Sermon for July 2009 (1 Kings 2 10-12, 3 3-14 and John 6 51-58)
A great professor was doing a tour of the country. His driver enjoyed listening to each lecture he gave. After a while he knew not ony the lectures by heart but even the answers to the questions that would arise after wards. So as a joke they chose to swap places, the driver giving the lecture. Came question time the driver answered easily enough until one person asked a new question that neither had heard before. For a moment the driver panicked. Then a broad smile spread across his lips: ‘Why, that’s so simple I’ll ask my driver to explain’
If God granted you one wish for yourself - not for anyone else, your family, the England Cricket Team, or world but just for yourself, what would that wish be?
Solomon was in that enviable position. He had come to the throne of Israel after his father, David, had died. David, who had weathered a very complicated life, had chosen Solomon over his oldest, extremely ambitious, and cunning son, Adonijah, and other possible pretenders who might try to usurp power after his death. David had ruled the nation for forty years and been, mainly, a much loved and respected figure with most of the people. The people were anxious that this new and very young king and what the future would bring. Solomon began by offering sacrifices showing his love for God. So, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream - a good lesson to always pay attention to your dreams - and asked him what he desired most. Solomon could choose. He did not ask for a long life or riches or for the death of his enemies. He asked instead for the one quality he needed to rule with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. He asked God for wisdom. Solomon chose wisely. In response God promised him more wisdom and understanding than anyone ever had before or will ever have again AND the blessings he had not asked for - long life, wealth, and honour. Right after this dream Solomon issued his wise judgment in the famous case of the two women arguing about who was the true mother of a baby. Through much of Solomon's reign, included the building of the Jerusalem temple and peace in the region, Israel experienced a true golden age.
Wisdom is one of God's gifts. It is to know and choose to work for justice and to know the difference between good and evil. It was so important to the Hebrews and the early Christians that the word and its derivatives are used 216 times throughout the Bible. It is a recurring theme amonst the prophets, and in all of Jesus' teachings. The word Wisdom implies intellectual knowledge, the discernment of the extraordinary in the ordinary, empathy for the experiences of others, and good, old-fashioned common sense behind such sayings as that of Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanac: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." But wisdom must also be exemplified by acting justly and knowing the difference between good and evil. I am certain that most of us seek wisdom in all sorts of ways self-help books, like myself reading a book on healthy diets in Borders in Birmingham on my day off, from advice columnists, perhaps from different kinds of therapists, in social conversation, from Oprah Winfrey, perhaps the internet. We look to sources we can trust. I suggest that the best source is God.
That is why it is vital to pray and ask for God's help before making any major decision. That is why we open church meetings with prayer. Faith and wisdom act as partners, and we cannot easily have one without the other. The Book of Proverbs, that King Solomon and his scribes wrote and collated, begins with this relationship.
In verse seven of the first chapter we read, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction." In fact it goes further than that, for many read into the Wisdom described in the first few chapters of Proverbs a manifestation of God; interestingly it’s a female noun, and many feminists argue from this for a more balanced view of God, the Logos, the word of God, in the Hebrew Testament, the Bread of life to sustain us in our everyday decisions.
In asking for wisdom, implicitly we are asking to be shown us how to act compassionately and justly toward others, discerning right from wrong in everyday situations, seeking to make godly decisions and to follow them through. That can be at home in our families, in our streets with those we live near, in our town, our work, who we vote for, what we lobby for. Our world needs to embrace wisdom instead of seeking fame and fortune, physical beauty, and military might. It is, amongst other things choosing sensible banking systems and filling in claims forms honestly.
To seek wisdom is to have the faith to rely on God and to let go of our own personal desires, to act justly toward others and not worry too much about our of our needs, to know the difference between good and evil and realize the consequences our actions ahead of the actions. Our lifestyle choices today will affect our children and grandchildren which is why I bought a smaller car to drive around in and recycle all I can. We seek wisdom through prayer, by reading and really understanding the work of Jesus Christ on earth; his continual challenging of oppressive powers, of siding witrh the marginalised, lifting up the lowly. We seek wisdom directly also through that incredibly subtle guidance, the nudges, the quiet inspiration, of the Holy Spirit.
Often we find wisdom by learning from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. And we always find wisdom through seeking the God who created us and loves us, always with us, and God’s rule on earth. That is what Solomon chose as more important than anything, fame, power, wealth. But there is a warning in the story of Solomon. Later in his life, his wealth and power seemed to go to his head and he lost his focus on God; he began to worship other gods, developed a colossal harem in his vanity and oppressed his people. Perhaps the greatest wisdom of all is the humility to keep on asking for wisdom throughout our lives, including today.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
The Generousity of God
Andy’s Final Sermon: 26th July 2009 (Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21)
Little Johnny was telling his mother about Sunday school "Boy," he exclaimed Johnny "that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was something!" "Tell me all about it," said his mother. "Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. But the Jews outran them to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army closed in. So Moses got on his mobile and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!" The woman was shocked, and asked, "Is that the way they taught you the story?" "Well… really" admitted Johnny, "but if I told you the way they told it to us, you'd never believe it, Mum". And the same variation on the story might have applied to feeding 5000?
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord is the commission to all I give at the end of this service. How we do that, and why, is what this sermon is all about. Todays’ readings show us both how and why. In the Gospel reading Jesus turns someone’s lunchbox into a party for thousands with baskets of food left over. An amazing miracle, but it also points to how we care for others, a generosity reflecting Jesus’ – the ‘How?’ The first reading is Saint Paul praying a blessing on the church at Ephesus in their ministry. I pray the same for you on yours, whether your ministry is at St Luke’s or elsewhere. That’s the ‘Why?’
First, HOW? The Gospel reading is a miracle in it’s own right but it’s more than that. It reveals a greater love for God even than for the crowd. Numbers have greater significance in Hebrew thought than in our own, they mean something. 5 and 12 relate to the Jewish people i.e. 5 books in the history of Isarel before they entered the ‘Promised Land’ or 12 – the number of tribes of Israel. And the baskets used were Jewish baskets. This is the first of two such miracles. In this, 5000 (men) are fed, as well as their families, and 12 baskets are filled. In the second feeding (Matt. 15: 32-39, Mark 8:1-10), the numbers change, 4000 men (+families), 7 gentile baskets , the numbers 4 and 7 significant in relation to gentiles. Both feedings genuinely respond to a practical need, but there is this significance in the numbers which Jesus makes clear in Mark 8:14-21. The miracles a clear statement of intent. Jesus had come first to the the Jews as the ‘people of God’, but his ministry was preparing the way for a greater ministry to the Gentiles. He starts locally, but goes out beyond - the greater generosity of God, to all people; the ‘How?’
It sets a pattern for us. We begin where we are, with those around us. We learn to love them practically, - our families (often the hardest) our neighbours, those in our churches, those at work. It’s only after that do we look wider. Any who are called into ministry eslehwere must first be seen to do, and want to do, ministry where they are; as we share love with those around us we then learn to go wider to share with those beyond our close circle. In the Autumn, for instance, St Luke’s will be linking with St Paul’s, sharing more, not least a Vicar. That process has already begun and links are being made. Some of you are getting involved in the Deanery and seeing the need to work together to minister to the needs of Walsall. Some of you, like Richard, are already involved in the wider community of the church. Others of you minister through your work, or through neighbourhood groups, or your home. So we come to church to receive, in order to go out to minister. How do we minister? – in the generosity of Christ himself.
Second, WHY? What do expect to receive? What might you receive? Paul prays this blessing for the Ephesians – and for all who follow Christ – including us. What does Paul tell us we might receive from God, beyond what we already do receive? Paul tells us we are ‘being strengthened in our inner being’. That has a lot do with being still with Christ. I love the buzz at the beginning of services as people greet each other, but we also need some stillness just to receive from Christ, to experience him directly. Paul prays that we are ‘rooted and grounded in love’.
Before we can give, we must first receive. Before we can love, we must first be loved. We are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, his mercy and his compassion we read about again and again in the Bible. See how Jesus reacts to other people; that is the love God has for us. When we struggle, God struggles with us, when we suffer, God weeps with us; when we rejoice, heaven joins in! That way, Paul says, we can begin to understand the ‘breadth and length and height’ of the love of God. I say begin; our lifetimes are not enough to understand the full extent of that love- the love of Christ that ‘surpasses understanding’. Make space to go on retreat – keep Sunday special for you, in order that the rest of the week becomes special for others, through you.
Both readings speak of the great generosity of God, which breaks down barriers and reaches out to people unlike ourselves. It’s a generosity that welcomed a Londoner as your Vicar 14 years ago. It’s a generosity that means minimising business so that our ministry in all its forms can continue for the sake of the wider community. And I’m sure that generosity will also apply to Mark Kinder. Our generosity comes from this incredible generosity of God, which we need to come back to find, Sunday by Sunday, to experience the love of God, so that we have the resources to go back intot he world with the love of God, and to help others see it too. Why do we minister? Because God first ministers, in love, to us.
Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord. How and Why? How?In the generosity of God. Why? God has loved us first and calls us to share with that same gnerosity. I leave today but our ministries will continue. My prayer today is that your ministry will continue to share that amazing generosity of God with all those you are involved with now, and many you have yet to meet. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord – Go in his generosity – and go in his love & peace. That is my prayer for you in your ministry in Walsall.
Little Johnny was telling his mother about Sunday school "Boy," he exclaimed Johnny "that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was something!" "Tell me all about it," said his mother. "Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. But the Jews outran them to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army closed in. So Moses got on his mobile and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!" The woman was shocked, and asked, "Is that the way they taught you the story?" "Well… really" admitted Johnny, "but if I told you the way they told it to us, you'd never believe it, Mum". And the same variation on the story might have applied to feeding 5000?
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord is the commission to all I give at the end of this service. How we do that, and why, is what this sermon is all about. Todays’ readings show us both how and why. In the Gospel reading Jesus turns someone’s lunchbox into a party for thousands with baskets of food left over. An amazing miracle, but it also points to how we care for others, a generosity reflecting Jesus’ – the ‘How?’ The first reading is Saint Paul praying a blessing on the church at Ephesus in their ministry. I pray the same for you on yours, whether your ministry is at St Luke’s or elsewhere. That’s the ‘Why?’
First, HOW? The Gospel reading is a miracle in it’s own right but it’s more than that. It reveals a greater love for God even than for the crowd. Numbers have greater significance in Hebrew thought than in our own, they mean something. 5 and 12 relate to the Jewish people i.e. 5 books in the history of Isarel before they entered the ‘Promised Land’ or 12 – the number of tribes of Israel. And the baskets used were Jewish baskets. This is the first of two such miracles. In this, 5000 (men) are fed, as well as their families, and 12 baskets are filled. In the second feeding (Matt. 15: 32-39, Mark 8:1-10), the numbers change, 4000 men (+families), 7 gentile baskets , the numbers 4 and 7 significant in relation to gentiles. Both feedings genuinely respond to a practical need, but there is this significance in the numbers which Jesus makes clear in Mark 8:14-21. The miracles a clear statement of intent. Jesus had come first to the the Jews as the ‘people of God’, but his ministry was preparing the way for a greater ministry to the Gentiles. He starts locally, but goes out beyond - the greater generosity of God, to all people; the ‘How?’
It sets a pattern for us. We begin where we are, with those around us. We learn to love them practically, - our families (often the hardest) our neighbours, those in our churches, those at work. It’s only after that do we look wider. Any who are called into ministry eslehwere must first be seen to do, and want to do, ministry where they are; as we share love with those around us we then learn to go wider to share with those beyond our close circle. In the Autumn, for instance, St Luke’s will be linking with St Paul’s, sharing more, not least a Vicar. That process has already begun and links are being made. Some of you are getting involved in the Deanery and seeing the need to work together to minister to the needs of Walsall. Some of you, like Richard, are already involved in the wider community of the church. Others of you minister through your work, or through neighbourhood groups, or your home. So we come to church to receive, in order to go out to minister. How do we minister? – in the generosity of Christ himself.
Second, WHY? What do expect to receive? What might you receive? Paul prays this blessing for the Ephesians – and for all who follow Christ – including us. What does Paul tell us we might receive from God, beyond what we already do receive? Paul tells us we are ‘being strengthened in our inner being’. That has a lot do with being still with Christ. I love the buzz at the beginning of services as people greet each other, but we also need some stillness just to receive from Christ, to experience him directly. Paul prays that we are ‘rooted and grounded in love’.
Before we can give, we must first receive. Before we can love, we must first be loved. We are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, his mercy and his compassion we read about again and again in the Bible. See how Jesus reacts to other people; that is the love God has for us. When we struggle, God struggles with us, when we suffer, God weeps with us; when we rejoice, heaven joins in! That way, Paul says, we can begin to understand the ‘breadth and length and height’ of the love of God. I say begin; our lifetimes are not enough to understand the full extent of that love- the love of Christ that ‘surpasses understanding’. Make space to go on retreat – keep Sunday special for you, in order that the rest of the week becomes special for others, through you.
Both readings speak of the great generosity of God, which breaks down barriers and reaches out to people unlike ourselves. It’s a generosity that welcomed a Londoner as your Vicar 14 years ago. It’s a generosity that means minimising business so that our ministry in all its forms can continue for the sake of the wider community. And I’m sure that generosity will also apply to Mark Kinder. Our generosity comes from this incredible generosity of God, which we need to come back to find, Sunday by Sunday, to experience the love of God, so that we have the resources to go back intot he world with the love of God, and to help others see it too. Why do we minister? Because God first ministers, in love, to us.
Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord. How and Why? How?In the generosity of God. Why? God has loved us first and calls us to share with that same gnerosity. I leave today but our ministries will continue. My prayer today is that your ministry will continue to share that amazing generosity of God with all those you are involved with now, and many you have yet to meet. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord – Go in his generosity – and go in his love & peace. That is my prayer for you in your ministry in Walsall.
Water into Wine?
Sermon for 7th June 2009 (Isaiah 6:1-8; John 3:1-17)
A clergyman is driving to London when he gets stopped for speeding. The policeman smells alcohol on his breath, and notices an empty wine bottle on the passenger seat, and asks "Sir, have you been drinking?" The vicar replies, "Only water officer". The policeman asks, "Could you explain the smell of wine in this car, Sir?" The vicar looks down at the bottle and says, "Good Lord, he's done it again!"
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the Sunday we set aside to try, again, to explain this incredible truth that God is three and God is one. Hard ‘though it is to understand, what we understand about the nature of the Trinity will affect how we act as Christians. If we believed in a warlike God, we would be warlike ourselves. If we see God as judgmental, we too, will be judgmental. Down the ages people have struggled with this notion. Some have rejected it altogether with disastrous consequences. One early theologian, who we now call a heretic, called Markion, believed that there was not one God but two, one angry judgmental God for the Old Testament period, and one loving, gentle one that became visible in Jesus, the new kicking out the old. A century or so later along came a North African theologian called Arius who believed in one God but not in the Trinity and used to write choruses along the lines of ‘There really only is one God…’ Perhaps influenced by Arius’ ideas, along came Mohammed three centuries later and rejected Christianity almost completely starting a new religion where there is only one God, making Jesus just a prophet, albeit the second greatest, after himself. Ironically the institutionalized church reacted not by sending loving missionaries to re-convert the Arab world but crusaders. So what we believe about the Trinity matters.
Given that, at first these readings may seem strange choices of readings for Trinity Sunday. After all neither mentions the Trinity, but then you will not find the word ‘Trinity' anywhere in the Bible, and you have to look pretty hard to find the Trinity in these readings. The first is about a prophet kissing a burning coal, the second about the patron saint of moths. The first is about Isaiah’s call from God. The coal-kissing comes in a vision Isaiah has of God as God commissions him. Where is the Trinity in this reading? It is implied only: ‘Who will go for us?’ asks God. God is not speaking about himself or herself and the angels, but about God’s-self as plurality, as more than one, as community.
In the second reading, Nicodemus shows himself to be the patron saint of moths; he only come out at night and is he drawn to the Light. Where is the Trinity in this? Jesus just assumes it. He talks of the Spirit blowing where she wills, giving literal and spiritual life to those she wills. It is she who allows people to be ‘born again’ into the kingdom of God. And what draws people to God, the love of the Father, seen in the love of the Son: God so loved the world that he sent his only Son…’. The Trinity as a word is never used in the Bible but it is assumed from beginning to end. So what is this Trinity is like? What is our model?
Firstly God is community, as implied in the Isaiah reading. In Rublev’s icon, Rublev brilliantly paints the Trinity, as recognisably similar, of the same family, but different, and he does so not in the usual slightly hard-edged masculine image but a gentler, kinder, more feminine style. The three share a space; they are together and separate; co-dependant, but acting freely. If we understand the Trinity, then we realise that we, too, have been given to each other, recognisably similar, of one family, but different, bringing different gifts and personalities to make us whole. God as community means ‘The Peace’ and Coffee-after-church are as important as the sermon or communion. It’s about sharing a common life.
Second, the Trinity is generosity. There is no competition here. The Father looks at the Son, who looks to the Spirit who looks to the Father. None is above the others. All commend each other. Each is gift to the others. Our churches should be like that. There is no competition here, for space, for position. Each should be looking to see in what ways we can give to the others, sharing what we have, or money, our time, our energy, our cars, our homes, for the sake of others in our churches. God is generosity.
Finally, God is love (1 John 4: 16). The three persons of the godhead are more than just generous towards each other. Each loves, without measure, the others. In Rublev’s icon, each look towards the others, with love. Even their bodies are turned towards each other. In the church it not enough that we do not gossip about each other or hurt each other in other ways. We are called beyond community which rubs alongside each other, beyond mere generosity, but called to value each other and love each other, not for what we can get from other people, but what we can share with them, and for each person in themselves. Yesterday Mike Mitton told a story of an old lady in his church who loves ‘Matins’ but in his church things are rather more relaxed than that; not her style. Mike asked her how she felt about that. “It’s not my style but you brought love to this church”. That is true of God; it should be true of us, as well.
Not surprisingly his tiny little church in Derby has grown. As we learn to love, so will this church again.
A clergyman is driving to London when he gets stopped for speeding. The policeman smells alcohol on his breath, and notices an empty wine bottle on the passenger seat, and asks "Sir, have you been drinking?" The vicar replies, "Only water officer". The policeman asks, "Could you explain the smell of wine in this car, Sir?" The vicar looks down at the bottle and says, "Good Lord, he's done it again!"
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the Sunday we set aside to try, again, to explain this incredible truth that God is three and God is one. Hard ‘though it is to understand, what we understand about the nature of the Trinity will affect how we act as Christians. If we believed in a warlike God, we would be warlike ourselves. If we see God as judgmental, we too, will be judgmental. Down the ages people have struggled with this notion. Some have rejected it altogether with disastrous consequences. One early theologian, who we now call a heretic, called Markion, believed that there was not one God but two, one angry judgmental God for the Old Testament period, and one loving, gentle one that became visible in Jesus, the new kicking out the old. A century or so later along came a North African theologian called Arius who believed in one God but not in the Trinity and used to write choruses along the lines of ‘There really only is one God…’ Perhaps influenced by Arius’ ideas, along came Mohammed three centuries later and rejected Christianity almost completely starting a new religion where there is only one God, making Jesus just a prophet, albeit the second greatest, after himself. Ironically the institutionalized church reacted not by sending loving missionaries to re-convert the Arab world but crusaders. So what we believe about the Trinity matters.
Given that, at first these readings may seem strange choices of readings for Trinity Sunday. After all neither mentions the Trinity, but then you will not find the word ‘Trinity' anywhere in the Bible, and you have to look pretty hard to find the Trinity in these readings. The first is about a prophet kissing a burning coal, the second about the patron saint of moths. The first is about Isaiah’s call from God. The coal-kissing comes in a vision Isaiah has of God as God commissions him. Where is the Trinity in this reading? It is implied only: ‘Who will go for us?’ asks God. God is not speaking about himself or herself and the angels, but about God’s-self as plurality, as more than one, as community.
In the second reading, Nicodemus shows himself to be the patron saint of moths; he only come out at night and is he drawn to the Light. Where is the Trinity in this? Jesus just assumes it. He talks of the Spirit blowing where she wills, giving literal and spiritual life to those she wills. It is she who allows people to be ‘born again’ into the kingdom of God. And what draws people to God, the love of the Father, seen in the love of the Son: God so loved the world that he sent his only Son…’. The Trinity as a word is never used in the Bible but it is assumed from beginning to end. So what is this Trinity is like? What is our model?
Firstly God is community, as implied in the Isaiah reading. In Rublev’s icon, Rublev brilliantly paints the Trinity, as recognisably similar, of the same family, but different, and he does so not in the usual slightly hard-edged masculine image but a gentler, kinder, more feminine style. The three share a space; they are together and separate; co-dependant, but acting freely. If we understand the Trinity, then we realise that we, too, have been given to each other, recognisably similar, of one family, but different, bringing different gifts and personalities to make us whole. God as community means ‘The Peace’ and Coffee-after-church are as important as the sermon or communion. It’s about sharing a common life.
Second, the Trinity is generosity. There is no competition here. The Father looks at the Son, who looks to the Spirit who looks to the Father. None is above the others. All commend each other. Each is gift to the others. Our churches should be like that. There is no competition here, for space, for position. Each should be looking to see in what ways we can give to the others, sharing what we have, or money, our time, our energy, our cars, our homes, for the sake of others in our churches. God is generosity.
Finally, God is love (1 John 4: 16). The three persons of the godhead are more than just generous towards each other. Each loves, without measure, the others. In Rublev’s icon, each look towards the others, with love. Even their bodies are turned towards each other. In the church it not enough that we do not gossip about each other or hurt each other in other ways. We are called beyond community which rubs alongside each other, beyond mere generosity, but called to value each other and love each other, not for what we can get from other people, but what we can share with them, and for each person in themselves. Yesterday Mike Mitton told a story of an old lady in his church who loves ‘Matins’ but in his church things are rather more relaxed than that; not her style. Mike asked her how she felt about that. “It’s not my style but you brought love to this church”. That is true of God; it should be true of us, as well.
Not surprisingly his tiny little church in Derby has grown. As we learn to love, so will this church again.
Something to do with love
Sermon for 21st Dec (Psalm 89:1·8; Luke 1:39·56)
A very religious couple was touring the Holy land during the Christmas season and decided it would be very meaningful to them to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus. Arriving there, they searched high and low for a room, but none was available at any price. Finally, they pulled up in front of the Sheraton·Bethlehem and the husband got out of the car, telling his wife: "Stay here, sweetie. let me see if I can do something for us." He approached the desk and the clerk told him there were no rooms. "Sorry, Sir. It's Christmas Eve, our busiest time." No matter how much the man offered to pay, the clerk said he had nothing. Finally, the man told the clerk, "I bet if I told you my name was Joseph, that the woman waiting in the car was called Mary, and that she had a newborn infant, you'd find us a room." 'Well," stammered the clerk, "1_1 suppose so." "Okay," said the man. "I guarantee you, they're not coming tonight, so we'll take their room."
The story is told of William Phelps who taught English literature at Yale back in the early 1900s. Once, as he was marking an examination paper just before Christmas, Phelps found a near·blank answer sheet on which a student had scribbled, "Only God knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." Phelps returned the paper with this note: "God gets an A. You get an F. Happy New Year."
The same might be said about Jesus coming to earth as a human being? A great mystery. And the answer has something to do with love.
In fact, it's full of mysteries, how does a woman conceive without a man, or IVF treatment (not available then), how does she survive the shame of being pregnant before marriage, and worse the danger of that having nothing to do with Joseph - adultery and stoning! Yet the greater mystery is why God should come to earth at all. This is God, from the beginning, before the earth, before the Milky Way, the universe, the Big Bang, before time itself. This was God, creator of Mary, Joseph, Israel, the Romans, the human race, every living thing and the planet they walk on, even the Big Bang itself. This is God who gives life to the seed in Mary's womb, to Mary and to every living thing. This is God who lives in glory as the community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet one. This is God who lives in unimaginable glory with armies of angels worshipping him. Why come here? Why become human? Why to this obscure little country, to a tiny town, to a girl barely a woman and a jobbing carpenter, in a grotty animal pen, to be worshipped by the lowest in society and by strangers not accepted by the religious institutions. Why give up so much, for what must have seemed so little, for some so great. It's a mystery, but it has something to do with love.
And why do we give up our time, our comfort places, sometimes even our reputations, to get up to worship each Sunday, to serve him in the week, to stand up for others, in fact do anything that common sense tells us it would be easier, more comfortable, more secure, not to do. It's a mystery, but it has something to do with love.
A very religious couple was touring the Holy land during the Christmas season and decided it would be very meaningful to them to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus. Arriving there, they searched high and low for a room, but none was available at any price. Finally, they pulled up in front of the Sheraton·Bethlehem and the husband got out of the car, telling his wife: "Stay here, sweetie. let me see if I can do something for us." He approached the desk and the clerk told him there were no rooms. "Sorry, Sir. It's Christmas Eve, our busiest time." No matter how much the man offered to pay, the clerk said he had nothing. Finally, the man told the clerk, "I bet if I told you my name was Joseph, that the woman waiting in the car was called Mary, and that she had a newborn infant, you'd find us a room." 'Well," stammered the clerk, "1_1 suppose so." "Okay," said the man. "I guarantee you, they're not coming tonight, so we'll take their room."
The story is told of William Phelps who taught English literature at Yale back in the early 1900s. Once, as he was marking an examination paper just before Christmas, Phelps found a near·blank answer sheet on which a student had scribbled, "Only God knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas." Phelps returned the paper with this note: "God gets an A. You get an F. Happy New Year."
The same might be said about Jesus coming to earth as a human being? A great mystery. And the answer has something to do with love.
In fact, it's full of mysteries, how does a woman conceive without a man, or IVF treatment (not available then), how does she survive the shame of being pregnant before marriage, and worse the danger of that having nothing to do with Joseph - adultery and stoning! Yet the greater mystery is why God should come to earth at all. This is God, from the beginning, before the earth, before the Milky Way, the universe, the Big Bang, before time itself. This was God, creator of Mary, Joseph, Israel, the Romans, the human race, every living thing and the planet they walk on, even the Big Bang itself. This is God who gives life to the seed in Mary's womb, to Mary and to every living thing. This is God who lives in glory as the community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet one. This is God who lives in unimaginable glory with armies of angels worshipping him. Why come here? Why become human? Why to this obscure little country, to a tiny town, to a girl barely a woman and a jobbing carpenter, in a grotty animal pen, to be worshipped by the lowest in society and by strangers not accepted by the religious institutions. Why give up so much, for what must have seemed so little, for some so great. It's a mystery, but it has something to do with love.
And why do we give up our time, our comfort places, sometimes even our reputations, to get up to worship each Sunday, to serve him in the week, to stand up for others, in fact do anything that common sense tells us it would be easier, more comfortable, more secure, not to do. It's a mystery, but it has something to do with love.
Looking after each other
Sermon for 15th February 2009 (1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1; Mark 1:40-45)
A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mum," she said, "Can we leave now?" "No" her mother replied. "Well, I think I have to throw up!" "Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush." A minute later the little girl returned to her seat. "Did you throw up?" Mum asked. "Yes." "How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" "I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick'.
The moral behaviour of a person is ruled by what they see as right or wrong. For the traditional Jew right and wrong is determined by the Law. What the Law permits is right and what the Law forbids is wrong. In our present culture, right and wrong depends, often, on how you feel about a course of action. The author Ernest Hemingway write, “What is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” Traditional Jewish morality tends to legalism, rules, that is, putting the letter of the law before flesh-and-blood human needs. Popular Western morality, on the other hand, leads to a subjective morality in which the rightness or wrongness of what we do depends on how we feel about it. The Christian in the modern world is caught between these conflicting systems of morality.
Today, in the 2nd reading from 1st Corinthians, Paul gives us an alternative standard of morality based specifically on the teachings of Christ. According to Paul, whether an action is right or wrong depends on whether or not it contributes to the spiritual welfare and practical of others. In using this standard of morality, Paul the Jew rejects both traditional Jewish legalism and popular Western individualism.
Paul rejects traditional Jewish moral legalism by reaffirming the freedom of the children of God in Christ regarding the Jewish Law. For Christians “All things are lawful but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:24). He also rejects popular Western relativism by reaffirming the guiding Christian duty of love of neighbour; that implies that we put the interest of others before our own. “Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other” (verse 24). The freedom of the children of God and the Christian duty of love of neighbour are the two sides of the one coin that Paul sees as the standard of Christian morality. To show how this principle works in practice Paul takes the example of whether or not a Christian should eat meat offered to idols.
To resolve the case, Paul first appeals to the fundamental Christian belief that there is only one God and the world and all it contains belongs to Him. That means we are free from ritual acts regarding beliefs in other gods; these we know to be nothing but superstitions. So, we can eat meat offered to idols since there are no ‘gods’ other than the one God that we believe in. So following Christian belief, Christians could eat meat offered to idols.
Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, 26 for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.” 27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience (1 Corinthians 10:25-27).
That however, is only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is thinking about the effect that might have on others. We are free to eat, yes, but if our eating scandalises a weaker brother or sister and leads them astray, then we should not eat. That is not because it is wrong or sinful but because we care for our less-informed neighbour.
But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience-- 29 I mean the other's conscience, not your own (1 Corinthians 10:28-29).
So, in practice, love of neighbour overrides our freedom to eat meat offered to idols. Love rules.
Paul here gives us a new absolute standard of morality, which the Society of Jesus has adopted as its motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) = To the Greater Glory of God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (verse 31). Whatever we do is for the greater glory of God not just in our lives, in the lives of our neighbour, in the community, in our workplace, our bank or building Society and in our world.
This is the Christian standard of right and wrong that Paul teaches us today. We pray God to give us the wisdom to follow this rule of life rather than either rules or ‘what feels okay to me’, wherever we are and whoever we are with, for their sake, as well as ours.
A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mum," she said, "Can we leave now?" "No" her mother replied. "Well, I think I have to throw up!" "Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush." A minute later the little girl returned to her seat. "Did you throw up?" Mum asked. "Yes." "How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" "I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick'.
The moral behaviour of a person is ruled by what they see as right or wrong. For the traditional Jew right and wrong is determined by the Law. What the Law permits is right and what the Law forbids is wrong. In our present culture, right and wrong depends, often, on how you feel about a course of action. The author Ernest Hemingway write, “What is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” Traditional Jewish morality tends to legalism, rules, that is, putting the letter of the law before flesh-and-blood human needs. Popular Western morality, on the other hand, leads to a subjective morality in which the rightness or wrongness of what we do depends on how we feel about it. The Christian in the modern world is caught between these conflicting systems of morality.
Today, in the 2nd reading from 1st Corinthians, Paul gives us an alternative standard of morality based specifically on the teachings of Christ. According to Paul, whether an action is right or wrong depends on whether or not it contributes to the spiritual welfare and practical of others. In using this standard of morality, Paul the Jew rejects both traditional Jewish legalism and popular Western individualism.
Paul rejects traditional Jewish moral legalism by reaffirming the freedom of the children of God in Christ regarding the Jewish Law. For Christians “All things are lawful but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:24). He also rejects popular Western relativism by reaffirming the guiding Christian duty of love of neighbour; that implies that we put the interest of others before our own. “Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other” (verse 24). The freedom of the children of God and the Christian duty of love of neighbour are the two sides of the one coin that Paul sees as the standard of Christian morality. To show how this principle works in practice Paul takes the example of whether or not a Christian should eat meat offered to idols.
To resolve the case, Paul first appeals to the fundamental Christian belief that there is only one God and the world and all it contains belongs to Him. That means we are free from ritual acts regarding beliefs in other gods; these we know to be nothing but superstitions. So, we can eat meat offered to idols since there are no ‘gods’ other than the one God that we believe in. So following Christian belief, Christians could eat meat offered to idols.
Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, 26 for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.” 27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience (1 Corinthians 10:25-27).
That however, is only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is thinking about the effect that might have on others. We are free to eat, yes, but if our eating scandalises a weaker brother or sister and leads them astray, then we should not eat. That is not because it is wrong or sinful but because we care for our less-informed neighbour.
But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience-- 29 I mean the other's conscience, not your own (1 Corinthians 10:28-29).
So, in practice, love of neighbour overrides our freedom to eat meat offered to idols. Love rules.
Paul here gives us a new absolute standard of morality, which the Society of Jesus has adopted as its motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) = To the Greater Glory of God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (verse 31). Whatever we do is for the greater glory of God not just in our lives, in the lives of our neighbour, in the community, in our workplace, our bank or building Society and in our world.
This is the Christian standard of right and wrong that Paul teaches us today. We pray God to give us the wisdom to follow this rule of life rather than either rules or ‘what feels okay to me’, wherever we are and whoever we are with, for their sake, as well as ours.
Have you the Courage?
Sermon for 9th Nov (Isaiah 2: 1-4; Matt 5:38-41)
A woman and her husband interrupted their holiday to go to a dentist. "I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want painkillers as I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just pull the tooth as quickly as possible,
and we'll be on our way." The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly very brave"
he said. "Which tooth is it?" The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."
A story of courage? Today is all about courage, not just about remembering people who had courage, or not in war, but also courage to commit ourselves to preventing war from happening. I am going to suggest two ways we can at least reduce the likelihood of wars happening:
i) – peaceful change - not to assume change requires wars to happen,
ii) – justice - to take away the need for wars.
i) Peace. Our whole society assumes that the only way to peace is have wars; that’s why we spend billions every year on weapons as a nation every year. So what does Jesus say? In the Gospel reading, Jesus has this strange idea of turning the other cheek – does that mean we just give in and become doormats? No. In Jesus time, under Roman law, if you had a problem with an equal you could sort it out with your fists. Now, since they did not use their left fists (as is still the case in that region the left hand is used for wiping your bottom so is ‘unclean’ so is not used for eating of fighting) it meant hitting with the right fist – which cheek? the left cheek. The only way you can hit someone on the right cheek as in Jesus saying, is to slap them with the back of the hand; its an insult to someone over whom you had power. It was a means of control, a humiliation. So is Jesus saying ‘Give in’? No. If you turn to him the other (left) cheek suddenly you put you attacker in a difficult position because the only way to hit the person would be to use your fist; in effect they would have to make them their equal! Your attacker is disempowered from attacking, or the system of abuse breaks down. The principle Jesus is establishing is that it’s not right to give in when someone abuses their position of power; you have to think of ways that take away that person’s power over you. In World War II Denmark, as elsewhere, all Jews had to wear yellow stars. The Danish people chose to all wear stars. The power system broke down. In America Martin Luther King changed America without bloody revolution; this week a black president was sworn in, all through non-violent methods. In India Gandhi threw out the greatest empire in the world for the loss of a few thousand people. In each case it was by winning the moral argument uncovering the evil of the system of oppression. After World War I, the allies failed the world by punishing all of Germany instead of just its leaders, humiliating the nation, making World War II almost inevitable. In the Philippines non-violent revolution ended a dictatorship for the loss of just 121 lives. In Poland Russia’s grip was broken by Solidarity peacefully. In 1989-90 alone, fourteen nations underwent nonviolent revolutions, all but one successful, involving 1.7 billion people. If we total all the nonviolent movements of the twentieth century, the figure comes to 3.4 billion people, and again, most were successful. And yet there are people who still insist that nonviolence doesn't work! There is always a cost but compared to war or revolution its nothing. It’s Jesus way. It’s a costly way. Could you have the courage for this way?
ii) Justice. Why do wars happen? Almost always through injustice. Germany rightly felt aggrieved after the First World War. Terrorism against the West is justified by the injustices by the West against the third world. Wars are fought over drugs; even in this country desperate addicts use violence and robbery to fuel their addiction. Drugs are grown in Columbia and Peru by farmers who get so little for their produce from greedy supermarkets that they can only survive by growing drugs. Iraq only happened because the west wanted control of cheap fuel for their cars. We want things cheap; we can force people to produce desperately cheap; that makes for an angry world. – Rich vs. Poor. While we take advantage of the world, terrorism and the threat of war will always be with us. The papers are rightly saying that Obama’s first objectives will be to undo the damage caused by Bush, but we can play our part. We had to replace our car last week; we’ve bought one a much smaller Toyota Yaris; it does 55 mpg! We’re looking at the feasibility of using solar energy for this church. Reducing our need for fuel will someday save us repeating the Iraq war; it might also even save our planet from destruction. On Friday we went shopping in three Fair-Trade shops and spent about £250 on Fair-Trade clothes and Christmas presents. A drop in the bucket? Yes, but enough drops fill buckets. Enough people change cultures. Saving the environment and Fair-trade are becoming a selling points – our culture of greed is beginning to change. We can help it happen, it costs; it takes courage.
Today we remember wars not to glorify them. This is not about making an eyeless, toothless world. Instead, its about having the courage to reduce the likelihood of wars. In Isaiah's vision of God’s world we stop making ‘spears’ or in our case nuclear bombs and tanks and start building renewable energy plants, and pay farmers fairly; a world where justice, not wars solves our problems. It may not stop all wars. It makes them a lot less likely. Jesus’ way, I believe, is a better way – but it does take courage.
A woman and her husband interrupted their holiday to go to a dentist. "I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want painkillers as I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just pull the tooth as quickly as possible,
and we'll be on our way." The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly very brave"
he said. "Which tooth is it?" The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."
A story of courage? Today is all about courage, not just about remembering people who had courage, or not in war, but also courage to commit ourselves to preventing war from happening. I am going to suggest two ways we can at least reduce the likelihood of wars happening:
i) – peaceful change - not to assume change requires wars to happen,
ii) – justice - to take away the need for wars.
i) Peace. Our whole society assumes that the only way to peace is have wars; that’s why we spend billions every year on weapons as a nation every year. So what does Jesus say? In the Gospel reading, Jesus has this strange idea of turning the other cheek – does that mean we just give in and become doormats? No. In Jesus time, under Roman law, if you had a problem with an equal you could sort it out with your fists. Now, since they did not use their left fists (as is still the case in that region the left hand is used for wiping your bottom so is ‘unclean’ so is not used for eating of fighting) it meant hitting with the right fist – which cheek? the left cheek. The only way you can hit someone on the right cheek as in Jesus saying, is to slap them with the back of the hand; its an insult to someone over whom you had power. It was a means of control, a humiliation. So is Jesus saying ‘Give in’? No. If you turn to him the other (left) cheek suddenly you put you attacker in a difficult position because the only way to hit the person would be to use your fist; in effect they would have to make them their equal! Your attacker is disempowered from attacking, or the system of abuse breaks down. The principle Jesus is establishing is that it’s not right to give in when someone abuses their position of power; you have to think of ways that take away that person’s power over you. In World War II Denmark, as elsewhere, all Jews had to wear yellow stars. The Danish people chose to all wear stars. The power system broke down. In America Martin Luther King changed America without bloody revolution; this week a black president was sworn in, all through non-violent methods. In India Gandhi threw out the greatest empire in the world for the loss of a few thousand people. In each case it was by winning the moral argument uncovering the evil of the system of oppression. After World War I, the allies failed the world by punishing all of Germany instead of just its leaders, humiliating the nation, making World War II almost inevitable. In the Philippines non-violent revolution ended a dictatorship for the loss of just 121 lives. In Poland Russia’s grip was broken by Solidarity peacefully. In 1989-90 alone, fourteen nations underwent nonviolent revolutions, all but one successful, involving 1.7 billion people. If we total all the nonviolent movements of the twentieth century, the figure comes to 3.4 billion people, and again, most were successful. And yet there are people who still insist that nonviolence doesn't work! There is always a cost but compared to war or revolution its nothing. It’s Jesus way. It’s a costly way. Could you have the courage for this way?
ii) Justice. Why do wars happen? Almost always through injustice. Germany rightly felt aggrieved after the First World War. Terrorism against the West is justified by the injustices by the West against the third world. Wars are fought over drugs; even in this country desperate addicts use violence and robbery to fuel their addiction. Drugs are grown in Columbia and Peru by farmers who get so little for their produce from greedy supermarkets that they can only survive by growing drugs. Iraq only happened because the west wanted control of cheap fuel for their cars. We want things cheap; we can force people to produce desperately cheap; that makes for an angry world. – Rich vs. Poor. While we take advantage of the world, terrorism and the threat of war will always be with us. The papers are rightly saying that Obama’s first objectives will be to undo the damage caused by Bush, but we can play our part. We had to replace our car last week; we’ve bought one a much smaller Toyota Yaris; it does 55 mpg! We’re looking at the feasibility of using solar energy for this church. Reducing our need for fuel will someday save us repeating the Iraq war; it might also even save our planet from destruction. On Friday we went shopping in three Fair-Trade shops and spent about £250 on Fair-Trade clothes and Christmas presents. A drop in the bucket? Yes, but enough drops fill buckets. Enough people change cultures. Saving the environment and Fair-trade are becoming a selling points – our culture of greed is beginning to change. We can help it happen, it costs; it takes courage.
Today we remember wars not to glorify them. This is not about making an eyeless, toothless world. Instead, its about having the courage to reduce the likelihood of wars. In Isaiah's vision of God’s world we stop making ‘spears’ or in our case nuclear bombs and tanks and start building renewable energy plants, and pay farmers fairly; a world where justice, not wars solves our problems. It may not stop all wars. It makes them a lot less likely. Jesus’ way, I believe, is a better way – but it does take courage.
Hopes and Fears
Sermon for Christmas Eve 2008 (Luke 2: 1-5)
A man in Newfoundland calls his son in Calgary two days before Christmas and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Vancouver and tell her."
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
"No way they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take care of this."
She calls Newfoundland immediately and screams at her father, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there by tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for Christmas and paying their own way".
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight’ – the well-known words of ‘O Little town of Bethlehem’. Yet for a young woman, barely a woman, as, like us, we wait for Jesus’ coming, these words might have applied to her.
She is young, barely more than a girl, a teenager and probably, barely even that, full of all the hopes and dreams of young people, fun, love, marriage, a happy home, children, family – and in the case of the people of Israel and other countries under occupation, freedom from the Romans. And like Jews of her day, praying for a Saviour to make that happen, and to bring about the vision of a better, more caring loving, world, where her children could grow up in safety. And where she could grow old with Joseph.
For she had love, chosen for her, perhaps, but she had love, in a man called Joseph, not the most exciting, a builder who could do some carpentry, but at least no worries about the house being maintained. And he was faithful to God, and so far, faithful to her, kind, considerate, and deep. He pondered things. She liked that.
And Mary had the natural hope and optimism of the young. Things must have looked fairly certain, if not extraordinary or special – what more could a girl in those days, and in that area, ask for?
And then an Archangel breaks into all of that, with amazing, disturbing, strange words. ‘Yes, the Messiah is coming, and you are the chosen one’ he said.
‘And how would Joseph feel about that?’ you can almost hear her say ‘What do you mean Joseph will not be involved?’. And then this unbelievable part, ‘the Holy Spirit will do this’.
More questions than answers. ‘What will Joseph say? Will he stay? Or… will I be on my own? In fact how will my neighbours respond? – especially the religious ones! Am I in danger?’
And the future? a child to bear, a child to love, a child to hold, a child to protect – and from what, or whom? If she had known what lay ahead, would she have been able to say ‘Yes’, but then that is true of so much of life, and yet when the time comes, God provides the strength to cope, even for what was to happen to this tiny baby only just in her womb?
Mary had hopes, and she had fears. It was trust in a loving God that allowed her to say ‘Yes’. It’s our trust that allows us to say ‘Yes’ when he calls us to follow this Messiah that we celebrate tonight, with all our hopes and fears.
A man in Newfoundland calls his son in Calgary two days before Christmas and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Vancouver and tell her."
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
"No way they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take care of this."
She calls Newfoundland immediately and screams at her father, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there by tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for Christmas and paying their own way".
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight’ – the well-known words of ‘O Little town of Bethlehem’. Yet for a young woman, barely a woman, as, like us, we wait for Jesus’ coming, these words might have applied to her.
She is young, barely more than a girl, a teenager and probably, barely even that, full of all the hopes and dreams of young people, fun, love, marriage, a happy home, children, family – and in the case of the people of Israel and other countries under occupation, freedom from the Romans. And like Jews of her day, praying for a Saviour to make that happen, and to bring about the vision of a better, more caring loving, world, where her children could grow up in safety. And where she could grow old with Joseph.
For she had love, chosen for her, perhaps, but she had love, in a man called Joseph, not the most exciting, a builder who could do some carpentry, but at least no worries about the house being maintained. And he was faithful to God, and so far, faithful to her, kind, considerate, and deep. He pondered things. She liked that.
And Mary had the natural hope and optimism of the young. Things must have looked fairly certain, if not extraordinary or special – what more could a girl in those days, and in that area, ask for?
And then an Archangel breaks into all of that, with amazing, disturbing, strange words. ‘Yes, the Messiah is coming, and you are the chosen one’ he said.
‘And how would Joseph feel about that?’ you can almost hear her say ‘What do you mean Joseph will not be involved?’. And then this unbelievable part, ‘the Holy Spirit will do this’.
More questions than answers. ‘What will Joseph say? Will he stay? Or… will I be on my own? In fact how will my neighbours respond? – especially the religious ones! Am I in danger?’
And the future? a child to bear, a child to love, a child to hold, a child to protect – and from what, or whom? If she had known what lay ahead, would she have been able to say ‘Yes’, but then that is true of so much of life, and yet when the time comes, God provides the strength to cope, even for what was to happen to this tiny baby only just in her womb?
Mary had hopes, and she had fears. It was trust in a loving God that allowed her to say ‘Yes’. It’s our trust that allows us to say ‘Yes’ when he calls us to follow this Messiah that we celebrate tonight, with all our hopes and fears.
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