Sermon from St Mark from Sunday 17 May

 

Reading(s): John 17: 1 – 11. This sermon was given by Geoff Annas at St Mark.

‘And now I am no longer in the world but they are in the world’

Words spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper he shared with his closest friends, his disciples, on the night before he died and recounted by the writers of John’s Gospel in a kind of ‘farewell speech’.

Of course Jesus could not remain physically with his followers for ever

• to do so would be to deny his humanity and undercut the whole basis of Christian Belief. But Jesus understood that after he had Ascended to his Father, then soon the Holy Spirit would fill his followers and empower and guide and enable them, just as he himself had done while on earth.

Jesus understood that through the Holy Spirit and through sacrament, prayer and biblical truth, he would always be a real presence to those who chose to follow in his Way even though we cannot see him in person.

And this is one reason why I think that, at least in this country, the Feast of the Ascension (which was last Thursday) is so over-looked. There are no ‘Happy Ascension Day’ cards in the shops and few people seem to make it to our Churches on that day - but why should they? For as Christians we believe and proclaim (even later in this Worship) that:

‘The Lord is here. His Spirit it with us!’

This, after all, is exactly what he promised when he said:

“And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age”.

No longer tied by the human limitations of time or place, Jesus walks alongside us 24/7 - always willing for us to call upon him and wanting to support us, especially when we do something in his name.

Which is a great thing to remember especially when you are relatively new to the Christian Faith or feel uncertain about your beliefs. God understands how we are feeling - through Jesus, God knows what it is to be human - just as also through Jesus, we are allowed a glimpse of what God is like.

This is really important because as Jesus has reminded us - he is no longer ‘in the world’ but we - to whom Jesus has made God’s name known - most certainly are!

We are at a time when the world that does not easily accept religious teaching or adhere to a particular religion. Indeed, the Christian Church today is actually one of the most persecuted Churches. But ours is now the responsibility and joy to be the eyes and ears and hands and feet of our Lord in the 21st Century.

There are different ways of going about this. Some have what we might describe as an ‘ark’ mentality - they see the Church as being like Noah’s Ark - battening down the hatches and offering protection for all Christians against the evil influences in the world around. The Church building becomes a really holy place - a sacred safe space where the Followers of Jesus can avoid the risk of contamination by the rest of society.

It is good to feel safe and enjoyable to be with others who think like you do. Faith becomes wonderful because if we are honest, in such a situation it is rarely tested. But I am reminded of an old Indian story which tells of a woman who was so concerned that her children would be influenced by the evil in the world she built a tall solid wall around her house and never let her children leave the compound.

Her children grew up safe and secure and happy in their restricted world but as they grew older they also grew more curious about what was on the other side of the wall. One day, while their mother’s attention was distracted, two of the children managed to climb over the wall. As they landed on the other side they were greeted by a large crowd of laughing villagers who cheered because they were so pleased to see them. The children were frightened stiff and frantically struggled to get back over the wall and vowed never again to leave the safety and security of their home.

You see, by being shut off they had no understanding that the Villagers had always been concerned about their well-being and were so delighted to see them. They wanted the children to be free and to enjoy running in the fields and playing in the stream like all the other children and so they expressed their joy with laughter and cheering - but the children thought that such noise could only mean harm.

There is a very human temptation to shut ourselves off and only be with people ‘just like us’. Boundaries do not have to be physical - they can be in our minds too. Like those two children, we can be frightened by fresh ideas and the enthusiasm that ‘new’ people can bring.

When churches become like this they inevitably start to decline because new people are treated with suspicion. The church becomes a social club for like-minded people. Sadly, a church that does not evangelise will fossilise!

But an alternative way of understanding the church and our place within it is to talk about the Kingdom of God and how God is gradually establishing His Kingdom on earth. Again we have to break down the limitations and barriers of our human understanding because God’s ‘Kingdom’ is neither geographical nor political but rather based on the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus was well aware of the evils and dangers in the world - he even died on a cross - yet he never told his followers to build an ark and keep the world out. Rather he offered his teaching as a way of guiding and protecting them within the world.

The Church should be a kind of ‘power house’ where his followers and those who are simply interested in what Jesus did and said can gather to be reminded of his living Presence and the love that he has for each and every one of us - even if we fail to return that love.

People in this kind of church are delighted to welcome others and rather than expecting newcomers to conform to the ‘way we have always done it’, appreciate the new ideas and insights that those young in the Christian Faith bring (and that does not necessarily mean ‘young’ in chronological age - I confirmed a gentleman a few weeks ago and he was 96!)

Being part of an outward looking church is both exciting and encouraging - it is also reassuring because we all need to feel that we ‘belong’ and are welcomed by others. God has given each of us gifts and abilities and we need the support of one another to discern what these gifts are and to think through how best we might use them to God’s Glory and for our part in helping to build His Kingdom.

Certainly we need to tell others about our spiritual journeys as a way of helping them to understand their own - and if there is anyone reading this who has yet to be Baptised or Confirmed but would like to think about it - please do contact us and we will be pleased to support you.

Jesus has confidence in us and our ability to not only be ‘in the world’ but to help the world know about him. We need to have confidence in ourselves and reach out to others - friends, family, people at work or in school or college - using words or perhaps simple acts of kindness through which people will come to understand what it is to follow Jesus.

With our Living Lord at our side we can become confident disciples – ready to live out his love in the world.