Sermon Details

“9/11 - 70x7”

A sermon preached by Rev Andrew Sails

at the Mint Methodist Church at 10.30 a.m. on

Sunday 11th Sept 2011

Race Relations Sunday10th Anniversary of 9/11

A service featuring Debbie Starling of Celebrate Together

working with those with Learning Difficulties

Readings:

Exodus 14:19-31, Mt 18:21-22

There are so many themes and issues in our minds today:

· Learning Disabilities - thanks Debbie for all you have said

· Race Relations Sunday

· 10th Anniversary of 9/11

· Also in the news: Libya

· Then we are working our way through the OT lectionary passages about Moses - this week the parting of the Red Sea

· Whilst the Gospel Lectionary this week is about forgiveness

So let’s try to pull all those strands together. I want to say 2 things.

 

1. God loves all his children.

On Race Relations Sunday we simply record and affirm that whatever your race, your colour, your ethnicity - you are a child of God, we are sisters and brothers.

As with the story of the Passover last week, it would be so easy to read the story of the Red Sea as the story of the victory of one tribal God (the

God of Israel) over another tribal God (the God of Egypt) - and that may indeed be how the original writer understood it.

But as Christians we need to read these Exodus stories in the context of the Gospel. For Christians, the Red Sea deliverance is symbolic not of the victory of one nation and its deity over another, but rather symbolic of the victory of the whole of humanity (of every race and nation) over the powers of evil, .

The old Jewish rabbinic commentators on the Red Sea passage

tell a powerful story, which goes like this. After the parting of the Red Sea and escape of the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian army, the angels in heaven go to God and offer to sing a song of praise celebrating the destruction of the Egyptians.  But God turns to the angels and rebukes them, saying “My children lie drowned in the sea, and you would sing?”

How good it was on Tuesday to meet here with former Israeli and

Palestinian soldiers working for peace.

Never forget that God’s covenant with Noah and all humanity

preceded his covenant with Abraham & Moses & the children of Israel - our God is the God of all people.

What is true of different races and nations is equally true of different abilities and lifestyles.Thanks Debbie for all you have said today - and for all you do to demonstrate God’s love for those with special needs.

Some groups and organizations have entry tests - Exeter University is a good local example - you have to pass an exam to get in, or you need references to prove your ability.

But God says, I don’t run an elitist institution - I am father and mother to a huge family - where all are welcome - and we recall Paul saying that every member of the body of Christ has a part to play - perhaps

especially those who in the world’s eyes may seem to have least to offer.

All are welcome - whatever our race, whatever our ability - and of course, whatever our goodness or lack of it -

I recently had a long conversation with someone (not from Exeter) - someone who felt that he had been so sinful that God could not love

him anymore. He said she could no longer go to Church - because he couldn’t expect God to forgive him yet again.

I said “How often does Christ tell you to forgive others? 70x7 came the answer. So, I said, do you think that God will forgive you fewer times than he asks you to forgive others? “Love only waits to forgive and forget - Home weary wanderer home!”

So I want to say two things today -

1. God loves all his children, whatever their race, their colour, their ability, their sins.

2. God calls us to show that same loving, welcoming, forgiving, acceptance of all.

We are working on ways to support Celebrate Together.

If we are truly a loving and welcoming community, we will open our worship and our fellowship to all. Sometimes that means worshipping and sharing the faith in ways which are not part of our tradition - they may

be outside our comfort zone. But heaven forbid that we preserve our traditional ways of worship at the expense of excluding those who can find Christ in another way.

Let there be no barriers on the doors of our Churches or our hearts, no “No

Go” areas in the ways we do worship and Church.

We must never reject people because they are different from us. Nor must we reject people because they have hurt us -

On 1st September, Libyans packed Martyrs Square in Tripoli to celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan. The prayer leader in the square urged the crowd not to seek retribution against Gaddafi loyalists. ‘No to revenge, yes to the law that rules between us and those who killed our brothers,’ he said. ‘Let there be forgiveness & mercy among us.’

As Christians on Race Relations Sunday we should not be too proud to learn

God’s ways of forgiveness from our Islamic sisters and brothers

Today we recall the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. It is easy to talk glibly of

forgiveness, when the real hurt is not ours but someone else’s. But we must all - in our own way - seek to mean the words of the Lord’s

Prayer “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.

And we need to be forgiven as much as we need to forgive.

Remember those dying in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia - a death count

far higher than that of the twin towers - yet far fewer TV programmes or political speeches made.

And who is to blame for African famine? It is of course, the selfish and inequitable sharing of the world’s resources, the abuse of economic power by rich western capitalist economies which protects our nations at the expense of others.

And this week the Methodist and other Free Church leaders have issued a statement for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 - among other things pointing out how our nation has contributed to international violence in the past

10 years. Arms sales from the UK to Libya since 2005 amount to 120

Million Euros.

“Land of Hope and Glory” thundered out from the Proms last night - as an aspiration, that is fine - but it hardly reflects the reality of our land -

120M Euros in arms to Libya - where is the glory in that?

So thinking of both economic injustice, about the arms trade, and about global terrorism, we pray both halves of the prayer - “Father forgive us our sins as we forgive the sins of others”.

I hope many of you will join us at 8 pm tonight when we share in a 9/11 commemoration walk from the Mosque to the Cathedral

At the end of the walk, the Cathedral bell ringers will play John Lennon’s “Imagine”. It’s odd choice for a walk between two faith centres - a song which includes the words “Imagine no more heaven” as something to be hoped for.

We beg to differ - we look for Christ’s heavenly kingdom as something

to be profoundly hoped for - the final victory of peace, love and justice. Our dreams are different from Lennon’s.

But let’s not carp - there’s lots of good stuff in the song we can sing - so

let’s join with sisters and brothers across the world, across every divide of race, nation, ability, creed, lifestyle and culture, and imagine a world (in the grace and power of God) in which we are all at one in love and peace, in mutual forgiveness and acceptance.

“Imagine no more religion” says the song - maybe we can understand why Lennon saw religion as part of the problem not the solution - to our shame, religion has so often been used as a flag to wave on behalf of tribal or ethnic antagonism towards others.

May it no longer be so.  As followers of Christ, may we so live our religion that we may live out, in our divided and troubled world, God’s inclusive promise of harmony, peace and love for all his children everywhere.

Order of Service

Welcome

Hymn 63 “All my hope on God is founded” Prayers

All Age Ministry - Debbie Starling

[Young people leave for their own sessions]

Readings: Exodus 14:19-31 (p. 72) Matthew 18:21-22 (p.985)

Hymn “God’s on our side” (see screen)

(written on 12 Sept 2001 following the destruction of the twin towers)

“Celebrate Together” - Debbie Starling Hymn “We have a vision” (see screen) Sermon - Andrew Sails

Hymn “Praise with joy” (see screen)

(during this hymn the offertory will be taken and dedicated)

Prayers and Lord’s Prayer Hymn 267 “Love Divine” Blessing