Sermon 4th August 2024 – 11th Sunday after Pentecost Text Ephesians 4:1-16 – One Baptism

 Sermon 4^th August 2024 – 11^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text Ephesians 4:1-16 – One Baptism

 

As we read the Book of Acts – the book that follows the beginnings of the new Church gathering around Jesus Christ, it’s interesting to note the peoples response to hearing the preaching of the apostles. In the very first sermon preached on Pentecost Sunday by Peter, the people respond: What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you”. When Phillip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, after having Phillip explain the Scriptures he was reading – As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? He was immediately Baptised. When the jailer was witnessed to by Paul and Silas in prison he took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. There was no delay – no waiting until they were mature or old enough to make a decision for Christ. There were no bible classes or examinations. No, the immediacy of Baptism came once they realized their broken relationship with God through sin and the desire to have God heal that brokenness and unite them back into full relationship with him.

 

Last week we heard about David and Bathsheba and how David tried to fix his brokenness with God by adhering to the commandments. If he had Uriah duped into thinking Bathsheba’s child was his own then problem solved. When that didn’t work he thought – if Uriah was killed, I could marry Bathsheba – problem solved. But that would not solve the broken relationship with God. And through that realization he wrote Psalm 51 and realized the brokenness began much earlier than his adultery with Bathsheba. He writes: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. But we hear, don’t we, how can a baby have faith to believe and be baptized. Doesn’t Mark 16;16 say – whoever believes and is baptized will be saved?  David also addresses that when he continues: You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 

Paul in our 2nd reading also talks about the healing that is brought about by Baptism when he writes: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Baptism brings to us the gift of the Holy Spirit who unites us with God and one another. Whilst there are many divisions in the Christian Church whether it be by denomination – Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Uniting and so forth – Or whether it be through doctrine within denominations – ordination, creation, evolution, marriage. Paul address that when he wrote to a very divided Corinthian Church: He says to them: Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

 

Sadly there are times when a division is necessary and can be beneficial. I think having denominations can be a healthy way of expressing our Christian faith so we focus on mission and ministry rather than conflict and differences. Hence Paul and Barnabas got to that situation when they could not agree on the inclusion of John Mark in their missionary journey. Barnabas wanted to take him but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,  but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.  The believers weren’t made to choose sides or determine who was right and who was wrong. Paul went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. They didn’t let their disagreement become the focus and argue back and forth to work out who was right and who was wrong. They parted company but remained together in their missionary ventures and actually therefore covered more ground. But they remained united by their common baptism.

 

Likewise we remained united with other denominations who share our understanding of Baptism even though we may differ on other matters - as we confess in the Creed. I believe in ONE holy Christian church. Interestingly Paul and Barnabas were later reconciled when Paul writes to Timothy - Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. Baptism is God’s gift to the church. That’s why we only baptize once because a promise of God is just that – a promise.

Even when there has been a separation or when someone comes to faith later in life but had been baptized as an infant (like myself), because we believe Baptism is God’s work, not ours, we acknowledge that God’s gifts and promises are irrevocable, even by ourselves. As Paul says in Romans 11 when speaking about the covenant God made with Israel which also relates to the new covenant he makes with us in Baptism For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call. As Jeremiah discovered - I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations. Or as Paul says earlier in Ephesians – we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do the good works God has planned for us long ago.

 

God is a God of unity. It is enshrined in the first commandment – you shall have no other Gods. God enshrined it in what the Jews call “the shema”  A special prayer that Israel was taught to pray: Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Jesus too was concerned about unity when he taught: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Likewise, Paul was concerned about a lack of unity when he said: Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

 

These are challenging times at present for our church but as King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Divisions have been a mark of the church since its creation but in Christ, and through Baptism, we are and remain one. So may you continue to look to your Baptism when you are struggling to make sense of the world around you whether it’s in the church or in the world we live.

Because God made a very special promise in your Baptism when Christ ascended on high. He said – I am with you always till the end of the age.

 

You may ask – how can mere water do such great things. Well, in the words of Martin Luther: It is not water that does these things but God’s Word with the water and our trust in this word which is a life giving water which by grace gives new birth by the Holy Spirit.

 

Sermon 28th July 2024 – 10th Sunday after Pentecost Text: John 6:1-21 – It doesn’t add up

 Sermon 28^th July 2024 – 10^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: John 6:1-21 – It doesn’t add up

There are two stories in our Gospel reading — the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water  In the story of the feeding of the 5,000, the multiplication formula doesn’t make sense: Five loaves of bread, two small fish = feeding 5000 with 12 baskets of leftovers. What is the difference? Jesus. The one who is in control,  “Jesus took the loaves”  We have the same conundrum as Christians. I piece of bread – one sip of wine – that’s the answer to life’s problems. It doesn’t add up. The difference? Jesus.  “On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread – took the cup”

Jesus can miraculously make much more than any of us can imagine as Paul says in our 2nd reading..  This happens when we have faith that Jesus is in control. In control – not controlling which can seem an oppressive behaviour. When the storms of life threaten us, we turn to the one who is stronger than we are and stronger than the storms themselves.  As the disciples discovered recently – who is this that even the wind and the waves must obey him. It didn’t add up. We can’t avoid the storms.  God doesn’t promise to eliminate storms from our lives.  But God does promise – I am with you always till the end of the age.

And that’s how the 2nd story connects. The disciples again find themselves at sea – in a storm. The difference this time is that Jesus is not in the boat with them. And interestingly they don’t cry out in fear. Maybe they learnt something from the previous occasion. The message of both stories is facing what appears to be an unsolvable problem until Jesus takes control.  “Where do we buy bread for all these people to eat?” A boy has five barley loaves and two fish.” But instead of looking at the meagre supplies – looking at what we have – it’s about faith. Who is in control?

By faith we can turn control of our lives over to God.  Let God be God. And we don’t have to wait until we realise that our strength is too weak to handle the storm we face and only then turn to Jesus. It’s a matter of allowing the Lord to guide our lives always. Sadly it’s often only when we realise our own strength is inadequate that we realise the need to turn control of our lives over to God.  But we fight that idea of trusting someone other than ourselves. Just look at David today. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and she becomes pregnant. He knew he did wrong. But instead of going to God for mercy he deals with the matter himself and makes a complete mess of it. Now, David is an adulterer AND a murderer. It gets worse when he remains in control. If only he had sought God’s mercy which he discovers later and writes Psalm 32:

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long

Like the boy and the apostles in our gospel reading, we have only small amounts of resources to meet big needs.  We have some water splashed on us in our Baptism – we have a wafer of bread – a sip of wine to meet all the storms in life. But as we see with he disciples who are battling a storm – Jesus comes to them – walking on the water and says - It is I; do not be afraid. Which in fact, literally, Jesus says – Don’t be afraid – I AM. I AM – the name given by God to Moses to face his battles against Pharoah and his army. The name given to us that is above all names. The name that not only the storms and wind and waves must obey but every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The five loaves and two small fish are small indeed.  But, as Jesus says, faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains – and feed 5000 and calm storms. Our resources are inadequate for many of the tasks we face today. Jesus can and does multiply our small resources. In spite of our lack of confidence in OUR resources, this story urges us to bring those resources to Jesus.  he can and does expand them.  It’s a matter of faith to use what God has given us.

God can and does work wonders with our insufficient resources, just like Jesus used the

boy and his lunch for great and glorious purposes — feeding 5,000 people.  And not only did Jesus feed 5,000 people but there were twelve baskets full of leftovers!  When we turn our gifts over to God, and trust that “my grace is all you need” we discover an abundance of gifts – as Paul discovered: Jesus is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,.

Our problem in life is that we think we need to stay in control, like David.  When the storms of life overwhelm us, we need to remember that when we are weak then we are strong because God takes control – as he did in both our stories today. And that can be frightening too – to let go and hand it over to God. The disciples were afraid of the rough waves and the violent wind.  But they were more afraid when they saw a shadowy figure coming toward them, walking on top of the water.  They were terrified.

Handing over control can also terrify us. Jesus is aware of what is going on in our lives too.  When we are caught in life’s storms Jesus may come to us in ways we don’t expect.  The story of Jesus walking on water is about Jesus coming to where we are. He comes with meagre supplies – water, bread, wine. That’s the real miracle.

He knows where we are and cares about what is happening. God is in control, not me. God acts in his way, not mine.  God is stronger than the storms of life and God cares about us as his children.  Faith means trusting, depending on Jesus, not ourselves. Jesus comes to us in the storms of life and sometimes, like the disciples, we don’t recognize him right away.

Sometimes it is only after an event or a tragedy or a storm that we can’t handle, we see that Jesus has come to where we are. Sometimes it is only later, when we really think about what happened that we realize God was there all the time, working his will even though we thought all was lost. Sometimes God’s timing is different than ours. Jesus didn’t get into the boat with his disciples as they left. After they had left, Jesus could see that his friends were in trouble.  They had rowed 3 or 4 miles by themselves. That’s not the timing they expected. But Jesus saves them when the storm came and he will save us.

He may  not save us when we want him to do so and he may not save us in the way we expect, but God answers the prayers of his people.  It is in waiting that we really get to know God.  Waiting is the test of real faith, because when we wait, we recognize that we are not in control. God is in control.  As Isaiah says, “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

When we wait for the Lord, renewal comes through faith. Waiting teaches us to know God which is difficult because we like to be in control. That’s why everything has remote controls: We hold the remote control for the TV, the garage, the gate, the CD player, or the DVD player, the car and we think, “I’m in control.”  Today’s Gospel reveals the secret that God is in control. And that with our limited human resources God can steer us through the storms of life  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not be afraid for you are with me. Jesus comes to where you are, despite obstacles that we think would keep him away.

Sermon 21st July 2024 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 – Well earned rest

 Sermon 21^st July 2024 – 7^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 – Well earned rest

 

Everywhere Jesus went, people flocked to him.  They wanted what he was offering.  They wanted inspiration. They wanted healing. They wanted God.

 

 Mark’s gospel tells us that “so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat”  Even before Jesus got to a town, the mass of inquisitive people rushed ahead of him and waited for his arrival carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was”.

 

Sometimes our lives have similar chaotic times. Work deadlines – sporting commitments – church commitments – community commitments – family commitments. Nearing my retirement age I even hear from those who are retired that their lives have never been busier. And yet in the midst of this chaos Jesus said to his apostles, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.  Do you get time for this “rest”? Don’t we often keep working because we don’t have time to take a break?

 

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place”  Chaos came to Jesus because people were attracted to him. The needy and the sick came to him. The people who were waiting for their Messiah came to him. The people who wanted to hear the truth about life came to him. Jesus was a man people flocked to like a moth to a flame. Everyone wanted a piece of him. The poor and downtrodden wanted him to help them. The sick and suffering wanted healing from him. The lonely wanted fellowship with him. The ostracised wanted acceptance from him.And they got it.

 

Where do people go today for this help? With many of our churches mostly empty or on the verge of shutting down where are people going for this spiritual relief? Or maybe they’re not. Maybe they’re just dealing with it themselves which accounts for the high level of anxiety and depression. We are seeing a rise in use of alcohol and drugs – and with children vaping.

Surprisingly people were attracted to Jesus’ authority.  “No one speaks like this man,”  “He speaks with authority.”  And yet today there is such distrust in authority especially church authority.

 

Jesus held no office, no official position and yet he spoke as one having authority. The apostles, who followed him day and night, were constantly amazed by his commanding actions.  During a storm on the  Sea of Galilee “... they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this that even the wind and waves obey him?’ But Jesus’ authority was a message of love, hope, and compassion. He not only taught that we should love God above everything else and our neighbors as ourselves; Jesus lived what he taught. He loved the outcast Zacchaeus – he loved the woman caught in adultery. He showed compassion to the woman with an issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter and the 5,000 hungry people

You could see hope that he brought. Which explains the pain of the the 2 disciples going to Emmaus with downcast faces after his death – we had hoped. He gave hope to the hopeless: Healing the blind, the deaf, the mute, and even the demon possessed.

 

Where many others looked down at people, thinking themselves superior, Jesus always looked out for people, from their level – like the short statured Zacchaeus.  Even the children, who were diminished by the apostles, were treated as valuable people by Jesus. Children, as well as adults, flocked to Jesus because of the compassion they saw in him.

With a message of love, hope, and compassion, Jesus was so unique that multitudes wanted to be where he was. Can we, as church, recapture that hope for people?

 

Today people tend to abstain from a relationship with Jesus and his Church. Even though people reject Jesus, he never rejects anyone but has compassion on them like sheep without a shepherd. There is no doubt that there is chaos in the world we live today. The speed at which we live, the noise that surrounds our days, the pressures, the stress, the expectations people have for us today, the demands and the hectic pace of modern life all combine to the chaos of our world in which we live.

In our busy, chaotic, and hectic lives, we need to see the one who touched the minds, hearts, and lives of thousands of people and make time for him. That’s what Jesus provided for his apostles when he guided them to rest. That’s what God gave us with a Sabbath rest that so many ignore today. And yet the invitation goes out to all people – come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

 

Our hectic lives must be met by meeting God in a quiet place.  That’s why Jesus took his disciples to a deserted place, a place of solitude. We need time to refresh ourselves in the presence of God.  Daily devotions, Prayer, worship, reading our bibles – these are all gifts from God to keep our lives balanced. We will always find an excuse as to why we don’t have time to pray – to read – to come to church. But look at the example Jesus gave in his chaotic life still taking time to rest and pray to God.

 

But we also find something interesting about God in our Old Testament reading. The people misunderstood the relationship they had with God. They didn’t expect a God that would reach out to them. After receiving his rest from his enemies David wanted to build God a temple. A place where people  could go and honour God. But God was seemingly offended at this gesture: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”

 

In our busy chaotic lives it is easy to put God to one side. We’ll take him out when we need him. In difficult times we’ll eventually pray to him. Out of a sense of duty we’ll come to church on Sunday to pay our respect. But we discover in our Old Testament that God is a God who goes with his people wherever they go. As Jesus promised in our Baptism – I am with you always till the end of the age. Not sometimes – always. In Psalm 23 we read about God travelling with us. Even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death I will not be afraid – for you are with my. Your love and mercy follow me all the days of my life.

 

In busyness it’s easy to say I don’t have time for God. But God always makes time for us. When Jairus asked him to go with him – he did. When the woman on the way touched him – despite his rush to get to Jairus’s daughter – he stops and speaks with her. And maybe, as the children of God – as God’s holy temple, as Paul says we are – perhaps that is our challenge. To go to where the people are who need God To go to people go don’t go to God.

 

Our churches may be declining but Jesus says the harvest is plentiful. In fact, that is Paul’s challenge to us in our 2nd reading – as ones who have been brought near to God. He says: Remember that you were without Christ, being aliens and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; And now he sends us out, just as he sent the disciples out who come to him today to tell him all that they had done and taught

 

The harvest indeed is plentiful and it is ripe for a message of hope, but sadly the workers are getting fewer. So may God bless you as you go out to sow a seed of hope today.

Sermon 7th July 2024 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost Text 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 – Power in weakness

 Sermon 7^th July 2024 – 7^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 – Power in weakness

 

What answer was Paul expecting to his prayer – a prayer he prayed 3 times. A man of faith and not just any faith but faith in a risen Lord that he had spoken with from Heaven. A faith that had not just come from speaking with Jesus but actually having been taken into Heaven and shown what it was he was going to receive because of his faith in Jesus. The response to his prayer:  Jesus said, “My grace is all you need, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Is that a “NO”?

 

What answers are you expecting to your prayers? Haven’t you been a good Christians. Didn’t Jesus say – ask anything in my name and I will give it to you? Paul asked for relief from his suffering which on the surface might look as if he was ignored. But in fact Paul was given the answer to suffering:Power made perfect, not in strength, but in weakness, says Jesus in response. And Paul’s new insight -  “Whenever I am weak, then I am strong,”

 

And it’s not as if God is expecting Paul to accept something that he would not be prepared to accept himself. God chose to enter human life not as an earthly recognised king or a conqueror, but in weakness as a baby.  Not born in a powerful family – but to the wife of a carpenter. Not in a palace but in a barn. And isn’t this what is thrown in Jesus face when he tries to exert the power he has? “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

 

Jesus wasn’t welcomed by the paparazzi that follow the mighty and elite around. Rather- it was the heavenly realm that saw through this earthly need for power. The heavenly host of angels that sang at his birth:  “Peace to God’s people on earth,”

God’s love took on flesh and dwelt among us as a baby—vulnerable, utterly dependent, weak – and he’s going to save Israel from the Romans – he’s going to save the world – even if it didn’t look like that.

 

This is God’s example and clue to us that he would use weakness to show strength. God was doing that long before Jesus was born.  A couple weeks ago we saw the example of God looking past worldly examples of power with the anointing of David.  Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king over Israel.  When the first of Jesse’s sons is brought before Samuel, Samuel takes one look at him and thinks, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed. He will make a great king.”  But God says, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” David, the lowly one who was sent to look after the sheep - stands before Samuel and the Lord says, “He’s the one” How ironic that the angels also seek out Shepherds to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ birth – the new born King.

 

In human weakness, God’s strength is shown. Paul doesn’t describe what his “thorn in the flesh” is. Some have thought it might have been his eyes – perhaps after witnessing the bright light on the road to Damascus where he met Jesus and was blinded. In his letter to the Galatians – in chapter 4 – he says - I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Paul’s letters were written by an assistant – Tertius – who writes in Romans 16:22 –  I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.. Paul concludes his letter to the Thessalonians by saying: I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. And Galatians - See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand – perhaps indicating his need to write big so he could see it.

 

The reason I’m pondering this is that sometimes the cross we have to bear hits us close to home. Like Jesus – rejected in his hometown to the extent that he could do no deed of power there and he was amazed at their unbelief. Imagine how much Paul thought he could have achieved if only he didn’t have this impediment. Don’t we somethings think like that? Imagine how much more good we could do in the community if we had more money – if we had younger members to take over leadership – if we had more modern premises that we could have a coffee shop like other bigger more successful churches have.

But hold on – isn’t that going against what Jesus said to Paul – my power is made perfect in weakness. Not just – don’t worry how small you are you can still do some good. NO! My power is made PERFECT in weakness.

 

Maybe you’ve wondered why God has given you some weakness that if you didn’t have it you could do much much more. But, remember what Paul said in First Corinthians: Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are - WHY, so that no one may boast before him. And there it is again – boasting. Not over how many people we had in church today. But in our weakness. And if we are to boast about anything – Paul says – boast about your salvation. As Paul says in Ephesians 2 –  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

“God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength,”

 

Paul says it is God’s love that makes us who we are – not worldly success “In all things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8).

 

So back to our text where Paul says: When I am weak then I am strong. How? Because when we are weak, we rely on the strength of God to get us through. As Pauls says to the Philippians (Chapter 4) I can do all things through him who gives me strength. We may not get the answer to our prayers as we hope to get. Paul prays three times that whatever it was he was suffering with might be taken away from him.  God told him to trust in God’s grace. My grace is all you need.

 

In times of weakness we place ourselves in the mercy, love, forgiveness, grace, and strength of God. Who, like a mother hen, stretches out his arms to gather us in and protect us. Don’t let your perceived limitations restrict you from the strength God gives you to accomplish what he has prepared for you long ago – even before you were even born. Ponder that for a moment. As Jeremiah discovered when he thought God had chosen him by mistake – I’m too young – I don’t know how to speak. To which God says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; The only impediment we have to achieving God’s mission is when we look to our own strength instead of God’s strength. And to see God’s strength we need to see and understand our own weakness and that God’s grace is all we need. And that we are God’s masterpieces – created in Christ Jesus to do the good works God had planned for us long ago.