Mothering SundayExodus 2.1–10 Luke 2.33–35Today, Mothering Sunday, we given thanks for the roles that mothers play. Not only do they nurture us as we grow but they provide for us, teach us, feed us and care for us in so many ways. Quite often the Church is referred to as the Mother Church. As with our natural mother the Church also nurtures us and teaches us as we grow. The Church also feeds us, not only with the Body and Blood of Jesus but with teaching through the reading of Scripture and through the preaching of sermons. When we examine the role, the part, that mothers play in our lives, it is good to look at the recipient of that care. Quite naturally when we think mothers we think of children. Being a mother carries with it responsibility especially towards any children that may be a part of the family unit as the child will learn from its mother. Those lessons will be stored and called upon in a future relationship when that child has grown up and become a mother in their own right.Those lessons learnt and stored away become a part of the mother. They are the inner thoughts sealed away yet which may be recalled when needed, maybe even when challenged. In the gospel reading Simeon was addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus, especially when he told her that the child, Jesus, would grow to be the one to challenge many in Israel. Jesus would be a sign that would be opposed, people would look at him and reject him.Why? Jesus, the Son of God, can look into our very heart. Not just a quick skim over its surface, but into the very depths of our being. What he finds there is our true self, hidden away below any surface dressing that we might wish to try to cloak it with.The inner thoughts of many will be revealed. In those hidden depths much of that which lay hidden will be brought to light. Jesus will examine our souls. He will see what we are really like. This ability to see within us is what can give rise to ill feeling among some, especially any who have not accepted Jesus into their lives.I used to tell couples who were preparing to get married that it is no use, no good what-so-ever, standing before me in the ceremony, taking your vows to one another, with your fingers crossed behind your backs. God, the Father, is all knowing. Actually crossing your fingers, or just mentally imagining that you have done so, is no protection. The crossed fingers may be a physical manifestation of what you feel in your heart. Uncertainty, unsureness, are you doing the right thing, this is for life? Questions possibly racing through your mind. But, now you’ve done it. Vows said, rings exchanged. Fingers crossed or uncrossed, it is too late now.The couple now start a new life together. The bride may well become a mother. She will pass on what she learnt from her own mother. Motherhood, passed on from person to person, bringing one bringing up a new generation, teaching, nurturing, etc. Motherhood is a base for life. The Church too is also such a base. As we listen to what our mothers teach us we also use today to give thanks to God for our mothers, for all that they do for us.Collect for Mothering SundayGod of compassion,whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,shared the life of a home in Nazareth,and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:strengthen us in our daily livingthat in joy and in sorrowwe may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal;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.
Third Sunday of LentIsaiah 55: 1- 9 Luke 13: 1 - 9Walking down a High Street is not quite the same as it used to be. The number and type of shops has changed as more and more become tea shops or cafés. Charity shops are in abundance. The rise in on-line shopping or the growth of trading estates has drawn many businesses away from our towns. Those that remain must work harder to encourage us to step over their threshold. The displays in the window have to catch our eye so that we hesitate and reflect thinking, “Do I want that?”.In Isaiah the people are asked why they spend money on that which is not bread? Bread can satisfy the body’s craving for food. No amount of fancy goods purchased will go far in removing any hunger pangs. This is especially pertinent when one considers the amount of goods that can be seen, tempting one to go into a shop and look more closely on what is being offered, trying on for size, checking whether it will do the job that triggered your entering the shop in the first place. But will that item bring the same amount of satisfaction as other things that we might spend our money on?This not to say that we should not spend our money on things other than food to nourish us. Through the prophet God spoke saying that we should eat what is good. Also, that we should listen and come to him. This, that we should live. But it is not just listen, as with half an ear, whilst paying attention to something else. There are those among us who can indeed do two different things at the same time. Here we are told that we should listen carefully, and unfortunately not everyone is prepared to do that.We should also be selective in what we spend our money on. Look over a range of items choosing only that which is good. When food is being studied as on a menu care is to be taken that the choice is of food which is good rather than the first that comes to mind. As we eat we should be happy in that which is set before us. A meal which in itself may be absolutely perfect, ticking all of the boxes, can bring delight, but if we are in a grumpy mood the food conveys little.This is all advice given in the book of the prophet Isaiah, in the reading set for today. The prophet is speaking loud and clear. However, only those who genuinely thirst to hear God’s word will draw near and listen. Those who do not care either way will not be drawn close to God to hear his word.Out shopping it is only natural that we look at the prices of the goods. Its cost may well reflect upon our decision to buy or not. We may move onwards seeking out a better bargain. However, in Isaiah the prophet is announcing that it is all free. Being called to be a Christian does not cost anything and no charges are associated with that calling. Once that move has been made, once the label of Christian is attached to you, the ongoing charge, the ‘annual membership’ is still nothing. Our gift of growth in the Christian way of life has no charge just as our salvation is free. They are gifts of grace.If you are to make your way to God and listen to his word, it must be a conscious decision, made with an open heart. It is true that two people can hear the same piece of music or the same form of words, but at the end their recollection of what transpired will be completely different. It is the same when listening to God. Unless there is an earnest desire to listen and to learn, to accept the words being spoken, then there will be little benefit from what had been heard.Collect for the Third Sunday of LentAlmighty God,whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,and entered not into glory before he was crucified:mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,may find it none other than the way of life 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.
First Sunday of LentDeuteronomy 26: 1 – 11 Luke 4: 1 - 13Harvest seems like ages ago. Our gardens and our fields were ripe and full of crops. Time was spent gathering them all in. Some of our gleanings were sent off to market by the farmers. Some were frozen to be kept for future months by the one on charge of the food in our homes. And being harvest some was kept to one side and brought to Church for the Harvest Festivals.It might seem strange writing about Harvest as we are about to see the start of spring. In fact, by today, the First Sunday of Lent, many people have given up a favourite food. Harvest is far from their mind.Today’s Old Testament reading relates to the presentation of the first fruits. We, at Harvest, may gather a selection from our gardens, and bringing them to Church we offer our thanks to God for his goodness. Through him we have the sun and the rain, the warmth and the goodness, which allow and encourage the seed that we have sown to grow to ripeness. The token gift to God is just that. A token of our thanks for his providence which has allowed us to work the land and reap its rewards.In this reading from Deuteronomy the laws were being followed. The first fruits of the crop had to be brought before the Levites and the Priests and set down before them. In doing so a format of words was used dedicating the first fruits to God.After this celebration, in furtherance of the requirements of the law, there would be a feast. The bounty that had been brought before the Lord would be shared with the Levites, the Priests and aliens. All would rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.But that is not all. After fleeing from the Egyptians and settling in a land given them by God it must have been like a journey of exploration. Looking about them, it could be seen just how fruitful the land was. Encouraged by this the crops of all kinds would be tried to see which were best. It was the first fruits of these crops that would be brought as an offering to God.When we move to a new property, we also look about us to try to gain an idea of what may be grown. We take advantage of position, of fertility, and of the type of soil. These guide our choice of seed. In a much larger way, the similar thing happens if we move abroad. We change our gardening habits to suit the conditions about us.We do something very similar ourselves. We change our pattern of living to suit our earnings, our position, a new way of living. As we settle in our new communities we begin to flourish and gain in well-being. This also we can give thanks to God for, just as with a harvest. Indeed, it is a harvest of ourselves. We can come before the Church and join with others in worship, singing songs of praise, hearing about the word of God, and coming before him in prayer.That which was done thousands of years ago still is pertinent today, especially when we apply today’s values and standards. Lent is traditionally a time to give something up. As we begin our Lenten observance, we can give to God ourselves, for him to use as he sees fit.Collect for the First Sunday of LentAlmighty God,whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;and, as you know our weakness,so may we know your power to save;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.
Third Sunday before Lent1 Corinthians 15.12–20 Luke 6.17–26Many will be familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. Here in Luke’s Gospel we have a similar passage called Sermon on the Plains. Again, Jesus is teaching, not just his disciples, but crowds who had gathered to hear him not only to be healed.The final verse of this passage “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets,” serves as a warning about what we say.In the days gone by prophets would proclaim the word of God in speeches to crowds. They would be held in awe. They would have been seen as great teachers. After they had finished speaking to the crowds, and after they had bathed in the responses and the adulation poured upon them then they would return to their home glowing with pride.However, there were those who also claimed to proclaim the word of God, but with them things were different. They were false prophets. They would speak, not God’s words, but utterances of their own devising. When they had finished they too would return home glowing with the praises heaped upon them, but in this they were praises falsely earned. These were false prophets, charlatans, preying on the people and of the desire of the people to hear from God. God’s word was not an everyday occurrence. When someone stood up claiming to speak in his name the people would stop to listen.They would hear what they wanted to hear. The false prophets would have known this. So, skilfully they framed their words into a speech, a speech which would claim the attention of the peoples and which would possibly have encouraged them to put generously into his ‘collecting hat or bowl’.Jesus was warning against doing things or speaking in a way that people would be speaking well of you. Do you deserve the good things that are being said? If you are speaking in public are you speaking from the heart, from what you are being given or led to say by God? It is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gift of prophetic utterance is a gift to enlighten the hearers, to give them teaching coming direct from God. It will enrich them. It will bring them closer to God. Your words will bring reassurance for the word of God had not been heard for some while.To speak as a false prophet may address the immediate needs of a crowd but they will not be the worlds of God. Cleverly contrived they may be but they will not be food for the soul. The people may be clamouring to hear what you say. Your words may go and feed their wants. It is easy for someone to stand up and speak delivering what the listeners want to hear. A politician can stand and promise all manner of things, laws and policies. But without the correct backing to the words, they are just that, empty words without any meaning or promise.Speaking the word of God the prophet is being led by God. He is feeding the soul with God’s word. The listeners are hearing teaching which will enhance their lives.Recently I wrote about how important it is to speak correctly, to pronounce words as they should be spoken. Here is the reason why. When you stand up to read what is in front of you, you are to recall how it is the word of God that you are proclaiming. If you read well, the hearts of your listeners will be fed, they will be fed with God’s word. It will sink in becoming a part of them. You, as God’s spokesperson will be responsible for building up your listener.Collect for Third Sunday before Lent Almighty God,who alone can bring orderto the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity:give your people graceso to love what you commandand to desire what you promise,that, among the many changes of this world,our hearts may surely there be fixedwhere true joys are to be found;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.
