More Than Sunday

Sermon based upon Luke 10.1-11, 16-20, from the main morning service.

Who in this room would describe themselves as an evangelist? Are there people here who feel comfortable with me using that term? Or uncomfortable with me using it? I think it’s a word which our tradition has an uneasy relationship with, a word I have an uneasy relationship with, and I think it’s down to our need to label things and how we associate words with particular meanings, and those meanings can evolve over time.

I’ve had to make my peace with the word “evangelism” and explore what it really means because one of the nine criteria you’re examined upon and have to reflect upon when training for the priesthood and throughout curacy is evangelism, poor Huw and Alex over the past few years have had to write reports on me and one of the areas they’ve had to reflect upon was sub-headed “mission and evangelism”, because we do like to lump these together. 

This is probably, once again, revealing way too much about myself but when I first started coming to St Michael’s the word Evangelist or Evangelical would conjure up a picture of a certain type of Christian with a particular set of beliefs. It was a word with negative connections, a word which summoned up men stood on the corner of Market Street telling me I’m going to hell, a word which often rejected my calling as a woman to the priesthood and a word which rejected and condemned my LGBT family and friends. A word more concerned with what we should be thinking rather than what we should be doing.

But the problem wasn’t the word, the problem was my own prejudice and how I associated the word, because this, when stripped back is a beautiful word. The Greek word it derives from has the same root as the word angel, the Evangelist is someone who brings a good message, like the angels- isn’t that beautiful? And that’s why it was something we Christians wanted to call ourselves as what’s better than the good news we have of the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ? 

The word mission is subject to a similar fate in recent times as it becomes absorbed into Christianese as a “buzz” word and one which many a priest and PCC comes to groan at the mention of as we’re pushed to share our “Mission Action Plans” or attending “MAPping” events. A Mission statement has become something that a business or organisation has and can feel a very long way from it being the “Missio Dei” or work of God, as we try and figure out what and how we do God’s work in our communities. 

To strip this right back to basics we have this morning’s gospel reading, where Jesus is sending out 70 disciples, we have no idea who, to do God’s work and spread God’s message in the world. Mission and Evangelism. The details of how they did this aren’t really for me the important bit, the instructions they’re given are something we can reflect upon but were meant for this particular group of 1st century Palestinians. If we’re looking to this passage to inspire how we should be in the world I think the important thing is looking at the spirit of how they were told to go about their work.

There’s a beautiful simplicity to it, they don’t go out burdened with things or with any gimmicks, all they have is the teachings Jesus has equipped them with so they can help others understand what God’s like, and an instruction to care for those they meet who need their help. There’s also a relentless positivity to it, an instruction to keep looking forward and don’t worry when people don’t want to hear it. Offer your peace and this message to everyone, but if they don’t want to hear it just shake it off and move on. You’ll have lost nothing.

But as with all scripture, and in particular The Gospels, we have to ask “what does this mean for us”, in particular those of us who might want to run a mile when we hear the words “evangelism” or “mission”?

A report came out a couple of years ago called Setting God’s People Free or SGPF, it was commissioned by the Church of England but undertaken by an organisation called LICC, the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, who I’ve had an interest in for a long time as their area of expertise is supporting Churches and individuals to live out their lives as Christians Monday to Saturday, outside of what happens in Sunday church.

Central to the Setting God’s People Free 

initiative is the recognition of the power we have to show God’s love in our everyday lives, and in our own very individual ways to be evangelists in the truest sense of the word. Jesus says “the labourers are few” and I think the current statistic is less than 6% of people in the UK attend church once a month or more. When we’re all together it can feel like there’s a lot of “them” – out there- and not many of “us” – in here- but when we’re scattered and dispersed in our Monday to Saturday lives just think about all those diverse places we are where we’re reflecting the love of God; in hospitals, prisons, supermarkets, offices, law courts, schools, universities, football stadiums, kitchens, cafes, sports halls, playgrounds…the list really is endless. There shouldn’t be any “us” in here and “them” out there, there’s just “us” as a whole, every person we meet is our neighbour, everyone we connect with or interact with is made in God’s image and loved.

Now I don’t want anyone to be filling with anxiety thinking that the church is asking us to proselytise in Sainsburys, what it wants to do is empower us, for us to have a confidence in ourselves and a deeper understanding of how our entire lives are an offering to God and how that can shape all that we do and, as a response, as we see our whole lives as a reflection of the love God has for us, how that begins to shape what happens around us. People see God reflected in us and that’s infectious. We all know or will have known people who just seem to overflow with the Holy Spirit and how that makes us feel to be alongside them.

Many years ago I had to write a reflection on how I was an evangelist in my work as a nurse. I wrote that first and foremost we spread our message by demonstration, we live out the gospel in who and how we are, remembering that we’re first of all servants of God but we serve our professions too. Many of us work in vocational roles where our profession is one of service and at times of sacrifice.

It may not seem like the most conventional form of evangelism, but I believe we reveal the gospel in who we are and how we live our lives, and our mission is to be God’s people and love God’s people with and through our entire lives.

Last week Manchester Diocese launched a new campaign which has evolved from the Setting God’s People Free report. It’s called More Than Sunday and it’s going to run for the next 12 months. Now we can all get a bit cynical about things like this but I’m seeing this a truly positive step. I see this as a recognition of the power ordinary church goers have, stripped back from complex theology I can’t get my head around, and a move away from the debate and division which seem to dominate us as an organisation. It’s a recognition that those who lead our church at the highest levels have faith in your faith. You matter and you always have.

One final thing I’d like to say about the gospel reading is whilst we have the details about how the 70 were sent out there’s not much written about the results. Our encouragement to be whole life Christians isn’t about getting bums on seats or pennies in the bank, it’s all about the message and, like the disciples, caring for those we meet on the way. We should have confidence in the message we have, because it’s a really good message, it’s a message of love, belonging, inclusion, community and equality. That's a message I want to share.

We're on a mission. From God.

Sermon preached this morning, based upon Matthew 9:35-10:8

We’re on a mission. From God”
Any of you familiar with the film The Blues Brothers, which just so happens to be my husband’s favourite, will be familiar with that line. For those of you who haven’t seen it I’ll set the scene:

Elwood Blues arrives at Joliet prison on the day of his brother (Jake’s) release. They visit the Roman Catholic orphanage they grew up in, only to find out it’ll be closed if they can’t raise $5000. The brothers then visit a Baptist church where Jake has a divine epiphany; if they reform their old band, The Blues Brothers, they can raise the money to save the orphanage.

As they meet up with former band mates and other folk along the way they tell them “we’re on a mission. From God.” This mission often finds them on the wrong side of the law, and various other groups along the way.

Eventually, and I’m sorry if this is a spoiler but this film is almost as old as me, they raise $10,000 which saves the orphanage, as well as paying for instruments they’ve borrowed along the way. However, just after they hand over the money and save the orphanage the police catch up with them and the film ends where it started, in Joliet prison, with the band performing Jailhouse Rock for their fellow inmates.
They may have ended up as convicted felons but they did complete the mission they believed God had challenged them with.

In today’s gospel we see the 12 apostles being given their mission from God. They’re each named; Simon Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean and Judas.
This is the only place Matthew uses the word “apostle”, meaning one who is sent. I often tell baptism families that there’s very few examples of Jesus saying “do this” or “do that”, but here it’s very clear what he’s sending the 12 to do, clear what their mission is.

He’s sending the 12 to be a reflection of himself; cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons- this is the stuff the gospel writers have told us Jesus did, and yet he’s sending them to do this in a place he never ministered in; Galilee. As Paul will later become the apostle to the gentiles, this 12, one to represent each tribe of Israel, are being sent to preach and minister to Israel. Jesus is very clear; don’t go anywhere near the gentiles or Samaritans.

They’re to declare the gospel to those who should have it already written in their hearts; this mission is a mission to reclaim God’s chosen people, to remind them of their place as a consecrated nation and their calling to a universal priesthood- a kingdom of priests.

But who are these 12 men, what do we really know about them? Might they have more in common with Jake and Elwood Blues than with their saintly images decorating our church?

Churches are filled with images of the 12 as saintly- we have Thomas in the corner of our main window; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John hiding in the corners of the ascension window. If you look closely- as I sometimes get our family praise children to do- you can see some of the other 12 depicted around the church. And don’t they look holy? Any human imperfections hidden by the glow of their halos.

Is this how you imagine the 12? The wise and saintly founding fathers of our faith? Or do you like your Holy men a little more human and earthly?

We know Judas’ flaws and fete, and yet Jesus still chose him. Matthew was a reviled tax collector- although a changed man from meeting Jesus. These men were from such varied backgrounds- rough and uneducated fishermen, a political zealot- but Jesus changed all that? Taught them, trained them, and transformed them- or did he?

The 12 keep getting stuff wrong- Thomas doubts, Peter denies Jesus- in fact Peter gets loads of stuff wrong. He’s blunt and bumbling- emotion always getting the better of him. We know they squabble about who’s the greatest, and we know they hide in fear until the Spirit comes to shove them out of the door and into actually acting upon Jesus’ instructions.

We have in the apostles an imperfect bunch, from all walks of life, who aren’t made perfect even after 3 years in Jesus’ company. And they need a direct and transformational experience of the Holy Spirit before they go out and actually begin the mission Jesus has directly given them.

Jesus calls them, delights in them and sends them inspite of who they are, not because of who they are.

When I was on placement at St Peter’s House, the church and chaplaincy at Manchester University, their readings didn’t end with “this is the word of the Lord”, but “what does this mean for us today”? And that’s the question I’m asking myself about the mission Jesus sets out for our flawed, very human apostles.

I’ve had no choice recently but to think about the nature of calling, mission and being sent as I prepare to be priested next Saturday and stand before you next Sunday to preside over the Eucharist for the first time.

At times like this we’re confronted with our own flaws, with all the things that are a barrier to our mission rather than the things that make us fit for purpose.
We’re the only ones who know our own inner life, apart from God. We know all the darkest aspects of ourselves, the things which stand in the way of our feeling like a reflection of Jesus in the places where we find ourselves.

But, like the apostles, we’re called inspite of who we are, not because of who we are. We’re flawed, we’re human, and because of that we relate to the flaws we see in others. The amazing thing is that despite our imperfections we still reflect Christ, and are made in God’s image.

Each one of us has a mission, and it won’t be the same as that given to the 12. It may be that some of us will be agents for healing, but that was their mission, for their context- a very culturally specific set of instructions for a group of men in 1st century Palestine.

We minister to our own time, in our own context, and take responsibility for our own mission. Our call is to look forwards to where God is leading us.

Jesus was very clear with the 12- don’t look over there, at other people and other places, look here, look at your people. Your mission is your people. Maybe this, in part, is our mission too. Sometimes we don’t have to look far to see where we’re needed, where we can reflect Christ and bring God’s love.

Like Jake and Elwood Blues finding their purpose we must find ours. As members of the church we are, like Israel, a consecrated people, claimed as God’s own and called to the universal priesthood.

We don’t have to look very hard to see examples recently within our communities of the gospel being lived out- as tragedy has struck time and time again in recent weeks I’m constantly overwhelmed by the goodness of people- the helpers, those who contribute- physically, financially, practically, organisationally; those who seek justice for people unable to do so themselves.

We have a mission as a church community to serve the people of this parish, and yet we each have an individual path to tread as well. For me, that inexplicably led to this pulpit- who knows where it might lead any one of you.

Embrace your flaws, they make us human and give us parity with the apostles. Know that God will use them and use us, whatever those flaws may be, if we trust him and the plans he has for us. We’re all on a mission. From God.

Lost Causes?

Just a quick blog post- a reflection from the prayers I led today, which is the day the Anglican church remembers the apostles Simon and Jude. The Exciting Holiness website tells us the following:

"Simon and Jude were named among the twelve apostles in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Simon is called 'the Zealot', probably because he belonged to a nationalist resistance movement opposing the Roman occupation forces. There is no indication in the gospels whether Simon moved from the Zealot party to be a follower of Christ or, on the other hand, if after the resurrection he became a supporter of that group, seeing it as a response to God's call to proclaim the kingdom.
Luke describes Jude as the son of James, while the Letter of Jude has him as the brother of James, neither of which negates the other. It seems he is the same person as Thaddæus, which may have been a last name. Owing to the similarity of his name to that of Judas Iscariot, Jude was rarely invoked in prayer and it seems likely that because of this, interceding through him was seen as a final resort when all else failed. He became known, therefore, as the patron saint of lost causes.
The two apostles are joined together on this day because a church, which had recently acquired their relics, was dedicated to their memory in Rome in the seventh century."

What do we consider to be a lost cause? A person, thing or situation that can’t be changed for the better? What comes into our minds when we think of a situation that might be a lost cause? The refugee crisis, breaking up of the NHS, War in the Middle East and Africa, Persecution of LGBT people, illness without a cure, people struggling with addiction, the ability to stand up against corrupt regimes, inequality, environmental damage.

These may, by some, be considered lost causes, battles not worth fighting because they’re already lost. Situations where the outcome is inevitable.

Yet central to our faith is hope. Creation is ongoing, revelation of God within that creation is also ongoing so can there ever truly be a lost cause? As we work towards God’s kingdom coming among us we might just be the person who takes in the refugee, challenges government policies which harm the vulnerable, works for peace, defends the persecuted, researches the cure, counsels the addict, stands up to corruption, rejects inequality and stewards creation.

Fighting the lost causes may make us hated or despised, as the Apostles like Jesus before them were hated and despised. To begin with the apostle’s mission must have seemed like a lost cause- there were so few of them to achieve what needed to be done. But that’s part of the wonder of God. He uses us and our abilities to achieve what should be impossible.