kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth» Christ

Help us to show his love

Paul Sibley — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

The love our God gives to each one of us, as witnessed to in the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, is a truly wonderful thing. Today’s Collect, for The Third Sunday before Lent, reminds us that, amazing as that love is, and as much as we might want to hang on to it, we are not to keep it for ourselves. But we’re to allow that love to transform each of us into the image of Christ, and then to show that same love to those around us. Sadly, that isn’t always the image individual Christians project to those around them.

And that isn’t something we should only be doing on a personal level. We should also, as a corporate body, that is the Church, be absorbing God’s love, and then passing it on to others too. Sadly, that isn’t always the image the Church projects to those around it.

The amazing thing is, the more we can become a channel for God’s love to others, the more we will appreciate it, and gain from it ourselves. Not that we will actually receive more, God already loves each and every one of us as much as if we were the only ones to love. But we will gain more from the love we are already receiving.

So let us, personally and corporately, become channels for God’s love to flow out to the world. That may mean letting go of the crutches of prejudice, judgementalism, and too many other negative viewpoints. And that may well be quite a scary place to go to. But our Lord Jesus Christ will walk that journey with us, and God’s love will sustain us, if we’ll let it.

Eternal God,
whose Son went among the crowds
and brought healing with his touch:
help us to show his love,
in your Church as we gather together,
and by our lives transformed
into the image of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Third Sunday before Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

God is to be found right before our eyes

Paul Sibley — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:00:48 +0000

I had the pleasure of taking Holy Communion to one of the retirement homes in Godmanchester on Wednesday. There were six of the residents at what turned out to be, for me, a very moving service. As it was likely to be the only service some, or even most, of them would get to over Christmas, I made it a Christmas service for them. I also did a short homily, which they appreciated. Here is more or less what I said:

God is to be found right before our eyes
Readings: Isaiah 62:6-12 & Luke 2:8-20

An appealing freshness
There’s always an appealing freshness about the Christmas story. We never tire of hearing how the infant Jesus lay in swaddling clothes in a manger at Bethlehem.

The shepherds guarding their flocks on the nearby hillside were filled with awe as the chorus of angels broke the silence of the night with their joyous song of praise: ‘‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace”.

The great feast of the nativity celebrates the closeness of God to us, born into our ordinary life. It’s a mystery which stretches our minds beyond their limits, moving us towards that horizon where time touches eternity. We’re amazed and surprised that God should come among us in such humble circumstances.

The simplicity of it all challenges us to get rid of falseness and pretence, otherwise we’ll never realise our need for a Saviour, who will open a door and give us a fresh start with glorious possibilities. To make this new beginning we need to rediscover our lost innocence, and acknowledge our dependence on God.

We are not alone in our struggles
Christmas is the promise that we’re not alone in our struggles. Christ didn’t remove himself from the brokenness of our human condition, but experienced our poverty.

From his birth in a stable as one who was homeless, to his death on the cross as a common criminal, Jesus always identified with the spiritually, physically, and materially poor of this world. The child who drew his first breath on a covering of straw in Bethlehem, was the Christ of Calvary who gave his life, so that we might have everlasting happiness.

Many of us are disappointed, because in our search we tend to look for God in the spectacular, but the Christmas story tells us that God is to be found right before our eyes, in the ordinary, in the people and situations we take for granted.

Above all, we can experience his presence in our hearts, providing we make room for him by removing the barriers and obstacles that get in his way. God often visits us, but most of the time we’re not at home.

If the glory of God that comes to us as a child in the manger is not to be lost, we must ask God for the grace to do things his way. By softening our hearts and sharing what we have with the needy, we lessen the gap between what we are, and what we should be.

Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the hallmark of Christmas. As well as expressing sorrow for our sins, we must rid ourselves of bitterness, and open the doors of forgiveness to those with whom we need to be reconciled. This is a time for healing rifts, for mending broken friendships, and for letting bygones be bygones.

Spare a thought for those who’ve been bereaved. The pain of loss always surfaces during this feast of the family.

Whatever we do out of love for God will not be lost, and the joyful peace of Christmas that descends on us, will never be taken away.

Take up your cross

Paul Sibley — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:00:05 +0000

I managed to do the early service on Sunday, but, to be honest, only just managed. Trying to do the whole service, with no one to assist with a Bible reading or prayers, was too much for my health — I know for the future though. I was given a lift home, and then the same people picked me up later so that I could retrieve my car. I’m still very tired, but that will settle down again over the next few days. Anyway, here, for what it’s worth, is the sermon.

Take up your cross
Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ (Matthew 16:24)

Peter is reprimanded
Peter found it difficult to accept that the mission of Jesus would end with the cross and crucifixion. He didn’t see why pain and suffering were necessary for discipleship, and was anxious that the Lord avoid this course of action. He was outraged at the idea that such happenings should take place.

Like most of us, Peter failed to grasp the role of suffering in God’s plan. He thought that being part of the kingdom was a matter of power and success. Words were powerless to rid him of the idea of a Messiah of earthly splendour and glory. Peter had yet to learn that the standards of Christ were not those of prosperity and privilege.

The outcome was a reprimand from Jesus, who cautioned him against adopting the standards of the world, ‘for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’.

The gospel ends with a challenge from Jesus to welcome hardship and embrace pain and personal suffering, for to hold on to this life is to lose eternal life and everlasting values.

Suffering is a reality of human life
In the grand scheme of things we’ll face a whole series of tests. The road is never a straight one and suffering is a reality of human life. Our earthly pilgrimage is so beset with trials and tribulations that it’s sometimes aptly named a ‘valley of tears’. We’ve all experienced our share of hardship in the form of sickness, loss of job, or death in the family.

Down the ages the problem of pain has been the debating ground of so much human thought, and the torment of so many noble souls.

When things go wrong and affliction comes our way, we cry out and protest in bitter rebellion. It’s a natural tendency to turn our back’s on trouble; but running away from pain can never bring joy, for to hide from it, is to pretend that it doesn’t exist.

A demanding honour
Being a Christian is a demanding honour, because God’s way of doing things is contrary to human expectations. In the gospel, Christ tells us plainly that discipleship involves denying ourselves, taking up the cross in trust and confidence, and following his footsteps across the hill to Calvary.

It’s a hard teaching, but the measure of greatness in the kingdom of heaven is the standard of the cross.

Our commitment to Christ
This is an occasion to reflect on our own commitment to Christ, because it’s easy to lose sight of our final goal in life.

Our hearts are tempted to seek comfort in material things, and to avoid hardship.

And yet, we don’t want to be like some church-goers, who think only of themselves and reluctantly give God an hour on a Sunday morning. But if they were asked to identify themselves, they would profess to be Christian.

We all need to remember, especially when times are at their hardest, that being a Christian is for life, not just for Sundays.

Welcoming Strangers

Paul Sibley — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:00:09 +0000

Very unusually for me, at least recently, I was able to preach at the early Holy Communion service at Godmanchester on Sunday. Even more unusually, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be doing the same again this Sunday too. Here’s the sermon, more or less as preached:

Welcoming Strangers

Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me (Matthew 10:40).

Hospitality
In an age when people are growing further apart, there’s a greater need for friendliness than ever before. And the traditional value of hospitality is once more being rediscovered. Far from being an optional extra, hospitality is regarded by many as a sacred duty — the equivalent of welcoming the Lord himself.

There’s a delightful story in the Old Testament, you may remember, of the couple who made the prophet Elisha welcome under their roof. As a result they were rewarded with the gift of a son (2 Kings 4:8-17). This story gives us an indication of how precious hospitality is in the eyes of God.

The gospel reading, today, reminds us that all the small ways of giving and caring we take advantage of, even a trivial act of kindness, like the giving of a cup of cold water to a stranger on our doorstep (Matthew 10:42), will win God’s favour, and result in a great blessing.

This passage, from today’s gospel reading, has echo’s one of my favourite biblical passages, from much later in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 25:35-40) — I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. You can see that particular passage illustrated in the beautiful window behind me.

The world we live in is crying out for small acts of kindness, which cost little but are sadly missing — like a smile, a word of appreciation or a phone-call.

In extending a welcome to other people we’re following in the footsteps of the Master who has room for everybody in his heart.

Putting Jesus first
Inviting Jesus into our lives, and putting him first in our preference, is a demanding task as it involves a re-shaping of our attitudes. It may mean coming to grips with years of inbuilt selfishness, which goes against the grain.

Christ comes to our doors in many disguises, and isn’t always recognisable. If we haven’t cracked open the hard shell of indifference to others, we run the risk of letting slip so many opportunities for soul-making.

When a stranger comes looking for help, our natural instinct can tell us not to get involved, or put ourselves to any trouble. Unless we have made a conscious decision to reach out to those in want, we can resent the disturbance such intrusions make on our privacy, and run the risk of neglecting a genuine needy person.

Following Christ
Following Christ involves putting his way of life into practice, and in a Christian community this means everyone should feel welcome, and there should be no strangers or outcasts.

Hospitality means showing a generosity of disposition, and a willingness to interrupt our personal lives in order to perform some unrecorded act of kindness; because it isn’t what is given that counts, but the heart with which it’s given.

The least we can do for Christ, who has accepted us in our sinfulness, is to receive one another with open arms. In this way we respond to his compelling call for discipleship and allow his Word to take hold of us.

Below is a picture of the window I mention — which I have talked about on the blog before, most recently here. Interestingly, more than one person said afterwards that they hadn’t realized what was depicted in the window.

Help us to seek and serve you

Paul Sibley — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:00:46 +0000

Today is Ascension Day. When Jesus died and rose again, for forty days he appeared visibly to his friends, and taught them about the mammoth task he was setting them, of converting the whole world to Christ. Then he withdrew his visible presence from them. They described it as his ascension into heaven, but they knew as well as we do that heaven isn’t a place ‘up there’. It’s a higher level of existence, life lived in full fellowship with our heavenly Father. The point was to make the disciples realize that they were no longer going to be able to see Jesus on earth. But that didn’t mean Jesus would no longer be with them; they’d have to learn to believe in his invisible presence.

Whenever I consider serving, this invisible, Christ in any way, I find my thoughts drawn to a particular passage from St Matthew’s Gospel.

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:35-40 (NRSV)

The window above the St Anne Altar in Godmanchester Church depicts that very passage. It’s a fine example of stained glass by Burlinson & Grylls, a firm set up in 1868 by G F Bodley, perhaps the most scholarly of all Victorian Revival architects. We have some very special stained glass in the Church, but this is one of my favourite windows there; perhaps because many of our smaller services are celebrated at that altar, so over the years I’ve seen it quite frequently.

This passage, the window in Church, and these words from the Collect for Ascension Day, “help us to seek and serve you”, remind me that when we care for others, we can never really know who we might actually be serving. We should always try to serve everyone as if we were serving Christ himself — we just might be!

When we truly seek to serve Christ in everyone we meet, when we truly love others as if they were Christ himself, our human nature just might be raised to the throne of heaven. To my mind that is the true vocation, the true ministry, of each of us; and everything else flows from that.

Risen Christ,
you have raised our human nature to the throne of heaven:
help us to seek and serve you
that we may join you at the Father’s side,
where you reign with the Spirit in glory,
now and for ever.

Additional Collect for Ascension Day
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Strengthen us to proclaim your risen life

Paul Sibley — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:00:11 +0000

Following the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were filled with boldness and fresh hope, and went on to found the early Church. Those tired and defeated men who had slipped away fearing for their lives following the crucifixion came back strengthened sufficiently to change history. I have to admit, I find that one of the more compelling arguments in favour of the resurrection as a “real” event in history. I don’t think those men could have done what they did without it.

And here we are, in this Collect for The Third Sunday of Easter, praying for that same strength; strength to proclaim the risen Christ to the world. Now, I don’t think for one minute that I’m going to change history, as the disciples did. But that shouldn’t stop me from trying to share my faith with others. After all, I’ve benefited so much from it, and so can others.

And, in light of the “Great Commission”, it’s difficult to avoid the responsibility to share our faith with others. The Great Commission is the instruction to his disciples by the resurrected Jesus Christ, that they spread his teachings to all the peoples of the world. Although a version of it appears in Luke, John and Acts, the version we’re probably most familiar with is to be found in the Gospel of Matthew (28:16-20). In Luke, Jesus tells the disciples to preach repentance and forgiveness, and promises that they will have divine power. In John, Jesus says the disciples will have the Holy Spirit and the authority to forgive sins and to withhold forgiveness. In Acts, Jesus promises the disciples that the Holy Spirit will inspire them. And in Matthew, Jesus directs the disciples to baptise people of all nations in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinitarian formula. It has become one of the major doctrines in Christian theology, emphasizing, as it does, missionary work, evangelism, and baptism.

So let us pray that we, too, will be filled with boldness and fresh hope; so that we’ll be strong enough to proclaim Christ’s risen life, and, yes, let’s pray, too, that we’ll be filled to overflowing with his peace, so that we can share that too.

Risen Christ,
you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:
strengthen us to proclaim your risen life
and fill us with your peace,
to the glory of God the Father.

Additional Collect for The Third Sunday of Easter
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

By following in his Way come to share in his glory

Paul Sibley — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 09:00:22 +0000

One of the names the early Church used for itself was “The Way”. We first read of it in The Acts of the Apostles (see: Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4, 24:14, 26). That may well be an extension of a use already found in the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:3; 40:10-11), where God’s people are seen being led in God’s Way. But it’s probably most influenced by Christ’s words in John’s Gospel — “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6); Christ claims to be the summing up of all that “The Way” means in relationship to God.

That’s quite a thought: in this Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent, we’re identifying with a movement, by name, that stretches back into history something like two thousand years, and it could quite possibly be considerably more.

We’re reminded too, in this Collect, that by following Christ’s Way we can look forward to sharing his glory. That’s his post-Easter glory, his resurrected glory. That’s what we, too, have to look forward to, following our own earthly death, resurrection to the glory of heaven; where we will be with God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — for all eternity.

I think we, as Christians, have lost something over the years by not using the name, “The Way”, more as a way of describing ourselves. “The Church” seems to be a little too solid, too stuck in one place, too much as if we’ve finished our journey, and too much as though it’s something for members only. Perhaps that’s because we have difficulty separating the church as a building from the Church as the people of God.

“The Way”, on the other hand, reminds us that we’re still on an amazing journey; a journey that anyone can still join us on because we’re still travelling, and haven’t yet arrived at our destination; a journey with Christ — the way, the truth, and the life — into eternal glory.

Will you join me on this journey, on The Way?

Almighty God,
by the prayer and discipline of Lent
may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings,
and by following in his Way
come to share in his glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect for The Second Sunday of Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Help us to show his love

Paul Sibley — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:00:35 +0000

Eternal God,
whose Son went among the crowds
and brought healing with his touch:
help us to show his love,
in your Church as we gather together,
and by our lives transformed
into the image of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Third Sunday before Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Help us to hear the call of Christ the King

Paul Sibley — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:00:22 +0000

Today is the last Sunday in the Church’s liturgical year, the festival of Christ the King. Next week the whole cycle starts again with Advent Sunday. But I don’t really want to focus on that in my reflection for today’s Collect. Instead, I want to think about hearing the call of Christ.

When I read this phrase, “Help us to hear the call of Christ the King”, I immediately think about one of my favourite Old Testament stories: that of the call of Samuel — 1 Samuel 3. This is arguably one of the better-known stories in the Old Testament.

Samuel was serving in the Temple in the time of Eli. He was confused when he heard God calling him, thinking it was the aged and frail Eli. Twice he ran to Eli on hearing God’s call in the night, before Eli realized that it was God himself calling Samuel. The third time he heard the call he followed Eli’s advice and answered God.

It’s a lovely story, with the frail old mentor guiding the young and willing Samuel to hear and understand that it was God calling him to his service.

If only we all had an Eli around to help and guide us. Discerning Christ’s call on our lives can be such a difficult process. And so, because we don’t have Eli sleeping in the next room to us, we turn to prayer.

When we pray for guidance, though, we need to remember to listen for an answer. It’s all too easy to find ourselves praying a shopping list and leaving no space to hear an answer. I catch myself doing it much more than I would really want too, and am sure there are many occasions I don’t even realize that’s what I’ve done. By allowing space to hear an answer we may just hear the call of Christ, and then be able to follow in his service, no matter what else is happening in our lives at the time.

God the Father,
help us to hear the call of Christ the King
and to follow in his service,
whose kingdom has no end;
for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, one glory.

Additional Collect for Christ the King
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

You call us to fullness of life

Paul Sibley — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 08:00:38 +0000

In today’s Collect, for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, we’re reminded that we are called to fullness of life. But what is it, what is the “fullness” we are all promised in this Collect and in the words of Jesus, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)?

It’s a gift of God. It’s the love of God revealed in Christ (John 3.16). It’s the call of Christ to be his disciples (John 1.35ff).

Fullness of life enables us to live as one of the flock of the good shepherd, Jesus Christ. Contrary to the popular way of thinking, fullness of life isn’t the increasing accumulation of rights, freedoms, joys, resources, and opportunities, although it’s true that it may lead to some of these. Fullness of life isn’t an add-on operation.

Fullness of life is rather an invitation to faith in the midst of, and in spite of, death and limitation. It is a confession of our sins, but it’s mainly the confession of our faith, which leads us to believe in the One, “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead; on the third day he rose again…” (from the Apostles Creed).

Fullness of life is in Christ and through Christ and “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1.16). It’s Christ’s coming to us that allows us to work towards a better life for everyone. With his fullness we’re empowered to give breath to the exhausted. With his fullness we’re able to be in communion with each other. With his fullness we’re given the spirit of celebrating life, despite all threats and forms of death.

With Christ’s fullness we can look for new ways of working together, both locally and globally, while accepting our differences in a spirit of faith, love and, honesty. Our unity is found in Christ Jesus, who is our peace and has broken down the dividing wall, and the hostility, between us.

With Christ’s fullness our anxieties can be banished. And we can revel in the liberating love that is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gracious God,
you call us to fullness of life:
deliver us from unbelief
and banish our anxieties
with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council