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Trinity 11 – August 20th

Trinity 11 – August 20th 2023

Isaiah 56:1,6-8, Matthew 15:10-28

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Just before the beginning of our gospel today – Jesus had had a rather testy exchange with the Pharisees. They had come to him, and demanded to know why his disciples broke with the tradition of their elders, and did not wash their hands before they ate? What followed was a rather frosty conversation with Jesus answering with his own question, and then calling the Pharisees hypocrites! Quoting the prophet Isaiah saying This people honours me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.

Obviously with the Pharisees on his mind he talks to the crowd at the beginning of the  passage set for today – he said – ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ He was referring to the food eaten by the disciples without the ritual handwashing the Pharisees practiced, being what went in to the mouth. That did not cause the disciples to be defiled – which means to make impure or unclean (in the Pharisees eyes) – but the kind of things they said – where heart and life style didn’t match up – which was alluding to the attitude of the heart of the Pharisees who were more concerned with ritual and tradition than being loving!

What he goes on to say by way of explanation then to just his disciples is even more hard hitting for the Pharisees. First that every plant that has not been planted by God will be uprooted, and then a rather harsh reference to blindness – where if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a pit! I think underneath this is a reference to the teaching role of the Pharisees and them leading people into dead ends and ritual practices that are not connecting them well to the loving heart of God.

I find it quite pertinent that Jesus reserves his harshest criticism for those in leadership positions who are not leading faithfully to God, and leading people into ways that are not good for them. When leading becomes self-seeking and self-serving rather than pointing to the love God has for us. The Pharisees were respected and admired for their serious pursuit of their version of righteousness. Perhaps this is exactly why Jesus criticised them so harshly. The source of their perception and perspective was not God, but the ways they had devised and carried on for many generations. Where tradition had taken too much hold, they were blind guides of blind disciples (and the leading people astray was of particular concern to Jesus).

Where does this leave us. I think at the very least it means we need to think carefully about some of our ‘traditions’ and where these have got a bit out of control, or are pointing us away from the God of love we know. The Christian faith, as the Church of England has it, is based on understanding the Bible, tradition, reason and experience. Tradition can play a big part, but sometimes it is also getting in the way of progress and what God wants of us today. There is a strong ‘pull’ to do what we have always done, rather than to change. Some of that may be right, but sometimes we are blinkered by it too.

Right now we are in choppy waters as a Church. There are a selection of things going on in the life of our Church on which people do not agree. This is the way with a Church that has always been a broad church – not a narrow one – enabling people with differing views to sit together.

This Autumn, at a National level, the next steps in the ‘Living in love and faith’ process will involve the results of three work streams:

  • Firstly looking at the Prayers of Love and Faith to be used for same sex couples.
  • Secondly looking at the guidance to replace Issues on Human Sexuality which governs particularly the behaviour of clergy in same sex relationships.
  • And thirdly a group focused on Pastoral Reassurance, is considering questions around freedom of conscience, implications for clergy and laity, and transparency around using the Prayers of Love and Faith.

The intent is to create a “generous theological, church and pastoral space”, offering a pastoral welcome to same-sex couples while not altering the doctrine of marriage. The difficulties in all this are obvious!

Even closer to home, this autumn I am expecting the next phase of consultation on the proposals to reduce the number of clergy in our Deanery to be discussed by our PCCs. Over the past year we have had a series of rather frosty discussions about this at Deanery Synod – nobody really wants to have to reduce clergy, but the truth is we can only have the number of clergy we can actually afford. This will have an impact, and the current proposal sees the separate benefices of Wincanton and Pen Selwood, becoming one benefice with Wincanton, Pen Selwood, Cucklington and Stoke Trister, and Charlton Musgrove. This will take time to come to pass, and for the changes to begin to take place, and there is plenty of time to have our say. However having said that we do need to be careful in light of our Gospel today about what we say!  

As we approach both these big things in the life of the national church and the local church, we need to do so with what comes out of our mouths reflecting God’s love for us and the needs of the common good! What comes out of our hearts has to reflect what God wants of us and it is important that we do keep firm foundations as the going gets a bit more rocky! Eating with unwashed hands may be unwise but does not make us any less in God’s eyes of love for us. Where as what we say…….. Enough said – lets share God’s love first and foremost!

End with some silence and a prayer. Jesus Christ, barrier-breaker, lead us from our comfort zones. We want to surround ourselves with like-minded people; help us to be open to those who are different. Jesus Christ, risk-taker, free us from our fear of all that is strange. We are afraid of what we don’t know and understand; help us to see the inclusiveness in your plan. Jesus Christ, hope-giver, show us how to be like you. We don’t willingly embrace change, or always welcome the stranger; Help us to open our hearts and minds, so that your kingdom may grow. Amen.

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (1989 © 1995).

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/14-july/news/uk/general-synod-digest-update-on-same-sex-blessings-underwhelms-members

Prayer from Rootsontheweb.com © Reproduced with permission.

Trinity 10 – 13th August 2023

Trinity 10 – August 13th 2023

1 Kings 19:9-18, Matthew 14:22-33

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I want to start by settling where we are in Elijah’s story from our first reading. Elijah lived when there was one of the worst ever of kings in Israel – what was his name – That was King Ahab. And his wife was? Jezebel

Out of nowhere, but with the strength of God on side, Elijah had popped up and said to Ahab as God had spoken to him – In the name of the living God it was not going to rain for 2 or 3 years or at least until I say so. This was a dangerous thing to do and even more dangerous thing to say. Elijah managed to get away as God had guided him and he rested by a stream far away.

There God had guided one of his creatures to feed Elijah. What was it? Anyone know? It was the ravens. Here Elijah inspires us to be bold and courageous – even when the going is particularly scary. Three amazing things happened in the wake of this part of the story

  • First – there was no rain.
  • Second – God provided a widow and her son to look after Elijah along with flour and oil (enough for Elijah, the widow and her son to have bread).
  • Third – A death to life moment where Elijah saved the widow’s son.

Next Elijah had a huge victory over the prophets of Baal (really against the odds!). This is well worth reading earlier in 1 Kings! The result of this was the people turned back – The Lord is God. They vowed not to be wibbly wobbly anymore and standing firm in the love of God. The prophets of Baal came to a nasty end  and Elijah again managed to get away. But Queen Jezebel had promised Revenge – ha ha ha ha……

And now we getting closer to where today’s story started. Elijah and his servant fled from Samaria (which was back in his home land). They managed to get away again from the clutches of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel but were running scared…. This time they went over the border in to Judah and on and on and on to Beersheba. Only then did they stop running, Elijah left his servant in Beersheba and Elijah walked and he walked for a whole day – Before he sat down under a tree and told God exactly how bad he was feeling in prayer. Despite all that fabulous stuff with the fire, water and the prophets of Baal – Elijah is in the depths… It’s too much – take away my life lord, I might as well be dead – he says. Elijah is very sad but he tells God how it is for him and how he feels honestly. But this kind of prayer – is a special kind called a lament. When we lament, we are having a tough time – and we tell God all about it and how we feel. God answers this kind of prayer (but it needs us to be honest!). The answer is not necessarily what we may have thought would be best – but it will be answered. Lament is a path to transformation and wholeness – psalms are full of them.

This is how God answered Elijah’s prayer of lament – Elijah fell asleep. An angel came – placed bread and water at Elijah’s head and then woke him up. Elijah sat up ate some bread and drank some water, but then he lay down again and went back to sleep. Now the angel was having none of this, and returned and woke him a second time. This time Elijah got up, ate some more bread and some more water. In an amazing answer to prayer the bread and the water – was enough to give him the strength to walk for 40 days to Mount Horeb. Why 40 days? Well can’t we hear the echoes of other times. Looking back to the 40 years in the desert of the Israelites and looking forward to 40 days in the wilderness of Jesus.

When he eventually got to the top of Mount Horeb, another name for Mount Sinai – that’s where we encounter him today. Elijah went into a cave to rest and spend the night. This time it wasn’t a raven or an angel that woke him up but the word of the Lord that woke him up and said what  are you doing here? This time Elijah shared his concerns about the Israelites. I have always served you, God, but the people of Israel have killed your prophets and worshipped other Gods and now they are trying to kill me….

(Elijah is not seeing very clearly now here as we don’t when we are in the depths! – People had turned back after last week’s events BUT Elijah hadn’t stuck around to find out that as he was too frightened (and in particular frightened of Jezebel!). God instructed Elijah to go and stand on the top of the mountain, but before he had time to do that he had many experiences of the wonders of our natural world. Wild wind that split the hills  and shattered the rocks. Then there was an earthquake and then there was a fire. All these things moved Elijah but God was not in them. Then there was a soft whisper – which was God’s voice and Elijah covered his face with his cloak.

And a voice said  – again What are you doing here? And Elijah again shared his concerns about the Israelites. I have always served you, God but the people of Israel have killed your prophets and worshipped other Gods and now they are trying to kill me….

Then God spoke clearly to Elijah and gave him a clear plan. He promised him someone to help him and succeed him as prophet. Elijah was to return to Damascus – Anoint Hazael king of Syria, and Jehu king of Israel who would deal with most of the problems. He also appointed Elisha as his successor as a prophet who would do the rest. God reassured him that he was not alone (and put right his perspective). There are 7000 Israelites who had stayed faithful God said. And the story continues from there as God has set out – Which maybe we will hear on another day!

So Elijah had yet another set of answers to prayer. All sorts of answers in this story! This time following an amazing experience of the power of God under the tree and on the mountain – e is given another set of things he needed – not least someone to help him. This came from Elijah being open and honest with God about how he was feeling and lamenting. Then God transformed the situation and helped him regain the perspective of the situation he had lost whilst in the depths…. This is particularly easy when life is a bit of a rollercoaster like Elijah’s!

We would do well on occasion to pray as lament too and then allow our helper – the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out. And to regain any necessary perspective we may have lost (it is a human thing to lose perspective like this!). We have experiences of God through the power of the Spirit, which sometimes knock us off our feet (not always literally like Elijah). But are the stuff of the Spirit which guides us too through the difficult things that challenge us day by day. How Elijah felt in the depths (and in the despair of being threatened by Jezebel) – God’s Holy Spirit is in us, we just need to open our hearts. God’s Holy Spirit will strengthen us and guide us. We need to be open to this strengthening and guiding and God’s Holy Spirit will flow through us to those we meet. Helping us to be compassionate, caring, welcoming and loving as God intends us to be…

We say this regularly in our services (and we will later in this one!)

The lord is here – His spirit is with us

Let’s do that again

The Lord is here – His spirit is with us

As it was for Elijah the presence of God with us is amazing – let’s rejoice and give thanks for that today (and not forget the way the Spirit can move if we need a good lament too or need help to regain our perspective). Amen

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (1989 © 1995).

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Transfiguration – 6th August 2023

Transfiguration – 6th August 2023

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 and Luke 9:28-36

In the name of the living God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, Amen.

The book of Daniel is an interesting read – there is the story of Daniel during the exile and the challenges he faced, including the writing on the wall, the lion’s den and the fiery furnace, and then a sequence of dreams and visions – which is where our Old Testament reading came from today. As a book there are lots of theories about it’s origin and dates. It is about a passage of time which happened significantly before it was written, and contains apocalyptic stuff – which is a way of writing we don’t often indulge in (foretelling the future and picture language with lots of hidden meanings that the people would have understood differently at the time). In all of this we can’t be very certain about all the meanings but some of the editing may well be in the same time frame as some of the books of the New Testament. Frankly Biblical scholars disagree about this!!

Our extract was part of one of Daniel’s dream visions. The bit we got is a judgement scene – including one seated on the divine throne (which we interpret as God the Father and creator) and the appearing of a second heavenly figure (which we interpret as God the Son, the redeemer – Jesus Christ, given an everlasting dominion over the earth and his people.  (This vision has parallels with other visions in Ezekiel and Revelation). The original language is very poetic in nature, with metaphors and similes and linking in to other ancient traditions. All and all it is complicated, has many layers to it.

It is rather graphic too in what Daniel dreamed! I just want to pull out a couple of aspects of the vision Daniel had of God. The first of these are that he was surrounded by fire, his throne was fiery flames and its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence.

Fire, rather naively, can be seen as entirely positive, to provide us with light, protection and guidance. But a wider view of fire is that it is something transcendent, absolute, and dangerous, mysterious and destructive. The difference between a flickering candle flame and the recent wild fires on Rhodes. God’s appearing is often described as from a violent storm, whose lightening flashes fire of heaven (Exodus and Deuteronomy) or within the brightness of the sun in Ezekiel. The presence of all this fire points to the otherness of God, which is beyond us. It gives us a sense of terrifying power – omnipotence, all powerful and almighty – which is not an inappropriate way to understand the wonder of God.

The second thought is about describing God’s clothing as white like snow and the link to our Gospel reading when Jesus became dazzling white too on the mount of transfiguration with Peter and James and John looking on.

This is a definite pointer to the fully human and fully divine side of Jesus – showing his divinity in a new way. A way we can’t really explain or rationalise. I am sure for Peter, James and John this was a ‘you had to be there’ moment. These are times that we simply cannot adequately describe to someone else (often trying to describe something that you found hilariously funny at the time but afterwards it is hard to explain why).

Peter has the misfortune of babbling in the face of such wonder when Moses and Elijah also appeared to complete the scene. We understand this because sometimes we don’t have the words either to really capture what is unfolding before us and the wonder of God with us. For some accepting this mysterious and wondrous side of God is particularly challenging as it defies logic and scientific scrutiny. I think we really limit ourselves if we limit our thinking to entirely what can be proved (and I do have a scientific background too!).

There are moments when we have to understand things beyond our linear reason – like where the part of the vision of Daniel we got today ends. That to Jesus was given dominion, and ever lasting dominion, that shall not pass away.

We may not this side of heaven’s divide understand exactly how all of that works or fits together, but at many levels we don’t need to understand it, we need to live informed by it and the wonder of an all powerful God who loved us so much that he send Jesus to save us in the way that God did.

I want to end with a story which challenges us to understand how God is with us, sometimes dazzling us as happened in Daniel’s vision or to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration and beyond us.  

Dr. Paul Pearsall and his wife were attending a meeting in Rome, Italy. Their first stop was a tour of Vatican City. Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel had just been renovated. Dr. Pearsall and his wife waited for hours in line for a glimpse of this remarkable feat. At a distance the paintings did not look all that impressive. People chattered and joked about a paint-by-number replica of Michelangelo’s work for their own ceilings. When they drew closer, however, they were overwhelmed. The paintings seemed to engulf them. Everyone became quiet. Necks ached with the effort to keep looking up. Now they were seeing the paintings as Michelangelo intended for them to be seen. The impact was unforgettable.

Then Dr. Pearsall noticed a fly crawling across the paintings. He thought, ‘What a shame. That fly is right up there where I would love to be. He’s right on top of it… but he just can’t see it.’ Then Dr. Pearsall remembered reading the words of philosopher William Irwin Thompson:

‘We are like flies crawling across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We cannot see what angels and gods lie underneath the threshold of our perceptions… ‘

Amen

(‘Flies on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel’, in Paul Pearsall, Making Miracles, Simon & Schuster, 1992, ISBN 0130893501). Story reproduced from rootsontheweb.com © with permission and other material, The revised standard version of the Bible (1989, 1995 ©) – The word Biblical Commentary on the book of Daniel.

Lammas – 30th July 2023 – Penny Ashton

Lammas

Today we have come together to celebrate Lammas.  Lammas is derived from a Celtic celebration rather in the same way as the dates and focuses of many of our Christian celebrations are.  The Celtic name for Lammas is pronounced Loo Nassah, and our name for it comes from the Saxon for Loaf Mass.  Alison has given more detail about this in this week’s newsletter.  It was traditional to celebrate harvest of first grains and make a loaf from them to put on the church altar, and Alison has also been good enough to bake us a Lammas loaf which we have on our altar today to remind of God’s goodness in provision of another harvest.

Lammas is one of the ‘in-between’ festivals.  The four main points of the year being the two solstices and the two equinoxes.  In between them come Candlemas when we celebrate the returning light, Rogation when we ask God’s blessing on the growing crops, Lammas which is the beginning of harvest and Hallowe’en at the end of harvest and beginning of winter and the returning dark.  Lammas also came at the end of what might have been for many a lean time, as few staple food crops can be harvested any earlier in the year, and last year’s stores may have been used up some time ago.  Co-incidentally for us, these festivals often fall on or near 5th Sundays when we meet to worship together.

As it is mentioned in both our bible readings, I had hoped to be able to tell you today all about manna, but it has not been easy to find a good definition.  The favourite seems to be  the sap of Tamarisk tree although there are several other varieties of manna, which include honeydew from the larva of certain insects presumably similar to aphids.  It forms at night and dries in flakes on ground in dry desert regions and I learned from the New York Times that some chefs still cook with it.  Apparently it has an interesting flavour which different people perceive differently – to one it may appear lemony, to another minty.  I also read that it looks a bit like Grape Nuts, if you are old enough to remember them, mixed with aquarium sand!  It is also possible to buy a nougat-like sweet made with manna in Iraq but my guess is that it would be expensive.

In our reading from Exodus it is easy to see that the Israelites are not happy.  Despite the facts that they had seen plagues in Egypt and the Passover, had seen Red Sea parted for crossing and coming back to stop Pharoah, that at their first oasis stop, which they called Mara (bitter) they had complained that water tasted bitter until God showed  Moses a piece of  wood which would sweeten it and at their second oasis camp at Elim they had found 12 springs and 70 palm trees.  I now understand why some chapels and a church denomination have taken that name as it was obviously a place of plenty.  However, it is easy for all of us to forget the good things that have happened when times get hard again, and they were now complaining – this time of starvation and once again, God provides for their needs.

From our gospel reading it seems that grumbling could have been a national characteristic.  This crowd had seen Jesus performing miracles of healing, and so had followed him around the lake.  Here they had seen the generosity of God shown with 5000 men – not counting women and children – fed a meal of bread and fish with baskets full left over.  It is possible that they were now following in the hope of more free food.   It could be that the crowd contained quite a few casual or itinerant workers who had little or no security of income or food which would account for them being able to follow Jesus for days at a time.

As soon as they catch up with Jesus, he sees through them, and challenges them with the thought that they were probably more interested in free food than in more teaching.  He reminds them that they should be more interested in their spiritual welfare – food that endures for eternal life, and this gives rise to the question at the beginning of our gospel reading – ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’  Jesus reply is quite clear – they should believe in him as he was sent by God.  This raises another challenge from the crowd, that despite all that they have seen Jesus do, they want him to prove it again, and ask for a sign – (In John’s gospel the word ‘sign’ often refers to a miracle) – as they want Jesus to feed them again, as Moses fed their ancestors in the desert.  This brings Jesus to his main point – he is the one sent by God, and he is the way in which our spirits will be fed.  This chapter of John’s gospel is a long one and details the debate that follows this claim made by Jesus, but at the end it says many stop following him at this point as his teaching was too hard.

In the news this week we have heard a great deal about how our climate is changing -and now doing so alarmingly rapidly.  We can no longer escape the fact that all the signs point to the uncomfortable truth that the changes that are happening are the result of human activity, and it is only by changing the way we live that we can hope to return our climate eventually to one that is easier to live in.  We must accept the hard truth that currently those who are suffering the most from climate change are largely those who have done the least to cause it.  I cannot be the only person who sees an irony in people taking flights to the Mediterranean only to be unable to leave their hotel rooms because of the extreme heat.  We have been the fortunate ones this year as the path of the jet stream has given us the sort of summer weather that we love to complain about.  Much of the damage has been brought about by over consumption in the wealthier nations.  We would do well to return to the teaching of Jesus and learn to rely on God to supply our needs as he has promised.  It may not be everything we want – the crowd that followed him discovered that, but it will be all that we need, with hopefully enough left over to help supply the needs of those who are currently doing without.

Lammas is when we give thanks to God for his goodness in providing the promise of a harvest, and to remember where the true bread comes from.  It is also – with the beginning of harvest, a reminder that summer is beginning to come to an end.  If this is a thought that disturbs you, it is worth looking again at the end of the story of the flood when God promises that not only will he never again destroy the earth by flooding, but also that ‘As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease’ (Genesis 8:22).  Summer will come again – God has promised it!

Trinity 7 23rd July

Trinity 7

Isaiah 44:6-8, Matthew 13.24-30,36-43 –  In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Several years ago, I heard a great story about a small child learning the lord’s prayer from an African Bishop. It went like this – the mother of a small child approached her Vicar to discuss an issue she had with little Jonny. Little Jonny had been learning the Lord’s prayer. By in large he was now saying it and praying it pretty well. But the mother was concerned and shared her dilemma as to whether God would understand that little Jonny was adamant (and would not change his understanding of one of the phrases) as only a three year old can, where he was saying – lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from eagles. Frankly I can understand little Jonny’s preference for eagles over evil. I have enjoyed eagle spotting on Mull and the Outer Hebrides in the past (see above!). Also eagles are much more tangible and easy to understand for all of us than evil is!

Evil is such a harsh word – very dominating and dark. And I wonder how many times we have reflected on what that phrase – Deliver us from evil actually means when we say it day by day and week by week. One of the hardest things when explaining the Baptism Service to the parents and godparents is also the question and response – Do you renounce evil? – I renounce evil. And I for one, usually hedge my bets a bit with an explanation akin to us wanting good and wholesome things for their child which is a bit of a cop out!

Both renouncing evil and being delivered from evil, suggest evil is around us day by day. Something we need to choose to turn away from and something we may need rescuing from or guiding away from. Our gospel reading also used evil in a day to day sense – counting the weeds as the children of the evil one and pointing out the ramifications of choosing the dark side rather than the light

Evil is pretty difficult to define – Evil is a broad term used to indicate a negative moral or ethical judgment, often used to describe intentional acts that are cruel, unjust, or selfish. Evil is usually contrasted with good, which describes intentional acts that are kind, just, or unselfish. Talking about evil and discerning good from evil as I am going to attempt this morning/evening – is actually pretty hazardous and here are a few of the reasons why:

  • Firstly: discerning good from evil isn’t always easy. Even for those of us who have been making this sort of judgement for years. In some cases it is very straightforward. However in others one person’s good may be another person’s evil. We are also probably better at discerning good from not so good – as saying something is evil is pretty hard
  •  A second hazardous point about discerning good from evil is that we have to make these judgements for ourselves and be capable of making these judgements for ourselves. Societies do not work well where one person is the arbitor of this power and others are unable to make free choices for themselves, or when leaders say one thing and do another. Likewise society doesn’t work well where there is no consensus on meeting the common good for all and everyone is out for themselves and dishonest to get their own way. We are reaping the downsides of both of these in our society today.
  • Whilst I am talking about society – there is another common theme about our young people – I want to explore. This is that we are not doing a particularly good job of teaching our young people the differences between right and wrong, between good and evil. This is very difficult because positive influences and values – making good judgements is clearly written into our current education system. What is happening is that this teaching is being over-ridden by the negative life experiences children have in their lives. If their experience of life does not match up with the values they are taught, it is not surprising that youngsters struggle to make judgements of this sort.
  • Another troublesome area in this murky ground of good from evil is in how to express ourselves. Stating that something or someone is evil (in our judgement) is not a good starting point for discussion. This is one of the reasons the Anglican Communion (and the Church of England in particular) is in such difficulty over all the gender and sexuality stuff. Whatever the rights and wrongs are of the debate – I am not going there! Condemnation is not a good starting point – however well-intentioned it is. That leaves the condemned feeling they will not be listened to even if they tried to express themselves. We are proud of our system of justice for this very reason, where we are viewed as innocent until we are proved guilty. Rather than being viewed as guilty before we are proved innocent.
  • The final complication I want to touch on in good/evil debate. I am sorry if I am making this whole question of good and evil more difficult this morning/evening. Is the reality that we are called to love our neighbour (and not to condemn them!). Obviously, the Christian life involves some self-discipline using judgements for ourselves about ourselves and about our own choices and life experiences is fair enough. This is the basis of seeking God’s forgiveness for the things we do wrong. It’s a healthy and wholesome thing to do and it should be between us and God. Sometimes a third party – trusted friend, soul friend can be helpful in getting us back on track. However we need to be very wary, and very, very discerning over the temptations of using our powers of judgement on others. Frankly judging others is not going to get us very far in introducing our God of love and in loving people into the kingdom. Someone shouting on the street corner – that we are all sinners or someone naming our sins to us is pretty uncomfortable. Pointing out the depths of wickedness is not going to encourage people into our church. We have I hope earnestly got beyond burning heretics at the stake. Throwing the first of many stones. Sometimes when we do this, we are just as guilty or even more guilty of whatever it is that has got us stirred up!

Jesus didn’t behave like this with people, he started by building up relationships with people – the marginalised and the lowest of the low. Those who would have been branded as evil in his day. He respected them and cherished them as individuals – he didn’t condone their previous actions or collude with them. He welcomed them, accepted them and loved them and we should model our general behaviour on his example. And remember we want people to experience the love of God through our words, actions and attitudes, and not our fallibilities and human limitations

Being loving is definitely the choice for most circumstances, but there are just a few occasions when we may need to go further in helping others in their discernment of good and evil. And this is in the tricky area of those with whom we have close relationship. When we are faced with the dilemma of such a person, making choices we know deep within are not good for them. We too need to follow Jesus’ path by not condoning or colluding, but loving them despite themselves and praying for them. And being there I suspect to help pick up the pieces. Just as they would help us when we are the ones making the dubious choices. My view is that this should be the exceptional case and not the rule. Based on the truth that we are not always right about everything, and this kind of action should be based on prayer for that person and there be a sense of God’s presence in our heart for them. Love needs to be the basis of our actions and not our own purposes and desires.

This has been something of a marathon contemplation on discerning good from evil ranging from the difficulties we have with this word evil through to the need for all to be able to make judgements in society. From making discernments for ourselves as part of our spiritual discipline through to the challenge of our close relationships. Overarching all of this is Jesus example of love and acceptance – the model we should be following. I end with a short silence to ponder and then a prayer

Let us pray Silence Loving God, may we look more keenly, listen more quietly, speak more gently. May we love with integrity both ourselves and those around us and may we love from your heart for all people and all creation. Amen          Some material is copyright Church House Publishing 2000-2023, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible ©1989/1995

Trinity 6 – 16th July 2023

6th Sunday after Trinity – 16th July 2023

Isaiah 55:10-13, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen

When I was in my church youth group, I played a part in a sketch of the parable we have just heard from Jesus – the parable of the sower. This is the first of many parables in Matthew’s gospel. If I was to ask us to list parables, I am sure this one would come out almost immediately!

Do we want to know what part I had in the sketch – I was second seed! This meant I was crouched down in the middle of two other girls. For each of the times, as someone told the story, the seed was sown on the different grounds, the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on the good soil, we three seeds tried to grow. Other members of the youth group played the birds and the thorns etc and of course, we only successfully grew when we were sown on the good soil. There was a lot of crouching down I remember and growing (and I wished I was one of the birds which would have been easier!). I also thought that the person playing thorn 2 was a bit over enthusiastic about choking me!

After the sketch – this was the first time I can remember where I know I tried to explain a Bible passage to people. Not quite sure why I got the job at the end of the sketch. But I then had to explain what the point was we were trying to make. I have no idea what the 17 year old me said – but it was a bit of a portent of things to come perhaps!

Any way let’s dwell a little on 3 themes that emerge from this story for application to our lives today.

The first theme is about growing – there is a lot of growing for us to do – even you might say lifelong growing! As there is always something that we can learn about how much God loves us, and how to be an effective Christian modelling the lifestyle of Jesus Christ. I don’t think we should ever stop growing in faith, and there isn’t a box to tick that says I’ve learnt everything I am going to learn about our faith. I recognise there is learning and growing we need for each and every day, and it is one of the reasons why daily engagement with Bible reading and prayer is so important. It definitely provides food for the journey and often very appropriate food just when we need it.

The second theme I want to dwell on is that we have a God who will always dust us down and let us start again, if we make a wrong turn:–

  • if we act like seeds growing on the path and get caught up in the works of the evil one,
  • or if we act like seeds that have no roots and fall away when troubles come as sown on the rocky ground,
  • or even if we get caught up in the lure of stuff in the world, and loose sight of what is important like the seed choked by the thorns.

God’s forgiveness and mercy is vastly beyond our understanding and wider than any ocean – and we must never doubt that God will forgive us when we recognise our mistakes and turn back to him.

The third theme (and I must say this was given to me by Penny at our supervision on Friday!). She had read somewhere about us reflecting on the generosity of God through this story. When it comes to sowing seeds  I usually concentrate on making the soil the best it can be and I don’t waste seeds in places where they are unlikely to grow like on the path or amongst the rocks and thorns. Typical of Jesus’ stories and miracles, there is a lot of seed being thrown about here and this is another example of overwhelming generosity inherent in God’s love. It can go along with the generosity at the wedding banquet when Jesus made a huge quantity of wine (far more than was needed) and my favourite visual aide memoire – the equivalent of six wheelie bins. Or the generosity at the feeding events (for four and five thousand men, let alone the women and children present who weren’t counted) where everyone ate their fill and there were baskets and baskets left over.

Generosity is an important quality in us and our lives. The question have I been generous in my response is a good tester question for guiding us, because Jesus was pretty much generous to a fault!

I am going to finish by giving you the explanation of this parable again from the Message remembering our need to grow all the time, God’s forgiveness and our need to respond generously!

 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

“The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

Amen. 

References: The Message – Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible 1989, 1995 ©

Trinity 5 – July 9th 2023

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit Amen

The final part of our Gospel reading today has some deeply reassuring words of Jesus – so typical of his love for us. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is contrasting his way of living on earth, lightly, lovingly, with integrity and open-heartedness to the guidance of God’s spirit with the minutiae of rules and regulations of the Pharisees. (Pharisees lived based on 613 rules (just remembering all of them is mind boggling!). Though it may sound like it a little – I don’t think this is Jesus saying follow me and have an easy life. He is saying follow me and have a fulfilled life in him. Being a Christian is challenging and far from an easy option, but depending on Jesus will give us both life and rest we need to follow his unique plan for us. The version of these words from The Message (an American modern language version of the Bible) makes this clearer I think

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. (I think this means meaning and purpose and hope etc). Jesus goes on I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

I particularly like in that – learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Grace is a RHYTHM that is governed by God and does not change. We can do nothing to earn it, and is not about our worthiness of it. From Jesus’ fullness of life, his coming to earth, dying and rising again. Fully God and fully human –  we have all received grace upon grace. There is a constant movement or waves of this grace in our hearts and lives.

I like the analogy of the waves on the shore for grace. One wave comes in as another is going out. The ebbing and flowing of the waves of grace leads to deep transformational change that shifts our observations of reality. Those shifts change our perceptions, our interpretations, our thoughts, feelings, judgments, and actions, helping us to live, grow and depend on God’s love for us more and more. Amen.

References: The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1989, 1995 ©, The Message Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson, Photo of waves at Freshwater West taken by Alison in June 2023

St Peter and St Paul – 2nd July 2023

Zechariah 4:1-6a, 10b-14 and Matthew 16:13-19

In the name of the Living God, creator Father, risen Son and ever-present Holy Spirit. Amen.

In our gospel reading today, we are at a bit of a turning point. Jesus has taken his disciples to Caeserea, Philippi for a bit of rest and respite from their itinerant life style. They had just had an encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees who were determined to test Jesus, and in six days time Jesus would be transfigured on a high mountain, and glow dazzling white.  Caeserea Philippi is a beautiful area in the foothills of Mount Hermon. It gave Jesus some quality time with his disciples and to work on their understanding of who he was and what he was here to do.

Like many good teachers, he is using questions to help the disciples to work things out for themselves. We are much more use to someone if we help them to really understand for themselves something rather than just telling them it. This is the basis of most modern day coaching, where questions are used primarily to help someone to think things through thoroughly. Jesus begins by asking ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’. And what follows is an interesting selection of names – John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah, which the disciples report that other people had said about Jesus.

We come to the knub of this story next, as using another question Jesus asks them ‘But who do you say that I am?’ From the account it feels that Peter has no hesitation in saying that Jesus is the Messiah! This was a very radical thing to voice, and recognition in Peter’s heart that Jesus was God’s son (even though how Jesus was behaving was not the rampaging expectations of the Messiah to overthrow the Romans by force!). I wonder if this was an instinctive answer, one that came out of Peter’s mouth before he thought of the significance of what he was saying or one of those light bulb moments we have all experienced when he suddenly realised something (and it was out of his mouth as quickly as it had entered his head).

Jesus pounces on this, and says God had revealed to him – and we recognise the sensation as we are likely to have had moments like this ourselves – when we have sudden revelations that can only be from God about things or circumstances around us. Jesus rewarded his faithful response with not just saying Peter would be the rock on which the church was built but also that he would have the keys to the kingdom of heaven – hence Peter often being depicted in church art and stained glass with keys .

Does the entry of the kingdom of heaven need a key or keys to open it? What does this mean? I think the keys are simply to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Also we need to live recognising that Jesus died and rose again for us, and that he has left the Holy Spirit with us to guide us. Each of us is different from one another and bring different gifts and talents to the party. God can choose the most unlikely people (like Peter) to take things forward. An uneducated fisherman would not be many people’s first choice of the person to start the church! This means of course that God can use us, no matter how unlikely that may feel to us – through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us too.

So that’s a little about St Peter, let’s look at our other unlikely candidate for growing the church – St Paul. In our art work (and in many depictions of St Paul in churches) – he is often depicted with a sword. The first reason for this – often Saints are shown with how they died (we think Paul was beheaded with a sword) – but I think this is also more about some of the things St Paul wrote. There is a famous passage about the  full armour of God in the letter to the Ephesians (in chapter 6). There Paul writes of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

There is another famous passage about what can separate us from the love of God in Romans which Paul wrote. He is describing  how nothing can separate us from the love of God and he is right – nothing can!  Paul says –  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Though Paul was probably a more likely leader than Peter ever was, he had a track record of persecuting Christians before he converted – so again a pretty unlikely choice by God. In his early days, he struggled to throw off his previous reputation and actions, but he persevered. We owe a huge debt to Paul, as his writings and actions shaped how the early church grew (and many scholars think it would probably have fizzled out without him). Like many of us, I am not sure Paul would have been the easiest to be around – and he was very determined to do what God wants of him. We have to admire that and see how we can follow his example.

The truth is that God can work in us – with our co-operation by his Spirit so we can do the very thing God wants of us whatever our circumstances! No matter how unlikely it seems to be to us. That is a big thought to leave us with!

After a silence – I am going to end with a prayer reflecting on keys and swords and opening our hearts to God’s love and purpose for us, inspired by Peter and Paul.

We thank you, Jesus, for you call us friends. You trust us as you trusted Peter, you know us through and through, yet go on loving and accepting us in our human weakness. Give us the keys of the kingdom of heaven that we might have life in all its fullness!

We thank you, Holy Spirit, for you draw us to the living God, Like St Paul, one who recognised in Jesus’ life and death for all, Help us to live so God’s love and purpose can help strengthen the kingdom of God in this place and everywhere we go. Give us the sword of the spirit – that we might have life in all its fullness! Amen.

References: The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible 1989, © 1995, Prayer adapted from material on rootsontheweb.com – used with permission © 

Trinity 3 – 25th June 2023 – Penny Ashton

Trinity 3 – 25th June 2023 – Penny Ashton

Normally when we prepare a sermon, we look for words of encouragement.  Our hope is that people will go away having learned something, or been reminded of something they had forgotten, and will have been given a reason to work harder at their faith and come to know God better through that.

The readings that we have heard today don’t give me a great deal of scope for bringing you words of encouragement however.  I do wonder if the reason we tend to prefer to read from Isaiah rather than Jeremiah despite the fact that counting by chapters and including with Jeremiah the book of Lamentations – another one we tend to avoid – their written output is almost exactly the same.  We also believe that the book of Isaiah was written by more than one person, whereas Jeremiah’s appears to be all his own work.  Jeremiah was called to be a prophet for God as a young man, during the reign of Josiah, the last of the godly kings of Judah, and continued to prophesy through the reigns of several kings, many of whom treated him very badly. 

The political situation at the time was one of power struggle between the great nations of the time, and as we know, the people of Israel and Judah were eventually carried into exile as captives by the Assyrians led by Nebuchadnezzar.  It is the warnings that this is to happen that takes up much of the prophecy of Jeremiah, which is why much of what he wrote is depressing to read, and why he was unpopular with most of the kings.  Until quite recently it was quite common to hear of someone who seldom had anything cheerful to say being referred to as a bit of a Jeremiah.  There is a story that on one occasion as his prophecy was being read to king Jehoiakim, the king periodically took a knife and cut off the portion of the scroll as it had been read and threw it into the fire until the whole scroll had been destroyed.  Jeremiah, we read went home and dictated it all again to his scribe, adding many more words this time!

Lament seems to be an emotion that we avoid nowadays, but I wonder if we are wise to do so.  I have noticed when watching the news of recent disasters – particularly the earthquake in Turkey and Syria – that the people there do not attempt to hide their grief when the discovery of a body in the wreckage of their home takes place.  It is customary in this country to hide our grief, and to do our weeping in private – often apologising if we find ourselves shedding a tear in public, but are we right to do this?  We don’t feel the need to apologize when we have shown our joy in good news, or our laughter when amused, so why are we ashamed of our tears?  It seems that displays of grief have only become acceptable at times of national mourning such as the death of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, but not when we lose someone we knew and loved. 

There is much that is wrong with our world at the moment.  There can be very few people left who still deny that climate change is a reality, who say that our seas are not still being poisoned with plastic or that many plant and animal species are in grave danger of extinction.  These are all things that have largely come about in our lifetimes, and while we can claim with some accuracy that we were initially ignorant of the damage that we were causing, we cannot make that claim any more.  Neither, sadly, can we expect that the situation will be put right by the action of governments and big businesses.  They have a part to play, but they are largely driven by the choices we make. 

Manufacturers will soon get the message and stop over production when they realise that nobody is buying.  Governments set their spending priorities according to the votes cast and the letters and emails they receive.  What we do and say does make a difference, and the more we do and say it, the more of a difference we are likely to make.  We are not, and never have been too small to make a difference.

The message of Jeremiah that we heard today, is of the importance of speaking out God’s word when we hear it denounced.  Many of us, and I include myself, are afraid of looking stupid and being ridiculed by all those who hear us – whether friend or not – as was happening to Jeremiah but Jeremiah is aware that if he does not speak out the word that God has given him, he feels as if he will burst or it will burn him inside.  I wonder if we still feel that kind of compulsion.  In the last verses however, Jeremiah remembers that God, who he refers to as ‘a dread warrior’, has always delivered those in need from any who would do evil.

Jesus message in our gospel reading is not much more cheerful than Jeremiah’s.  He is sending the disciples out to spread his message and is warning them that it will not always be easy.  His message will divide people and not all will hear it willingly.  It is possible that it will split families, but the important thing to remember, both for the disciples and for us is that God will always be with us.  As Jesus says – every hair on our heads is numbered, and not even a sparrow dies without God being aware of it.  How much more will he support and protect us. 

As he promises the disciples –anyone who acknowledges him to others, he will acknowledge to his Father in heaven.  The important message from both our readings today is the need to have God at the centre of our lives and to speak his word whenever we feel it is right and needed.  If we can keep hold of these two things, God will be our deliverer, and Jesus will continue to remember us to his heavenly Father.  How much more could we ask for?

Trinity Sunday – 4th June


Isaiah 40.12-17,27-31, Matthew 28:16-20

In the name of God, Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen

Our prophetic first reading today, from Isaiah, took us to some of the majesty and difficulty of explaining who God is and what God can do. This was also something the early Christians had to grapple with at a significant event in our church history, which took place in the year 325. It was a gathering of anyone who was anyone in the early church, hosted by the Roman Emperor Constantine. At the council of Nicea a number of significant things were agreed in the Christian Faith – amongst them the basics of the Nicene Creed, which has been used ever since in worship and we will say it once again later this morning.

Anyway, this creed has enshrined our understanding of God as the Trinity. That is God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is a concept and doctrine that we celebrate and cherish today on Trinity Sunday. If you Just take a moment to take a cursory glance at the Nicene Creed on the next page in our service books,

that reveals the creed arranged in  three sections in accordance with the Trinity.

One starting We believe in one God, the next We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ and the last one starting We believe in the Holy Spirit.

It is not easy to try and distil the Christian faith like this, and particularly not easy when people disagreed about how things worked as they were back in the 3rd century. Human nature hasn’t changed very much. As different people, just as they do now hold strongly differing views! Trying to find a compromise that everyone can agree on – remains very difficult, but we are stronger if we work together.

Back in the 3rd century, they were doing this in part to combat the heresies or mistaken beliefs of their day – There were quite a few of these around by  this point,  which mostly sound like nasty diseases – Arianism, Monarchism and Manicheanism to name but three! Amongst other things, the Council of Nicea also decided what books should be in and out of the Bible. There is also some doubt on the role of the Roman Emperor Constantine in all of these events (and whether his motivations were genuine or self-seeking). A question that has been troubling historians and theologians for many years and that’s a question I shan’t attempt to grapple with today.

What I want to say of the Council of Nicea (and this is probably not something to be proud of) is this – that I find it really consoling that the council of Nicea – the great and the good of the early church had great difficulty in coming to agree how to describe God as Trinity and the relationships between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And in reality it was another 50 years before the Nicene creed reached the fullness of the version we use today. Trying to define God and describe the relationships between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is really pretty beyond us. God is incomprehensible, far beyond our understanding and greater by far than our imagining. We struggle because we are trying to define something we have neither the language or perspective to manage very well really. Ever since Christians including you and me have been finding it difficult to put God the Trinity into words. This makes me feel so very much better about this sermon!! And others I have preached on Trinity Sunday over the years.

The problem the early Christians had and we still have today is a bit like this. Three blind men met an elephant and tried to explain to each other what it was like. The first blind man felt over the leg of the elephant, and said to the others, ‘It is like a strong tree.’ But the second, holding the trunk, explained, ‘It is like an ever changing vine.’ Still the third blind man ran his hands across the large body and head of the elephant, and exclaimed, ‘No it is endless like a wide mountain’. Each experienced a different part of the same thing. Yet without a full understanding of the whole picture and combining each of their perceptions, the blind men were not going to be able to get an accurate understanding of what an elephant was, because an elephant has all of the three things they found –  The legs are like a strong tree, the trunk is like an ever changing vine and the main body and head like a wide mountain’.

We can see immediately that an elephant cannot be just the legs, or just the trunk or just the body and head. We can see immediately because we, of course, know what an elephant looks like!! If we apply this story to our understanding of the Trinity – we are in a sense all blind men and women  feeling our way into understanding God as Trinity. We can recognize the three separate strands that make up God as Trinity.

  • God The Father, maker of heaven and earth of all that is seen and unseen.
  • Jesus Christ only son of God eternally begotten from the Father.
  • The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.

Yet to have a fuller understanding we need to bring these parts together and not deal with them in isolation, and that is probably where the trouble really starts! As we don’t and can’t understand the full picture that is God the Trinity. It’s like doing a jigsaw without the picture (and anyone who has tried that will know just how challenging it is).

We understood the story of the blind men because we know what an elephant is. We are in much more trouble with God as Trinity, feeling our way as we don’t understand and perhaps in this life we will never fully understand. We cannot define God, because any definition limits God to what our human minds can hold. There is always more to feel, to find out, to experience and to share of God. This mystery is all part of the package that is the Christian journey. As I said in this week’s newsletter, it is only in St Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians that these 3 strands are drawn together with those familiar but pretty baffling words – 13The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

We say this phrase a lot as practicing Christians – but what do we mean by it.  Grace, love and communion are all difficult to define, pin down and be exact about. It doesn’t make it any easier if we use the word fellowship instead of communion either! The challenge we have as Christians is to look for ways of expressing our understanding of God. So we can share our good news, without being tempted to think we can really define God, because our definitions will fall short and underestimate what God can do in our lives and the lives of those around us. We need to sit comfortably and easily with this mystery, which with our society’s desire to know how things work is quite challenging.

The most appropriate response to the wonder and mystery of God as Trinity that we can make this morning is to come close to God in worship in awe and wonder. Worship requires our hearts and minds to be open to the movements of the Holy Spirit. Worship brings us to a place where we know God is God, and where we can be continually surprised with fresh understanding. And in worship we can come to the place, with our arms open and our hearts on fire with God’s love – we come to the place that the disciples came to in our gospel reading. Where we can respond to God’s call to us – To go and make disciples of all nations as God is with us to the end of the age. This call doesn’t depend on what God is, our definitions and how well we understand God as Trinity. God’s call to us all is the same whether we understand everything in the Nicene Creed, are experts in the doctrine of the Trinity and can argue deep theology. God’s call to us is the same if we are still at the beginning of understanding where the Trinity is concerned. What matters is whether we respond to God’s call not how we understand it. For God says to us all: Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, For God is with us always, to the end of the age.

Amen

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible – 1989 © 1995.