Church Services Coming Up Sunday 30 July (Fifth Sunday) – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion the Summer Fair at St Matthew’s in Grosmont is happening on this day from 11 am – please do come along and support it if you can – the Grand Prize draw is at 3 pm. Sunday 6 August – 10:30 at Goathland, St Mary, Holy Communion Sunday 13 August – 10:30 at Lealholm, St James, Holy Communion Sunday 20 August – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion followed by refreshments/lunch in The Vicarage – please do come along – we’ll be having an extended ‘house warming party’ all afternoon (until 5 pm) - Just bring yourself and any friends/family too, all welcome! Sunday 27 August – 10:30 at Grosmont, St Matthew, Holy Communion Readings for Sunday 23 July follow these links to view the readings: Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 Sermon for Sunday 23 July at St Matthew’s, Grosmont Gosh, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” this week! And talk about “children of the evil one!” I always seem to get a challenging Gospel reading at St Matthew’s! But we can’t ignore it, so I’ve got some thoughts here for you this week for any of you with “ears to listen!” But before we get started on all that, I just wanted to say that as well as emailing my sermons, I’ve been putting copies on our website, which you can find at middleeskmoor.org, and If you know someone else that might appreciate a copy, please direct them to our website or you could ask them to send an email to welcome@middleeskmoor.org and I’ll add them to the circulation list. In last week’s sermon I was saying that, as we meet people that aren’t connected to the church, we could start to get to know them by listening to their answer to a very simple question: what can the church do to help you? Because by listening to others we are listening to Jesus. And I was saying that there are limits to the number of people me, and indeed any of us, can get to know well, so I need your help with the big task of listening to others to help us chart a way forward as we think about how we can help to grow God’s Church in this place together. I gave out some placemats last week with the ancient words from the Book of Numbers on them, where God speaks words of blessing to Moses: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’ I suggested that we could pass that blessing on to others we meet. Did you manage to sit down over a cup of tea and ask someone: what can the church do to help you? --- I’ve been so blessed the last few weeks, especially through our four local primary schools, where I’ve been invited to lead worship and assemblies. I was talking with one of the teachers this week, asking them ‘what can the church do to help you?’ We started to think ahead to Harvest but then our conversation went off on a tangent into how that teacher had got into teaching, and how some of their training was particularly challenging, with one placement in a very difficult school. When you walk into the primary schools around here, certainly in my experience so far, you walk into wonderful spaces with excellent behaviour and attentiveness. You find places full of joy and creativity. Teachers are respected, the rules obeyed, and the schools can be seen clearly for the good schools they are. But you can walk into other schools and discover a bedlam of noise, disturbance and an undercurrent of violence which holds the schools and the children back. The teacher I was with did a placement in such a school. They spoke of the school having a ‘padded classroom’ where some especially violent primary school children were put for their own safety. Imagine that – a padded cell in one of our lovely local primary schools! But such a reality exists in our education system, and I guess the differences we see emerge because of the conditions outside school in those children’s lives. Within each school we will find sincere young people, keen to learn, and others who appear to care nothing about education. Maybe we might find that in secondary schools more than primary schools around here? And we can find a lack of respect for teachers even among students whose background and advantages might have encouraged them to have self-confidence and a desire to learn, but for some reason they don’t. We can find others whose poverty and lack of stability can undermine their potential and self-respect. They aren’t prepared for the demands of school, against which they rebel. But each child is unique with a unique story that influences their behaviour. And teachers work very hard to listen and understand why the children in their care react the way they do. In the end, though, perhaps the complex external circumstances beyond a child’s control are to blame for their attitudes and bad behaviour? --- If we turn to today’s Gospel reading, to the ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’, I wonder who Jesus’ words apply to? There has been much discussion about this over the centuries. It would be easy to believe that it is the world in general that Jesus is addressing. Or, the parable could refer to those people in Israel, 2050 years ago, who would not accept Jesus as the Messiah. But others suggest that the parable actually refers to us, the members of God’s own Church: let’s go with that interpretation. Let’s imagine that this parable is written for us. In his explanation of the parable, Jesus says that it’s the Son of Man "who sows the good seed," and he also says that "the field is the world." So, Jesus draws us into his church. We gather in his name, we become his chosen ones: God’s people. But amongst us, his chosen ones, weeds are sown by the evil one, Satan, the one that leads us into temptation and separates us from God. I wonder how we define evil? Might we describe those badly behaved children as evil? Or would we see the horrific destruction in Ukraine as being evil? Where does evil begin and end? Are there degrees of evil? Maybe that’s a discussion for another time but I guess we could agree that there’s always been evil in the world at large – there’s always been separation and turning away from God’s goodness. It was partly to overcome such behaviour that Jesus came into the world in the first place. Our Gospel reading was written when the Church was in its early stages of development, so, perhaps this parable is a warning: just because the teaching of Jesus is the perfect model to be followed, some of his followers are not perfect, just like the badly behaved children in school. It would be wonderful to think that the influence of Jesus would instantly transform all his followers to mirror him in every way, but life isn’t like that, and neither are people. Spiritual opportunities, like educational opportunities, can transform people but also those opportunities can be abused: a good influence can turn rotten and poison the whole. And those of us that have done any of our church safeguarding courses will have heard various examples of where things have gone badly rotten in the Church of England. So, maybe this parable is reminding us that, even in the best surroundings, some good people change, becoming like weeds in a field of good grain. Maybe Jesus is warning us against assuming that all people in his field are wholesome. It is his word, his influence, his life which must guide us, or we may end up collected together with the weeds and dealt with accordingly! --- So, is today’s reading, then, an impetus for us to improve our safeguarding procedures? Well, no, we have robust procedures in place, although we do need to keep reviewing and developing those. No, I think that today’s parable is more about asking the next question: “can a bad seed change its nature?" Of course, we need to watch out for and guard against bad influences. We need to be careful about assuming a level of trustworthiness without making sure all the necessary safeguarding checks are in place. But what about those children whose disadvantaged start in life disturbs their behaviour? Or what about those church members who have been swayed by other influences? What about all the pressures we face in society? What about all the temptations we face? What about all the evil that permeates our world? Yes, all those negatives are there. They are real. But we have a God of possibilities and creative opportunities. What about the possibility of change: for badly behaved children, for developing churches, for us? It’s important to heed Jesus' warnings and that’s why we have our set readings each week, so we can deal with difficult Gospel messages, and we can follow Jesus’ teaching. But it’s crucial that we don’t become paralysed by fear! Jesus never gave up on anyone; indeed, just before his own death Jesus forgave a criminal and promised him a place in heaven: not at some time in the future or at "the end of the age," but that very day! And how amazing is that! Just like that criminal, leaving behind our evil ways is an opportunity we can each recommit to every single day. Forgiveness by God is complete for us and all those who repent and turn back to God. And forgiveness brings change. And change leads to transformation. So, perhaps, then the answer to our question, ”can a bad seed change its nature,” is "no": a seed cannot change its own character, but God can change our character! God can transform lives! How can we join in with that transformation? Well, just as teachers work very hard to listen and understand why the children in their care react like they do, perhaps we need to continue to listen carefully to the people we meet too? Amen. --- these two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing: Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK. Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.
Church Services Coming Up over the next monthSunday 23 July – 10:30 at Grosmont, St Matthew, Holy CommunionSunday 30 July (Fifth Sunday) – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communionthe Summer Fair at St Matthew’s in Grosmont is happening on this day from 11 am – please do come along and support it if you can – the Grand Prize draw is at 3 pm.Sunday 6 August – 10:30 at Goathland, St Mary, Holy CommunionSunday 13 August – 10:30 at Lealholm, St James, Holy CommunionSunday 20 August – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communionfollowed by refreshments/lunch in The Vicarage (note that this was originally going to be on 30 July but we have moved it so that we can go to the Summer Fair) – please do come along – we’ll be having an extended ‘house warming party’ all afternoon (until 5 pm) - Just bring yourself and any friends/family too, all welcome!Readings for Sunday 16 Julyfollow these links to view the readings:Romans 8:1-11Matthew 13:1-23Sermon for Sunday 16 July at St Hilda, EgtonI might have told some of you that Sam is the green fingers in our house. I can do garden infrastructure to a certain degree, and I tend to stick to that. But anything green would be at grave risk if I touched it! It’s well known to people like Sam, who grow things, whether in a window box, allotment, field or garden, that the soil needs to be nourished so plants can grow and flourish. We can see amazing results if we dose a small potted plant with liquid fertiliser, if we replenish the soil in our window box, if we dig compost into the allotment, if we fertilise the fields. But however good the seed quality is, a rich harvest cannot be achieved without good soil in which to sow our seeds.---In Jesus' day sowing seed was somewhat haphazard. Weeds, most commonly a kind of thorn, were not cleared first, but ploughed straight into the ground. The paths through the fields became hard like roads, and seeds were scattered everywhere: on paths and edges where the underlying limestone was very near to the surface, making the soil very thin. So, to his listeners, Jesus’ description in today’s gospel reading would have been instantly recognisable. Jesus was illustrating his teaching with everyday events, through the language of work, of weather, of nature. Jesus knew that if he spoke in the dull and boring language of the priests, of the Temple or synagogue, the people would not hear what he had to say. And there’s a lesson there for people like me!Jesus grew up in the countryside, and much of his teaching involved the use of symbols taken from nature; he spoke the people's own kind of language, and so they listened to him. It’s easy to become distracted when people speak in a way that doesn’t relate to us, our needs or our lives;it’s easy to listen but not absorb what’s said,it’s easy to miss the crucial heart of a message.But despite Jesus’ down to earth approach, it still wasn’t everyone who listened to him. People still became distracted – that’s what happened to many of Jesus' listeners:some listened but didn’t want to know;some heard but didn’t understand;some listened and heard but were too frightened to take up the challenge and respond.But Jesus gives everyone the best chance of hearing the message. He prepares the ground in the way a person of the earth would do, with symbols which speak to the experience and hearts of his listeners. He valued each person in the crowd in our reading. And when we value someone, we take the trouble to approach them at their own level.---So, what does this mean for us? How well do we listen to others? How often do you telephone someone and know, by the noise in the background, that the television or radio is claiming half their attention? How often do we ask people how they are because of social convention, without thinking, rather than wanting to know the truth and the detail of their answer?If someone listens to us attentively, we feel valued.And when someone speaks to us in our own language it feeds and enhances the person that we are, helping us grow. This, I think, is how Jesus listens to us and it’s how we need to listen to him, not only in our prayers but as he speaks to us through others. And I think the only way we can hear Jesus through other people is by being fully present to each person we speak to: hearing each and every spoken and unspoken need. This deep listening is our spiritual fertilisation. When we enter into it, it nourishes the life of God within us. God is with us in the great and in the minute events of our lives. God speaks to us in gentle tones and in language we understand. We need to listen to Jesus: he is the sower. But Jesus is also the seed and the food for growth.If we listen carefully to those we meet, then perhaps the harvest will take care of itself? Because by listening to others we are listening to Jesus.I’ve been attempting to do that since I started here, and I’m working my way round gradually speaking to as many people as I can. But my task is almost impossible, there are too many people: there are limits to what one set of ears can hear! Maybe part of our journey together over the next few months is for all of us in our church communities to listen to others that we know, that don’t come to church, but we think might give it a try. We could each listen to their answer to a simple question:what can the church do to help you?---I wrote a piece for August’s parish magazines yesterday in the midst of a completely disorganised and untidy vicarage, jam packed full of boxes. Sam, Amy, Meru and Malkie plus two very large removal vans arrived on Wednesday, and everything is now in the vicarage. It feels like an impossible task to get everything sorted out in the house! But my experience is nothing new. I’m sure most of you will also have faced the challenges of moving house or starting a new job, or both, and will have survived the experience. And there are so many challenges facing us, personal and the collective challenges we face in our world.Moses, his son, Aaron, and the ancient Israelites, also faced difficult challenges, both personal and collective, around 3500 years ago. God was acutely aware of those challenges then, just as God is acutely aware of our challenges today. In the Book of Numbers, God speaks the words of an ancient blessing to Moses.Maybe we need to pass that blessing on to others we meet?Why not go and visit that person you know well, but before you ask them…what can the church do to help you?…maybe have a cup of tea and then remind yourself, and your friend, all about the amazing blessings we receive from God: say the ancient words of God’s blessing from Numbers to yourself and your friend, quietly and slowly:‘The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’You both might then be able to listen to Jesus more clearly. And if we listen carefully to those we meet, then perhaps the harvest will take care of itself? Because by listening to others we are listening to Jesus.Amen.---these two books, edited by Jane Williams, were again very helpful with planning this week’s sermon writing:Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.---The Reverend Anthony Bennett---Interim Minister & Deanery EnablerMiddle Esk Moor | Whitby Deanery | York Diocese---email: anthony@egtonvicarage.orglandline: 01947 899843mobile: 07484 735284web: middleeskmoor.orgblog: thoughtsfromegtonvicarage.org
We had the most wonderful time at St Hilda's tonight in Egton, celebrating Hetty and Marley's Confirmation and first Holy Communion. Bishop Paul joined us and our organist did a super job as we sung along to some of Hetty and Marley's favourite songs. Thanks to all involved, especially our friends at Egton CE VA Primary School.
Church Services Coming Up in July TODAY - Monday 10 July – 18:00 at Egton, St Hilda, Confirmation with Holy Communion please come along and support this, if you can, as we celebrate two children from Egton School making the decision to be confirmed – Bishop Paul will be presiding and there will be refreshments and cake after the service in The Vicarage. Sunday 16 July – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion Sunday 23 July – 10:30 at Grosmont, St Matthew, Holy Communion Sunday 30 July (Fifth Sunday) – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion followed by refreshments/lunch in The Vicarage - please do come along – we’ll be having an extended ‘house warming party’ all afternoon (until 5 pm) - Just bring yourself and any friends/family too, all welcome! Readings for Sunday 9 July follow these links to view the readings: Romans 7:15–25a Matthew 11:16–19, 11:25–30 Sermon for Sunday 9 July at St Matthew’s, Glaisdale Our gospel reading ends with this verse: " Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” I’d like us to focus three words from that this morning: “…learn from me...” --- Egton CE Primary School, which is just up the road from me, is due an Ofsted inspection imminently. The headteacher and staff there are all organised and ready, and they do a sterling job day in day out providing an excellent standard of education for their primary-school-aged children. They got outstanding in their Church School inspection, or ‘SIAMS’ inspection, earlier this year and it is a wonderful school. So, they shouldn’t have anything to worry about. But they are just so very stressed. And that all brings to mind the very sad death-by-suicide of the headteacher Ruth Perry, who, before she so very sadly died, was told that Caversham Primary School in Reading would be downgraded to inadequate. Whatever we might feel about the pros and cons of how we run our school inspections, I think it would be impossible not to feel the level of anxiety when you walk into the staff room at Egton School at the moment. And, alongside that, I think it would be fair to say that teaching has taken quite a lot of criticism in the UK in the past few years. Researchers point towards an increase in verbal and physical violence in the classroom in secondary schools, which paints quite a depressing picture. Back in 2005, some researchers attempted to alleviate these issues by asking famous people for the names of any teacher who’d inspired them. A tsunami of names came forward as a result! Every person they asked could remember at least one or two teachers who’d had a profound influence on them: to change, or certainly add to, their lives and futures. Sometimes it was their academic gifts, but it was more likely to have been their ability to inspire their pupils, to give them a special something which spurred them on to achieve their very best, even to reach heights previously unimagined. Think for a moment, who were your inspirational teachers? I have one that springs to mind: Mr Sweeney – a really good A level maths teacher, but an even better careers teacher who got me into Sheffield University back in 1988: I have such a lot to thank him for! --- No one can overestimate the influence of a good teacher; even if we cannot remember a thing they actually taught us! Good teachers will be remembered with fondness long after their words have been forgotten. That’s because people are more important than words. Qualities like kindness and generosity are always more enduring than an ability to teach about principles or rules. In today's Gospel, Jesus offers himself as a teacher: "learn from me", he says. At this point in his ministry, Jesus must face up to being rejected by the religious leaders and the "wise" people of his time: his message found no place in their hearts. Becoming experts in the Law had prevented them from recognising the coming of God's Messiah: the coming of God's kingdom. Instead, Jesus found a ready audience among the people that were considered social outcasts: the tax collectors and sinners, those unable to keep the Law in all its detail, but those that welcomed Jesus' message and the hope it brought. Unfortunately, the experts were so preoccupied with following the intricate details of the Law that they’d largely lost sight of the Law’s purpose: to lead people to God. They were no longer open to hearing the word of God, because they did not need it. They placed the Law above every other consideration, even above people: the Law became an end in itself. But Jesus offered a different "yoke", a simpler one. We don’t have to worry about hundreds of laws, or keeping the minutiae of rules and regulations: Jesus simply offers himself as the role model to follow. He alone is the way to God. Follow him and we’ll find God. Like a good teacher, the lasting impression Jesus makes resides more in who he is, rather than in anything he says. Jesus asks us to be like him, to be gentle and to acknowledge our need for God. And it’s only when, like the tax collectors and sinners, we’re open to the words of God, only when we admit our dependence on God, that we’re able to receive God's mercy. And, like them, we experience God's love and mercy, not by mindless obedience, but by meeting a person: Jesus, God's own Son, face to face. --- Jesus says his burden is light. We can be burdened with all kinds of things: the opinions of the moral watchdogs who claim superior knowledge of God, telling others how to live, what to do and think, even when and how to pray. They forget that rules in religion are only useful if they lead us towards God, towards the love and freedom he offers. We have the burdens that come from living in an increasingly secular society. We have the burdens of unreasonable expectations and demands to live with: overbearing parents, the demanding boss, the inquisitive neighbour. We could also say that in the Church of England, in this place, we carry the burdens of unreasonable expectations and demands: declining congregations, increasing costs, greater demands on PCCs and their members. And then there’s ourselves: there’s our own guilt, our own low self-esteem, the unattainable tasks and goals we set ourselves each day. We can become overwhelmed by all these burdens. But Jesus' yoke is easy: it fits us perfectly, it’s tailor-made for each individual. And I think that’s because the task Jesus sets us is simple – we just need to be ourselves: we need to, each of us, be the person God wants us to be: using Jesus as our teacher. And Jesus teaches us to: be gentle, with ourselves and others; be humble, acknowledging our need for God; be creative, working with God to build the kingdom; be passionate, focusing on the important issues and values that matter to each of us. And we shouldn’t think that we must do everything all by ourselves, because God, the Holy Trinity, created us to work in deep relationship with each other: just as the Holy Trinity is a deep relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches us to work together: each of us as his hands and feet, using the gifts and talents we’ve been given. We need to resist becoming overburdened by any unreasonable demands: maybe we can do that best by working and sharing together? And maybe we need to do that in such a way that we focus all our work on getting to know Jesus, the person, first and foremost? Because, if we learn from Jesus, we will find rest. Amen. --- these two books, edited by Jane Williams, were very helpful with planning this week’s sermon writing: Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK. Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK. --- The Reverend Anthony Bennett --- Interim Minister & Deanery Enabler Middle Esk Moor | Whitby Deanery | York Diocese --- email: anthony@egtonvicarage.org landline: 01947 899843 mobile: 07484 735284
Church Services Coming Up in the Next Month Sunday 9 July – 10:30 at Glasidale, St Thomas, Holy Communion. Monday 10 July – 18:00 at Egton, St Hilda, Confirmation with Holy Communion please come along and support this, if you can, as we celebrate two children from Egton School making the decision to be confirmed – Bishop Paul will be presiding and there will be refreshments and cake after the service in The Vicarage. Sunday 16 July – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion Sunday 23 July – 10:30 at Grosmont, St Matthew, Holy Communion Sunday 30 July (Fifth Sunday) – 10:30 at Egton, St Hilda, Holy Communion followed by refreshments/lunch in The Vicarage - please do come along – we’ll be having an extended ‘house warming party’ all afternoon (until 5 pm) - Just bring yourself and any friends/family too, all welcome! Readings for Sunday 2 July follow these links to view the readings: Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Sermon for Sunday 2 July "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me:" I’d like us to focus on those words this morning. --- Picture the scene. It's the final of the 4 by 400 metres relay in the Olympic Games. We're all together in the stadium cheering our team on! Each person in the relay runs their lap, pushes themselves to the limit. The baton gets handed on smoothly each time. The exhausted runners stumble from the track and watch their teammates continue the race. At the finishing line they're cheering on the last runner as loudly as we are! And we've done it! All the hard work has been worth it: our team has won! An outstanding team effort, against all the odds. Now it's time for the medal ceremony, and all four of our team are on the podium. Our flag is raised, the National Anthem is sung loudly. Our whole country celebrates! --- There's maybe something of a relay race in today's Gospel reading. Jesus is handing the baton on to his disciples. The baton is passed on from generation to generation of disciples down through history. The baton reaches the Church of England in 2023; York Diocese; Whitby Deanery; The Benefice of Middle Esk Moor; The Parish of Goathland. The baton arrives with us this morning! 2050 years ago, Jesus sent out his closest disciples to continue his own mission of both proclaiming and putting into practice the good news of the kingdom of God. And we’ve been working our way through the last chapter of Matthew’s gospel over the last few weeks. Matthew recalls how Jesus named the twelve apostles. And Matthew records the instructions that Jesus gave them for their mission: they were to heal the sick, drive out evil spirits, bear witness to Jesus, and announce that the kingdom of God was near. It would be a difficult task. They would need to risk hardship, have to cope with disagreements with their loved ones, and their very lives would be in danger. Why, then, should they bother? Well, in this final passage of the chapter, short as it is, Jesus sums up the whole purpose of their mission. The people who listen to them, the ones who welcome the good news they bring, will receive a reward: a prophet's reward, and the reward of the righteous. A prophet's reward is to see their prophecy come true. And the reward of the righteous, as Jesus made clear in the Beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount, is nothing less than a place in the kingdom of heaven. This, then, is the ultimate purpose of the mission: those who are listening to the disciples will know that the disciples' words come from God; those people, too, will be welcomed into nothing less than the kingdom of heaven. There is a sequence here, almost like the handing on of a baton in a relay race: God reveals his love in Jesus, Jesus passes that love to the disciples, the disciples spread that love on to those who listen to them, Jesus is welcomed into the lives of others, the church grows, disciples multiply. But I think there are some important differences between the model of the relay race and the reality of mission and ministry in any particular place. When we hand on the baton of God's love, we don't lose touch with it ourselves! The Holy Spirit keeps us full of God’s love – full to overflowing! Love, especially the love of God, is so amazing that it can be kept and passed on at the same time. And, as you might have experienced yourself, those who listen to the good news often hand it back, polished and shining, as a gift to enrich our own lives. That’s certainly my experience. As I’ve started this role here, I’ve found that a good number of the people back in Haworth, that I tried my best to serve and love, are now supporting me, encouraging me to pass the baton on: visiting, sending messages, checking up on how I’m doing. --- The relay race of love is like a divine dance. It goes on and on, round and round the track of our lives. God's love flows through Jesus, through the action of the Holy Spirit, through the Church, through us as individual Christians, into the lives of those who hear about that good news for the first time. And God’s love then flows back to God in our worship. We’re caught up in the dynamic which is at the heart of God the Holy Trinity: love in action. --- We’re the disciples; we’re the runners. And, if the baton that’s passed to us is so good, surely we should want everyone to have a chance to hold it!? Like dedicated athletes, we’re not coerced into this race: we choose to enter it. Each of us has chosen to be here this morning. It’s a free choice for us to be part of God’s church in this place. And the reward for this race, not earned but freely given by God, is nothing less than eternal life! Isn’t that amazing! Isn’t that something so very precious that we simply must share it with others? Like the original disciples, we’re called to spread the good news of the kingdom of God, the good news of God's love. What a privilege! But what a responsibility too! Talking about it isn't enough though, we need to do the sharing, like the early disciples did 2050 years ago. Are we good at sharing the good news of the kingdom of God in the Church of England in 2023? Are we winning the race? Does it sometimes feel like were running a 4 by 400 metre hurdles race rather than a standard relay race? In my time here over the last 5 weeks I’ve discovered a number of hurdles. Maybe you’ve discovered some too in your time here? Maybe our visitors this morning have already spotted some? --- I think there’s another important difference, between the model of the relay race and the reality of mission and ministry in any particular place. It comes down to time. I was having an interesting discussion with some of you about time after last week’s service. It got quite complicated, and I’ve been thinking about time this week. There’s essentially two kinds of time identified in the Bible: The first is Chronos, chronological time, the time that we measure using our watches, the time that we can use to determine who has run a relay race, even one with hurdles in it. We can measure our progress; determine we have won or lost, down to very precise measurements. But, I wonder, can we actually accurately measure how good we are at spreading the good news of the kingdom of God? Can we measure our progress along the relay race, when that very race is enveloped in a divine dance with the Holy Trinity? I don’t think Chronological measurements work too well in the church. I don’t think we’ll be able to define enough key performance indicators to measure our progress accurately. What we need is another way of looking at time. There’s also Kairos, God’s time, in the Bible. And this is a time that elapses and envelopes us in a way that we can’t measure: a time that points us towards things that we can see and things that are currently unseen: a time that holds us within God’s love in the present moment: a time that’s controlled by the Holy Spirit: a time that can’t be rushed but a time that measures out God’s love: a time that exists outside of our understanding of space and time. If we accept that there are various hurdles facing us here in our church community, then maybe we need to take the time to discover them slowly and carefully. And, maybe if we can try our very best to do that, then we’ll notice the ways that the Holy Spirit is guiding us around the hurdles and showing us new ways of spreading the good news of the kingdom of God? Maybe if we slow down and pay attention, we will notice the amazing surprises that the Holy Spirit has in store for us as a church in this place? In our celebration of Holy Communion together today, maybe we should remember that Jesus didn't just preach about the kingdom of heaven: Jesus has opened the door to the kingdom of heaven for us! And we meet Jesus today in God’s time. It’s not a race to come forward and receive the holy sacrament. It’s a slow divine dance: It’s love in action. Jesus welcomes each of us into that divine dance, slowly and carefully. Jesus helps us to remove the hurdles: Jesus helps us welcome others as he welcomes us. Like the original disciples, we’re called to spread the good news of the kingdom of God, the good news of God's love. What a privilege! But what a responsibility, too! Amen. --- these two books, edited by Jane Williams, were very helpful with planning this week’s sermon writing: Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK. Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK. --- The Reverend Anthony Bennett --- Interim Minister & Deanery Enabler Middle Esk Moor | Whitby Deanery | York Diocese --- email: anthony@egtonvicarage.org landline: 01947 899843 mobile: 07484 735284 web: middleeskmoor.org blog: thoughtsfromegtonvicarage.org