Acts 2.1-21; John 15.26-27, 16.4b-15
Sixth months ago on the first Sunday of Advent we turned our hearts and minds to the story of Jesus Christ and today we come, not to its conclusion, but to the point in time where the emphasis changes. It changes from focusing on Him as the second Person of the Holy Trinity in His life on earth, to Himself as the Church. And in the coming months we shall see and hear in our worship what that means for us, His body now, as the Church here on earth. But first we need to see how that 'transition', for want of a better word, is made; because it's made in the events we've read about from the Acts of the Apostles and in St. John's gospel today, when at the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. And the 'transition' continues to be made every day in and through each one of us, believe it or not. I guess that most of us, most of the time, might not believe it, even though we see it here and in other places. Because when you put your mind to it, what was going on with the disciples 2,000 years ago was really quite astonishing and what is going on in us today can be just as astonishing; and you might wonder why you'd never realised it before and why much of the time, it doesn't seem to make much difference.
As St. Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles tells the story, it sounds really remarkable. It was quite an event, that coming of the Holy Spirit, with the sound of a rushing wind and with tongues, like fire, coming on each of the disciples. And we read of the immediate result of that, with each of the disciples speaking in other languages. And the consequence of that was that the foreigners gathered for the Pentecost festival were able to hear about 'God's deeds of power' as St. Luke puts it. So right away, the first thing that happens after the Holy Spirit comes is that the disciples are spreading the gospel message. And the Church has been doing that ever since, with varying degrees of success, that is, acting on Jesus commission to his disciples that we read of at the end of St. Matthew's gospel, that they are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And we do the same today, with varying degrees of success. So far, so good.
When we look back at that Pentecost event and the power of God that is evident in it, we can be forgiven for asking where it's all gone to? We don't seem to see much of that power these days. And indeed, if one result of the Holy Spirit's presence is growth of the Church, how come the life of the Church seems to be draining away in the Western world and certainly in Britain, probably more so than in any other Western country? We should be alarmed at that, but we hardly seem to bat an eyelid, or we beat our breasts and wail and lament that 'things aren't what they used to be'. And then move on feeling, at best, defeated. At worst, after a few seconds thought we pass on to some more immediate matter.
Well the reason that we don't see that power and the reason we see the life ebbing out of the Church generally is because we don't appreciate what is happening in that Pentecost event sufficiently for it to make a difference in our own lives, here now. The Holy Spirit that came down upon the disciples wasn't some mysterious power 'sent' by God, there for the privileged, or for those with some special, secret knowledge. It was actually and really God himself, fully God, because we believe in the Holy Trinity, and that each 'person' of the Trinity has all the fullness of God. Now remember what Jesus prayed for, to His heavenly Father - that He and His disciples would all be one. He in them and they in Him just as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. You remember? The prayer is about God and Jesus disciples being united, with Him, as one in God. For that to happen, Jesus said that His disciples would have to obey His commandments because obeying His commandments demonstrates that they love God. And more than that, obeying His commandments makes way for the Father and the Son to make their home in them, to abide in them and each to abide in the other. Do you remember all of this that we've read about before? All of this was actually happening at that feast of Pentecost, with the disciples and with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we read of the results, and we see the results now, in each one of us being here today, and millions around the world worshipping alongside us on this Sabbath day.
So when we read of that event in Acts and see one another here and the Church throughout the world today, we don't really have to work very hard to understand what it means for us. It means simply that if we are to have that fullness of God giving that life to us that we see in the disciples at Pentecost and beyond, then the first, second, third, indeed, every step is to obey Jesus' commandments; to love one another and to obey all the other commandments besides. That way, each of us becomes a fitting vessel in which the Holy Spirit can reside. God doesn't force Himself on us you see. We have the choice, either to go the way of His commandments or the way of our own will, which so often doesn't coincide with that of God's commandments and then we wonder why our lives are filled with so much anxiety and tribulation and why we seem powerless in our Church life, and in our own personal life with God. And we wonder why the 'life' seems to be ebbing out of the Church. It's simply because as individuals and as the Church we forget God and His commandments and we let our own will hold sway over so much. But God has given us that freedom to choose because He wouldn't have it any other way. He made us in His image and so often in following our own will it leads us into sin and His image in us becomes marred and obscured because of sin, because of our own will. And the way to restoring His image in us in all its brightness, and to the Holy Spirit's power working in us, is the way of repentance.
It's only as we turn our own will to the will of God and are obedient to Him that we become one in Him through His Spirit working and abiding in us. Then we are able to come into the fullness of His promises for us, no less than what Jesus said He'd come to bring us, and that is, in His words, 'life in all its fullness'. And also as we abide in Him we too are fit to do the work Jesus and his disciples did 2,000 years ago in this present time now as His body, the Church.
So as we think of those events of Pentecost that we read of today, should we not turn ourselves, hearts and minds to the necessary work in ourselves to make us each a fitting dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, so that we too might proclaim the good news and play our part in making disciples of all nations.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10.44-48; John 15.9-17
Those of you who were with us last week will recall that we were thinking about our connection with Jesus, that we are like a branch on the vine that is himself and it's from him that we get our life and in living that life we are to bear fruit. Jesus talked, in the part of St. John's gospel we read, about 'abiding in him' as he abides in us so that we should bear fruit. And this week we continue in much the same way of thinking.
What we have heard today is not an easy thing to understand because we lead lives in which we are encouraged to be very independent. We are taught and encouraged to express ourselves, to put forward our own opinions and our own points of view, always. We are taught to recognise our own gifts and skills and abilities, to nurture them and develop them and to put them to good use. We are encouraged to make our mark upon the world, to succeed, and to excel in all we do. And there is nothing at all wrong with that. Where things can go wrong, however, is when that part of us that psychologists call the ego takes over and rather than becoming our servant, becomes the driving force that we are subservient to, and we might then end up putting all we are before anyone else in our struggle and striving to be at the top, to be successful, to be the winner. And that then might result in our doing more damage than good.
There is no doubt about it that Jesus expected his disciples to go and change the world. He expected them to continue to make God's kingdom real and for people to reap the benefit of it. And there would be no way that they could do that without being driven to succeed in all they did. When we read of the exploits of the saints and of St. Peter and St. Paul in particular, we can't help but think that they were driven by something, some power much bigger than themselves, something very deep seated within them and something which sometimes they used rather inappropriately. They were of course driven by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And there was no way they could have done what they did, succeeded in the way they did without that Spirit of Jesus.
In two weeks we'll be celebrating the time when the Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost and we'll remember just how powerful it is and can be. But first we need to remember something else, something without which that Spirit cannot work constructively and meaningfully and without which neither the saints of the past nor we and the saints of the present and the future can succeed in any Christian work or in making real the Kingdom of God in the present. And it's what Jesus refers to in the gospel reading today and which harks back to what we heard last week. This time when Jesus is talking to his disciples he talks about their love for him and for one another and their love for God. All are, as it were, connected by this love and they are to 'abide' in it. And it begins with obeying God's commandments, their active living of the life he has prescribed for them. Because it's in that living of God's commandments that they develop and show their love for God and for one another. No less will do and it's only in that way will they go on to do his work, that is, to bear fruit that will last.
As a mark of this Jesus says that they are his friends. He says the relationship they have with him and he with them has changed from that of master and servants to that of friends. And we all know how different friendship is from a master and servant relationship. The relationship of friends is one in which love does develop, even to the extent that those friends will give up their lives for one another. And we know that Jesus became and still is the model for that, through his death on the cross.
So, what we see here amongst the disciples is this special relationship they have with Jesus which is the same as he has with God. It's a relationship founded on and developed in love for one another. And it's in and out of this relationship that they are to excel and succeed in all they do, that is, they are to bear fruit that will last. Driven by the Spirit of God, all that they are, the gifts and skills and talents they have will be nurtured and developed and used in making God and his Kingdom real to people so that they might know the benefit of it in their lives.
That, believe it or not, is still happening through people amongst us who have that same sort of relationship with Jesus Christ, even in this day and age. And it's there for all of us if we take seriously our baptism into Christ, whenever that took place be it as a baby or as an adult. At our baptism we are initiatied into the life of Christ, we are initiatied into that relationship that Jesus has with his heavenly Father and it's for us to nurture that relationship throughout our lives, following his commandments so that we bear the fruit we are born to bear. And it's never too late to renew that relationship if it has lapsed. We can do that through repentance which is a simple 'change of mind'.
So today as we hear those words of Jesus to his disciples, let us dedicate ourselves anew to him so that we might continue to bear fruit for him and make God and his Kingdom real.
Those of you who were with us last week will recall that we were thinking about our connection with Jesus, that we are like a branch on the vine that is himself and it's from him that we get our life and in living that life we are to bear fruit. Jesus talked, in the part of St. John's gospel we read, about 'abiding in him' as he abides in us so that we should bear fruit. And this week we continue in much the same way of thinking.
What we have heard today is not an easy thing to understand because we lead lives in which we are encouraged to be very independent. We are taught and encouraged to express ourselves, to put forward our own opinions and our own points of view, always. We are taught to recognise our own gifts and skills and abilities, to nurture them and develop them and to put them to good use. We are encouraged to make our mark upon the world, to succeed, and to excel in all we do. And there is nothing at all wrong with that. Where things can go wrong, however, is when that part of us that psychologists call the ego takes over and rather than becoming our servant, becomes the driving force that we are subservient to, and we might then end up putting all we are before anyone else in our struggle and striving to be at the top, to be successful, to be the winner. And that then might result in our doing more damage than good.
There is no doubt about it that Jesus expected his disciples to go and change the world. He expected them to continue to make God's kingdom real and for people to reap the benefit of it. And there would be no way that they could do that without being driven to succeed in all they did. When we read of the exploits of the saints and of St. Peter and St. Paul in particular, we can't help but think that they were driven by something, some power much bigger than themselves, something very deep seated within them and something which sometimes they used rather inappropriately. They were of course driven by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And there was no way they could have done what they did, succeeded in the way they did without that Spirit of Jesus.
In two weeks we'll be celebrating the time when the Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost and we'll remember just how powerful it is and can be. But first we need to remember something else, something without which that Spirit cannot work constructively and meaningfully and without which neither the saints of the past nor we and the saints of the present and the future can succeed in any Christian work or in making real the Kingdom of God in the present. And it's what Jesus refers to in the gospel reading today and which harks back to what we heard last week. This time when Jesus is talking to his disciples he talks about their love for him and for one another and their love for God. All are, as it were, connected by this love and they are to 'abide' in it. And it begins with obeying God's commandments, their active living of the life he has prescribed for them. Because it's in that living of God's commandments that they develop and show their love for God and for one another. No less will do and it's only in that way will they go on to do his work, that is, to bear fruit that will last.
As a mark of this Jesus says that they are his friends. He says the relationship they have with him and he with them has changed from that of master and servants to that of friends. And we all know how different friendship is from a master and servant relationship. The relationship of friends is one in which love does develop, even to the extent that those friends will give up their lives for one another. And we know that Jesus became and still is the model for that, through his death on the cross.
So, what we see here amongst the disciples is this special relationship they have with Jesus which is the same as he has with God. It's a relationship founded on and developed in love for one another. And it's in and out of this relationship that they are to excel and succeed in all they do, that is, they are to bear fruit that will last. Driven by the Spirit of God, all that they are, the gifts and skills and talents they have will be nurtured and developed and used in making God and his Kingdom real to people so that they might know the benefit of it in their lives.
That, believe it or not, is still happening through people amongst us who have that same sort of relationship with Jesus Christ, even in this day and age. And it's there for all of us if we take seriously our baptism into Christ, whenever that took place be it as a baby or as an adult. At our baptism we are initiatied into the life of Christ, we are initiatied into that relationship that Jesus has with his heavenly Father and it's for us to nurture that relationship throughout our lives, following his commandments so that we bear the fruit we are born to bear. And it's never too late to renew that relationship if it has lapsed. We can do that through repentance which is a simple 'change of mind'.
So today as we hear those words of Jesus to his disciples, let us dedicate ourselves anew to him so that we might continue to bear fruit for him and make God and his Kingdom real.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8.26-40; John 15.1-8
We are still very much in the Easter season and exploring the meaning of Jesus's resurrection. I think these passages we've read today are ones that are very easily and well remembered by all. And they tell us what it means in very practical terms to be a Christian and how we go about it, in the light of Jesus' resurrection.
Jesus talks about himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches. His Father is the vine dresser, ensuring that the vine bears fruit. There's so much in this simple image that we can take to ourselves in understanding our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus says that we must 'abide' in him as a branch on the vine. Without the vine, the branch cannot bear fruit. It's from the vine that the branch receives its sustenance and life force and so produces the fruit. And any branch that is unproductive, the vine dresser prunes off. Any gardener will know that pruned plants usually grow stronger, as the dead and weaker wood is taken off, stronger shoots and branches grow that are more fruitful. And so the image makes it very clear that if we are to become what God wants us to become then we must stay properly and fully connected with Jesus. When this happens, and we bear fruit then we bring glory to God.
But the question we are left with is 'how do we do this?' How do we 'abide' in Jesus? How do we stay connected? The passage from Acts helps us here. We find the Ethiopian reading the scriptures and Philip, encouraged we are told by the Holy Spirit, goes to the man's aid and helps him understand what he is reading, and what it means for him. The passage doesn't tell us whether or not the man understands even after Philip has explained things, but he realises that to be baptised is important, it's the starting point of his relationship with Jesus Christ and so at the very first opportunity he askes Philip to baptise him.
There's a couple of things here that help us to understand what it means to 'abide' in Christ so that we can bear fruit. First of all, the Ethiopian goes to the scriptures because there he finds what he needs to help him on his journey with Jesus. He also needs someone to help him understand because all is not obvious as he reads. But abiding in Christ isn't just about reading something and understanding what it means. You have to live it from the inside as it were. So, the Ethiopian is baptised, he's initiated into this relationship with Jesus, he's baptised into Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Through his baptism he is very really joined to Jesus, he becomes a branch, growing on the vine.
So these passages give us a very clear description of how we may ourselves 'abide' in Christ. Through our baptism, we are, as it were, joined to Jesus as a branch to a vine and that vine then brings us the sustenance through which we might bear fruit. We also feed our relationship with Jesus through reading and understanding the scriptures and having them expounded to us by the Church. The Ethiopian didn't just receive an explanation from anyone, but from one of Jesus own disciples, from a member of the Church and so it was the Church that was explaining the Scriptures. And that is an important thing to remember. That it's the Church's interpretation of the Scriptures that matters, not that of any single individual. And of course we are now 2,000 years on and we know that essential to our abiding in Christ is our own individual prayer and our joining in the prayer and worship of the Church.
And so it is in these ways that we 'abide' in Christ, and that we bear fruit to the glory of God. And look at the reward. 'If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.' It sounds like a very tall order, to have granted anything we wish. But the promise is there if we 'abide' in Him. The question is, how well do we do that? I suppose you could say that it's only as our prayers are answered that we know the reality of God in our lives and know that Jesus is indeed, risen.
We are still very much in the Easter season and exploring the meaning of Jesus's resurrection. I think these passages we've read today are ones that are very easily and well remembered by all. And they tell us what it means in very practical terms to be a Christian and how we go about it, in the light of Jesus' resurrection.
Jesus talks about himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches. His Father is the vine dresser, ensuring that the vine bears fruit. There's so much in this simple image that we can take to ourselves in understanding our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus says that we must 'abide' in him as a branch on the vine. Without the vine, the branch cannot bear fruit. It's from the vine that the branch receives its sustenance and life force and so produces the fruit. And any branch that is unproductive, the vine dresser prunes off. Any gardener will know that pruned plants usually grow stronger, as the dead and weaker wood is taken off, stronger shoots and branches grow that are more fruitful. And so the image makes it very clear that if we are to become what God wants us to become then we must stay properly and fully connected with Jesus. When this happens, and we bear fruit then we bring glory to God.
But the question we are left with is 'how do we do this?' How do we 'abide' in Jesus? How do we stay connected? The passage from Acts helps us here. We find the Ethiopian reading the scriptures and Philip, encouraged we are told by the Holy Spirit, goes to the man's aid and helps him understand what he is reading, and what it means for him. The passage doesn't tell us whether or not the man understands even after Philip has explained things, but he realises that to be baptised is important, it's the starting point of his relationship with Jesus Christ and so at the very first opportunity he askes Philip to baptise him.
There's a couple of things here that help us to understand what it means to 'abide' in Christ so that we can bear fruit. First of all, the Ethiopian goes to the scriptures because there he finds what he needs to help him on his journey with Jesus. He also needs someone to help him understand because all is not obvious as he reads. But abiding in Christ isn't just about reading something and understanding what it means. You have to live it from the inside as it were. So, the Ethiopian is baptised, he's initiated into this relationship with Jesus, he's baptised into Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Through his baptism he is very really joined to Jesus, he becomes a branch, growing on the vine.
So these passages give us a very clear description of how we may ourselves 'abide' in Christ. Through our baptism, we are, as it were, joined to Jesus as a branch to a vine and that vine then brings us the sustenance through which we might bear fruit. We also feed our relationship with Jesus through reading and understanding the scriptures and having them expounded to us by the Church. The Ethiopian didn't just receive an explanation from anyone, but from one of Jesus own disciples, from a member of the Church and so it was the Church that was explaining the Scriptures. And that is an important thing to remember. That it's the Church's interpretation of the Scriptures that matters, not that of any single individual. And of course we are now 2,000 years on and we know that essential to our abiding in Christ is our own individual prayer and our joining in the prayer and worship of the Church.
And so it is in these ways that we 'abide' in Christ, and that we bear fruit to the glory of God. And look at the reward. 'If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.' It sounds like a very tall order, to have granted anything we wish. But the promise is there if we 'abide' in Him. The question is, how well do we do that? I suppose you could say that it's only as our prayers are answered that we know the reality of God in our lives and know that Jesus is indeed, risen.
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