Sermon 3rd September 2023 Text: Matthew 16: 21-28 – Sliding Doors

 Sermon 3^rd September 2023

Text: Matthew 16: 21-28 – Sliding Doors

 

There was an interesting movie from 1998 called Sliding Doors. It had 2 scenarios facing a woman on her way home from work. Both scenarios have her rushing to catch a train home after being fired from her job. In scenario A she makes the train. In scenario B she just misses the train by a few seconds as the doors close as she arrives. So the entire movie switches between how her life would have turned out in both scenarios. In scenario A she arrives home earlier than expected to find her boyfriend with another woman. In scenario B she arrives home later and is unaware of her boyfriend’s infidelity. The rest of the movie switches between both stories of her life and how different her life was because of that split second difference.

 

In our Gospel reading we have a sort of Sliding Doors moment with Peter and Jesus and how different our lives could have been if Jesus had listened to Peter. Jesus has just announced to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Peter objects to this plan of Jesus. God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you. What we are called to reflect on is how our lives would have turned out if Jesus took Peter’s advice. And, let us remember, Jesus was tempted to follow Peter’s advice. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night of his arrest, he prays to his Heavenly Father: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  2 scenarios. Jesus’ will – let this cup pass from me. God’s will – this must happen for the salvation of all humankind.

 

And then on the cross, the temptation returns – the fourth and final temptation of Satan. “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders – the ones Jesus mentioned to his disciples - mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!  Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him”.

 

What would have happened if this scenario played out? We would be lost in our sin and destined for eternal separation from God in Heaven. So we have those 2 scenarios before us: What if Jesus had listened to Peter.

Eternal separation from God because of our sin. But, thanks be to God that Jesus listened to his Father’s will and we have eternal salvation with God in Heaven. But this sliding doors situation happens to us in our daily lives because we are often like Peter in our faith. Let’s remember that just prior to this rebuke of Peter by Jesus, Peter was praise by Jesus. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

 

How did it go from “Blessed are you Peter”  to “get behind me Satan”. What a sliding doors moment. It’s because, like Peter going from walking on the water to Peter sinking in the water – he will go from “even if everyone else abandons you I never will, to denying Jesus 3 times. Peter panicked. And like most of us, Peter reacts to suffering with fear and denial. The sliding door moment: “You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” And Jesus reacts with the consequences of those 2 scenarios when faced with the reality of suffering: Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

 

The sliding doors 2 scenarios refer to eternal life or eternal separation.  A great and glorious future awaits those who put their faith in Jesus but eternal separation for those who reject Jesus Christ.  Jesus instructs Peter to focus on divine things – to get back behind him.

To focus on the promise that his Lord will be raised on the third day and on the last day, we shall all be raised.

Because if Jesus is not raised from the dead then neither shall we. As Paul puts this in 1 Corinthians 15:

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen  asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all humanity.

If Jesus had gone through door A – and listened to Peter and those at the cross – then we are lost.

 

But Jesus didn’t. He went through door B – he continued on his Father’s will for him and now, as Paul writes in Romans 6: Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

And Jesus himself attests to this: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

 

Paul was no stranger to suffering realizing that suffering produced perseverance, perseverance produced character and character produced hope So, today, he urges us to rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. But we’re going to have those sliding door moments because, as Jesus once warned his sleepy disciples: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But the comforting truth for us is that it doesn’t matter how we feel but what God has promised and assured us. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

And we see that love in today’s Old Testament reading and that God is aware of our suffering. But his answer to suffering is not to remove suffering from our lives but to remove our lives from suffering as he leads us out of this life and into eternal life where there is no more suffering or death. As Moses approaches the burning bush he hears the suffering of God as he observes the suffering of his people: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good land flowing with milk and honey.

 

And just as God came down to deliver them, he has sent his Son down to us to deliver us and to lead us to our Promised Land. So as Christians we are to live between these 2 sliding doors. To live in the world but not of the world. To live the life where our true glory is now hidden as Paul says in Colossians 3 where he speaks of the 2 scenarios lived at the same time: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

So they are the 2 realities – the 2 scenarios – the 2 sliding doors that we live as Christians as we wait for the revealing of our true life in heaven where the old order of things will pass away and we will hear the Great I AM speak to us from the throne in heaven saying:  “I am making everything new!”  “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

 

 

Sermon 27th August 2023 – 13th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Matthew 16:13-20 – Who do YOU say that I AM.

 Sermon 27^th August 2023 – 13^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Matthew 16:13-20 – Who do YOU say that I AM.

 

“But who do you say that I am? This is a question I find that I continually ask myself. It is a question we should all ask ourselves in regards to our relationship with Jesus. But who do you say that I am? Because the answer determines how you live your life and the decisions you make. It’s probably similar to the movement a while ago where people wore the “WWJD” bracelets – What would Jesus do? So when you didn’t know what you were supposed to do in a certain situation you were facing you’d ask yourself – what would Jesus do in this situation. I never got into that movement or thinking because I found it rather legalistic. It didn’t come from the heart. I better do it because that’s what Jesus would have done. I don’t really want to do it – but that’s what Jesus did. I don’t really want to forgive that person but that’s what Jesus would have done.

 

Jesus says that our love for others – the actions that we do – are to be from the heart. A life change – which is what the word repentance means – a change of person – not a change of behaviour. Paul says the same thing: By the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-- what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

When Jesus asks his disciples the question he does so because people around the regions didn’t understand the new revelation coming through Jesus. They were still thinking in the old way. So when they were asked what were the people saying about who Jesus was, there was no new way of thinking: Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Their minds kept going back to the old ways rather than the new life God was introducing through Jesus. This would be a constant issue for Moses whose birth we hear about today. As Moses would eventually lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to the new promised land, every time they faced difficulty their immediate thought was – I wish we could go back to Egypt. Back to the old ways. And isn’t that also how we humans think. When life gets difficult we have the tendency to reminisce – to wish we could go back to the ‘good old days’. But some day in the future – today will be the good old days we will be reminiscing about.

 

Again, Paul says: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. This is not about – what would Jesus do – but who is Jesus. Who do you say Jesus is? Jesus is introducing a new way of thinking in how we face adversity in life. He praises Peter’s confession of faith because it was not based on human logic but by divine revelation: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And that’s a big difference because Jesus says that on that confession of faith he will build his church. And what a foundation that will become: On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

 

The old ways were not what Jesus was wanting to build his church on – the traditions of the past. Jesus told a parable about foundations: Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” It was the same house but different foundation. Things were fine whilst conditions were good – but when adversity hit then the house crumbled that was not built upon the rock.

 

The church has faced persecution from the first days it began. But here we are today, 2000 years later and still surviving – the gates of Hades has not prevailed. In fact, if we look at the birth of Moses we see an interesting parallel of survival.

When the new Pharaoh arrived and wanted to eradicate Israel it actually flourished. They set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. So isn’t that interesting – the more they were oppressed the more they flourished. It was the mystery Paul discovered – when I am weak then I am strong. It’s the mystery Paul discovered in suffering that produced perseverance, perseverance produced character and character produced hope. But it all begins with the foundation of Jesus Christ in our lives. Built on the rock. That is vital. It’s not what we build – as the foolish builder discovered. No matter how strong the house was. No matter how professionally built the house was.

It crumbled because it had no foundation. But the wise builder who built his house on a rock found his house withstand the storm – not because of his craftsmanship but because of the rock he had as his foundation.

 

So just as Jesus has built his church on a rock foundation so too we are to build our faith on that same rock foundation. For us that foundation is our Baptism where God first made his home in our lives. Where God made a promise to us that he would be with us always till the end of the age. And neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, our rock and our salvation. But it all begins with how we answer that question today. Who do you say that I am.

 

Who do you say that Jesus is. The answer is not – a good role model to follow. The answer is not – an inspirational leader who can teach us so much. The answer is not – the greatest leader who ever lived. The answer is – you are the Christ – God’s Son – the one who died for my sins. Or in the words of Doubting Thomas – my Lord and my God. When Jesus asked Peter, “But who do you say that I am?” he wasn’t asking Peter to recite a series of doctrines about the Christian faith.  He wasn’t inviting him to recite the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed off by heart. Jesus was inviting Peter to express where he placed his faith.  He wasn’t asking Peter if he was Lutheran, Catholic or Anglican. He wasn’t asking him what his mother’s maiden name was. Jesus was asking, as he asks you today.

 

Who do you say that I am.

 

Sermon 20th August 2023 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Genesis 45:1-15 – God’s mercy

 Sermon 20^th August 2023 – 12^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Genesis 45:1-15 – God’s mercy

 

There is a saying that revenge is a dish best served cold. What does that mean? It means that often when someone hurts us we feel the need to pay them back immediately. Tit for tat – or as in the Old Testament – an eye for an eye. But usually they are expecting it so they are prepared. The saying suggests waiting till things have died down and they have forgotten all about it then strike when they least expect it. That’s what Joseph has the opportunity for today.

 

It’s been years since his brothers captured him, threw him into an empty well and then sold him as a slave to the Midianites who then sold him to Egypt. There, in Egypt, he was accused of trying to commit adultery with his master Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. In prison he was betrayed by the cupbearer who promised that he would put in a good word for him when he was released from prison – but he forgot. So, poor old Joseph has been betrayed and let down on many occasions and no doubt was looking for his day of justice. Eventually the cupbearer remembers Joseph and because of his ability to interpret Pharoah’s dream he is elevated to 2nd in charge of Egypt during 7 years of plenty to prepare for 7 years of famine. No doubt in the back of his mind Joseph is remembering all those who betrayed him. His brothers, Potiphar’s wife, the cupbearer. And now he has the opportunity to exact his revenge as he sees his brothers come cup in hand looking for some food for their starving family. But Joseph forgoes that opportunity for revenge because he sees that whatever has happened, no matter how it happened that God was directing everything.

 

If Joseph takes revenge then he acknowledges that God had no part in what happened to him and that life is simply unfair and you have to find your own justice. Here, Joseph leaves justice to God. Just listen how Joseph explains it to his brothers who were no doubt convinced he would take revenge against them. God sent me before you to preserve life.  God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. It was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Later on, in Chapter 50, Joseph will affirm what he had said about God: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

 

By having this understanding of how his life has gone Joseph is able to heal and know that God is going to act even if it takes years of hardship. And if there is revenge or justice to be dished up – then God is the one to do so. Paul says similar in Romans: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

And that’s exactly what Joseph has done – trusting in God to do the right thing. His brothers were hungry so he fed them. Anger doesn’t achieve anything. Just look how calm the woman in our gospel reading remains instead of getting angry. In our Gospel reading a Canaanite woman will show the same resilience and trust in God doing the right thing. Her daughter is seriously ill – tormented by a demon she says. Jesus ignored her. She doesn’t get angry. Jesus’ disciples demand he send her away. She doesn’t get angry. Jesus says - I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She doesn’t get angry. She came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs. She doesn’t get angry.

 

At what point would you have given up? At what point would you have lost your patience and gotten angry? At what point, if you were Joseph, would you have lost your patience and taken revenge. This Canaanite woman, like Joseph, knew that God was in control and that God was a God of justice and, like Joseph, she keeps her faith and trust in God doing the right thing. And this is the same patience that is keeping Paul confident that even though his brother and sister Jews have rejected God’s Messiah, Jesus, that God has not rejected them. He says: Has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

 

So even though as we journey through life we face varying degrees of trouble, there is the overarching promise that God loves us and is with us always. We can get angry at the situation. But anger doesn’t achieve anything but could in fact cause harm. That’s why Paul, in Ephesians, says - In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

 

As we worry about the future of the church at times with declining numbers – declining finances –  congregations closing – insufficient Pastors to fill vacancies – we remember the promise of Jesus: On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. God’s promise is irrevocable.

 

It’s easy to get frustrated when life doesn’t go your way and to take matters into our own hands – but we have the example of Joseph, the Canaanite woman and Paul who trusted that God was in control of the situation and allowed him to do his work in his time. They did not lose patience in God doing the right thing. Sometimes it is hard to explain why God allows things to happen in our lives that we don’t expect. But what we understand about God is something we call providence. Providence is the protection of God that we sometimes don’t see. Like a flat tyre when you are in a hurry to get somewhere – but what if that flat tyre prevented you encountering something worse ahead of you. We will never know.

 

But what we do know, as Joseph discovered, is that God is the one directing life. What his brothers intended for evil God was able to use for good. God overcame evil with good. So whatever is happening in your life – whatever has happened in your life – may you see the protective hand of God on you. And like the Canaanite woman, if life seems unfair – bring it before God in prayer and keep bringing it. But in all cases, like Joseph, like the Canaanite woman, like Paul – remember that God is a God of love who gave his own Son for you and will do much more as he has promised. And God’s promises to you are irrevocable.

 

 

Sermon 13th August 2023 – 11th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Matthew 14:22-33 – With Jesus by my side

 Sermon 13^th August 2023 – 11^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Matthew 14:22-33 – With Jesus by my side

 

The walking on the water by Jesus is an interesting miracle. It has 2 dimensions to it. The physical and the spiritual. Let’s first look at the physical dimensions.

 

Jesus has just fed the 5000 with a miraculous blessing of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish with an abundance of 12 baskets of leftovers. Jesus needed some downtime, so he sent his disciples off in a boat while he went off to pray. As night fell, a violent storm intensified, and the disciples found themselves struggling with the wind and waves while in the boat.  How often do we encounter fierce storms in our own lives and we feel Jesus has sent us off by ourselves?  Financial burdens, health challenges, or strained relationships? They can make us feel that we are battling the situation alone. Yet, even in these storms, we are never alone. In fact, Jesus comes to us.

 

In the midst of the storm, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  Fear gripped their hearts, mistaking Him for a ghost.  We, too, may face moments where darkness hides Jesus coming to us. We must remember, Jesus stands with us, ready to reveal Himself in unexpected ways and he comes to us in those times when we struggle to go to him. Jesus removes our fear, not by removing the cause of fear but by giving us courage to face them head on. As he approached the boat with the disciples in it he reveals himself to them – don’t be afraid, I am here. Not “don’t be afraid, I’ve taken care of the problem”. Like Pauls’ request for healing that did not end up with his thorn in the flesh being removed but to take control of his suffering – when I am weak then I am strong.

 

When Peter asks for permission to leave the boat and walk towards Jesus on the water, Jesus allows it. But the wind and the waves remained and Peter panicked. He had underestimated just how powerful the wind and the waves were. This can be a warning to us to not underestimate the power of the evil one around us but to not be afraid because Jesus is by our side. And this is further highlighted in what Jesus does next.

As Peter cries out to Jesus, Jesus reaches out and takes Peter’s hand and he returns him to the boat. He doesn’t say to Peter, let’s give this another go and this time don’t panic. No, Jesus knows how powerful the enemy is to God’s children.

 

He had once warned Peter about this –  “Simon, Simon (which is Peter), Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Again, Peter didn’t quite understand the enemy and again wanted to go it alone

He replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” Peter learned how powerful the enemy Satan was and he did strengthen his fellow disciples: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

 

And this leads us to the Spiritual message that comes from Jesus walking on the water. The sea was considered to be where evil either hid or lived. When the man possessed by a legion of demons was confronted by Jesus in the tombs they requested to be sent into a herd of pigs. Once Jesus granted their request the pigs rushed into the water presumably for their protection by which, however, the pigs drowned.

When John in the book of Revelation saw the New Heaven and the New Earth the first thing he saw was that there was no sea there because nothing evil was permitted to enter into heaven. And when Jesus was given the name above all names in Philippians, Paul said that every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus was Lord, on earth, above the earth and UNDER the earth.

 

So Jesus walking on the water was an act of authority and defiance over the unclean realm of evil. When Peter panics and begins to sink Jesus extends his hand to Peter and they both go into the boat with the other disciples and they worship Jesus declaring him to be the Son of God. The boat is often representing of the Church and notice the spiritual protection it gave to Peter who only became vulnerable once he broke away from his community of faith and away from the boat, the church. Likewise God has given to us our community of faith for our spiritual well being where we too worship God and are protected from the spiritual harm that wants to make us sink. The church, Jesus says is built on a rock and not even the gates of hell can destroy it.

 

So, both the physical and spiritual symbolism of Jesus walking on the water are about Jesus care and  protection over us. Jesus’ love and care for us doesn’t mean we won’t face storms in our lives. But what Jesus’ love and care for us provide is assurance of his presence with us to ensure we reach our heavenly destination.

That’s the promise made in our Baptism – I am with you always till the end of the age – till you have reached your eternal heavenly home. And in those times of storms God gives to us our faith communities. Our brothers and sisters in Christ to support us – physically and spiritually. He has given to us our churches to come to for times of refreshment and assurance.

 

We often hear that “I don’t need to go to church – God is everywhere”. That is partly true – God is everywhere. But notice what Jesus does for Peter when he gets into trouble. He reaches out his hand and places him back in the boat, with the other disciples, and they worship him and proclaim –  “Truly you are the Son of God”. And what did Paul say – Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

 

Jesus is always near and when we call he comes to us to help us. Again, as Paul said: The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So may God bless you as you journey through life, through the storms of life knowing your saviour stands at the helm to be with you so you may call upon him and be saved.

Sermon 6th August 2023 – 10th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Matthew 14:13-21 – Always enough

 Sermon 6^th August 2023 – 10^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Matthew 14:13-21 – Always enough

 

Over the past few weeks we have listened to Jesus teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven and God’s grace and mercy through parables. Parables are interesting ways of teaching because they evoke various responses depending on your personal reflections and experience. So one parable can evoke various responses and they can all be correct because that’s the purpose of a parable – to create discussion. Parables, therefore, never become irrelevant or outdated. But here in our Gospel reading we don’t have a parable but rather an actual event that puts the parable to the test.

 

Last week we heard the parable of the mustard seed – the smallest of seeds that becomes a huge tree providing shade and rest for the birds of the air. We heard that the Kingdom of God was like a pinch of yeast that when mixed with an amount of flour mixes in with the batch of flour to cause the flour to rise. And here we see in action how from little things big things grow.

 

Jesus is teaching out in the open field and is followed by thousands of people – 5,000 men plus women and children. It is getting late and Jesus is concerned about their wellbeing and asks his disciples to feed them.

They panic and say “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food”. But Jesus rejects their suggestion and says – They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. Their natural human response is to look at their dilemma with physical eyes: We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish – how many could that feed? From there Jesus blesses the food they have – they distribute it to the people – and they pick up 12 basketfuls of leftovers – presumably more than they started with.

 

As in the parables of the yeast and the mustard seed, Jesus is teaching us that we don’t need to look for supernatural miracles to the issues that are facing us. God has given us ample provisions to do his work even with what seems to our eyes to be rather small and insufficient. Jesus could have caused a miracle like in the Old Testament where God rained down manna from heaven and blew quail with a strong wind to feed the people. But Jesus wanted them to look at what they had and solve the issue at hand with the provisions God has given them – their daily bread as he teaches in the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Likewise God challenges us when we are faced with momentous issues to not give up but trust God. As St Paul had to when he sought supernatural healing for his suffering, Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove my ‘thorn in the flesh’ . To which God replied – my grace is all you need. My grace is sufficient. Your 5 loaves and 2 fish are sufficient.

 

It is easy to give up and live within our means. To look at our budget and say – we can’t afford it. To look at our membership and say – we don’t have the resources to do this. To look at our schedules and say – I don’t have time. Our work for the Kingdom does not start with what we have or what we can afford or what we can see. It begins as it did with Jesus – with compassion. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Compassion has moved people to commit their lives to helping others – to solving world problems without first wondering if I have enough. The word compassion in the original context here means a pain that emanates deep in the bowels. As we often express when we see something that upsets us we talk about being “sick in the stomach” or a real “kick in the guts”. That’s the meaning behind compassion – it made Jesus sick in the stomach to see the people in their distress.

 

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel we read also about Jesus compassion: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Which is why Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd.

He never abandons his sheep – even going after the one lost sheep. Behind mission and ministry of the church should not be physical resources as we would always doubt. We would always fall short on resources or fear that they would run out. Mission and ministry is driven by compassion for others. If we have compassion then we will always find a way as Jesus did.

 

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Our other 2 readings speak about the challenges that we face. We have Jacob wrestling with this unknown assailant all through the night and neither could subdue the other. Jacob realizes that the one he is actually struggling with is God and not an enemy.

 

Sometimes our struggles are with God himself. Wondering “what are you doing God”. When God places compassion on our hearts but we feel inadequate. Paul also shows the pain of compassion and the sacrifice he was prepared to make for his Jewish brothers and sisters who did not accept Jesus as the promised Messiah. He says: I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. And what was the sacrifice he was prepared to make? That I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.

 

As painful as this is – the pain deep in stomach with compassion for others we know that it produces amazing results as we see in the feeding of possible 10,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish – with abundant leftovers. It reminds me of what Paul says about our human suffering that it produces perseverance, which produces character which produces hope. Some of the greatest humanitarian efforts have been achieved by survivors of human suffering.

 

I know suffering is difficult and at times we can wrestle with God and ask “WHY” and like Paul to remove it. But perhaps, as Jacob did, we can ask God for a blessing. And in that blessing we can be a blessing to others. So may I encourage you, in your wrestle with God and all that’s going on in your life, to look deep inside yourself – into the compassion deep in your stomach – and ask not what God can do for you but what you can do for God. Jacob walked away from his wrestling a changed man. He walked away with a new name, Israel, one who has struggled with God and with humans and have overcome. But he also came away with a limp.

 

We too may come away without full healing but we come away blessed by God to be a blessing to others. As Paul also discovered – when I am weak, then I am strong for the power of Jesus Christ rests on me. May the power of Christ also rest on you as the peace of God that surpasses our understanding watches over you now and forever. Amen.

Sermon 30th July 2023 – 9th Sunday after Pentecost Text Romans 8:26-39 – Our Prayer helper

 Sermon 30^th July 2023 – 9^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text Romans 8:26-39 – Our Prayer helper

 

A couple weeks ago we heard a heart felt confession by St Paul that must have taken real courage. The good I want to do I do not do – the evil I do not want to do I keep on doing. That took a lot of courage and probably reflects most if not all Christians but sadly because of our pride we don’t like to present ourselves as less that perfect with our faults visible to others. We like to present ourselves as good people who try to do the right thing even though sometimes we might not get everything right. But evil – no. We would like to feel that we are a far cry from how Paul describes himself – wretched man that I am – who will save me from this body of death. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them.

 

And today I believe we seen another side of Paul that reflects many of us even though we might not like to admit it. That Paul seemed to know what it was like to struggle with prayer. Now that might sound strange for Paul – a person close to God even before his conversion to Christianity. A person who saw and spoke with the risen Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus. A man prepared to go to prison – even death – for the sake of his Christian faith. And yet, he says the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought. Notice he says – OUR weakness – WE do not know how to pray.

 

Again, I would say that prayer is another area where many, most, dare I say all, Christians feel they are challenged. Shouldn’t it be one of the easier tasks Christians to be able to do? I mean, it’s just talking to God, isn’t it? I’m guessing that many Pastors would be reluctant to admit that they too struggle in their prayer life because we are seen as symbols of faith. But in all honesty, I struggle like everyone else. And, according to Paul, it’s a weakness and we do not know how to pray as we ought.

 

Why is it a weakness and what makes it a weakness? Is it to do with the amount of time we spend in prayer?

Doesn’t Paul say to pray without ceasing? Or is it to do with the content of our prayers as James tells us? When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Do you feel guilty perhaps when someone asks you to pray for them or you say to someone “I’ll keep you in my prayers” and you don’t. I think these are perhaps symptoms but not what Paul is trying to help us understand. These are physical affects on our prayer life of a much deeper spiritual attack on our prayer life which falls under what we refer to as “Spiritual Warfare”

 

In warfare communication is vital. In relationships communication is vital. So, it’s no surprise that Satan will attack our communication with God. Communication with God is always under attack – whether it’s worship – which involves communication - Holy Communion which has the same root word – or the Communion of Saints where we gather together which has always been under attack as far back as the first churches which the writer to the Hebrews says: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. There is the Word of God communicating to us his word of Grace and forgiveness. But here Paul is particularly talking about our communicating with God in our prayer life.

 

But the Good News is that God is on the offensive in this spiritual warfare by sending in his own Holy Spirit as Paul says: The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints – you and me = according to the will of God.

How beautiful is that. Just like his wretched body of death and who will save me –  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord. So too here, God, through his Holy Spirit rescues us. And even the Holy Spirit knows the scars of battle in Spiritual Warfare: That very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

We must never underestimate the battle that wages around us. We cannot see it with our physical sight – just like Jacob couldn’t see the angels ascending and descending the ladder from heaven to earth. Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” John, in the Book of Revelation, saw the battle raging around us with the beast and the dragon waging war against God’s elect.

 

Should we be afraid? Definitely not because, as Paul says,  What then are we to say about these things?

If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Despite the war being waged against God’s elect, Paul says we are protected. Who will bring any charge against God's elect?  It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. So not only do we have the Holy Spirit praying on our behalf, we have Jesus Christ himself interceding for us.

 

Maybe your prayer life is far from perfect but that’s what Satan will use against you. He will make you feel guilty – inadequate – unworthy. He will condemn you but Paul reminds us that only God can condemn but it is God who makes us right through Jesus who died for us. Satan would like us to believe that because of our inadequate prayer life that God doesn’t love us. But again, nothing could be further from the truth. As Paul says: He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? And because of that assurance there is nothing that should make you feel separated from God; Nothing.

 

For 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. May God bless you as you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your prayers and our Lord Jesus to comfort you as he intercedes with his Father and your Father in Heaven.

 

Sermon 23rd July 2023 – 8th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Genesis 28:10-19a – Between a rock and a hard place

 Sermon 23^rd July 2023 – 8^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Genesis 28:10-19a – Between a rock and a hard place

 

There is a saying that one is sometimes caught between a rock and a hard place. Basically, it means you are in a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant courses of action. Going forward is fraught with difficulty. Going back is fraught with similar difficulties. You have to choose. It is believed to have originated from days in the mines where workers faced grueling conditions underground digging through hard rocks, but the alternative was harsh conditions above ground without any source of income.

 

However, some believe that the saying may have originated from our Old Testament reading where Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau who is wanting to kill him. We heard last week how Jacob stole his brother’s birthright by taking advantage of his hunger and only allowing him food if Esau, the first-born twin, gave up his birthright to Jacob. But his swindling didn’t stop there. As Jacob’s father was nearing death with his eyesight failing, Isaac decides to bless his first-born Esau but doesn’t recognize the deal made between Jacob and Esau.

So, while Esau is out hunting, Jacob’s mother devises a plan to dress Jacob up as Esau and steal Esau’s blessings. When Esau finds out what has happened and that he has missed out on his father’s blessing, he goes on a rampage and swears to kill Jacob. So, Jacob flees to his mother’s hometown to stay there in safety.

 

While on his way he stops to rest at Bethel and sleeps using a rock as a pillow which he will later set up as an altar to God. So, in our Old Testament reading Jacob is between a rock and a hard place.  He is on the run not knowing what lay ahead of him but behind him was Esau. So, Jacob is caught between the rock of the unknown and the hard place of Esau. But as he lay with the rock as his pillow God’s protective hand is revealed to him showing an alternative solution to being caught between a rock and a hard place. Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. God speaks to Jacob and says: Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!

 

So it’s not about trying to work out which direction he should take but that wherever he goes that God is with him. And this is the same promise God makes to us. It is the promise Jesus made to us as he ascended to Heaven – “surely I am with you always till the end of the age”. Our life journey can often feel like it’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes we’d like to go back to when life was simpler – less complex. The future seems so uncertain. But we keep journeying with the promise we hear in Psalm 23 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid, for you are with me.

 

Have you lain in bed at night, so full of worry and despair that your pillow feels like a rock?  You can’t get comfortable and relax no matter how you toss and turn because the turmoil in your mind is tying your body in knots.  Maybe you’re wondering how you’re going to get through the next day, week, year. And then comes the amazing comfort from God. You can’t put it into words but I’ve heard from so many people talk about a presence they felt that they can’t explain – perhaps like Jacob’s experience of angels ascending and descending. Such as Jesus explains in Matthew 18: “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

 

Jacob’s dream is interesting - the ladder to heaven with angels ascending and descending! But God never asks Jacob or anyone else to climb the ladder. That’s not the purpose. God comes to us. The purpose is not to escape our turmoil but to have God’s angels minister to us like they did to Jesus in the wilderness. Again in Matthew’s gospel – chapter 4 - Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of Jesus. It was the angels of God who were ascending and descending on it coming to us

And notice where God was: “And the LORD stood beside him.” Where is God in this situation? Not at the top of the ladder looking down. No! God has come down the ladder to Jacob. This is exactly what happened at Jesus’ birth. God descending from heaven, coming down to us, standing right beside us to guide us and to promise to be with us. He shall be called Immanuel – God with us.

 

That is the very story of Jesus Christ being born as a human and dwelling with us. And Jacob understands the significance of what he is experiencing.  “Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place– and I did not know it!’”  He responds to this profound experience by turning the stone that was his pillow into an altar.  Our world at present seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place with cost of living pressures – interest rate rises on mortgages – fears about climate – political debates.  In fact, Paul says that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

 

God promises to redeem all things in the fullness of time.  And what a joyous time that will be as we join with Paul in saying –  I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. God promises that the sin and death of our times will one day be redeemed: That is a promise not just to Jacob but also to us. Life can be tough. The future can seem as if we’re not going to make it.

But be assured that God is watching over you. That his angels are present with you watching and guarding you.

What Jacob saw was not his imagination but God unveiling the reality that exists. Unfortunately we can’t see the spiritual realm that exists but that doesn’t mean it’s not there as Jacob said: “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”  And if we could see it we would join with Jacob and say: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” And that is also what Paul discovered in Colossians 3 where he says: Your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. That glory is here now but will only be fully understood in eternity.

So until that day let us take comfort because the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.