Batten down the hatches for the storm

 

Reflection 20^th June 2021

Jesus had spent a long day beside the Sea of Galilee teaching multitudes of people about the kingdom of God. Evening was coming on, so Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side.” So, they climbed into a small boat and started across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was tired and fell asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. Suddenly a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. Almost panic stricken, they ask Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” Mark 4:38

Many of us have asked the same question at some time in our lives. A sudden storm arises in our life - a health or family crisis, the loss of a much-needed job or whatever that storm might be - and Jesus seems to be asleep. We want to ask, “Do you not care that we perish?” Of course, he cares. But sometimes he may seem to be sleeping.

Everybody goes through storms at some time or another.  It seems especially true in today’s world. And undoubtedly the pandemic has been a storm like no other for many due to job losses, deaths of loved ones and so on. I read a report published just a few days ago by the Samaritans. They have found that thankfully during the pandemic, over all suicides have not increased as was feared might happen. But the Samaritans note that coronavirus is having a profound effect on the economy. We know that during the previous recession, suicide rates did rise, and those who are hardest hit by economic downturn are also those who are at greatest risk of suicide – i.e. middle-aged men.

William Cowper was a popular 18^th century poet. He suffered from depression. He made four different attempts to commit suicide but each time something or someone prevented it from happening. After the fourth attempt he picked up a Bible and began to read the Book of Romans. It was then that Cowper finally met the God who calms storms, including the storms in his own life. It is obvious that Cowper wrote from these experiences when he penned these memorable words: “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.”

I would add that I am not saying reading the Bible is the solution to someone suffering from the kind of thoughts that means they contemplate suicide. And I would advocate someone in that situation seeking proper help. But God is there during the storm.

I am a fan of the Aubrey and Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian. They are sea faring tales of Captain Jack Aubrey and his companion Dr Stephen Maturin. They are set in the early years of the 19th century during the Napoleonic wars. In one novel, Desolate Island, O'Brian depicts Captain Aubrey's ship sailing through a violent storm in the South Atlantic, all the while being pursued by a much larger enemy vessel. As the storm rages around the ship cargo comes lose and has to be jettisoned, including heavy cannon. This is very risky. But the sailors know the risk of letting heavy cannon roll around the ship is far more dangerous than the storm outside.

So it is with people. Our greatest danger is not the external conditions that make up our environment but those storms that sometimes rage within.

The worst part is that sometimes during the roughest part of the storm Jesus seems to be asleep. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve been a Christian for any length of time at all. You pray and you pray some more, and nothing seems to happen. You think to yourself, where IS God when I need Him? All of us can look back over our lives and see a series of answered prayers, but all of that is forgotten when we encounter a truly horrible situation. “Why doesn’t God intervene?” we cry out in our distress. “Do you not care that we perish? Do my griefs and heartaches not matter? Is there anyone there who sees and understands?”

‘Do you not care that we are perishing?’ asked the frightened disciples. (Mark 4:38) Every believer goes through a time like that sooner or later.

C. S. Lewis had been married only four years when his wife, Joy, died of cancer. Joy’s death was almost too much for Lewis to bear. He plunged into a deep depression and did the only thing he knew to do; he wrote. His writings were later compiled and published under the title, A Grief Observed.

With Joy’s death, C. S. Lewis’ unwavering faith was called into question. It seemed to him as though God had been wonderfully present in his life until this catastrophe struck. Soon after Joy’s death, Lewis wrote these words: “Where is God? When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be--or so it feels--welcomed with open arms. But to go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become . . . What can this mean? Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in times of trouble?”

That is a question every generation of Christians has asked. All of us go through storms. At such times it seems as if God is asleep.

But inspirational words of the Psalmist give us hope: “. . . he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you--the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121

The story in Mark’s Gospel is an affirmation that Jesus does care. When the storms of life are raging, he does care. When it seems, you cannot hold on a moment longer, he does care. When the waters threaten to engulf you, he does care.

The disciples rouse Jesus from his sleep, and he does what only the Master can do. He speaks to the wind and the waves and says, “Peace! be still!” Mark 4:38 And the wind ceases and there is a great calm. Then he turns to the disciples and asks, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Mark 4:40

The central question in life is not how many storms we encounter. The question is whether we have faith for the storms we will encounter. Sometimes it will seem as if God Himself has forsaken us. It is at such times that our faith will be critical.

The late John Claypool was one of America’s finest preachers. When he was at the height of his popularity as a pastor, his six-year-old daughter, Laura, died of leukaemia. In his book Tracks of a Fellow Struggler, he described how one evening when sitting alone in silence and filled with despair, he realised something. He could either spend the rest of his life mourning the loss of Laura whom he would never see grow up, or he could look back in joy and say, “Thank you, God, for the gift of my daughter Laura and the six best years of my life.” 

John Claypool chose to trust God with his storm. So can we.

(The idea, and illustrations, for this week's Reflection came from Sermons.com - an invaluable source of ideas for weeks when preachers are sometimes are up against the clock!)

Plant those little seeds

 

In his last sermon St David is said to have told his monks to "do the little things, the small things you've seen me doing".

Archbishop Rowan Williams thinks that phrase resonates with modern people because “it reminds us that the primary things for us are the relationships around us, the need to work at what’s under our hands, what’s within our reach. We can transform our domestic lives, our family relationships and to some extent our national life, if we do that with focus and concentration in the presence of God.”

You never know how something you or I might do might affect someone else. The funny thing is that we may not even think that what we did was all that important, but to another person that little thing made a world of difference. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is like that.

Now listen to Jesus' words, “^{26 ‘}The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground” Mark 4:26 Now you and I would call that very inefficient farming. A lot of good seed would be lost if we simply scattered seed upon the ground. But Jesus is not giving us lessons in agriculture or gardening. He is telling us about the kingdom of God. And he is saying that the very tiniest of seeds can produce an enormous harvest. 

One June morning 145 years ago, Jean Henri Dunant woke up and opened his window in his beloved Switzerland. He heard an excited babble down in the street and quickly went down to see what was going on. He didn't hear much at first, but he caught the words "fighting" and "war" through all the confusion. Eventually he was able to determine that a war had started in Italy. So, he hastily packed a few things and set out. He wanted to see for himself just what was going on. 

Henri arrived in Italy where he saw soldiers fighting on the side of a hill near the town of Castiglione. It seemed that everyone was shooting at everyone else. He watched as men were hit by bullets, gave horrible cries, and fell to the ground. Henri had never seen anything like this before. He felt that he should do something to help the wounded men. When the fighting stopped at dusk, he went to the nearby town to ask people to go to the battlefield with him. Ordinary citizens: farmers, bakers and tailors responded at once. They spent the night there giving as much aid as they could to the wounded men. 

It was hard for Henri to forget what he had seen once he returned home, so he decided to write down his experiences. He described the horrible sight of battle and men being shot. He also suggested that every country should have a relief society, a kind of emergency aid service to help wounded soldiers. 

It was five years later before the first rescue society was organized in Geneva, Switzerland in 1864. It was called the Red Cross. And soon other countries joined the society. Everyone forgot all about Henri until an article appeared in a newspaper in 1895. In 1901 he was given the very first Nobel peace prize.  

Henri planted a seed that would germinate and help millions of people all over the world. That's the way the kingdom works - great harvests from tiny seeds. That's the first lesson from this parable. But there is a second lesson that is just as valuable. 

And that is that growth is occurring even when it is not evident to us.  Jesus said, “²⁸ The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head” Mark 4:28 It is a mystery; centuries later we still don't know what causes a seed to sprout. So far scientists have not been able to create a synthetic seed and make it grow. Growth is a mystery.

Our task is to plant seeds. We don't know if the seeds we plant will ever take hold, but that should not discourage us. Growth doesn't take place because of our understandings or manipulations; it is God's initiative that brings forth growth. 

It is often easy for us to lose patience and wonder what the use is. We don't see anything coming from our efforts and we can be ready to give up. But wait! The parable of the scattered seed teaches us that just when we are ready to give up some seed will sprout. Just when we think nothing will happen, growth will take place. We need to be patient and not give up, because sometimes growth takes longer than we expect. God works in ways we don't understand, often hidden from view. And we must be patient. 

At one of my previous churches, St Andrews, several people had been talking about starting Messy Church but weren’t sure what to do. I offered to put them in touch with a church that was running Messy Church but they weren’t sure. When I moved to Chippenham, on the day of my welcome service, Messy Church was running at Central. I took two of the people from my former church to meet the team at Central. And the seed sown began to flourish at St Andrews where a successful Messy Church has run for several years now. Sadly, Messy Church finished some time later at Central. Jesus said, ‘²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’ Mark 4:29 But the seed sowed by Central continues to flourish at St Andrews.  God works in ways we do not understand. God's ways are not our ways, and He works slowly but surely to achieve His will in this world. 

Now the upshot of all of this is that great things happen from small beginnings.  Jesus explained that the kingdom of God is "like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on earth." Mark 4:31 But from the smallest seed known in Jesus' day grew a large shrub. The mustard seed is only a tiny, tiny speck of a seed, yet when it grows, Jesus tells us, it is, "the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." Mark 4:32 It is hard for us to get excited about this, since we live in an age with all sorts of amazing discoveries, but for people living in prescientific days it must have truly baffled their minds that something so large could come from such a small seed. 

The parable of the mustard seed is a word of encouragement for us. Things might not be what you and I want them to be, but there is still hope. God works in mysterious ways. God is still with us even when our efforts are frustrated because He is the source of growth. Growth often starts out small like a mustard seed and then blossoms into something huge. 

And that is the story of the church as well. Whoever would have thought that from the often inept disciples, the gospel message would spread to all the corners of the globe? Yet you and I are here today because twenty centuries ago a tiny seed was planted. They planted the seed. God gave the growth. 

Are there some tiny seeds that we could be planting? Some word of love, some act of encouragement? Some little thing? Is there some ministry we could be involved in, realizing that from the tiniest seed great growth can come? The kingdom of God is like seed scattered on the ground. Have you some seed that you could scatter today?  

Post script. Last autumn, my wife dug up some of our front lawn and scattered wildflower seeds. Through the winter it was bare. In early spring small plants appeared that looked like weeds. In fact from my study I'd see people walking past, looking at the "weeds" and obviously thinking "Why aren't they weeding?" Whereas now

So you wanted a King .... be careful what you wish for

 

Reflection Sunday 6^th June 2021

There is a piece of advice that comes right out of one of our readings today. The advice comes from the prophet Samuel who says, "Be careful what you wish for ... you just might get it!"

The people of Israel came to Samuel with what was probably not an unreasonable request. They wanted a change in the way they were being governed. In years past, they had followed the lead of those judges whom God had appointed, of whom Samuel was held in highest regard. But now, these "judgeships" were being passed from father to son just as monarchies go from kings to princes. And, as is often the case, the current crop of Israelite "judge-princes" was not the best. In fact, Samuel's own sons, Joel and Abijah, judges in Beer-Sheba, fell into that category; under their administration, "justice" was no justice at all — it was for sale to the highest bidder. No wonder the people came with their request. "Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have" 1 Sam 8:5

The Philistines may well have been the "other nations" in the back of the elders' minds. The Philistines were Israel's biggest enemy at this time, and they had a king. The Philistines lived on the coast, and were successful traders, controlling the highway between Egypt and the fertile crescent. They had a highly organized military with iron weapons. In contrast, Israel was poor and disorganized — a loose confederation of tribes, still stuck in the bronze age. They had some iron agricultural implements, but no iron weapons, and no blacksmiths. Could it be that Israel, poor, rural, and technologically weak, was tired of getting kicked around and wanted to emulate the rich, urban, technologically advanced Philistines? "Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have"(v. 5).

Samuel was not pleased. As might be expected, he was personally insulted. His leadership was being called into question. And the leadership of his sons. But to the prophet's credit, his first response is not to lash out, but rather to offer prayer.

The Lord's response is gentle. "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you" (vv. 7-8). Then God says something interesting: "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do" (v. 9).

"Warn them." That is one of the prophet's jobs. Someone has likened the prophet to the canary that miners take down in the mine with them to detect poisonous gas. The canary is a warning. Prophets, in ancient Israel and in the modern world, are like canaries in that they have a heightened sensitivity to our moral atmosphere. If there is poison in the air, the prophet knows it. No one else may have seen anything wrong, but the prophet has — thus, the warning to act before it is too late.

This is what Samuel does. In spades! Be careful what you wish for you just might get it! "This is what the king who will reign over you will do" Samuel says (v. 11). You want a warrior king, one to lead you in battle? Fair enough but guess who will be driving the king's chariots and riding the king's horses into the fray. Your sons! Guess who gets to be the king's infantry. That's right, your sons again! And, of course, the king, as commander-in-chief, will need some subordinates — generals, colonels, captains, and lieutenants. Who are they? That's right, your boys.

That is not all, of course. The king does not dirty his hands. He will also need tenant farmers to plough his fields and reap his harvest. He will need workers to manufacture his weapons and rolling stock. Who will they be? Whom do you think?

Oh, and don't forget, a king lives like ... well, a king! How does he manage? "He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your men servants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves" (vv. 13-17). Still want a king? Get what you wish for.

We know what the people answered. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations ..." (v. 20). And God said to Samuel let them have a king. Let them get what they wish for.

Perhaps Israel's greatest mistake is captured in that one sentence: "Then we will be like all the other nations." To this point, Israel had been special, unique. And this had been God's intention — Israel was not to be like the rest of the nations; they were to be a light to them. Israel's security did not reside in political stratagem or military might, but in Yahweh, who embarrassed the powerful Egyptians at the Red Sea, who provided and guided in the wilderness, who brought them victorious into the promised land. They and they alone could have shown the nations of the world that power comes from God and God alone. But no. "We want a king over us." They opted for a different sort of power. Be careful what you wish for you just might get it!

Israel got their king. Down through the centuries that followed, some of their monarchs were good, but most were not. More battles were lost than won. There was a period during which the whole nation was carried off into exile. Finally, almost 2,000 years would go by without a homeland to call their own. Even to this day, long after the departure of their last kings, Israel's land is in dispute. They came to Samuel wanting new leadership, a new form of government, a king to be like everybody else. What's that you say? Be careful what you wish for?

I try to keep close to my heart the words of another prophet Micah.

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[a] with your God. Micah 6:8

Micah’s words that echo so much of Jesus’s teachings, especially in the Sermon on the Mount.

There are prophets today that in different ways pick up on the theme of Micah. They warn us about the dangers of climate change; they warn us of the dangers of not helping developing countries getting Covid vaccine; they warn us of increasing levels of poverty and inequality in our own country. Do we listen to the prophets today? Do we become prophets ourselves and speak and practice justice and mercy?  Or do we sit back and get what we wish for – with all its consequences?

Who's listening to the sermon?

 

Reflection Sunday 30^th May 2021

 

How does God call us to his service? How does God call us to vocation?

Our reading from Isaiah this morning tells of an extremely dramatic way in which Isaiah was called to become a prophet. The first eight verses of Isaiah chapter 6 describe one of the best known of Isaiah’s visions. Summoned to God’s throne and surrounded by awe and terror, Isaiah is struck by his own unworthiness and the unworthiness of his people. Isaiah knows he is not worthy to stand before God, Isaiah knows he is unworthy to serve God yet here he is:

⁵ ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Isaiah 6:5 NIV

Despite his unworthiness, Isaiah is cleansed

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, … ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Isaiah 6: 7 – 8 NIV

What other option does he have? When you are stood at the foot of God’s throne it is not the time to say “No” to God. What else can Isaiah do but respond to God’s calling?

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah responded following worship. Isaiah responded following a word from God. ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’

In an article called "The Secret Revolution" for The New Yorker magazine 11 April 1994, Allister Sparks recounted the following story

Someone heard a sermon on September 20, 1989. The place was in the city of Pretoria, in South Africa. On that September day, F. W. de Klerk was inaugurated as President of South Africa. Unlike leaders of many other nations at that time, de Klerk regularly went to church. No one in South Africa was surprised that, on the day of his inauguration, he invited his favourite pastor, a white man named Pieter Bingle, to lead worship at a service in Pretoria.

Everybody gathered. The people sang some familiar hymns. They prayed well-polished prayers. Then Pastor Bingle stood up in the pulpit to speak. He based his sermon that day on the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah. As Bingle spoke, he said, "Mr. de Klerk, as our new President, you are standing in the council chamber of God. God is calling you to do his will. Today God calls you to serve as the President of South Africa. His commission is not to serve as the President of some of the people of South Africa, but as the President of all the people of South Africa."

By the benediction, de Klerk was weeping. He called his family and friends together and said, "Pray for me. God has told me what I must do. And if I do it, I will be rejected by my own people. Pray for me, that I might do the will of God." Soon thereafter, de Klerk took steps to release Nelson Mandela. Then he began to negotiate with the African National Congress. Then he worked to dismantle the system of apartheid. The rest, as they say, is history.

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

On 7^th April 1991, my wife and I were enjoying a long weekend in Ripon North Yorkshire. On that Sunday morning we went to a service in Ripon Cathedral. We’d intended to go to the Methodist Church but during a visit to the cathedral on Saturday afternoon we’d spoken to one of the clergy who’d invited us to join on Sunday. “I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with me preaching”. To this day I can’t recall what he preached, but I had my John Wesley moment, my heart was warmed, and I knew God was calling me to be local preacher.

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

On Sunday 23^rd December 2001 I was preaching at Cirencester Methodist Church. I used as a text Luke 1:37 ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.’ NRSV.

After the service, a friend called Derek said to me “David, I feel you should offer for the ministry”. Long story short, here I am

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon.

When I looked at the Bible readings for today, I knew straight away that I had to preach on this passage from Isaiah. I don’t know why but those words in verse 8 ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ jumped out at me.

Maybe I’m meant to nudge someone who is hearing this or reading this? I don’t know. Or maybe I’m just supposed to help you realise when God is speaking. I don’t know what I’m nudging you to do – if that is what I’m supposed to be doing. But I know I have to share this word today.

As I’ve shown with three example – two of my own and one with F W de Klerk – that God can speak through the words of a sermon and / or through an act of worship. But God speaks in many other ways too. In my experience through words of friends. (A friend of ours called Alison Jarvis said to me 5 years before Derek spoke to me in 2001 that she felt I was called to be a minister.) And I’m sure God can speak in dramatic ways too as we know of course from Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and from the passage in Isaiah we’re thinking about today.

I’m just pleased that God spoke to me through the vicar at Ripon Cathedral and through my friend Derek. I’m not sure I’d cope too well with six winged seraphs!

It happened because somebody listened to a sermon. Is anybody listening?

HMS Vanity Project and the Covid Vaccine

 

This morning as I turned on the 7am news bulletin two stories caught my attention. Not the twice divorced prime minister getting married at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral. But said Prime Minister’s intention to build a “ship” (no longer a Royal Yacht) costing £200 million and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s call to G7 group of wealthiest nations to ensure access to Covid vaccines for all people in the world.

According to the BBC News website the newly married Prime Minister Boris Johnson said

‘The flagship would be "the first vessel of its kind in the world" and would reflect "the UK's burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation".

"Every aspect of the ship, from its build to the businesses it showcases on board, will represent and promote the best of British - a clear and powerful symbol of our commitment to be an active player on the world stage,"’

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57293882

 

As for the former Prime Minister. He, along with former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Dali Lama and 175 others, have signed a letter to the G7 leaders asking the wealthiest countries to consider Covid-19 vaccines a "global common good".

 

Mr Brown was later interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme.

Unsurprisingly as a former Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr, Brown rattled off many statistics to support his viewpoint. Too many to grasp whilst I was in the shower! However, billions of dollars will be needed to enable a vaccine roll out on a global scale.

 

In the interview Mr. Brown said that it is fruitless to vaccinate everyone in this country only to allow Covid to go undealt with elsewhere in the world perhaps mutating in to variants that the current vaccine won’t cope with. Just like with smallpox, all people need to be vaccinated.

 

If the money for HMS Vanity Project (and let’s face it, it will be more than £200 million) were used instead as part of Britain’s contribution to eradicating Covid, wouldn’t that be more representative of “the best of British”?

 

 

 

 

The great nevertheless of God

 

Reflection 23^rd May 2021 – Pentecost

As we celebrate Pentecost, and look back at the remarkable events that happened on that first Pentecost, many of us might wonder where is the Holy Spirit at work today? In fact we might even go so far as to think “Is the Holy Spirit at work today at all?”

If we have these thoughts, then the eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans gives us food for thought.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; ²³ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies

Paul clearly feels that Christ’s return will be imminent and when this happens all will come right. But the return of Christ seems far less imminent now. And the very groans of creation Paul described continue in our time and perhaps even increase as pollution, overpopulation and inequitable distribution of food and resources continue. If we as believers were to put into words all the groans we have about the way we are dissatisfied with our broken world, it would be a long list. Any brief look at the news gives us plenty of examples – wars, oppression, drug and alcohol abuse, incurable diseases, Covid and so on and so on. It is nearly impossible to state all the problems we as people of faith see in the world around us. It is hardly surprising that we groan.

But Paul reminds us we have hope. We hope for what we have been promised in faith but as yet do not see.

²⁴ For in^[o] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes^[p] for what is seen? Romans 8:24 NRSV

I think the Living Bible puts it well:

²⁴ We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. ²⁵ But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently. Romans 8: 24 - 25

Paul reminds us that we need to keep praying. Prayer will help us keep perspective on the issues we are faced with in our own lives and in the wider world. Paul recognises that are prayers will be jumbled and inarticulate. And in fact, we may not know how or what to pray for. But Paul reminds us that if this is the case and if we feel completely overwhelmed then the Spirit is there to carry our burdens for us and to take our prayers to God for us.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

(By the way, Paul isn’t suggesting that this means we shouldn’t pray. Having the Holy Spirit pray instead of us is not what we should do. Rather the Holy Spirit is acting as an interpreter if you like, for when we cannot put our prayers into words.)

On the day of Pentecost, we are told the Holy Spirit was seen as tongues of flame and was heard in the sound of rushing wind and in the outpouring of speech in many languages. I suspect that were we to experience such physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit today we would be more encouraged and more hopeful (although equally we might be terrified!) But Paul reminds us that hope that is seen, is a limited kind of hope, for if we see it, it will be limited to what we can now comprehend. Whereas there is something far greater in store for us.

As I’ve said the world is full of things that cause us to be concerned. There are things we long for and things that cause concern too deep for words. Nonetheless there is hope. The Holy Spirit is at work even in the most hopeless of situations.

In his book With God in the crucible: preaching costly discipleship Revd Peter Storey writes of a time when he was serving as a bishop in he South African Methodist Church during the time of apartheid. He calls what he experienced then the great nevertheless of God.

Even while surrounded by a repressive regime, Storey knew the Holy Spirit was at work. The government had all the power and used force to stop even peaceful protest. Nevertheless, Storey along with Desmond Tutu led the black South Africans in a peaceful revolution. The odds were stacked against a peaceful revolution nevertheless with God on their side they were victorious. Even after victory there was a strong temptation to retaliate for what had happened, nevertheless God gave a means of forgiving enemies and forming a reconciled nation.

Storey realised that no matter what the odds, if God is in something through the Holy Spirit, nothing can stop the great nevertheless of God.

This is what Paul is trying to explain. We may live in difficult times nevertheless God is guiding creation through the pains to a future of promise and fulfilment. We do not see hope we can cling on to; nevertheless, it is hope that saves us and for which we are given patience to endure. The Spirit is not always as visibly active in the Church as we might desire. Nevertheless, the Spirit is attentive to our pleading. We may not know what God has in store for us; nevertheless, the Spirit knows the mind of God and leads us on. In hope.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

For all the unknown saints

 

Reflection 16^th May 2021

 

The story of the choosing of a successor to Judas in our passage from Acts today seems an odd one. Selecting a disciple on a throw of the dice or drawing names out of hat seems a very arbitrary way to select a disciple. Would we select a minister by cutting cards?

Both “candidates” were well qualified for the job. Luke tells us they had both been witnesses to Jesus’ baptism, had seen his ministry, the resurrection, and his ascension to heaven. That is remarkable as no disciples are mentioned at Jesus’ baptism.

They cast the lot and the lot fell on Matthias who became part of the inner circle. (Though after this nothing is heard of him.) As for poor Joseph, also known as Barsabbas, also known as Justus, he’s out. And we don’t hear of him again either. (I’m calling him Justus.) Presumably, Matthias was there on the day of Pentecost as Peter stands with the eleven to preach. And maybe Justus was there anyway?

In terms of the founding of the church Mathias and Justus are almost footnotes. Justus especially. After all we do at least know that Matthias was “elected” to be one of the twelve apostles. But as for Justus? Maybe he was so hurt by not being selected that he walked away from the fledgling church? Or maybe he was just one of those millions of followers of Jesus who are unknown, who aren’t proclaimed as Saints with a capital S but nonetheless are saints in the eyes of Jesus for their service and devotion to him and their love and care for fellow believers?

All of us will have known a Justus in our journeys of faith. That woman or man who never held an office in the church, and yet the person who may have been instrumental in passing on the Good News, the Gospel, to you or to others just by the way they were.

James Moore tells of a scene he witnessed as a minister in a church in Houston America

“Her name is Donna. Donna is a member of our church. She is a mentor in our Kids Hope USA program. Every week she goes to a nearby elementary school to be a friend, encourager, and mentor to a little boy named John. John looks to be 6 or 7 years old. Donna and John have bonded in a beautiful way. Though there is quite a difference in their ages, Miss Donna – as John calls her – has become John's best friend. Once each week, she visits him at school, helps him with his schoolwork… and then "going the second mile" every Saturday, Donna takes John to do exciting things that without Donna, John would likely never get to do – things like the zoo, the museum, the Galleria.

A few months ago, Donna's husband died in his sleep. Little John came to the funeral to support his friend Miss Donna in her grief. At the reception in the Hines Baker Room after the memorial service, John stood beside Donna and held her hand. She had been there for him and now he was there for her. He would not leave her side. It was a beautiful moment and people in the room had tears in their eyes, so touched by John's intense commitment to lovingly stand by Miss Donna, his friend and mentor.

Some of us saw John eyeing the goodies on the reception table – chocolate chip cookies in abundance… and some of us said to him, "John, would you like to walk over here and have some refreshments?" But no, he would not leave Donna's side. "I want to stay here with Miss Donna.," he would say. The love between the two of them was so radiant and powerful in that room.

Also, in the room that day was a man from Chicago. He had flown all the way from Chicago to Houston to be with Donna. Do you know why? Because 38 years ago when he was in first grade, Donna had been his mentor at an elementary school in the Chicago area. He flies from Chicago to Houston every summer to see Donna and to thank her for what she did for him 38 years ago – and then he made this special trip to be with Donna when her husband suddenly died.

 

That man from Chicago says to Donna every time he comes, "I am what I am today because of the love and support you gave me 38 years ago." He says, "Ms. Donna, you were the first person in my life who believed in me." And today little John says to her in words and actions: "Miss Donna, I love you. I know you love me. You are my best friend." Now, where did Donna learn to love like that, to reach out to people in need like that, to make a difference in people's lives like that? By being shown the love of Jesus by someone else”

(From Sermons.com)

 

As a minister myself, I’ve witnessed similar things over the years. People who love others deeply. Who nurture them and just radiate what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I’ve seen how such people bless others and I have felt how they have been a blessing to me.

 

Revd Richard Lischer wrote a book called Open secret: A spiritual journey through a country church. In the book he described how from college he had been stationed (as we’d say in Methodism) to a small country church. He felt this was beneath hm. He had a master’s degree in theology and was studying for a Ph.D. But over time, he came to realise he met Jesus in that church many times in ordinary men and women who taught him the meaning of “the communion of saints”. He wrote:

 

“The only thing that made us different from any other group or society was the mysterious presence of Jesus in the community. We were his body.”

Justus lost the throw of the dice (or whatever.) But there is nothing to suggest he lost his faith in Jesus. As the book of Acts unfolds, telling the story of the early church, there are hundreds of unnamed people who pass on the story of Jesus. Most of them are even less well known than Justus. Without the “ordinary” people Peter and Paul would have an even bigger task ahead of them. The Justuses took on the story of Jesus and helped it spread. Without the Justuses we wouldn’t be here today.

For all the Justuses and Donnas who have touched our lives and are touching lives even now, thanks be to God!