Sermon 9th May 2010
Today, our Vicar, Cameron Barker, preaches a shorter than normal sermon, as the service was followed by St. Paul's AGM. The gospel reading is John 14: verses 23-27.
One of my regular tasks that not everyone may be aware of is to take assemblies. There are two primary, and one pre-primary, but no secondary, schools in our parish. So I'm usually trying to communicate with children as young as three, and no older than eleven. They are great in many ways, and love to get involved. But they can be a tough crowd, not least because you're never sure what's really getting through. So I was very pleased to hear a feedback story recently, then, from a parent of a Year 5, so a ten-year-old, boy.
When she'd asked him, Robbie told his mum that the vicar had taken an assembly about Moses. He happily told her what he had learned, of how God had sent Moses on a rescue mission behind enemy lines, to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Robbie reported that when he had got them to the Red Sea, Moses had his army build a pontoon bridge. Once all his people had walked safely across it, he had radioed headquarters for help. They had then sent in the F16s to blow up the bridge; and so all the Hebrew people were saved – just like God had promised!
Not recognising all the details as given in his account, his mother wasn't totally convinced by Robbie's story. So she had pushed him as to exactly what the vicar had said. In the end he gave in, and told her, “OK, that wasn't how he told it. But if I told it the way he did, you'd never believe me!”
Once again, the connection between that apocryphal story and what follows is perhaps a little tenuous – but it does exist! I'm sure you already know that this is AGM day! We are well into our annual meeting season, where we look back at the past year, and ahead to the next. Having done that for the whole parish at the APCM, today we're doing it for each church. Yes it's a bit strange to be doing it in May when the year we're reviewing ended in December! There is no easy way around that given what needs to be done first; and it is a legal requirement that we do it. But I always welcome the chance to stop and deliberately look out for what God has been up to.
In the busyness and drama of everyday life it is easy to miss important elements of God at work. We need to take this time out, to be sure that we see and hear what we need to. And, having been 'at' this for a while already, I know that we will be amazed by what we see and hear in this process! In terms of drama and excitement, whichever way we tell it, it probably won't rival Moses' rescue mission to Egypt. But there will be, there are, clear and definite signs of God at work. In a whole range of ways, both mundane and amazing, He was bringing life and light, faith, hope and trust to Herne Hill, in the midst of the ordinary and the extraordinary alike of 2009.
It's not my job to point out the how and when of all that. Those who come here regularly have seen, and been part of, it just as much as I have. I'll 'just' invite you to take the time to see it for what it is, in the meeting if you can stay for it, or by yourself later. What I do need to do now, though, is to spell out very clearly why this was so in 2009. And there is, of course, only one reason that God can ever be at work, anywhere, during any year – and that's because He himself has made it possible!
Today we're obviously taking a mini-break from our current series of reflections from the story of Lazarus. But we're very much not taking break from the season of the church year! We're just 2 weeks away from Pentecost, the birthday of the church, when in so many ways this all began! On that day Jesus kept the promise that we have heard at least part of from John 14. Pentecost was the day when Jesus sent his Spirit on his followers, to enable them to live for, and in, him. There certainly were some dramatic and exciting moments, on that day, and stories to tell afterwards. But most exciting of all was the rapidly dawning realisation that this day, Pentecost, was no one-off.
As I say, at Pentecost Jesus kept the promise that he had made, on several occasions, and in many ways, to his disciples. Of course there's no time to explore the details of that now, not even of 'just' this part of Jesus' promise. What's most important, though, is to acknowledge, before we take this review process any further what Jesus sent – and sends – his Spirit to do. As Jesus promised in this passage, it's his Spirit who helps and guides us now. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who teaches us everything that we need to know. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who brings his words alive to us today. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who makes us able to show our love for him by obeying his teaching. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who has given us his amazing peace, in any and all the things that we may have faced in 2009!
As we go through the rest of this process, then, let's give the credit where it's due. For all the way in which God has been at work – in the ordinary and the extraordinary – we need to give Him thanks and praise first and foremost. He has done it, as He alone can do it – by the presence and the power of His promised Spirit. It's by the presence and the power of that same Spirit that Jesus has brought life and light, faith, hope and trust to Herne Hill in 2009. He will bring more of the same again in 2010, as we are already seeing – in the same way: by the presence and the power of His Spirit. So let's praise him, and trust him, as we pray ...
One of my regular tasks that not everyone may be aware of is to take assemblies. There are two primary, and one pre-primary, but no secondary, schools in our parish. So I'm usually trying to communicate with children as young as three, and no older than eleven. They are great in many ways, and love to get involved. But they can be a tough crowd, not least because you're never sure what's really getting through. So I was very pleased to hear a feedback story recently, then, from a parent of a Year 5, so a ten-year-old, boy.
When she'd asked him, Robbie told his mum that the vicar had taken an assembly about Moses. He happily told her what he had learned, of how God had sent Moses on a rescue mission behind enemy lines, to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Robbie reported that when he had got them to the Red Sea, Moses had his army build a pontoon bridge. Once all his people had walked safely across it, he had radioed headquarters for help. They had then sent in the F16s to blow up the bridge; and so all the Hebrew people were saved – just like God had promised!
Not recognising all the details as given in his account, his mother wasn't totally convinced by Robbie's story. So she had pushed him as to exactly what the vicar had said. In the end he gave in, and told her, “OK, that wasn't how he told it. But if I told it the way he did, you'd never believe me!”
Once again, the connection between that apocryphal story and what follows is perhaps a little tenuous – but it does exist! I'm sure you already know that this is AGM day! We are well into our annual meeting season, where we look back at the past year, and ahead to the next. Having done that for the whole parish at the APCM, today we're doing it for each church. Yes it's a bit strange to be doing it in May when the year we're reviewing ended in December! There is no easy way around that given what needs to be done first; and it is a legal requirement that we do it. But I always welcome the chance to stop and deliberately look out for what God has been up to.
In the busyness and drama of everyday life it is easy to miss important elements of God at work. We need to take this time out, to be sure that we see and hear what we need to. And, having been 'at' this for a while already, I know that we will be amazed by what we see and hear in this process! In terms of drama and excitement, whichever way we tell it, it probably won't rival Moses' rescue mission to Egypt. But there will be, there are, clear and definite signs of God at work. In a whole range of ways, both mundane and amazing, He was bringing life and light, faith, hope and trust to Herne Hill, in the midst of the ordinary and the extraordinary alike of 2009.
It's not my job to point out the how and when of all that. Those who come here regularly have seen, and been part of, it just as much as I have. I'll 'just' invite you to take the time to see it for what it is, in the meeting if you can stay for it, or by yourself later. What I do need to do now, though, is to spell out very clearly why this was so in 2009. And there is, of course, only one reason that God can ever be at work, anywhere, during any year – and that's because He himself has made it possible!
Today we're obviously taking a mini-break from our current series of reflections from the story of Lazarus. But we're very much not taking break from the season of the church year! We're just 2 weeks away from Pentecost, the birthday of the church, when in so many ways this all began! On that day Jesus kept the promise that we have heard at least part of from John 14. Pentecost was the day when Jesus sent his Spirit on his followers, to enable them to live for, and in, him. There certainly were some dramatic and exciting moments, on that day, and stories to tell afterwards. But most exciting of all was the rapidly dawning realisation that this day, Pentecost, was no one-off.
As I say, at Pentecost Jesus kept the promise that he had made, on several occasions, and in many ways, to his disciples. Of course there's no time to explore the details of that now, not even of 'just' this part of Jesus' promise. What's most important, though, is to acknowledge, before we take this review process any further what Jesus sent – and sends – his Spirit to do. As Jesus promised in this passage, it's his Spirit who helps and guides us now. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who teaches us everything that we need to know. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who brings his words alive to us today. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who makes us able to show our love for him by obeying his teaching. As Jesus promised, it's his Spirit who has given us his amazing peace, in any and all the things that we may have faced in 2009!
As we go through the rest of this process, then, let's give the credit where it's due. For all the way in which God has been at work – in the ordinary and the extraordinary – we need to give Him thanks and praise first and foremost. He has done it, as He alone can do it – by the presence and the power of His promised Spirit. It's by the presence and the power of that same Spirit that Jesus has brought life and light, faith, hope and trust to Herne Hill in 2009. He will bring more of the same again in 2010, as we are already seeing – in the same way: by the presence and the power of His Spirit. So let's praise him, and trust him, as we pray ...
posted by Parish Administrator at 12:40 pm
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