“twelve disciples”
|
|
A sermon preached |
Matthew 10:1a “Then Jesus
summoned his 12 disciples”
Can I say a huge thank you
to those who given so generously
to our Anniversary Appeal this weekend.
Later in the service it will be a joy to bring forward the gifts
given today and over the past couple of weeks
and offer them to God to be used in his work.
All that we raise from this
year’s Anniversary appeal
will again go towards the redevelopment fund.
If you haven’t done so
already,
do please study the plans of the proposed new building at the side of the
Church
Did you notice a line in
the last verse of that last hymn?
“extend our church beyond the builder's plan”
Is that Fred Kaan saying that our architect hasn’t
planned a large enough extension into the car park??
I take it to mean this –
when we have got a building that is only the beginning –
we have to go beyond bricks and mortar and build the Church –
that is God’s people at work in the world.
Inevitably we are spending a lot of time at the moment
thinking about new buildings.
Buildings can be very important
and they can be worth a great deal of thought and prayer and effort.
But for all our work and
effort,
we must never forget that the Church is more than a building,
it is a movement, it is people at work. in the power of the Spirit.
As someone said,
“The Church exists through mission like fire exists through burning”.
Traditionally we talk about
“Going to Church” –
but in recent years two other phrases have become more common –
“being Church” and “doing Church”
Thank you for all the
financial support for our new buildings –
they are vitally important to our future –
not as an end in themselves but as a means to an end.
Imagine that you go out for
the day
and come across a National Trust Country House
with wonderfully landscaped gardens and parkland.
As you walk you come across a folly –
you know, a carefully constructed tower or ruin or lakeside temple –
designed to look good, but serving no useful purpose.
Then you go into the main
house
and find there a Museum dedicated to the Victorian age.
Finally you set off home,
but on the way pass a sign which says
“Factory and Outlet – General Public Welcome” –
you go to look and find there a number of small businesses
in an old converted mill –
indeed there is still some specialist weaving in the main part of the
building.
You can see signs of industry –
and there a shop where you can buy clothes and pottery and so forth.
I wonder when you visit a
Church building,
what does it remind you of? Is it like
·
a folly (looking very fine, but of no real practical use)
·
a museum (strong on nostalgia and the past
but maybe not seeming to have a lot to say
about the present and future )
·
a workshop (turning out
things people need?
Once upon a time there was
a farm.
It was a large farm, much wheat had been planted,
and there was the prospect of a bumper harvest.
Twelve men work the
farm.
Each morning they arrive at the farmyard and put the kettle on.
They gather a circle of chairs in the largest of the barns and began to
talk.
They study bigger and better methods of agriculture,
they polish the combine, grease their tractors,
and then get up and go home.
Next day they come back again,
study bigger and better methods of agriculture,
polish the combine, grease their tractors, and go home again.
They do this week in and week out, year in and year out.
But nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.
·
That of course is not an argument against farm buildings and machinery
–
it is an indictment of those who do not use them properly.
·
Nor is it obliquely an argument against Church buildings and resources
–
but it is a challenge to use them well.
Today’s lectionary readings tells us how Jesus
chose twelve disciples,
and then he sent them out to do work.
They were told to cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons.
That is to say, the apostles were charged with changing people’s lives,
removing the obstacles that kept people from fulfilling their God given
potential.
Their task, in other words, was to make a difference in people’s lives.
A man is aboard a ship and
he falls overboard.
Several people rush to the
rail of the ship and peer down.
The man in the water shouts
up “Help - I can’t swim!”
One of the guys on board
says Hang on -
I’ve got a book here to teach you how to swim –
I’ll throw it down to you.
The 2nd guy
shouts down – don’t worry –
it’ll probably turn out OK – worse things happen at sea –
its all in the mind – just think dry –
The 3rd guy is
probably a Methodist –
he shouts down “This is tricky –
we’ll set up a swimming subcommittee
and email you the agenda next week
But by this time the 4th
guy has jumped in,
saved the man and pulled him out of the water.
And which one was the
neighbour to the man in need??
Last night we had a wonderful Safari Supper event –
the organizers had built a small quiz into the event –
it was fiendishly difficult and our group hardly knew any answers –
so I want to get my own back with some difficult questions of my own.
During the day I invite you to reflect on these questions:
What difference does my practice of Christianity make in the lives of
people?
· Are the suffering and dying better off because I follow Christ?
· Are
the hungry and homeless finding their lives improved because I follow Christ?
· Do children have a brighter future because I follow Christ?...
· Are the marginalized affirmed & valued because I follow Christ?
· Do the self seeking and corrupt and violent learn new ways because I
follow Christ?
As Christians we are sent like the 12 disciples of old to change the
world.
· Whilst there is racism inadequate education & poor healthcare,
then our job is not yet done.
· Until poverty is history
then our job is not yet done.
· Whilst one man or woman remains literally or metaphorically in chains
then our job is not yet done.
· Whilst there remains one abusive or manipulative relationship
then our job is not yet done.
· Whilst one person is still tired of living and scared of dying
then our job is not yet done.
A final story -
It is said that after the ascension,
when Jesus arrived back in heaven he was met by the angel Gabriel
who asked him,
“Lord, now that you are here who will carry on your work in the world?”
And Jesus answered,
“Well, I appointed 12 disciples and I asked them and their friends
to keep the movement going.”
And Gabriel says,
“But, Lord, what if Peter forgets and goes back to fishing?
What if Matthew goes back to collecting taxes?
What happens if James and John and Andrew
lose their courage and determination?
What happen, Lord, if they don’t tell others and keep the message going?
What then? Do you have any other plan?
What is plan B?”
And Jesus looks Gabriel in the eye and says
“Gabriel, I have no other plan. I am
relying on them.”
Which
sounds to me as if we have a job to do