Pray, face, receive

As I thought about the readings for this Sunday I thought especially of Lent. This is the season in which we remember Jesus being tempted in the wilderness as we read in the gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 4:1-12).

I have often thought of Lent as the ultimate Spiritual exercise regime, it is a bit like aerobics!  I have tried normal aerobics, water aerobics and even step aerobics.  I have enjoyed each one but each one has caused me to get the moves wrong and to give up.

I started normal aerobics and it was going ok to be honest, until... I developed a lack of co-ordination followed by the strangest back pain ever which was like my stomach grumbling but in my back.  I suspect the lack of co-ordination had something to do with it!

Then there came water aerobics,  I was happily doing all the right exercises but then I realised that I was doing them differently to everyone else. Wearing my glasses so that I could see the instructor may have helped !  

Then I tried step aerobics, which would have been fine if I had not kept falling off the step.

All these attempts at aerobics led me to believe that me and aerobics are never going to be the best of friends.  

I am pleased that spiritual exercises are less energetic. Taking time to read the Bible, to pray and to listen to God is so important, it helps us to grow closer to God.

Prayer is about talking to God. My time with Him is to be time when I can be open with Him, explain what I am feeling and ask for His help.  In the wilderness Jesus prayed. 

In the wilderness Jesus also faced temptation. Temptation is one of those words that reminds me of a juicy book or soap-opera, and people doing something incredibly bad. But temptation can also be gossip, it can be saying an unkind word, it can be holding a grudge against someone, it can be about not letting go of hurt caused to us by someone else.  

Temptation is what ever takes us away from God and all that He is asking us to do. Which is, to be more like Him and to think before we do something. It may be to ask ourselves if all we do and say matches up to God. None of us is perfect and we make mistakes but part of being a disciple, a follower of Jesus is to keep turning to Him and turning away from all that would stop us being like Him.

At the end of the gospel reading we read that angels ministered to Jesus. Jesus had gone to get closer to the Father, He had faced temptation and now He was able to receive more and more of God’s love. 

I love the idea of angels ministering to Him. God ministers to us by helping  us, by loving us, by always being there and all He asks is that we trust Him to be a part of our lives. 

Lent and everyday is to be about praying, facing up to any difficulties, celebrating any joys and most importantly, recognising and receiving God’s love. I hope that I will use this Lent well to pray, face up, celebrate and  receive! 

Thinking about meeting God

As I looked at the readings for this Sunday I got thinking about what it might feel like to physically meet God. I can't imagine it really but if I tried to come up with words they would probably include ‘wonderful’ and ‘awe inspiring’. Then as I thought about the readings for this week and their descriptions of meeting God I wondered about excitement, fear, awe.

In the Old testament reading (Exodus 24:12-18) we read of Moses going up Mount Sinai to meet with God.  A lot of strange things had happened to Moses. He had previously met God through a burning bush. God had used him to get the people out of slavery in Egypt and now, as they wandered through the wilderness, God had laws to give him.

Moses went up the mountain as God had asked him to. To be honest I don't think the answer no would have been a good one. Moses went up, taking Joshua with him. When Moses got to the mountain it was covered by a cloud. This stayed for six days. Finally, on the seventh day God called to Moses. There was what looked like a fire. Moses was there for 40 days and 40 nights. 

A cloud, a fire and  we are told, Moses stayed there for a very long time.  Maybe for Moses, meeting God was surprising, mysterious, and the glory of God appeared to be like a fire. It was certainly a dramatic meeting.

In the gospel reading (Matthew 17:1-9) we read of the transfiguration of Jesus. This was another dramatic meeting, this time with glory which was dazzling. Jesus’ appearance changed. His face shone like the sun, his robes became dazzling white. This is amazing, can you imagine that feeling? A normal walk up a mountain and then your leader becomes like the sun, with dazzling clothes.

Not just this, but then suddenly two great hero’s appeared. Moses who brought the law to the people after he met with God and Elijah who prophesied to the people telling them how best they could keep that law. Peter had the reaction of wanting to hold onto this incredible feeling for as long as he could. He didn’t want this experience of being surrounded by Jesus, Moses and Elijah to end. This was something so incredible how could it possibly end? 

Peter was stopped in his plans by Moses and Elijah disappearing and God the Father speaking, telling Peter, James and John to listen to Jesus. 

The disciples were reassured that Jesus was not only worth following but He could still amaze them. 

Perhaps I see meeting with God as reassuring. After all, God had spoken to Moses and led the people of Israel out of Egypt. As Jesus was transfigured before them the three disciples could see that the one they followed really was God. 

In the gospel the next account we read is of Jesus and the three disciples going straight back to caring for others as Jesus healed a little boy.  The disciples had been energised, they had experienced something amazing. It gives me hope and assurance that Jesus will give me all I need. He will do the same for you, may we always remember the times when we have turned to God and just known everything would be ok in the end. This is a feeling that’s definitely worth pursuing. 

Don’t worry, be happy 😁

As I looked at the readings for Sunday I was reminded that regardless of anything else going on, God made us, He created us and He will look after us. This Sunday is  also known as Creation Sunday. It is a strange title, except every reading reminds us that we were created by God and given this beautiful world because God loves us.

The first reading is the rather long story of Creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3).  Whenever I read or hear this account I love to think of God looking at the world and thinking – not bad, I did that! I love the idea of Him being like an artist looking for perfection. I really like the thought of God being playful almost as He created. Almost a kind of, “Well let’s see what happens if I separate the waters.” And then “Let me see what else I can make.” Of course there are lots of different views in science but I believe that every one of these views points back to God.

The most important bit is that, however it was done, God created, and it was good. In the epistle reading from Romans (8:18-25) we read of the concerns of people as they waited for God to help them.  They had looked at the world around and the creation and they knew that things were not perfect and full of joy as God had intended them to be. Like all of us, as they waited, they were anxious. They knew that God was in control and that the suffering they saw was nothing compared to what they were going to see when they saw God in His glory.

It’s almost a bit like, “Don’t worry, be happy.” Well, that’s fine for other people but worry still happens for us all at times.  

It’s the gospel reading (Matthew 6:25-34) which helps me the most. I can picture  the disciples listening to Jesus as He told them not to worry. As Jesus spoke He appeared to be full of joy and wonder at the creation around Him. He looked at the birds and saw that they had no worries, everything was sorted out for them and they flew with freedom, and the lilies He saw grew with no concerns.

As we’d expect Jesus used the illustration of creation well. This is because He was able to show the joy of creation. This encouraged people not to worry. He was reminding them, and us, that God is in control. 

It’s really hard when faced with difficulty to trust God and not worry, but the readings remind me of the joy of God in creating. Not only this but I am reminded of the difficulties that can come when I don’t trust God. These are the times when I end up seeing everything as a worry.

I have been singing ‘don’t worry, be happy’ in my head. I hope that for the rest of the week and always when I do this, I will remember that God loves me, He loves us all, and we need to turn to our Creator in praise. Don’t worry be happy 🙂

Candlemas and the things you shouldn't say

Today is candlemas, which is the day when we remember Jesus being presented in the temple. In our gospel reading (Luke 2:22-40) we heard that Simeon in the temple recognised Jesus as the One who would not just bring light but was light.

In thinking about this reading I thought about the fact that there are times in life when there are things that you just should not talk about. Things such as your amazing new job when someone else has just lost their job. At one own stage it was never seen as right to talk about politics and religion. Basically, anything which could be contentious.  

On one occasion whilst on a pilgrimage to the holy land a member of our party exclaimed that Israel was just like Syria. It was a time when Israel was very against Syria, and wouldn't allow anyone who had a stamp on their passport from Syria to enter the country. Our tour guide was further horrified when he found out that the person who was exclaiming the similarities was married to a Syrian. 

There are some things you just do not want to hear either such as the amount of calories in the cake you are eating. 

In our gospel reading today (Luke 2:22-40) we heard of things that new parents would not want to hear. Mary and Joseph did the correct thing by taking Jesus to the temple. I am sure it must have been quite an exciting time. Can you imagine the moment when Mary and Joseph passed Jesus to Simeon who would have prayed for Him and done all that was customary within the life of the temple ?

Then, Simeon said the most amazing things. He saw that Jesus was the chosen one, he could tell that Jesus was the Messiah,  the one who would bring salvation. This is a lot better than, “What a beautiful baby’. 

Mary and Joseph knew that there was nothing normal about the conception of Jesus, about His birth. They had been told the news that they were to have Jesus through angels, and dreams. They had this baby, they knew He was special. They knew that people could see who Jesus was, in the shepherds, in the magi, and now in Simeon they could see that people recognised that Jesus would bring salvation. 

The moment must have been incredible. The response of Simeon was amazing not just in recognising who Jesus was.  Simeon responded by showing that he had been waiting for the one who would bring salvation. He was so overjoyed that he felt that his time and years of waiting were done. 

I often picture Simeon as a much more mature man, to put it politely, a man who had waited, a man who had now seen God. 

I think the statement that Mary and Joseph were amazed is rather an understatement. 

Jesus had caused a stir, and this was only the beginning. 

In the temple there was also a woman called Anna. I always see her as the type of woman who had the most incredible faith. A faith that God could and would do amazing things. Anna had been waiting patiently, she had fasted and she had prayed. She was the type of person who was so holy that you would have just seen a peace about her which came from all the time that she spent in prayer. Anna could see the stir that Jesus was causing and she recognised that He was the One who would bring salvation. We know this because she went and told everyone about Jesus, especially those who were looking for redemption.

Redemption means to be put right with God, to know His forgiveness. We are so blessed that we have come to know this redemption. We are here worshipping God, our saviour because we have heard about Him. Anna was not a spring chicken but she had gone and told people. We have met Jesus and with the patience of Anna and the excitement that she had to tell others about Jesus we should be doing the same. 

I have left out so far, the worst bit of things to say to people. Mary was there with her newborn child and Simeon told her that Jesus was going to have this role that would cause a stir in people’s hearts as they decided how they would respond to Him. Not only this, but Simeon explained that she would be hurt by the things that would happen to Jesus and also by the ways in which people spoke about Him. This is not the best news to hear.

I once watched the film, “The Passion of the Christ.” ! It is a gruesome film as it shows the crucifixion. You can not fail but to be moved by the film. The bit I remember the most though is Mary seeing Jesus fall and having a memory of Him falling as a little boy and rushing to help Him. She couldn’t do that in this situation. Mary was warned by Simeon but she must have found it so difficult.

Simeon spoke about the type of thing that was not polite to discuss. He spoke about future pain. He also spoke about politics. 

Simeon would not have won any prizes for being a polite dinner guest. Can you imagine it ? But, Simeon could see who Jesus was and in seeing who Jesus was he knew that Jesus was going to make a difference.

Simeon could see that Jesus would turn the world upside down as He preached about repentance. He could see that those who were great would be told that they needed to humble themselves. Jesus was political, because He showed people that the right way to live was not about anyone’s own power, it was all about love. A love, that would change people. A love that would mean that people would accept one another, a love where those who are struggling are given the opportunity to have a better life. A love which treats everyone the same.

Simeon gave both exciting and bad news to Mary and Joseph. In the words of Simeon we can see that we are called into relationship with God, we have seen His glory. We are redeemed and so we have the best news ever to share with others. May we always be thankful that Jesus was political, because by being political He reminds us that the most important thing is Him and living as He would have us live. AMEN

What do I want to be?

 A sermon I preached on the Conversion of St.Paul at St.Padarns on 25.01.2023

What did you want to be when you grew up? Apparently, when I was 4, I wanted to be the Pope.  Later on I wanted to be a prima ballerina, a teacher, a librarian, a fashion designer, a brick layer. I had eclectic tastes. 

Today we are celebrating the conversion of Paul the apostle (Acts 9:1-22). The great evangelist, letter writer and martyr. If he had been asked as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up the answer would not have been any of those descriptions. In fact in the reading we heard from the letter to the Galatians (1:11-16) he described himself as one who was “ ....advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and...extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” 

When I think of Paul I always think of him as having been a bright and rising star. He was clever, he was committed and he was even zealous. The word zealous can be described as being passionate about a cause. Saul was passionate for God and for his beliefs.

I could imagine him being one of the names you would want to watch. I can imagine young women desperate to make a good and pleasing marriage with someone so important. Today he might have been someone you want to meet, someone impressive and imagine being found with someone like Saul in the temple. You would have street cred.

Of course that was all to change. Life turned around. The man who could only do right in the eyes of the leaders of his faith completely turned against what he was meant to be doing. Saul, was on his way to persecute Christians, and then he had an amazing moment where he was blinded and heard the voice of Jesus. He completely turned around, he wasn’t going to persecute the followers of Jesus as he became one himself.

Talk about a complete turn around. Except what he ended up doing was not a turn around at all. He was still zealous but now he was zealous for Jesus. He knew that the God he had worshipped and followed had come amongst us. He knew that Jesus was worth knowing and so he was still as zealous but now he could see that his zeal had been a little misplaced or confused.

Tom Wright in his book, “Paul” wonders whether Saul was actually practising a type of meditation that was popular amongst Jews at the time. This meditation involved focussing on Ezekiel’s vision of a chariot of fire coming from heaven. This in turn would be a way to bring God to the person meditating. It is only a thought, but I love the idea that Saul may have been focussing so much on God at that moment, that for him to hear the voice of Jesus, God Himself, must have been amazing.

Our first hymn this morning Amazing Grace, spoke about the moment when God saved us on the cross. It doesn't matter who we are, we turn to Him.  I think the whole idea that God is there for us and speaks to us, whether through other people or something we read is the best thought ever. 

One of my favourite books is called, “what's so amazing about Grace.” This book is by Philip Yancey and in it he tells the stories of people who have experienced and practised grace to one another. It really is a great book. One of my favourite parts is actually in the blurb on the back. It says, ‘there is nothing we can do to make God love us less and nothing we can do to make God love us more.’ 

I remember that I used to spend so much time trying to please God that I forgot that the cross and forgiveness was not to make me feel guilty but to make me feel free. Those words made me have a sudden, ‘well obviously’ realisation. Jesus didn't die to make us work hard to find Him. We could almost change the words in the hymn Amazing Grace, ‘I once was lost but now am found’ to,  ‘I once was lost but now am free’.

Paul had been zealous for God, always trying to make sure that he kept to the laws he had known. Then he became zealous for Jesus, he would not stop preaching about Jesus.

Talk about a turn around. We have all experienced a call from God, it may have been a complete turn around for us, that made us think - really? Or it may have been more of a - ‘yes, of course’ moment. In our quiet moments praying, thinking about God we may have felt a sense of overwhelming peace and love, it may have been less dramatic than Paul’s experience, but it certainly was a moment between us and God. 

No matter what we wanted, or expected to be, how perfect to know that we can and do change. It is also good to remember that none of us are the perfect Christian. None of us is the finished article, that will only happen in heaven. In the meantime we are trying to bring heaven to earth by the way we live and the ways that we seek to be more like God.

Maybe rather than what do we want to be when we grow up, or what we wanted to be when we grew up we would do well to remember that God loves us and all He really wants is that we will seek to be more like Him day by day. Also, there really is nothing we can do to make God loves us more and nothing we can do to make God love us less. After all, God always loved Paul even when he was persecuting the Christians. AMEN  

The importance of being.....

I have never been one to feel important but I do know that I have met some very important people. For example,  I remember meeting Barbie in David Morgans in Cardiff when I was a little girl. I was so excited, please don't tell me she wasn't real!! 

I also remember meeting a theologian who was well-respected when I was 19 years old. I was so shy that when he said hello to me and commented on my t-shirt the best words I could muster came out. They were, ‘yes and thank you’ whilst looking at the floor. It wasn't my finest moment.

I hope I would have done better meeting Jesus.  I wonder though how the first followers of Jesus felt as they realised how important He was. Last week when I thought about the readings for Sunday I considered what it meant to follow Jesus and to be like Him. The gospel for this week (Matthew 4:12-23) talks of John and James joining Andrew and Simon Peter in following Jesus. 

Peter was to go through quite a turmoil as he followed. He was the one who seemed to keep getting things wrong. Yet, after the resurrection, Jesus told Peter that he was the one on whom the Church would be built. Peter, who was also known as Cephas.  The reason for this is that the name Peter is from the Greek rock and Cephas is a Hebrew version of rock.  

In the epistle reading (1 Corinthians 1:10-18) we read of a Church in turmoil as the followers did not seem able to agree on whom they belonged to. Paul pointed out that some saw themselves as belonging to Apollos, who had looked after the Church in Paul’s absence. Others seemed to see themselves as belonging to Paul. Others still were saying that they belonged to Peter and the way he taught.

All important people. However, Paul pointed out that as Jesus was One, they should be as well. They needed to stop being divided amongst themselves. Apollos, Paul and Peter (Cephas) had all been teaching the people about Jesus. Yes, they had done a good thing by teaching about Jesus, however, none of them was as great as Jesus. 

Following the train of Paul's thought, he wrote that Jesus had been crucified for them.  They had been baptised in the name of Jesus. It was Him to whom they belonged.

I know that I can sometimes be so impressed by important people talking about Jesus that I don't listen enough to Him. I need to make sure that my focus is on Jesus first.  He calls us all to know Him and to love Him. A little like a meerkat would say, ‘simples’! Except life isn't always simple. All Jesus asks is that we love Him and He will help us through the rest. 

The first verse of the Psalm (27) for Sunday is a really good help to remind us that we are important enough, even if we don't feel it, for God to protect us, He is our light, our everything. 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?”

I wanna be like you

I often find certain songs will pop into my head that I can't stop singing to myself. One of these came about when I looked at the gospel reading for this coming Sunday (John 1:29-42). The song was “I wanna be like you”. This is from the Disney film ‘The Jungle Book’. It is sung by the bear, Baloo, to Mowgli a little boy. Baloo wanted to be able to make fire and to be like a human.

The words, “I wanna be like you” sounds like a perfect description of what being a follower of Jesus should be. In  the Gospel reading (John 1:29-42) we read of Andrew following Jesus, and he was so impressed that he called his brother Simon Peter to join him in seeing Jesus.

Following is more than just traipsing behind. This is because it really is about trying to be like the one we follow. Earlier in the gospel reading, John the Baptist was able to tell people who Jesus was.  This is because he had not only baptised Jesus but he had seen the Spirit of God descend on Him like a dove. It is easy to see why John believed, he had seen something amazing. Not just this but, he decided that he needed to tell others. Just like Andrew, he decided that he needed to share the news. I wonder whether this is following as well? It makes sense. After all, to be more like Jesus, we do as He did. This involves telling others about Him. 

If following also involves telling others, then what does it mean to follow Jesus ? I don't think we have to sing, “I wanna be like you’ to Jesus but of course this does mean following and acting like He did and does.

In the passage we only read that Andrew and Peter followed. If this was all we knew about the disciples then we would only think of following as choosing Jesus. Not a bad start but what comes next? Of course as we read on in the gospel we read of Jesus having 12 disciples plus others who followed Him. They saw Jesus teach, heal, love others and ultimately be crucified and resurrected for us.

What does it all mean for us to follow so we can be just like Jesus?  For me the words of the collect for Sunday sum everything up. It is my favourite collect. This is because it admits that we need the grace of God to transform us, so that we can become more like the one we follow. We just need to be humble enough to ask God to make us more like Him.

The collect is: 

 Almighty God,

in Christ you make all things new:

transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,

and in the renewal of our lives

make known your heavenly glory;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. AMEN