MY NEXT SERMON

I shall next be preaching on Sunday 9th February 2025 at the 11 a.m. Morning Worship service at All Saints' Church, Farley, Wiltshire

SERMON 211 - SUNDAY 12 JANUARY 2025 - BAPTISM OF CHRIST

Sermon at Farley All Saints’ Parish Church, - Baptism of Christ  –  Sunday 12th January 2025

Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan; but as well as being such a celebration we are still in the Season of Epiphany – that time when we remember the coming of the wise men or “kings” bearing three prophetic gifts to the infant Jesus – gold to represent his kingship, frankincense to represent his holiness or divinity and myrrh, that perfume with which the dead are anointed to represent the great sacrifice he would later make for all.

However, in these readings we are reminded that not all kings come bearing such gifts.  It has been suggested that John the Baptist’s reference to Jesus, the one who is to come, the Messiah, with a winnowing folk in his hand, to clear the threshing-floor and burning the chaff is a veiled reference to Herod Antipas, who although probably a shadow of his tyrannical father, the old King Herod, is nevertheless probably a danger to modern prophets as John himself would soon find out.

The two New Testament readings, one from Acts and one from Luke’s Gospel, are rich in lessons for us today. In our epistle reading from Acts we read, straight away, that the Samaritans had accepted the word of God.  Historically, the Samaritans and the Jews had been at logger-heads – distrusting each other. Just like many divided communities today, they had each built up over many generations a hatred for each other.  In very simple terms, it arose because of fundamental religious differences – like so many conflicts we see in the world now.  Samaritans believed that their form of worship was the “true Jewish religion” because Samaritans had remained in the land of Israel during the period of the Babylonian Exile whereas those who went into exile and returned had had their religion tainted by leaving the Holy Land. It is true to say, therefore, that both Jew and Samaritan believed in God but not necessarily where the Word came from.  Now we read that following on from Jesus’s ministry they truly believed the same as those early Christians.  Christianity as a global phenomenon was being established.

This is why the words of John are so important. Up until the time Jesus began his ministry – which was on the day that he was baptised by John, those who wished to accept the New Testament of God acknowledged and accepted this by being baptised in the Jordan – baptism of water.  A symbolic act to wash away the old life and begin the new – what John called “metanoia” or repentance; an acceptance of the new way.  We do this today.  However, with Jesus would come the Holy Spirit to all who wanted it – “He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and Fire” – in other words not only will you be changed through the cleansing of your body as a symbol of washing away the old tainted ways, but you will also have something brand new bestowed upon you.

We read towards the end of the passage in Luke how this was revealed to the people. After Jesus had been through the ritualistic baptism with water, Heaven, we read, was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form like a dove.  You will all recall that it was also the dove which came back to Noah’s Ark with an olive branch in its beak to indicate that the cleansing of the world, by the Great Flood, was now over and a new world can begin; it is also the dove which for generations has been the symbol for peace and the messenger of peace throughout the world; a symbol of new beginnings and of understanding between all peoples.

With the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, he was able to share that spirit with all who came to him and sought and followed his ministry and, as we know following his death, resurrection and ascension, at Pentecost the Spirit descended upon all who sought it.  That is precisely where we find ourselves today.  The Wise Men came bearing gifts to the infant Jesus, Jesus himself, through his ministry, death and resurrection has bestowed the greatest gift of all, the Holy Spirit, free and unconditionally to all who seek it.  Actually, there is one condition, and that is that having received it you do not grieve it – that is do not renounce it or denigrate.

I believe the world is, today, hungrier for the Holy Spirit than at any other time.  Sometimes we get so caught up with our own little worlds that we forget that we all live in one greater world; but it is not all that great.  We are all living on a planet, a spaceship which is less than 8,000 miles in diameter in the vastness of a cold and hostile universe, billions and billions of light years across – if it has any boundaries.  It is the only home we have and really one which we can only ever have this side of the grave.  Jesus, we are told by John, came into the world to save the world not to condemn it.

We read this morning and we have just discussed how he brought with him that greatest of extra-terrestrial gifts – the Holy Spirit; that is the presence of God here on Earth. These last few words I have spoken remind me of the words of the 1930s and 1940s film comedian Will Hay – star of “Oh Mr Porter” – who, as William T. Hay, was an accomplished amateur astronomer – when he said “If we were all astronomers there would be no more wars”.

Similarly, a few years ago I watched the movie “Don’t Look Up” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Mark Rylance and Leo DiCaprio.  It is a little wacky but the essence of it is that in today’s modern age we spend a lot of time looking down at our devices and accepting what social media is saying, or not saying, and not enough time looking up and around us and discovering reality for ourselves. In the case of this film there is a large comet heading straight for Earth which will destroy the planet in six months’ time. The politicians and media people don’t seem to care, worrying more about mid-term elections and the love lives of celebrities.  In fact, social media and politicians start a campaign doubting the existence of the comet despite the scientists’ assurances.  Does that ring any bells? 

In fact since I watched that film in 2021, it seems that its relevance to what we see going on in 2025 is greater than ever!  I heard a lawyer remark, on the radio on Friday, with regard to the news stories surrounding our Prime Minister and the “grooming gangs” debacle, that people are listening and relying more and more on the “15 – minutes on social media experts”, rather than the true experts in the field who have been studying these cases over 15 years. In fact, the result of repeating lies and disinformation is leading to the re-traumatising of some of the historic victims.

Sometimes, I think that those of us who know the true nature of God’s love and compassion for Humankind are crying in the wilderness just like John, but cry we must otherwise we have no chance of being heard at all if we totally give in or give up.

I am reminded of a notice displayed at Auschwitz I Concentration camp in Poland written by Pastor Martin Niemoller which reads

“First they came for the Communists

 And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist

 Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew

 Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

John the Baptist spoke out and encouraged those around him to repent – metanoia; to look at things afresh. To wash away the old and tainted and to step out clean, refreshed and into a new world with Jesus Christ as our king and saviour. As true Christians we should honour the pledges he made on our behalf – to move forward with the aid of the Holy Spirit, never grieving it but upholding it, promoting it and its powers and making disciples of others.

God bless you all in your continued fellowship and ministry here in Farley over the next twelve months and may you too have the courage to speak out and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit here alongst us now..

 

Amen                                                                                           

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(An updated version of Sermon 168 delivered in 2022).

SERMON 210 - SUNDAY 8 JANUARY 2025 - EPIPHANY

 

Sermon delivered at All Saints’ Church, Whiteparish – Sunday 8 January 2025 – Epiphany Sunday

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

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

May I start this morning’s sermon by wishing you all a Very Happy New Year and I look forward to continuing to minister to you in this lovely church and parish for many years to come.  A very special place indeed for Liz and I, being where we got married just over eight years ago. How time races on!

As we enter this New Year let us continue to pray for peace and prosperity not only in our own community and country but throughout the world.  Jesus came into the world to bring light to a dark world and to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God and so, as we enter 2025 let us, as his Christian Family do all we can to make that dream a reality.

Last year, I took this same service with its same readings and chose to concentrate on the gospel passage describing the coming of the Magi – who are more commonly described as wise men, astrologers or even kings.  Last year we looked at where they might have come from, and what celestial object they might have actually observed in the night sky which led them to travel from, possibly, Babylon to Bethlehem.  I am still intrigued by what it was, comet, planetary conjunction or was it simply supernatural.  I am intending to put together an astronomical talk on the subject for a future occasion, but today, as we enter 2025, a year which I think will see some monumental global changes, I would like to concentrate on the passage of scripture from Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus which we heard read out this morning.

I think it would be helpful and interesting if I read out that passage again, but this time from Eugene Petersen’s paraphrased translation of the Bible known as “The Message”:

^1-3 This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you’re familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.

^4-6 As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.

^7-8 This is my life’s work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

^8-10 And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

^11-13 All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

The essence of Paul’s message is that he finds himself in prison for preaching a new message, one seeming to be at variance to ancient Hebrew teaching and he refers to those who have changed their theology into understanding and following Christ, as well as those who have not yet even heard of Jesus as “outsiders”. Paul is reminding his readers, and thereby through the study of the biblical scripture to us, that Christ came into the world for everyone, not just those who felt chosen by following the law, but very much those who appeared to be outsiders – the poor, the sinners, the sick and so on.  Those who seemed to be on the outside of society just as the early followers had been placed on the outside through their following Christ instead of simply following Hebrew law and tradition.

This is emphasised, I believe, by those who were given special notice of Christ’s coming into the world – the shepherds out in the fields – shepherds were especially despised and looked upon as the lowest of the low and the Magi who werer foreigners – outsiders pure and simple.

It always gives me such comfort that the light – Jesus – came for the poor and outcast of the world.  “The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” as John puts it at the beginning of his Gospel.  “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overwhelm it; but the darkness does not understand it”

This leads me to say, once again, something about how Paul’s words and the Epiphany story have such a great significance and relevance to us today – some 2,000 years later. Indeed, as we see global politics polarising more and more with the left wing and the right wing seeming to divide further and further apart, we see, through the influence of the media, social and public, people flocking to their own kind - a type of herding instinct often without discernment; something which I have mentioned before and which the journalist James O’Brien has termed “footballing” - taking the example of the tribal nature of football fans for the way in which we stick to our own group come what may.

Everywhere in the world today we see people “footballing” creating cultures of “them and us”.  To some extent that is human nature but is it the true nature of Christianity? Are we not better than that?

Daily I pray for discernment – to be able to see the light of True Christianity from the darkness of so many Fake Doctrines.  The birth of Jesus was meant to break the “Them and Us” culture by abolishing the word “Them” for ever, leaving only with a society of “Us”. 

He came for all – rich and poor, homegrown and foreigner.  We seem, today, to live in a deeply divided and ungodly world.  Once more a very dark world with war and conflict between nations as well as civil wars both over territory and culture/doctrine. Our Western culture seems to be dominated by selfishness and self-centredness. Instead of being in a state of self-awareness we seem to be living in a world of self-righteousness and blame with people using terms like “woke” in a derogatory manner to discredit often genuine concerns for people who are different from ourselves.  Very often people look to blame others because they cannot bring themselves to examine their own lives and sins.

So, in conclusion, in addition to prayer for the world and the darkness of war, conflict, famine, climate change and natural disasters is there an area of pain and darkness in your own life or the life of your family and friends or community?  How can you ask God to bring his light within it to shine away the fear which that darkness brings?  How will you seek out that light – be it bright or dim in your life just now? Finally, what will you do to bring God’s message, the Good News, to those who haven’t heard it or who have rejected it? How will you bring an outsider into the warmth of God’s love?

Let us pause for a moment and reflect upon this – PAUSE –

Let us pray

God of light, we thank you that you are present everywhere, even when we cannot see you. As the Wise Men saw the unusual light in night sky all those years ago and followed it to Jesus please shine your light into the difficult places of the world and our lives, and help us to listen and help those who are different from ourselves to know and love you.

Amen                                                                                  

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