Sermon from 13th May 2007
Today our Vicar, Cameron Barker, gives a sermon based on the reading from 1 Peter 4:7-11
Any experienced DIY-er will know very well what one of these is! It's a bracket, the thing on which a shelf sits. Its main purpose, of course, is to ensure that the shelf stays securely in place on the wall, and holds up its contents.
Now I'm not going to follow the example of the last two preachers, and tell a DIY disaster story about putting up shelves – though sadly, I could! Instead, I want to point to the brackets that we read about in Peter's letter. There are two brackets, here, one at each end – as there are with most shelves. Like any brackets, they support the shelf – and its contents. In this instance, the brackets support the church, and its life.
As you know, today we're holding our church AGM. This is our chance to look back over the past year, and ahead to the year to come here at St Saviour's/ Paul's. Well, as we do that today, I want to talk briefly about these two brackets on which the whole structure of the church sits – or should sit. By their nature, brackets are usually out of sight. But we can and will bring them out to look at today – to make sure that our church structure is resting on what it must. And, just for good measure, we'll also briefly examine the contents of the shelf that Peter listed in this section of his letter.
The first bracket is in Peter's words that I began with: “The end of all things is near”. In the context of this letter, there is little doubt Peter meant he expected Jesus to return at any moment. In a full sermon we'd have time to explore that idea and its implications in rather more detail. For today, though, we just have to accept what is a fundamental New Testament belief: the fact that Jesus is coming back. We don't know when he will, just that he will. And we know too that Jesus expects his church to be ready for him when he returns.
That's the 1st bracket on which our whole church structure can, should and must rest – the sure knowledge of Jesus' return. So has it rested on that bracket; and will it? Is what we do and how we do it underpinned by the fact that Jesus will return and hold us to account? That is a key question for us as we look back over the past year: have we rested on that reality? If Jesus had come back last year, would we as a church have been ready for him? And then, if we weren't, are we ready for Jesus' return this year? Today I'd suggest – in the strongest possible terms – that we must be ready for him, or else the shelf of our church life is very precariously balanced.
So there's the first bracket that we are to rest on: Jesus' return. We found the 2nd bracket at the end of our reading, where Peter wrote this: “So that in all things praise may be given to God / God may be praised through Jesus Christ”.
Sadly it's all too easy for us to lose our perspective. In the midst of our business, and busyness, we can forget what we are supposed to be about as a church. Peter's second bracket won't allow us to do that, though – any more than his first bracket does. This 2nd bracket reminds us that everything we do – and the way we do it – must point people to who God is and what he's like. That must then result in God being praised – particularly for what he has done for all people through the life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. That's the 2nd bracket on which a church's life must rest: that all things lead to God's praise.
Again I only have time to raise the obvious questions now – but I hope that we'll have them uppermost in our minds during our meeting later. Did everything we did last year – and the way we did it – lead to God's praise? Has the past year been, above all else, about praising God? Or did we perhaps lose sight of that main supporting bracket along the way? And, if we did, how can we rest on that bracket better during this current year? What might we need to do to ensure that our shelf does rest on what it needs to – as God leads us on into this new year?
These, then, are the two brackets which Peter says must hold the life of God's church securely in place. First, the reality that Jesus will return. And, 2nd, that all we do leads to God's praise. So what, then, are the contents of the shelf that these two brackets hold in place? Again I need to be brief, but here's what Peter had to say about them here. Because Christians know that Jesus will return, and because everything we do is meant to lead to God's praise, we are told to be alert and self-controlled / clear-minded – in order to pray more effectively.
Prayer is an absolutely crucial part of the life of any church. Prayer is how we are to respond to what we see around us, and to what experience. Christians are called to respond to everything by communicating with God. We are to find out what God wants for us and from us in all situations. And we do that by praying. So don't be surprised if prayer becomes our main focus as a church later this year. But, even if we do hone in on that, we'll still need to remember that there's plenty more on the shelf of church life along with prayer. Peter also told his readers here that above everything else they were – as we are – to love each other, with God's kind of forgiving love.
Love is another vital item on the shelf that's supported on these two brackets, then. And it's a very practical kind of love too, Peter wrote. The specific example he gave here – of hospitality – was particularly relevant to his readers in their circumstances. It applies to us too; but we also need to look for other ways to express God's love in the church. So again that's a question we can profitably ask ourselves as we look backwards and then forwards later: how have we, how will we, practically show God's love for each other?
And there's more to church life besides! Peter also set out here a key principle for how any church needs to operate. Everyone, he said, has been given gifts by God – every-one! There are different kinds of gifts and Peter breaks them into 2 general groups here. But his point is that everyone has gifts. And everyone is to use their gifts in the same way too. We are not to use our God-given gifts selfishly, for ourselves – but rather for the good of every-one else! When we do that, of course, our aim – and the result – is that “in all things praise may be given to God / God may be praised through Jesus Christ” - which brings us back to the bracket
These are all very timely reminders for us as a church on this day. Here are the two brackets which our life together must rest on – the certainty of Jesus' return; and for every -thing to lead to God's praise. Are those the brackets we have rested on in the past year? Will they be the brackets that we rest on this year? And what about the items on our shelf? Have they been prayer, practical love, and the selfless use of our gifts? Will they be this year? Lets look back honestly, and forward in faith as we prepare for Jesus' return, and live for his praise in everything. So lets pray ...
Any experienced DIY-er will know very well what one of these is! It's a bracket, the thing on which a shelf sits. Its main purpose, of course, is to ensure that the shelf stays securely in place on the wall, and holds up its contents.
Now I'm not going to follow the example of the last two preachers, and tell a DIY disaster story about putting up shelves – though sadly, I could! Instead, I want to point to the brackets that we read about in Peter's letter. There are two brackets, here, one at each end – as there are with most shelves. Like any brackets, they support the shelf – and its contents. In this instance, the brackets support the church, and its life.
As you know, today we're holding our church AGM. This is our chance to look back over the past year, and ahead to the year to come here at St Saviour's/ Paul's. Well, as we do that today, I want to talk briefly about these two brackets on which the whole structure of the church sits – or should sit. By their nature, brackets are usually out of sight. But we can and will bring them out to look at today – to make sure that our church structure is resting on what it must. And, just for good measure, we'll also briefly examine the contents of the shelf that Peter listed in this section of his letter.
The first bracket is in Peter's words that I began with: “The end of all things is near”. In the context of this letter, there is little doubt Peter meant he expected Jesus to return at any moment. In a full sermon we'd have time to explore that idea and its implications in rather more detail. For today, though, we just have to accept what is a fundamental New Testament belief: the fact that Jesus is coming back. We don't know when he will, just that he will. And we know too that Jesus expects his church to be ready for him when he returns.
That's the 1st bracket on which our whole church structure can, should and must rest – the sure knowledge of Jesus' return. So has it rested on that bracket; and will it? Is what we do and how we do it underpinned by the fact that Jesus will return and hold us to account? That is a key question for us as we look back over the past year: have we rested on that reality? If Jesus had come back last year, would we as a church have been ready for him? And then, if we weren't, are we ready for Jesus' return this year? Today I'd suggest – in the strongest possible terms – that we must be ready for him, or else the shelf of our church life is very precariously balanced.
So there's the first bracket that we are to rest on: Jesus' return. We found the 2nd bracket at the end of our reading, where Peter wrote this: “So that in all things praise may be given to God / God may be praised through Jesus Christ”.
Sadly it's all too easy for us to lose our perspective. In the midst of our business, and busyness, we can forget what we are supposed to be about as a church. Peter's second bracket won't allow us to do that, though – any more than his first bracket does. This 2nd bracket reminds us that everything we do – and the way we do it – must point people to who God is and what he's like. That must then result in God being praised – particularly for what he has done for all people through the life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. That's the 2nd bracket on which a church's life must rest: that all things lead to God's praise.
Again I only have time to raise the obvious questions now – but I hope that we'll have them uppermost in our minds during our meeting later. Did everything we did last year – and the way we did it – lead to God's praise? Has the past year been, above all else, about praising God? Or did we perhaps lose sight of that main supporting bracket along the way? And, if we did, how can we rest on that bracket better during this current year? What might we need to do to ensure that our shelf does rest on what it needs to – as God leads us on into this new year?
These, then, are the two brackets which Peter says must hold the life of God's church securely in place. First, the reality that Jesus will return. And, 2nd, that all we do leads to God's praise. So what, then, are the contents of the shelf that these two brackets hold in place? Again I need to be brief, but here's what Peter had to say about them here. Because Christians know that Jesus will return, and because everything we do is meant to lead to God's praise, we are told to be alert and self-controlled / clear-minded – in order to pray more effectively.
Prayer is an absolutely crucial part of the life of any church. Prayer is how we are to respond to what we see around us, and to what experience. Christians are called to respond to everything by communicating with God. We are to find out what God wants for us and from us in all situations. And we do that by praying. So don't be surprised if prayer becomes our main focus as a church later this year. But, even if we do hone in on that, we'll still need to remember that there's plenty more on the shelf of church life along with prayer. Peter also told his readers here that above everything else they were – as we are – to love each other, with God's kind of forgiving love.
Love is another vital item on the shelf that's supported on these two brackets, then. And it's a very practical kind of love too, Peter wrote. The specific example he gave here – of hospitality – was particularly relevant to his readers in their circumstances. It applies to us too; but we also need to look for other ways to express God's love in the church. So again that's a question we can profitably ask ourselves as we look backwards and then forwards later: how have we, how will we, practically show God's love for each other?
And there's more to church life besides! Peter also set out here a key principle for how any church needs to operate. Everyone, he said, has been given gifts by God – every-one! There are different kinds of gifts and Peter breaks them into 2 general groups here. But his point is that everyone has gifts. And everyone is to use their gifts in the same way too. We are not to use our God-given gifts selfishly, for ourselves – but rather for the good of every-one else! When we do that, of course, our aim – and the result – is that “in all things praise may be given to God / God may be praised through Jesus Christ” - which brings us back to the bracket
These are all very timely reminders for us as a church on this day. Here are the two brackets which our life together must rest on – the certainty of Jesus' return; and for every -thing to lead to God's praise. Are those the brackets we have rested on in the past year? Will they be the brackets that we rest on this year? And what about the items on our shelf? Have they been prayer, practical love, and the selfless use of our gifts? Will they be this year? Lets look back honestly, and forward in faith as we prepare for Jesus' return, and live for his praise in everything. So lets pray ...
posted by Parish Administrator at 11:44 am
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