| New Book now Available Here is an anthology of over 1100 brief prayers and thought-starters, for each day of the year, with almost 400 original prayers by Bruce Prewer. Included is both a subject index and an index of authors-- an ecumenical collection of about 300 different sources. |
 |
| Title: Brief Prayers for Busy People. Author: Bruce D Prewer ISBN 978-1-62880-090-6 Available from Australian Church Resources, web site www.acresources.com.au email service@acresources.com.au or by order from your local book shop or online on amazon. |
JANUARY 21-27
SUNDAY 3
Matthew 4: 12-23 (Sermon 1: “Christ’s Piebald Crew”)
(Sermon 2: “Beginning a New Ministry”)
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Isaiah 9:1-4
Psalm 27: 1, 4-9
PREPARATION
Let us start this service well, by reminding ourselves:
That it is not we who chose Christ,
but Christ who chose us,
That we are not here because of our goodness
but because of Christ’s grace,
That we are not here to enlighten ourselves,
but to allow Christ to enlighten us,
That we have not come to be entertained
but to worship God with heart, soul,
mind and strength.
OR -
The joyful spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you!
God has multiplied our happiness,
God has wonderfully increased our joy!
We celebrate like
farmers in a good harvest;
like prospectors
finding a gold field!
PRAYER
Let us pray.
Wonderful are you, God the
Creator, your love provides a host of gifts.
Glory be to you, generous Father. [Generous Provider]
Wonderful are you, Jesus our
Saviour, your abundant grace redeems us.
Glory be to you, generous Brother. [Generous Redeemer]
Wonderful is the Holy Spirit, your
breath sustains our every moment.
Glory be to you, generous Sister. [Generous Encourager]
To You, One God of all, most
loving and most lovable,
be all honour, power and majesty,
throughout all the worlds that are
and in all the worlds to come.
Amen!
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE
In our confession, we do not only plead our own cause,
but that of all humanity, subverted by evil in many forms.
Let us pray.
Wonderful Author of all living things,
have mercy on our
vulnerable and ignorant lives.
Wonderful Friend of outcastes and sinners,
have mercy on our
faults, which are many.
Wonderful Fountain of forgiveness,
have mercy on our recalcitrant ways.
Wonderful Giver of peace which surpasses all understanding,
have mercy on our
fretting and fussing.
Wonderful Wellspring of everlasting joy,
have mercy on our
fears and sorrows.
Holy Friend, by your saving grace in Christ Jesus, lift us from wherever we have fallen, wash our soiled souls, tend our wounds, restore our spirits, and stir up our love for all that is good, true, loving and beautiful in your sight. For your name’s sake.
Amen!
FORGIVENESS
It is written: “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.” Lift up your hearts and accept this priceless gift. Forgive one another and become agents of reconciliation in the fractious world where God has placed you.
The peace of Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
PRAYER FOR CHILDREN
God of summer holidays and games,
of golden beaches and blue seas,
thank you for making Australia
such a fun place to live in.
Please help us not only to enjoy it
but to look after it as best we can,
so that many other kids,
a thousand years from now,
may also enjoy it like we do.
In Jesus’ name we say this prayer.
Amen!
Ó B D Prewer 2001
PSALM 27: 1, 4-9.
God is my light and my healing,
of what then need I be afraid?
Our God is the
safe-house of my life,
who dare now threaten me?
I have asked our God for one thing,
and I will go all out for it:
That I may be at home
with God
all the days of my life,
to glimpse the beauty
of our God
and be eager in the temple.
On the day when I am in big trouble,
God will keep me secure;
I will shelter in
God’s meeting place,
high up on solid rock.
I shall lift up my head high
above the pack of enemies,
I will tender in the
meeting place
sacrifices of ecstatic joy.
Yes I will sing songs
of faith
Please hear me God, when I pray,
be kind to me and respond.
‘Search for my face,’
you said to me.
Well, now my heart speaks to you:
‘I will search for
your face, God.
Do not hide yourself from me.’
©
B.D. Prewer 2000
THE CALL
When Christ calls a person,
it’s
not an invitation
for
a dilettante
to
indulge an
occasional
holy day,
but to stake one’s very life
on Christ’s raw word and way.
When Christ calls a person,
a
rowdy rabble
of
other desires
stage
a protest
with
piteous howl,
trying to drive bargains
for the adultery of soul.
When Christ calls a person,
that
soul is then
forever
called.
Whether
freely
running
Christ’s course
or in life-long denial,
the call remains in force.
Ó
B D Prewer 2000
COLLECT
Thank you for calling us, awseome
Lord. Thank you for calling us not to pious drudgery but into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. You have replaced our dis-ease with a whole-iness
which competing gods cannot supply. We receive more than we can ever calculate,
we grow beyond old limitations, and we worship knowing that there is no higher
joy on earth. Thank you for calling us. Thank you for training us. Thank you
for journeying with us to the end of the world.
Amen.
SERMON 1: CHRIST’S PIEBALD CREW
Matthew 5: 18-22
When the word of Jesus Christ heralded the Gospel on the shores of Galilee, and fisherman were called to be disciples, the nucleus of the church was being formed.
As Jesus walked by the
waters of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew.
They were fishermen, and were casting a net into the lake.
Jesus said to them
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets
and followed Jesus.
Moving on from there he saw two other brothers in their boat, with Zebedee their father. They were mending their nets. He called the brothers, and without hesitation they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.
Later, as that first fellowship sailed the waters of Lake Galilee in a fishing boat, the new servant people of God had been launched.
Sometimes the church is still pictured as the boat of Christ sailing the unpredictable seas of life. The logo of The World Council of Churches gladly employs this image.
If that is a good logo for the church, then let us face one unpalatable truth: it is a piebald crew that operates this vessel under the command of the ship’s Master.
If you don’t like the equestrian image of piebald, then try motley, ill-matched, tabby, mealy, flee-bitten, skewbald, scabby, or even variolitic.
For such is the nature of Christ’s church on earth.
THE DANGER OF DIVISION
If any one here today clings to the pretty notion that the early church was a serene fellowship of like minds, where there was never any controversy, then forget it! In God’s name forget it!
The disciples were not a group of clones. They had many differences and often found themselves embroiled in arguments. That was the nature of the grass roots church from its inception.
In the Epistles for today, taken from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, we find Paul lamenting divisions.
First Paul’s idealism is on display.
In Christ’s name I beg
you, my sisters and brothers, that you get on together without rancorous
bickering. Find a common mind and make
unanimous decisions.
Then comes the hard reality.
Cloe’s friends have
reported to me that you quarrel a lot. It seems that some of you boast
“I follow Paul,” some,
“I follow Peter,” and others say “I follow Apollos.” There are even
some who claim “I am
Christ’s.”
What’s got into you?
Can Christ’s body be divided up into little bits? Was it Paul who was crucified
for you, or were you in baptised in my name?
You see, divisions had already emerged in the young church in the populous city of Corinth. It frustrated Paul. His letter is a stinging rebuke.
However, could it be that Paul himself had unreal hopes? I think so. I would argue that Paul himself expected too much too soon.
THE COMMON PEACE WE FEEL?
Paul’s idealism reminds me of words in one of Charles Wesley’s wonderful hymns:
All praise to our redeeming Lord,
who joins us by his grace,
and bids us each to each restored,
together seek his face.
Even now we think and speak the same
and cordially agree,
concentred all, through Jesus’ name,
in perfect harmony.
We all partake the joy of one,
the common peace we feel,
a peace to sensual minds unknown,
a joy unspeakable.
Factual or day dreaming? True or false?
Let me affirm that such a common peace or harmony of mind is occasionally experienced in Christian gatherings. As on the day of Pentecost, when “they were all together in one place.”
These days it can still happen. This remarkable unity may be experienced in a house group, a small congregation, or a vast gathering. All divisions fall away, and for a brief time we are at one. Such are precious times.
By God’s grace, as a minister I have experienced many such blessed moments in widely different circumstances.
I recall
the baptism of the precious child of a couple whose first son had died while still toddler. A loving unity of spirit was present that morning in the suburban congregation in outer Melbourne, as we baptised the new, little life entrusted to the care of those parents
We all partake the joy of one,
the common peace we feel,
I recall
the experience of peace and joy in the massed gathering of church representatives in Sydney, when the Uniting Church was inaugurated; the three denominations of Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational coming together in a new covenant.
A peace to sensual minds unknown,
a joy unspeakable.
I recall
moments in “Taize style” services where during the quiet chanting of precious Scriptural words, ‘
Even now we think and speak the same
and cordially agree,
I recall
those time in communal retreats, when in a sensitively led, shared meditation, a peace and unity have possessed us all.
concentred all, through Jesus’ name,
in perfect harmony.
I recall
moments in a quiet Chapel services in Adelaide when in the blessing of the bread a wine, a unity pervaded the diverse members of that tiny congregation.
All praise to our redeeming Lord,
who joins us by his grace.
This does happen. Praise God, it does happen!
But it is not the common experience, not yet. Rather those special times are the Holy Spirit’s promissory note; a foretaste of the unity of heart and mind to which we are being drawn. As a rule, the church experiences small or large scale, conflict of opinion, and on occasions, considerable tension. We are a piebald Crew, a motley community on a journey towards the final reconciliation of all things through Christ Jesus our Lord.
DISSENSION NOT DIVISION
Paul was obviously affronted, and deeply hurt, by the divisions that had so soon emerged in the church at Corinth. All the ingredients for a severe split in the fellowship were there. He spoke sharply to try and make them see that when disputation led to schism, things had gone badly wrong.
What’s got into you? Can Christ’s body be
divided up into little bits? Was it Paul
who was crucified for you, or were
you in baptised in my name?
Dissent might be expected, but splits were untenable for those who share Christ’s name.
Paul himself had sharp arguments with other people. Especially in the church at Antioch. He differed strongly with Peter about some issues, but they had dispute within the peace of Christ.
Later, Paul and his fellow missionary Barnabus, who had shared together much joy and suffering for the Gospel, finally split. They argued about the worthiness of Mark to be a fellow apostle. Not able to agree, they went their separate ways, but still recognising each other as valid servants of the Gospel.
So you see, Paul may have been affronted by the danger of splits at Corinth, but he himself was not immune to disagreements. None of us in the church are.
Even when Jesus had been bodily present, with the disciples sharing each day in his wonderful, visible presence, there were frictions and fractures. There were hassles between the brothers James and John and the others. Peter used to put his foot in it from time to time. There are some witnesses, outside of the NT canon, that suggest friction between Peter and Mary. God forgive them, even at the last supper those disciples were in argument mode when Jesus arrived to eat his farewell meal with them.
My sisters and brothers, if the bodily presence of Jesus could not create a fellowship of identical minds, how could Paul expect to? And why should we expect to?
TEMPER OUR EXPECTATIONS
I see at least two reasons why we should not expect, and certainly not try, to force each other to totally agree.
These are our ignorance and our sinful nature.
We are abysmally ignorant. Whenever I see a preacher dogmatising as if he or she has all the answers, I recoil in embarrassment. By the grace of God we know a little, but we do not have a fistful of answers to every difficult ethical and religious question. The little we do know is most precious. But always our ignorance outweighs our understanding.
Complicating our ignorance is our sinful nature. We are perennially egocentric. Our hubris sends out tentacles in every direction, and can distort even our better moments. After giving our lives to Jesus Christ, the ego does not resign. It may hide or disguise itself, but it remains, making full conversion a life long process. I have never met a totally converted person, and I doubt whether you have.
Our ignorance and our sinful nature interact. They become conspirators in the human soul. Because of our egocentric mind set, we think we are wiser than our brothers and sisters in the faith. We think we know better. We fool ourselves into believing that we have the truth of the matter, while they are fumbling around among half truths. We are “right” they are in error.
Church history is littered with charges and counter charges of heresy. The alliance of ego and ignorance make sure of it. The church has been torn part continually by those who think they hold a purer Gospel than others. Unable to force others to toe their line, they split asunder and form their own sects and denominations.
Should individuals and small groups hold sufficient sanity and grace to refuse to split, then too often the larger body cannot abide their different opinions and therefore casts them out to become “separated Christians”.
REPENT DIVISIONS, EXPECT TENSIONS
What then? Do we shrug our shoulders and say “Let the schisms continue, let them abound. For that is how things are and ever must be?”
Never! Like Paul, we must repent the divisions and seek the deeper unity that Christ offers. But we can only do this by being willing to live in tension rather than expecting and seeking a, saccharine, homogenous harmony!
Christ has called us, just as he called those fishermen by Lake Galilee.
We are no more clones that were the first disciples. The boat of Christ is still manned by a piebald crew. You are I are not the exceptions to this situations. We are a scabby lot. We need to hang in there together to the glory of Christ and for the service of the world.
To seek a cheap unity of like minds, at the expense of the whole body of Christ, is an arrogant venture. In fact, it is a wilful attempt to make Christ in our own image.
Better to live in sharp tension with the piebald crew of fellow Christians, than to form religious cliques. Far better to sometimes feel you are all alone on some issue, than to sell out to the devil and encourage division.
One of the most precious experiences available to us, is to gather at the table of the Lord and to humbly break bread together with those with whose ways of faith may seem at odds with our own.
That is among the few things worth dying for.
SERMON 1 b : CHRIST’S PIEBALD CREW (shorter version)
Matthew 5: 18-22
When the word of Jesus Christ
heralded the Gospel on the shores of Galilee, and fisherman were called to be
disciples, the nucleus of the church was being formed.
As Jesus walked by the waters of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter and Andrew. They were fishermen, and were casting a
net into the lake.
Jesus said to them “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men.” At once they left their nets and followed Jesus.
Moving on from there he saw two other brothers in their boat, with
Zebedee their father. They were mending their nets. He called the brothers, and
without hesitation they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.
Later, as that first fellowship
sailed the waters of Lake Galilee in a fishing boat, the new servant people of
God had been launched.
Sometimes the church is still
pictured as the boat of Christ sailing the unpredictable seas of life. The logo
of The World Council of Churches gladly employs this image.
If that is a good logo for the
church, then let us face one unpalatable truth: it is a piebald crew that
operates this vessel under the command of the ship’s Master.
If you don’t like the equestrian
image of piebald, then try motley, ill-matched, tabby, mealy, flee-bitten,
skewbald, scabby, or even variolitic.
For such is the nature of Christ’s
church on earth.
ALWAYS THERE HAVE BEEN TENSIONS
If any one here today clings to the
pretty notion that the early church was a serene fellowship of like minds,
where there was never any controversy, then forget it!
The disciples were not a group of
clones. They had many differences and often found themselves embroiled in
arguments.
In the Epistles for today, taken from
Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, we find Paul lamenting divisions.
First Paul’s idealism is on display.
In Christ’s name I beg you, my sisters and brothers, that you get
on together without rancorous bickering.
Find a common mind and make unanimous decisions.
Then comes the hard reality.
Cloe’s friends have reported to me that you quarrel a lot. It
seems that some of you boast
“I follow Paul,” some, “I follow Peter,” and others say “I follow
Apollos.” There are even
some who claim “I am Christ’s.”
What’s got into you? Can Christ’s body be divided up into little
bits? Was it Paul who was crucified for you, or were you in baptised in my
name?
You see, divisions had already
emerged in the young church in the populous city of Corinth. It frustrated Paul. His letter is a stinging rebuke.
However, could it be that Paul himself
had unreal hopes? I think so. I would argue that Paul himself expected too much
too soon.
THE COMMON PEACE WE FEEL?
Paul’s idealism reminds me of one of
Charles Wesley’s rollicking hymns:
All praise to
our redeeming Lord,
who joins us by
his grace,
and bids us each
to each restored,
together seek
his face.
Even now we
think and speak the same
and cordially
agree,
concentred all,
through Jesus’ name,
in perfect
harmony.
We all partake
the joy of one,
the common peace we feel,
a peace to sensual minds unknown,
a joy unspeakable.
Factual or day dreaming? True or
false?
Let me affirm that such a common
peace or harmony of mind is occasionally experienced in Christian gatherings.
As on the day of Pentecost, when “they were all together in one place.”
These days it can still happen. This
remarkable unity may be experienced in a house group, a small congregation, or
a vast gathering. All divisions fall away, and for a brief time we are at one.
Such are precious times.
By God’s grace, as a minister I have
experienced many such blessed moments in widely different circumstances.
I recall
the baptism of the precious child of
a couple whose first son had died while still toddler. A loving unity of spirit
was present that morning in the suburban congregation in outer Melbourne, as we
baptised the new, little life entrusted to the care of those parents
We all partake
the joy of one,
the common peace
we feel,
I recall
the experience of peace and joy in
the massed gathering of church representatives in Sydney, when the Uniting
Church was inaugurated; the three denominations of Presbyterian, Methodist and
Congregational coming together in a new covenant.
A peace to
sensual minds unknown,
a joy
unspeakable.
I recall
moments in “Taize style” services
where during the quiet chanting of precious Scriptural words, ‘
Even now we
think and speak the same
and cordially
agree,
I recall
those times in communal retreats, when in a
sensitively led, shared meditation, a peace and unity have possessed us all.
concentred all, through Jesus’ name,
in
perfect harmony.
This does happen. Praise God, it does
happen!
But it is not the common experience,
not yet. Rather those special times are the Holy Spirit’s promissory note; a
foretaste of the unity of heart and mind to which we
are being drawn forwards.
Paul was obviously affronted, and
deeply hurt, by the divisions that had so soon emerged in the church at
Corinth.
What’s got into you? Can Christ’s body be
divided up into little bits? Was it Paul
who was
crucified for you, or were you in baptised in my name?
Dissent might be expected, but splits
were untenable for those who share Christ’s name.
TEMPER OUR EXPECTATIONS
I see at least two reasons why we
should not expect, and certainly not try, to force each other to totally agree.
These are our ignorance and
our sinful nature.
We are abysmally ignorant. By the
grace of God we know a little, but we do not have a hold-all bag of answers to
every difficult ethical and religious question. The little we do know is most
precious. But always our ignorance outweighs our understanding.
Complicating our ignorance is our
sinful nature. We are perennially egocentric. After giving our lives to Jesus
Christ, the ego does not resign. It may hide or disguise itself, but it
remains, making full conversion a
life long process.
Our ignorance and our sinful nature
interact. They become conspirators in the human soul. Because of our egocentric
mind set, we think we are wiser than our brothers and sisters in the faith. We
think we know better. We are right, they are in error.
The alliance of ego and ignorance
create tensions. The church has been torn part continually by those who think
they hold a purer Gospel than others.
Unable to force others to toe their line, they either force others out or split asunder and form their own sects
and denominations.
REPENT DIVISIONS, EXPECT TENSIONS
What then? Do we shrug our shoulders
and say “Let the schisms continue, let them abound. For that is how things are
and ever must be?”
Never! Like Paul, we must repent the
divisions and seek the deeper unity that Christ offers. But we can only do this
by being willing to live in tension rather than expecting and seeking a,
saccharine, homogenous harmony!
We are no more clones that were the
first disciples. The boat of Christ is still manned by a piebald crew. You are
I are not the exceptions to this situations. We are a scabby, tabby lot. We
need to hang in there together to the glory of Christ and for the service of
the world.
To split, and seek a cheap unity of
like minds, at the expense of the whole body of Christ, is an arrogant venture.
In fact, it is a wilful attempt to make Christ in our own image.
Better to live in sharp tension with
the piebald crew of fellow Christians, than to form religious cliques. Far
better to sometimes feel you are all alone on some issue, than to sell out to
the devil and encourage division.
One of the most precious experiences
available to us, is to gather at the table of the Lord and to humbly break
bread together with those with whose ways of faith may seem at odds with our
own.
That is among the few things worth
dying for.
SERMON 2: BEGINNING A NEW MINISTRY
[This sermon was preached on Epiphany 3 at the induction of a Minister
into his new parish in an industrial, multi-cultural suburb]
Matthew 4: 18-22
This evening we launch a new period of ministry, with many profound hopes, both in the breast of Peter and in the heart of this western suburbs parish.
The Gospel reading is also about a new ministry: that of Jesus of Nazareth.
Maybe his hopes were also high, although they must have been tempered by some painful realism, because his cousin John the Baptist had been compulsorily retired by Herod;
Now when Jesus heard that John had been
arrested,
he withdrew into Galilee....................
From that time Jesus began to
preach, saying:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 4: verses 12 & 17)
Matthew regards it as significant that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee. Not in the heartland of the faith in Jerusalem, but in that irreligious region of the land. Galilee, heavily influenced by Greek culture, was disdained by the righteous. Some of the most conservative Jews even regarded it as equivalent to Gentile territory. It had a mixed population and was multicultural.
The region also had suffered back in history. It was first to feel the cruel might of the Assyrian army in 734 BC. Isaiah addresses a message of hope to the people there, calling it the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali.
The people who walked in darkness have seen
a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep
darkness, on them has the light shined.
Matthew is most careful to set the beginning of the ministry of Jesus here; not in the comfortable Bible belt, but in the place where faith is a struggle and the general population more irreligious.
I think Matthew is emphasising at the outset: Jesus belongs to all people. As Christ does to the people of this suburb.
Peter, you well know, having carefully and prayerfully studied the parish profile before accepting a call here, that ministry in this region is hard going. Although the inhabitants do not see themselves as the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, or as the people who walked in deep darkness, the church has a bigger struggle to maintain its worship and outreach than would a congregation in the more affluent “Bible Belt” of this city. There are many recent migrants from many lands, races and cultures. The region has its own social problems. Maybe it is a lot like Galilee. It is the sort of place where Christ started his ministry, and where you will find him today, already at work here before you enter any situation of human need.
THE NATURE OF DISCIPLESHIP
At this point I invite both you, Peter and you the good people of this congregation, to think about the nature of discipleship.
In the Gospel we heard Jesus call his first disciples, Peter and Andrew.
And Jesus said to them: “Follow me, and I
will make you fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and
followed him.”
Then he saw the sons of Zebedee, James and John, and he called them.
Immediately they left the boat, and their
father, and followed him.
Please notice three things:
1/ Discipleship is not our idea. It is not a proposition we put to Christ. He takes the initiative. By Word and the Spirit he confronts us, and makes discipleship a possibility. We can refuse or we can accept. If we refuse his call is not cancelled: even in refusal we remain forever the called people who did not follow. That is true in regard to both the basic call to follow, our basic faith, and to subsequent calls to undertake particular duties or help particular people. It is Christ’s call that makes this congregation and your new minister possible.
2/ There is no reason given for the call. We are not told why these fishermen were called and not others. We are not told they were more pious, or kind, or thoughtful, or brave, or brainy than others. Jesus did not select the elite. His reasons are hidden in God’s wisdom, not ours. It is enough to accept the fact that within the purpose of God, we are called. Dear minister and congregation, your calling does not rest on any virtue of yours, but within Christ’s mysterious grace there is no ground for us to boast. There is a mystery here; why us? Let us leave it there as a mystery, embedded in Christ’s grace.
3/ The call of Christ does not tolerate conditions. When we give our lives to Christ Jesus there is no proviso. It is all or nothing. The disciples must be ready to give up all if the Master so decides.
The German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:
We cannot place ourselves at the Master’s disposal and at the same time dictate our terms. Such a situation would not be discipleship but a self-improvement programme arranged to suit ourselves People like this have a problem: at the very moment they want to follow, they also want not to follow. Such a person is not only at loggerheads with Jesus, they are at loggerheads with themselves.
Tonight I put the question to you Peter, and to this congregation: As this new phase of ministry begins, have we already confounded it with private conditions? Is Christ really the only one determining factor in the days, months and years that lie ahead?
CALLED INTO A NEW FUTURE
I want to push the idea of discipleship a little further. When the disciples left their boats and their families, they embraced a new future in the company of Jesus. In the company of Jesus they braved an insecure way of life. In the company of Jesus they went to places never visited before. In the company of Jesus they tackled things never envisaged before. In the company of Jesus they lived a new pattern of life which did not come naturally.
For us it is the same. The company of Jesus makes the difference. In the company of Jesus we are called to prayer, meditation, reflecting on the Bible, forgiving one another, nurturing each other, serving the least and the lowliest with unflagging goodwill. In company of Jesus we are called together for worship, hearing the Word, receiving the sacraments.
This has a very awkward side. To travel with Jesus means we travel with companions of his choosing. Not our choice. We won’t always instinctively like or feel at home with every one the people he calls. They may have as many sharp edges and irritating habits, as we have; sometimes more, maybe. In fact there are moments when we might feel we have little in common except......? Yes, except Christ who cherishes each one of us.
This can be awkward but it is right and beautiful. Any congregation that is formed on the basis of being similar people of like character and interests who naturally enjoy being together (like some break-away groups are) is a heresy; a denial of the Gospel. Christ alone chooses our membership and asks us to respect and care for one another.
CALLED TO BE NON-COMFORMISTS
The journey we take together is one which will often put us at odds with the community around us. We are called to Christ’s non-conformists.
In our era the urge to conform to the secular world is as seductive as ever. Maybe it is greater than ever before. Modern mass communication has reinforced our tendency to want to stay with the majority. Never have some many millions been pressured to be clothed with the same fashions, clean their teeth with the identical materials, drink the same brand of drinks, work in similar kitchens, watch identical programmes on TV, eat tons of identical junk food. Opinion pollsters are always at work, feeding our lust for conformity.
But Christ asks us to be different. The disciples stood out. They were the new community who travelled with Jesus. At the first, when Jesus was a sensation and crowds followed him everywhere, this would not have been difficult. But when he became “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”, non-conformity became hard. Some like Peter (not you, dear Peter, but Simon Peter!) who loved being popular, found it most difficult.
As the disciples of Christ in this suburb, we cannot be conformist. Christ calls us each to be a different kind of person, with different goals and different values. We cannot be like smart little caterpillars, blending in with the foliage. We belong to Christ. We are different. At time minister and congregation must be prepared to be fools for Christ’s sake.
One of the most damning comments that can be made by a neighbour or a workmate, after years of association, is: “I would never have guessed that you were a church person.”
A SUMMARY
To revisit where we have been in this sermon, I have put it to you:
-Multicultural and irreligious Galilee, where Jesus began his ministry, has much in common with this region of the city. Faith and its practice are not common features.
-It is Christ who has taken the initiative and called us; not we who thought it a nice idea to
believe in him.
-We are not called because we are better than others; grace is the only reason for our status
as friends of Christ.
-His call does not tolerate conditions. We cannot outline conditions for acceptance. It is
absolutely all or nothing.
-Our discipleship has one remarkable bonus: the glory of spending our days in the company
of the beautiful Christ.
-We don’t get to chose ‘nice”, compatible companions; but we are asked to love those whom
he also calls.
-As a band of non-conformists, we cannot expect easy success or gratitude and popularity in
the community.
Let some more words from Bonhoeffer again challenge us:
The disciples is dragged out of relative security into a life of insecurity; from a life where things can be observed and calculated, to a life where much is secret and unpredictable; out of a realm of limited possibilities into the realm of infinite possibilities.
On such a journey this parish is called to continue, in the fellowship of your new pastor, Peter, whom Christ has added to your number for a few precious years. Travel well together.
A CREED
We believe in Christ Jesus.
all lovely and all loving,
the very image of the invisible God.
We believe we are a called
people,
to share in the healing of salvation
and celebrate the love of the invisible God.
We believe we are a sent
people,
called to love others as we are loved
through the Spirit-power of the invisible God.
Ó B D Prewer
FOR OTHERS
Our hope is that in both the brightest and the gloomiest places on earth, the call of Christ may be heard and heeded.
Let us pray.
In the jungles of contemporary business practice, or in the playgrounds
of kindergartens and schools,
Please call us Christ,
into the light of your kingdom.
Wherever men and women are unemployed, or where some have to toil in boring jobs or obnoxious working conditions.
Please call us Christ,
into the love-justice of your kingdom.
With the desolate souls who are weeping by a grave, or families that are celebrating
a newborn child
Please call us Christ,
into the complex travail and joy of your kingdom.
Wherever people serve their neighbours begrudgingly, or where they care for them
with relaxed friendship.
Please call us Christ,
into the service and compassion of your kingdom.
In places where some very earnest souls serve God fearfully, or where they serve God
freely and happily.
Please call us Christ,
into the inclusive love of your kingdom.
Wherever old marriages are under strain, or where new weddings are being celebrated
with high hopes.
Please call us Christ,
into the disciplines and delights of your kingdom.
With congregations that meet in the face of derision or persecution, or with congregations
that worship without hindrance.
Please call us Christ,
into the diverse fellowship of your kingdom.
Holy Friend, we pray also for our families and friends, work colleagues neighbours, in their prosperity or in their hardships. According to the need of each, may their joys be blessed and their sorrows comforted.
Through Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Amen!
SENDING OUT
Let us finish this service well, by reminding ourselves:
That it is not we who chose Christ,
but Christ who chose us,
That we were not here because of our goodness
but because of Christ’s grace,
That we were not here to enlighten ourselves,
but to allow Christ to enlighten us,
That we do not go our separate ways alone,
but in the company of the Spirit
who has great things in store for
us.
Grace, mercy and peace, from God most wonderful,
will be your benediction today and always.
Amen!
THREE BOOKS BY BRUCE PREWER
THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
BY ORDERING ONLINE
OR FROM YOUR LOCAL CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOP
