Sermon 18th March 2012

Today, Ben Hughes preaches based on the Gospel reading from Luke 14: verses 1-14.

Greetings to you all on this special festival of Mothering Sunday

It is also Laetare mid lent Sunday. (So you have made it half way…keep going)

I am not actually going to be speaking about Mothering Sunday as such but would like to wish you and your families both near and far every blessing and strength in Our Lord on this day.

To understand the stories in this passage properly it is very helpful to understand Luke the person and the unique nature of His Gospel.

Tradition suggests that Luke was a medical doctor and academic who was probably a Gentile and likely to have also written the book of Acts.

This isn’t important and is just speculation but what is very apparent in his Gospel is that Luke is revealing Jesus to be a person who is the champion of the outcast, the poor and sick. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is clearly Jewish, divine, loyal, generous, fair, inclusive, international. Luke’s Jesus is about people and has a central focus on teaching us how to best live our lives. It is a social and inclusive Gospel that turns the worldly values of money, status and power on its head. Last week we learnt from Gill about Jesus’ attitude to belongings and our worries about wealth and money. This week Luke’s Gospel teaches us how to treat one another. Especially those in more difficult times in their lives than us.

I consider there to be three parts to this reading which I have titled them in such a way that they conveniently begin with the letter S.

Sabbath

Service

Snobbery

So the Sabbath what is it

The Sabbath law is the fourth ‘do’ of the Ten Commandments

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy,

Six days thou shalt labour and do all thy work but the seventh is the Sabbath and the day of the Lord, in it thou shalt not do any work, nor thou son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, cattle and stranger that is within thy gates.

It is an explicit and very clear command.

The Sabbath laws in the time of Christ were strictly upheld, breaking them was punishable with instant judgement and possible death by stoning.

As well as that, teams of scribes and Pharisees over the centuries had discussed the minutia of these laws and the interpretation of the laws. For example the simple act of Breaking ears of corn in the palm of the hand to feed a hungry stomach had become for the Pharisee a clear breaking of the Levitical Sabbath law of not to grind corn on Sabbath.

As well as all the debate and endless discussion about the interpretation of this forth commandment, it became possible way to use the Sabbath laws a way of setting or stitching somebody up. Observe somebody working and reporting them to the priest, Pharisee and doctors of the law was as good as ruining them if not worse.

And this is the kind of that might be happening here.

We don’t know – the man with dropsy was genuine and had sought out Jesus but the attitude of the host was certainly not genuine. V1 although invited to the house of the Pharisee he was being carefully watched. Jesus was eating with two-faced wolves.

But according to this story as in other parts of the Gospels Jesus knows their thoughts and is ready with a question of his own. Put simply he says is it not right to do good and heal on the Sabbath or not?

They remain silent and Jesus then rightly and justly heals the man. Next, Jesus then hits them where it hurts with a killer question.

Ands this question is a judgement, and they condemn themselves outright in their answer. ‘Tell me,’ Jesus says, ‘your ox, your son’ (cleverly referring to the words of the actual commandment), ‘if it falls in a well, (Jerusalem was full of wells, it was one of the reasons why Jerusalem was Jerusalem) … ‘if it falls into a well will you not immediately pull it out?’

They said of course.

You see it is straightforward - necessity always betters the rule. Jesus says in John’s Gospel ‘Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath’.

A helpful illustration is the necessity of a fire engine jumping red lights to save a life.

But for us and the Sabbath? What do we think? What do we do in our busy twenty-first century lives?

Well I have to say in my opinion, something changed profoundly in our country when shops and supermarkets opened for trade on a Sunday. I know - for non-believers Sunday was a dreary drag but it has, I think changed the spirit of this land for the worse. It was in my opinion, making Sunday a trading day - one of the first ‘greed rules’ over everything else turning points. In retrospect, fifteen years on has it helped the majority of people live better and easier lives? On the contrary, it has made it harder, it has put our communities under enormous pressure to remain active and forced individuals into work when they might need to be rest.

In the long term people are more productive when they are rested. Resting on a Sunday is a very good cure for anger apparently. Sabbath is good for society and the changing attitudes to the fourth commandment a challenge for us modern day Christians.

Resting on the Sabbath is very good for families to get together as well. Yes, someone has to cook the Sunday lunch but done in love and appreciated it becomes an activity of togetherness, communion, unity. If it’s a chore, a ritual then question why you do it!

And for those who have been Christians for a long time, what do we think about Sunday now! My advice is as Gill advised last week. Be watchful. Be watchful how you conduct yourselves about the Sabbath. As with money as with belongings - be careful how you act. Be smart. Jesus uses his wits when dealing with these very tricky Pharisee people. Nothing wrong in that! It is also good to go against the popular grain!

God’s laws make perfect sense in the end. We need to rest our minds, souls and bodies. The land that we live in needs rest a rest too, as does all in nature. The trees of the fields need to clap their hands and join in the worship of song and praise that all nature has for its Creator. It is good that this happens; it is good for us to be able to hear the leaves rustle on the trees in the centre of the city on a Sunday.

Having a good rest on a Sunday is best for all people, if they could only understand. We are hard-wired to take one day off. It’s in our God-DNA. People who work non-stop can be dangerous in the workplace on the road, they are likely to become inefficient and are more likely to have an accident, get ill or breakdown.

And for those where it is necessary for to work on a Sabbath - what do we do about them? Well they should be respected and we should make it as easy as possible as they serve us. Someone has to collect, tie and hold the rope to pull the son out of the well to use Jesus’ illustration!

Snobbery

Well this is a difficult one to define but here goes!

Groucho Marx, the famous well-regarded philosopher, once said

"I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member"

This glorious anti snobbish statement is also paradoxically - snobbish.

We as humans we do like to group ourselves into like minded associations. We also like to classify and stereotype others. Even if it means being an inverted snob. I have a friend who is actually a member of the Anarchists community action group!

I am a member of the Oxford and Cambridge Club ‘don’t you know’. That is the Morris Oxford and Austin Cambridge club!

But I am also a member of the Riley Club, the Rover P4 Drivers Guild, the Renault club, I am in a band, I am a member of the Church of England, a communicating member of St Saviour’s. I was a member of the Coded Welders Association. I have Union membership and am a member of the GTC. I am insured ten times over, and so and so on.

All these things that we are, or can do give us status in the eyes of others, good and bad, and, like the clothes that we wear, affect the way in which people perceive us.

What does Jesus says on this matter? He says, ‘So what?’ He doesn’t care about the outside appearance it is what is in the heart that really matters to him.

And that is what is refreshing about being a Christian. It should not be about outward appearances, it is about our insides. Jesus says status is more meaningless if it makes you think that you are better than anybody else. And it is very dangerous, he says, to use your position to intimidate and bully others. That is the reason for the fury of the Pharisee’s whenever they met Jesus. Jesus, who called them many things including white-washed tombs - would not accept their self-imposed status and authority and instead presented to them a real authority from God in the miraculous healing of the sick, raising the dead and forgiving sins. Something that they could not do in a month of Sabbaths.

And the error of conceit that makes us proud is a tricky one. It slips in quietly when we are off our guard… then we become exclusive and we become proud. And, before we know it, we are letting others know of our importance, taking charge in situations we are not qualified or possibly welcome in, thinking we are the reason for the event, letting our egos dominate. And we perhaps form ourselves into cliques and groups for mutual benefit - finding people of similar position and like mind to bolster our own status. It is a very easy thing to do. Jesus warns us in this passage - do not give to get back…there is no point in that!

Our lives are fragile enough and become more so when we think that we are in control of them. The principle tenant of Christian conversion is taking the me out of our lives and allowing God to replace the me with him.

I am not a psychologist or marketing guru. There are many reasons why people want to be best and prove themselves and there is nothing wrong in that. And that is not a problem or the point of Jesus’ criticism. Wanting to better oneself and improve your pedigree is not a problem in itself. What is the purpose of learning if it is not to improve ours and other lives? But to be naive and unaware of the dangers of conceit and the desire for status can be walking into a trap. I understand enough of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to know that seeking power and status through wealth and position can become an impossible treadmill - because you will never be satisfied and you will eventually pass on, leaving it all as dust.

Jesus is very clear. Jesus says humble yourself, be humble, do not brag, do not boast for it is better to serve than be served. Be as you are, as you have been made by God and love thy neighbour as thyself and allow yourself and others to be loved by God.

God is no fool, He understands us, and he knows the temptation that we are under. He knows us intimately and our needs. He sent his son Jesus to save us from ourselves. Jesus gives us this perfect warning in this passage. Do not set yourself up by sitting in high places because you will be humiliated - probably by those that you have most despised. Then it will be worse for you don’t you see…

Finally Service

The antidote to snobbery and conceit is simple: Serve others as Christ serves you.

Not in a patronising way, or an ‘I’m here to help’ kind of thing. Jesus wants to see in us a genuine vision and I choose that word carefully, vision meaning like an x-ray vision of being able to see clearly through the façade that people put up around themselves. Jesus wants us to see the person behind the mask, behind the fear, the failure the addiction or whatever, through the things we layer up around us to hide or protect. Jesus is not even, I believe, interested in the sin; it is the person he is always after.

What is evident from this passage and other Gospel stories is Jesus illustrating again and setting the example of genuine service and love for others over all. It is the illustration of the kingdom and the path to eternal life. He is explicit that we should endeavour to do the same. The way into his kingdom, he says is to serve, to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, to give when asked and not to count the cost.

But then you say ‘I can’t do this, I can’t let go. It’s too hard to serve - habit has got a hold over me’. Think of the rich young man who turns his back on Jesus because of his love for money and Jesus’ impossible answer to his disciples over the matter - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle….and the complete bewilderment in the disciples response ‘So who can be saved’!

Jesus says rest assured… what is impossible for man is possible for God.

The word metanoia (a Greek word that we do not really have a good and direct translation for) describes a redemptive activity that begins and continues until the task is complete. It means transformation from the inside out through repentance and understanding of one’s total dependence on God. It expresses itself as God’s invisible and permanent work in and on our lives.

By submitting your lives in Christ, repenting of your sins and laying yourself prostrate before God, is the way in which God can strip back and rebuild and make good. He does it because he has to, to prepare us for his service and to prepare us for eternal life. The transformation is taking place as we speak and it will manifest itself in fullness of your resurrection in Christ.

All we have to do is give our permission for it to happen and God allows his Holy Spirit to do the rest. And like any rebuilding program there will be mess and a certain amount of possible restructuring and demolition. But the pain, discomfort and inconvenience of such work is temporary, it will pass and all things will be well.

We can put the blocks on, we can go down kicking and screaming we can envy the work of God in others, we can rebel and some choose to do so. But God’s love remains and is patient and steadfast. He will seek, find and love the hardiest sinner, and surprise us all with the changes that he can make in a life.

So for us all - to serve God is to be free from the burden of judgement and death. To accept and love people for what they are is to love and serve Christ himself. ‘Get off your high chair and come and mix it down here with me’ is the invitation from Jesus! His Church is not the shining light social club high on the hill but the Church in the gutter where the needs are greatest.

To honour God’s laws is to fall in line with the Maker’s way. Today is our Sabbath, today is our day, today is our communion. Jesus delights in sharing his body and blood with u:s we in turn must share the welcome, his love with others. Jesus stepped down from heaven into a world of corruption, sin and death and we must step in with him. To step down is to step up. To step up is to step out; and to step out is to move in faith in God.

Amen Alleluia