Luke 8:26-39 Sermon - Not one of us Time was when I would look at this passage and in preaching it, talk about mental illness and suffering and interpret this passage in that way because that was the way people with or without a faith would look to understand the Gerassene Demoniac and perhaps, probably even, that is right but just turn on your TV and with the multiplicity of channels you now have then every day there will be a programme about evil spirits poltergeists, help my house haunted. I could go one. The fact is more people believe in these evil spirits than believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. So, explaining these texts by reference to mental health or arrival of beings from other planets as some writers suggested is no longer needed and perhaps frowned on in some circles. So, we should revisit this miracle of Jesus to discover why it is important. The first thing to understand is the location. Jesus grew up in a place like this – border territory and by crossing the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias you crossed borders. The difference was however that unlike Huntingdonshire or Northamptonshire, the people over the border were not so friendly. Jesus and his disciples had crossed into Gentile territory and had climbed up on to Gaulanitis as it was called then. You may recognise part of that name. Today it is called the Golan Heights and the territory is just as disputed now as it was then. We do not know precisely which part of the Ten Town or Decapolis they arrived at but it was definitely on the Golan Heights. Nor do we know why they went there although there is some political imagery that might explain some of it. They may have been trying to escape or avoid Herod Antipas, the Jewish king at the time, known for his violence. Whatever the reason, Jesus encounters Legion prowling among the graves in the cemetery just like many of the haunted tv shows today. He is called Legion because of the vast number of evil spirits he has. A legion could well have been camped around the Sea of Galilee even in nearby Tiberias and would consist of 3-6000 soldiers + 200 cavalry. A huge number and of course that is why this name Legion is taken because there were so any spirits and just like the Roman invaders, they were evil and needed to be removed. And they were by Jesus into a herd of pigs confirming that this was gentile territory. Jews neither eat pork no raise pigs as they are unclean. From the start of this encounter with Legion, the evil spirits recognise the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Even though most people then as now fail to recognise God in Christ at this time, these spirits know immediately. Now you may think the healing is the key part of this account. It really is not and Luke skips over much of it as matter of fact. For Luke and I believe for us that should be the reaction to all this. Because a recurring theme in this passage is that the players, although all humans are “not one of us.” Clearly this possessed man is not one of us. He is a demoniac, cast out of the ten towns to fend for himself among the graves. They have even tried chaining him up there but he breaks the chains. He is not one of us and even after he is healed and can be seen to be healed there is no real suggestion of restoration to the community. The people do not want to know. And then there is Jesus and the disciples. Jews would have lived up on Gaulanitis in the ten towns but even after Jesus has healed this man, exorcised him if you like, the local people are far from welcoming to their visitors. Perhaps they did not like what happened to those pigs but that is probably just an excuse. Jesus and his disciples, just like the Legion were not one of us and need to go. They, like so many fail to recognise God in Christ even though that legion of spirits all did and bizarrely after what has happened the locals are even more afraid and throw Jesus and his disciples out of town or ten towns to be precise. Unsurprisingly, the healed man wants to go with Jesus. He wants to be a disciple and yet Jesus says no and commands him to go home and tell people what God has done for you. He is not given a tract or a theological treatise about how God is in Christ reconciling people to himself and in a sense, there is no need. All he needs to do is tell people about what God has done for him which he does. But the question remains for them as it does for us today in our churches, are we ready to accept such a testimony or reject it out of hand because this person is simply not one of us? I cannot answer that for you. Only you can answer that question. Amen.
Pentecost Sunday – Led by the Spirit Today is Pentecost Sunday, which arguably marks the beginning of the Church when the Holy Spirit fell on the people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. So, what is Pentecost? I have sat through too many talks involving chiffon scarves and hairdryers over the years to try and demonstrate Pentecost. But what is or was the Day of Pentecost and why were all these people there when the Holy Spirit came? Well, it all has to do with harvest. Now, unlike our churches today who celebrate a single harvest for everything on one day usually in early autumn. Different countries celebrate at different times of the year – so, in Uganda I have been to harvest Festival in February, towards the end of the dry season. First century Palestine had several harvest festivals for different crops, and they were timed between each other. The first of these harvests was the barley harvest known as first fruits harvest and took place on the Sabbath following Passover at the very point Jesus rose from the dead that first Easter which led Paul to write to the Corinthians of Christ’s resurrection as being the first fruits for those who had fallen asleep. But Pentecost was the wheat harvest which took place 50 days after the first fruits harvest – hence Pentecost and was the wheat harvest or festival of weeks as it came 7 weeks after the first fruits harvest. People would gather for harvest celebrations and it is therefore quite appropriate that the Holy Spirit came on the people gathered for Pentecost celebrations. From the very outset when Jesus called his first disciples, harvest featured when Jesus called his first disciples the fishermen brothers Simon and Andrew saying, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” harvesting souls for the kingdom of God. Not all of us are fishermen but led by the Holy Spirit if we follow Jesus, he will make us for his kingdom and his glory – follow me and I will make you. This is the essence of Pentecost being made in God’s image and for His glory and being made to be led by that same Holy Spirit. Time after time in the Acts of the Apostles we read of Apostles being led by the Spirit. Look 6 chapters on in Acts from the reading we had today and we see Philip being led by the Spirit to an encounter with an Ethiopian official on the desert road back home and his conversion and baptism, Two weeks ago we saw Paul and Silas in chapter 16, led by the Holy Spirit out of Asia into Europe, to Philippi where people were converted and baptised. Pentecost works because the Holy Spirit leads us and we respond to that leading. But how do we respond? By going out in the power of the Holy Spirit and leading to help bring in the harvest? Or do we respond negatively by suggesting that these Spirit filled Christians at 9.00 0’clock in the morning were all drunk and just needed to sleep it off and maybe they would be ok again by lunchtime? Or, to give a Bedfordshire example from about 45 years ago when my local Vicar in Barnet had served his curacy in Luton in the neighbouring parish to St Hugh’s Lewsey, where the late Revd. Colin Urquhart was leading a charismatic Anglican congregation and saw it as a fad that would soon go away and if it was still around in 25 years it might just might be worth considering. Well, we can do the maths!! But how are we going to respond? To be led by the Spirit or question the validity of the Holy Spirit or just wait and see? It is good each year to hear again that amazing story of the first Pentecost after Jesus ascended to heaven but its value is not in the story or even the imagery of the coming of the Holy Spirit but what we do as Christians with what we do with what we know? Are we being led by the Spirit or rather hoping that if we ignore then it may go away? I am not sure this is ever really an option but neither do I believe we all have to become charismatic Christians or undergo some separate initiation to be baptised in the Spirit. What we do however need to do is to be prepared to be led by God through His Holy Spirit and be ready to serve God as the Spirit leads us. I invite you to join with me in singing as a prayer the short hymn Lead me Lord, Lead me in your righteousness by the 19th century African American composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley for which there is a link and works well as a prayer. But for now, let us pray. Lord, we thank you that you have not left us alone but give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be led by your Spirit and grow in grace and love as we are guided, supported and led. Amen Lead me Lord, Lead me in your righteousness, Make your way plain before my face. For it is you Lord, you Lord only, that makes me to dwell in safety. https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=lead+me+lord+lead+me+in+thy+righteousness&mid=8B091D5E7F286CB432648B091D5E7F286CB43264&mcid=4C165DBDC4AC4225B621F3463F4C4910&FORM=VIRE
Sermon Acts 16:9-15 – Lydia “If you have judged me to be faithful” Just occasionally, the Lectionary which sets out the recommended readings for each Sunday, in fact each day of the year, comes up with the perfect reading for the day. Today is such a day as the Bible introduces us to Lydia and her baptism along with her whole household, making this an excellent choice for an adult baptism. Lydia, in requesting to be baptised says to Paul “If you have judged me to be faithful”. Elsewhere, in Acts 8, an Ethiopian Official asks Phillip “What is to prevent me from being baptised?”. When we baptise children, others make promises on behalf of the child. But with adults the question are we ready and A, like Lydia, like the Ethiopian Official is ready. That is not to say that she is good enough to be baptised any more than whether I am good enough to baptise her. That is not the question, instead the question is have you judged me to be faithful? It is our faith, our turning to Christ and trusting in him that judge us to be faithful and enable us to be baptised. We are sinful and we turn away from our sins and the water of baptism symbolically cleanses us from our sins. It is an outward sign of an inward spiritual grace and is not something we have to keep doing because the act of baptism unites us to Christ, who was himself baptised in the River Jordan.But let’s get back to Lydia, one of the great women in the Bible. Who was she? Well, we are told quite a bit about Lydia. We know that Lydia is from Thyatira in Asia Minor, which makes her Turkish today on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and Lydia is a dealer in purple cloth. Purple is a very special colour often associated with royalty and while we were away in January we learned that only one national flag contains the colour purple and that is Dominica. A good quiz question but here is another what plant, animal or mineral substance was used to create the colour purple? Any ideas? The answer is snails but specifically certain sea snails and the coast off Thyatira is known for its abundance of these sea snails. Located just inland from Smyrna and Ephesus, this dye was incredibly valuable and was produced from secretions of these sea snails so they could be “milked” but often were not and it would take 12000 snails to produce just 1.4 grams of dye sufficient to just dye the hem of a garment. Hence the value of purple was like that of silver. Apparently, you can produce the same dye from dog whelks in this country. Clearly Lydia was a very successful businesswoman and had decided to move her business to the wealthy city of Philippi in Greece and it seems her business kept growing; she had a big house which was quite probably where she ran her business and maybe her household included her staff. Some people suggest Lydia was a widow but if she was Luke would probably have said so and there is no mention of a husband and so Lydia may well be a successful single business woman and home owner in a big house sufficient to practice the hospitality she did. Timothy, Paul and Silas had come over to Macedonian Greece not following a guidebook but a vision of a man pleading with him to come over to Macedonia and so they did. It was Sabbath day so Timothy, Paul and Silas had gone out of the City gate down to the river to pray and had found a group of women doing just that and there they meet Lydia. It is quite possible that this was her household. What Lydia says is remarkable. First she listens to what the 3 evangelists say and Luke makes a point of recording this not to show how good Paul was as a speaker but writing “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” It was God who enabled Lydia to listen not the preacher and then she said “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” Lydia does not say “Come to my office and I can put you in contact with the movers and shakers of the city.” Not, “You know, Paul, I rub shoulders with some pretty important people around here, and I could introduce you to them.” Not, “Let’s do dinner sometime.” No, instead Lydia says with all humility and grace, “If you have judged me to be faithful.” Lydia, for all her fine garments and confidence and leadership ability, is humble in spirit, and out of this humility offers a heart of hospitality. To ask Paul and his friends to stay in her home is her way of asking God to do the same. This encounter and conversion makes Lydia and her household the first people in Europe ever to receive a Christian baptism and A is following in the same steps that Lydia took all those years ago. This should be a lesson for all of us “If you have judged me to be faithful…” In our desire to be found faithful, let us similarly invite God to enter into our lives, into our world. In such humility we will find the grace that fills the human heart and brings us to eternal life. Let us pray. Father, find our hearts open and welcoming into our lives. And when you enter, may you discover the kind of humility that Lydia displayed mirroring the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
John 21:1-19 – Breakfast on the Beach preached at St Mary Magdalene, Melchbourne, 4.5.25 by Reverend Simon Aley. Sometimes the Gospel passage we are given is simply too much to cover in one sermon and this is one example. Prior to my ordination into the Church of England, I was privileged to listen to 5 separate talks from the former Bishop of Peterborough, Donald Allister on this chapter of John’s Gospel with the title “Breakfast on the Beach”. Later this year I may do a series of talks on this passage. So, for now this is just an overview. Last week I said that John chapter 20 marks the end of the Gospel and there is a fair bit of evidence for this – the way it finishes and the fact that not all ancient versions of John’s gospel include this 21st chapter. It also reads like the passage in other gospels of the calling of the disciples and casting their nets to the other side of the boat and it rather abruptly transfers the focus from Jerusalem north 70-80 miles to the sea of Tiberias. On the other hand, this is very much an Easter appearance of Jesus. It would be perfectly natural for the disciples to return to their home area after Jesus’ death and to their old jobs as fishermen and perhaps that is a key element of this passage we should explore, a simple fishermen’s tale of returning to their boats after the death of their master that leads to a miraculous breakfast on the beach. OK, so what have the past two weeks been like for you? Have you seen and experienced resurrection in your life? What does it look like? Here’s why I’m asking. Two weeks ago, we celebrated the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Two weeks ago, the stone was rolled away, the tomb was found to be empty, and Jesus was seen alive. And here’s my question. Are you more alive now? Am I? What difference has the resurrection made in us? I am not asking about what difference it might make in some distant heavenly future. I am asking about changes to our lives today, here, now. Because, if it there is nothing then something is wrong and we need to reflect and re-examine. Maybe we look to the resurrection for some big deal in our lives just like the stone rolled away and when we do not see anything we just move on. And yet, in one sense breakfast on the beach was no big deal. This was the disciples’ original workplace – well at least for some of them. It had been a daily occurrence and probably would be again and breakfast on the beach, well in those days it would be quite normal. Less so now the sea has receded so much as it is used to provide water and energy for the growing population. But then, flames rising from a charcoal fire on the shore was quite normal and who was that standing by the fire waving them over? Maybe the big deal of the empty tomb is experienced in the ordinary circumstances of life. It starts with a very ordinary conversation. “I am going fishing” says Simon Peter and the other 6 disciples who were with Simon Peter say we will go with you. Staying together at this difficult time no doubt. We know the time Jesus appears – just after daybreak – they probably had gone out for a night fishing trip. What have you caught Jesus asks? Nothing they reply to the stranger who they cannot quite see. All very mundane and ordinary – perhaps a little more than that it is accompanied by darkness and emptiness – common features of grief. We have a wedding here in Melchbourne next weekend and this reminds me of John Chapter 2 – the wedding at Cana where they had empty wine jars and now, they have empty fishing nets. And in both cases the intervention of Jesus enabled both to be filled. We should not see the emptiness as a failure but a beginning and note that both times when there is that emptiness Jesus steps in as he still does today. We are even told how many fish were caught 153 and not a single tear in the net. As the sun rises, Simon Peter can see it is Jesus he grabs his cloak, jumps into the sea and swims ashore to meet his risen Lord and master. The dawn is shedding new light on what is going on. Jesus already has fish and bread warming on the fire and they have even more fish. Conversation ensues as we would expect over a meal and 3 times Jesus asks Simon Peter “Do you love me?” Undoubtedly a reminder to the threefold denial after Jesus is arrested on Maundy Thursday. Jesus uses the Greek word agape the first two times but Simon uses the more intimate phileo assuring Jesus of his love and in the third ask Jesus also uses phileo. And so out of this seemingly very normal discourse and series of events, something very special is happening as Jesus is placing pastoral responsibility from himself on to Simon Peter while retaining that direct connection with us all. So, I ask again how has the resurrection been for you? Because resurrection is in the details. It is like one of those dot to dot pictures that God is inviting us to create, each dot a particular detail or circumstance, and now our work is to connect the dots with the lines of our lives and so we discover that we have a future, our life has been guaranteed by Christ’s life, and he has revealed himself to us not always in miracles but in the day to day. Amen
