second of James’ pragmatic messages – and a particularly favourite of mine – faith and deeds.  Over the centuries this piece of scripture has been used by the Church as a means of justifying faith by deeds or works alone which is not what James’ is saying.  In the middle ages the church taught that by giving to the church, by observing certain rules and regulations, by building magnificent holy shines and buildings we could be saved. The scripture of James was often used upon which to base this doctrine.

Paul clearly tells us that we are saved through Faith alone – not deeds alone – and that is theologically correct.  What James is actually saying though is that if we are saved, if we have true faith then we should demonstrate that faith by acting in accordance with the laws of God and teachings of Christ.  That is a practical and demonstrable way of showing our faith.  Faith which simply stops at words is not faith at all. It is not sufficient just to say “I believe in God” as we do in reciting the Creed – although that is important; it is more than a belief in God – even the Devil and demons believe in God. Therefore, in simple terms, what James is saying is that if what you believe does not affect the way you live, in what you do, in how you treat others it is a dead faith.

Jesus, in our Gospel reading meets a woman from another culture.  Jesus is in Gentile territory – away from the culture in which he has been brought up. It seems from our reading that Jesus has gone out of his way to come into this area and entering the house of this Greek woman, born in Syro-Phoenica, that is in the area of Syria and Lebanon today which to the north of present day Israel, he wants to keep this a secret. The woman’s daughter is possessed of demons we read yet she had heard of Jesus’s power of healing and driving out demons and comes to him professing faith.  Jesus tests her faith – he says that first the children should be fed before any spare bread is tossed to the dogs. He is alluding here to that human tendency of a hierarchy – determining who should be fed first.  The woman sees this as a response to the need to feed those who profess belief – the Jews, above herself and her kind for she says “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs”. In other words everyone should receive something of the bread available.

At this Jesus sees in this woman a person who has shown her faith by a true belief that Jesus has come for everybody – to share the living bread – himself – with everybody irrespective of race, creed, colour provided they show faith in Him.

This is a very important piece of the gospel for it clearly shows that Jesus came for all.  That all who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Likewise, in the same passage, Jesus returns to his home territory of Galilee where he heals a deaf and mute man. There is a distinct contrast between the way in which he heals this man’s afflictions and those of the Greek woman’s daughter. In the latter we read that Jesus didn’t even see the daughter.  It wasn’t until her mother returned home that she discovered that the demons had left her little girl. In the case of the deaf and mute man, Jesus actually touches the man on those parts of his body requiring healing – fingers in the ears and, disgusting as it sounds, spitting on the man’s tongue. Jesus needed to demonstrate an actual act in order to perform healing – but not so with the Greek woman’s daughter.

I think this tells us that if our faith is strong enough and we pray enough, nothing is impossible and that the word of God can reach all through the power of the Spirit.

The Greek woman said that even the crumbs of bread under the table are available for the dogs – meaning the lowest in our society.  In a world where there are “haves” and “have-nots” we seated here in church this morning cannot deny that in a global context we are the “haves”.  We pray every day for God to give us our daily bread – and we do indeed receive it.  I invite us today, to think about with whom we will share not the crumbs but a slice of our daily loaf.  As you came in this morning you were given a small picture of a sliced loaf. 

Between the end of this talk and the end of the Intercessions I would like you to think about how and with whom you will share your loaf this week.  It can take many forms – perhaps buy a coffee for a friend at work or perhaps a random stranger in the coffee shop, visit a friend you’ve been meaning to see for some time, ring or email a relative you’ve been meaning to do, invite somebody to church next week, perhaps to pray for somebody who hasn’t been very nice to you. Anything at all to remind yourself that being a Christian is more than just saying the right things, it is doing and acting in the Spirit of God.

At the end of the Intercessions please come up if you wish and place your bread in the bread basket. At the end of the service you can retrieve them and take them home to remind you of your pledge.

Let us pray

PAUSE FOR SILENCE

Lord God,

You sent your only Son into the world not to condemn it but that we may have everlasting life

Help us to always do the right thing so that by our actions we may show the world that we are your children and may bring others to salvation by showing our faith through our good works.

Amen                                                                                                    MFB/06092018

SERMON 120 - SUNDAY 22 JULY - SUNDAY 19 AUGUST 2018

Sermon 120 – “Being There”

Delivered in each parish of the Clarendon Team between Sunday 22nd July and Sunday 19th August 2018

2 Kings 5:1-14; Matthew 9:9-13

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

This is the last in a series of nine sermons which are being delivered to each and every one of the churches of the Clarendon Team under the banner of Pray, Serve, Grow – The last 3 are on the topic of Grow being delivered by each member of the Clarendon Staff Team and I have entitled this sermon “Being There” after the title of a lesser known American comedy film of 1979 starring Peter Sellers, for reasons I shall explain later as this talk develops

The first sermon in this series which I preached during June and the first half of July was entitled “Going Ape with Prayer”. In it we looked at three aspects of prayer A-Attentiveness, P – Persistence and E – Expectancy. A-P-E, and you may recall that I said that whenever we pray we can often be surprised at the results, but we should always expect our prayers to be answered – even if not quite in the way we expected.  I gave the examples of Eli and Jonah. I left you with the thought that in prayer we should be prepared to expect the unexpected and that this was often the exciting outcome.

This leads us on to our final topic today – Grow and in this we must again be prepared to expect the unexpected – just as those around Jesus did – time and time again.  A growing church is one where its members welcome the unexpected and embrace the changes which having faith sometimes necessitates. Bishop Nick has been at great pains to point out that when we talk about growth we are not merely talking about growth in numbers but more importantly growth in terms of the depth of our faith.  This is something which is very dear to my heart too.

As I prepared this sermon and read again the two passages of scripture which we heard today – and specifically chosen for this topic – it became very clear to me the importance of being prepared to embrace the unusual – to understand that nothing at all limits God’s power to be everywhere - omnipresent, all powerful  – omnipotent and all knowing – omniscient at the same time.  We can too often be tempted to put God in a box.  As any horticulturalist will tell you, and I’m no expert, if you confine a growing plant to the same small pot it will not usually thrive – it needs space to grow and thrive. So does our faith.  It needs to be deep rooted and ever thirsty for more nutrients.  To be nourished and there is nothing better to nourish our faith than the one great fertiliser left to us by Jesus – the Holy Spirit.

Recently I heard a story which I had been told before many years ago. It might be apocryphal but it is still a good one. Just like us in the Clarendon Team, a church was waiting for a new pastor or rector; somebody to lead it following the departure of the previous incumbent. Only a few people (the selection committee) had met him before.

Just before the service began a dirty dishevelled tramp arrived at the church and sat himself at the back of the building all on his own.  Not one person welcomed him or would sit near him. He was, in fact, totally shunned by the congregation such that he felt unable to come up and receive Holy Communion. At the end of the service the officiant stood up and announced to the congregation that the following week the new incumbent would be attending the church for the first time and he hoped for a full church to warmly welcome him and to show the depth of their love and support for him.  At the end of this short notice the tramp at the back stood up and walked slowly and purposefully up to the front of the church to stand next to the officiant and calmly announce to the congregation that he was indeed the new incumbent who had come a week early to quietly observe his new congregation and from what he had just witnessed there was much work needed to be done if it was to be the welcoming and loving church the officiant had suggested it was. 

Archbishop Temple once said “the Church of England is one organisation which exists primarily for its non-members.”  If any church is to grow then it needs to extend its arms out to everybody and be that welcoming body where anyone can feel a part of it.  The church has been described as the bride of Christ and as such needs to be as supportive and welcoming as Christ himself.

Our two readings this morning give us great scriptural examples of this unexpected welcoming.

In our first reading we hear of Naaman, a great general to the king of Aram who is suffering from an horrific skin disorder. During one of his campaigns he captures a Jewish girl who becomes his wife’s mistress. She knows of Elisha the Prophet in her former homeland whom she tells Naaman’s wife has the power for her God to heal her husband.  Telling the King of Aram of this, the king writes a letter of safe passage and introduction to the King of Israel together with many expensive gifts of persuasion. The King of Aram assumes that it’s through the King of Israel’s good offices that Naaman might be healed misunderstanding that it is a deep belief and faith in the God of Israel, Yahwe, which can provide the power of healing.

Eventually Naaman finds Elisha who tells him to wash seven times in the River Jordan in order to be cleansed of his illness.  Naaman, knowing the geography of the area, simply does not believe him and refers to the two great rivers of Damascus (Syria) being cleaner and therefore more likely to induce healing than the dirty Jordan.  Naaman’s own knowledge and expectations are such that he cannot comprehend why he should be asked to undertake such a demeaning task as stripping off and plunging into the dirtier Jordan. Naaman had believed that as he was such an important person, a senior officer in the King of Aram’s army, it would be sufficient for Elisha to come out to him, say a few words of healing and he would be restored to health. No, the unexpected occurred. He was now expected to do something he never thought he would be asked to do; to provide evidence of his faith in God’s healing power by doing exactly as Elisha had commanded him. The result, eventually, as we read, is that what he wanted happened.  He was entirely cured of his horrible skin condition. As a result Naaman’s faith in God’s power was established; it was deeply rooted.

In our second reading once again the disciples of Christ, together with many others, witnessed the unexpected.  Jesus sought out the lowest of the low in Jewish life – a tax collector.  Under Roman jurisdiction, the Romans recruited people of their conquered lands to collaborate with them – especially over the collection of taxes for Roman use.  The incentive was that the local tax collectors could cream off some of the money collected for themselves. Thus they were considered thieves, collaborators and much worse. They were hated, detested by the ordinary Jewish people. In common parlance they were sinners. 

The Message puts the story in really graphic easy language.  It describes Jesus eating supper with “disreputable characters” and the Pharisees saying to the disciples “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cosy with crooks and riffraff!”

Jesus’s answer is one of the classic pieces of scripture which we would all do well to remember – “Who needs a doctor, the healthy or the sick”?

The story is also told of a new incumbent who placed a large poster at the front of his new church in an affluent part of a large city announcing that “All sinners Welcome”. The PCC appealed to his bishop that the poster should be removed because it was likely to attract “crooks and riffraff”. It is sad to report that not only was poster duly removed but so was the new incumbent.  I wonder how many members of that congregation had ever understood Matthew 9:9-13.

We should all remember that God loves us always just the way we are but also loves us so much that he also wants us to grow too and not always stay that way. He wants us to be ready to change our ideas and thinking. 

Recently, as part of my training to be a spiritual director, we, the students, have been looking at how we grow our faith and the stages which we all go through.

James W Fowler was an American theologian and professor of theology.  He recognised seven stages we all go through in our faith journey from “0” to “6”. From a primal understanding at an early age through to enlightment.  Not everybody reaches Stage 6 and many only ever reach 3 or 4. We pass from one to another as we engage with our spiritual selves.  It is not a gnostic principle of somebody at stage 3 being better than somebody at stage 4 or 5; but as we grow in our faith through experience and scriptural understanding – wisdom – so our faith, just as for Naaman, is challenged and our ability to accept the unknowing, incomprehensible, all embracing love of God and put aside our pre-conceived ideas and prejudices will make us grow in our faith.

Many of you will know that I am an amateur astronomer – that I used to write a column in the Winterslow magazine for many years on the subject of the night sky. There is so much we have learned about our universe in recent years as technology has advanced but as we have learned more so we have discovered more and more how much we don’t know. That is the same with God.  When I look up in the night sky I am continually amazed at the awesomeness of God’s creation and stare in wonder at the infinity of space and time.

Pre-conceived ideas and a lack of willingness to allow ourselves to be subject to change can stunt our growth – just lack the pot-bound plant. 

I mentioned the film “Being There”.  In this film simple-minded Chance (Peter Sellers), a gardener who has resided in the Washington, D.C., townhouse of his wealthy employer for his entire life and been educated only by television, is forced to vacate his home when his boss dies. While wandering the streets, dressed smartly in his former employer’s best suit and bowler hat, he encounters business mogul Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas), who assumes Chance to be a fellow upper-class gentleman. Soon Chance is ushered into high society, as Mr. Chauncey Gardiner (really Chance the Gardener) and his unaffected gardening wisdom makes him the talk of the town including a post as adviser to the President of the United States when Chance's remarks about how the garden changes with the seasons are interpreted by the President as economic and political advice, relating to his concerns about the mid-term unpopularity that many administrations face while in office. If you haven’t seen the film then a similar plot occurs when in an episode of Father Ted, the character of Father Jack, the drunken old priest, is taught to repeat the phrase “that would be an ecumenical matter” whenever a bishop asks him a difficult theological question.

The illustration here is that it is so easy to be taken in by our own pre-conceptions about people and their positions in society.  Jesus had no such illusions. He came for everybody – rich, poor, sick, healthy, religious, non-religious and so on. Once we dispense with those pre-conceptions we are really ready to grow.

Our church, as the bride of Christ can only grow if we, its members, grow – grow deeper in our faith and aim to be like Christ; giving time for others but also allowing ourselves time to be ourselves and put aside our own egos; being there for God, Son and Holy Spirit, being there for others, being there for ourselves and being our true selves – the person God always wanted us to be. Open to change and challenge.

We should start always with prayer, serve others, be prepared for change and challenge and then we shall truly grow both as individuals and as the whole body of Christ.

Amen                                                                                                    MFB/01062018