Choices

Sermon for 29th March 2009 (Jer. 31:31-34; Jn 12: 20-33)

A devout farm-worker lost his favourite Bible while he was mending fences out on his Yorkshire farm range. Three weeks later, a cow walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth. The worker couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the cow's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!" "Not really," said the cow. "Your name is written inside t’ cover."

This morning we come to celebrate a birth and a life, - a very real miracle as the start, we pray, of the greater miracle of someone finding Christ in their lives. That is what Jesus challenging us to think – ‘What is life really about? What are you lives about?- my life? Bailey’s life? What really matters to you? What gets you up in the morning? Steve and Rae have brought little boy, Bailey, here this morning to say something. They say, in effect, we want little Bailey to follow Jesus; there is something about this man. I know you already have plans for him – ice-hockey player for one. But this morning’s reading says, what about the bigger plan? Who will ultimately shape his life.

A great man once said ‘If you do not worship something you will worship anything’. In the same way, if you do not follow something, or someone, you will follow anyone. I confess that this morning I turned on to find out how the first Grand Prix of the year was doing. In a sense I follow Lewis Hamilton (driving a bus this year) and now Jenson Button, but I know that ultimately even Grand prix racing, or football (even in England did well yesterday), is not what I am here for.

Jesus makes no bones about it. He is on his way to die, for the sake of all that is good, and kind, and generous. His whole life has been about serving others, so that others might see the love of God. ‘Get real!’ he says to people, like you and me, ‘Who will you serve?’

Day by day we have to make difficult choices, do I join in gossip about someone, do you?

Baileys, parents Steve and Rae are making a choice for Bailey today. Some day he will have to make that decision for himself. And for the rest of us, what will we choose. Will it be the costly way of love, following Christ, or someone else?