Sermon - The Last Sunday after Pentecost

(these are the readings for the last sunday; not the bible sunday or simon and jude)

With the news that the “Vicar of Dibley” is probably making a return to BBC, I hung my head in despair – if I had a pound for every time someone has called me “the vicar of Dibley” I would be a rich man, but this rather inaccurate comment completely misses the fact that the Vicar of Dibley is a woman…and she is fatter than me….a bit.

This would appear to be what we are remembered for in the Church. If we were to believe all we see on the T.V, and if it were like Dibley, we would have an eccentric organist, a band of musicians and a choir filled with real characters….

We would all go to Church council meetings and someone would be obsessed with things that are quite unhealthy, someone else would constantly say “no, no, no, no, no, no, YES”…and most of the other members would have their hear in the right place, but would be struggling to know what to do for the beat. We would be well meaning in our mission, and sometimes miss the mark – but when we least expect it, we would be successful, and find our place in the community…Um! I don’t like this, it’s sounding like we are a bit like Dibley after all…

I could be worse however, people laugh at the Vicar of Dibley, and many of my colleagues believe that it has made the church seem friendlier – in fact, although it is comedy – what makes it so funny is that there is an element of truth in it.

What do you think – Does the Vicar of Dibley make church seem friendlier?

I don’t mind really because it could be so much worse…

Believing we are righteous

In the Gospel reading for this morning Jesus was talking about how much worse it could be for us today.

The public perception of the religious authorities of the day was of people who were

“confident in their own righteousness” people who truly believed that they had done all they needed to do – and their religious observances was a statement to the public and to God that all was fine for them – they were set apart for better things.

I would hate it if people saw us like that.

I want people outside the church to see us for what we are – not people with all the answers, but people who are searching for God – and through our lives and our mission, learning a bit more each day…but searching all the same.

The parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee is one of the best known in the Gospels. Once again, we have a text unique to Luke. In the Gospels, the Pharisees are not only the historical people Jesus had to face; Pharisaism is also presented as a permanent temptation for Christians. In this parable, for example, the Lord makes us see that being disciples is a hard task, but it mustn’t lead us to judge others, or look down on others.

In the Gospels the Pharisees are those who say one thing and do another; they are the hypocrites.

It is my greatest fear that communities perceive churches like this – because this inconsistency is present in the behaviour of many Christians, and it is a dangerous for all of us who belong to the church.

Our faith requires an attitude of service, a church which is not afraid of admitting its’ sinfulness and which lives the love and forgiveness of God as a grace.

The parable is a strong warning against the pride of believers. To their surprise, the people they despise (self-righteous Jews even considered publicans as sinners) receive God’s favour. I can imagine walking into the pub and when they ask what I want to drink I shout “Sinners” – we might have a lot quieter Christmas than usual in the church here.

No one escapes from this slap on the wrist – we are being reminded to check our own feelings of self-righteousness.

So, what’s it all about? Well, I don’t know really – but I know a man who does.

A race towards the Kingdom

If all we cared about was formal religious practice, this wouldn’t mean we cared for other people – Taking Jesus into account means remembering his life. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he prayed, he read scripture, and, at the same time, he gave life to everything around him, and was especially sensitive to the poor and insignificant.

Imitating Jesus means starting the race toward the Kingdom of God – In that process, we have to remember that for each genuine effort we get a bit closer to the mind of God.

I went to the rugby yesterday, where the Dragons had a really tough match against the London Wasps – the final score was a hard fought 3-3.

The players (as a team) carried the ball until they met an opposition, then they recycled the ball and tried again – continually pushing, changing direction and pushing again – trying not to drop the ball, continually pushing – continually moving – working as a team.

As a church, we are called to do this too. We should work as a team – pushing on towards the Kingdom of God – making love and care a reality for the people around us.

God cannot be bribed by our offering sacrifices to Him - they do not take into account the ‘cries of the poor’. Jesus came to reveal to us a God who “listens to the prayers of those who are wronged” because he is a God who is just and wants justice.

Believing we are righteous is a difficult path to follow because if we end up despising the people who suffer, we are turning our back on God too – this was the failure of the Pharisees.

So, in the long run, I suppose that I am not so upset being called the ‘Vicar of Dibley’, if that means the we can be seen as a group of people – although a bit weird, really care for the community around them, and are both friendly and concerned.

Believing we are righteous

An Email From God

One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the evil that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out. So he called one of His best angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.

When she returned she told God, yes it is bad on Earth, 95% is bad and 5% is good.

Well, he thought for a moment and said, maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another point of view.

So God called another angel and sent her to Earth for a time too.

When the angel returned she went to God and told him yes, the Earth was in decline, 95% was bad and 5% was good.

God said this was not good. So He decided to E-mail the 5% that were good and He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that E-mail said????

You didn't get one either, oh well.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN

Sermon - Trinity 20

The brief and strange parable for today selects a fascinating case to show the efficacy of prayer and to teach the disciples “the need to pray always and not lose heart”. Our Lord asks them – in a critical and pointed question – “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Is he speaking to us today? He surely is!

In our text, the widow obtains her objective. She keeps badgering the judge until she gets what she wants – without a husband or sons to act for her, she has to be persistent, and make a nuisance of herself, otherwise she won’t be heard. The judge doesn’t really care about justice, his job is to administer the law, and he wants some peace and quiet – no upsets to his daily routine. So he finally gives in, and does what she wants.

The characters, on the face of it are to remind us to be faithful in prayer, and persistent, even though we want to give up, we will eventually get what we need. It is the final victory of justice over apathy, through faith and prayer.

Luke the evangelist, who most insists on the place of prayer in the life of Jesus and the disciples – recounts this story for us. We are reminded of the words of Jesus “ask and it will be given to you…everyone who asks receives”. This is a statement of faith, the profound conviction that someone is attentive to our needs, and listening to our crying out. Prayer to God, even in the midst of adversity is the hallmark of our faithfulness – it is the cornerstone of our belief. Our faith is never something that is given forever, it needs to be nurtured and encouraged to grow, and this is done by prayer and action. Both are essential, and both are difficult sometimes. Faith is a gift, but it is also a task.

In the modern world, it is easy for us to forget to pray. When we witness the terrible troubles; war and death, poverty and famine, hatred and intolerance, it is easy for us to forget to pray, and feel somehow protected from it by our own worldly cares. It was easy for the judge in the story to forget about justice, until it affected him directly – wasn’t it?

So we can see the readings give us a picture of prayer, and the importance regular prayer, asking not just for ourselves – and our own concerns – but the concerns of the oppressed and suffering children of God throughout the world.

The letter to Timothy tells contains another significant text. Paul writes that scripture shows us the path of a life of faith; it trains us in “righteousness”. So that we are equipped for “every good work”.

If faith is a task, it involves a fundamental requirement to “proclaim the word” whether the time is favourable or unfavourable.

Paul is writing from prison in Rome to Timothy. The old guard is putting things right, by encouraging the new growth in the Church, handing over before he is finally killed for his faith.

Timothy - who was converted by Paul at Ephesus – is being encouraged to remind the community about the good news of Christ. He is expected to persevere and properly guide the teaching and the prayer – in the face of those who would like an ‘easy life’ by cobbling together all kinds of rules and dogmas.

Timothy was having a tough time if it. He was being told to “correct, rebuke and encourage” not just for a while, but “in season and out of season”. This is the part of the story when his vocation is becoming an onerous task. There is much work ahead, and he is expected to be the defender of the faith.

In a real sense, we here today are being encouraged to speak out against all that is comfortable - the easy route to faith. We are being entrusted with the plans to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of truth, mercy, peace, love and forgiveness. We are being invited to speak out against injustice and wrong, to defend the oppressed and the destitute. To proclaim KINGDOM values and not WORLDLY values to all we meet, in all we say AND in all we do. That is the task of the CHRISTIAN, that is the task of our faith.

God calls us all in different ways, and gives us the gifts to accomplish HIS work. We are trusted to do this.

Ten or more years ago, when God was calling me to do this task, I managed to ignore him for a good period of time. Life was different and I was more weighed down with worldly cares, as the days, weeks and months passed, the constant niggling feeling got worse until I actually trusted in God and took a leap of faith. I remembered this when I read the Gospel reading yesterday, after I had written the sermon. It made me think – it made me think a lot.

Perhaps the widow in the short parable is GOD – who keeps reminding us of the work yet to do. GOD, who seeks justice and peace. GOD, who society has placed in an inferior place. GOD, who is never going to leave us, even though we are not listening. GOD, who is in the right.

AND perhaps we are the JUDGE could be us – weighed down by worldly cares, more concerned by the rules and authority than JUSTICE, always having something else on our mind.

Is it the voice of GOD we hear when we feel that we should do more? Is it the voice of GOD we hear calling us to follow the path set for us? Is it GOD reminding us that the HARVEST is plentiful but the labourers are few? Is it the voice of GOD we hear in the pleas of the poor and needy of the world?

In the week to come, remember that Faith is a gift, but it is also a task, and let us all as ourselves “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” May God bless all our