Philemon 1-21 Luke 14.25-33Hate, or dislike, is such an emotive, sentimental, or controversial word. We associate it with a complete rejection of all that is being referred to. To hate something is to wash one’s hands of the object or idea. To harbour a complete dismissal. Is this what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple”? to turn one’s back on one’s family is a massive step. It leads to complete abandonment of all of our roots. Doing so would effectively cast us adrift from everything. We would be like a single occupant of a small boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. A position that many of us would find hard to contemplate.Of course, Jesus did not have this interpretation of his words in mind. Again, we need to remember that the language in the East used to be ‘flowery’. Many words would be used to describe something rather than just one. A concept or idea could be paragraphs long with many adjectives, adverbs, and much more being used to bring forward a point that just two or three well-chosen words would suffice.Jesus had many followers. At this time, whilst travelling to Jerusalem, he knew that he was heading towards the Cross. His followers, however, believed that he was about to enter that great city and take on the mantle of ruler, take on an empire. They were so wrong. Jesus had to put it to them in a way that they would understand and remember just how misled they were.Those who stood up and avowed their determination to follow him must be ready to sacrifice everything. They were not going along a path that would bring them all sorts of earthly power and glory, riches beyond imagination, standing in society well above all others. They must be prepared to endure suffering like no other. Suffering as that experienced by one upon a cross.Does this help us in our understanding of those words of Jesus? Probably more explanation is required here. It all centres around love. There are many different forms of love. For example, I have a love for ‘bread and butter’ pudding. It beats apple pies, treacle tart, what we used to know as ‘spotted dick’ at school but probably better associated with stodge pudding. That love is totally different to that in which I hold the members of my family.The love that Jesus is telling us that we must have is so very much different in every way possible. We must love him in a totally different way, a love which is complete and which cannot be compared. It is possible to follow Jesus. It is possible to do this without having to pin on oneself a badge saying disciple. It is like being a follower of some great football team without actually attending a game at their home ground. You follow their progress, discuss their game play with other devotees.Even in the church we see something similar. We see those who belong but take it no further. Those who are devout and earnest followers of Jesus but who do not progress that emotive connection any further. For many it is not for them. To progress makes high demands. Those demands are daunting. There is a steep road ahead. But we can take heart. High demands they may be but we are not left alone to meet them. We are called by Jesus to travel along that road yet we can take heart because Jesus will be there every step of the way. When we reach journey’s end Jesus will be there, ready to meet us.Collect for the Twelfth Sunday after TrinityAlmighty and everlasting God,you are always more ready to hear than we to prayand to give more than either we desire or deserve:pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraidand giving us those good things which we are not worthy to askbut through the merits and mediationof Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Eleventh Sunday after TrinityHebrews 13.1–8, 15–16 Luke 14.1, 7–14How do we see ourselves in our own imagination. Do we consider that we are part of the pinnacle of society, one that many people can look up to and say ‘he or she’ has done well with their life. They've surrounded themselves with all manner of luxury items. They have finances such that they have no worries. They can dress up in some of the trendiest of fashions. To live like that can be both a blessing and a curseJesus used the example of a meal. Guests had been invited to dine with others. When you are invited to such a meal do you find that as you enter the dining room you first look to see if there is a seating plan prepared and if so you locate your position.If you cannot find there is a seating plan you then go to search out your friends, people you know, aiming to sit at table near to them. But you may find that they are busily engaged in a conversation that does not involve you, or for some reason your presence is not possible because you cannot get near them before the dinner gong sounds. Disaster, all the seats around your friends have been taken. The other possibility is that you feel that you ought to be near the top of the table, to be as near to the host as you can, so that you may be noted.However, our standing in society is not for us to judge or assess. Especially our financial standing. It should not be used to work out our social standing. In the letter to the Hebrews which we heard from today, we're warned keep our lives free from the love of money. To be content with what we have. Jesus will never leave us. We may be standing in the middle of a deserted beach with sands stretching out far away from us, and not another soul in sight. Standing there with nothing in our pockets and no bags we are totally alone, and with no possessions. If we have a problem we wish to talk about, a subject we wish to discuss, or something we wish to try to resolve, being in a wilderness is probably the last place to be. I refer to the poem ‘Footprints’. It tells of how a single set of footprints in the sand belong to the one who is supporting you in your life. Jesus will not forsake us, or abandon us, no matter what condition we may find ourselves in. Jesus is always there. He, no matter how far away he may seem to be, is there for us.We are told “the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” Have trust in the Lord and accept the position that you have. At the meal table let the host determine where you should sit and accept that position with grace.We're told to look towards our leader. Here we're looking at our spiritual leader, the one who speaks the word of God to us. In the person of our spiritual leader we should be able to understand their teaching. The Word of God is of little use to us if we do not understand its content. Similarly in all other matters if we do not hear what they say or obey their instruction, then we are in a position of not improving ourselves.Back to the controversial meal. It is not up to us to decide where we sit based upon how we feel ourselves to be in society. God is our judge. God is the only one who can judge us. Our place in society is known to God alone. However, in God’s eyes we are all equal. We are all his children. One is no better than another. So, if we view each other as God views us, We see each other as pure equals.Collect for the Eleventh Sunday after TrinityO God, you declare your almighty powermost chiefly in showing mercy and pity:mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,that we, running the way of your commandments,may receive your gracious promises,and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Acts 5: 12-16 Luke 22: 24-30Serving on a committee can take on several forms. Some members are there to fill up the numbers. They do not contribute much to the committee workings and at most just raise their hand with the majority when a vote is called for. Thankfully they are in the minority. Other committee members undertake tasks or responsibilities, some quite small ranging up to those who are office holders. The major point is that those who rise to the position of being an office holder have worked their way to that level. From being a new person on the committee, rather unsure perhaps of the full workings, to being the leader, the ‘Chair’, and having a broad knowledge of all that the committee has to manage, all will have had to be mastered.Formal occasions involving sitting around a table frequently have place cards indicating where people should sit. Common practice is that the leader sits at the head of the table with the next most senior sitting on their right hand, the right-hand man. The next senior would be on the leaders left and so on alternatively.Jesus was being faced with a similar situation with his disciples. They had been muttering and arguing amongst themselves as to who was the greatest. Jesus explained to them just what it meant to have a position of authority. It was not just a case of sitting in the most comfortable chair with the highest back, being served first at mealtime, being in a position of respect. Being a leader involves a complete understanding of the roles of those serving with you.This is the point that Jesus was trying to get the disciples to understand. He was with them and was one with them. He did not rule over them, sit in judgment over them. Instead, he was with them as one of them, one who also serves, helps and aids.I remember seeing films in my younger days, in black and white, where there would be a scene where a factory hooter would sound , the gates would open and the workers stream out to go to their homes, the pub, or wherever. The day’s work completed. But, in the background there would be a light shining in a manager’s office as work continued. It is a way of life that work and service leads to position of responsibility. The higher up that ladder one progresses the greater the responsibility, the more devout the servant. Jesus was saying that he was amongst them as one who serves. He adopts the same mantle as his disciples. He is showing them how to conduct themselves in such a manner as to be basing their life on giving rather than on receiving. Somebody who is always out for themselves and for what they can get out of life will soon find themselves alone. They will miss the friendship from their peers and the reward of God.Allowing Jesus into our life, letting him stand next to us as we battle our way through thick and thin, we will reap that promise that Jesus made. In the end we would reign with him. Sharing our life with Jesus, bearing his Cross with him. One day will lead us to that time when we shall share with him in the wearing of his crown.Tenth Sunday after Trinity (St. Bartholomew)Almighty and everlasting God,who gave to your apostle Bartholomew gracetruly to believe and to preach your word:grant that your Churchmay love that word which he believedand may faithfully preach and receive the same;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Hebrews 11: 29 - 12: 2 Luke 12: 49 - 56How ironic it is that we should have this reading today. In the papers and on the news, there are reports of wild fires burning out of control in many parts of the world. Woodlands and scenic places are being burnt, property being ravages by the flames. For some their whole livelihood is being destroyed, treasured articles succumbing to the destructive effect of the flames. In some cases lives are being lost as people try to escape or try to rescue valued possessions. There is also the cost to the wildlife.‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!’ These words of Jesus will bring little comfort to those suffering from the wild fires. How can bringing fire and its destructive effects be something that the anyone could wish for? The Jews viewed Jesus the Messiah as a conqueror and king, the Messianic age as a splendid time. To them fire was a symbol of judgement. The coming of the kingdom was a time for judgement. The nations of the world would be judged by God according to one set of conditions whilst they, being Jews, would be absolved, looked down upon favourably.Time and again we come across the expressions where fire is used to purify. The Bible contains references to the assayers fire when items of great value are being examined. It can be used when we face the time of judgement and stand before God having passed through the assayer’s fire. Do we stand there in one piece or are we just a pile of smouldering remains, a mere shadow of what we once thought we were.In the laboratory or workplace fire is used to bring about change. Mercuric oxide, when heated, produces liquid mercury and oxygen. A change takes place. Here fire is being used to bring about this change. Something, which in its original state has little use, when treated by fire becomes a metal with many uses. Not so long ago found in almost every household as the mercury in a thermometer. Fire brings about change.Not just does fire bring change but division too. Standing there at the time of judgement we have a choice to make. As the assayers fire passes over us do we perish or survive? Where does our love lie? This is a difficult point and one which can divide people and families. Time and time again people have had to decide where their love lies, in which direction. Is their love tied completely with their family or towards Christ?The love that we have towards our family is a totally encompassing love. It is a love which surrounds every piece of them. It is a love which makes us one together. The love that a man has for a woman, when they are married, is a love which binds them together as tightly as a flame from a welder’s torch unites two pieces of metal. They are two individuals brought together, no longer as two pieces but now one.The love that we have of God is another strong bond. Here we have a heavenly love. In acknowledging that all that we are, all that we have, and all that we will be, comes from God we see that we have a bond with God for he is the Maker of who we are. We are God’s children. He is our heavenly Father. Here is another family love. This is a bond as we are brought together with God through the love of his Son. It lies within us as an unquenchable fire. It is an undeniable bond as strong as any bond can be.This brings us back to the start of this homily. I started with looking at fire and how it rages about potentially destroying everything in its path. We have seen how fire can be used to bring about useful items, particularly in the production of metals from ores dug from the ground. We have looked at the fire which burns within our heart as we surround ourselves with our family, people whom we hold dear to us, who are precious in our lives. We now acknowledge that fire that burns within us as we accept God into our heart as our Maker, Redeemer and Father figure.Jesus came to the earth and brought with him fire. A fire which transforms all which it touches. A fire which has the ability to change who we are. The gospel reading finishes with the accusation that those who Jesus was speaking to did not know how to interpret what they saw about them. They could see Jesus at work in their midst but did not understand what they saw. If they had, they would have seen that the kingdom of God was on the way.Collect for the Ninth Sunday after TrinityAlmighty God,who sent your Holy Spiritto be the life and light of your Church:open our hearts to the riches of your grace,that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spiritin love and joy and peace;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
