Sermon 16th October 2016

Today, one of our Assistant Ministers, Ben Hughes, preaches. The reading is from Psalm 22: verses 1-11.

Crying out to God

Where is the centre of the Universe?

·       You might say – the Universe is too big to have any centre as such.

·       Or give an answer as a kind of idea or concept - personal freedom or democratic rights.

·       Some might say the centre of the Universe is my home – where I live or the things that interest me most!

·       Some might say I don’t know and do not care!

·       Some even might say Loftus rd or HIghbury.

A second question – What in our view is the turning point in history of world?

·       The age of industry?

·       Commerce?

·       The printing press?

·       21^st century communications?

Last question - Who was or is the most important and influential human being to ever exist?

I shall leave that one open

My answers to those questions and in my view is embedded in the psalm 22 – the one I have chosen for you this morning –

If there is such a thing as the centre of the Universe then it is the point in Calvary where theses prophetic words ‘My God my God why you have abandoned me’ are cried out by Jesus – That is the moment in time where everything unfolds from – and where everything before that is sucked into.

And it is a critical moment because it could have gone either way – the weight of all wrong doing falling upon one man - Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ cry from the cross taken is prophetically taken from this Psalm – and is like a pebble thrown into a pond – or better still - a clap of thunder reverberating out from a centre of a dry valley – this cry – these words from the cross – ‘My God My God why have you abandoned me’ is also perhaps the centre time itself and the point where the old order ceases and the new order begins.  

This cry from the cross is also the point where Jesus becomes fully human – abandoned by God – His father in Heaven -  and vital rejection, necessary so that Jesus can legitimately represent all our human suffering. The cry from the cross is therefore the point where real creation that is born in the suffering of a broken world as it mirrors our own sufferings that form and make us. This cry, this howl, ‘jump-starts’ the engine of the cross – a power that continues today and the one that we are all part of here this morning!

The Psalm is also written by a person in crisis!

The words are soaked in trauma, pain and loneliness.

Verse 11 “Trouble is near and there is no one to help me” –

Think of the worst moment you have had and then add a bit more and then a bit more and even a bit more – that is the context of this psalm – it is one of the ‘balm psalms’ to soothe our own pain and hurt!

They are also the words of a person who is being bullied and mocked.

Verse 7 – “People make fun of me – you rely on the Lord – why does he not save you”.

We have been bullied or bully – we can identify with this psalm as strength to stand up to bullies and or reminder to stop our own bullying.

And this Psalm describes the worst type of loneliness – the awful belief that God has left you behind – the sense that God no longer cares about you and has abandoned your spirit to the grave. But it reassures too that such is a lie and not to be believed!

I could carry on in the vein towards the end of this sermon – but we know well by now that our God is not a sugar daddy God and that life is tough. As Christians we should by now understand the universal equation: - that we will suffer in this life because of sin and the sins of others!   

So we could all leave here this morning thinking “well Ben – your sermon has really cheered me up! Thanks for that”!

But I am not going to leave it at that because there are also some wonderful truths embedded in this psalm as well that will improve and help the way in which we can communicate with God. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he chose the words of this Psalm. It was not a mistake!

So what are these other truths!

Well it is twofold – One, it introduces that idea that we can talk to God in the first person and two, it introduces the idea of ‘My God’ – or in other words – anyone’s God!

With the words ‘my God’ – it means that God becomes a ‘personal’ God which actually means: God is interested in each one of us for whom we are.

This is a massive quantum shift in belief and faith now as then as it systematically introduces the idea that God is for all people not just for a chosen few.– it is not ‘their God’, ‘His God’ ‘ the people’s God’ but ‘my God’! And that ‘my God’ is a God for the people of all nations! And for sinners too!

The ‘my’ is your personal invitation from Jesus to you - to accept the cross in your life!

And it is ‘My God My God’ not ‘me God me God’ – that is a different thing!

Next this Psalm introduces the legitimacy for talking to God rather than about God –

This Psalm marks a seismic  change in the old testament because the psalmist is now speaking to God!

Yes there are examples of people praying to God before this Psalm even using my or our God – but up to then it was considered blasphemy to talk to God directly. You could not look upon God – we know that form Genesis and Moses – the idea that you could address God directly was risky stuff and was the prerogative of the priests and Pharisees who could stone you on the spot!

The point about talking to God rather than about God is sometimes still with us today – as a  Church  we risk becoming pontificating and top heavy the kind of ‘let me tell you about Jesus and the wondrous works of God’ etc -  rather than spiritually alive places of worship where people meet with God and God with them!

The manner of some Victorian type hymns– singing about God is very different from engaging with God by singing to God as a prayer. Yes there is a place for both but it is best to be aware!

And flattery - God knows exactly what He is and what He can do and does not need our flattery to get by – what he wants  instead is what this psalm indicates – is living working first person  relationships with his children  and Himself as Father – which was why he risked his own son to make that happen. Talking about God skirts the issue and makes it all a bit comfortable.

And in crisis – talking about God doesn’t really ‘cut the mustard’ – does it? – it only takes you so far?  – do not get stuck in religion like crows around graves –  but get moving – get praying – sing songs of praise and make your faith work for you and for the world.

A retired navy Chaplain who ministered during the Falklands war   said to me  – during peace time Navy people just want to hear about God – they want reassurances and insurances -  they want God at arm’s length –  all ‘tickety boo’ –was his expression. During conflict, particularly in battle – people suddenly  start talking to God ––in fear and suffering they - shout and scream to God – their prayers are direct often using very un-worshipful language too-  they  cry out for help and it is at that point that the real ministry begins.

We could wait for a crisis to shake our faith and perhaps that is the usual way?

In my own faith - I was transformed gradually from a person brought up as Christian from home and school – knowing about God and sometimes talking about Him and always hearing what He could do etc –the change, when I started instead to speak to God in prayer directly – that was where I began to experience about a living relationship with God and for me it was a gradual process.

So we can learn from this psalm how to make our faith personal and it can teach us to talk, walk and trust in the  God in a new way.

Finally the psalm reminds is to preserve despite mockery and bullying – not just from people but from the devil too!

CS Lewis says that the Christian believer says to God:  ‘thy will be done’ and God says to the non - believer ‘thy will be done’ – people will and are allowed to go their own way – hard as it is for loved ones - you can  only pray for them. The unrepentant are not going to understand your faith and they will laugh at you. So leave them to it and pray for them - let them mock and laugh, block and slander – us – we just carry on – have the faith to believe that God will sort things out.    

Also Never  believe the lie  that God is  not interested in you - or the ‘I am too much of a sinner for God to even look at me let alone hear what I say’ – do not accept that  kind of stuff! It is not true – Also do not believe that God cannot hear you because he is too busy with more important things going on – as impossible as it may seem and it is a matter of faith of course – God hears your every word and knew you before you were knitted together in your mother’s womb.

Verse 9 The Lord has brought me safely through birth – and I add – so why should God give up now on you?

To end this sermon – I want to remind us of the role of the great advocate – the small voice the wailing wind –the Holy Spirit –

Learning to speak to God increases our awareness of the Holy Spirit – as we participate in a two way conversation with God – the Spirit is in fact interceding for us! The working of the Holy spirit – the charismata – the grace, is another sermon but the outpouring of the Holy spirit comes by personal      ‘my’ invitation and is enabled through the sanctification of Christ. 

And the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit - again another sermon for another day – are free - but consider this now!  In John’s Gospel – Jesus describes the spirit as a wind that ‘you hear the sound of it but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going’ he says too that a wind can blow softly on a cheek or can have the force to tear down a house. Be aware, do not deny the force that is the Spirit but be expectant at all times because that quiet still gentle breeze touching you cheek might suddenly turn into thunderous wind that takes you up in its arms!

So– do not be afraid – there might be times when you feel abandoned and the intensity of suffering too acute to bear – but God will never forsake you when you call upon him – Speak to God as a father in the first person and do not be ashamed to say ‘my God’.  God wants to hear from you and He will always give you what you ask for. Call on Him in person – be intimate and in return listen to His words – be expectant and be surprised in both joy and in tears – because if God is for us who can be against us!

Amen