God's promise of heaven

Sunday 19^th December 2010 by Alan Walden

Readings: Revelation 21:1-7; Luke 23:33-43

Today, we reach the end of our series on discipleship by looking at ‘God’s promise of heaven’. It would be easy to speculate about heaven on the basis of what we might like, or be able to imagine. C.S. Lewis once described heaven as ‘that remote music we’re born remembering’. He suggested that the whole human race has a kind of deep sense that there must be a better, different world that we were designed for.

That is an interesting point, but we can do better than that, because we have specific information in the Bible, promises and teaching from God about heaven.

At this time of year, in the depths of this snowy winter, our thoughts naturally turn to warmer, brighter times and places, in other words to holidays! After Christmas we will be bombarded by holiday adverts, brochures, and doubtless competitions to win a luxury holiday. Imagine if you won a holiday. I guess if you did that the first thing you would want to know would be: where? Is it somewhere nice, is it somewhere I want to go? The other thing you would want to know would be the travel arrangements - what will the journey to your destination involve?

If this is true of a holiday, how much more is it true of heaven? The Bible tells us about the journey and what it will be like when we get there. And it tells us, not just to fulfil our idle curiosity, but so that we can get ready for heaven. The best we can do with this life is - prepare well for heaven, and there are 3 features in particular which we see today in our readings which will help us prepare.

The first, key feature of heaven is the presence of God. In our reading from Revelation it says ‘See the home of God is among mortals; He will dwell with them, they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them’ God in all his glory pervades everything in heaven. (The power of God, the love of God, the righteousness of God - all of the nature of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is fully, eternally, present). To be in heaven will be to have a clear view of God in all his glory.

In this life we get glimpses of God, heavenly moments, when we experience God’s healing, his love, when we understand and experience some small part of what God has done for us. But in heaven, that experience of God will be much more intense than the best of this life, and it will be like that constantly.

Have you have ever visited a place which made a real impact on you? When I was 18 years old I went abroad on my own for the first time to Hong Kong. I had done quite a lot of research about Hong Kong before I went, I had seen pictures, read guide books, talked to people who had been there, etc, but nothing prepared me for what it was like when I arrived. There are hugh skyscrapers, on either side of a harbour thronged with boats. There is a vibrant Chinese cultural life, an incredible selection of restaurants with different types of cuisine. An incredible experience on many levels. It wasn’t all heavenly, needless to say, but it was incredibly intense. I was very grateful for the preparation I had done, but no amount of research could have prevented me being completely overawed, amazed and energised by the place.

And the presence of God will be something which we will never be fully ready for, it will be intense, awesome and overpowering. Our preparations for it, never complete, will be very worth while.

The second feature of heaven which arises out of God’s presence is the absence of sin. It is hard for us to grasp what the full presence of God will be like in positive terms, and it is explained more by absence of things which pervade our current world. V4 ‘Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.’

In the presence of God there can be no sin, and if there is no sin, then all the terrible consequences of sin are abolished. Imagine a world with all that is good in it still there, but no sin - you are imagining heaven.

In the presence of God and the absence of sin, there can be no suffering - no unhappiness of any kind - no decay or aging - no death - no experience of loss - no reason for grieving. There can only be life, joy, peace.

When we are suffering, and finding this life a trial, then this aspect of heaven is a wonderful encouragement. When we are enjoying this life, feeling that everything is pretty good, then that will still be nothing compared with heaven. Heaven will be like the occasional glimpses we get of God, our mountain top experiences. Tackling sin in our lives will be a great preparation for heaven.

The third aspect of heaven for which we can prepare is that it will be a communal experience. Heaven is a place where we will be able to have fellowship not only with God but also with the rest of God’s people there. The Bible talks about people in heaven being together and worshipping God. We have images such as the wedding banquet, and in verse 2 the Holy City. A city is a place where many people all live together. V3 ‘God will dwell with them, they will be his peoples, God himself will be with them’. It’s all plural - this will not be an individual experience.

In this life, many of the problems we have stem from difficulties between people. There might even be some people in the church whom the prospect of spending eternity with does not seem like your idea of heaven.

But whatever it is you don’t like about them - great news - that will be sorted out in heaven! They will be changed, and so will you, so that you can have not just perfect fellowship with God, but also perfect fellowship with other people. That will make all sorts of wonderful things possible which are just not possible now, including everyone getting on well together.

Benjamin Franklin, who as well as being a founder of the United States, was also a printer, penned his own epitath:

The Body of B. Franklin, Printer

Like the Cover of an old Book

Its contents torn out,

And stript of its Lettering and Guilding,

Lies here, Food for Worms,

But the Work shall not be wholly lost:

For it will, as he believ'd,

Appear once more

In a new & more perfect Edition,

Corrected and amended by the Author.

So we prepare for heaven by spending time with other Christians not focussing on their flaws (which God will sort out), but on their good points (which will endure for ever). The best preparation is to worship God together.

There is much more that I could say, but time doesn’t permit. But do look out for other references to heaven in the Bible, and think how they might help you prepare.

Having explored what heaven is like, the other question is - when do we go there? There seem to be two different aspects of this presented in the Bible.

Firstly, there is what Jesus said on the cross to the thief, as we heard in our gospel reading. ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’

How do we square this with other passages on the resurrection, such as 1 Corinthians 15 which talks about the dead being raised at the end of time when Christ returns, having been asleep. Also, the new creation in Revelation 21.

Putting together everything which the Bible says about heaven, and what will happen after we die, it is fairly clear that there is a two stage process. (My understanding of this has been helped immensely by reading a book called Surprised by Hope’ by Bishop Tom Wright.) After we die, there will be a period of waiting. This is not purgatory, but of being with Jesus, held in God’s love. If you like, that is being ‘in heaven’, for it is in God’s presence. But it is described as a period of rest, sleep and waiting. If even an executed criminal can be there with Jesus, then all who trust in him can surely expect to be there too.

And what is being waited for is the new creation. At the end of time, Christ will come, and the dead will be raised. There will be a new creation - a new heaven and earth, as described in Revelation 21. And there will also be new bodies - resurrection bodies for those who are in Christ. We will then live in the new creation, with God, with a new body. That is the ultimate Christian hope. Not for a vague ethereal existence, but a real, solid one, in God’s presence without sin and with each other. That is a richer hope than simply going to heaven when we die.

So as we contemplate what will happen after we die - our heavenly presence with God, involving both waiting and resting in his presence, and living with him in a physical new creation, we can now see how we might store up treasure in heaven, by the way we live now.

· As we get to know more about the Lord, and practice being in his presence, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

· As we seek to live godly lives, submitting to the will of God, not focussing on our own short term happiness, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

· As we seek good fellowship with our fellow Christians - in St Peters and St Francis, with those in other churches and other denominations, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

This world is shadowy and temporary, compared with our hope of heaven. The new heaven and new earth will be the true and permanent reality.

God has told us quite enough for us to know how to get ready. If you would prepare to go on holiday, how much more should you prepare for heaven. That is our Christian discipleship - spending this life preparing for eternal life, together with the rest of God’s people, in the presence of our righteous and loving heavenly Father.

Questions

1) How do you imagine heaven? What common images are helpful, and what are misleading?

2) If someone asked you to explain what happens when we die, how would you answer them?

3) What things do you do which help you prepare for heaven, and how might you seek to be better prepared?

4) As you look back over the discipleship series, how has God spoken to you about the way you live your Christian life?

God's rescue from judgment and hell

Sunday 12^th December 2010 by Alan Walden

Romans. 8: 1-11

Gram Seed is an unusual name. It belongs to a very hard man. Gram Seed was a skinhead, a football hooligan, a burglar, and was charged with murder. He spent much of his early adult life in prison. His mother gave up on him. She told him he was “the son of Satan” - evil like his father, who he’d never seen. She said, “I don’t want nought to do with you. You’re dead as far as I’m concerned.”

He grew up in the roughest part of Teesside with his Gran who was drinking and taking drugs all the time. His life revolved around drugs and alcohol and sex and violence. After 3 years of living rough, he collapsed and went into a coma in 1996 and was not expected to survive. His mother was called to the hospital by the doctors to sign the papers to switch of his life support.

You might think that he had it coming, that he was suffering the consequences of sin in his life. You might more sympathetically see him as a victim of the sins of others. He was an example of what our reading describes as the law of sin and death at work.

Most of us have not experienced that level of criminality in our own life. If we know God and have an inner desire to serve him, then we can stay on the level, can’t we? Yes, and no. The problem is our own human weakness. Even when we know what is right, we find it difficult to do.

The experience of struggling with condemnation is one which St Paul wrote memorably in the section just before our reading in Romans today. (You might want to turn to Romans 7:19 ‘I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do’ and then verse 24 ‘Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Our trouble is the very nature of our humanity, what is referred to in the reading in Chapter 8 as our ‘flesh’. Human nature, human flesh is selfish, sinful, and rejects God (verse 7). ‘the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.’

If we live according to our flesh, according to our human nature and desires, then we are heading to death and separation from God, as Gram Seed was. Not in the same way, or at the same speed, but just as surely.

Elsewhere, Paul (in Galatians 5:19-21) distinguishes neatly for us between the works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit:

'Now the works of the flesh are obvious’ he says. His list is tamer than what brought Gram Seed down, perhaps we can more easily find our own weaknesses here. It includes: enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness. Paul writes ‘I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’

The endpoint of living according to the flesh is what Jesus called hell - final, eternal separation from God. What else can be possible ultimately for those who reject God? That is not God’s choice but the choice of those who go away from him. Such separation is necessary for justice and righteousness to be maintained. God is holy and cannot tolerate sin. It is not God’s will for anyone to be in hell. But people have a strong tendency to reject God.

We need rescuing, and God has a rescue plan. It is Christ in us. V1 of Romans 8 delivers that great gospel message: ‘There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’. Rescue is available from God for us - even for Gram Seed.

When Gram’s mother turned up at the hospital, she found some lads who’d been trying to tell him about Jesus when he was on the streets. (He had gone after them, and chased them away). They had come to visit him. They asked, “Can we pray for your son?” and she said, “Yes, but you know they’ve given up on him.” And they said, “We know someone who loves him and wants to help him.” So they went into his room in intensive care and prayed for Gram. They said: “In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, give this man new life.” And by his own account, he woke up and started breathing. He was miraculously healed from both his illnesses and his addictions.

Gram said `Four days later, my mother told me about them praying to Jesus, and I said, “What does Jesus want to know about a scumbag like me for?” I heard all these stories about Jesus. When I came out of hospital I wanted to look into it.’ He did just that - he turned up at an Alpha course, and ended up dedicating his life to God.

The Law of Life sets us free from sin and death. There is a life and death battle going on - sin taking us in the direction of death and separation from God, and hell.

But Christ offers freedom from that battle. He does it because he came as a human being, he was condemned for us and died for us on the cross. So he gave us the Spirit which gives life, our rescue from the law of sin and death.

When I was at college, training for ministry, one of the most sought after visits was to the prison. Going to a prison, and having the privilege of preaching the gospel there, was known to be a really satisfying and enriching experience. People would return with amazing stories of people who are physically in prison, but have been set free in their hearts by the Spirit of God, by Jesus Christ.

There is a powerful and effective Christian ministry within prisons, and often that those people who are physically in prison but know Christ are more free than those who are out of prison but in captivity inwardly.

The remarkable thing about God’s rescue plan is that it is not just an external thing. Christ’s victory over death was not just an event which happened somewhere which we can assent to. When we accept Christ it transforms us. So much so that Paul can say in v9 ‘You are not in the flesh’. You are not in the flesh, ‘you are in the Spirit, because the Spirit of God lives in you’ Even though we are in a body which sins, which is perishing and which will die, because of Christ in us we have eternal life. What a wonderful transformation.

Verse 6 ^'To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.'

Gram Seed was totally transformed by Christ in him. He wanted to tell people about Jesus. Having been rescued and given new hope, he wanted to share that with other people. He started a prison ministry. After 10 years in prison trying to get out, he now spends all his time trying to get back in!. You can read more in his autobiography ‘One Step Beyond’.

Rescue comes from knowing Christ, setting our minds on him, and inviting his Spirit to come and live in us. Gram Seed did exactly that. If God can do that for him, he can certainly do it for us.

As disciples of Christ, the life which we have is God’s life. Our human nature is still at work, we are liable to sin, we are subject to sickness and ultimately to death. But with God in us, we can be confident that death is ultimately defeated. Everything which is not of God will die, but the more we are in God, the more we will defeat death and live on.

There is a life and death battle going on. Death, sin and our flesh versus life, hope and peace. Which will win? Well Christ has assured us of the victory, by defeating death for us.

The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) include love, joy, peace. If we know Christ, then we should also know the fruit of the Spirit growing in us. (Also patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.)

God has done amazing things in the life of Gram Seed. He now runs Sowing Seeds Ministries, aimed at taking God's message of hope and love to prisoners and ex-offenders.

God’s rescue plan is for us to know Christ, to set our minds on him, to invite his Spirit to come and live in us. Gram Seed did exactly that - if God can do it for him, he can certainly do it for us.

As disciples, we are called to be open to Christ at work in us. We can be confident that he has done everything needed for our freedom - from condemnation, from being spiritually held captive by our sins, from the road to destruction. Whatever darkness we know, God’s life and light can overcome it when we are in Christ and he is in us. And so as we wait to be united with Father, he assures us by his Spirit that in Christ we have life and peace. Amen.

Questions

1) How have you experienced God’s rescue - in your own life and in the life of people you know?

2) Take some time to reflect on you human weakness, considering the list in Galatians 5:19-21. You may want to share with your group, but don’t feel obliged.

3) How does Christ’s victory over sin and death help us in our Christian discipleship?

4) Re-read Romans 8:1-11. As Christians we have assurance that there is no condemnation. How does this make you feel?

God’s life even in death

Sunday 5th December 2010 by Mavis Wilson

Readings: Genesis 23:1-8, 25:7-11; Romans 8: 31-39; John 11:17-27.

Life is very precious and we do all we can to preserve and protect life. Some people spend the whole of their working lives protecting the life of others – doctors, medical staff, emergency service personnel, for example. We do not usually spend a lot of time thinking about our death and if we did so we would probably be rather neurotic.

The traditional themes for Advent in the Book of Common prayer - those rather sombre ones of death, judgement, heaven and Hell, have been somewhat watered down in more recent years into Patriarchs, prophets John the Baptist and Mary. All worthy enough but this year it seemed important to dare to look at the more sombre themes and see how they affect us all. This week we consider ‘God’s life even in death’.

The only two certainties about human life are that we each have a beginning, our birth and an ending, our death. We cannot remember our birth and most of us prefer not to imagine our death. But a realistic look at our end and a sensible preparation may bring us some unexpected blessings.

In todays OT reading we hear about Abraham who had set out many years before on a journey of which the end was completely unknown to him. In the course of his long and demanding life journey he had learnt to trust God in a profound way. But neither his trust in God nor his many blessings prevented him from being bereaved and when his wife died he made plans not only for her burial but also for his.

The passage tells how he has to do a deal with his Hittite neighbours who own the land which he needs for a burial place. Rather like people coming to the parish office to book a space in the churchyard! Abraham’s negotiations are a kind of sophisticated dance of offering and bargaining and there is obviously a lot of mutual respect between the two parties; but in the end he buys a cave and there Sarah and later he too are buried.

How practically prepared are you for the arrangements for your death? How do you want to be cared for when you may become too old to care for yourself? In my experience of taking funerals the more the person who has died had made it clear what they would like the better it is for the people who are left behind grieving and the less sense of guilt there is if people have been able to be open with each other during the last years and months of life.

Making a will, planning a service, being clear while allowing others freedom to make decision too is a great blessing and makes for a good ending. A funeral then becomes something done within a pattern of good relationships and hopefully with a trusting sense of God’s presence and in a spirit of thanksgiving. All this is life giving for people left behind.

But there are more than practical preparations - as we face in to death we need to be spiritually in a place of peace with God. As Christians we believe that Jesus is always present with us, but it is so easy to lose touch with him. We need to practice God’s presence in the every day experience of our lives.

How could St Paul be so definite that nothing could separate him from the love of Christ?

For two reasons I think. Firstly he had really discovered the truth about what Jesus had done for him. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He writes at the beginning of Romans 8. He understood that God had accepted Jesus’ work on the Cross as setting aside all the old claims of the Law which would have certainly reckoned him, and us, sinners. By God’s grace Christ came to overcome all the powers of death and sin for us and to set free from their influence all who trust in him.

Secondly Paul had lived through myriad testing experiences in his Christian discipleship and had found Christ to be faithful and present with him in them all. He had endured trials of all kinds. He had been ill. He really had fought against destructive religious, civil, political and demonic powers and had been rescued form them. He had trusted God, like Abraham, in every circumstance of a challenging life. No wonder he could be confident that nothing could separate him from God’s love - not even death. He had already put God to the test and found God faithful.

Is that the God whom we know? Do we have that kind of relationship with Christ by the Spirit? Do we bring all the circumstances of our lives to him in prayer? Do we ask for his presence and help every moment of every day? If our lives over the years have tested God’s faithfulness it will be easier, much easier to face death with calmness and hope.

We need too to have a clear conscience before God. That may involve keeping short accounts with others and not letting the sun go down without making peace with anyone whom we have hurt or offended or who has hurt or offended us. We need to be free of any sin or evil doing which might be on our conscience and here too the habits of a lifetime may help. We need to confess our sins and shortcomings to one another or to a soul friend or confessor. Maybe you think this is not a part of the tradition of the Church of England but it is. The group of curates who I tutor listened to a wise and experienced priest who hears people’s confessions and from experience I know that this can be a most liberating and life giving thing to do. That is why the notice about Advent and speaking to one of the clergy appeared on the Newsletter last week. It is just an invitation to people to come and receive something which they may find liberating and life giving.

In today's Gospel reading Jesus stood in front of a tomb containing the body of his friend. This incident is recalled in every funeral service where we use a prayer about Jesus grieving at Lazarus’s tomb. Jesus shouted out to Lazarus the command to come out. All Jesus’ faith in God’s trust in him was tested. He summoned every ounce of energy to call upon God to hear him. And Lazarus came out of the tomb - a mighty sign that Jesus embodied the life which could not ultimately be defeated.

That did not ultimately protect him form facing his own death. In that experience on the Cross he too had to trust totally in the faithfulness of God to raise him from death. But that resurrection life was in him just as it will be in us if we trust him with all that we have been, are and shall be.

God's manna from heaven

Sunday 28^th November (Advent Sunday) by Alan Walden

Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 (also if time 1 Kings 17 1-16, Matthew 26:20-30)

What is it that makes a great meal? The food, the company, the ambiance, the warmth of the welcome? I am at a stage in life when I don’t often manage to host or attend a good dinner party - the combination of children and evening meetings mean there are few opportunities. Perhaps that’s why one of my favourite TV programmes at the moment is ‘Come Dine with Me’ which offers a second hand dinner party experience. Four people each take it in turns to host a dinner party, and they award points for the overall experience - the winner, the one who hosts the best dinner party wins £1000. Each evening there is a sense of expectation - what will it be like (the house, the food the people). And there is also a good deal of preparation - by the host, but also by the guests (what they wear, how they plan to behave).

When it comes to Holy Communion, we are all guests at the Lord’s Supper. Jesus says to us ‘Come dine with me.’ What is it that we get when we come to his table? What should we be expecting to happen and how should we prepare?

The Lord’s Supper is such a special part of Christian experience, that whenever we talk about it, we can only approach it with a kind of humble recognition that we will not fully understand it in this life. It is a holy mystery - with many layers of meaning. We can explore some of those layers, but we do so in the full knowledge that we will never reach the end of our exploration.

The idea of God meeting with his people at a meal is something which happens throughout the Bible. In the Garden of Eden, before there was a companion for Adam, God gave him trees that were good for food, and gave him freedom to eat what he chose (with one exception). With no sin and no separation from God, every meal would have been a God given feast in his presence. (It was of course in disobedience over a meal that they fell from grace - trying to feed themselves in God’s absence). We read of God feeding Elijah in the wilderness to equip him for what he had to do. And there are other instances of eating and drinking in God’s presence at key points in Scripture. For example, just after God gave the 10 commandments to Moses, there was a meal with the elders in Gods presence (Exodus 24:11) ‘They beheld God and they ate and drank’. And of course there was the Passover Supper - a meal to remember God’s saving his people from slavery. And in the section just before our Gospel, Matthew 26:17-19 makes it clear that it was just such a Passover Supper at which the Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper which we celebrate today. And on into the future, the wonderful idea of feasting in God’s presence is still present in Revelation 19:9 ’Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’ - that is the ultimate celebration of God’s reconciliation with humans at the end of time. So the Bible has God feeding us as a key part of his relationship with us from start to finish.

So we come to look at the fellowship meal as instituted and commanded by Christ in that Gospel reading. As we think about its role in our Christian discipleship, there are various meanings which we can find - all woven together. I want to point to four in particular, and they all relate to the actions involved.

Firstly, braking symbolises Christ’s death. In verse 26 ’Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it’. That action which is repeated in every communion service, reminds us of his death: broken bread for his slaughtered body, flowing wine for his blood which was shed. Verse 28 ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’. When we say these words and do these actions, we are ‘proclaiming his death’ His death reminds us of his love for us. Because ‘No greater love’ could he have than to give up his life.

Secondly, taking. Jesus said in verse 26 - take, eat, and again ‘drink.. all of you’. As we each reach out and receive the bread and the wine, we are saying - I take the benefits of Christ’s death for myself. He was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and we accept the forgiveness, the reconciliation with God, the promise of eternal life. Because an action is required by us - coming forward, reaching out, taking the bread and the wine, we are recognising that God’s gift doesn’t just need to be known about, it needs to be received. So at communion we take bread and wine and we receive the benefits of Christ’s death for ourselves.

Thirdly, nourishment. Just as we all need food and drink to keep our physical bodies healthy, and there is also spiritual nourishment which our souls require. The eating and drinking are a picture and a symbol of that, but they are more than that, because as we participate in the physical eating and drinking, our souls really are fed spiritually.

Sacraments are described as being ‘An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.’ The outward form is the bread and wine being received - the inward grace is the blessings which are conveyed. Forgiveness, strength, faith, a sense of God’s love and power at work in us. When we come to communion we should come expecting spiritual nourishment - according to what we need. We should expect to be changed, renewed, re-energised by God’s Spirit. That is the spiritual nourishment which we receive, and it is both symbolised and genuinely experienced as we participate in the Eucharist. We read that the disciples sung a hymn immediately after the first Lord’s Supper - a joyful response of praise. We too sing after receiving communion.

Fourthly, unity. As we gather and receive together we are giving a sign of our unity. From the account of the first Lord’s Supper there is a real sense of togetherness around the Table in the presence of Jesus. In 1 Cor 1:17, Paul says ‘Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread’. Words which we use in the Eucharistic prayer.

It is clear however that this unity had broken down by the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians. They were too focussed on eating, in their own little world with God, and not on being together - on fellowship. So from that time it seems, the meal became simplified, and a symbolic meal rather than a full meal. Because, its not about the food, but about the company. It’s not Masterchef - it’s ‘Come, Dine with Me’

So when we put these four things together, what a great cause of thanksgiving and joy there is in the Eucharist - indeed Eucharist mans ‘thanksgiving’! We come into the presence of Christ, remembering his death for us, receiving for ourselves the benefits of that death, gaining spiritual nourishment, in unity with all believers who do the same - not just here and now, but everywhere and forever.

Now, as most of you know, I was ordained priest last summer, meaning that I could preside at Communion for the first time, and in preparation for that, there was much training and study. One of the final stages of that preparation was a day I spent with all the other people being ordained priest at the same time, when the whole day given over a communion service. At each stage (gathering, confession, readings, sermon, peace, praying the Eucharistic prayer, sending out), we lingered, shared our reflections on the significance and the meaning to us. This was a rich experience - with contributions from people with a wide range of backgrounds and from different traditions in the church. It was so good to have that extra time to reflect together on the richness of the significance of the Eucharist, and the way which we participate in it. And indeed, we can go just a little deeper on the significance of Holy Communion. Why is it so important to do it rather than just to say the words?

I want to suggest that the physical nature of Communion should be a celebration of the way God is present and active in the physical world. We can easily slip into feeling that God is only involved in some other-worldly way - spiritual, but not physical. (That comes not from Christianity but from Greek thinkers like Plato, who wanted to downgrade physical existence). But Christian worship celebrates physical things, as a powerful affirmation of the gospel. We proclaim that God became flesh, he entered into the physical world, becoming a human being. That is what we are preparing for in Advent. So as we take physical things and use them to symbolise spiritual reality, it is more than just a symbol, or just a remembrance. There is a real link between the physical and the spiritual. Christ’s real presence, with us, and in us, as we receive communion, is the wonder of the Lord’s Supper.

How is he present is a wonderful mystery, too great for us to fully understand. Christians have a range of understanding of how he is present , but they do not disagree that he is genuinely present and around and through the Eucharist. The presence is symbolic, genuine and spiritual, and it conveys a real spiritual blessing, and that is why participation in the Eucharist is of such value.

So I want to finish with some comments on how we should participate. 1 Cor 11:27 ‘Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup’. While it is good to receive communion regularly, it should not become such a habit that it loses it’s meaning, or that we come unprepared. It is beneficial if received after appropriate preparation (hence we always have a gathering, a confession, prayer, listening to God’s word etc - we prepare together. There is also personal preparation - is there anything which is particularly hampering you - then deal with it with God before coming.

In the early church, there was clearly a great problem, which we can barely conceive, of people coming to communion as if to a wild party, eager to eat and drink, not mindful of God or of one another. It must have been rather like a particularly wild episode of ‘Come Dine with Me’. We don’t do that of course, but nevertheless, St Pauls warning on the importance of coming to communion in a state where we can ‘discern the body’, recognise the presence of God and be able to come into that presence, speaks to us. Do we prepare as well as we might for entering the presence of such a holy God?

So Jesus says - Come Dine with Me. At his table, Christ affirms his love for us, and our salvation through his blood, and we affirm our faith in him - by participating, by receiving. There is always something new available for us when we do. And If we come suitably prepared to the Lord’s Table, expecting to meet with him and be changed, then we will surely be spiritually nourished, strengthened by his presence with us, refreshed for the next stage in our journey of discipleship.

Questions

What aspects of the meaning of communion are most important for you?

What aspects do you tend to ignore, or to miss out on?

What preparations do you make to come to Holy Communion, and how could you be better prepared?

Do you find Communion spiritually nourishing - why (or why not)? What could you do to get more from Communion services?

Christ the King

Sunday Nov 21 2010 by Mavis Wilson

Readings: Jeremiah 23. 1-6; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23. 33-43

With the announcement this week of the Royal engagement kings and queens are rather in the news at present. To-day we celebrate another king - Jesus or as this Sunday is called ‘Christ the King’. It is the last Sunday before the church’s New Year begins at Advent and it comes right in the middle of our series on discipleship, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the one whom we serve; hopefully as the loyal and obedient subjects of a king who is unlike any earthly ruler.

The three readings to-day focus on three aspects or models of kingship. Jeremiah tells us about the shepherd king, St Luke about the suffering king and St Paul in Colossians about the supreme king.

At a time when the kings and leaders of the people of Israel had failed to provide the kind of leadership which guided, cared for and nurtured God’s people, the prophet Jeremiah contrasts their failure with the essential goodness, faithfulness and tenderness of God. These verses resonate with the very beginning of everything. God draws his people together from the scattered experiences of rebellion and exile and there is a promise for them ‘they shall be fruitful and multiply’ words which echo the original blessing of the garden of Eden and a hint that God’ s purposes are to restore his people to a good place where they belong and where fear will be unknown.

The same idea is picked up of course in Psalm 23 where the Lord who is the shepherd makes his servant ‘lie down in green pastures’ ‘and ‘even though ‘I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil’. God the shepherd king is in control and his people will be safe. This is exactly the role which Jesus attributes to himself in St John’s gospel. Or celebrated in the words of a recent hymn written for this Sunday by our Rural Dean Andrew Body –

We praise you our Father for Jesus the shepherd
who guides us and guards us through all life can bring.
Protecting his flock made of faithful saints unnumbered.
We praise you our Father for Jesus the king.

A picture of a tender and nurturing king always wanting to rescue his people from harm is a fundamental understanding of who God is and the way he wants to bless us.

Yet as we hear the story of Jesus we discover another kind of king – the suffering king- Jesus on the cross, mocked for his weakness and vulnerability. No-one could look less like a king than a convicted criminal being crucified and yet that is where we see him. Particularly in St John’s gospel Jesus’ Crucifixion is made a sign of his glory and of his kingly status. That truth is made all the more poignant because it is the catcall with which the soldiers mock him in to-days gospel. Can it be possible that this shamed, mutilated man can be a king? Surely not! It is in only when the Cross is seen in the light of the glory of resurrection that we recognise who he is and what he has done for us.

We praise you, our Father, for Jesus our Saviour,

whose dying and rising has ended death’s sting;

forgiving for ever the worst of our behaviour.

We praise you, our Father, for Jesus our king.

It is also in the light of the resurrection and reflecting on his own encounter with the risen Lord Jesus that Paul come to his conclusion about the supremacy of Jesus which he sets out in these few amazing verses of the reading from Colossians. Just listen to the series of things which Jesus is and has done:

· through him we have freedom and forgiveness and an inheritance with all the saints; he reflects God like a mirror and shows us what God is like

· he existed before creation and he has primacy over it

· he is the unifying centre of everything holding together the universe and the church

· he was the first and therefore by implication will not be the last to return from the dead because he will bring us too to resurrection

· there is nothing in God which we do not see reflected in Christ – all the fullness of God is in him

· he is the one through whom reconciliation comes and his death brings peace, wholeness and unity.

All in all he is unique and supreme, the king over past, present and future.

These amazing phrases piled one on top of the other really need unpacking and thinking about separately. But for now let’s take just one phrase to think about because Paul constantly applies what Jesus has done to who we are and what we do as his followers. He brings it all down to our share ‘may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience while joyfully giving thanks to the Father. So often we seem to live our Christian lives in our own strength. It seems to be a position to which we constantly revert – try harder! – we whisper to ourselves ‘God helps those who help themselves’ we say. That is frankly rubbish. Actually God helps those who recognise that power comes form him and that, like Jesus we can receive all we need if only we will be open to him. The last year has brought many challenges both together and individually; just think about the ones you have faced. Recession? Anxiety about money? Personal illness or sickness in your family? The prospect of death? A long haul over the St Peter’s project? All these and more have been around and they have not gone away yet. Who is king in these areas? Us or Jesus? Do we rely constantly on his strength or our own? Be honest! Who really is king in our lives?

When you go to visit the Queen there are all kinds of rules which have to be observed, how to walk, where to stand, only to speak when spoken to, how to curtsy and much more besides. When we come into Jesus’ presence we can stand up straight and be welcomed as beloved children and as faithful servants because he has given us the right to be there.

In the end worship is the only response to recognising Jesus as king. The words of another song which we often sing may help us to reflect this morning on a response to the king who holds together our creation, salvation and hope of glory. Who offers us all we need if only we will humble ourselves and accept his offer.

‘What can I give? What can I bring to so faithful a God to so loving a king?

We do not have to be obsequious we can come just as we are, bringing our vulnerability, our fears, our hopes, our joys, all that we are – we have nothing else. Yet that is all that Jesus wants – ourselves created in his image and saved by his love

‘What can I give? What can I bring to so faithful a God to so loving a king?

May that be the question which we consider and respond to this Advent as we worship Jesus our king. Amen

Questions

1. Shepherd, sufferer, supreme – which of these words do you most readily associate with Jesus? Which of them is the most difficult? Meditate this week on that one.

2. In which area of your life do you still need to make Jesus King?

3. Which of Paul’s descriptions of Jesus in the Colossians reading do you find most powerful and why?

4. In what ways do you hope our Queen (or a future King) might reflect the qualities of Jesus? Please pray for them as part of the prayer time together this evening.

Remembrance Sunday

There will not be a sermon posted this week, as the services were on the topic of remembrance and not in the discipleship series. Please take the opportunity to use a previous sermon you may have missed.

God's wisdom enlightens us

Sunday 7^th November 2010 by Alan Walden

Reading: Proverbs 2:1-15

Some people do the most foolish things. People take out huge mortgages, buy at the top of the market and bemoan their bad luck when the market collapses. They think catastrophes can’t happen to them, so they don’t need insurance. They play games of chance which are stacked against them. They order a large burger and chips, with a diet Coke, and wonder why they don’t lose weight. They believe their horoscope. They talk on a mobile phone while driving. Of course none of us do any of these things do we?

In contrast to such human foolishness stands the wisdom of God. There is in the nature of God that complete knowledge which pervades every aspect of life and creation. His wisdom is eternal, righteous and just.

The entire cosmos came into being by his wisdom. Human life is the product of his creative wisdom. God’s intelligence is behind everything which we see. The Biblical view of wisdom is that it is both spiritual and practical - it is what makes life work.

God’s wisdom is behind life itself, so it should be no surprise that God’s wisdom enables us to live better lives - lives that work. I have been reading a book by Bill Hybels called ‘Making Life Work’ - subtitled ‘Putting God’s Wisdom into action’. It’s an excellent book, lively and practical, looking at the pursuit of godly wisdom as laid out in the book of Proverbs. It draws out and applies the wisdom of the book and shows how well it applies to a whole host of practical life situations. Divine insight available to help us to live well.

Proverbs is such an incredible compendium of wisdom, and as Hybels neatly puts it, ‘where else, can we find writing that is poetic, but practical, humorous, yet helpful, direct, yet deep.’

Indeed, God’s wisdom is meant to be understood and applied, and it can make a huge difference to life, making the difference between life that works and one which falls apart. Applying wisdom is not an absolute guarantee that everything will be perfect, but it does make a huge difference between the chance of a life well lived, and one which falls apart.

Yesterday at St Francis we had the Alpha Holy Spirit day, and we talked about all the things which the Holy Spirit does for us. One of these things is that he helps us to understand God’s word (the Bible) and God’s world (in which we live). Paul prays in Ephesians Chapter 1:17-18 that we would have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we might know God better. He prays that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we can understand the wonder and mystery of God, or to know this love which surpasses knowledge (Eph 3:19)

Certainly for me, before I was a Christian, on the rare occasions I went to church, I heard this book (The Bible) read in a marriage service or a funeral service, but I didn’t understand it. It was only when the Spirit God enabled me that I could understand it - not only that but he gave me a passion for the scriptures which I still have today.

One of the great theologians and philosophers of the eleventh century, Anselm of Canterbury, said this: `Credo ut intelligam’—which means `I believe in order that I might understand.’ He said: `I do not seek to understand in order to believe; but I believe in order to understand.’ And it’s the Holy Spirit who brings that understanding and helps us to develop our relationship with God. It has been very exciting to see that understanding developing in people as they do the Alpha course, and are enlightened by the wisdom of God.

Wisdom in the Bible is a combination of what is right and true with good and sensible judgment. Perhaps, put like that, it doesn’t sound terribly glamorous or attractive. Wisdom goes with words like sensible, prudent, discerning. But the central message of proverbs as encapsulated in our reading is: pursue wisdom. Incline your heart to it - treasure it - seek it. And the reason we should pursue wisdom is because it works! It is more valuable than silver or gold, it is even more precious than fame, power and money.

We need only look at the foolish behaviour of some of the rich and famous. Politicians... businessmen... footballers... people at the top of their profession are not immune. If we put our energy into pursuing things other than wisdom then even the greatest people can fall into a great big hole.

And the way to pursue wisdom is to pursue God. Proverbs 1:7 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ Here and in other places the Bible tells us that a right respect and reverence for God - holy fear - is what leads on to a right understanding of the world, or wisdom.

The promise we have is that if we seek wisdom, then we will find it. We will find it in the book of Proverbs, and we will find it in the teaching of Jesus. As we read, reflect, pray, and seek to apply God’s wisdom in our lives, we will gain understanding, knowledge of God, and a life which works.

Wisdom in proverbs includes wisdom for family life. There seem to have been many news stories recently about the difficulty of offering equal opportunities to all children. Children from better homes persistently achieve more in life than those from poorer ones. Those who start out with a disadvantage never seem to recover, and it is clearly not fair to the child.

But it is an indication perhaps that good, wise parenting has a massive impact on a child. Proverbs 17:16 ‘Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents’. The legacy of good parents is priceless, but many people go through life filled with difficulties, because parents didn’t teach them how to make life work. And it works the other way round, Proverbs 15:20 ‘A wise child makes a glad father, but the foolish despise their mothers’. So wisdom is key to harmonious family relationships.

And wisdom applies in the workplace too. 22:29 ‘Do you see those who are skilful in their work? They will serve kings, they will not serve common people’. The natural order of things is that people who work hard and apply themselves will be well rewarded. This is not a promise or a guarantee, but a straightforward explanation of how life normally works.

I used to work with salespeople, and I was responsible for measuring and rewarding their performance. Each month, some would do well, some badly, but there was a pattern and consistency. People who worked hard and well normally came out near the top, and those who were lazy and incompetent dropped off the bottom. Occasionally, they would resort in desperation and greed to deceit and even fraud.

As we read in 2:11 ‘Wisdom... will save you from the way of evil, ... from those who forsake the paths of uprightness... whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.’

Proverbs also includes wisdom for different kinds of relationships, and includes our attitude to speaking the truth, to taking initiative, and to managing anger.

It often takes things we know from elsewhere in the Bible and brings it out. For example, we know from the 10 commandments that lying is wrong - ‘you shall not bear false witness’. Proverbs puts it more picturesquely: 12:22 ‘Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord’ God detests lies. And it has much more to say about the power of words. 15:4 ‘A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit’ What we say can cause immense damage to others. How important it is, then to reflect carefully and to hold our tongue. 15:28 ‘The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.’

Proverbs presents itself as a quite disordered arrangement of sayings, it is not nicely themed or grouped, which doesn’t make it easy to find what you want. I have found that a good way to read it is to pick a section (from chapter 10 when the introduction finishes) and ponder the meaning of each proverb. I find that some are clear and obvious, some can be opaque, but then I come to one which really speaks to some particular situation I am in. Then I stop, reflect, pray - and take that proverb away with me.

So let us pursue God’s wisdom - in proverbs, and in the teaching of Jesus, seeking it out with the help of God’s Spirit. We can read it, pray over it, reflect on it and then apply it. The wisdom which God offers freely to us is both a spiritual blessing and a practical blessing. The more we pursue it and apply it, the more we will find that God’s wisdom makes life work.

Questions

1) What areas of life are working well, and in what areas do you seem to especially need God’s wisdom?

2) How have you been enlightened recently by your prayer life, reading scripture, worship or talking with other Christians?

3) What practical steps might you take to receive grow in your knowledge and understanding of God and his world?

4) Pick one chapter to read from Proverbs 10-29. What proverbs strike you? What seem to apply to a situation you are in at present?