Once again, we have an embarrassment of choice for scripture readings that the Lectionary has engagingly entwined together to entice the preacher – in this case, myself – into some moral, ethical or theological minefield! We could consider the way God delivered the Israelites from the advancing Egyptian army, despite their whining to Moses that they might as well have died in Egypt as out here in the desert with no protection from the enemy and, apparently, only a cul-de-sac ahead, from which there was no exit other than via a watery grave. We may pause to enjoy the spectacle of Aaron’s sister, Miriam - rather inappropriately we might think today - leading the women in dancing for genocidal joy over the deaths of the entire, drowned Egyptian Cavalry.Or, perhaps, we might be filled with Missionary zeal as we take heart from the Apostles’ defiance of the Religious Police and the High Council. And so on. Tempting as these are, and much as I enjoy exploring the lesser-travelled tracks of the Old Testament, as well as the stirring exploits of the Apostles and the Early Church, I am going to take us into a locked-and-barred room, where, notwithstanding the fact that Mary Magdalene had earlier come breathlessly declaring, “I have seen the Lord!”, the disciples were in hiding “for fear of the Jews”!Into this space of fear and trembling steps…Jesus??!He offers them the peace: “Peace to you,” he says, softly, like there’s nothing unusual here. Because, hot on the heels of fearing the Jews – which, considering the circumstances, is possibly understandable – comes fear of ghosts.Again. Remember, in John 6 we are told that Jesus walked on water as darkness descended on the disciples rowing across the Sea of Galilee. Walking on water; walking through walls and doors. What on earth is going on?Come to that, I wouldn’t think it was actually helpful that Jesus showed them his holed hands and sliced side, to be honest! It’s too much information in the context, surely! Yet the disciples took the stigmata as proof-positive it was really him, really alive, really in the room! More than just warts-and-all, too!Then some even more weird stuff as John relates that Jesus “breathed on them,” saying, “receive the Holy Spirit.” Have you ever tried that? Breathing on someone to impart the Holy Spirit? I didn’t think so. If we do anything, it’s usually the laying on of hands!We can look back with hindsight and our clever-clogs theological training and see a parallel echo of the Genesis story about the in-breathed creation of ‘Adam’ – of humanity. Or the prophetic breathing of the Spirit of Life into the Dry Bones of Ezekiel’s valley vision. Or the sibilant sigh of God speaking to Elijah in the cave.And whatever else is happening, there is the new incentive to forgive and be forgiven; to liberate, or to leave in lockdown. The disciple named Thomas, we discover, was not in the room at this time. He has not seen the use Jesus has made of Quantum Physics to re-materialise through matter like some scene from Star Trek! Who was Thomas, anyway? His name means, literally, “Twin.” Whose twin? Some say Jesus’! We know Jesus had brothers - not least of whom, James. And sisters. So, maybe he had a twin, too.Told by his friends about the Mysterious Matter of the Locked Room, Thomas doesn’t believe them and consequently earns an additional nickname – “The Doubter,” or “Doubting Thomas,” – most unfairly, I would say! He just wants some empirical proof! Don’t we all? Fortunately for Thomas, as for us, seeing is more than believing. Although Thomas makes his credulity conditional on actually putting his fingers into the nail-piercings, and his hand (his HAND!) into the slice in Jesus’ side, eight days later Jesus meets him where he is, having materialised through matter, again, (surely a very vulnerable kind of self-exposure?) and invites him to a particularly intimate touching. Thomas’ response is ecstatic worship: “My Lord, and my God!”.“So, because you have seen me, do you now believe?” Jesus asks, I think with a love-laugh in his voice. “Oh, how happy and secure in God’s favour will those be who have not seen me but believe, nevertheless!”Doubt enables, engenders, enlarges, and empowers Faith! Please understand: the opposite to - and enemy of - faith is not doubt, it is certainty. Faith is a spiritual assurance – a re-assurance – of what we have come to believe. It is the substantiation of things unseen. What’s more, faith does not come from us ourselves: faith is the gift of God. Indeed, we are alive in this body, Paul affirms, “through the faith OF the Son of God who loves us and gave himself up for us.” (Galatians 2:20, amended). “For it is by grace [we] have been saved through faith, and that [faith] is not of your doing; it is the gift of God, lest anyone boast through self-effort.” (Ephesians 2:8)Friends, we can’t have more faith than Jesus! So, stop beating yourself up over your so-called “lack” of faith! As Simon Peter affirmed: This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour.May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:1-4)This, my friends, is what made Thomas so spiritually, emotionally, and physically ecstatic in his love-response to Jesus.It is why we, too, are so blessed. Embrace your doubts; give them honestly to God, in the risen Christ Jesus. Like Thomas: tell it like it is. Tell it like you see it. Tell it like you mean it.The faith in you is the faith of Jesus the Christ. Trust it. Trust Him.Hallel U Yah!Toby Perks, LLM in training
Alleluia. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!Almighty God, your Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence. Give us new hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!’ (Psalm 150:6)Hymn: Alleluia, sing to Jesus...Revelation 1: 4 - 8; Acts 5: 27 - 32Let us pray: Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you. We are not worthy to be called your children. We turn to you again. Have mercy on us, bring us back to yourself as those who once were dead but now have life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Risen Christ, for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred: open the doors of our hearts, that we may seek the good of others and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace, to the praise of God the Father. Amen.John 20: 19 - 31Please see the Message from the Minister.Hymn: We have a gospel to proclaim...Let us kneel before God in prayer, asking for his cleansing love to be known to all people. We pray for St Peter’s Church, that your love will be seen in all we do, to your glory; We pray for our world, that all of its creatures will thrive, and for peace in the world; We pray for our friends, families and community, that we may share in the love of Christ; We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know healing and strength; We remember the departed, and pray for all who mourn.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are:Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.May Christ, who out of defeat brings new hope and a new future, fill us with his new life; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.We are raised to new life with Christ. Let us go in His peace. Alleluia!
Our Easter Garden is on display, as are all of the lovely flowers around the church as we celebrate Easter Day.Our service this morning was wonderful.We wish all of our on-line visitors a wonderful Easter season.The church is open to visitors daily between 10am and 3pm except for Wednesday mornings if you are able to visit.There is no charge for entry, but please leave a donation toward our costs if possible.
This year, the Church of England’s theme for Easter has been living hope. And if you have followed the official social media pages, you might have seen all sorts of interviews with younger Christians explaining where they are finding hope in the world today. It’s quite a powerful concept, after all, without hope how could we stand against all the darkness in our world today?So today, I’d like to focus on where we mind find some living hope today.The Gospel reading from John is a very special one. John gives us a lot of very significant information about the role of Mary Magdalene.We see Mary as the first person to see the great stone has been moved away from the tomb. She reports this to the other disciples and she; Simon Peter and the beloved disciple go to have a look. Yet, whilst the men depart, Mary stays. She weeps, she encounters two angels and then she encounters the risen Christ.John tells us that of all people, it is Mary to whom the risen Christ speaks first.It is an incredible moment. All the more so when we think about the position of women in Biblical times. The position that Mary would’ve been in and which shaped how she was understood by those around her.Life for women in Biblical times was not easy.If you were a woman living at this time, you would have very limited contact with men outside of your family. Your honour would be defined by how you behaved towards the most senior male relative you had – your father, husband, brother an uncle or a cousin. You would not be regarded as a full adult until married, a union that you would have very little say in arranging. Indeed, reaching a certain age without being married would’ve been a source of shame – a situation that may well have haunted Mary. Nor would you have been a full member of your husband’s family until you bore a son. You could not be a witness – anything you claimed could well be dismissed until it was backed up by man.I’d like to say that our society has completely changed, but we all know that progress is slow. Women today still face tremendous and horrific pressures.There is a disturbing rise in misogynistic influencers like Andrew Tate. We teach our young women more about protecting themselves than we ever teach our young men about not being predators. We still question whether women can be in positions of power or regard successful women as anomalies. We still judge single mothers for some perceived moral failure, rather than praise their strength and resilience, raising children alone.So, in a sermon where I started by talking about hope why on earth am I launching into some of the grimmest parts of our world?Quite simply, because this interaction between Jesus and Mary gives us hope. This section of the Gospel is utterly prophetic in its uplifting of women. Despite all the barriers that may prevent anyone from believing a word Mary says – it is to Mary that Jesus first appears. It is Mary who first tells the other disciples the amazing news that Jesus is risen. It is Mary who has, rightly, been described as the apostle to the apostles.John is articulating something about the Kingdom of God that is to come and he follows on from Jesus’s own recognition of women. Jesus repeatedly shows compassion and love to women, and in doing so he repeatedly elevates them and upends the expectations of society. The woman constantly bleeding, who nobody would’ve touched and who he heals rather than condemns. The woman accused of adultery, who would’ve been stoned to death but whom Jesus saves and doesn’t judge. The woman at the well, judged by others for her relationships but treated with dignity and sent as a messenger by Jesus.The positions of honour that he gives to the women, who not only surround him, but likely financed his mission and ministry, women like Mary Magdalene.It is this radical action that caused the sociologist Linda Lindsey to write that “Belief in the spiritual equality of genders and Jesus’s inclusion of women in prominent roles, led the early New Testament Church to recognise women’s contributions”.By the end of our Gospel reading, Mary is no longer in a position of shame as a woman not yet married – but is chosen by Christ as the first person to spread the Good News of Christian hope. Mary is chosen by a God who is upending human prejudice and working to replace our inequality with equality and shame with honour.That is hope. Hope that somehow, in the image of the risen Christ, we too can reach towards God’s Kingdom.Amen.Rev. Iain Grant, Assistant Curate
