Click here for Astrid's video message6th Sunday of Easter John 14:15-21 Acts 17:22-31Jesus promises the Holy SpiritHow do you describe the indescribable? And how do you portray the unperceivable? If there’s anything we’ve learned these last months, it’s that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to show the invisible. But we do know it’s there: in the case of Covid-19, for instance, the virus cannot be seen as such, but we see the effect it has: on personal lives, on communities, on medical staff and the economy; to name but a few. What we cannot see with our eyes, we are ‘touched’ by, through its effect on human life. And yet, there is hope, because there is something else we cannot see but that is very much there, even in today’s world, in our communities, our churches, our circles of family and friends. And I’m going to show you something too, taking you back to the early 15th century – something that portrays the unperceivable, and that describes the indescribable. I’m not showing you the real thing – that’s not within my power, as it’s literally priceless, apart from the fact that it’s somewhere else physically. But I’ve got a copy, and that should do quite well: (showing a picture of the Rublev Icon)This icon, usually known as The Trinity or the Rublev icon, is based on a story from Genesis 18, of the Lord’s visit to Abraham and Sarah: Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him and who in the next chapter were revealed as angels. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and bowed to the ground, then organised a meal for them, according to the rules of hospitality. And one of them told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son. Various studies have concluded that Andrei Rublev had tried to uncover the doctrine of the Trinity, one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The icon is unusual, as it doesn’t follow traditional rules and is full of symbolism. If you would like to know more about it, there’s a link to a 6 minutes video that you can find in the written version of my sermon on the website.So why am I drawing attention to this icon today? Well, it is assumed that today’s Gospel reading was also the basis for the way in which it was made. And the ‘something’ that is described in John 14 and that holds it all together is love. Love is not visible as a material and tangible thing – it’s not an object. But it’s still there, in the words of Jesus, in his ministry on earth, in the way he relates to the Father, in his teaching and in his work of salvation: love is the reason and the result. It’s not an object but it’s a subject: it is in relationship and it is relationship. ‘You can’t see it with your eyes, hold it in your hand, but like the wind that covers our land’ as the song goes. Jesus offers this love in the shape of the Holy Spirit, who is to come and help us because of the love of the Trinity. This is the Spirit of truth, the Advocate, who reveals Jesus and the Father to the world. Why? Love. Who? Love. How? Love. Each time the answer is love. It’s what gives us hope, it’s what encourages faith, and it’s what can become visible, even in our present time, and what the icon describes. And it’s what you have in your own home today as well. Because God’s love is there, with you, in your prayers, in your reading of God’s word, in all that you do in looking after yourself or others. God invites you to draw closer to him and see the invisible that is God with you in his love. Jesus says, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’ Love, through the power of the Holy Spirit, makes it possible to see God. Which is what the image of the icon of the Trinity also seeks to portray. May the eyes of our hearts be opened to God’s love today, as he speaks through his Spirit. Amen.Video link:Explanation of the icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev, ca 1418?
Click here for Astrid's video messageEaster 5 John 14:1-14 Acts7:55-endThe Father’s HouseHow good are you at reading a map? How well do you tend to find your way? I have to confess that I can read a map but I don’t always find it easy to work out directions that people give me. Especially when they know an area inside out, they tend to forget that certain landmarks are not as easy to identify for a stranger. And if they say that the fourth lane on the right is the one to turn (or ‘the lane to Mrs Jones’ house’…), does the pathway to the farm also count? I find it confusing, and if it weren’t for sat nav, I’d be lost half the time. So, there’s some truth perhaps, in my case, that as a woman I’m no good at finding directions, but I can read a map perfectly – and I don’t even have to hold it upside down when going south! So, perhaps I’m not completely stereotype, but it’s an interesting question, isn’t it, how we find our way.At present, we can’t travel as we would, and our journeys are restricted to short ones for exercise or to get essentials only. So our movements are very local now, and there’s no fear of losing our way. Although, I attempted a short-cut on my walk recently and found I had been mistaken, and I had to walk a much larger circle to find my way back. O well… if the bad news is that our soles wear out quicker, then the good news is that we are finding new pastures and views. There’s the silver lining.But let’s think for a moment about going on a journey, and the first thing we need to know, of course, is where. Where are we going? Do we really want to go there? And what or who leads us to that place? The next question may be, how are we travelling? That means the route, as well as the company, perhaps. Are we going on our own, or is it a group tour? Who is our guide, and how do they know the way? Lots of questions, if we wish to ask them, and we don’t usually give them much thought, when it’s about holiday travel or a day out. If it’s by boat, train or plane, all we need to do is get a ticket and show up. But even now, in the present situation, we may ask those questions in another sense. Where is the journey of the pandemic taking us? What does the ‘destination’ look like? And how does the Church live in, through and after it? The journey of faith is one that is shaped by our ways of travel. In many ways it’s a shared journey, in which others accompany us, teach us, admonish and encourage us. It’s those others, who, like sheep of the same fold, help us follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who is our guide. There’s one thing that’s very interesting in the view of our destination and the way we get there as propounded in the Bible: that there’s one destination we should aim for – the Father’s House – and that it’s specially prepared for us; tailor-made, as it were. And there’s only one way to get there: Jesus Christ. All other ground (ways/roads) is sinking sand, as the hymn says. Basically, what it is saying, is that no matter how we wish to answer all our questions about the journey or the life of the Church in future, or even our own lives in view of the present time, what defines the Christian life is not looking for a comfortable future, but the hope of Easter Day. We put our faith not in a comfort blanket, but in the risen Christ Jesus. As the Good Shepherd, he leads us safely to our destination with the Father. That means we don’t need a map, not even sat nav, and we can’t mistake directions. All we need to do is focus our eyes on him and follow as he directs. And then even our soles/souls will not wear out… whichever way you spell it… That’s good news to me! Amen.
Click here for Astrid's video message4th Sunday of EasterJohn 10:1-10 Acts 2:42-47The Good Shepherd.I have been looking for a sheep. I searched and I searched all over the house, and I’ve found: a cat, a dog, a rabbit, a bear, a few pigs, and even a choir member (showing the toys of all, and the figure of a choir member doll) … but no sheep. Not a single sheep to be found in the house! I collected all the others, but I didn’t really need them, I needed a sheep! So, what’s to be done? Well, remember these (toilet roll)? I tried to be creative with an empty roll – we’ve all got those! – and make something that resembles a sheep. Well, vaguely, I suspect. My creative powers are somewhat limited. But it will have to do.The reason for my searching for a sheep is, of course, because of the words that Jesus spoke about being the Good Shepherd. And he is the Good Shepherd, because he is different. Just before chapter 10 in Luke’s account of the work of Jesus, there’s been a dispute to do with who Jesus was. It’s all about his identity. The picture of a shepherd with his sheep is one that is used a lot in the Bible to refer to the king and his people. The image of a shepherd was a metaphor that the people could understand: there were a lot of shepherds and sheep around at the time, as opposed to today. Today we not thinking of rulers as shepherds; rather as executives behind their desks, dictating letters and chairing meetings. But Jesus is talking about rulers as shepherds, and about himself as the one ruler that God had promised and who would lead the people back to God. The intimate contact between shepherd and sheep was one that Jesus used as an illustration, as it was a picture that the people were familiar with and could understand. That’s also why he tells them the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7):‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’The point that Jesus is making is that you can tell a true king from a false one, just as you can tell a true shepherd from a false one. The latter will only abuse and steal, but the former, the true shepherd or the true king or ruler, will do all he can to make sure that the sheep (the people in this case) are safe. And that means that not even one can be missed. If one gets into trouble, thinking, for example, that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, then the true shepherd will go and look for it and not give up until it has been found and brought home. Jesus has come to find us. It’s as simple as that. He rejoices with the Father and the angels in heaven over every single one of us that’s been found. So, here I am: with my cat and dog, pigs and rabbit, my teddy bear and my little sheep – o, and my choir member, of course – thinking of you, and of God, who has found me. There is great joy, even in the midst of pain, because Jesus is with us and we are not alone. Amen.
Click here for Astrid's video messageLuke 24:13-35 Acts 2:14a; 36-41Easter 3 – The Road to EmmausI have in my dining room window, a stained glass picture of Jesus at table, with the two walkers he met on the road to Emmaus. It shows the moment that the two recognise Jesus, with the quote underneath: ‘And their eyes were opened, and they recognised him.’This picture used to be in a panel of a vestibule door in the house of my father’s cousin, who was quite a bit older than him, and it came to me after he and his wife had passed away. It was a nice picture to have in the inner door to their house; reminding visitors of the meaning of hospitality, as well as what it means to have Jesus as a guest and a host. For that, it was in a good spot, as the light would always shine through it from both sides…. You could never miss it.In this time of seclusion, it may be hard to remember what it was like to go into someone else’s home and be a guest, or to host a meal for others. We miss the congeniality and warmth of sharing a meal together. When he was in his teens, my son in particular always wanted our dinners to be times of going through the events of the day. Sometimes, as it could go on a bit, I wasn’t always sure whether it was a means to get out of the washing up! But I’m more inclined now to give him the benefit of the doubt…But it’s true, isn’t it, that when we share food, we also share parts of ourselves; it’s about the conversation that we have that makes our time together precious - although I would also say that I enjoy someone else’s cooking, as it’s often better than mine…So, this passage from Luke 24, the Road to Emmaus, with the meal of recognition, is of significant importance. There’s so much in it to reflect on, so much to learn from it, that it’s not even easy to stick to one point. But I’ll try… Let’s look first of all to the meal: doesn’t it just echo another meal: the first one that’s recorded in Genesis 3 – ‘The woman took of the fruit, and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.’ It was the beginning of the problems that human life was facing, putting the whole creation under the yoke of decay, sorrow and death.Now, here in Luke’s record of Jesus breaking bread, blessing it, and giving it to the others after the resurrection, a similar thing happens, but in a redemptive way: ‘Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him.’ It is now assumed that the couple at Emmaus were probably husband and wife, Cleopas and Mary – and they discover in that moment that the long curse of Genesis has been broken. God’s new creation is overflowing with life and joy, destroying and defeating death and sorrow. Where first there was only darkness, now the light shines.Jesus himself, risen from the dead, is the sign of a new world; not just alive in the same way he was before, like the people Jesus raised during his ministry, but new and transformed. As if he’d gone through death and come out the other end. In the moment of recognition at the meal at Emmaus, this couple’s eyes were opened to a new reality. The light began to shine again for them; it changed their situation, their outlook, their lives. Perhaps it was a bit like my stained glass picture: you can ever only see stained glass pictures properly when the light shines through. And the eyes of our hearts also need light shining through, the light of faith, so that we are able to see the risen Christ. This is the one who came and gave himself for us, and who was recognised in the breaking of the bread. May we too see him anew as we allow him to shine through our lives and give us new life in him. Amen.
