‘Go away, seer, flee to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and prophesy there’.A bleak response to Amos in today’s first reading, from Amaziah the priest of Bethel, in the blessed land of Israel all those years ago. Amos was a tender of sycamore trees – although why sycamore trees needed tending, we do not know, it is thought that maybe some kind of alcoholic beverage could be made from the sap – but as he undertook this most oblique and unusual of jobs, God called him to be a prophet and so off he went, filled with a message given him by God and filled, no doubt, with trepidation. Maybe he took some of his sycamore schnapps with him for Dutch, or Judean, courage.Amos went off to undertake this great work as a second-class citizen. The people were split into two parts, the rich Northern Kingdom of Israel ruled from Bethel, and the poor South, ruled from Jerusalem and governed by priests of the line of King David and Amos was from the South, and went to the North, who clearly did not want to hear him, but God had called him, and so he spoke. God has called him, the lion of Judah has roared from the midst of Jerusalem, and in that noise of battle and inequality, Amos walks into the centre of Bethel and speaks of social justice and the downfall of the royal dynasty of that Kingdom. The Sycamore dresser speaks to Kings and denounces the false weights and measures in the marketplace, denounces the contempt the courts have for the poor and weak and denounces the way that refugees were treated. And nobody wishes to hear his voice, but God has sent him, and as long as there is injustice on this earth, God will continue to send people to denounce it, and to live in a way and fashion which denounces it more eloquently than the words even of Amos could. In the Gospel today, Jesus, that same God who called Amos, sends out his disciples to do what Amos was sent to do – to preach and practice repentance, living a simple life and taking not even a spare tunic with them for the journey. This simplicity of life is a sign of the message of the love of God and the spirit of conversion we are called to- and that is to drive out evil, heal the sick and form a new community of believers, changing continually to accommodate as many as will hear the message and join. This new community is of course us. We have got so many things wrong, even to the point of owning many, many tunics, you might think, but not so. These tunics are those worn by our forebears, who we honour and remember by wearing them now, a sign of continuity and faith. These buildings are built to house the community they built – and can be abandoned just as easily if God sends us elsewhere, as He sent Amos and the Twelve. Today we celebrate the beginning of this new phase in the ministry of Fr Josh, a Priest now and forever. Someone whose calling has been recognised by the Church of God who has seen the mark of God within him. This sets him apart for one specific aspect of the work that Christ Himself left us, which is the celebration of the Holy Mass. We are commanded to love and to do this in memory of me, and love brings us to this table and we are fed by the love that flows from it. Priests are called to give themselves to God. Our hands must be open to allow whatever He gives us to fall from them, and they are there to hold Christ Himself and let Him fall, like heavy raindrops after the drought, into the furrows which He has already ploughed. We are called to speak the words which summon the deity – in complete faith that in sacramental signs which may be invisible, but in physical signs of love which are overwhelming – that He hears and answers. For this is my body, here on the altar, here in the church, and more importantly, outside the Church, waiting to be enfolded into this love and this hope. We are called to lead. There is no doubt about that. But we are called to travel in community, as something of an outsider because we never truly belong anywhere, our home is not here, but love will tie us to the people we are sent to serve, and serve we must, because every tidal wave of arrogance and self-importance, every torrent of hatred and division, every wall of injustice and oppression will be torn down by the simple proclamation of the word of God and by the testimony of His Holy Church – which needs priests who will also purge it of abuse, angst, uncertainty and the demons of pride and self-importance. We rely on Christ alone, and so we will often fail in the eyes of the world but each failure will be an opportunity to love, and to become even more a child of God, to allow Him in His eternal love to teach us our true worth as His adopted children. All of us are equal in the sight of God, and all of us have different callings in that equal love, and it is a hard calling. Do not be afraid to rest, to seek for help, to shake off the dust from under your feet if need be – for the dignity of the message we bring is such as demands respect, lest it be tainted by the evils of this world, lest we be tainted by the evils of this world. And know, dear brother, that the devil knows your name with the same familiarity that God Himself does, and that the ancient enemy will also wish to call you, because at the altar we stand between chaos and eternity, between light and darkness and as you believe in the light, so also you know that there is the darkness. The devil can only lie, but his lies sound so much like the world that it can be confusing to differentiate the two. But you are no longer your own man, you are God’s, and His love will keep you safe if you trust in Him alone. He has called you this far, and He will call you home one day. There are no more sycamores to dress, there are no more taxes to collect, there are no more boats to look after, a new day has come to you, the day you were born to see, and there is new work to be done. Heal the sick, anoint the dying, announce the Good News of our salvation, live lives acceptable to the great office and trust now given to you, and do so with complete joy and hope in your heart, and may you live the rest of your life according to this new beginning. ‘’Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity’’.
Who is Jesus? Who is He? When I started thinking about this Thought for the Week, and looked at the gospel reading, I got to wondering how that question would be answered today. So, I asked a cross section of people, many either staff or students from the Church of England secondary school at which I am a governor and exams invigilator. I got quite a varied response: · He is an idea of a learned teacher · He is the Son of God · He was a good and learned man, and Chinese Whispers have made Him who people think or say He is today · He is God incarnate, the second Person of the Trinity · He is an example of how we should live our lives and He sacrificed Himself for our good · He is a teacher; someone who guides and supports. He is a messenger from God; a giver of strength in times of need and a provider of peace (I do particularly like that response) We must remember that we have in excess of 2000 years of hindsight when contemplating this question. We have the Bible – all of it, but especially the New Testament. We have billions of believers who have gone before us; a great many biblical scholars and theologians; and a good number of non-Christian scholars to help us develop our belief, or not, as the case may be. Jesus puts that very same question to His disciples, but only after He had posed a more general question. Just prior to this story, Jesus had been in Tyr & Sidon, and had been ministering to the gentiles, many of whom had embraced His message. Note, in particular, the Canaanite woman who asked Him to heal her daughter and stated that even dogs are able to eat the crumbs from under their Master’s table. But when Jesus comes back among His own people, many, predominantly Pharisees and Scribes, still question His veracity. So, in Caesaria Philippi where, interestingly, there was a temple honouring the emperor Caesar Augustus, Jesus, quite possibly prompted by this apparent reverence of a mortal man, asks His disciples who do people say that the Son of Man is. The responses given by the disciples – some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah or Jeremiah – suggest that He is perceived by many as a prophet, speaking out on behalf of God against wickedness, injustice and immorality. Certainly, the people were awaiting a king, a Messiah, sent from God, to free Israel from oppression. Scottish Theologian and author William Barclay explains that Messiah and Christ both mean ‘the anointed one’ – one being Hebrew and the other Greek. ‘Kings were, and still are, ordained to office by anointing and so the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One is God’s King over all people.’ The Jews did not know just what type of king to expect, but for sure, this king would attract much attention, and hostility from some. But is Jesus this king? They seem to think not. But they do see Him as a great prophet, indicating that they probably even see Him as the forerunner of the expected Messiah as prophesied in Malachi ‘Lo I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.’ But the fact remains, the people do not see Jesus as the actual Messiah. And then the big question……’Who do you say that I am?’ The disciples will have been on a rollercoaster since hooking up with Jesus. All kinds of miracles, teachings, words of wisdom. They gave up pretty much everything to follow Him so that, in itself, must suggest that they thought He was someone pretty special. But do they, at this point in time, truly understand just who this man is – this wonderful teacher. It is really only after the crucifixion and resurrection that the penny finally drops. I wonder if there was a period of silence following Jesus asking this question. Were the disciples’ minds in a quandary? What do they say? This is a huge question. What if they get the answer wrong! And then Peter speaks up ‘You are the Messiah; the Son of the Living God.’ Does Peter actually know this? Does he believe this? Jesus states that Peter did not learn his from any human source. This knowledge has come from God……’my Father in Heaven.’ But Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah clearly consolidates Jesus’ own view of him. Because Jesus then states that Peter would be the rock upon which His Church will be built. Peter, named thus by Jesus, from the Greek petros (m)/petra (f) meaning rock or stone. America Pastor Tony Evans uses an interesting analogy – that the Church is like a nation’s embassy in a foreign country. The people working in that embassy should live up to the values and principles of their own nation while in that foreign country. Tony Evans sees Christ’s Church as ‘a little bit of heaven a long way from home, designed to withstand the authority of Hell.’ So, when we confess who Jesus Christ is, it is not enough for us to simply say it. We must live it too. Our faith must be borne out in our actions such that we are reflecting that little bit of heaven here on earth, a ‘foreign land’ but a land greatly loved by God. Jesus would not be building an actual church, not an actual building, but a community of believers who acknowledge Him as God’s anointed King. Peter’s declaration of faith will be the starting point and this community was, and is, to be perpetuated for all time, at least until Jesus returns and the book of Revelation is fulfilled. And indeed, following Jesus’ ascension, it is Peter who assumes the leadership role and God clearly plans for him to fulfil this role, to the point of breaking him out of prison as we hear in the reading from Acts this week. Finally, the awesome responsibility bestowed upon Peter of having custody of the keys of heaven. Whoever has the keys to a property, or place, effectively has control over who can, or cannot, enter that place. Peter will have control over who enters the Kingdom of Heaven - those who have belief in Jesus Christ and are therefore loosed, or released, of their sins. This notion conjures up for me an image of Peter at the pearly gates either permitting, or denying, entry to heaven through those gates. Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, is almost suggesting that he is unable to actually describe Jesus in human terms. He has no theological or philosophical means to describe Him, as William Barclay suggests. Barclay also notes that Napoleon once gave a verdict on Jesus saying ‘I know men, and Jesus Christ is more than a man.’ Jesus is the key to the whole of God’s relationship with His creation, and having absolute knowledge of this is more powerful than believing it; knowing Jesus is more powerful than knowing about Him. Knowing Him in our hearts, living with Him in our lives. Jesus is our friend, He is the point, He is alive, and He is here. So, if Jesus asks you the question ‘Who do you say that I am?’…….what will your response be?
I was kindly asked to write this week's 'Thought for the week' and I am grateful to be trusted with such an important responsibility.I read the readings that I was to base this on and at first I wrestled with how they connected. I wrote down a lot of notes and then suddenly I saw the way that they might relate to each other.The first reading involves the many trials that Job suffered.Have you ever experienced a very challenging time in your life and found that afterwards you found yourself to be wiser and stronger?When we face life's trials, is God preparing us for a special task or a new role? Are we being honed into a better person? I'm sure that many people can identify with this experience and are thankful and proud of themselves for coming through a difficult time.Job's faith prevailed despite his suffering. He represents the power of faith through adversity. Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians to strengthen their resolve to have faith. He was convinced that Christ suffered to pay for the sins of humanity and went to his cruel death to pay for our personal sins.When we face life's challenges we can be overcome by fear. We often turn inwards and become self obsessed. Our judgement and perspective can become distorted. It's at these times that we must hold on to our faith and put our trust in God to guide us through our turmoil. If we try our best to concentrate on Christ's teachings and absorb the truths that they reveal, we are unable to resist becoming aware that we can no longer be governed by our own selfish desires. We can no longer be a slave to our ego and we are drawn towards the light again.We see clearly that it is not enough to only love those who love us and we are driven to share our love with everyone we meet.In Mark's gospel Jesus has been surrounded by a crowd of his followers and is tired. He sails with his disciples to the other side of a lake and falls asleep in the boat. There is a violent storm and his disciples are frightened and wake him saying, "Master, don't you care that we will perish?" Jesus calms the storm and says to the sea, "Peace, be still", and the storm ceases.He says to his disciples, "Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith."The disciples say to each other, "What manner of man is this that the wind and waves obey him?"So here are three bible passages that speak to us about fear and faith. I hope I have succeeded in finding some fundamental truth running through them.
What has changed over the last few years for you? When you look at your life today, what’s different compared to five, ten or twenty years ago? How has your knowledge of God changed? As much as your body has changed? More, I hope!It may seem facile to ask about changes that we cannot control such as bodily or mental changes, and indeed they are of little relevance compared to our spiritual development. Circumstances and events are of little interest to us here, as they have little or no bearing on our immortal souls. But how have you changed? Have your values of priorities or concerns changed? What bothers you or makes you glad now, and what new ways have you found to love in, or what new things have you found to delight in? What seeds have germinated and taken root in you? Where is emotional and faith-based growth happening within you and how is that nurtured here, how do you nurture it in each other, in these other members of your family? And how did it happen?How does any change happen? And moreover, how do we stop experiencing it as a negative? Well, life is not a straight line of progression, we all know that’s not how life works and we all know that growth and development is not a straight line of growth – sometimes we have to lose a branch in order to grow, to be pruned to bear fruit or to lose in order to see value in each other.Today in the parable of the growing seed we find that there is a dynamism about our lives, a spirit moving within us. Every one of us has been planted and nurtured and something is growing within us. Sometimes we don’t see it or even believe it. But it’s there. And how and when it happens, I don’t know, we don’t know, but Jesus says it’s always been there. It is not dependent upon us – the world and the church will continue without us, as we would hope - but we participate in it, we are a part of the ever changing world and therefore have to change with it or sit tight and let it all wash over us, or to put it another, way, forget about us, or jump over us as if we were an obstacle.This parable Jesus tells is not about gardening or farming. Jesus is using images from gardening or farming to talk about your life and my life. His parable is a metaphor for the way God works in our lives. It’s meant to be an encouragement and to offer hope.“It is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,” Jesus says. And I wonder, who are those someone’s in your life? Who has scattered seeds on the ground of your life? In what ways did he or she offer you a place to put down roots, find stability, and get your life in order? Those are seeds scattered in your life by someone. Who is doing that for you today? Where are you finding your growth?And now, we know what is coming next, or course. For we are seed scatterers too, we have to nurture too, otherwise we wither and, again, become an obstacle to be humoured or ignored. What seeds are we scattering for the life of the world? Maybe you’re asking, ‘what seeds could I possibly scatter?’ – Well, here is a little list – forgive and be reconciled with someone, sowing the seed of love and reconciliation. Put someone else’s interest before your own, sowing the seed which you so much want others to sow in you. Encourage, love, reach out, show compassion, sit with someone in grief or anxiety and don’t judge, just say ‘I’m here for you’ and speak the truth plainly, making love your first and every word. These are the seeds we want to be sown in us, so make them the seeds you sow in others. Share with others the good seed that you are, and flourish not just for yourself., but for them, for us, for God.What do you wish was growing in the garden of your life? What is missing? Where have weeds taken over? What needs attention? Why is he asking so many questions? He’s asking so many questions because the good gardener is planting His garden and we share in that task, in that hope, in that love, and if we desire growth, we have to plant.Meister Eckhart, a 14th century German monk, says this about the seeds we’ve been talking about:The seed of God is in us.Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer,it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is;and accordingly its fruits will be God-nature.Pear seeds grow into pear trees,nut seeds into nut trees,and a God seed into God.
