Ministry in the Work Place

I want you to spend a moment thinking about what activities you consider to be Christian ministry and service.

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It is interesting how often we tend to think of Christian ministry in terms of the activities we do in ‘church’. For instance being a home group leader, or running Sunday school, or cleaning the church building, or being a warden. And there is nothing wrong with this, these are forms of Christian service. But how many of us think of what we do Monday to Friday at work as part of our Christian service and ministry?

Mark Greene has written extensively of mission in the work place, and in his book ‘Thank God it’s Monday’ he quotes one person who said the following: “I’ve been working for seventeen years and it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve recognized my workplace as a ministry. How many Christians die without ever realizing the ministry God had for them?”

So this morning I want us to think about ministry in the work place, the challenges and the opportunities that as Christians we face. What I want to say this morning, isn’t just restricted to those who are in paid employment, it relates to all of us.

Why Work is Important

We only have to look at the opening chapters of the Bible to see how important work is in God’s scheme of things.

First of all we see that God is a God who works. The Bible describes creation as the work of God. For six days God works, and on the seventh he rests from all the work he has done. God is a worker and it is something he chooses to do- it is part of his plan. And we see that God takes pleasure in his work. We’re told that when God finished creating the heavens and the earth he said that it was ‘very good’.

Work was part of God’s gift to humanity in creation; it was part of his original plan. God has created us for work, and this work is given to us as a blessing. We see this in Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and said to them. ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” And from Genesis 2:15 we read: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And as we see from this verse, we have a responsibility in work to care for the environment, and to care for others. There is a moral responsibility which is connected to the work we do. Elsewhere in the Bible it talks about the importance of working in order to support those in need. Working in order to improve the life of the community as a whole.

God always intended us to be people who work, and God intended work to be a source of satisfaction and pleasure.

And in the New Testament Paul calls upon Christians to do their work for God. Paul writes to the Colossians 3:17, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Work is one of the ways in which we serve God.

Why the workplace is so important?

In 1945 the Church of England produced a book called ‘Towards the Conversion of England’. In it are written these words. “We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations.”

As Christians God has called all of us to be his witnesses in the world. The greatest mission field in the world today is right on our doorstep amongst our friend’s neighbours and work colleagues. Britain today is a largely post-Christian society. Fewer and fewer people are attending churches; the level of Christian knowledge in our society is at an all time low.

And this is why being an effective witness in the workplaces so important. Because it is the place where we spend much of our time, maybe up to 40 or 50 hours a week. In the workplace Christians and non-Christians are able to meet and are subject to the same work cultures, and the same pressures. The work place is one of the few places where a non-Christian can actually see the difference that knowing Christ can make to a life, week in, week out. And through the workplace we will know many people, and have many friends, and we will be in contact with people at important points in their lives. For instance when face divorce, illness, or bereavement.

So we see the wonderful opportunities that we have as Christians to minister to those we work with. As Emil Brunner said, what the Christian community needs to do is to regain the lost sense of work as a divine calling.

The challenges of the workplace

We only need to consider the issues facing workers today, to realize what opportunities we have as Christians to bring something positive into the work place.

British workers work longer hours than any other nation in the European Union. And increasingly people are suffering from increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and less job satisfaction. And people are being forced to work these longer hours, because they fear that if they don’t, their employers will find someone who will. For most people, job security is a thing of the past.

Also consider the values that shape the work place, and the desperate need for a positive Christian witness. For example, most contemporary workplaces assume that God does not exist, and that there are in no way accountable to him, and that he does not intervene in the affairs of business.

The challenge for us as Christians is how to we remind people that we are accountable to God for our actions. What assumptions and attitudes exist in your workplace, and how to they compare to the values and attitudes that God has, such as truth, honesty, justice, and fairness. And what are the values that we bring to the work place? Do we allow our Christian faith to have an impact upon what we do at work?

A further challenge is that increasingly people are seen in terms of what functions they perform in the business, rather than being treated as human beings. And as we work longer hours, people tend to see their work as a measure of their identity and worth. Yet the Bible reminds us that we are created in God’s image, and this attaches a special worth and dignity to each individual person, irrespective of what we do. How can we ensure that this message is heard in the workplace?

So we can see both the challenges, but also the opportunities that we have as Christians in the world of work. So for the remainder of this talk I want us to consider how we can develop a Christian vision for the work place.

A Christian Vision for the Work Place

1. Our work matters to God

The first thing we need to be reminded of is that our work matters to God. God is deeply concerned about the work we do, he is concerned about every part of our lives, and not just what we get up to on a Sunday morning. The work that I do as a priest in God’s eyes is no greater or more important than the work you are involved in. We tend to talk about the priesthood as a vocation, a calling, but secular employment can be just as much a vocation. Think about how important it is for us to have Christian teachers, doctors, nurses, accountants, etc. In fact we need Christians in every walk of life.

If we look at the Bible we see that many of the great biblical heroes were people who had what we would term secular jobs. For example, Joseph who became the chancellor in Egypt, Daniel the imperial adviser to Nebuchadnezzar, or Nehemiah who was the cupbearer to king Artaxerxes.

2. Our primary calling is to be a servant of Jesus Christ

Secondly we need to remember that our primary calling is to be servants of Jesus Christ. A man standing on the platform waiting for the train to take him to work was asked, Who are you? He replied… I am a Christian thinly disguised as an accountant.

If we begin to see our workplace as the context for mission and evangelism, it will change our whole attitude to those we work amongst. For example do we pray for those people we work for? When you go into work do you ask God for opportunities to share your faith with those you work with? And do you meet up with other Christians who work at the same business as you to pray and study the Bible & support one another? Jesus said, Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. The harvest is ripe, we should ask God to preparing and using us to share his love. The important point is that it is not about getting people into church, it is about telling them about the love God has for them.

Being an effective witness in the workplace doesn’t require a degree in theology, just openness to God as the following example demonstrates.

Emily, a small Chinese lady, works at the United Nations. One day one of her co-workers wasn’t feeling well. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ Emily enquired.

‘No’ the other replied rather shortly. ‘I don’t like the tea here. I only drink camomile.’ Emily left her, quietly slipped on her coat, took the lift down several floors and went down the street to a nearby shop. She returned with a box of camomile tea and gave it to this lady, who immediately enveloped her in a huge hug, exclaiming, ‘Emily, I love you’. Emily replied, rather muffled from the epicentre of the massive hug, ‘I love you too.’

Emily’s story illustrates a number of important points:
· We need to be ministry minded- Emily could have just smiled and gone on her way. Instead, because she was ministry minded, because she listened, because she saw the other person’s need and desire, she took an initiative that totally transformed that person’s mood and day.
· Time is on our side- the opportunities will come. We don’t have to create situations in which we can minister- they will happen by themselves. We simply need to pray and be alert.
· Ministry is to individual people- Clearly camomile tea wouldn’t have been a good idea for everybody, but it helped this one woman. We need to care for people and love them as individuals.
· Ministry doesn’t demand- it gives- Emily asked for nothing, not even the money for the tea. She gave expecting nothing in return. Our expressions of love for others shouldn’t have any strings attached. We need to be sensitive and distinguish between the opportunities to serve and the opportunities to communicate the gospel verbally.

The Revd. Tim Montgomery from St Thomas’ Kendal wrote the following in the Westmorland Gazette. ‘My greatest pleasure comes not from singing hymns, in long prayers, in dressing up in funny robes, in bowing or kneeling, in lighting candles or taking up an offering (or any other number of things people tell me church is all about!) It comes from seeing just one person meet with God, draw close to Him and pick up a new life with real hope and a future.’ I totally agree with him, seeing someone come to faith is the greatest privilege on earth, and it is my sincere hope and prayer that all of us will take seriously the call to be God’s witnesses in the world today. Amen.

Acts 11:1-18 Breaking Down Barriers

Introduction

The autumn of 1989, was a momentous time in history, as the Berlin wall which had separated West Berlin and East Germany for 28 years was torn down. Although I was only 12 at the time, the images of that event remain firmly in my memory. It was a great moment in history, a moment of celebration as a symbol of division and separation was destroyed.

The Acts passage is about the destruction of another terrible wall built of pride, racism, and superior attitudes. What we find in this passage, is a church struggling to come to terms with change, and facing issues that could threaten to tear it apart – does this sound familiar?! We see the barriers that can so easily be put up between people, and also how we can overcome these divisions.

Background

The early church was a Jewish Church. Jesus was a Jew, his disciples were Jews, and Jesus’ ministry had been spent amongst the Jewish people. And although Jesus’ commission to his disciples in Matthew 28:19 was to “go and make disciples of all nations,” up to this point the followers of Jesus were mostly Jewish.

But now the church was beginning to see Gentiles, non Jews, coming to faith in Christ, and this posed some significant theological and practical problems. For example, the Jewish Christians continued to observe the Old Testament food laws and circumcision, and one question that arose was should Gentile Christians observe these same laws or not. If not, how were Jewish believers to maintain their own obedience to food laws when fellowship in Christ involved eating with unclean Gentiles? And how would close association with Gentile believers affect the relationship of Jewish believers with other Jews who did not share their faith in Christ? These issues were dealt with in more detail at the Council of Jerusalem which you can read about in Acts 15, but in this passage these issues remain unresolved.

And what we see is potential divisions emerging between Jewish and Gentile Christians.

In Acts 11:2 we read, “when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers (i.e. Jewish Christians) criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." In the previous chapter we learn that Peter, after receiving a vision from God, had visited the home of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who lived in the town of Caesarea. Whilst Peter was with Cornelius and his family, the Holy Spirit came upon them. This event was a turning point for Peter, because he realised that the Holy Spirit, which had been promised by Jesus, and had been poured out on the day of Pentecost, was for all people, and not just the Jews. But now back in Jerusalem, Peter comes under attack by members of the Jewish Christian community for eating with ‘uncircumcised men’ in other words, Gentiles. Although these were fellow Christians, who preached the gospel, who had themselves received the Holy Spirit, they were also still very legalistic in their Jewish practices. If they felt bound by the Jewish food laws, then there could be no fellowship with Gentile Christians, unless the Gentiles were circumcised and observed the Jewish food laws themselves. And so what we find, is that legalism, and fear of what this change meant, was threatening the very mission of the church to carry the message of Jesus into the entire world. What in affect was happening was barriers were being built along religious, racial, and ethnic lines.

And the same can happen today. There are all sorts of barriers that we can build between ourselves and other people. Barriers built along racial, religious, or social grounds. Barriers based on age or sex, upon education, or political affiliation, social or cultural barriers. Whatever the barrier is, it draws a distinction between us and other people. But barriers built on the grounds of racism, ageism, sexism, religious or social and cultural grounds are totally unacceptable, because it is offensive to human dignity, and because it is offensive to God who accepts without discrimination all who repent and believe. What Peter came to learn when he met Cornelius is that God does not show favouritism.

There are also some striking parallels between the church in Jerusalem and the church today. Today the church nationally and locally finds itself in a time of change, and transition, and it we can be left feeling threatened and vulnerable. For example, the church which was once at the very heart of our society, now finds its self on the margins. We are living in an increasingly pluralistic society, where people are interested in spirituality, but reject institutional forms of religion. The church finds itself in a culture, where once it was respected, but now it has to fight to make its voice heard. And the culture of the church and the culture of society can feel so at times very different, and in these situations it can often feel easier to retreat into our church buildings, and stick with what we find familiar, comfortable and safe, rather than engaging with a society we don’t always understand. This in effect builds a barrier which people find hard to cross.

So how did the church overcome these barriers?

1 Dialogue

Notice that Peter did not get drawn into an argument with his critics in Jerusalem. Proverbs 15:1 says, A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

So Peter describes in great detail what had happened. He relates the vision from God, and his own initial opposition to the vision, and how God challenged him about this, and what happened when he visited the home of Cornelius.

Peter could have easily been drawn into an argument about the law, but it would have been futile. But by explaining what happened, his audience is able to begin to understand the reason for Peter’s actions.

So often the barriers that we create are as a result of not understanding enough about a person or a situation. It is very easy to make assumptions about people, but if we are open to dialogue, it opens us to the possibility of these allowing these assumptions to be challenged and changed, and this is turn can lead to healing and reconciliation. This is one of the reasons why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

Constructive dialogue requires a willingness to listen, as well as to be heard, and to allow our perceptions to be challenged. The importance of listening to someone in the midst of a conflict does at least three things:1. it obeys God’s word (James 1:19,20)2. It shows honour to the other person (Phil 2:3)3. It may be God’s way of teaching us something about Himself (as in this text).

2 Following the leading of the Holy Spirit

What we see from this passage in Acts, is that Peter, follows the leading of the Holy Spirit. In verse 12, Peter relates he acted at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who told him to go with the three men who had arrived at his house. Peter goes onto explain in verse 15, how the Holy Spirit came on the people in that house, just as it had done on the day of Pentecost, which demonstrated both to Peter, and to the others that he had heard the Spirit correctly. What we see is the Holy Spirit moving and working and Peter responding.

The Spirit of God is the one that is meant to lead us, as a church and as individuals. But for this to happen, we need to be open to the Spirit, to hear and respond to the leading of the Spirit. To recognise the movement of the Spirit, we need to grow in our intimacy with God. When you go sailing, if you try to sail directly into the wind, the boat comes to a standstill, to get movement you need to set your sails with the wind, and the same is true with God’s Holy Spirit, if we try to go against the Spirit of God, we get no where. Instead we need to go in the direct that the Spirit is leading.

The Holy Spirit is the source of community, and helps build up community, and therefore breaks down the divisions that would otherwise separate people. If our lives as individuals and as a church, are filled by the Holy Spirit, then we should see the fruits of that spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Those things that promote and encourage unity.

3. Submit to the word of God

The third and final point, is that Peter submitted to the word of God. Acts 11:15 Peter says, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with[a]water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Peter recalls the words that Jesus spoke about baptism, just before he ascended into heaven.

So what is the difference between John’s Baptism and being baptized by the Holy Spirit? John’s baptism was a baptism of preparation – preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. The Holy Spirit’s baptism was a baptism of identification – identifying those who have placed their faith in Christ into the body, i.e., the church. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and realised that it was the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that had been witnessed on the day of Pentecost. And so Peter realised, “if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" (Acts 11:17) Peter submitted his will, to the word of God.

Conclusion

This issue of how the church was to respond to the inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian faith, could have ended very differently. But because Peter entered into dialogue, because both he, and the church in Jerusalem were open to what the Holy Spirit was doing, and because they submitted to the word of God, they were able to avoid a potential split.

I think we also can draw lessons from this passage both as a church, and also as individuals on how we can help break down the barriers that cane divide people. And Jesus is the example that we follow, because it comes down simply to one command, and that is to love people, the way God loves us. If we are committed to living this way, not only will it prevent barriers being erected in the first place, but it will help break down those we find, just as God has broken down the barriers that once separated us from him.

John 21:1-19

One day a rather inebriated ice fisherman decided to go fishing, and drilled a hole in the ice and peered into the hole and a loud voice said, "There are no fish down there."
He walked several yards away and drilled another hole and peered into the hole and again the voice said, :There's no fish down there." He then walked about 50 yards away and drilled another hole and again the voice said, "There's no fish down there." He looked up into the sky and asked, "God, is that you?" "No, you idiot," the voice said, "it's the rink manager."

Fishing is an incredibly popular hobby, although I have to confess that I personally have never really seen the attraction in it.

Most fishermen have a story or two to tell, but few I think that match the story that we heard today from our Gospel reading.

It takes place in the days following Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We are told that 7 of Jesus’ disciples were by the Sea of Tiberias, better know as the Sea of Galilee, when they decided to go fishing. In that region most people fish at night, because it is then that the fish come up near to the surface, whereas in the heat of the day the fish tend to stay nearer the bottom of the lake. But the disciples don’t have a very successful night fishing, in fact they don’t catch a single thing. So when Jesus appears on the shore, and shouts to the disciples if they have caught anything, their answer is no. So Jesus instructs them to throw their net onto the other side of the boat, and when they do this, they have the most amazing catch of fish. We are told that the haul was so large, that they couldn’t physically get the net into the boat. Such was the amount of fish. And it is then, after this miraculous catch of fish that the disciples suddenly recognise that it is Jesus, John, who is described as the disciple whom Jesus loved, cries out, ‘It is the Lord’, and Peter instantly dives into the water and swims across to Jesus.

What things can we learn from this passage, what message does it have for us today? There is so much that can be gained from this passage, I just want to mention a few things.

Searching in the wrong place

Earlier this week, the BBC reported that as a nation we are getting unhappier, we’re in danger of turning into a country of Victor Meldrews! The UK was ranked only the ninth happiest country out of 15 European Union nations. The report highlighted that in the UK there is falling trust in government, the police and other institutions. It seems as though there is a growing dissatisfaction in our society. What these survey’s have revealed is that people are searching for something that will give meaning and purpose to life.

The trouble is, so often, like the disciples in the boat, we cast our nets in search for these answers in the wrong places, expecting to find the answers we are looking for. For example, we expect to find the answers we are looking for in our work, or in relationships, or in hobbies, or by making as much money as possible, but ultimately this cannot satisfy that greatest longing in our hearts. Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the rock group Queen, who died at the end of 1991 in spite of the fact that he had amassed a huge fortune and had attracted thousands of fans, admitted in an interview shortly before his death that he was desperately lonely. He said, ‘You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man, and that is the most bitter type of loneliness. Success has brought me world idolisation and millions of pounds, but it’s prevented me from having the one thing we all need – a loving, ongoing relationship.’ Ultimately, it is through a relationship with God, that we can discover ultimate peace and freedom. Only he, can satisfy that deepest longing, that exists in all our hearts.

It is only when the disciples listen to, and obey Jesus’ instructions to cast the net the other side, that they discover what they have been searching for. In the same way, it is only when we listen to the voice of God, and obey him, that we will finally find what it is we are searching for. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” When the disciples tried to do things their own way, it ended in failure, it is only when they obeyed Jesus, that they discovered what they were looking for.

God’s abundance

This leads onto the next point, the haul of fish is extraordinary, this was no ordinary catch. When God gives, he gives abundantly, he gives in the full measure, he gives recklessly. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10) or as some translations have it, to have life in all its abundance. I will come on to the question of how we can receive this abundant life in a few moments. But it is important for us to remember the shere generosity and love God has for us. And this is a message I think we need to hear again and again. God loves YOU, God cares about YOU. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

God’s invitation

This passage is full of wonderful little details, clearly written by someone who witnessed the events for themselves. As soon as Peter realises that it is Jesus standing at the shore, he dives into the water and swims over to Jesus, whilst the other 6 disciples struggle to bring the net laden with fish in from the lake. And when they get to the beach, they discover a fire is burning, and Jesus invites the disciples to come and eat breakfast with him.

Jesus’ invitation to share a meal, is an invitation to fellowship with him, and it is the invitation that he also extends to each one of us. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Jesus invites ordinary people, into relationship with him, and he invites you and me. Jesus opens to us the riches of his friendship, the relationship that he offers you and me, is a real and satisfying one.

Removing the barrier of failure

Earlier I talked about the life that Jesus offers us all, but how do we actually receive this. I’ve talked about how Jesus opens to us the riches of his friendship, but before Peter can be reinstated, the barrier of sin and failure first has to be removed from our lives.

Three times Jesus asks Peter, ‘Do you truly love me?’ The reason Jesus asks Peter this question three times, is because on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter three times had denied knowing Jesus. And now, after each question ‘Do you love me’ Peter responds, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you.’ A relationship with Jesus begins when in his presence, we face up to all that grieves and contradicts God’s holy will for our lives. Just as Peter had to face up to his sin and failure.

And to face up to these things should lead to repentance. The word repent, means literally to turn away from those things that get between God and ourselves. Turning away from sin, and turning to God. Turning away from the old life, lived without God, to a new life lived with him. Baptism is both a symbol of death and also new life. When we go into the waters of baptism, it is as though we are entering the grave, we are dying to a life without God. And it is also a symbol of new life, because when we come out of the waters of baptism, it is as though we are born again. We are new people, we begin a new life with God. Of course, we are all human, and we all make mistakes, so the act of repenting for our sins, is something we need to do again and again.

But what Peter discovered, and what this passage reveals is that no matter how desperate our failure, or how deep our sense or guilt or shame may be, God can forgive and renew us, and use us in his service. No one is beyond the grace, and mercy of God. Failure is never final with God.

God’s Commissioning

After forgiveness, comes Peter’s commissioning, and what this passage reveals is that to follow Jesus and love him, means also accepting responsibility for his people. Each time after Peter replies that he loves Jesus, Jesus responds, ‘Feed my lambs, Take care of my sheep, Feed my sheep.’ Although slightly different, the point Jesus is in effect making the same point three times. Commitment to Christ, also means commitment to his people the church of Christ. Jesus Christ is not a ‘single’ person in the sense that he comes to us without other attachments. He is a ‘married’ person; he comes to us with a bride, whom he loves, and this is the church. To be in a relationship with Christ, while ignoring or even despising his bride, is no more acceptable than such behaviour would be in human contexts when relating to a married friend. Genuine conversion means not only turning to and accepting Christ. It also means turning to and accepting his bridge, the church. And in baptism, one of the promises being made on Eliza’s behalf is that her family will help her to become a full worshipping member of God’s church.

This passage is a profoundly critical one for every Christian. Because it gets to the heart of what the Christian faith is all about. It is about our relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus asks Peter the same question, ‘Do you truly love me’. This is the essence of the Christian faith, to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. When you love someone, you want to spend time with them, to be in their presence, you want to get to know them, and to show your love for them by the way you respond to them. And when you are in love with someone, it shows by the way we live, and the way we speak. It shapes are desires and passions. Our love for God, should be evident in the way we love one another as his family the church.

The cost of being a Christian

The final thing that this passage reveals, is that there is a cost to being a Christian. Earlier this week we had a reunion for all those who have completed our most recent Alpha Course. And one member of the group said, ‘Becoming a Christian is the easy bit, but living as a Christian, that’s tough.’ Today, in baptism, Eliza is beginning, her Christian journey, baptism marks the start of this journey with God, but it won’t always be easy. Jesus warned Peter, that he would suffer for the sake of his faith. “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" (21:18-19)

Whilst we are not likely to suffer in this way for the sake of the Gospel, the reality is that putting God first in our lives, loving him the way we should, and living life God’s way is often hard. It is not always easy, and Jesus knew this, that is why as Christians we are given the Holy Spirit, and why in baptism we pray for God’s Spirit to be on Eliza as she begins her journey of faith. We have also part of a family, God’s family, the church, and the church is here to love and support us on our Christian journey.

Conclusion

There is a lot contained in this passage, and I have tried to touch on what I feel are the main points. That in life we listen to and obey God, that we discover what we are really searching for. This passage reminds us that our God is a loving, generous God, who offers to us life in all its abundance. That even when we have failed God, and turned away from him, there is always the promise of forgiveness and restoration. As a passage it speaks to us, of the important of the church, and our place in it, and it also reminds us of the cost involved in being a follower of Jesus Christ, but also of the immense joy that comes through knowing and loving him. Today, as Eliza is baptized, and as her parents and godparents make promises on her behalf, so we also have an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to following Jesus Christ.

Easter Sermon 2007

Every year thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the "stations of the cross" to stand at an outdoor crucifix. One tourist noticed a little trail that led beyond the cross. He fought through the rough thicket and, to his surprise, came upon another shrine, a shrine that symbolized the empty tomb. It was neglected. The trees had grown up around it. Almost everyone had gone as far as the cross, but stopped there.

Far too many have reached the cross and have known the despair and heartbreak. Far too few have moved beyond the cross to find the real message of Easer -- the empty tomb.
I hope we never tire of hearing the words ‘He Is Risen!’ I hope we never cease to be amazed and awestruck at the incredible fact that death couldn’t hold the Lord of Life. And, most of all, I hope we never miss this simple fact that Jesus is alive today.

The resurrection is not just something that happened at a moment in time but it is a new daily reality. When we say ‘He is Risen¨ we don’t mean just that at a moment in time Jesus came back to life, but really we mean He is Alive Today. Right now. At this very moment. And that changes everything. The Apostle Paul lays it out simply when he says in 1 Cor. 15:14 “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” What does it mean for you and I that Jesus is Risen? Let me suggest four things that I see in the resurrection 1. There is Love in the Resurrection1 John 4:9 says, ‘This how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.¨

We see this love in a painful way on the cross. We see the extent of God’s love for us as we reflect on Jesus’ death. But it doesn’t end there! The love of God did not only send Jesus to the cross, it also raised Him back to life! The love of God did not leave Jesus in the tomb, and us in despair, but it raised Jesus back to life so that, as John writes, ‘we might live through him.¨ Love hates death. Love struggles against death and in favour of life. And in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, love overcomes death.

And the love we find in the resurrection should also overflows from us to others. 1 John 3:14 says, ‘We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.¨ We know that we participate in the resurrection life of Jesus because it spills over into our relationships with one another even with those who are difficult to love. Jesus prayed that the world would know we were His disciples by the depth of our love for one another.

As I look around our world, I think it is love that we need most. To be loved is perhaps the deepest longing of our hearts. And it is the first thing I find in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.¨ (1 Jn 4:9).

2. There is Life in the ResurrectionJust before Christmas, my grandfather who was a Christian passed away, and his funeral was a wonderful occasion, full of hope and joy. I wonder, what would that have been like if Jesus had not been raised from the dead? What would it be like to stand at the time of death of a loved one without any knowledge that there is life beyond the grave? I can’t imagine the desperation and I don’t have to try! For there is life! There is victory! All because Jesus rose from the dead.

Romans 6:4-5 says, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.” When we respond in faith to God, we become united with Jesus in His resurrection life.

God freely offers us new life. He offers the chance for us to participate with Jesus in the life that comes through resurrection. Jesus is alive today. He is here, right now, according to His promise. And He brings with Him the gift of life, His hand outstretched at this very moment offering it to you.

3. There is Hope in the ResurrectionThe resurrection gives us hope for today, hope for tomorrow, and hope for eternity. Hope that things can change. Hope that even if they don’t change, and the worst happens and death comes, that is not the end! There is more life after that, better life after that life without sickness or pain or tears. Life without ever having to wonder, ‘Lord, where are you?’ because we will see Him with our eyes, touch Him with our hands, and never worry or fret again.

One thing many people fear is death. But in the resurrection of Jesus we find hope, hope for something greater, something better, something eternal. We know that because Jesus lives today, we too can live with Him. This hope affects how we live, and how we die.

A missionary in Brazil discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. A hospital was not far away across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed it was inhabited by evil spirits. To enter the water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. They were not impressed. He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He punched a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke out into a cheer and followed him across.

That is what Jesus did for us with death He entered it, made it safely to the other side, and punched a triumphant fist into the air. But here’s the thing Jesus doesn’t stay on the other side of the bank. No, He jumps back in, and swims back to our side. He is alive, and present with us. And then, when our turn comes to face death, I believe He takes us by the hand and swims across with us, safely to the other side.

1 Peter 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Because He lives, we have hope.4. There is Power in the Resurrection1 Cor. 6:14 tells us, “By his power, God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.” This is the fourth thing I want to remind us of this morning that there is power in the resurrection.

You see, the simple point I want to make this morning, that winds its way through each of the four things I have talked about, is that Jesus is alive. He is alive right now, with us, walking beside us. He didn’t rise up from the dead and then take off to heaven, maybe to come back again someday. But He is Alive and with us through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. And because of that, His power is available to us. The same power that raised him from the dead.

That power is here for our daily lives, and God desires us to experience it more deeply. It is there to enable us to have victory over sin, it is there to bring us hope and encouragement, it is there to shine through us to our world around us, it is there to enable us to worship and celebrate. Let me rephrase that in light of my main point that Jesus is alive: HE is here to enable us to have victory over sin, HE is here to bring us hope and encouragement, HE is here to shine through us to our world around us, HE is here to enable us to worship and celebrate. About 1930 the Communist leader Bukharin journeyed from Moscow to Kiev. His mission was to address a huge assembly, his subject was "atheism." For a solid hour he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity, hurling argument after argument heaped on top of ridicule. At last he was finished and viewed what he thought was the smouldering ashes of men’s’ ruined faith."Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded.A solitary man rose and asked permission to speak. He mounted the platform and moved close to the Communist. The audience was breathlessly silent as the man surveyed them first to the right, then to the left. At last he shouted the ancient Orthodox greeting, "CHRIST IS RISEN!"The vast assembly arose as one man and the response came crashing like the sounds of an avalanche, "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"

This morning it is my prayer that you would know the Risen Lord Jesus. That you would know the love, the life, the hope, and the power of the Resurrection. That is the simple message of our faith ‘Jesus is Alive!’

Love One Another as I have Loved You: John 13:1-17, 33-34

Introduction

If you were to turn on the radio and listen to the songs being played, the vast majority of theme would be about one theme in particular. The theme of love, especially what we would describe as romantic love.

The trouble with the English language is that it doesn’t distinguish between different forms of love. For example, we may talk about loving a cup of tea, and loving our children, but we will mean two quite different things.

In contrast, the Greek language has four words for love.
Storge, meaning affectionate love. Referring to the sort of love a parent has for their children.
Philia, which can be described as friendship.
Eros, which is the type of love most commonly written about in songs. Eros refers to sexual love, that state which we call ‘being in love’.
Agape, used exclusively in the Bible, which CS Lewis in his book ‘The Four Loves’ translates as charity. And it is this word agape that has come to mean Christian love.

The Greatest Command

Jesus was once asked what is the greatest command, to which he replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbour as yourself.’ And on the night that Jesus shared his last supper with his disciples, he gives them the command, a new mandatum (where we derive the name Maundy from), Jesus says we are to Agape one another, love one another. And Jesus sets out how we are to do this, by following his example: Love one another as I have loved you, a command which Jesus again repeats in John 15:12.

The Example of Jesus

At the last supper, with his disciples, as John describes it in 13:1 Jesus shows the disciples the “full extent of his love.” As the meal is being served, Jesus removes his outer garment, wraps a towel around his body, and then getting down on his hands and feet he washes his disciples feet. In the culture of that time, any good host would make sure his guests’ feet were wash by a servant when they entered the house. But what would have surprised the disciples is that Jesus, the host, their rabbi, was washing their feet. That was part of Peter's objection to Jesus' washing of his feet.

When we think about the command to ‘Love one another as I have loved you’, how do we view this? Sometimes there is a tendency for us to think about it is terms of being nice to people, welcoming them when they come to our home or to the church. But Jesus was showing his disciples that true hospitality goes much deeper than basic good manners.

So what lessons can we learn from this action?

Self Giving Love

First of all, real love is self giving love, it means getting our hands dirty. Jesus couldn’t wash the disciples feet, without first getting down onto the floor, and taking those dirty feet into his own hands, and neither can we really love people if we are not prepared to do the same. Real love is about being prepared to make ourselves vulnerable, by entering into the mess and complication of life. After all, Jesus said he came not for the healthy, but the sick, he came not to call the righteous but sinners. (Mark 2:17) CS Lewis in his book ‘The Four Loves’ writes, “To love at all is to be venerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin or your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...”
Real love reaches out to all people, including those we find it difficult to love. It is highly significant that Jesus washed ALL the disciples feet. He washed Peter’s feet, who only hours later, despite promising to always remain by Jesus’ side, would deny him three times. He washed Thomas’ feet, who a few days later, would doubt Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, until he had seen Jesus for himself. And he also washed Judas’ feet, the one who that very same night would betray him. In washing even Judas' feet, Jesus was extending hospitality, his acceptance, even to the one who would betray him. Even though Jesus knew that Judas' act of betrayal would set into motion the events leading to his death, Jesus didn't push him out of the community. To the end, Jesus offered Judas a chance to change. What Jesus does is to embody God’s love, a love that extends to each and every one of us. Jesus tells his disciples: I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. If Jesus could include Judas, shouldn't we think very seriously about those we find it all to easy to exclude?

If you find this uncomfortable, and challenging, then I can reassure you that I feel the same way too. This type of love calls us beyond our comfort zone, it takes us to people and places that we would not normally choose to go. It’s about being prepared to get our hands dirty, to face possible opposition and rejection, or misunderstanding. It’s about learning to put others before ourselves, which I for one find very hard to do.

Jesus redefines what it means to love. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43 Jesus says, “"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

On Sunday evening BBC 2 showed a documentary with Louis Theroux, entitled ‘The Most Hated Family in America’. In this documentary Louis spent three weeks with the Phelps family in America. For those of you who didn’t see the documentary, the Phelpses run the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, over many years they have led many picketing demonstrations against homosexuality, and more recently picketing the funerals of American Service Men killed in action in Iraq, claiming that their deaths are a sign of God’s judgement on USA. They even showed clips of children as young as 7 holding banners saying ‘God Hates Gays’. I was horrified by what I saw, and was left asking myself, where is the message of God’s love in what they are preaching. The point is that God’s love, as shown by Jesus, reaches out to everyone, no matter who we are, and the events at the Last Supper show us this.

In John 15:13 Jesus says “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus showed his love for us by sacrificing his life on the cross so that we might live. True love often requires us to make sacrifices, and giving of ourselves.

But how do we actually go about doing this? Paul gives us some guidance in Philippians 2:4 onwards:

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[ God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who looked not to his own interests, but to the interest of others.

This doesn’t come easily, Paul himself admitted in Romans 7:19 that “what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” So it is something we wrestle with, and work at.

But with the grace and help of God, we can learn what it means to love others, and by making a conscious decision to try and love people the way God would have us do, is often the first step we have to take..

Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells the story of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get rid of him I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.” Dr Crane suggested an ingenious plan: “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy im. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.”

With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful He will be so surprised!”

And she did it with euthusiasm. Acting “as if” for two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing and sharing. When she didn’t return Crane called, “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?” “Divorce?” She exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions had changed her feelings.

Conclusion

At the start of this sermon I talked about love songs, which tend to emphasis the emotional dimension of love. However, love isn’t just dependent upon how we feel towards someone, it is something we need to work at. And to love one another as God has loves us requires effort and time. But it is the sort of love that this world needs more than ever to witness. One of the things that marked the first Christians out from others was the love they had for one another. If people can see the love that we as Christians have for one another and for God, in our churches and in our families, people will be interested in finding out more about God. Because more than ever what people want and need is to feel they are loved and accepted. Many feet walk into our lives and into our church every day -- old feet, young feet, feet of different races, poor feet, children's feet, feet of the needy, feet of the arrogant, feet of the annoying, feet of those we love and feet of those we fear, feet of those who are like us and feet of those who aren't just like us. Whose feet would we be willing to wash? Whose feet would we rather not touch at all?Jesus showed by his example that we really don't have a choice in the matter. If we have, through our baptism, promised to live a godly life, to live by Jesus' teachings, to respect the dignity of all God's creatures, then we must be willing, literally or figuratively, to wash everyone's feet, no matter what. We have to be willing to show that same hospitality, that same acceptance, to everyone, no matter what. Washing each other's feet can be an intimately loving act, but we must also remember that there are other consequences of that unconditional love. Judas didn't change his mind -- and tonight Jesus begins his final way to the cross.

John 12:1-11: Christian Giving

Three clergymen were discussing how they decide to give part of their income to the church. The first vicar said, "When God tells me so, I just empty my wallet in the collection plate." The 2nd vicar was quite impressed and almost ashamed to tell of his approach. He says: "I draw a 3 foot circle around me, I throw the money in the air and everything that lands within the circle, I put in the collection plate." The 3rd vicar, who was both greedy and a penny pincher said, "I throw all of my money in the air and everything that falls to the ground I keep, because if God wanted it he would take it while it was up in there.

This morning I want to talk about the subject of Christian Giving. It’s a really important subject, and one that we cannot ignore as Christians, but it is also one of those subjects we don’t like to talk about. But the Bible talks about money 2,350 times, and of the 29 parables Jesus told, 16 deal with the subject of money, and in Matthew, Mark and Luke 1 out of every 6 verses deals with the subject of money. I think the reason why we DON’T like to talk about money, is because there are few subjects that expose our hearts more quickly than our view of money. Perhaps one of the reasons we would prefer not to talk about money, is because it is a topic that cuts close to who we really are, and about where are true priorities lie.

But it is something we cannot escape from, as Christians we are called to give generously, as part of the outworking of the Holy Spirit’s life within us. Christian Giving is meant to be a way of life in which we regard ourselves and our possessions as a trust from God to be used in His service, for what He has done for us in Jesus Christ. This is why in 1 Chronicles 29:14 we read: “All things come from you, and of your own do we give you.” Of course, Christian giving or stewardship, doesn’t just relate to money, it relates to how we use our time, our possessions, our whole lives. But this morning I want to focus on the financial aspect of stewardship.

Our Gospel reading (John 12:1-8) has a lot to teach us about the nature of Christian giving. Jesus was staying at the home of Lazarus in the village of Bethany, just two miles from Jerusalem. It was six days before the Passover, and the day before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As Jesus was reclining at the table with his disciples, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, comes into the room, and breaks the seal on an expensive jar of perfume, and anoints Jesus’ feet. And we are told that the fragrance of this perfume filled the whole house.

Mary’s act was an act of loving extravagance and spontaneous generosity. Hers is a love that is full-to-overflowing with spontaneous, unmeasured giving towards Jesus in response to all that he had done for her and her family. And this in essence is what should motivate our Christian giving. Our giving should be an outpouring of love for what God has given to us. We give, not because we feel obliged to do so, not because someone tells us it’s what we should do, but because it’s an outpouring of our love for what God has done for us.

So we should not be asking ourselves What do I need to give, but rather, How can my giving reflect something of God’s love for me?

We should see Christian giving, both as a challenge AND ALSO a privilege that effects the whole of our lives as Christians.

What we learn from Mary is that her giving is both extravagant and costly. We are told that the perfume she used on Jesus was worth a year’s wages. I don’t imagine that Mary or her family were particularly wealthy, but she gives the best to Jesus, because that is what he deserves.

What Mary reveals is that Christian stewardship is not about giving only what is needed, but it is about giving so generously that it has a touch of recklessness about it. If we give grudgingly, and reluctantly, then it probably indicates that our attitude towards giving needs to be looked at.
We need to be generous in our giving. Mother Teresa said “If you give what you do not need, it isn't giving.” And C S Lewis said “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.“

Both Mark and Luke record the occasion when Jesus took his disciples to the Temple, and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. We are told that many rich people there put in large amounts of money, but then along came a poor widow, and she put two very small copper coins into the treasury. And Jesus commends this widow for what she does. He’s says to his disciples "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." (Mark 12:43-44) She gave sacrificially.

Compare Mary’s generosity with Judas’. Judas’ response to Mary’s action is to criticise her, saying that what she has done is a waste of money. He makes the claim that this money could have been used for the poor, but John tells us that this was not Judas’ real concern, he wanted to keep the money for himself. When the rich young man came to Jesus wanting to follow him, the one thing he could not do was let go of his money. Are we like Mary, who gives joyfully and generously, or Judas, who wanted to hold on to the money himself?

Another question to consider is how do you go about organising your giving? Is it something you think about in advance and plan at the start of each month, or do you give whatever is left over at the end? There is a saying which goes, Give to God what is right, not what is left.

When was the last time you sat down and reviewed your giving? This is something I believe we need to do at least once a year. It is something I personally do two or three times a year, and I adjust my giving accordingly.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul lays out some guidelines for giving. For example he says that we should give both proportionately and also regularly. We are each called to give according to our means, so how much we give, will very much depend upon our different circumstances.

So we need to prayerfully consider what we can afford to give, and to consider what are our main priorities? For example, how does are giving to God, compare to the other things we spend our money on, for example going out for the night, buying a daily newspaper, and so on. Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 writes, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

In our Gospel reading, one of the results of Mary’s generous outpouring of love to Jesus was that the whole house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. If we are committed to serious and sacrificial giving, then it will be a fragrant offering to God.

The commission that Jesus gave to each one of us, was to build up his kingdom, to spread the good news of Jesus. Bill Hybels, leader of the Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, one of the largest churches in America, and author of many Christian books, describes the local church as being the hope of the world. We as a church are to be a sign of hope to this community. But to achieve this, we must take seriously the commitment to give generously, to support and enable the work and witness of the church to continue.

Two weeks ago, at the ACM I mentioned that as a church, we face a significant financial challenge. And therefore we have issued the 5% challenge. In order just to break even, we need to increase our giving as a church by 5%, or to put that another way, we need to raise a further £5000 a year. I believe this is easily achievable, if we take seriously our commitment to giving.

Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). There is real grace in being able to give, and a real joy that comes from it. Giving is not intended to be a heavy burden. Julian of Norwich said, “A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to whom the gift is given.” We can fill up our lives with material possessions, but I have found that there is something incredibly liberating about giving back to God, and this is something I believe Mary herself realized, when she anointed Jesus, and I hope we also will all come to discover this.

Stewardship Prayer:

All that I am, all I can be, all that I have, all that is me, accept and use Lord, as you would choose Lord, right now today!

Take every passion, every skill, take all my dreams and bend them to your will.

May all I give Lord, for you I’ll live Lord; come what may.

Luke 23:33 Forgiveness

As Jesus was being nailed to the cross he said, ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’

On July 7th 2005, Jenny Nicholson, got on the tube at Paddington Station, to travel to the publishing company where she worked. It was a journey she had taken many times, but it was to be her last. She was one of fifty two people killed that day, as terrorists attacked the transport network in London, Jenny Nicholson was only 24 years old.

Just over three weeks later, on the 30th July 2005, Anthony Walker, a young 18 year with a very promising future ahead of him, was brutally murdered by a gang of racists thugs in Merseyside.

The one thing linking these two stories, is that both Jenny Nicholson and Anthony Walker came from Christian families. But the families have responded to their deaths, has been quite different.

The mother of Jenny Nicholson, the Revd Julie Nicholson, found it impossible to forgive her daughter’s attackers, and resigned from her role as Parish Priest. In an interview she gave to the BBC in March 2006, she said "It's very difficult for me to stand behind an altar and celebrate the Eucharist Communion and lead people in words of peace and reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself... so for the time being, for the moment, that wound in me is having to heal."

In contrast however, the mother of Anthony Walker, Mrs Gee Walker, publicly forgive her sons killers in front of the gathered press. Explaining in an interview later, why she had done this, she said, “It was not me. Something inside came out of me.” She went on to say that she felt no hate for her son’s killers, only sadness, she said, “Jesus commanded, ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’ So I try to stay focused and my message is peace, love and forgiveness.”
Both stories, illustrate the challenge of forgiveness. As Christians we are called to be prepared to forgive, yet as we see from these two stories, forgiveness can be costly, and difficult, just as it must have been for Jesus, as he hung on the cross.

What lessons we learn from Jesus’ words on the cross, and how can we learn to forgive others?
What do we learn about forgiveness?

At St Martin’s we are running an Alpha Course, and one topic that has come up on numerous occasions over the course of the last few weeks is the topic of forgiveness. It is something that many people find difficult. In a tourist shop, on one button was written, “To err is human, to forgive is out of the question.” The reality is that many people do find it difficult to forgive.

So why is forgiving people so important?

Jesus’ cry of forgiveness from the cross, are for me the most remarkable words that are spoken from the cross. We have to remember that before Jesus was nailed to the cross, he had experienced many terrible things. He had been abandoned by his friends and supporters, he had been falsely accused, he was then flocked, beaten and insulted, before being made to carry his own cross to the place of execution. And what is Jesus’ response, as he hangs on the cross, in the most unbelievable agony? It is to say, Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Jesus asked his Father to forgive the very ones who abused, rejected and humiliated him. It demonstrates the compassionate heart of our saviour.

What lessons do we learn from Jesus.

1 Forgiveness reaches out to the undeserving.

The people who had beat Jesus, mocked Him, and nailed Him to the cross did not deserve forgiveness. But Jesus through His kindness offered it to them. The point is that forgiveness reaches out to the undeserving.

It is a reminder that God’s forgiveness also extends out to each one of us, and that none of us are beyond the reach of God’s love or forgiveness, now matter what it is we have done. There may be people here today, who are carrying a burden of guilt or shame, and if that is you, then the message for you today is that God can take that from you. There is nothing that God cannot forgive.

2 We are to follow Jesus’ example

As Christians we are to follow the example of Jesus, we are to be people who are willing to forgive others, as we have been forgiven ourselves. But the reality is that, many people find this extremely difficult, like the mother of Jenny Nicholson. To forgive someone who has wronged you is not easy.

You yourself may have been hurt in the past, and you may feel that the person who wronged you doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, but then again did the people who put Jesus to death deserve to be forgiven? No. Do we deserve to be forgiven by God when we sin against him? No. But yet God still forgives us. And we too are called to forgive because God has forgiven us. Paul in Ephesians 4:31-32 writes, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

1. Forgiving is linked to being forgiven ourselves:

We are also called to forgive other people, because being prepared to forgive other people is linked to being forgiven ourselves.

In the Lord’s prayer, there is only one petition that has any condition attached to it: it is the petition of forgiveness. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us”, and said “For if you do not forgive others from the heart, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your sins.”

Notice first of all, that Jesus assumed we would forgive others. Forgive us, AS WE forgive others… To forgive as Christians is not an optional extra, it is something we are meant to do. Notice also that our forgiveness in effect depends on our own willingness to forgive others. Again, Forgive us, as we forgive others. Jesus in effect taught us to pray, Lord forgive me, in just the same way that I am prepared to forgive others. I wonder how often we have prayed this prayer, without realising just what it is we are saying. If you am not prepared to forgive someone, and you say the Lord’s Prayer, you need to think very carefully about what it is you are praying for.

Jesus in Mark 11:25 Jesus told his disciples, “when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” And in Matthew 6:14, he said "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you". Our own forgiveness depends upon our willingness to forgive others.

2 Because it is part of our spiritual growth

Another reason why we are to be prepared to forgive others, is that the more we learn and practice forgiveness, the more we become like God, who himself is merciful and forgiving. As Christians what enables us to forgive is the knowledge that we ourselves have been forgiven by God. God has forgiven us, not because we deserve it, but because he is full of grace and mercy.

3 Because it is in our own interest

An unwillingness to forgive people can have a detrimental effect upon us. If we hold on to resentment, anger or hatred, it can damage us, far more than the person we are unwilling to forgive. For example, I am sure we can all think of people, whose lives have been corrupted by the strong sense of bitterness and anger that they have felt towards a person or a situation.

If we do not forgive, we shall not enter into the all the joy and freedom God wants for us. Unwillingness to forgive ties us to the past, so that we cannot move forward.

For example, there was a situation many years ago, when a friend upset me by something they did. The anger and resentment I felt towards what they had done, grew inside me, until eventually I realised that it was affecting me in a very negative way, and I realised that I needed to forgive them, so I asked God to help me let go of the anger I felt, and the feelings of hurt and resentment that had been building in me disappeared, and I felt a sense of release and peace that I had not felt for a long time.

What forgiving involves

So what does the process of forgiving involve?

Forgiveness doesn’t mean denying our feelings of hurt, anger, outrage, loss, but acknowledging them, and learning to let go of them so we can move forwards in freedom. And it means refusing to seek revenge, if you wrong me, and I forgive you, I shouldn’t then go and look for ways in which I can get my own back on you.

Forgiveness is extremely difficult, so how can you forgive someone when you have been really hurt, especially when we have been hurt or let down by those who are closest to us?
But there are some things we can do which can help us.
· We can talk about it, especially to a wise and trusted friend.
· We can try to understand why the person who has upset us has acted in a certain way. For example, Professor Sheila Hollins, the mother of Abigail Witchalls, the young mother who was left paralysed after been attacked whilst walking with her young son, was able to forgive the attacker, Richard Cazaly, who later committed suicide. Professor Hollins said “His death is the real tragedy in this story because he lost his life and almost certainly this was the consequence of the mind-altering drugs he was using." She was able to forgive this man, in part because she understood the effect these drugs had upon him. · We can pray:
1 Pray for ourselves, by sharing our feelings with God, and asking for his help and grace to lead us to a point where we feel we can forgive.
2 Pray for the person who has hurt us that God will bless them- this can be difficult but helpful. Jesus said pray for those who persecute you.
3 And we can pray that God will somehow use what has happened for our good.

Reluctance to forgive

Sometimes we may be reluctant to forgive. It may be that we are afraid that if we do forgive, we will in effect by saying:
· That the offence didn’t really hurt me
· That I and my feelings don’t matter much
· That we believe the offender had a valid excuse to hurt us
· That the offender need not face any consequences for their actions
· That it is okay to hurt me again.

But forgiving someone doesn’t apply any of these things. Just as when Jesus said, Father forgive them, he wasn’t saying that our sin which took him to the cross wasn’t significant, it was, but he still forgave us.

This raises a further question. Does forgiveness always mean reconciliation with the offender? The answer is not necessarily, although it can be a healing experience. Forgiveness is about our own attitude. Martin Luther King said, Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude. It is not always possible to restore the damaged relationship, for example if the offender is dead. And there may be occasions when it is not always desirable to restore the relationship, for example if a relationship was abusive.

Forgiveness is not just a one off event, it is an ongoing thing. In Matthew 18:21 Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" To which Jesus replies, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. In other words, it is an ongoing thing, and for some people, the process of forgiveness may take many years.

Acknowledging our own faults

It is important to recognise that we may need to apologise or seek the forgiveness of others for things we have done wrong ourselves. A number of years ago, I wrote to two former friends, asking for their forgiveness for things I had said and done. I realised that I had hurt them by my actions, and had never apologised, and because of this I wasn’t at peace with myself. So I wrote to them and asked for their forgiveness. Through that process of seeking their forgiveness, I felt released from all the guilt and shame. Jesus taught us, about the importance of being reconciled, with one another. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Mt. 5:23-24) This is the reason we exchange the peace before we receive Holy Communion. It is not simply intended as a polite handshake, but an opportunity for us to make peace with one another, and forgive one another any harm we may have caused.

There may be some people her today, thinking I know I should forgive, but I don’t think I can. I want to finish by telling the story of Corrie Ten Boom, and how she had to face the challenge of forgiving someone who had hurt her.

Corrie was born in in Haarlem, Holland in 1892 into a Christian family. When the German army invaded Holland on the 10th May 1940, Corrie and her family took the courageous decision to help Jews escape from the Germans. Through their action they helped save many lives. However on 28th February 1944 the Gestapo arrested Corrie and nine members of her family, and she ended up at the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. Although Corrie survived the concentration camp, many of her family didn’t, including her sister Betsie.
After the war Corrie was invited to speak in many countries about her experiences and about her faith. Corrie had always talked about the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, but in 1947 she had to come face to face with the challenge and cost of true forgiveness. She was speaking at a church in Munich, when she met one of her former guards at Ravensbruck. And this what Corrie said about this encounter.

“Memories of the concentration camp came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment of skin.

Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: "A fine message, fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!"

It was the first time since my release that I had been face to face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.

"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard there. But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein--" again the hand came out--"will you forgive me?"

And I stood there--and could not. Betsie had died in that place--could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it--I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses."

Still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

Conclusion

As we look at the countless problems in our world, one of the most important things we need to see is forgiveness. For without forgiveness, there’s no future. And the greatest symbol we have for forgiveness is the cross of Jesus. The cross also reveals to us just how costly forgiveness can be, but also how necessary it is. Mother Teresa said, If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive. In Christ’s suffering on the cross that not only do we see true love revealed, but also the power of forgiveness to bring healing & wholeness. This is what Corrie ten Boom discovered when she met her former capture, and this is what we too can discover if we are people who are prepared to forgive. Amen.

Vicar's Report, St Martin's Annual Church Meeting (11th March 2007)

This is my report for the St Martin's Annual Church Meeting, held on the 11th March 2007. This report, plus the other church reports can be downloaded in Word format from http://walsallstmartins.2day.ws/walsallstmartins/section/Downloads/

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In my first report as Vicar of St Martin’s, which I gave in April last year, I said that there was much to give thanks for, but that we also faced many challenges as a church. Almost a year on, I think that that this remains the case.

Let me therefore start my report with some of the highlights from the last year.

The Net

In May 2006 we launched The Net, a monthly service which we hoped would appeal to people who do not currently come to St Martin’s. It has been extremely encouraging to see how The Net has steadily grown over the year, and that this has also led to growth amongst our main Sunday morning congregation. Looking ahead to the future, one of the challenges that we face with The Net, is ensuring that it is seen as an event for the whole family, and not just for children. Certainly we have noticed that whilst each month we seem to attract more children, we have not been so successful in attracting their parents! This is something that we are seeking to address.

I would like to express particular thanks to Martin King, who has been the main driving force behind The Net. What has been particularly encouraging has been to see how people from the church have come together to support The Net, it is truly a team effort, and I would like to thank all those who have supported this new initiative.

What we require for the future, is more people who can commit themselves to at least three or four Nets each year, to provide assistance. Areas that we particularly need help with include preparing crafts, running a base, providing refreshments and preparing posters and leaflets. If you would like to help please speak to either myself or Martin.

The next Net will be on Sunday March 18th, feel free to come along and see what it is we are doing, and find out how you can be involved.

Alpha

We are now onto our third Alpha Course since January 2006, attendance at each course has been encouraging, with a significant number of the participants having little or no previous connection with St Martin’s. The course is undoubtedly helping people to reflect upon the Christian faith. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” All we can do is be faithful in planting the seeds, and trusting their growth to God. Your ongoing prayers for the Alpha Course are very much appreciated.

Again, running the Alpha Course would not be possible for the band of volunteers who help prepare and serve food, as well as lead the small groups. I am indebted to all who have given up time and money to serve the church in this way. Our next Alpha Course is scheduled to start in September.

Community Links

During the last year, I have had the opportunity to strengthen my own links with Park Hall Infant and Junior School. I now am in Park Hall Infant School most weeks taking assemblies, and I visit Park Hall Junior School up to several times every half term, and have on a few occasions gone into the school to help assist in lessons, or to welcome the children to St Martin’s.

We are very fortunate as a church to have facilities that are used by a variety of community groups and my thanks goes to John Garbett who deals with the hall bookings.

Church Attendance

Back in October, a year after my licensing as Team Vicar, I reflected on church attendance at St Martin’s over the past 16 years. The bad news I reported was that our: usual Sunday attendance has halved since 1990, and since 1990 we have lost 89% of our young people.

However, over the last few months, it does seem as though our numbers as a church do seem to have stabilised, and possibly increased. There does appear to have been some small, but still significant growth amongst the number of children and families attending St Martin’s, and this is something to really give thanks to God for.

But the challenges facing us are considerable, and we need to continue to reflect on how we can reach out to more people within our community.

Young People

Another area where we face both opportunities and challenges is amongst our young people. I would like to express my particular thanks to Richard and Diane Sainsbury for the work they do amongst the Youth Fellowship (YF). Numbers at YF have fluctuated quite a lot over the year, but there is always a really positive atmosphere. In the coming months we face a challenge about the future of YF, to consider what best meets the needs of the young people within our church, and also our wider community. Again your ongoing prayers for this vital work are very much appreciated.

Tribute also must be made of our Sunday Group Leaders, Mick Pymm, Peter Wheble, Martin King, and Anne Firkins, plus those who support them. As their report highlights, it is not easy to plan the sessions when they are uncertain as to how many children they will get, but there have been some encouraging signs of growth and their hard work and commitment is laying the foundations for the growth of these young peoples faith. However, more helpers are needed if this work is to grow, so please consider whether this is something you could help with, maybe on an occasional basis.

St Martin’s is also extremely fortunate to have a very popular and well run Parents and Toddler Group, which is run by Emma Knott, Emma Wadley and Sheila Wright, although with Sheila looking to relocate to Spain on a more permanent basis, it is important to find more volunteers to help run this group.

Ministry Team

One of the things that greatly appealed to me about St Martin’s when I first arrived was the fact that it has a Ministry Team. It was wonderful to be able to welcome Jackie Brown and Jane Quinn to the Ministry Team last year, taking the team up to its full quota of eight people for the first time since its introduction.

St Martin’s was recently given Mandated Ministry status by the Diocese, which is in recognition of what the church has achieved in trying to encourage every member ministry. On April 1st, the Archdeacon of Walsall will be coming to St Martin’s to preach and officially commission our Mandated Ministry Team.

DCC

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the DCC for their service to the church, and especially to Liz Dunthorne, who although remaining on DCC, is standing down as Secretary. Just over a week ago the DCC attended a conference held here at St Martin’s, on the subject of Leading Your Church into Growth, and in May we have arranged for a DCC Day Away, which I hope will enable the Church Council to prayerfully reflect on how we can lead the church forward into further growth, and renewal.

Wardens

Two people, who, the whole church is indebted to, are our Wardens Phill Ball and Lilian Turner. I am so grateful for Phill and Lilian’s support, and guidance. One of the primary functions of a churchwarden is to represent the views and opinions of the whole church congregation, if you like to be an advocate for the church, and Phill and Lilian have always faithfully discharged their duties.

As many of you will be aware, Phill has had a strong sense of calling for some time now, and in April will be attending a Selection Conference for the Ordained Ministry. Because of this, Phill has decided that the time has now come for him to stand down as churchwarden. On behalf of the whole church, I would like to express our thanks to Phill for all he has done during the time he has been warden. Please hold Phill in your prayers as he attends the selection conference in April.

Needless to say the role of church warden is an extremely important one, and I am therefore delighted to report that Derek Kelsey has agreed to become our next warden.

To support the wardens in their Sunday duties, we have two deputy wardens, Dorothy Doody and Carl Petrucco, and again I would like to express my thanks to them for all that their hard work. Carl is standing down as deputy warden, and I am pleased to report that Peter Wheble will be taking over from Carl.

Finances

This year, we once again managed to pay our Parish Share in full, and meet our other financial commitments.

However, looking ahead to the coming year, it is clear that as a church we face some significant financial challenges, which we will talk about in more details following this service. Put simply, our income does not meet our expenses, and so in order to meet our commitments, we have had to dig into our church reserves last year by the sum of £5,291. One of the reasons for this shortfall in income is due to a drop in congregational giving.

As you will appreciate, this situation cannot continue, because if we have another year like this last year, there will be no reserves left. We therefore face the challenge as a church of having to increase our giving by 5% during this year, in order just to break even, to put that another way, we need to raise our income through giving by £5,840. I have written to every member of the electoral roll to invite you to review your current level of giving, and to consider if you can make changes to that, and I would ask you to prayerfully consider this request.

Increasing our giving by 5% this year, is not an insurmountable difficulty, but it does challenge us as a church to take seriously are commitment to give to the work of God’s church.

I would like to thank John Duder for all he has done as Treasurer, and Martin King for his work as Stewardship Officer. John, after being in the post of Treasurer for several years, has decided to stand down, and so on behalf of the church I would like to express my thanks to John for all he has done. I am delighted to report that Roger Turner, has agreed to take on the roll of Treasurer.

Cluster

The clergy from the five cluster churches continue to meet on a regular basis to plan and pray, and we participate in regular pulpit swaps, which St Martin’s directly benefits from. During this last year, we have said good bye to a number of friends including, Peter Wilcox at St Paul’s, who is now Canon Chancellor at Lichfield Cathedral, Frances Tyson who has moved to Southampton, David Stokes Harrison who is now house for duty vicar in Shropshire, and Mark Ireland who has returned to parish ministry in Wellington near Telford. Jenny Nightingale the curate of St Paul’s, will be leaving Walsall in June, to take up a new post in Bournemouth, and in May we will welcome the Revd Mark Kinder and his family to Walsall, as Mark becomes the new Priest in Charge of St Paul’s.

The Body of Christ

Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:27 writes that the church is the body of Christ, and that we each have a part to play in it. Although I have mentioned a number of people by name in this report, there are many others who help serve the life of the church. Much of this work goes on in the background, but helps strengthen and serve the whole body of Christ. Particular mention should be made of the home group leaders, hospital team, those involved in visiting the sick and elderly, those involved in prayer ministry, charity representatives, flower arrangers, sides persons, refreshments team, and those who help assist in leading worship (leading intercessions, reading, administrators, worship leaders, etc.) The list is likely to be longer, but your work is truly appreciated. The strength of a church lies in the people, and I am thankful for all who work hard to serve the church.

The Future

Looking ahead to the coming year, I feel encouraged, but we still have a lot to do. I believe that our main priority is for us to put prayer much higher on our agenda, so that we hear what God is calling us to do, and that TOGETHER, as a church we may faithfully serve God and our community. In a sermon that I preached back in October, I said quoted from the Diocesan Going for Growth Strategy, which said: “The growth of the kingdom and the growth of the Church depends on the Holy Spirit, not on human striving. Prayer MUST be our first priority. Church members have a vital part to play, praying daily for the growth of the church and of the kingdom.”

I believe that if as a church, we are to see the growth that we all long for, then we must take the call to prayer much more seriously. Because, a praying, will be a growing church.

I want to conclude with Paul’s words from Philippians 3, which I hope will be our prayer as a church for the coming year. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. , and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Luke 9:23-25 & Matthew 25:31-40: The Cost of Discipleship

Introduction

Advertising has become a huge business. You can’t escape from it, it is everywhere, on the radio, on tv, on our computers, on the clothes we wear, on the back of buses, everywhere.

The purpose of a good advert attempts not only to sell you a particular product, it tries to sell you a life style choice. For example, we are encouraged to believe that the type of car we drive, the sort of clothes we wear, the place where we choose to go on holiday, says something very important about the sort of people we are, it says something about our values and aspirations. Charles Revson, who owns a factory making lipstick, said this: “In our factory, we make lipstick. In our advertising, we sell hope.”

But when people came to Jesus and asked him what they would have to do to follow him, Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) Clearly Jesus hadn’t had any lessons on advertising, because if you are going to try and sell something, talking about taking up your cross, and loosing one’s life, is probably not going to attract many takers.

The Royal Marines run a recruiting advert which has the strap line, 99.9% need not apply, the point being that clearly only a select few are good enough for the Royal Marines.

Although Jesus’ words are not to be interpreted in this way, he is making clear the cost of discipleship.

Firstly Jesus said we are to deny ourselves. But what does he mean by this? We are in Lent, and during Lent many Christians give up things that they like, is this is the sort of denial Jesus was referring to? The answer is no, although self denial of this sort is a good spiritual discipline.
Denying OurselvesBy denying ourselves, Jesus is saying we need to renounce self. We need to put God, and not ourselves at the centre of our lives. It is about letting God be the one who is in charge of our lives. It is about putting God in the number one spot, rather than ourselves.

We are living in a society, where so much emphasis is placed upon putting self first, and so Jesus’ words are incredibly counter cultural. As a rock star Alice Cooper, is very famous, he is also a Christian. In an interview about becoming a Christian this is what he said. “People think it’s ironic that Alice Cooper, this rock ‘n’ roll rebel, is a Christian. But it’s the most rebellious thing I’ve ever done. Drinking beer is easy. Trashing our hotel room is easy. But being a Christian – that’s a tough call. That’s real rebellion.”To put God first in our lives is not easy. Martin Luther said “Here is what Christian living entails: wishing in all things whatever God wishes; desiring his glory, seeking nothing for oneself, either now or in the hereafter.” Many people find this difficult. This is why many people find it easier to live their lives their way rather than God’s. C.K Chesterton said “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it’s been found difficult and not tried.”

Take up your crossThe other instruction Jesus gives is to ‘Take up your cross’. Mark was writing this gospel for Christians living in Rome, who were undergoing persecution. It would have been a familiar site to see a condemned man carrying his cross to the place of execution. This theme of having to suffer for your faith would have been very relevant for the Christians in Rome. And today many Christians around the world face real persecution for their faith.

But living in this country, we do not have to face the same hardships. So what does Jesus actually mean by ‘taking up our cross’? It means being prepared to surrender everything to God, giving our whole life over to him, submitting our lives to him. Just as Jesus submitted himself to the will of his Father. There is actually a great paradox in what Jesus is saying, because it is when we surrender our lives to God, that we discover true freedom.

Dietrich Bonheoffer was a German theologian and pastor, who established the Confessing Church in the 1930s, and was involved in the German resistance movement against Hitler. He wrote a book, called ‘The Cost of Discipleship’, first published in 1937. In this book he writes, To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. … All that self-denial can say is: "He leads the way, keep close to Him.""…and take up his cross." … Only when we have become completely oblivious of self are we ready to bear the cross for His sake. If in the end we know only Him, if we have ceased to notice the pain of our own cross, we are indeed looking only unto Him. If Jesus had not so graciously prepared us for this word, we should have found it unbearable.

He goes on to write, “To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When it comes, it is not an accident, but a necessity. … the suffering is an essential part of the specifically Christian life.

It is not suffering per se but suffering-and-rejection… for the sake of Christ. If our Christianity has ceased to be serious about discipleship, if we have watered down the gospel into emotional uplift which makes no costly demands and which fails to distinguish between natural and Christian existence, then we cannot help regarding the cross as an ordinary everyday calamity… We have then forgotten that the cross means rejection and shame as well as suffering.

Bonheoffer, had to carry his own cross, he was killed by the Nazi’s days before the end of the war.

The parable of the sheep and the goats, from Matthew’s Gospel is a reminder to us that we cannot live our Christian lives in isolation from other people. And this too, is part of the cost of discipleship. I have heard people say that their Christian faith is a private matter, but this parable demonstrates that it cannot be purely private. Our faith has to impact our life, and the way we treat others.

In James chapter 2 verse 14 we read, ‘What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

As Christians we are called to demonstrate God’s love through the love we show to others. These acts of love and compassion aren’t dependent upon wealth, ability or intelligence, they are simple acts freely given and freely received.

The people Jesus reached out to, and the people we also are called to reach out to, was the prostitutes, the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the homeless, those people on the margins of society. The challenge here is not only to demonstrate love to those people that are similar to us, but to those people who the rest of society would shun. This takes us beyond our comfort zone. To people and places we would rather not go to. And it can be costly. And Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged on the criteria of how we have treated others.

Being a Christian is not easy, we know from the Gospels, that there were many people who wished to follow Jesus, but found the demands too difficult, like the rich young man. The Christian life is challenging, and at times it can be a struggle, as we seek to overcome our own wills and passions, in order to put Christ first. Fortunately, the God we worship and follow is merciful and kind, and understands are struggles and our frailties. To be a disciple of Christ requires a full-time, long-term, commitment, being prepared to endure all manner of things for the sake of Jesus Christ, but which results in the reward of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Augustine said: “Christ is not valued at all unless he is valued above all.” God has called us be comfortable Christian consumers, silent spectators, or a half asleep half-hearted halfway follower, he has to be at the heart of our lives.