Sermon from 8th March 2009
Today our Vicar, Cameron Barker, preaches based on the gospel reading from Mark 8 verses 31-38.
In contrast to that questionnaire-filling exercise earlier in this service, I have only one question to put to you today. It's also only verbal; and I'll make it really easy, by offering you just two answers to choose from ...
My question is: “What is the church?” And the 2 possible answers are either: the church is the building; or the church is the people who meet here. So let's see who thinks that the church is the building ... And who thinks that the church is the people ...
The right answer is that the church is the people, of course! And now that we're all clear on that, I have an announcement to make. This is the last Sunday we'll meet in this building! Space is clearly an issue (St Saviour's is too full, and we don't fill St Paul's to critical mass). And the church isn't the building; it is the people. So, as from next week, the church will meet ... wherever we decide!
It might be in the park; it might be in someone's house; it might be in Carnegie Library; it might be at Bluewater; it might be on Coldharbour Lane; or it could be anywhere else! We'll let you know on the Saturday night where we'll meet – somehow or other, maybe! The start time will vary each week too. In fact we might not even meet on a Sunday! The only thing that will be constant is what everyone wears when we meet. Next week you'll all have to buy special Parish of Herne Hill robes. They are bright pink for ladies, and luminous green for men. I've designed them myself, and they are very reasonably priced, at just £1 000 each. No robe means no entry. And, talking of entry, that will be £100 per person per gathering, with a modest discount for family groups. So, how many tickets should we print for next week? Hands up if you will be there (wherever 'there' is) ...
Of course none of that is serious – apart from the church being the people, not the building! But doing any of those things would surely lead to the death of this church, would it not? But the point of that exercise is so that we hopefully can now understand rather better just why Jesus' disciples reacted as they did in Mark chapter 8!
Jesus had just got his disciples to grasp a really important point. In the previous story, in verses 27-30 of Mark 8, Jesus had asked his disciples who they thought he was. After all they had heard and seen in their time with him, they were able to identify Jesus as the Messiah, or Christ. By that they meant that he was God's chosen one, the one who would save Israel. It was Peter who had been their spokesman in making that great leap of faith and trust about who Jesus was. And it was Peter who again led the way here in this story that we have heard, as Jesus began to explain to his disciples what being the Messiah actually meant.
Now, this being Lent, we have jumped a long way forward in the story from last week. The temptation that Jesus faced in the desert back then was nearly 3 years before all this happened. His disciples had been with Jesus for most of that time; and they were clearly beginning to get the point, at last. But not fully so, it seems! Like most Jews in Jesus' time, his disciples only saw one side of the Messiah coin. Not surprisingly, they focused on the truth that God would bring in his kingdom through his chosen one. In the circumstances of their time, they could only picture that as meaning the end of their nation's slavery to Rome. Surely that was what God wanted – and would do – for his people?
There was – and is – another side to the Messiah coin, though. It is as clearly in the Old Testament as the idea of God as king of Israel. In chapter 53 the prophet Isaiah wrote about the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. He detailed how the Messiah would choose to give up his own life for the sins of God's people. He would die so that they, we, could be forgiven. And this is the fate that Jesus began to explain to his disciples as what lay ahead for him. “The Son of Man must suffer much, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. He will be put to death”, Jesus said of himself; and he said it very clearly, in a way that even his disciples understood it.
This might have been news to his disciples; but it wasn't some radical new departure for Jesus. Although we didn't look at it in any detail last week, this was the fundamental dilemma that Jesus had faced in the wilderness. As he began his public ministry, he had to choose what kind of Messiah he was going to be. Was he going to do what God wanted, and needed from him, despite the huge cost? Or was he going to go the easy way? What the Devil had offered Jesus was the easy way – all the gain, with no pain; or so it seemed. As we heard, though, Jesus saw the Devil's lies for what they were, and rejected them. At that point Jesus chose to go God's way instead; and that meant going to the cross.
I have often said that Jesus was born for one reason above all others, and that was to die. I'm saying it again now, because this Lent we need to hear it as we prepare for Easter, just as his disciples did. Once they had come to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, he had then to teach them what that meant. Jesus began that teaching in earnest here – and it got quite a reaction! Peter believed so fervently that Jesus was wrong that he just had to rebuke him! We might want to credit Peter that he tried to do that privately – unlike Jesus' response! But Jesus knew that Peter was being the disciples' spokesman again – and so he addressed his devastating reply to all twelve of them.
Jesus may have seen Peter's lips moving; but it was none other than the Devil's voice that he heard speaking to him. In Peter's very human, natural and caring response to the certainty of Jesus' death lay that same temptation that he had faced before. Jesus saw that for what it was – and he firmly rejected it once again. Jesus knew that the only way he could do what God needed was by dying on the cross. And nothing and nobody was going to stand in the way of him being obedient to the very end. It may have looked like defeat, if not plain madness, in his disciples' eyes. But very often the ways of God do look like madness to us!
And Jesus was far from finished. Having rebuked Peter, he called the whole crowd to him, and taught them all the same message. If anyone wanted to follow him, this was what they could, and should, expect. Following Jesus is not and never has been about pleasing ourselves. Rather, it is about being obedient to God's ways, no matter what the cost. As we have been hearing lately, being a Christian means to be totally, instantly and joyfully obedient to God's will at all times and in all ways – yes, even to the point of death. That is the example that we have been set by Jesus; that is the example that we are to follow, then, Jesus said.
Paradoxically it's only by losing our life that we gain it! If we try to hang on to it – and we may even appear to succeed – we will lose our life in every way that matters, Jesus also said here. What we have to do, then, is to let go of our control of our own life, and hand that over to Jesus. We need not to be ashamed of him or his teaching, but rather to live it and share it with others. That is the only route to the only kind of life that matters. It's a life that begins now, with Jesus, and then continues through eternity – or doesn't!
In this slightly shortened sermon we haven't got time to explore this any further now. But don't let that stop you from getting the point. This being Lent, we are specially invited to take time each day to reflect on what we hear on Sundays. So do read this story, over and again. It is key to understanding who Jesus is, and what he came to do. It's also absolutely vital if we are to grasp what it means for us to be followers – disciples – of Jesus. It's not about us: it is about him, and copying his example. It's about obedience to the ways of God, no matter how mad they look, or what it may cost. It is about the God who in his love for us gave us his all. It's about how, in response, we give our all back to him. It is about losing our own life in order to gain it. But as Bishop Tom Wright asks in his commentary, do we think that encountering this God means just making a few minor adjustments to our life? Let's pray ...
In contrast to that questionnaire-filling exercise earlier in this service, I have only one question to put to you today. It's also only verbal; and I'll make it really easy, by offering you just two answers to choose from ...
My question is: “What is the church?” And the 2 possible answers are either: the church is the building; or the church is the people who meet here. So let's see who thinks that the church is the building ... And who thinks that the church is the people ...
The right answer is that the church is the people, of course! And now that we're all clear on that, I have an announcement to make. This is the last Sunday we'll meet in this building! Space is clearly an issue (St Saviour's is too full, and we don't fill St Paul's to critical mass). And the church isn't the building; it is the people. So, as from next week, the church will meet ... wherever we decide!
It might be in the park; it might be in someone's house; it might be in Carnegie Library; it might be at Bluewater; it might be on Coldharbour Lane; or it could be anywhere else! We'll let you know on the Saturday night where we'll meet – somehow or other, maybe! The start time will vary each week too. In fact we might not even meet on a Sunday! The only thing that will be constant is what everyone wears when we meet. Next week you'll all have to buy special Parish of Herne Hill robes. They are bright pink for ladies, and luminous green for men. I've designed them myself, and they are very reasonably priced, at just £1 000 each. No robe means no entry. And, talking of entry, that will be £100 per person per gathering, with a modest discount for family groups. So, how many tickets should we print for next week? Hands up if you will be there (wherever 'there' is) ...
Of course none of that is serious – apart from the church being the people, not the building! But doing any of those things would surely lead to the death of this church, would it not? But the point of that exercise is so that we hopefully can now understand rather better just why Jesus' disciples reacted as they did in Mark chapter 8!
Jesus had just got his disciples to grasp a really important point. In the previous story, in verses 27-30 of Mark 8, Jesus had asked his disciples who they thought he was. After all they had heard and seen in their time with him, they were able to identify Jesus as the Messiah, or Christ. By that they meant that he was God's chosen one, the one who would save Israel. It was Peter who had been their spokesman in making that great leap of faith and trust about who Jesus was. And it was Peter who again led the way here in this story that we have heard, as Jesus began to explain to his disciples what being the Messiah actually meant.
Now, this being Lent, we have jumped a long way forward in the story from last week. The temptation that Jesus faced in the desert back then was nearly 3 years before all this happened. His disciples had been with Jesus for most of that time; and they were clearly beginning to get the point, at last. But not fully so, it seems! Like most Jews in Jesus' time, his disciples only saw one side of the Messiah coin. Not surprisingly, they focused on the truth that God would bring in his kingdom through his chosen one. In the circumstances of their time, they could only picture that as meaning the end of their nation's slavery to Rome. Surely that was what God wanted – and would do – for his people?
There was – and is – another side to the Messiah coin, though. It is as clearly in the Old Testament as the idea of God as king of Israel. In chapter 53 the prophet Isaiah wrote about the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. He detailed how the Messiah would choose to give up his own life for the sins of God's people. He would die so that they, we, could be forgiven. And this is the fate that Jesus began to explain to his disciples as what lay ahead for him. “The Son of Man must suffer much, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. He will be put to death”, Jesus said of himself; and he said it very clearly, in a way that even his disciples understood it.
This might have been news to his disciples; but it wasn't some radical new departure for Jesus. Although we didn't look at it in any detail last week, this was the fundamental dilemma that Jesus had faced in the wilderness. As he began his public ministry, he had to choose what kind of Messiah he was going to be. Was he going to do what God wanted, and needed from him, despite the huge cost? Or was he going to go the easy way? What the Devil had offered Jesus was the easy way – all the gain, with no pain; or so it seemed. As we heard, though, Jesus saw the Devil's lies for what they were, and rejected them. At that point Jesus chose to go God's way instead; and that meant going to the cross.
I have often said that Jesus was born for one reason above all others, and that was to die. I'm saying it again now, because this Lent we need to hear it as we prepare for Easter, just as his disciples did. Once they had come to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, he had then to teach them what that meant. Jesus began that teaching in earnest here – and it got quite a reaction! Peter believed so fervently that Jesus was wrong that he just had to rebuke him! We might want to credit Peter that he tried to do that privately – unlike Jesus' response! But Jesus knew that Peter was being the disciples' spokesman again – and so he addressed his devastating reply to all twelve of them.
Jesus may have seen Peter's lips moving; but it was none other than the Devil's voice that he heard speaking to him. In Peter's very human, natural and caring response to the certainty of Jesus' death lay that same temptation that he had faced before. Jesus saw that for what it was – and he firmly rejected it once again. Jesus knew that the only way he could do what God needed was by dying on the cross. And nothing and nobody was going to stand in the way of him being obedient to the very end. It may have looked like defeat, if not plain madness, in his disciples' eyes. But very often the ways of God do look like madness to us!
And Jesus was far from finished. Having rebuked Peter, he called the whole crowd to him, and taught them all the same message. If anyone wanted to follow him, this was what they could, and should, expect. Following Jesus is not and never has been about pleasing ourselves. Rather, it is about being obedient to God's ways, no matter what the cost. As we have been hearing lately, being a Christian means to be totally, instantly and joyfully obedient to God's will at all times and in all ways – yes, even to the point of death. That is the example that we have been set by Jesus; that is the example that we are to follow, then, Jesus said.
Paradoxically it's only by losing our life that we gain it! If we try to hang on to it – and we may even appear to succeed – we will lose our life in every way that matters, Jesus also said here. What we have to do, then, is to let go of our control of our own life, and hand that over to Jesus. We need not to be ashamed of him or his teaching, but rather to live it and share it with others. That is the only route to the only kind of life that matters. It's a life that begins now, with Jesus, and then continues through eternity – or doesn't!
In this slightly shortened sermon we haven't got time to explore this any further now. But don't let that stop you from getting the point. This being Lent, we are specially invited to take time each day to reflect on what we hear on Sundays. So do read this story, over and again. It is key to understanding who Jesus is, and what he came to do. It's also absolutely vital if we are to grasp what it means for us to be followers – disciples – of Jesus. It's not about us: it is about him, and copying his example. It's about obedience to the ways of God, no matter how mad they look, or what it may cost. It is about the God who in his love for us gave us his all. It's about how, in response, we give our all back to him. It is about losing our own life in order to gain it. But as Bishop Tom Wright asks in his commentary, do we think that encountering this God means just making a few minor adjustments to our life? Let's pray ...
posted by Parish Administrator at 12:30 pm
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