Sermon 11th September Racial Justice Sunday
Today our Curate, Gill Tayleur, preaches based on Matthew 5 continuing the study series on discipleship.
8 year old Sally brought her report card home from school. Her marks were mostly good, As and a couple of Bs. However her teacher had written across the bottom:
Sally is a clever girl, but she talks too much in class. I have an idea I am going to try, which I think may break her of the habit. Sally’s dad signed the card, adding the note:
Please let me know if your idea works on Sally, because I would like to try it out on her mother.
Who teaches you?
Whose disciple are you?
Who do you follow?
“No-one!”? Much as we like to think of ourselves as ‘our own person’, the truth is we are greatly influenced by others, and often learn from them how to live. Aristotle said that we owe more to our teachers than to our parents, for though our parents gave us life, our teachers taught us the good life. So, whose disciple are you? Who do you follow?
Probably, like me, you’re the disciple of several people, living and dead. People who’ve been there at crucial times in our lives, and influenced our responses to what’s happening, our thoughts, feelings and actions. First our parents and family, school teachers, friends, and later our colleagues, maybe bosses or mentors, politicians, musicians or public figures. Or maybe we just follow the crowd. Whoever it is, we’re still influenced; we still learn from others, what life’s all about, and how to live it.
BUT we can choose who we follow! As we heard last week at the start of this series on discipleship, Jesus calls people to follow him. “Follow me!” he says. Learn from me, how to live.
We’ve just read the opening paragraphs of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus teaches his listeners about how to live, as his disciples, as his followers. He teaches them about the OT law, about money, sex and power. He teaches them the attitudes they’re to have, the thoughts they’re to have, the words to speak and the behaviours to live. He spoke primarily to his disciples, we read in the first 2 verses. But others obviously listened in too, as at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7 it says the crowd was amazed at his teaching. Well for all who heard it, and for us hearing it today, this sermon is all about how to live as a follower or disciple of Jesus.
Jesus starts this sermon with these famous verses known as the Beatitudes.
Each of 8 statements that start with “happy!” or “blessed!”
Blessed are the poor in spirit! Blessed are those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted.
We may be familiar with these Beatitudes, but let’s try to look afresh at them and see how topsy turvey they are, how upside down to how we naturally see things. They’re counter intuitive and counter cultural. Since when was it a good thing to mourn, or to be persecuted? Since when did it pay in life to be meek or merciful?! How do those things show us to be happy or blessed?
Before we go on, a quick word about this happiness or blessedness. The Good News Bible we use at St Saviour’s says “happy” but Bible scholars point out that happy isn’t a very good translation here. Blessed, the more traditionally used word, is probably better.
The state of happiness depends on hap, that is chance, or on our outward circumstances, what HAP-pens to us. Whereas the state of blessedness, is a deeper joy and hope that we can know regardless of our circumstances. This blessedness comes from knowing God’s love and following Jesus, whatever situation we’re in. It’s untouchable by life’s circumstances! Isn’t that wonderful?!
So these Beatitudes show the mindset, the attitudes, the Beatitude attitudes (!), that Jesus says will cause us to be profoundly fulfilled and have a deep sense of joy and hope.
And these attitudes reflect Jesus’ own attitude, his humility and self sacrifice, in contrast to that of the world around. That’s particularly obvious in the last Beatitude, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness! The verse that follows has one more blessed about being persecuted and insulted and lies told about you.
When you behave in a way that reflects Jesus’ topsy turvy beatitude attitudes, others don’t like it, don’t like it at all. Today is Racial Justice Sunday and we don’t have to think very hard to remember brave men and women who have been ill treated for working for righteousness, for being merciful and working for peace.
We could think of someone like Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela, or countless less well known people whose sacrifice and work has brought racial justice to many, in our land and across the world. And of course such justice is still denied many people today, and we think of them and pray for them especially this Sunday. The focus of this year’s Racial Justice Sunday is on human trafficking, as there are 480 people every day who are trafficked, that is forced into slavery or abuse, mostly girls and women for commercial sexual exploitation. Thank God for those who are fighting for justice for such people, even at a cost to themselves. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
So each of the 8 Beatitudes shows an attitude, and a reward, a blessing. A blessing in our life with God, for now and later, now and for eternity.
Well there’s lots more that could be said about the Beatitudes and their blessings, but in this series on discipleship, today I want to move on to the next verses, about what Jesus said the consequences would be of living these Beatitude attitudes. He says that if you live like this, with these attitudes, and your actions reflect them, if you live as true disciples, then you’ll have a profound effect on the world around you. You’ll make an enormous difference. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
The Message paraphrase of the Bible, says, “Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste Godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: you’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.”
Salt was, and is, used to give flavouring and act as a preservative. Without it food can be bland, and goes off. Followers of Jesus, his disciples, are to make the world a purer and more palatable place, preventing corruption and bringing God’s love and hope to the world.
And light is crucial for life! Perhaps we don’t appreciate the light we have, because we always have it, we’re not used to real darkness. Here in London there’s always some light, even at night. When we were on holiday abroad a few weeks ago, there was a power cut, just for a minute or so, but for that little while we literally couldn’t see A THING. Couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. It was scary! Even a little light, one small candle, makes a huge difference in complete blackness. And a lot of lights, in a city on a hill, give light for all to see for miles around.
So salt and light can and should have a huge impact. But only if the salt stays salty. Strictly speaking pure salt can’t lose its salinity, saltiness. But the impure salt dug from the shores of the Dead Sea could gradually become unsalty as the actual sodium chloride dissolved.
And light is only effective if it’s on a stand, not hidden under a bowl! That would make it useless!
Jesus is saying that if his disciples make no effort to affect the world around them, they’re of little use to God. We shouldn’t blend in. We should affect others positively, be a Godly force for good, bringing out those God-flavours and God-colours in the world! To do so, we must preserve our distinctive character, that comes from the attitudes in the Beatitudes. To do so, we must learn from Jesus how to live as his followers.
A few months ago I read this very interesting and challenging book by Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy. In it, he says being a follower or disciple of Jesus means we choose to be students or apprentices of him. We choose to learn from Jesus, every day, actually learning to do what Jesus taught.
He says being a disciple means being with Jesus, to learn from him, how to be like him.
He says, “I am learning from Jesus to live my life, as he would live my life if he were me. I am not necessarily learning to do everything Jesus did, but I am learning how to do everything I do, in the manner that he did things.
This is learning from Jesus how to live our lives, our real lives, our whole lives, the lives we’ve been given with the time, place, family, neighbours, personality, talents, finance, challenges and opportunities that are ours.
Let’s be specific and think about how we spend our working hours. Most of us spend a huge chunk of our life working, whether it’s paid or unpaid work, for someone else, or we’re self employed, or the work we do caring for our family, young or old. Or if we’re retired, the things we do in the week, to care for ourselves and others. Let’s call this our work, whichever of those things it is.
To be a disciple of Jesus, is to be learning from Jesus how to do our work as Jesus himself would do it. He was a carpenter, but might equally have been in another job. If he were to come today as he did then, he might be a school classroom assistant, a postman, a dentist, a bus driver, a lawyer, a physiotherapist, a cleaner, a full time parent, a student, an estate agent, a small businessman or a care assistant.
How would Jesus do that work, your work?
...
How would Jesus deal with the particular people you work with? The children, the customers, your boss?
What issues would Jesus be concerned about, in your work?
What might he want to challenge or change?
What would his priorities be?
Who would he watch out for?
How would Jesus do your work?
...
This idea that Jesus can teach us in our work, as well as everything else, really struck me. In Colossians we read that everything was made through Jesus, and he has knowledge and wisdom about everything! And that includes your field of work and mine.
This may be a new idea to you too, that Jesus is the authoritative expert on nursing, and accounts, and toddlers, and driving, and dementia, and European law, and dealing with rude customers and difficult colleagues?!
So we can learn from Jesus, as his disciples, how to do our work as he would, and our job can be a primary place of apprenticeship to Jesus. If it’s not, we’re cutting out a big chunk of our life from him!
So, how can we do our work as Jesus would?
Not by being the Christian critic, or being self righteous, or a killjoy, that’s for sure.
But perhaps by sensitive service to others.
By genuine love for everyone involved in the work.
By refusal to press for financial advantage.
By non-retaliation.
By gently but firmly not cooperating with things that everyone knows to be wrong.
By routinely sacrificing one’s comfort and pleasure for the quality of the work.
And by watching out for any obvious spiritual need or interest in Jesus, and being willing to speak up when there is. Sometimes, actions alone are not enough. These days, people accept that others behave and live in all sorts of ways, without questioning them. “Live and let live” is the slogan; so no-one may ever know why you are different unless you’re willing to speak up about your faith in Jesus.
Wow! Wouldn’t that lot bring God-flavours and God-colours to the place you work?
Finally then, HOW do we become a serious disciple or apprentice of Jesus?
First, we ask him! We emphatically and repeatedly express to Jesus our desire to see him more fully as he really is, as the one who can teach us everything we need to know – everything! We will discover that he is so wise, powerful, beautiful and good that we want to be guided, instructed and helped by him in every aspect of our lives.
So, secondly, we need to spend time in his presence, to learn from him, that’s praying and reading the Bible, and meditating on it, mulling it over, sometimes for extended periods. Trying to get wet from standing under a few drops of water every day, just doesn’t work. It’ll keep you damp, but to get soaked, sometimes you’ve got to have a shower! So sometimes we need to spend more than a few rushed minutes with him, we need an hour or a day put aside to be with and learn from him as our teacher.
Third, we decide to! Make it a deliberate intention, a priority. It’s your choice, and mine! So, will we take seriously the challenge to be a real disciple of Jesus?
If we do, then not only will our lives be turned upside down, but the impact we’ll have on those around us will be like salt and light. We’ll be part of bringing out the God-flavours and God-colours of our world.
And the point of it all? That God may be praised! “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Yes, we’ll be “blessed!”, in the Beatitude sense, of a deep joy and hope that circumstances can’t touch. But as Cameron reminded us last week, the Christian life, the life of discipleship to Jesus, is NOT ABOUT US. It’s ALL ABOUT HIM, ALL ABOUT JESUS.
And so let’s follow him.
And now let’s pray...
Jesus we thank and praise you that we can have the privilege of following you. Help us to learn how to do that, in every aspect of our lives, day by day. May we have a deep, far reaching impact for good, in our homes, neighbourhood, work and the world around us. Amen.
DISCIPLESHIP
MATTHEW 5: 1-16
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
How would Jesus live my life?
How would Jesus do my ‘work’?
How would Jesus deal with the particular people I am with each day?
What issues would Jesus be concerned about, in my ‘work’ and life?
What might Jesus want to challenge or change?
What would His priorities be?
Who would He watch out for?
In my ‘work’, how do I measure up on:
Being a critic, self righteous or a killjoy?
Sensitive service to others?
Genuine love for everyone involved?
Refusal to press for financial advantage?
Non-retaliation?
Gently but firmly not cooperating with things that everyone knows to be wrong?
Routinely sacrificing my comfort and pleasure for the quality of the work?
Watching out for any obvious spiritual need or interest in Jesus?
And a willingness to speak when there is?
8 year old Sally brought her report card home from school. Her marks were mostly good, As and a couple of Bs. However her teacher had written across the bottom:
Sally is a clever girl, but she talks too much in class. I have an idea I am going to try, which I think may break her of the habit. Sally’s dad signed the card, adding the note:
Please let me know if your idea works on Sally, because I would like to try it out on her mother.
Who teaches you?
Whose disciple are you?
Who do you follow?
“No-one!”? Much as we like to think of ourselves as ‘our own person’, the truth is we are greatly influenced by others, and often learn from them how to live. Aristotle said that we owe more to our teachers than to our parents, for though our parents gave us life, our teachers taught us the good life. So, whose disciple are you? Who do you follow?
Probably, like me, you’re the disciple of several people, living and dead. People who’ve been there at crucial times in our lives, and influenced our responses to what’s happening, our thoughts, feelings and actions. First our parents and family, school teachers, friends, and later our colleagues, maybe bosses or mentors, politicians, musicians or public figures. Or maybe we just follow the crowd. Whoever it is, we’re still influenced; we still learn from others, what life’s all about, and how to live it.
BUT we can choose who we follow! As we heard last week at the start of this series on discipleship, Jesus calls people to follow him. “Follow me!” he says. Learn from me, how to live.
We’ve just read the opening paragraphs of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus teaches his listeners about how to live, as his disciples, as his followers. He teaches them about the OT law, about money, sex and power. He teaches them the attitudes they’re to have, the thoughts they’re to have, the words to speak and the behaviours to live. He spoke primarily to his disciples, we read in the first 2 verses. But others obviously listened in too, as at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7 it says the crowd was amazed at his teaching. Well for all who heard it, and for us hearing it today, this sermon is all about how to live as a follower or disciple of Jesus.
Jesus starts this sermon with these famous verses known as the Beatitudes.
Each of 8 statements that start with “happy!” or “blessed!”
Blessed are the poor in spirit! Blessed are those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted.
We may be familiar with these Beatitudes, but let’s try to look afresh at them and see how topsy turvey they are, how upside down to how we naturally see things. They’re counter intuitive and counter cultural. Since when was it a good thing to mourn, or to be persecuted? Since when did it pay in life to be meek or merciful?! How do those things show us to be happy or blessed?
Before we go on, a quick word about this happiness or blessedness. The Good News Bible we use at St Saviour’s says “happy” but Bible scholars point out that happy isn’t a very good translation here. Blessed, the more traditionally used word, is probably better.
The state of happiness depends on hap, that is chance, or on our outward circumstances, what HAP-pens to us. Whereas the state of blessedness, is a deeper joy and hope that we can know regardless of our circumstances. This blessedness comes from knowing God’s love and following Jesus, whatever situation we’re in. It’s untouchable by life’s circumstances! Isn’t that wonderful?!
So these Beatitudes show the mindset, the attitudes, the Beatitude attitudes (!), that Jesus says will cause us to be profoundly fulfilled and have a deep sense of joy and hope.
And these attitudes reflect Jesus’ own attitude, his humility and self sacrifice, in contrast to that of the world around. That’s particularly obvious in the last Beatitude, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness! The verse that follows has one more blessed about being persecuted and insulted and lies told about you.
When you behave in a way that reflects Jesus’ topsy turvy beatitude attitudes, others don’t like it, don’t like it at all. Today is Racial Justice Sunday and we don’t have to think very hard to remember brave men and women who have been ill treated for working for righteousness, for being merciful and working for peace.
We could think of someone like Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela, or countless less well known people whose sacrifice and work has brought racial justice to many, in our land and across the world. And of course such justice is still denied many people today, and we think of them and pray for them especially this Sunday. The focus of this year’s Racial Justice Sunday is on human trafficking, as there are 480 people every day who are trafficked, that is forced into slavery or abuse, mostly girls and women for commercial sexual exploitation. Thank God for those who are fighting for justice for such people, even at a cost to themselves. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
So each of the 8 Beatitudes shows an attitude, and a reward, a blessing. A blessing in our life with God, for now and later, now and for eternity.
Well there’s lots more that could be said about the Beatitudes and their blessings, but in this series on discipleship, today I want to move on to the next verses, about what Jesus said the consequences would be of living these Beatitude attitudes. He says that if you live like this, with these attitudes, and your actions reflect them, if you live as true disciples, then you’ll have a profound effect on the world around you. You’ll make an enormous difference. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”
The Message paraphrase of the Bible, says, “Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste Godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: you’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.”
Salt was, and is, used to give flavouring and act as a preservative. Without it food can be bland, and goes off. Followers of Jesus, his disciples, are to make the world a purer and more palatable place, preventing corruption and bringing God’s love and hope to the world.
And light is crucial for life! Perhaps we don’t appreciate the light we have, because we always have it, we’re not used to real darkness. Here in London there’s always some light, even at night. When we were on holiday abroad a few weeks ago, there was a power cut, just for a minute or so, but for that little while we literally couldn’t see A THING. Couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. It was scary! Even a little light, one small candle, makes a huge difference in complete blackness. And a lot of lights, in a city on a hill, give light for all to see for miles around.
So salt and light can and should have a huge impact. But only if the salt stays salty. Strictly speaking pure salt can’t lose its salinity, saltiness. But the impure salt dug from the shores of the Dead Sea could gradually become unsalty as the actual sodium chloride dissolved.
And light is only effective if it’s on a stand, not hidden under a bowl! That would make it useless!
Jesus is saying that if his disciples make no effort to affect the world around them, they’re of little use to God. We shouldn’t blend in. We should affect others positively, be a Godly force for good, bringing out those God-flavours and God-colours in the world! To do so, we must preserve our distinctive character, that comes from the attitudes in the Beatitudes. To do so, we must learn from Jesus how to live as his followers.
A few months ago I read this very interesting and challenging book by Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy. In it, he says being a follower or disciple of Jesus means we choose to be students or apprentices of him. We choose to learn from Jesus, every day, actually learning to do what Jesus taught.
He says being a disciple means being with Jesus, to learn from him, how to be like him.
He says, “I am learning from Jesus to live my life, as he would live my life if he were me. I am not necessarily learning to do everything Jesus did, but I am learning how to do everything I do, in the manner that he did things.
This is learning from Jesus how to live our lives, our real lives, our whole lives, the lives we’ve been given with the time, place, family, neighbours, personality, talents, finance, challenges and opportunities that are ours.
Let’s be specific and think about how we spend our working hours. Most of us spend a huge chunk of our life working, whether it’s paid or unpaid work, for someone else, or we’re self employed, or the work we do caring for our family, young or old. Or if we’re retired, the things we do in the week, to care for ourselves and others. Let’s call this our work, whichever of those things it is.
To be a disciple of Jesus, is to be learning from Jesus how to do our work as Jesus himself would do it. He was a carpenter, but might equally have been in another job. If he were to come today as he did then, he might be a school classroom assistant, a postman, a dentist, a bus driver, a lawyer, a physiotherapist, a cleaner, a full time parent, a student, an estate agent, a small businessman or a care assistant.
How would Jesus do that work, your work?
...
How would Jesus deal with the particular people you work with? The children, the customers, your boss?
What issues would Jesus be concerned about, in your work?
What might he want to challenge or change?
What would his priorities be?
Who would he watch out for?
How would Jesus do your work?
...
This idea that Jesus can teach us in our work, as well as everything else, really struck me. In Colossians we read that everything was made through Jesus, and he has knowledge and wisdom about everything! And that includes your field of work and mine.
This may be a new idea to you too, that Jesus is the authoritative expert on nursing, and accounts, and toddlers, and driving, and dementia, and European law, and dealing with rude customers and difficult colleagues?!
So we can learn from Jesus, as his disciples, how to do our work as he would, and our job can be a primary place of apprenticeship to Jesus. If it’s not, we’re cutting out a big chunk of our life from him!
So, how can we do our work as Jesus would?
Not by being the Christian critic, or being self righteous, or a killjoy, that’s for sure.
But perhaps by sensitive service to others.
By genuine love for everyone involved in the work.
By refusal to press for financial advantage.
By non-retaliation.
By gently but firmly not cooperating with things that everyone knows to be wrong.
By routinely sacrificing one’s comfort and pleasure for the quality of the work.
And by watching out for any obvious spiritual need or interest in Jesus, and being willing to speak up when there is. Sometimes, actions alone are not enough. These days, people accept that others behave and live in all sorts of ways, without questioning them. “Live and let live” is the slogan; so no-one may ever know why you are different unless you’re willing to speak up about your faith in Jesus.
Wow! Wouldn’t that lot bring God-flavours and God-colours to the place you work?
Finally then, HOW do we become a serious disciple or apprentice of Jesus?
First, we ask him! We emphatically and repeatedly express to Jesus our desire to see him more fully as he really is, as the one who can teach us everything we need to know – everything! We will discover that he is so wise, powerful, beautiful and good that we want to be guided, instructed and helped by him in every aspect of our lives.
So, secondly, we need to spend time in his presence, to learn from him, that’s praying and reading the Bible, and meditating on it, mulling it over, sometimes for extended periods. Trying to get wet from standing under a few drops of water every day, just doesn’t work. It’ll keep you damp, but to get soaked, sometimes you’ve got to have a shower! So sometimes we need to spend more than a few rushed minutes with him, we need an hour or a day put aside to be with and learn from him as our teacher.
Third, we decide to! Make it a deliberate intention, a priority. It’s your choice, and mine! So, will we take seriously the challenge to be a real disciple of Jesus?
If we do, then not only will our lives be turned upside down, but the impact we’ll have on those around us will be like salt and light. We’ll be part of bringing out the God-flavours and God-colours of our world.
And the point of it all? That God may be praised! “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Yes, we’ll be “blessed!”, in the Beatitude sense, of a deep joy and hope that circumstances can’t touch. But as Cameron reminded us last week, the Christian life, the life of discipleship to Jesus, is NOT ABOUT US. It’s ALL ABOUT HIM, ALL ABOUT JESUS.
And so let’s follow him.
And now let’s pray...
Jesus we thank and praise you that we can have the privilege of following you. Help us to learn how to do that, in every aspect of our lives, day by day. May we have a deep, far reaching impact for good, in our homes, neighbourhood, work and the world around us. Amen.
DISCIPLESHIP
MATTHEW 5: 1-16
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
How would Jesus live my life?
How would Jesus do my ‘work’?
How would Jesus deal with the particular people I am with each day?
What issues would Jesus be concerned about, in my ‘work’ and life?
What might Jesus want to challenge or change?
What would His priorities be?
Who would He watch out for?
In my ‘work’, how do I measure up on:
Being a critic, self righteous or a killjoy?
Sensitive service to others?
Genuine love for everyone involved?
Refusal to press for financial advantage?
Non-retaliation?
Gently but firmly not cooperating with things that everyone knows to be wrong?
Routinely sacrificing my comfort and pleasure for the quality of the work?
Watching out for any obvious spiritual need or interest in Jesus?
And a willingness to speak when there is?
posted by Sharren Taylor at 2:06 pm
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