“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”. Hope for dark times

 

The text of a sermon preached at Central Methodist Church Chippenham on 23rd February 2025

The English nun and Mystic Dame Julian of Norwich lived at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. During those years the Black Death was the most devastating pandemic in human history, killing an estimated 75 million people. Julian was a Benedictine nun who herself was mortally ill. During her illness she had visionary experiences. Recording these visions, she wrote her Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving English-language work attributed to a woman.

“And so our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts which I could raise” she wrote “saying to me most comfortingly ‘I may make all things well and I can make all things well and I shall make all things well, and I will make all things well; And you will see yourself but every kind of thing will be well.’”

Very often this is summarised as: “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.

This is not cheery optimism. Rather, it is an affirmation of the mystery of God's love in all things, in all circumstances, even in the midst of personal and enormous human tragedies. With the perspective of God, and God's own love being present in all things and through all things, Dame Julian was able to live fully and faithfully.

But of course, her statement “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well” can collide with our own experiences. From time-to-time things go badly. Children die of incurable diseases. People misuse power. People fight in wars. The reality is that when we watch the TV news, we see for ourselves that all is not well.

The writer of Psalm 37 understood that sometimes we feel all is not well. Writing in the evening of his life “²⁵ I was young and now I am old” he says in verse 25, he has seen for himself over a lifetime that not all is well all of the time. Things go wrong. He’s seen those

who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

In fact, a bit later in the Psalm 37 he goes further:

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous,

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to kill those who walk uprightly;

The old writer has “been there and done that” we might say. He’s seen how people can be. But nonetheless the psalmist is not deterred. He offers a far reaching and faithful word. Do not worry. Trust in God

¹ Do not fret because of the wicked;
    do not be envious of wrongdoers,
³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.

That assurance comes about from a hard won faith. From years of his experience of knowing that God is God, and shall be God, and with God all shall be well. In reading this psalm we get the sense that the psalmist is writing from personal experience. From having experienced God’s faithfulness himself.

The words of a hymn by Georg Neumark put it this way:

If you but trust in God to guide you

and place your confidence in him,

you'll find him always there beside you,

to give you hope and strength within.

For those who trust God's changeless love

build on the rock that will not move.

 It is upon this rock of God’s faithfulness, his changeless love, that the psalmist instructs his readers not to worry. Depending on which translation of the Bible is used we hear “Do not fret” or “Do not worry” repeated three times in verses 1, 7 and 8. The psalmist really wants to emphasise his point.

 And each time he tells his readers not to fret or not to worry, he makes the point that God’s saving work will happen in good time, in the future. Once again, we need to trust.

 “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.

It is a living hope.

 In the early 1960s, the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann wrote a book called "Theology of Hope". This work takes as its assumption that true Christian faith can only have its transforming effect on the individual, on society, and on the world, when it is rooted in a vision of hope.

Moltmann wrote: "From first to last Christianity is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionizing and transforming the present."

Moltmann was not saying that by living in hope we are disconnected from daily reality. Living in Christian hope does not mean that everything in the garden will be rosy. Rather, to live with a vision of hope gives a person - and the Church - the inspiration and the motivation to never settle for the status quo. To never settle for the here and now. Rather, to live with a vision of hope leads us to challenge, and perhaps even work towards, the transformation of any part of life that is not in line with that envisioned hope.

In other words, we work towards the hope of the Kingdom of God being fully established.

This is something the psalmist picks up. With the assurance that God holds our tomorrows in his hands, the psalmist calls the faithful to

 ³ Trust in the Lord and do good;

 And

 ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

 The psalmist, writing of course before the time of Jesus, challenged people to live in ways that glorify God. As followers of Jesus, we seek to live our lives in a way that reflect Jesus to others. Even when we feel that this is fruitless and pointless, and everything seems overshadowed by people who “Carry out their wicked schemes”.

 The need for us to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8) remains, despite everything else that is happening around us.

 As Jesus’ life showed, trusting in God and “doing good” seeking to be true followers of Jesus, inevitably means Jesus followers run into opposition. It is something the psalmist dramatically emphasises:

 ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword

    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.

³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

    intent on putting them to death;

You may have seen a month ago now, part of the sermon Bishop Marian Edgar Budde preached at the service following the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the USA. The TV coverage only showed the last few minutes of her sermon. And inevitably Trump himself and the Trump worshippers, particularly those claiming to be Christians, were very vocal in their opposition to her. But if one reads the whole sermon, I can find nothing I wouldn’t preach. The need to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God runs right through it.

I sincerely hope and pray that in the case of Bishop Budde the wicked will not draw the sword, bend the bow and lie in wait for her. Though as we know Americans do sometimes have a tendency to do such things. Think of how Dr Martin Luther King was murdered for speaking out against in justice.

Of course, the need for us to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God is tempered by Jesus commands to love our enemies and pray for those who abuse us. Never an easy task.

The only proof we can offer that God rules the world is the tangible existence of a community of believers, you and I and countless millions like us. Followers who are shaped by the character of God, and of God’s son Jesus Christ. We prove that God rules the world when we trust in God (Ps 37 vv 3,5), when we do good (Ps vv 3, 27), when we commit our way to God (Ps 37 v 5), when we give generously (PS 37v21), when we speak justice (Ps37v 30), when we open ourselves to God’s instruction ( PS 37 v31) and take refuge in God (Ps 37 v 40). All these things are explained in this psalm.

The remarkable thing about so much of the Bible is that although it was written and compiled thousands of years ago,

it still has much to tell us today. Psalm 37 is a case in point. It does not give simple answers about the human struggle to trust in God, especially when those who do not trust in him seem to be faring so well. Yet the psalm is a reminder to us all to encourage one another and to trust in God that

 “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.

And the psalm is a challenge to each other not to give into anger or envy when God’s rule and God’s justice seem to lag behind the world. But to remember in God’s good time

 “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”

Amen.

Acknowledgment: I am grateful to the writers of the Feasting on the Word commentaries for the inspiration for this sermon

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

What follows is the text of a sermon preached at Studley Methodist Church on Easter Day 2019. (I don't often put the texts of my sermons on here. But several people have said how much this meant to them and therefore I feel called to share it.)

Many years ago, I was on a bus in Swindon. It was I think Maundy Thursday and I was coming home from work. In the seat in front of me were two women. They had bags of shopping with them and their bags contained Easter eggs.

There was the inevitable chit chat and then one woman said “These Easter eggs cost a fortune. But you’ve got to buy them for the kids, haven’t you?” The other woman said “Yes. And it’s such a rip off. I don’t even know what Easter is all about. Christmas, I get. It’s about giving presents. But Easter? What does it mean?
That’s a fair question. What does Easter mean?

These were the days before I was a minister. In fact, I’d only just started training as a local preacher. Otherwise I’d like to think I might have tried to explain what Easter is about. Well, I say I like to think I’d explain what Easter is about. But where would I begin?

Christmas is easy isn’t it? Even in our increasingly secular age, most people have some understanding of “Baby Jesus” lying in the manger. And Mary and Joseph. And an innkeeper. And shepherds. And Wise Men. But Easter is much more difficult.

After all, if we’re to try and explain Easter we need to start with Good Friday, don’t we? And what’s so Good about it? And Good Friday needs to include a discussion of sin and how God wants to save the world. And how he did so by sending Jesus his son. Who by the way is God and human. Then Easter itself. Jesus was killed on Good Friday. Laid in a tomb and then on Sunday morning he’s alive again? If we said all this to non-church people, the reaction might be “Really? You expect me to believe that? You expect me to understand that?”

Perhaps it was just as well I didn’t try and explain Easter to those two women!

We’re here this morning because – presumably - we do believe the Easter story. We mightn’t understand it. And that’s ok by the way. Jesus’ resurrection is like nothing we’ll ever encounter in this life. How can we understand it?

But don’t panic. I don’t feel we are expected to understand it. We’re expected to believe it. And that’s an important difference.

And in believing it we can take on what the Easter story means. It means many things of course. It means that those who believe in Jesus are promised eternal life. It means we do not have to fear death because Jesus has overcome death. He has conquered death. Though you might still say “What does that mean?”

If you had been living in the Roman Empire in the first century, you would have noticed a strange custom practiced by the early Christians. They would go out to their graveyards with laurel wreaths, the wreaths that had been used in Greek and Roman culture to crown the victors of athletic contests. They would take those laurel wreaths and place them on the graves. If you had asked them why, they would say, "Because we believe that in Jesus Christ, we have received victory over the power of death."

Those early Christians had an advantage over us of course. It is possible that they would have contact with some of the earliest followers of Jesus. Therefore, they would have heard first-hand accounts maybe of the resurrected Jesus. That made it easy to believe in the power of the resurrection.
2,000 years on it’s not quite so simple or is it?
Of course, we’re not helped in our culture by medical science. Medicine has improved so much that people now live for longer and survive diseases and illnesses that years ago would have killed them. But sadly, this means people can think they are invincible or more to the point, when they are confronted with death, they are fearful. Death appears so final.
I was attending a funeral a few years back of a friend. Sat next to me in the congregation was another friend who took great pleasure in reminding me that she was an atheist. We have had some interesting conversations over the years.

At this funeral the vicar conducting the service spoke of the hope we have as Christians following Christ’s resurrection. And my friend whispered to me in all seriousness “I wish I had hope”. I thought that was so sad. Because of her refusal to believe she had no hope.

I honestly do not know how people live without hope. And for me, hope is the most important part of the resurrection story.

The actions of the three characters in our Gospel reading – the beloved disciple John, Peter and Mary Magdalene, – are all actions of people needing hope and finding hope.
John the beloved disciple is portrayed in the Fourth Gospel as the disciple who always responds in the most appropriate way to Jesus and his message. He has stayed with Jesus right to the bitter end. He has heard all of Jesus words and we must assume he understood what Jesus meant by saying he would return after three days. But despite this, John the beloved must have been hoping that it was true. Therefore, when John sees the empty tomb first of all, and then when he enters and sees the linen wrappings, he instantly believes. His hopes that what Jesus said are affirmed.

In some senses Peter’s reaction to Mary’s news is less understandable. He’s spent the last few days running away from Jesus why is he running towards him now? Perhaps it is simple jealousy, a desire to prove that he is as good as the faithful Beloved Disciple John. Or perhaps Peter is motived by guilt? The guilt of denying Jesus after boasting about his loyalty. And guilt for not being present at the cross. Or maybe it is hopeful curiosity. Peter was present with all the other disciples when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Could it be possible that the same thing has happened to Jesus? And perhaps Peter hopes that if Jesus is alive then Jesus will forgive him and even reinstate him, to take away the guilt Peter carries.

And what of Mary Magdalene? What hope did she have? She obviously expects nothing to happen. She has come to mourn the loss of life. She has come to tend the grave. Did she hope for the resurrection? Or was her hope more that by mourning at the grave side the pain of grief would be eased? Whatever it was, Mary was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. And it is to Mary that Jesus gives the commission to go and tell what she has witnessed.

17 Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’John 20:17

Through Mary Magdalene’s commission, the world is given hope. The ultimate hope. That if we believe in Jesus, we will have eternal life with him.

A new minister was visiting one of his church members who was in the hospital. The minister was a young man, fresh out of college and still wet behind the ears as a minister. He was visiting this elderly man named Joe, and Joe was extremely ill. He wanted to talk to his minister about his funeral service and the minister wanted to talk about anything else – the weather, football, politics, or anything else he could think of.

Finally, the minister asked, "Joe, doesn't it bother you? Aren't you frightened?" Joe smiled and said, "Preacher, I know I'm not going to make it, but I'm not afraid. I have a confession to make. I've peeked at the back of the book. I know how it ends"

"What do you mean?" the minister asked.

Joe said, "You didn't know me 10 years ago when I had my first heart attack. They called it cardiac arrest. I can remember the medical team thinking I was dead. I can also remember the tremendous feeling of being surrounded by God's love. I was revived by the doctors, but ever since that day I have been unafraid to die. I've been there and it doesn't frighten me. I know that one day soon I am going to go to die and I believe that when I awaken from death, I will, once again, be surrounded by God's love."

I can relate to that from my own experience. I feel I've had a sneak peek and all will be well.

This is the message of the first Easter and every Easter since. The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. Jesus is alive. And because of this, we too, shall live.
It’s the hope we have. And what a hope!

John Dunne writes of the impact of the resurrection upon humankind: "The Resurrection is an enormous answer to the problem of death. The idea is that the Christian goes with Christ through death to everlasting life. Death becomes an event, like birth, that is lived through."

What a magnificent statement of faith. Death is merely another event in the ongoing process of life - something one lives through with Christ. The resurrection of Jesus reinforces these words from The Wisdom of Solomon: "The souls of the just are in God's hand, and torment shall not touch them…they are at peace."

I’m sure you like me saw images of the Notre Dame Cathedral burning. On Monday evening it looked as if the whole structure might collapse. How could anything survive that fire?
It must have seemed the end of this ancient building and all it represented and meant. That’s what those watching and waiting on Monday night must have felt.
But then on Tuesday morning pictures were released of the inside of the cathedral. And there, handing over the altar was a large cross. Untouched by the fire. The mood changed. The cross gave hope.

As I saw this, I was reminded of the story of Sir Christopher Wren when he was rebuilding St Paul’s cathedral after the Great Fire of London in 1666. There are slight variations, but it seems that at some point during the rebuilding Wren was given a piece of stone that had been part of the original building. On the stone was carved the Latin word “Resurgam”. This means “I shall rise again”. Wren, a devote Christian, took this as a sign that he was to rebuild God’s house.
Today, over one of the doorways in to St Paul’s is a carving of a phoenix rising from the ashes. And underneath this carving is that word “Resurgam”. “I will rise again”.
Our faith is not about buildings of course. And the whole cost of rebuilding Notre Dame raises many ethical questions. But today that is not my point. My point is that Christ rose again and we will rise with him.

Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen Buddhism. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally, the teacher said: “I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!”

Pennington notes that, “With his directness, the teacher was saying what everyone else implicitly says to Christians: You are a Christian. You are risen with Christ. Show me what this means for you in your life and I will believe.” That is how people know if the resurrection is true or not. Does it affect how we live? Do we live with hope?
I love the hymn Great is thy faithfulness. And that hymn contains these words “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”. If someone asked me what Easter means, what the resurrection means that would be my explanation. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Easter gives me strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow blessings all mine with then thousand beside! I hope you feel the same way too.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Acknowledgements

"Joe"and "Basil Pennington" illustrations courtesy of esermons.com
Feasting on the Word Year C