Sheringham: St Peter

There are some texts in the Lectionary that as given together make perfect sense; and then there are many that, frankly, don’t! Unless, of course, you can make a useful connection between the Queen of Sheba’s breathless amazement at all the splendour and opulence of Solomon’s wisdom: his house and his kingdom and his outrageous wealth; and the astonishment that gripped the Proconsul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, upon hearing the Gospel of Jesus the Christ and the kingdom of God. Certainly, nothing had prepared the Queen of Sheba (beyond rumour and hearsay) for what she saw and heard (not even the half of it!), knocking even her preconceptions out of the park (or palace, even!). And neither did Paulus’s renowned intelligence help him to come to intellectual terms (let alone spiritual understanding) with the radical and frankly outrageous message of the Gospel.

No doubt he was impressed with how Saul (as he is in this text; but who will, henceforth, be called Paul) and Barnabus dealt with the interfering sorcerer intriguingly named Bar-Jesus (Son of Jesus) - the title Elymas simply indicating his occupation and meaning Sorcerer. He was, at best, a Jewish heretic; at worst, an interference to the preaching of the Word! Whatever he was, he was no match for the Holy Spirit who, through Paul, temporarily blinds him!

It was enough to cause the Proconsul to repent – to experience a change of mind – and to believe the Word of the Gospel.

So, let’s sum the connection up as being “amazement” and/or “astonishment”, shall we?

All well and good and we can derive much education and encouragement from these texts.

Today, however, I would just like us to focus on the opening statement in Acts 13: “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…” and they are named, and among them, lastly, Paul. As the church was gathered in worship and fasting by way of waiting on God for his guidance, the Holy Spirit selects Paul and Barnabus for special attention here for a particular mission. The outcome is they get commissioned (after prayer and fasting and the laying on of hands) and sent to Cyprus.

Would it be even in our imagination to consider such a phrase as, “Now in the church at Sheringham there were prophets and teachers…”? Are there men and women among us recognised as having prophetic gifting? After all, “prophesy” is not simply about prediction; it is also about proclamation. In Revelation 19:10 we read that the angel John was listening to said, “I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy.” And if we are tempted to limit the role of prophesy to certain super-spiritual Christians – you know: the fanatics, the ones who take it all too seriously, the ‘Jesus freaks,’ the religious weirdos and so on.

Perhaps then, we are all called to a certain degree of madness!

Indeed, Paul certainly hoped that all in the church would prophesy! As he wrote to the church at Corinth: “I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened.” How well Paul puts Pentecostalism and our current Charismaniainto proper (prophetic!) perspective.

Anyway; Our take-away this evening is simply this: where two or three are gathered in Christ, there he will be among (in) them and us. And we will prophesy – we will speak the Word; both to the Church, and to the Worldamong whom and to whom we live and speak as prophetic witness and testimony.

Let us begin then, as a church, to fast and pray; to wait upon the Lord together that we might be and discern the spirit of prophesy, which is Christ in us our hope of glory. May we yet become a people who pray less prosthetically, and more prophetically.

Amen.

Toby Perks, LLM in training

Sheringham: St Peter

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