kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .”

The following is the text of the sermon I preached at the 8.00am Holy Communion service on Sunday, 27 July; at Church — St Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester.

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .”
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

May I speak in the name of the living God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Longing for change
“The kingdom of heaven is like . . . ” — I wonder what Jesus’s disciples would’ve thought when they first heard him say those words? I wonder what they would’ve hoped to hear? They were probably longing for a change in the political scene of their country, and most likely hoping that Jesus, who they thought of as the promised Messiah, was going to instigate such a change.

Their nation had been oppressed for hundreds of years; occupied by Persians, Greeks, and now Romans. They’re desperate for political and radical change, to bring them freedom from that oppression. And they long for the kingdom of heaven.

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .” — We’re fortunate to be living in a country that has a good government. Yes, I know there are many that would want to question that statement. But in comparison to many places around the world, we are living under a good government. There are places where the people are longing for freedom from government oppression, and the hope of a better life, just as those disciples did two thousand years ago. Think, for instance, of recent events in Zimbabwe, or of the protests in Tibet, or of those in the camps of Darfur, longing for a new regime that will give them protection and a livelihood.

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Jesus at the Temple

The following is the text of the sermon I preached when I led Evensong on Sunday, 13 July; at Church — St Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester.

It was quite disconcerting when I first started to speak; I looked into the relatively small congregation (19), to see three Priests and a Bishop looking back at me. I think I may have gabbled the first paragraph a little, as nerves kicked in. Sometimes (often), as much as I know I shouldn’t, I doubt my worthiness — this was one of them.

Jesus at the Temple
Luke 19:41—20:8

Lord God, take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you, you who are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Luke’s Gospel
In the reading we just heard from St Luke’s Gospel, we have his account of the events that took place on Palm Sunday — Jesus’s final entry into Jerusalem, a few days before his arrest, trial and crucifixion. In Luke, the story’s a bit shorter than the accounts given to us by Matthew, Mark and John; for example, it doesn’t mention the spreading of palm branches on the road by Jesus’s followers.

But Luke’s account does something very useful. It highlights the character and qualities of the Son of God, whose attitudes and feelings, we as Christians are encouraged to imitate. So let’s take a few minutes to see what Luke’s story of Palm Sunday, tells us about this man Jesus that we must try to follow.

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