Sermon 28th June 2020 – 4th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Matthew 10:40-42 – Extending our welcome

Sermon 28^th June 2020 – 4^th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Matthew 10:40-42 – Extending our welcome

 The comment has been made by several Pastors during the COVID 19 lockdowns that coming out of lockdown is much harder than going into lockdown. And it’s true from what I have experienced. Going into lockdown was as simple as shutting the doors and letting members know that until further notice that our church services have been suspended in our church buildings. People knew that because they saw it on the 24 hour news cycle. But coming out of lockdown and back into our churches has been difficult because we cannot open the church building to every member all at once and we cannot welcome visitors.

 And after last week’s service several members asked me – can we come next week. Can you imagine the pain that I experienced when I had to say – at this stage – NO. We have to allow others to come to church also. NO – you cannot come to church next week. Did you ever think we would be in a situation where we would have to say NO to someone wanting to come to church? Can you ever imagine a situation where you were hoping that a visitor didn’t turn up unannounced and that you would be in a situation where you would have to turn that person away? So you can understand how difficult this has been for the church in resuming worship.

 In a way it was much easier being in lockdown where, in a sense, no one was welcome. That’s really not true – but it’s the reality at present that our churches are struggling to juggle the restrictions. But let us remember that just as worship is not the full extent of our Christian life neither is the welcome we offer to friend and stranger alike on a Sunday. When we leave church on a Sunday we don’t stop being Christians in the rest of our lives. What we experience in worship we live out day to day in our daily lives. Likewise, the fact that we cannot welcome strangers and all members at this stage into our church buildings does not mean we cannot extend a welcome to others to experience the love and grace of God.

 In fact that has been the challenge for us in this time of isolation and lockdown in looking at ways of BEING church rather than DOING church. As St Paul says in Romans chapter 12; Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. And so we can continue to extend the hospitality of welcoming even while our churches are extremely restricted – and for some churches – their church buildings are still locked physically.

 Notice the transcending levels of Jesus’ welcoming in our Gospel reading today: It begins with God – whoever welcomes you welcome ME and whoever welcomes me welcomes the ONE WHO SENT ME. Then – whoever welcomes a PROPHET

Then – whoever welcomes a RIGHTEOUS PERSON And then whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these LITTLE ONES. So the love and hospitality we show can be extended to anyone – anywhere – even with the giving of a cup of cold water. The outreach and welcome to the world has NOT stopped simply because our church attendance has been restricted. Remember in Jesus’ ministry he went and ate with sinners. He invited himself into the home of Zacchaeus.

He walked among the lepers – the gentiles and the unclean. Jesus was not restricted. And even from the cross – nailed and unable to move physically he is still able to minister to the world as he cries out forgive them Father.

 Our welcome can and ought to be practiced by us at any time, no matter what circumstances or crises we find ourselves in.

Worship of God is not just an hour on a Sunday – it is our entire life as Paul says – offer your bodies as a living sacrifice – this is your true and proper worship. Don’t get me wrong – Sunday worship is important – it is where we gather as the family of God around Word and Sacrament. But in situations where our worship is interrupted such as now we can still be the people of God in welcoming friend and stranger alike. We also come to realize that our welcoming does not need to consist of large, heroic acts.  Any simple acts of kindness we offer as welcome for one another are all part of God’s work in the world.

 In this time of isolation, lockdown and restrictions we simply need to look around to see who is in need and offer God’s welcome which Jesus describes can be as simple as offering a glass of water. The act of welcoming has not been in lockdown and in fact we have been given even greater opportunity to extend it to those who are struggling through economic hardship and also through loneliness.

Later in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus will highlight how important this work of welcome is to God when he says: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me – or in some translations – you did TO me.’

 Christian faith is often described by Jesus as – even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed.

But with this faith we don’t need to move mountains. It is also made up of small acts – acts such as making a phone call to ask how a friend or stranger is doing, helping with groceries for those in isolation and unable to get out, reaching out to the lonely and most vulnerable among us.  There are no small gestures.  A cup of cold water is the smallest of gifts that Jesus mentions – a gift that almost anyone can give.  But a cup of cold water is precious and life giving to a person who is thirsty.

It doesn’t take much to be welcoming and sometimes with our busyness of church life we have even overlooked the stranger and needy among us.

 Maybe this break has been a blessing that God has been able to use to bring about good. Maybe the good that has come from this is that it has required us to look at new ways of connecting with friends and strangers and gotten us out of our comfortable ways where we can sometimes miss and neglect visitors. There are still many among us who have chosen not to be here in worship for health reasons. Let us not forget them in our busyness to return and fulfil all the requirements to keep our church safe. In our busyness and rejoicing in returning to worship let us continue to support and take the church’s welcome out to others who cannot join us yet and remind them that they are our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

The welcome mat doesn’t live at the front door of our church. The welcome mat lives in our hearts as we take the presence of God to the world and offer the gift of welcome into God’s family and not just the church building.

Sermon 21st June 2020 – Pentecost 3 Text: Matthew 10:24-39 – Physical and Spiritual Fear

Sermon 21^st June 2020 – Pentecost 3

Text: Matthew 10:24-39 – Physical and Spiritual Fear

 

Our last service in this church was 22nd March – 3 months ago. It was the 2nd last Sunday of Lent just before Palm Sunday which celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus. I like to think that today is our Triumphal Entry even though not all our members have returned because of continued restrictions. But we are on our way and as from next week we can increase our numbers again. It’s been a difficult 3 months especially for some of our more isolated members and it continues for many of our members whose health is compromised and are not feeling comfortable about returning to worship or other public gatherings.

 

As a Pastor I also worried at the start of our isolation about our churches wondering whether we could survive a period of no services as our finances were struggling even before we went into lockdown. But I underestimated the faithfulness of all our members and for that I am deeply sorry. I succumbed to the basic human flaw of fear. Something that we all do at some time or another in our faith journey – we fear. Something Jesus’ own disciples did even while in his presence.

 

Fear is an natural human response to the unknown. Fear can be either physical or spiritual fears about our future. And our physical fears can at times affect our spiritual fears. In our gospel reading Jesus acknowledges that there are 2 fears – the physical and the spiritual. He says: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

Human nature is often, daily even, confronted by human fear. And it is usually a fear for our human future. Do I have enough money? How will my health impact on my life? Is my job safe? And so often the church is affected by earthly fear even while it maintains its spiritual confidence. Will we meet our budget? Where are all our young people? Who is going to take over the leadership roles? Physical fears can at times impact our spiritual security. Peter, walking on the water, faced his physical fears – the wind and the waves – but then began to sink as his faith in Jesus began to be affected. But our physical fears are comforted not by physical assurances but also by our spiritual assurances. Working harder to earn more money won’t remove our physical fear – it will just delay it as new fears arise. Running programs in our churches to get more people into church or telling people to give more won’t remove our physical fears – new ones will always arise.

 

Our fears, whether they are physical or spiritual are comforted only by God. And Jesus reassures us that every fear, no matter how small or how big, our physical and spiritual fears are all known by God and are all managed by God. Jesus says: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 

As we have journeyed these 3 months in lockdown – and as we look to the future with still some uncertainty of how things are moving forward – God has journeyed with us and will continue to journey with us. God has not and never will abandon us but makes his presence known to us. Physical fears are all around us and we find that once we’ve overcome our latest fear there are new ones just around the corner. Jesus says they can come from anywhere – even from unexpected sources –even our own family. Jesus wants us to be aware that only from God can we attain an assurance of care an protection.

He even says that some of our opposition may come from those we might have thought we could expect to find peace and comfort. He says: For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Don’t misunderstand Jesus’ thinking - that he is against family – not at all. In fact the 4th commandment upholds family and commands us to love and respect our parents. What he is saying is that only God can provide guaranteed assurance that removes all our fears. Because God can provide not just physical protection but spiritual protection. And for Christians that is so important as Paul says in Ephesians: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

So when it comes to our Christian faith we’re going to find that the physical comforts that usually provide hope to people is not where we are going to find our help. The battles that we face as Christians are spiritual battles because the devil is always working to undermine our faith and will use those who are closest to us at times to attack our faith. That’s what we’re up against but we are assured that one greater than all the powers of darkness is  fighting for us. Physical fears will always affect us. It’s who we are as human beings. Even Adam and Eve with all the physical wants and desires met in the Garden of Eden felt they wanted more and were tricked by Satan. Their physical fears became spiritual fears. And notice that Satan used their fear to set husband against wife – the woman you gave me!

 

And that’s where God’s grace always comes in to help us. Our spiritual fears have been defeated. They have been buried with Christ in our Baptism, as St Paul reminded us today: All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. There’s our spiritual fears dealt with. Dead and buried. And we know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

And neither does it have a hold over us because we have been buried with Christ and will rise with him.

 

Physical fears will remain with us until we are through this life. And those physical fears will at times be the source of our spiritual fears and may often be from those closest to us. Satan spares nothing when it comes to attacking our faith.

But Jesus comes to comfort and protect us. God knows your fears – he knows the very hairs on your head. So the one who knows when a sparrow falls from the sky certainly knows when you have fallen for you are worth more than many sparrows.

Sermon 14th June 2020 – 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Text: Romans 5:1-8 – Saved by grace

Sermon 14^th June 2020 – 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Romans 5:1-8 – Saved by grace

 

Today begins our Pentecost season. Even though we celebrated Pentecost Sunday a couple weeks ago this is now what we refer to as the Pentecost “Season”. The Pentecost Season is considered to be the growing or teaching season of the church – and hence the paraments have been changed to green this week. Green representing “growth” such as when our lawns and gardens begin to grow with green shoots. The focus of the Pentecost season is on the teaching of Jesus’ disciples. Not just the 12 Apostles but all Christians – you and me. And so we see that in our Gospel reading: Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues. Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority to go out and preach and teach.

 

And our 2nd reading – St Paul’s letter to the Romans summarises the heart of the Christian teaching: He says: Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; We sometimes summarise this teaching as – saved by grace, through faith, for Christ’s sake. We even summarise that further by calling it “The Gospel” – saved by grace. We need to keep that teaching at the heart of our understanding and in everything that we teach because we need to keep coming back to it time and time again.

 

Paul teaches us how this understanding of God’s grace actually helps us in those difficult times to not only deal with life’s challenges and come through them but to actually grow through them. He speaks about how our faith and our knowledge that we are saved by God’s grace enables us to not only endure in times of suffering but to actually grow in faith through them. He says - that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Isn’t it interesting that at the heart of our growth is suffering? Usually we might associate suffering with a decaying of our growth. And we have seen this growth through suffering during this time of suffering in the church that could have easily have broken our spirits by being unable to gather for worship. But we have actually rallied together to support each other. New friendships have been formed as we have picked up the phone to call one another and check up on each other. What could have broken our spirits, I believe, has done exactly what St Paul said it would do – our suffering has produced endurance – our endurance has produced character and our character has produced hope in us.

 

In times of suffering it is easy to give up hope. But our faith in Christ reminds us that suffering is limited only to this lifetime. Without wanting to downplay suffering which can be extremely debilitating – our faith reminds us that suffering has a limited effect on our lives. One of the blessings that God did when evil entered into his perfect creation was he limited the reach of evil and suffering by removing the tree of life from the reach of Adam and Eve. One could associate the removal as a punishment but in reality it is a form of God’s protection and blessing to ensure we didn’t become exposed to evil and suffering eternally. And so death became not a punishment for sin but an end time for all suffering and evil which extends only for this life time. So our focus turns to what God has planned for after this lifetime where we are told that there will be no more suffering or death which are the old order of things as we hear in Revelation 21. And St Paul even says in chapter 8 of Romans that he considers the present suffering of this life is not worth comparing to the glory that awaits us in heaven. And even to the point of saying he rejoices in his suffering. Not because he enjoys suffering but because it reminds him that this life is not where true joy is to be found but in heaven.

And since he is saved by grace – he rejoices knowing that his rest and glory are soon coming.

Jesus also said that: As you go, proclaim Gospel, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near. In fact, in 2nd Corinthians, through his suffering Paul is able to gain strength in faith saying “when I am weak then I am strong” because his reliance on God is made even more clear.

 

Jesus also teaches in our Gospel reading a very real issue that faces Christians in the world and a reassurance so we do not lose hope. Jesus makes no secret that as we go out into the world as his disciples that we will not always be welcomed. He says: I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; So the first thing we learn from this statement by Jesus is that we should not be surprised or disheartened at the attacks and rejection. We should not see it as a failure of the church to connect with the world but rather a rejection of God because of the evil that has been released into the world that is against God and all who put their faith in him. So often the church has been afraid to speak out against sin and error in the world because it doesn’t want to be rejected by the world as antiquated and irrelevant. So often we have softened our message because we have wanted to be accepted and liked by the world. But that goes against what Jesus has warned us against when he said - you will be hated by all because of my name.

 

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we should look for ways for the world to hate us. But we should not be afraid to speak out where we see the world going off the rails. And we should not be afraid to be rejected or ridiculed for speaking the truth. But on the other hand too often the church has spoken out against issues without offering God’s word of grace and forgiveness but rather only judgment. Remember the Pentecost message that Jesus asked us to proclaim – that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to the entire world. In doing that we are reminded that we are all well off the mark when it comes to obedience before God. And, as Paul reminds us, this is how God has shown just how much he loves us:

He says: God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Can we honestly say that we have always dealt with people in the same way? That we have “while they were yet sinners” that we have shown love towards them?

 

That’s what being saved by grace means. Knowing that God has shown his grace to us that we have been freed to show grace towards others. This is the freedom that the Gospel brings us. That our one and only concern is getting the message out to all people that God loves them. And even if sometimes life doesn’t seem to be for us all that we hope for – our Christian hope reassures us that it’s okay because our life in heaven is guaranteed. And sometimes it’s in those disappointments – those times of suffering – those times of rejection – that we are redirected towards our faith because there is nothing else. And it is that faith – that hope that does not disappoint us, as St Paul said. Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. And why doesn’t hope disappoint us? Because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

What a wonderful and freeing Gospel that has been given to us. That our life’s destiny has been written and assured through Jesus Christ our Lord. That God’s love is proven to us that even while we were and still are sinners, Christ Jesus our Lord has given his life for us.

 

Let us continue to cling to that hope in all that we are going through and let us be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have with anyone who asks so they too may know the comfort that God brings through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

 

Sermon 7th June 2020 – Trinity Sunday Text: Genesis 1 – Our identity

Sermon 7^th June 2020 – Trinity Sunday

Text: Genesis 1 – Our identity

 

I love Christmas – I love Advent – I love Lent – I love Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. They are high points of celebration in our church. But for some reason, Trinity Sunday is the Sunday that I just love to celebrate. I’m not quite sure what it is but I guess it’s because Trinity Sunday defines God. But even more than that it defines us – who we are.

 

The Trinity is what sets us apart from every other religion. In the past it distinguished between true worship and heresy and still does today. The true church was the church that worshipped the Triune God. When we look at our creeds that we confess every Sunday they are structured in that way – we believe in God the Father almighty  - we believe in Jesus Christ his Son – we believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son. As the early church developed in those first centuries after Jesus’ death and resurrection – it was the identity of God that distinguished between true believers and those that the church declared to be heretics.

 

But are these just theological words created by theologians? No, it is how God has revealed himself to us in the way that not just defines himself to us but it also defines who we are as God’s children. To understand this, let us go back to the beginning where it all started. In our first reading we do exactly that – we go back to the beginning: In those opening verses we see the Trinity at work – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – the Spirit was hovering over the waters – and God said – let there be light. Here we have the Trinity at work in creation – God the Father who created – the Word of God that was spoken – let there be light – and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us –  and the Holy Spirit hovering waiting to bring life into God’s creation. And then at the creation of humanity – let us create human beings in OUR image. So the Trinity does not just define who God is – it defines who WE are. WE are created in God’s image.

 

We also see the Trinity at work in the New Testament at Jesus’ baptism. We witness the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus and the Father declare – this is my Son whom I love. And then in our Gospel reading today Jesus commission us to go into all the world baptising in the name of the Trinity – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit – and I am with you always till the end of the age. The Trinity not only gives us God’s identity, it also gives us our identity. Jesus says - I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

The Trinity doesn’t just define God it defines us.

 

Identity is becoming such an important issue in today’s society – identity. People are so confused about who they are. They try to copy their screen idols believing they need to look like them to have their identity. They believe that because their celebrities look perfect that they need too also. When they take photos of themselves they use what are called filters that will cover up their flaws so the world doesn’t see what they really look like. And when it comes to gender identity, we no longer have 2 genders that we hear the Trinity declare in our first reading: God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. In Facebook there are 71 different genders that a person can choose to sign up under. Jesus himself reiterates this identity: "Haven't you read that in the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' This is not denying or downplaying the challenges that people have today – and it’s not just young people challenged with identity – it’s people of all ages.

 

God has given us an identity in Jesus Christ. And it’s not about gender or anything else – as Paul says in Galatians when explaining our identity through our Baptism;  He says -   in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. God has given us an identity – his identity.

 

We have been created in God’s image. And what an amazing identity that is The world has become a confusing place for everyone and creating new genders or creating filters on your pictures or whatever way a person tries to feel better about who they are is only ever short lived. But in Christ we are a new creation – the old is gone and the new is here. And as Christians we are called to love those who are struggling with their identity and not judge them. As Paul said in our 2nd reading: Agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

 

We see everyone as God’s image – everyone as a person for whom Jesus died - as Paul says in 2 Corinthians: from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. What a wonderful privilege that despite our disobedience to God and what we did to his Son by crucifying him that God still loves us and invites us to participate in the Holy Trinity. Jesus did that both before his death and after his death. Before he died he said, when you pray, pray “Our Father in Heaven” – OUR Father in heaven. When he rose from the dead Jesus gave Mary the message he wanted to tell the disciples: Tell them: ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’

 

Friends, our God is not what some people understand as God. To many people God is an overlord. Someone who is watching our every moment in order to judge us. When Jesus, who is God and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, when Jesus came to dwell with us he came as a servant. Not to be served but to serve each of us. And Jesus say, God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. The Trinity is an important theological understanding of God. It separated true worship from heresy. But that was not the intention of God when he revealed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was to invite us into his family of love. To share everything that he has with us. To assure us of the inheritance that is passed on to family members and that is what we are – children of God – the family of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.