The Feast of St Peter and St Paul

(2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18, Matthew 16:13-19)

St Peter and St Paul do not have separate feast days and are celebrated together as foundation members of the church – they were instrumental in establishing and spreading Christianity They had complementary ministries with Peter often being called the Apostle to the Jews and Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Peter, originally a fisherman, was chosen by Jesus to lead His church. Paul, originally a pharisee, persecuted Christians until his conversion on the road to Damascus. Their deaths in Rome solidified their connection and their importance to the early church.

In our Gospel reading, Peter is praised for his belief and faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God. Peter had times of doubt and unfaithfulness but the first call in his following of Jesus was to grow in the faith that would sustain his life.

Jesus withdrew from the mainly Jewish region of Galilee to a place more populated by Gentiles as a kind of retreat or respite. Whilst there He asked the disciples who the crowds thought He was – not because He didn’t know but as an ice breaker to His next question; who do the disciples say He is. And, of course, Peter answered “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”.

This question is asked of all who hear of Jesus, it is us, not Him, who are judged by the answer. If we really believe Jesus is who He said He is then that will affect the way we live.

Jesus presupposes that His disciples would have thought differently to the men of the crowds.

Jesus was a national reformer, a miracle worker, a prophet. He is the Christ.

Peter understood that Jesus was not just God’s Messiah but also God Himself. Jesus praises Peter for his bold and correct declaration. Jesus reveals to Peter that Peter had spoken by divine inspiration.

The name Peter means Rock. Peter was and would become a Rock. God was transforming his character into something solid and reliable.

“On this rock I will build my church”. Jesus is the cornerstone – the church’s one foundation. Peter was the first Rock among many Rocks. Interestingly, this is the first use of the word church in the New Testament. It came from a Greek word which just meant “group” or “called out group”.

Jesus prophesies the building of the church and claims ownership – “My church”. Jesus brings His people together, on a firm foundation, building them into something that belongs to Him and which is a stronghold.

“I will build, on this Rock, My church, the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”.

Jesus promises that the forces of death and darkness cannot prevail against or conquer the church.

Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom. Peter opened the doors of the kingdom to the Jesus (Acts 2:38-39). Peter opened the doors of the kingdom to the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-44). Peter was allocated special privileges but Jesus did not grant him the authority to pass the special privileges or authority to future generations.

Jesus gave permission and authority to the first generation apostles to make rules for the early church. This was a responsibility of the disciple group as a whole.

Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone He was The Christ. He was pleased His disciples were coming to know who He was in truth, but He didn’t want His identity known before the proper time.

Before they could preach that Jesus was the Messiah, they had to learn what that meant.

The Epistle focuses on Paul’s impending death and God’s faithfulness. Paul’s life was a sacrifice and his death was a transition to be with the Lord. Faith is not faith in one’s own abilities bit in God’s faith planted within us which turns us, despite the upheavals and setbacks and failures of life into faithful workers in the vineyard. It speaks of conformity in Christ and is full of verses filled of hope.

Hope in the present, seeing the world with different eyes, with knowledge that Christ is present today. Hope from the certainty that God works through Him at all times, for the community, in the community, with the community.

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for His heavenly kingdom”. This is the prayer of one who relies solely on God and knows that it is not his work but God who will hold him, justify him and bless him. There is no other help but what God gives.

In this promise, we are all invited to pray.

Father’s Day …

… originated in the United States in the early 20th century. In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, a woman from Spokane, Washington, proposed the idea of a day to honour fathers after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon. She wanted to recognize her father, who raised her and her siblings after her mother’s death.

As we enter into the month of June, Father’s Day is approaching and this gives us the opportunity to address why God is often referred to as Father.

Whilst referring to God as Father was less frequent prior to the birth of Jesus, God is referred to as Father in the Old Testament where He is called the Father of the nation of Israel. In the Gospels, when Jesus speaks about and prays to God He typically refers to Him as His “Abba, Father”. Teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus said, “When you pray, you say, Our Father …” Jesus gave to us the right and privilege to come into the presence of the majesty of God and address Him as Father.

He transformed the meaning of the word for His time to call His people (Jews and Gentiles) to a true relationship with a caring, personal God, as scripture affirmed. It also puts an emphasis on God’s role as the source of all life, love and authority, similar to an ideal image of a father’s role in a family. It shows God’s interest in humanity, His care for His children and His ultimate power, providing, protecting and loving.

Galatians 4:4-4 “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

We don’t just call God Father because of Him being our creator but also because of the revelation given to us in Christ; which acknowledges a particular relationship with Him. God is also addressed as Father because He is His people’s redeemer and because we have been joined to Christ by adoption. Jesus died the death we deserve so that we might be joined to Him and adopted into God’s family.

“And by him we cry “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. And now if we are children then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his joy.”

Boring and Mundane

Advance warning – my story of faith is not dramatic! I know I am not the only one here who has sat in a church meeting where the minister has asked for people to give testimony or to talk about finding the light and thought “but I’ve always believed”. The reality is my story is ordinary and mundane.

I had a Christian family and learnt about Jesus from an extremely young age. I’ve belonged to and been part of church my whole life.

And, having explained that I have no dramatic Hollywood style event to entertain you with, I could stop here …

…or I could, which is what I’m going to do, continue anyway and tell you more – including why it is that ordinary mundane testimonies can be a blessing to us.

Being a Christian and following a Christian life is difficult – and it’s supposed to be. Remember that old adage that implies that something’s worth is measured by how hard you had to work for it. God, through His grace and His Son Jesus Christ, has given us the most valuable gift of all; but to follow in our Lord’s footsteps takes hard work and perseverance.

We are called to faithfulness. We are persecuted, we suffer, we face trials tribulations. temptation and false teachers trying to send us off track.

When times are difficult we are tempted to give up and many do fall away. The epistles remind us to persevere, to put on God’s armour. to stand firm and to ensure in following Jesus Christ.

Remaining steadfast, staying on the narrow path and being faithful teach the need to focus on persevering, to continue to put our trust in God and to not falter.

The well known poem about the footsteps in the sand really is true. God never leaves us. Whilst people fall away and leave Him; He does not abandon us.

When I give my burdens to Him I feel a physical lightness and literally feel the weight removed from my shoulders as He takes the load for me.

When times are easy, I feel His presence walking beside me and we enjoy the journey together.

If things are more difficult I feel His hand in mine.

In times of great trial He is supporting me or carrying me if you like.

And in times of great sorrow I feel His arms around me as He embraces me with His great love and comfort.

This is certainly a great blessing and in return I pray that God will continue to fill me with His love so that it can overflow through me to others.

We are called to carry each other’s burdens, encourage and bring back the wanderers. We are called to follow Christ’s example to aspire to God’s standard and to repent of all – however mundane – that makes us guilty of not reaching that standard.

God told us to pass His teachings to our children. Having parents, teachers, ministers and peers who did this points to God’s continued faithfulness as does having been preserved in the faith. God catches me when I stumble.

He has blessed me and kept me. He has blessed you and kept you.

So let us sing of His great love for evermore and make His faithfulness known through all generations and let us give thanks to God.

He Is Risen!

Listening to the readings again on Easter Sunday with the women going to the tomb to prepare Jesus’s body reminds me of something I read recently about Mary – Jesus’s mother.

It is interesting, is it not, that Jesus’s mother – arguably His greatest disciple, a woman of tremendous faith, who stayed by Him to the bitter end, is not listed amongst the women going to attend to Jesus’s body.

And this poses the theory that the first person Jesus appeared to may well have been His mother and that this is why she was not among those going to the tomb at dawn. Such an appearance would be part of completing her participation in the essential parts of the paschal mystery.

Mary suffered above all others in the suffering and death of her son. Christ kept the commandments. He honoured His heavenly Father, His earthly father and His mother, so it makes sense that he’d visit her first.

If a son lived far away and his mother was told he’d died but he was actually alive and healthy and he returned to the area, it would highlight that he was not a good son if he visited his friends first and his mother last.

Jesus was the perfect son. So, why would He not visit His mother first. There’s also her faith, which, despite the apostles losing theirs at Jesus’s passion, Mary had in abundance. Scripture tells us that the Lord shows Himself to those who have faith in Him. And, of course, she loved her son so much and scripture tells us that those who love Him will be visited by Him.

How joyful she must have felt at seeing her son alive once more.

There is a special kind of joy at Easter. It’s not just the spring flowers springing up into life or the longer days. What it is is a deep, radiant joy born from our Lord’s victory over sin and death so that we might have eternal life with Him.

Jesus leaves the darkness and rises to new life. Through God’s grace, this gives us the gift that, no matter what our past was, we have permission to leave it behind and embrace the hope and joy of new lives in Christ. His sacrifice and act of intermediary reconciliation grants us forgiveness of our past sins, our present sins and our future sins.

A cross in a sunny field of flowers. Easter Joy.

Two Mothers Are Brought Together

(Luke 1:39-55)

I love the title that Nicholas King’s translation gives this Gospel passage. Unlike most others which use “Mary visits Elisabeth” this one is “Two Mothers Are Brought Together”.

Even though their babies had not yet been born, Mary and Elisabeth were both expecting and so were most definitely mothers. They were also cousins. How apt that the saviour of the world and his forerunner were related. It was natural for Mary and Elisabeth to meet up and support each other – Elisabeth in the last three months of pregnancy and Mary in the first three.

Through these two lowly women (and at that time women were considered by society to be inferior and were overlooked and ignored) God begins His transformation of the world.

At Mary’s first words comes an immediate response from Elisabeth’s unborn child – John leaps. John has acknowledged both Mary’s presence and her baby’s significance – fulfilling the prophecy about Him that even before His birth He would be filled with the Holy Spirit. Before he is even born, John is pointing to the Messiah – announcing His coming.

Elisabeth is also filled with the Holy Spirit, enabling her to announce what Mary has not yet imparted – that Mary is also with child. It is through the Holy Spirit that Elisabeth knows who Mary’s child will be – enabling her to call Mary the “Mother of my Lord”.

These two women are demonstrating tremendous faith and determination to fulfil God’s will and His work for them.

Elisabeth blesses Mary. Our English language is often proclaimed quirky and translations into English can result in some things being obscured. In this case the translation obscures the fact that Elisabeth uses more than one word for blessed.

When Elisabeth says Mary is blessed among women and that Mary’s unborn baby is blessed she uses a term which means that both present and future generations will praise and speak well of Mary and her child.

But when Elisabeth says “Blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” she uses the same term Jesus used when He blessed people in the Beatitudes. Therefore, we could translate Elisabeth’s words as “Happy is she who believed”.

Despite all expectations and women’s lack of status in society, instead of being shamed for having this baby, Mary is honoured and she is blessed with divine joy because she believed and trusted in what God is able to do and what God promises to do.

Mary’s trust and faith is a direct opposite to Elisabeth’s husband Zechariah who had demanded proof that the angel’s word was true when the angel told him Elisabeth would have a baby. Whilst not mentioned in today’s reading, Zechariah’s punishment for his doubt was to be struck dumb. It was not until the baby was born and Zechariah wrote on a slate that his baby was called John that God granted him the ability to speak again.

Instead of doubting and demanding proof, Mary asked what would happen and then willingly accepted. A lowly village girl demonstrating believe and trust where the priest had doubted.

Elisabeth had had her own share of social exclusion and judgement. The role of women at that time was to have children and, until God granted her the gift of John, Elisabeth had been treated by society as a failure. God’s grace reversed Elisabeth’s social status. Elisabeth overturned social expectations and continued the pattern of social reversal as she greets Mary at the door with honour. When Elisabeth welcomes Mary she practices the same kind of inclusive love that Jesus shows to outcasts and sinners. She sees the reality of God’s love at work amongst those whom society excludes.

This passage reflects the importance of community support and shared experiences in faith. Mary’s visit was not just fulfilling a family obligation but was also Spiritual affirmation. Mary and Elisabeth trusted that God was coming to save and free them. They gave thanks, they responded to God’s love. They supported each other as they waited in hopeful anticipation.

Let us support each other in love with hiope and faith as we wait expectantly for our Lord to return.

You Can’t Teach An Old DCC New Tricks …

DCC's¹ the game that's played - 
Nothing useful is conveyed.
We just sit here wasting time
Whilst they moan the same old gripe;
It is just a load of tripe - 
And it doesn't feel right.

They all have their own soapbox,
The same old words - 
They never stop.
They are not prepared to bend - 
Or to listen and amend!

They cannot see it doesn't work - 
It's time to change but they will not.
It's always just the same old theme - 
It needs to change and change a lot - 
They're in a rut and so there's rot!

Based on experience at QB. ↩︎

… for life not just for Christmas …

I wonder how many already have put all the decorations away? I wonder how many will rush to put them away on twelfth night? I wonder how many will keep them up until Candlemas when Jesus is presented at the temple? I wonder how many still have turkey and excess food to eat?

I further wonder how many of those who’ve already put their decorations away, excitedly got them out in November, and on putting them away said something along the lines of “thank goodness they’re away for another year”? I also wonder how many of those who have not yet put the decorations away will be saying something similar when they do?

And all this wondering is because I wonder how many put Jesus away with the decorations? How many try to box Him up and leave Him in the loft with a “thank goodness that’s done for another year”?!

We see the slogan, “A dog is for life not just for Christmas”. Something which is very true – they are a life long commitment!

Jesus is a life long commitment. Not only that, He is for life in more ways than one.

Jesus was born as that tiny baby at Christmas for our salvation. He came to save our lives. His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for us to have life. Jesus is for life.

When we commit ourselves to Jesus and let Him into our lives; this is a life long commitment. We spend each day trying to follow Jesus’s example.

So this year I pray that, instead of putting Jesus away with the decorations for another year, we open the door to Him – letting Him in for life!

Jesus is for life not just for Christmas!

Advent

How many of us have Advent Calendars, and the accompanying daily chocolate?

Interesting isn’t it? Advent is synonymous with Lent and yet this is the difference between them – for Lent we attempt to give something up but in Advent we excitedly open doors and eat chocolate.

Lent is a time when we aim to cut out the distractions, preparing and making ourselves ready for the work Jesus has for us and for Him to be in our hearts.

Advent is a time when we have to look at our lives and make a choice. Do we accept forgiveness and follow Jesus; preparing and making ourselves ready and cutting out the distractions?

Or do we allow ourselves to get swept up in the commercialism, the busyness, the chaos, the overindulgence, the excess food, the drama, the darkness? It is easy to do – there is, after all, so much of it all around us.

Are we ready?

No, I don’t mean do you have the tree and decorations up, presents and cards all wrapped/written/sent, parties organised, invites sent, that Christmas food shop booked and all the other activities we think of when we use the term festivities.

Are we ready for Jesus?

This passage from Mark* is full of imagery. Jesus was talking in a way that the Jews of the time would understand. There are however, several key points.

The first is that Jesus is foretelling the second coming – that He will come again. He does not know the exact time of His return but He will be returning. This is an excellent example of faith and trust in God. Jesus knows that if God has told Him He will come again that will indeed happen. Jesus does not need to question all the finer details.

Jesus was also foretelling the destruction of the Great Temple in Jerusalem and the fall of Jerusalem. When Jesus says “this generation will not pass away until these things happen” it is this destruction that He is referring to. And this prophecy was indeed fulfilled when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70AD.

We do not need to doubt Jesus prophecies. We know they will come to pass. We know He will come again.

Jesus likens us to men who know that their master is coming but who do not know exactly when he will arrive. We do not need to be afraid of this. But we must live our lives in a way that means we are ready no matter when He arrives. Every moment of every day becomes a preparation for the moment we meet Him face to face.

The next point is that, of all things, it is most foolish to be so wrapped up in earthly distractions that we forget God. The wise are those who never forget that they must be ready when the summons come, so that, for them, the end will be eternal joy.

“Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. We long for the day, when we will see your face, we will be with you, you as our light.” This prayer sums up waiting for the Lord and the fulfilment of God’s plan. No one waits without a good reason and how long we wait is determined by the reward at the end. Jesus is surely the best reward.

The farmer does not know (exactly) what day the rain will come or the crops be ripened but the farmer knows they will and waits patiently and faithfully, ready and prepared for when that time comes. Likewise, we must wait patiently and trust in God whilst we wait, faithfully and prepared.

But when we are waiting for something how do we wait? Do we fill our lives with distractions and keep busy to avoid the waiting?

We have the chance to wait and change our lives but we miss it by running around. We forget our heart.

Do we use advent as a time to slow down as we prepare for Jesus to be born again in our hearts at Christmas or do we rush around more than ever letting life get more and more hectic?

Advent is a time of preparation and waiting. A time to slow down and open up – opening up our hearts and minds.

Advent is a time for prayer. A time for tradition – by which I mean it’s actual meaning of sharing and passing on belief. It is about going deeper in our personal journey with Christ. It is a chance to reset and ensure we have what we need to be prepared so that we are ready no matter what day or hour He returns. It is a time to stop being complacent. A time to keep relationship with God and work on it; doing God’s will everyday.

Advent is a time to put our hearts right with God and prepare them. Are we ready to use this Advent to prepare ourselves so that we are always ready for Jesus’s return and ready to welcome Him into our hearts once again?

*Mark 13.24-37

All Saints*

Wednesday was All Saints Day and so we are celebrating all saints today. Hence, we have the reading from John’s Revelation describing the multitude of saints in Heaven and The Beatitudes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

When reading, some of you may remember seeing a child learning to read and recognise this, sometimes there is a word which is slightly more unusual and which the reader may not have heard pronounced. In this circumstance, the knowledge the reader has accrued from what they do know about letter sounds and similar words to work out a way of pronouncing it. Sometimes the result is correct and sometimes it varies to how others may pronounce the word.

Some of you may have guessed where this is going.

When I was little I pronounced beatitude as “beautytude”. Now the thing is that whilst my church read the Old Testament, the Epistle and the Gospel at all services, the reading would be announced and then read without the title headings that some passages have. So it was a long time before I actually heard anyone else pronounce “beautytude” as “be attitude”.

Beatitude comes from the Latin word for blessedness and The Beatitudes have been interpreted many times by many different scholars. The highlight the human state and God’s righteousness. They depict the ideal heart condition for a disciple of Christ, a member of God’s kingdom.

But they are also much more than that. Remember what I used to call them – “beautytudes”. There is a further reason to that and it is simply that the beatitudes are beautiful. The are beautiful, uplifting, words of encouragement. They show us the truth of God’s kingdom. They help uphold us when times are hard.

Feeling lost? You are blessed – God will show you the way. Carrying sadness, grief, loss, pain? Joy will come. Feeling unheard and not valued? God hears you. You are precious to Him. Hungry? Homeless? In need of respite? God the Comforter is with you. Desperate for peace and righteousness? Trodden down by war and persecutors? God is by your side sharing your pain.

The saints are not those who have it all figured out. They are not perfect, they are not irreproachable, they have not set unattainable examples.

They are sinners! They suffered! They know grief and pain! They love God and their neighbour. They find ways to seek and serve Christ and praise Him!

Charles Wesley, who incidentally loved All Saints Day, wrote many hymns, including O For a Thousand Tongues to sing. The conclusion to which is:

“To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven. ”

Here on earth we are too fond of canonizing to officially grant the title of saint. There are even five stages that have to be followed to enable this to happen and generally this process can’t even start until 5 years after their death.

At the risk of being struck down, I don’t think it is our right to decide who is a saint. In my opinion, that right is God’s. Only God knows what is truly in our hearts. I also think that there is a huge flaw with canonizing. This is that I don’t think someone has to be dead to be a saint. I’m not saying that those who have already passed into light perpetual are not saints – just that there are also some still breathing.

How many times do we say to someone “you’re a saint” when they help us in a time of need?

Look around.

Saints are sinners! Saints love God and their neighbour. They have chequered pasts but have repented, serve Christ and strive to walk in His footsteps. They are filled with the Holy Spirit, and no matter what the circumstances are still able to lift their hearts in prayer and praise to God.

Saints are found in the most unlikely of places, in the street, in the supermarket, everywhere. And today we celebrate them all.

There is an old hymn that used to be sung a lot but which I haven’t heard sung for many years by Lesbia Scott which I feel is very poignant today and so I’m going to finish by reading it to you:

I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green:
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.

They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and God’s love made them strong;
and they followed the right, for Jesus’ sake,
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast:
and there’s not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn’t be one too.

They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still;
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.
Source: Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #730

*Talk from Holy Trinity Sheerness 5th November 2023

Testing

This morning’s Gospel is just like my children…

… they ask testing questions and … yep – when they are asked to do something they either don’t do it or … if it’s the youngest anyway … they say “No!”; then they go away and think about it and then get on with it.

The chief priests tried to trick Jesus, testing Him, by asking where His authority came from.

Jesus, of course, did not fall into their trap. Instead, He turned it around by asking whether John’s baptism came from heaven or from human origin. They refused to answer Him, out of fear of recrimination from the crowd and damage to their reputation.

So Jesus tells this parable of the first son who refused to do what his father asked but then changed his mind; and of the second son who agreed but then did nothing.

A lesson about obedience and disobedience. The chief priests claimed to accept God’s message and would put on a show for the people – but that’s all it was – just a show. Jesus is saying they are like the second son who said “yes” but then did not obey.

The point is that those who refuse God but who later repent and follow Him, obey Him, can enter the Kingdom of God. Those who say “yes” but do not repent (which includes following through with their actions) can’t.

If the chief priests are the second son, who are the first?

Jesus answered that for us too – He points out to the chief priests that the tax collectors and prostitutes (those who were considered at the time to be the biggest sinners) were the first son and would enter the Kingdom of God first because they believed, repented and returned to God. The chief priests, who only claimed to follow God with their words but not with their hearts or actions, would not get to enter God’s Kingdom unless they truly repented.

Turning to God with repentance is the key to our salvation, no matter what our past sins might be or how many times we’ve disappointed God. He can see what is in our hearts and forgives us when we are truly sorry.

It’s what we do, not just what we say, that counts.

Let’s renew our own commitments to be faithful followers of Jesus.

Let us thank God for sending His Son who truly is who He says He is.

Let us be genuine in our actions and live in love serving others.

Talk from Holy Trinity Sheerness (Matthew 21:23-32)