“AN EASY YOKE?” A Covenant SUNDAY
SERMON
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An Sermon preached at the Mint Methodist Church, Exeter, by the
Minister, Rev Andrew Sails at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday 14th January
2007 Readings:
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Did you
see the amazing story in the news
from the USA yesterday about Shawn Hornbeck.
He was the guy who had disappeared four years ago aged 12 – totally lost.
No one knew what had happened to him until yesterday –
when he was found again apparently safe and sound
aged 16 having been kidnapped and held prisoner for the past 4 years.
As we think of Shawn’s parents
incredulous joy
at being reunited with their son after all that time,
maybe we can reread the story of the Prodigal Son
with new ears and hear afresh the words of the prodigal’s father –
“This son of mine was dead and is alive
again, was lost and is found”.
The family even stopped on the way home at a MacDonalds
to celebrate Shawn’s release –
which I guess is as near as you will get
to the modern teenage equivalent of killing the fatted calf.
A modern parable of salvation –
It says: if you in your life have been imprisoned by sin and evil –
whether your own sins or the sins of others – do not despair –
your heavenly father will never give up on you,
or give up scanning the horizon and awaiting your return –
in the end (in this world or the world to come) his love will conquer all.
Today we share in our covenant
service,
in which we first and foremost celebrate the fact that God is our Covenant God
–
that he graciously accepts us and covenants with us –
that he sees us in bondage and captivity and sets us free,
lifts the burden of sin and hopelessness and lostness
and welcomes us home
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray -
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
And when we come to this feasting
table of the Lord,
we are in our way celebrating today that we too were lost and are found!
Here is the good news of our
Covenant God –
he offers us chains removed, burdens lifted, freedom
and new life….
The word Covenant in modern
Western usage
has a very legal and contractual sound to it –
But that is not the Biblical sense.
This is not a business deal or a
negotiation –
Our covenant with God is not like
the deal between the LA Galaxy Soccer Board and David Beckham’s agent –
each side wondering if they have pitched it right
and whether they could have driven a harder bargain.
No this is like the LAPD knocking
on Shawn Hornbeck’s door
and saying “You are free” –
And I doubt if Shawn had to think too long and hard
whether or not to accept the terms of the deal!
So when God says “I will be your
Covenant God”
how do we respond to such an amazing offer??
Its actually a good job its not a
carefully balanced legal contract,
because God’s offer is one we couldn’t possibly match.
Our role is simply to do all we can in thanks for what we have received.
And God says to us – well there is
a way you can thank me –
I have released you from the
burden and slavery of sin –
If you want to thank me for that the best way you can do it
is help me carry that burden for others:
“Take up your cross and follow me”
In other words, in exchange for
the crippling, life denying,
constraining burden of self seeking and sin
which Christ lifts from our shoulders,
he offers instead a new burden,
the freely accepted burden of service for others.
This is our side of the covenant
renewal.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day
and we think about MLK’s challenge
to bring freedom to those in bondage and lift the burdens from the afflicted,
and make the dream of peace and justice and liberty
come true for all God’s children.
God says to us – Here’s the Covenant deal –
(1) I give you life and love and freedom, unconditionally and
(2) I want you to work with me to make
the dream of love and life for all
come true.
And you know something –
if you want to make dreams come true you don’t do it
just by keeping on dreaming –
you only make dreams come true by waking up
and starting to change the world, breaking the chains, lifting the burdens…..
And that is our part of the
Covenant.
That is also the point where some
people find the Covenant service frightening –
it seems to ask so much of us –
We think of Christ stumbling to Golgotha
with the sins of the world on his shoulders,
and say – How can I carry those sorts of burdens?
It is the
spiritual equivalent of picking someone
with a slipped disc and a double hernia
and entering them for the Olympic weightlifting final!!
But Christ says to us – “Take up
your cross”
“Take my yoke upon you”
But don’t worry – “for my burden is light”
So the question is – How can such
a heavy burden be light??
I guess we have all seen (and
probably experienced)
at least glimpses of what it means for a heavy burden to be light –
When someone is interviewed after some
great or exhausting feat –
perhaps a fire fighter staggering from tackling a forest fire all night,
or a searcher who has been combing the hillside all day for a lost child,
or a hero who has dived into the icy waters to rescue of drowning man –
the interviewer says weren’t you frightened or exhausted or concerned –
and time and again those involved say
“No – you don’t even think about things like that at a time like that –
you just go for it – nothing else matters”
In stories like that we glimpse something about
the glorious liberty of service,
the self giving which far from crippling us,
actually brings us alive with the realization that right now
for all the sweat, everything is as it should be,
and we are being just what God wants us to be….
And maybe the path to sainthood
and sanctity
is learning to live the whole of our life in that same way….
When our life is so taken up with love & concern for others that we can
wish no greater joy than to give to serve to carry….
How can a heavy burden be light?
It is I suppose summed up old
story.
A man comes along the road
clearly staggering under a heavy burden, a colossal weight -
A passer by coming the other way hails him and says
“You have a great burden there my friend”
“No” he replies, “this is not a burden, it is my brother”
That is
the burden which Christ gives us to bear.
And with
the burden a yoke –
The yoke
of course is the piece of carefully curved wood
which is placed across the shoulders of the oxen
enabling them the better to pull the plough through stony ground
or the heavy cart along a rough hewn track.
And don’t
forget - The yoke is made for two oxen –
who together carry the load.
So for
all of us working for the Lord
we may often find ourselves facing superhuman tasks –
way beyond our strength –
for the
way of faith is about carrying crosses and lifting up mountains -
carrying huge responsibilities way beyond our strength –
yes, in one sense the load is desperately heavy -
and yet when we place the yoke of Christ upon our necks
we find that he is the one beside us pulling with us……
So let us
this day commit ourselves afresh to our Covenant God
And in so
doing come afresh to the Lords Table
Let us
know again this day the glorious freedom of the children of God
and feel the burden of sin and despair
slip from our aching shoulders
as we come again to Christ
Let us
feel his power surge back into our life
And then
let us say afresh - here I am Lord -
show me the yoke, show me the burden of love
you would have me carry for your world
I am
ready to shoulder whatever burden your love may require -
for
in your service is perfect freedom
10.30am Sunday 14th January 2007
Annual
Service of Covenant Renewal with Holy Communion
led by Rev Andrew Sails
Fugue
& Intermezzo from Sonata No 8 in E minor – Josef Rheinberger
Hymn 505 “O Worship the Lord”
1. 거룩한 주님께 예배를 드리세
무릎을 꿇어서 영광 돌려
금같은 복종과 향기론 겸손을
주님께 바쳐서 경배하세
2. 주 앞에 삼가서 겸손히 행하면
주 너를 언제나 돌보시네
말씀엔 위로와 기도엔 응답을
네 갈길 바르게 인도하네
3. 주앞에 설 때에 두려워 말아라
가난한 우리를 도우시네
보배론 진리와 온유한 사랑은
주님께 다 바칠 귀한 예물
4. 떨면서 바치는 이 작은 예물도
주님은 귀하게 받으시네
어둔밤 지나고 새 아침 맞으니
믿음과 소망을 늘 주시네
5. 거룩한 주님께 예배를 드리세
무릎을 꿇어서 영광 돌려
금같은 복종과 향기론 겸손을
주님께 바쳐서 경배하세
Prayers (MWB p.282)
Lord’s Prayer
Readings: Jer
31:31-4
Matthew 11:25-30
Hymn 805 “Thy faithfulness Lord”
Sermon: “The easy yoke?”
Hymn 381 “Forth in thy name”
The Covenant Renewal
Introduction
to the Covenant (MWB p.285)
Prayers
of Confession (MWB p.285)
Covenant
Renewal (MWB p. 289, “B”)
Silence
(congregation sits)
Prayers of
Intercession (MWB p.290)
Peace (MWB p.291)
[Young
people enter]
Hymn SOF 120 “The
Servant King”
[During which the collection is taken and the offertory
brought forward)
Holy
Communion (congregation remains
standing)
Minister: Lift up your Hearts.
All: We
lift them up to the Lord.
Minister: Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
All: It
is right to give him thanks and praise.
Minister: Father
we give you thanks for all your love for us throughout history, for the gift of
your Son, living our life from stable to cross, walking alongside us in our
pain and sorrow, even unto death. So
with the heavenly choir we join the song of praise:
All
(sing): Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord,
holy is the Lord God almighty!
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
holy is the Lord God almighty!
Who was, and is, and is to come!
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!
Minister: On the night he was
betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, he gave thanks, broke it and gave it to
his disciples saying “Take, eat, this is my body. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In
the same way he took the cup; he gave thanks and gave it to them saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of
the new Covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Hear
us, O Christ, and breathe your Spirit upon us and upon this bread and
wine. May they become for us your body,
vibrant with your life, healing, renewing and making us whole. And as the bread and wine which we now eat
and drink are changed into us, may we be changed again into you, bone of your
bone, flesh of your flesh, loving and caring in the world.
The
Breaking of the Bread
Minister: Look, the Body of Christ
is broken for the life of the world.
[The congregation is seated]
Distribution of
Bread and Wine
Minister: Jesus said, “I am the bread of
life”. Those who come to me shall not
hunger and those who believe in me shall never thirst.
Draw near with faith.
[All are invited to receive bread & wine.
Please come forward to the rail when the steward indicates. Please fill up the rail from the centre and
return to your seats via the side aisles.
Should you wish to receive a blessing only, simply come forward to the rail,
but do not hold out your hand for bread & wine.]
Prayer after
Communion:
All: God of power,
may the boldness of your Spirit transform us,
may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us,
and may the gifts of your Spirit equip us
to serve and worship you
now and always. Amen.
Hymn “We
shall go out” (Tune HAP 238 Londonderry Air)
Blessing
and Dismissal
All: The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all,
now and for evermore. Amen.
Minister: Go in peace to love and
serve the Lord.
All: In
the name of Christ, Amen.
Finale & Passacaglia from Sonata No 8 in E minor
– Josef Rheinberger
(The Communion
Liturgy this morning includes material
from the Iona Worship Book and the
Methodist Worship Book)