Endings and beginnings

Short homily based upon Matthew 4.12-23

We have this morning a gospel of endings and beginnings. We hear that John the Baptist has been arrested, ending his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus’ arrival. On hearing the new Jesus heads north and begins the most active phase of his ministry, using the same words we’ve heard from John; “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near”. 

From John they we were words of preparation but when said by Jesus they’re words of fulfilment, he is the Kingdom. Matthew loves a bit a fulfilment in his writings, it’s believed he was a Jewish writer, writing for Jewish people. He has lots of references to Hebrew scriptures and we see that this morning as Jesus’ actions mirror Isaiah’s prophecy.

We see new beginnings for other familiar people too in the gospel as Simon-Peter, Andrew, James and John are all called by Jesus to stop casting their nets for fish and begin fishing for people, later Jesus shows us what he means by this as he and his new recruits teach, preach and heal.

It might seem to begin with that Jesus is forming a homogenous group of similar folk, but we see later in the gospel that his central twelve are quite a mixed bunch, both in background and personality. Matthew himself, if we believe the gospel writer and apostle are the same person, was a bit of an outcast due to his profession as a tax-collector but we have to assume he had some degree of education, which our fishermen probably didn’t. 

So why this bunch? Why this odd mix of men? First and foremost they were the ones who said “yes”. Who knows who else Jesus propositioned who never made it into the book because they turned him down? But also I believe that Jesus not only saw who these men were but what they could become, how they could be formed through teaching, preaching and healing and how they themselves could lead and form others.

But this isn’t just the story of them beginning their new life with Jesus, it’s the story of the ending of their old life and that’s not without cost. They’re leaving behind families and jobs, how did Peter’s Mother in Law, whom he lived with, feel about him running out on the family? What about Zebedee? What did his sons’ choice mean for his business?

Rev Rosalind Brown who sometimes writes for the Church Times wrote about her sadness at leaving her family to pursue her calling in the US; "Why can't there be beginnings without endings?"

But this is the cyclical nature of our lives, of our world and indeed our God. It’s death and resurrection. There has to be an ending for the next thing, the greater thing to begin. Sometimes we may be too scared of letting something end so that a new thing can begin, we end up maintaining the status quo at the expense of what could be something amazing, made inert by our fear.

And yet change inevitable, in our lives and in our church, who knows what amazing things may lie ahead for each of us if we have the courage to leave behind the familiar and comfortable to face the new and unknown.

New Year New Hope?

This morning's sermon based upon Isaiah 42.1-9, Acts 10.34-43 & Matthew 3.13-end

I was in our living room with Faith on Tuesday night whilst she was doing homework and every now and then she’d chuck a question at me: what’s a justification for war? What are the teachings of war? What’s a fact about weapons of mass destruction? Turns our she was doing her RE homework! And this was homework set before Christmas, before the escalation of the events we’ve seen between the political powers of the US and Iran.

The next morning on the way to school she said “Generation Z are alleviating their anxieties over a potential world war 3 by sharing memes” If you don’t know what a meme is it’s a funny picture, or video clip, usually with some text over it that gets shared on the internet, to much hilarity. One of the ones I’ve seen was a picture of Kermit the frog, sipping a cup of tea- bear with me- looking pensive, and the text reads “We’re 3 days into 2020 and World War 3 is trending…maybe 2019 wasn’t so bad after all”.

There were so many people who by the end of last year had clearly had enough of political turmoil, negativity and endless Brexit chat, alongside an increased awareness of environmental issues, the rise of the far right in various countries…they were so done, and so ready for 2019 to be over. Ready for a new year.

Christmas is that bright, sparkling bit of light in the darkness at the end of the year, then it’s followed by the hope and freshness of the new year, the endless possibilities, the chance to renew, to refresh and to start again, it’s a clean slate. 

Today’s gospel is all about the beginning of something. This is where we recognise Jesus beginning his ministry, and it’s all incredibly symbolic. I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus needed to be baptised, or that he wasn’t already filled with the Holy Spirit, but as Jesus says to John The Baptist’s questioning: “it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.” It feels like a very definite way of marking the beginning of what will be the most significant part of Jesus’ life, just as baptism marks the beginning of something significant for each of us and for every child or adult who still comes here to be baptised each month.

And it feels right that the place where we remember this is at the start of the new calendar year, this is the day our Methodist friends say their covenant prayer each year, restating their commitment to following Jesus. It’s not the churches new year as that’s Advent Sunday, but moving from Jesus’ birth, to the feast of epiphany and then having this leap to his baptism does feel right, and biblically there isn’t a lot else to fill the gap! 

It’s a reminder of own baptism, of our confirmation for those who’re confirmed, of ordination vows for some of us. It’s a reminder that at the start of this year we’re continuing on a particular path, following in the footsteps and teachings of Jesus and trying to live as his people.

And yet those feelings of hope and renewal can soon fall away when we wake up to the reality of global events, of the unrest that causes and what the consequences of it might be. 

Generation z are using humour as a coping mechanism but they’re also deeply concerned of what this could mean. It’s a reminder that one of our obligations as Christ-followers is to not be afraid to speak truth to power. I saw many a wristband back in the 90’s with the initials WWJD- What would Jesus do? And whilst the phrase is considered a bit corny now and probably so overused it’s lost it’s power, but it’s often the question we should be applying to situations if we’re to live as people of faith. 

Our other readings this morning offer such wisdom, enlightening us not only to the character of God but God’s love and care for every person on earth. In a world so caught up with the idea of nations, where we see the outcomes of toxic levels of patriotism and jingoism leading to the “othering” of entire peoples and religions, and seemingly creating a space which has given far-right ideology a place to grow, we need to see there’s an alternative.

Peter, in our new testament reading has absolutely had his mind blown. I love Peter, I love him because he’s often a bit of a pratt, he’s always getting things wrong and I find that incredibly relatable. Turns out this bit of plastic doesn’t stop me from sometimes doing or saying the wrong thing and I shouldn’t expect it to because Peter has lived with Jesus, been dramatically baptised in the spirit on the day of Pentecost but still, in his post-gospel life, isn’t perfect.

He’s had his mind blown because he’s witnessed the spirit falling upon the bunch of Romans he’s currently talking to- a bunch of Gentiles, and it moves him to what would have been a seismic shift in his belief: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him”. 

He then reminds us of how Jesus after being “anointed…with the Holy Spirit and with power” conducted himself, how he used his power; doing good and healing all who were oppressed. If you think how we now perceive power, how power is used by those in possession of it this is just staggering. Peter further reminds us that after Jesus rose from the dead, in that ultimate act of love and display of God’s power, what did he do? He hung out with his friends eating and drinking, consolidating what he’d taught them and encouraging them to teach it to others.

Imagine a world leader using power to educate, to heal and to feed people? They do exist of course but it’s certainly not part of the dominant narrative we see in our daily news.

If we go back to the Isaiah reading there’s lots of differing views on who this text is referring to, we as Christians believe it means Jesus. Whatever the prophet’s intention, it does mean God’s chosen person, the one meant to unite all peoples, the Light to the Nations. The prophet tells us this is the chosen one, God delights in them, God’s spirit is upon them. 

And how will this favour and chosenness be used? They have no need to shout and bluster, they won’t destroy things which are already broken or diminished but will be relentless in their pursuit of justice, and justice not just for one nation but throughout the world, and for people to live in a just world will give them life.

I’m going to re-read the next section of the text because it’s just so beautiful and inspiring and uplifting.

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,

   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

   a light to the nations,

   to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

   from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord, that is my name;

   my glory I give to no other,

   nor my praise to idols.

See, the former things have come to pass,

   and new things I now declare;

That’s good bible isn’t it?! We believe Jesus is the fulfilment of this, his choice was made at the moment of his baptism, but the continuation of its fulfilment is through us. Jesus taught his disciples to continue his teachings, they took that message to other nations which brought it eventually to us. 

In such an uncertain world, as we begin this new year and we’re reminded of our baptism or confirmation vows, we have to be the light and the ones who thirst for justice, we can be the ones who remind those searching for hope, those desperate to see that there is another way, that hope does exist, and that hope is Jesus.

Epiphany- you are enough.

Epiphany is that final chapter in the nativity story and yet it passes us by so quickly. For many of us (and those who we've encountered so far in this new year) I’m sure Christmas is done and dusted, but I enjoy that we get to sit with it for a little longer.

I’m sure all the signs of Christmas will soon be removed from our houses, just as they’ll soon be removed from the church- the tree taken down and the stable put away until Advent. I always think everywhere looks a little bare, or maybe a better word is uncluttered, after the Christmas paraphernalia has been taken down. I find that an uncluttered space means I can actually think more clearly, but I do miss this sparkle and especially the lights. There really is something about Christmas lights- reminding us of the light that shines even in the darkest places but also of that guiding light the Magi, now completing their journey, have followed.

There’s always a lot of talk of gifts in epiphany sermons, quite naturally, and an encouragement to think about our own gifts and what we would bring to the stable, to make our own offering before Jesus.

I think it’s really important to remember that it’s just enough that we bring ourselves, it’s great when people have awesome gifts to bring to ministry or this communal life we share, whether it’s the gifts of listening, hospitality, organisation (wish I had that one!) or maybe leadership- however people contribute to our shared life of faith.

But it’s also ok that we’re just here, offering ourselves, even if we don’t think that means much to the God who created everything from nothing. It means everything. 

As we start this new year and are tempted to make plans, resolutions or self-improvements of whatever kind I just wanted us to remember that we are enough, just as we are. Jesus’ birth subverts everything we think we know about power and worth, even the Magi don’t get it at first and they go searching for him in the palace, the seat of human power, but when they eventually find the promised child in a grubby outhouse they realise that this is something different entirely.

You know I like to share bits and bobs with you that I read or find so this is “A Sonnet for Epiphany” by Malcolm Guite, priest and poet:

It might have been just someone else’s story,

Some chosen people get a special king.

We leave them to their own peculiar glory,

We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.

But when these three arrive they bring us with them,

Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours;

A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,

A  pilgrim’s eye that sees beyond the stars.

They did not know his name but still they sought him,

They came from otherwhere but still they found;

In temples they found those who sold and bought him,

But in the filthy stable, hallowed ground.

Their courage gives our questing hearts a voice

To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.