Tag: Mark

2nd Before Advent: One for the Home Crowd

St Peter’s – 2nd Sunday before Advent
17/11/24

Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm 16
Hebrews 10:11-25
Mark 12:41-13:1-13

Hello to the friends watching online!

I grew up in Cochrane and come from one of the founding families of St Peter’s. I graduated from Cochrane High way too long ago. In 2007 I moved to London, England for some travel, education and different nursing experiences. I began to attend a church (Holy Trinity Brompton) where the Alpha Course started as a way to meet people. While there I got very involved in many church groups including volunteering as a hospital chaplain. This led me, over a couple of years and much surprise, to pursue becoming a Priest in the Church of England.

10 years ago I put aside my nursing career (I trained at the U of A and worked at the Foothills & Tom Baker and then in Scotland & London) after being selected for training. I went to Oxford University to study for 2 years (most fun I have had as an adult) and was ordained as a deacon in 2016 and then as a Priest in 2017. In the CofE you serve a curacy which is basically on-the-job training/apprenticeship for 3-4 years; mine finished at the end of 2020. During my curacy I became a volunteer police chaplain with Thames Valley Police.

I then moved to my first parish where I was in charge of 6 small village churches to the west of London for a 3-year fixed-term. Last year I began to look for another job thinking that I would like another short-term role within reach of my beloved police. Not long into the search I found an ad in the CofE weekly newspaper for the Lead Chaplain of Gatwick Airport (the 2nd largest airport in the UK). I thought this was a job for a crazy person but was equally intrigued! So I applied, was successful and have just completed my first year.

Airport Chaplaincy is fairly niche but like all chaplaincies it is a ministry of presence. You have to be seen to be believed and you never know what is going to happen next! I spend my days looking after the two airport chapels and my volunteer team of Buddhists, Christians & Muslims, walking the terminals looking for passengers and staff who look like they might need some help. I get involved in emergency response situations and work alongside airport security, the police, the Airport Fire Service, passenger operations team & airline staff both as a colleague but also chaplain for personal or team matters. I have a high level of security clearance and can stick my nose in pretty much anywhere. This is an ideal role for me! I also look after two small churches on the edge of the airport.

I am so delighted/slightly lamenting to have flown all the way from London having volunteered to preach today before I checked the readings! We have some heavy going this morning. I tried to avoid doing this to my own two parishes by taking holidays now. Yet here we all are about to wrestle with some of the more challenging/mysterious/confusing parts of the Bible.

To ease us in, I am going to start with a fictitious yet amusing story from a favourite novel of mine.

A typesetter in a Rotterdam suburb had been through a personal crisis. Several years earlier he had been recruited by Jehovah’s Witnesses; but they had thrown him out when he discovered, and questioned rather too loudly, the fact that the congregation had predicted the return of Jesus on no less than fourteen occasions between 1799 and 1980 – and sensationally managed to get it wrong all fourteen times.

Upon which, the typesetter had joined the Pentecostal Church. He liked their teaching about the Last Judgement; he could embrace the idea of God’s final victory over evil, the return of Jesus (without actually naming a date) and how most of the people from the typesetter’s childhood, including his own father, would burn in hell. But this new congregation had sent him packing too after a whole month’s collection had gone astray while in the care of the typesetter.

The now bitter typesetter started the layout for that day’s job, which ironically happened to consist of printing two thousand bibles for an order from Sweden. This troubled the typesetter because as far as he knew, his father still lived there after having abandoned his family when the typesetter was six years old.

With tears in his eyes, the typesetter set the text of chapter upon chapter. When he came to the very last chapter – the Book of Revelation – he just lost it. How could Jesus ever want to come back to Earth? Here where Evil had once and for all conquered Good, so what was the point of anything? And the Bible…It was just a joke!

So it came about that the typesetter with shattered nerves made a little addition to the very last verse in the very last chapter in the Swedish bible. The typesetter didn’t remember much of his father’s tongue, but he could at least recall a nursery rhyme that was well suited in the context. Thus the bible’s last two verses plus the typesetter’s extra verse were printed as:

20. He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am
coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
22. And they all lived happily ever after.

What do you make of happily ever after? It is how many fairy tales, movies, books, etc conclude. Everything comes good in the end; the baddies are punished, the goodies are rewarded, the couple reunites and everything is put right. Hallmark Christmas movie season is upon us! This formula is simple, predictable, convenient, comforting and shallow. This is why we like them – comfort, easy with little thinking required.

Upon return to the rest of life we are confronted with the endings that are much more complicated, messy, misunderstood and difficult. No wonder we long for the happily ever after.

The set readings before Advent (a mere 2 weeks away) focus on the return of Jesus. We are about to celebrate the first coming which is central and important to the Christian faith. Advent should remind us there is more to the parties and presents and only seeing Jesus as the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger. The reminder is that Jesus has come, has gone after the resurrection and He will be coming again. His next and final return will be both an ending and a new beginning.

The passage in Mark’s Gospel occurs in the middle of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. Jesus and the disciples have entered Jerusalem, think donkeys and palm branches. Jesus has been preaching in the Temple; the preceding two chapters of Mark provide this teaching. Jesus is now focusing on the end of the age and is alerting the disciples to the troubles ahead.

As they are leaving the Temple, Jesus sits down and watches people. Both rich and poor put their offerings in the collection plate. We could assume that the disciples’ attention was on the people with large amounts of money going in the treasury. However, Jesus’ attention is on the poor widow who throws in her two very small copper coins.

Jesus calls the disciples to attention and points out the sacrifice she has made; her two pennies were worth more than what everyone else gave. Some bible commentaries have questioned whether this woman’s trip to the Temple was her last act before she died. This may be what Jesus sees in her; impending death. She is preparing to die by giving away all she has. The poor widow gave her very last to the Temple, to God. What an ending.

The disciples’ response? What massive stones and magnificent buildings! How about those Flames? Their diversion tactics are not brilliant and neither are ours. What struck me is that I began to ask myself about my massive stones and magnificent buildings.

What are your massive stones? Your house? Bank accounts? Career? Job? Family? Connections? Opinions? Politics? Pension? Leaving something for the kids? We all have them. These are things that can get in the way of our relationships with God.

Maybe it was easier for the disciples to look at the stones and magnificent buildings than consider the poor widow and her two cents or Jesus’ tough teachings they had heard.

Jesus is coming to throw down the big stones. However wonderful, lovely and whatever security (real & imagined) our stones provide – will come down. What are we storing up that will last? What will we have to show Jesus when he returns?

Jesus then leads the disciples for a walk up the Mount of Olives across from the Temple. If you have had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem you will know the view that I am talking about. I imagine them sitting up high enough to overlook the Temple and all of Jerusalem. He changes their perspective to see beyond the rocks and buildings to the whole city. How is your view this morning?

The disciples have serious questions and rightly so. When? What are the signs? They do not seem to fully grasp the whole view but they don’t want to miss it either. No time frame makes this difficult and Jesus was still sitting next to them. I choose to believe that Jesus does not want them to get overly fixated on either the time [whether it is long or short] or the events themselves. There is a kindness in this. How do we measure time or response to a situation when there is nothing to measure? At least not yet.

Working at Gatwick Airport over this past year I have learned a huge amount about airport security, the aggravation of unattended bags, emergency situations, counter terrorism measures and what to look out for. None of us staff know when something is going to happen until it happens. But when things do happen we have to be ready and jump into action. There are plans and practices, policy and procedure.

Jesus will return. It will happen. No one knows when. Rumours of wars, earthquakes, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. A quick look at the news and a flip through some history books and we can identify almost all of these events at any time in the last many hundreds of years. Immediately after the crucifixion and resurrection everyone thought that Jesus was coming back again very soon, like any day.

There are people now who spend a lot of time and energy trying to work out the date when Jesus will come again. I would suggest that this is not what we should be spending time and energy on. It will happen. We should be ready for when Jesus does return. Back to massive stones…

It is not something we would want to rush into coming; the return of Jesus for some will not mean a happy ending. There are a few ways to have a happier ever after when the stones come down. The Hebrews’ passage urges appreciation for what has been done for us and the great hope to which it leads. What was done for us: There is another priest (Jesus) who offered for all time the one sacrifice for sin. He sat down at the right hand of God and made his enemies a footstool.

There is a new way and a new hope that comes through the curtain; the body and blood of Christ. This new way comes with hardships and is more daunting than we might want yet we have been warned and are to be watchful. Both the Old and New Testament are full of wisdom on what to focus on:

Daniel: The wise and those who lead people to righteousness will shine like stars in the heavens. Gain wisdom; not worldly, social media meme wisdom but the wisdom of God. Read, pray, watch and listen: these are the disciplines of Advent.

Be aware of righteousness that is self-righteousness dressed as arrogance and used as a weapon to abuse and manipulate.

Hebrews: We have been forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus and we can have confidence in this. We can draw near to God in full assurance of faith. This is where real life and true love are found. We need to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. The world needs more doers of good deeds!

Mark: Be aware of being deceived by false prophets, false Jesus’ claiming to be Him. Be on your guard. Be wise and prepare to be challenged. Jesus came to show us a new way of loving, redemption and salvation.

The Gospel must be preached to all nations. Wait – what?! Before we get all hot and bothered about the wars and earthquakes; how are we doing with the Gospel? Any evidence of it to the people, the community and the world around us? This will be the happily-ever-after ending. The only one. The Gospel of Jesus, of love and justice, joy and wisdom, grace and righteousness preached to all nations.

And finally from Psalm 16: whatever is coming and whenever it does God is our help, our refuge; apart from him you have no good thing, I have no good thing. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. And they all lived happily ever after.

Trinity 21: Willing to be Last?

Call of the Sons of Zebedee – Marco Basaiti

20/10/24
Trinity 21

Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45

I am going to start with a story I picked up from an online sermon this week about a man who was offered the presidency of a small educational institution in the US. He wanted the job, and thought he should take it. Nevertheless, given his Quaker tradition, he assembled a “clearness committee” of some trusted friends. Their job wasn’t to give him any advice, but instead to ask him honest, open-ended questions, so that the man could discern his vocational call for himself.

Halfway through this three-hour meeting, a friend asked what he would like most about being president. He mentioned several things he would not enjoy, like wearing a tie, at which his friend pointed out that he wasn’t answering the question.
The man paused, thought a bit, then he writes how he “gave an answer that appalled even me as I spoke it: ‘Well,’ I said, in the smallest voice I possess, ‘I guess what I’d like most is getting my picture in the paper with the word ‘president’ under it.'”
He concludes: “I was sitting with seasoned Quakers who knew that though my answer was laughable, my mortal soul was clearly at stake! They did not laugh at all but went into a long and serious silence — a silence in which I could only sweat and inwardly groan.
Finally, my questioner broke the silence with a question that cracked all of us up — and cracked me open: ‘Can you think of an easier way to get your picture in the paper?’ By then it was obvious, even to me, that my desire to be president had much more to do with my ego than with the ecology of my life.” The clearness committee had made things clear, and he withdrew his name from the search.
The man isn’t a bad person; he’s just more honest than most of us, and maybe more in touch with his true self.

How about you? Think for a moment about any positions of power or responsibility that you have held; could be a job or in the community or the church. What did you like about it? How did it make you feel? Did you enjoy the title more than the actual role?

This is a live issue for me as Lead Chaplain of Gatwick Airport. I like the title. I like telling people what I do when asked. It makes for easy conversation when meeting new people as it is a unique role. There are downfalls to this; the temptation to only talk about myself or think that I am the most interesting person in the room. Or to convince myself that I am exempt from normal rules and regulations because of my title. The danger of being overwhelmed by entitlement is real and present.

Over the last 8 years I have been a curate and priest in 11 churches (8 parishes) in 9 towns and villages. Experience has shown that some people (however good-ly or godly intentioned and well-meaning) possess a deep need for power and control over local goings on and more frighteningly, the sharing of information, news or gossip.

Fortunately this is not a new problem for human beings. As far back as Mark’s Gospel and even before, the grab for glory has existed. Make me great again! This is what James and John, with the help of their mother, seemingly want to do. There is no record of what motivated their request; maybe a sense of entitlement or seniority over the other disciples.

James and John make a startling demand of Jesus: ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you’. They say this before they actually ask/tell Jesus what it is that they want him to do. There are very few people whose request I would grant before I knew what the request was. Their question is often dismissed as foolish or arrogant, ‘oh those silly Sons of Thunder!’ Jesus does not rebuff or get angry with them as the disciples did. Jesus welcomes the question, invites them to ask it, but has some questions of his own for James and John. Questions that are not easy to answer.

‘What is it that you want me to do for you?’ asks Jesus. The first thing James and John did right was that they have come to Jesus; generally a very good starting point. James and John clearly trust Jesus to come through for them. However they along with the other disciples have missed what Jesus was trying to tell them about what was coming: being handed over to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, handed over again, mocked, spat on, flogged and killed; and after three days rise again.

They did not listen, they did not hear what they wanted to. Again, a familiar problem in the modern age; the failure to listen, to hear what is being said. The first accusation or failing of any leader is often the failure to listen. Many people rightly complain about not being listened to. There is a difference between not being listened to and being listened to and still not getting what you want.

This was the case for James and John. They are not criticised for their tactless request, not at least by Jesus. James and John believe that Jesus will win; Jesus will be in glory and they want to be right there with him. They are ambitious for God! They expect Jesus to be glorified in the way they thought he should or would be. Jesus redirects these ambitions, wants to reset their priorities and motives.

Real greatness, whether on the international, national or local stage (in whatever capacity) is not characterised by domination, political power or schemes to control or subjugate people but by self-sacrificial service to others. So often we believe this although practice proves otherwise.

How ambitious are we for God? The real danger we face as a church, as parishes and the Church more widely is apathy, cynicism and complacency. These are the roadblocks to abundant living and transformation.

Jesus wants us to want more, seek more, hope more and need more of him. This, I think, is why he did not get angry with James and John as they were doing the right thing: going to him and asking but they needed some redirection. The request of James and John does get answered. Jesus tells them that it is not his request to grant but it is for those whom it has been prepared. Sounds a little cryptic but Jesus is completely deferring to God. This is not Jesus’ decision to make. The purpose of God will not be thwarted. But neither can they be fully understood beforehand.

The places are seemingly prepared for those who want to serve. This is what James and John fail to recognize and probably the other upset disciples too. Jesus calls them together for a lesson of ‘supreme importance’ as one commentary put it. Jesus is not going to operate like the world does, ruling with tyranny and a heavy hand.

Jesus came to serve and not be served. You want to sit on my left and on my right? Then you must be the servant. Want to be first, then you have to be the last! Give up your entitlement, move downwards. This is not about rules but a way of life.

On this Dedication Sunday where we give thanks and celebrate the work of Emmanuel, how are we doing as a house of prayer? Are we following Jesus as we should? What about the orientation of our hearts? We may be following the commandments but what about storing treasure in heaven? The future of Emmanuel is not very clear and we need to pray about this. Where is God calling us to go?

If we only look at the bank account or the church building (both of which can be anxiety-producing exercises) it will never work. We need to look at something bigger, beyond us. We need God to lead and guide us in our mission, our giving, and in our love for each other. In any and all instances we need to approach the throne of grace and seek God’s mercy and help and then be obedient to what is being required.

Can I ask you to pray for the plans for Emmanuel and St Nicholas? For the people who faithfully serve, for our finances, for the impact on the community around us.

The real question we need to ask is: ‘What can I do for you?’. This is a question to ask of God but also to each other. Be prepared for more questions than answers; not always what you want to hear but always loving and always true.
Like James and John, we might want God to do something for us. Ask away! Go to the Father in faith, in confidence; He will take your questions, your ambitions and desires in order to line up with His will. If we are willing.

There is no need to be embarrassed. James and John certainly were not. Their questions were heard. The answers may have been unexpected, even unwanted but they came away changed from these conversations. Hopefully more understanding of how God operates and what Jesus came to do. He came to serve and we should be willing to do the same.

Trinity 20: Giving Up & Giving Out

13/10/24
Trinity 20

Hebrews 4:12-end
Mark 10:17-31

Our lectionary readings this morning remind us that God is a God of change. In Hebrews, the word of God is living and active, it is meant to bring change to our lives, sharply and piercingly. The word of God will expose and judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. We are to turn away from ourselves to the throne of God to find grace to help in our time of need. Mark’s Gospel tells the story of the young man who comes to Jesus potentially looking for change. His apparent earnestness, maybe an expectation of an easy answer is dissolved when he does not receive what he thought he wanted or maybe deserved. He leaves Jesus shocked and unwilling to part with possessions. What the man who had everything really needed was nothing.

How many of you are good with change? Some might embrace it with enthusiasm while others might be slower to embrace. In my previous life as a nurse I learned early that things can change quickly; a quick response could mean life or death. This is similar to being the Lead Chaplain at Gatwick where flexibility and adaptability are essential.

Not all change is bad or negative. Sometimes change is actually a very good thing although we may not see it at the time. I also find those things I want to change; never seem to.. And the things that I do not want to change; always do!

I had a conversation this past week with a colleague about the changes that Covid and lockdown brought to our lives. Some people have recovered and others have not. We are still processing the effects and often the trauma brought about the rapid changes we all experienced.

The story of the young man and Jesus appears in all three Synoptic Gospels which indicates it is important. It asks challenging questions about the attainment of eternal life, what does God’s goodness mean, how do we enter the kingdom of heaven and who can be saved. It provides a look into the upside down kingdom of God.

This young man often gets cast as being greedy, selfish, unwilling to give up his possessions for the sake of Jesus. We try to make him look worse than the rest of us (who also have many possessions). This young man is the only person in Mark’s Gospel whom Jesus is said to love. Think about that for a moment; the one who runs to Jesus and then goes away grieving at the thought of giving it all up is one that Jesus loved.

Jesus does not go after him either. He does not plead or beg him or make it any easier for him. Now Jesus could have gone a few ways with this young man’s question of how to have eternal life. It would have been easy for Jesus to secure a new convert. ‘Great!’ Jesus could have said ‘come on! You already follow the commandments, you’re already calling me ‘good’ so you must know who I am because only God is good. You’re in!’

Jesus could have also worked him in more slowly, easing the young man into the values of God’s kingdom. ‘How about you writing a small cheque to charity this year? Nothing scary – just a token?’

However Jesus is not interested in convenience or comfort. That is what I/we may be concerned about. Remember that Jesus loved him and because he loved him and said the truthful thing, the hard and unwanted thing, Jesus knew the young man’s excitement would disappear on the spot. “Sell what you own, give to the poor and follow me.’

This was not what the young man wanted to hear and so he goes away shocked and grieving. This was not the change he was looking for! He was probably shocked because he considered his wealth an entitlement; symbol of worldly accomplishment and of God’s favour. He seems to be after life in its fullness as we all are. Maybe he thought that he could buy his way to eternal life by observing a special commandment.

Jesus welcomes his desire but also knows his weakness, his attachment to possessions. This is probably why he invites him to give it all to the poor so that his treasure and his heart will be in heaven and not on earth. But the young man decides (as far as we know) to hang on to his wealth which will never bring him happiness or eternal life.

What about the Church? We have our own hang-ups too. The Church of England has faced huge changes in the last few years which for an organisation that is notoriously slow and often resistant to change has been a challenge. Things like Living in Love & Faith (same-sex marriage), the safeguarding inquiries, power struggles and financial matters make the headlines. Are we really representing the Kingdom on earth?!

On this Dedication Sunday where we give thanks and celebrate the work of Emmanuel, how are we doing as a house of prayer? Are we following Jesus as we should? What about the orientation of our hearts? We may be following the commandments but what about storing treasure in heaven? The future of Emmanuel is not very clear and we need to pray about this. Where is God calling us to go?

For St Nicholas: we have found a person to help sort out our finances. We give thanks to PC for his service over many years. Please pray for them in the season of change and transition. Can we find new ways to be generous in our giving? This is not just about taking a few bags off the camel to lighten the load. This is about orientation of the heart to the work of the church; ensuring a future that is bright, a church that is open and welcoming to the people of Charlwood.

If we only look at the bank account or the church building (both of which can be anxiety-producing exercises) it will never work. We need to look at something bigger, beyond us. We need God to lead and guide us in our mission, our giving, and in our love for each other. In any and all instances we need to approach the throne of grace and seek God’s mercy and help and then be obedient to what is being required. Can I ask you to pray for the plans for Emmanuel and St Nicholas? For the people who faithfully serve, for our finances, for the impact on the community around us.

It might seem like a big ask at this time. Everyone is struggling in some way or another; a number of our friends have been in hospital recently, many people may be stressed by the end of winter fuel payments or other changes in finances. We might relate to the words of Peter who passionately lays it out for Jesus, ‘look at what we gave up to follow you!’

It was not lost on Jesus what had been given up in order to follow him and all will be made good according to him. In this season of change, God is offering us new opportunities. Following Jesus will challenge us to lifetimes of change where we are invited to encounter God in new ways apart from tradition, memory and resting on history.

Like the young man, we might want more from God but may not want to give up what God wants us to. We might choose to hang on to the familiar even when it does not bring us happiness or eternal life because it is comfortable.
Are we willing to risk being disappointed with the answer God gives and choose his way regardless? Will you continue to follow?

My prayer is that in this coming season of change we will be ready for whatever may come, that we will hold fast to the promises of God and know we can approach the throne of grace when help is needed.

Trinity 15: Be Opened

8/9/24
Trinity 15

Psalm 125
James 2:1-17
Mark 7: 24-37

The lectionary readings this morning are rather dense and present us with challenges to our own behaviour as well as the challenging behaviour of Jesus. James has a lot to say about favouritism, uncaring behaviour towards the poor, the need for mercy and the purpose of good works. Jesus encounters two people who desperately need his help which they both receive with different processes.

We will start in the shallower end with a few questions: What is your favourite colour? What is your favourite food? Favourite song? Film? Television program? We all have our favourite things and this is certainly okay. Favourites can bring comfort or security and of course enjoyment. Given our different personalities and tastes, if we went around the room this morning, there would be a lot of different favourites.

However there is a fine line with our favourites. The line when our favourites grow a sense of favouritism. Especially when it crosses over to people. Do you have a favourite parent or child or sibling or friend? You might! When we begin to treat people differently or preferentially over others is what James is warning us about.

James’ letter was for the followers of Jesus who left Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus. They had been sent to spread the Good News of the Gospel. His letter is full of instructions on how they should operate and get on with people. James had learned a few things the hard way, he missed the message of Jesus while he was alive. Now James is urgently wanting his audience to get it and do it better than he did.

James has a unique insight into human behaviour; he knows the dangers and damage the tongue and the words that roll off it can do. If he was speaking to a modern audience, he might also include our thumbs and the send button. From the same mouth, or thumbs, come blessing and cursing.

What makes James’ letter even more poignant is that James is thought to have been a biological brother of Jesus. He may have been the first-born son of Mary and Joseph. Imagine for a moment growing up under the same roof with Jesus as your older brother? Maybe James grew up feeling he was not the favourite? Anyone with siblings generally knows the destructive power of the tongue. We do not know much about James’ life. The references in the New Testament to Jesus’ family coming to remove him or being embarrassed by him would have included James.

In Acts, James seems to be involved in the early church in Jerusalem after the resurrection. At some point James went from non-believing to believing in Jesus, the potentially annoying older brother to the true Messiah. Something happened to transform James to a passionate leader in the church and writer of one of the most challenging letters in the New Testament.

James is pointing out our condition of inconsistency and carelessness. We need boundaries and guidelines to help us live in peace and freedom with other people. At the end of chapter one, James reminds his readers to remain unstained by the world. He starts chapter two with an example that is still spot-on for today: our capability to treat people differently. Left to ourselves we would favour one and dismiss another. We all have our own prejudices.

James would call this being stained by the world. We cannot have faith and favouritism as they do not go together. The people in the Jerusalem church liked rich people more than poor, clean people better than dirty people, healthy people better than sick people. Who doesn’t?

Well God doesn’t! This is the shocking answer that James gives. God is totally blind to our normal measures of society. He does not seem to notice accents or cost out people’s clothes and treat them accordingly. He makes no distinction between posh and common. He doesn’t need to. He is God.

Faith should change the way we live. Calling ourselves Christians should make a difference in the world around us. The streets of Charwood and the lanes of Sidlow Bridge should be better because of our faith. Our neighbours should be loved the same as we love ourselves.
Our faith needs to work. There should be some evidence in the world around us and in our families of our faith. As much as we might want to be favoured or more highly favoured than another, sadly we are not in the sight of God. This might be disappointing news!

This does not mean that we are less loved or less valued by God. Of course not. It means that in God’s kingdom there is no favouritism. We are equal in his eyes and there is nothing that we can do or say to change that. He would not be a good and loving Father if he favoured one of us over another.

We see this in the Gospel story of the Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter’s encounter with Jesus. I think this is a fascinating passage although I am not always sure of what to make of it. A new insight into this story in regard to favouritism is that she is certain that God does not have favourites!
Jesus appears to be travelling on his own. He has left the Disciples and has gone away to the region of Tyre. Wherever he was going Jesus did not want anyone to know he was there. He seems to have wanted to close himself off – catch a break, have a rest. But instead he is interrupted by this woman of a different race and her persistent begging for a favour.

Her little daughter, we are told, has an unclean spirit and she is in distress over what to do. She has obviously heard about Jesus and somehow found out that he is in town. I wonder who told her about Jesus? It must have been a convincing story for her to seek him out. That or she was so desperate to find someone to help her daughter. Despite the social, class, race and gender difference she is determined to speak to him. Nothing is going to stop her from asking, begging and pleading with Jesus to heal her daughter.

Jesus’ response to her is less than kind; it is really quite shocking! Jesus is rude to her. What is going on?! Jesus was fully human and we all know what it is to want a break, take a rest or just be alone for a while. Where was the compassionate Jesus who fed the 5000 because he felt sorry for them? How can he not now have compassion on a single, poor, hurting woman? Jesus has his vision enlarged by the encounter with her.

It is surprising to say that this woman reminded the Son of God of the scope of the Father’s love. Jesus is moved deeply by the depths of her faith. She is certain that God does not have favourites, that there is always enough of God’s provision: his love, his healing and grace to go around. Even the crumbs of God are enough to heal and restore and this is what she believes.

Her answer is so striking that Jesus heals her daughter that instant and sends the woman home to find that the demon has left the child. Jesus shows in his actions that he has no favouritism either. He goes from this encounter to heal the deaf man with a speech impediment.

Jesus’ prayer here is interesting. He looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, ‘Be opened.’ Be opened. Maybe this was a prayer for himself as much as it was for the deaf man whose ears needed to be opened.

Be opened. Maybe this morning we need our eyes and ears opened again. Opened to those around us who need less favouritism shown from us. Opened to those around us who need more attention or better treatment from us.

There is no room in our faith for favouritism. If we have made space for it then we need to close that gap. Return to the one who loves you and cares for you but doesn’t favour you.

I want to end with a few verses from the Proverb set for today.

Proverbs 22

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
2 Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
9 The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.

Trinity 8: Back to Langley

WNG268489 Great crowds followed Jesus as he preached the Good News, 2004 (w/c on paper) by Wang, Elizabeth (Contemporary Artist); watercolour on paper; 36×26 cm; Private Collection; © Radiant Light; English, in copyright

St Mary’s Langley

21/7/24
Trinity 8

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-24; 53-56

It is a pleasure to be with you this morning. I was the curate in Langley from 2016 to the end of 2020. Where did that time go?! I went from here to the Hambleden Valley for almost three years and have now settled into Surrey. Last October I took up the posts as the Lead Chaplain of Gatwick Airport and House-for-Duty Priest-in-Charge of two small parishes close to the airport.

I love being the Lead Chaplain of Gatwick. No day is ever the same, sometimes the pace is crazy and the hours long. I meet people coming and going from all over the world but I spend most of my working time with staff members from across the airport.

These are often people in need of rest; many work shift patterns that are unsociable, or work in teams that can be pressurised and challenging especially over the last few days. Airports are hot and noisy places with huge attention for health and safety. Then there are all the joys and sorrows of life outside of work. This is also the work situation for many people beyond airports; we all have to contend with physical, mental, social and spiritual exhaustion.

In all the chaos and hecticness of life we have forgotten to rest. Can you remember the last time you had a proper rest? Not just a break or a day off but the ‘leads me beside still waters and restores my soul’ kind of rest? Psalm 23 is incidentally the set psalm for today.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

For thousands of years, the need for rest has been acknowledged because it has been ignored. We ignore it today too. There is a lot of work to rest; it takes planning and organising. Sometimes we might even think it is not worth the fuss and then do no bother.

In the opening chapters of Mark’s Gospel we are presented with a very busy Jesus. Mark sets a tone and pace for his readers that is frenetic and fast. Jesus bursts onto the scene, going from one place, one person to the next, hardly stopping to catch his breath. Mark’s account keeps Jesus and the disciples in Galilee as Jesus preaches, teaches and heals the masses whilst spending time teaching the disciples.

The side of Jesus that we are presented with today is one who recognizes, honours and tends to his own tiredness. Jesus also responds to the tiredness and exhaustion of his disciples with care and compassion. Why is everyone so exhausted?

Chapter 6 begins with Jesus in Nazareth where he grew up. On this visit Jesus was dishonoured and ended up amazed at their unbelief. Who were the unbelieving? His family, friends and those who had known him since childhood.
Hang on to that for a moment; the people who have known you the longest completely dismiss you and the work you are doing. How draining and disappointing would that be? Jesus was a human being, he felt things: experienced grief and rejection, felt frustration, was disappointed and let down. Emotional exhaustion by any other name.

The disciples have been sent out in pairs with no bread, no bag and no money to cast out demons, anoint the sick and cure them and proclaim that all should repent. They were to start doing what Jesus has been showing and teaching them to do. You can maybe imagine the enthusiasm they set out with! They started off full of energy and enthusiasm and have likely returned shattered although wanting to tell Jesus all that they had seen and done.

Jesus recognises their tiredness and calls them to come away with him to a deserted place to rest a while. Not sure how long ‘a while’ is but Jesus wants to provide the rest and recuperation for the disciples and himself.

What do we learn about Jesus in this passage? He was gloriously human and full of compassion. In some of the throwaway lines in the Gospels that usually precede the big events we see this humanity: his hunger, his need for sleep and food, his inclination to hide, the need for rest and solitude. Our God rests and it is important for us to know that.

However, the plans for rest and refreshment go temporarily awry. You might have noticed that there is a chunk of Mark 6 being skipped over. A crowd has gathered and grown around Jesus. This is where we see that Jesus is decidedly un-like us; he does not turn away or get upset. Jesus has compassion, He recognise that the needs of the crowd are greater than his own.

Jesus begins to teach them; not only does he teach them, he then feeds them. All 5000 of them! This is a sermon for another day but the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus and the disciples is set in the midst of their exhaustion.

A second attempt is made to get away. Jesus sends the disciples back across the lake in the boat while He went up to the mountain to pray. Jesus then comes back down and walks on the water, across the lake to the boat – again a sermon for another day.

As Jesus and the disciples arrive on the other side of the lake, still searching for the rest that seems to be eluding them. Once again Jesus is recognised, the crowds come, bringing the sick to be healed. Once again Jesus meets them with compassion, they might touch the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Jesus understands need; mine, yours, everyone’s. I ashamedly find it easy sometimes to pass the buck on compassion when I am hungry or tired or needing some solitude. It is tempting to declare early that it does not all depend on me. I’m not the last stop – am I?

I think one of the big lessons this week is the tension between compassion and self-protection. Jesus lived with it too and that is good to know.

The second lesson is that the crowds recognised Jesus as he was growing in popularity. People were coming to him for healing and miracles, demanding signs.

As Lucas is brought to baptism this morning, our prayer is that he grows up being able to recognise Jesus in his life. Parents, Shaun & Janine and godparent Chris – this is your job! You are going to shortly make some promises on behalf of Lucas to God. You are committing yourselves to teaching him about Jesus and his life and works, to pray for him and help him make decisions for himself as he grows up.

You are also going to set Lucas a good example in his life and this will include being compassionate to others as well as himself.

Jesus lived a busy, frenetic life. His humanity shows in his need for food, sleep and time away as does our humanness. Jesus and the apostles shared common human emotions of grief, mourning and great excitement that we too experience. Jesus’ divinity shows his unlimited compassion for those in need and the ability to tend to them as the Good Shepherd. Let him lead you to still waters and restore your soul.