A funeral sermon for someone who loved and worked with horses

...

In fact, the Bible has quite a lot to say about horses.

I realise that I’m on dangerous ground here, but one of the main things that the Bible says about them is “put not your trust in horses”.

Now, before you all walk out in disgust, I ought to explain.

Of course, horses are wonderful and marvellous.

I know nothing about horses.

I have to admit I would be a little bit scared of going riding.

Some horses are much bigger that you might imagine, aren’t they?

Even I know that horses are impressive creatures, some for their speed, their grace and elegance, their power, their usefulness and much more.

The Bible has nothing against horses!

On the contrary.

The Bible says don’t put your trust in horses because it knows how good and valuable they are.

In Bible times, the people might very well have been tempted to trust in horses.

What the Bible is thinking about is the war horse – in fact, many war horses.

Now, even war horses are fine and good if the cause if just.

The Bible is not a pacifist book. Far from it.

But the Bible says don’t put your ultimate trust even in a mighty host of the finest war-horses.

It is as if the Bible said do not put your trust in Leopard 2A7 tank.

Or do not put your trust in the Trident Nuclear deterrent.

Again, I’m not making any kind of political point here either.

The Bible is saying that all those things might be very good and helpful, but ultimately you need something even better to put your trust in – someone even better – God himself.

What the Bible says is do not put your ultimate trust in anything or anyone other than God himself.

Death shows us that.

Everything changes and fails and passes away.

Even the best of people will let us down.

God alone endures.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and for ever.

He is the A and the Z, the beginning and the end.

He alone holds the keys of life and death.

God’s mercies are new every morning.

Jesus is a spring of water in the wilderness, a fountain of life in a parched land.

He is the bread of life to the starving soul.

He is an unshakable rock amidst sinking sands.

In fact, to return to horses as I close, Jesus is the Faithful and true Rider.

Let me finish with a great vision of the Lord Jesus Christ from the book of Revelation:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!

The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

May God enable us to trust in him alone: Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Faithful and True Rider.

Christ crucified and risen draw you to himself,

to find in him a sure ground for faith,

a firm support for hope,

and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing ...

Do you love me more than these?

What is the risen Lord Jesus asking Peter here?

Who or what are the these?

Is it "do you love me more than [you love] these?"

Or, "do you love me more than these [love me]?"

The "these" might be the other disciples, the fishing kit and boats or the fish.

It seems to me that Jesus is unlikely to be asking Peter if Peter loves him more than the other disciples love him.

It seems to me that Jesus does require Peter to love him more than Peter loves the other disciples, or his old way of life which is represented by the fishing gear and than the fish, which stand for what Jesus can do for him and for "success".

Let us consider these temptations:

We are to love Christ more than we love anything else

We are to love Christ more than we love anyone else

We are to love Christ more than we love life without him / our old pre-Christian way of life

We are to love Christ more than we love success or what Christ offers

All you are

The most famous, most succinct, and most pitiless summary of the manifest image’s fraudulence was written nearly 20 years ago by the geneticist Francis Crick: “ ‘You,’ your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. Who you are is nothing but a pack of neurons.” 

Yes and no, maybe. But mainly no!

HT Glen Scrivener

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/heretic_707692.html?page=1

"Do you love me?"

The risen Lord Jesus Christ asked Peter.

Now, our society is very mixed up about love, just as it is confused about most things.

Of course, Jesus is not talking about romantic or sexual love. Neither is he being sentimental. This is not Jesus as my boyfriend or girlfriend. Neither does it necessarily involve a gooey feeling in the heart or a far away look in the eye.

This is love that will lead to obedience, to dedicated service and even to a grusome martyr's death.

But it is real love nevertheless. It's a passionate business. Love that involves heart, mind and strength. It is connected to the intelect, the emotions and the will. It is to do with thinking, feeling and acting in certain ways towards Jesus.

And it involves all heart, mind and strength. It is a controling, consuming, dominating, motivating, energising, enabling love. It is not a love that excludes other loves, but it puts them in their place, reoders, and reorients and redefines them. It makes them possible.

Perhaps it's a bit like love for a brother or father. Perhaps the kind of love some footballers might have for the manager who has been like a father to them. Or a boxer for his trainer who helped him to climb out of the gutter. Or the loyalty of a medieval knight to his lord. Or of a soldier to his comrades, or to an officer who loved his men and was willing to lay down his life for them.

But perhaps this is about a love affair after all. It is the love of pauper bride for her prince-bridegroom. He makes her free and clean and beautiful. Their relationship enobles her.

How could we not love him?

APCM 1 Draft 1

APCM 2013 – Rector’s “Sermon” / Report / Remarks / Ramble!

A good APCM is a bit like the Oscars.

I’d like to thank my mum, my agent…

Thank yous to you all.

For your regular prayers, your encouragement, your support, your partnership, your practical help, all that you do in the life of the church (sometimes hidden).

Other thank yous to come from others.

Invidious to pick out individuals.

...

Sorry to anyone I forgot to thank!

The rest of this ought to be familiar, motherhood and apple-pie, useful reminder stuff – but maybe some people would find it revolutionary, controversial and thought provoking.

A deliberate, thoughtful, intentional, purposeful church

A church with a mission

A sense that we are about God’s business

Not just going through the motions, keeping the show on the road, doing what we’ve always done

Intelligently planned, focused, creative, effective

Mission not just maintenance – though maintenance would be impressive

Not the management of decline!

Our purposes and priorities:

If we don’t agree on much of this, we might as well give up!

(1)   Discipleship – follow Jesus – be disciples

It’s Jesus who has brought us together and who keeps us together.

Church is radically  different from the History Group or Rotary or the Golf Club in that respect.

(2)   Evangelism – help and encourage others to follow Jesus – make disciples

(3)   Training in ministry – help and encourage one another to be those who can help and encourage others to follow Jesus – be disciple-making disciples

Not about keeping the show on the road, balancing the books, looking after the building.

All of that is important, but it is for the sake of our purposes and priorities.

We are not an amateur and underfinanced branch of English Heritage or Social Services.

We have a gospel to proclaim Good News for all!

A united team.

Every member a minister.

Not a one man band.

I cannot fill Dallington church.

All with our part to play.

One body, many different parts.

All with our gifts.

Some of you won’t want to preach sermons, I’m no good at flower arranging.

No one a mere passenger.

Working together across the benefice.

The importance of the school – assembly & governors’ meetings etc.

A Mission Action Plan that says what we’re going to do to seek to fulfil our purposes.

Going for growth.

What we have been doing gets the results we have been getting and we are not satisfied with that.

We want to grow in depth and in numbers.

Willingness to change in order to peruse our priorities and grow.

A selfless servant hearted attitude that thinks of others, including those who don’t yet belong to the church.

Faithfulness is success, but that’s no excuse for not constantly seeking to be as effective as we can be.

Andrew Atherston on the new ABC

On my post-Easter holiday, I finished reading Andrew Atherstone's new short biography of Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

I was surprised by how readable and interesting it was.

Welby's connection to Holy Trinity, Brompton was widely reported, but I hadn't realised how important it was. He was also a regular speaker, it seems, at New Wine. But through CiCCU and camps, Welby also experienced a more conservative evanglicalism. Later he was influenced by Roman Catholic social thought and the Benedictine tradition in particular.

I read the book quite casually, but I was also surprised by how many outside interests Welby had, both as a Rector and later. At one point he was spending an average of 2 days a week chairing the local NHS trust, or some such, according to Atherstone. Whilst its hard to get an impression of this, there also seemed to me to be quite a lot of external speaking, writing and travel.

The comment of the Ministry Selector is priceless - and very rude! I must check so that he can be named and shamed here but it included a line like: "I have interviews 1000 candidates for ordination, and you are not in the top 1000!"

The first hint of the gospel in the Bible

is often thought to be Gen 3:15. Well, perhaps. It all depends how we define the gospel, of course. But it's grace all the way back. Creation itself is a matter of grace. God's making of the world is a matter of his overflowing goodness, it speaks of the love of God the Holy Trinity which is too good for God to keep to himself, which out of sheer generosity he wants to share. It is no need in God which creates, by sheer kindness, the expansiveness of a limitless, uncontainable God. So maybe Gen 1:1 is the first hint of the gospel in the Bible. God makes the world that it might be invited into relationship with him.

10 commandments: questions for study & reflection

In a former life I preached a sermon series on the 10 commandments and I have just completed a somewhat interactive Lent course on them. More or less off the top of my head, here are some questions for study and reflection on the commandments. Some questions may be more or less easy or relevant to some commandments.

The Westminster Larger Catechism is a worthwhile commentary on the commandments.

There are many good books on the commandments. Packer is always worth reading. J John is engaging. I found Frame by far the most stimulating read.

Specifically, what does this commandment command or forbid? Why?

What did it mean in its Mosaic context? What does it mean and how does it apply to us today?

Is the placing of this commandment significant? How does it relate to the other commandments?

How does the rest of Scripture inform your understanding of this commandment? For example, what are the punishments for breaking this commandment? What examples are there of people keeping or breaking this commandment?

Is it possible to break this commandment in your heart?

What does this commandment mean broadly understood? What are the underlying principles?

If the commandment is negative, what are its positive implications and vice versa?

How is this a commandment a perspective on all the others? May all sins be understood as a breaking of this commadment?

How might we be tempted to break this commandment? How can we avoid doing so?

How did Jesus keep this commandment?

What does this commandment teach us about God?

How does this commandment reveal our sin? And drive us to the Saviour?

How might this commandment be understood as a promise?

How might this commandment inform our prayers and praises?

Other questions?

Further jottings on this coming Sunday's lectionary Gospel

Thoughts on the anointing of Jesus from John 12 stolen from or provoked by Steve Levy’s sermon from last Sunday:

Reclining with Jesus at a meal the picture of the resurrection hope of a great feast, being yourself with your feet up.

This anointing of Jesus shows that he is the anointed one: a pint of perfume is poured out on the one on whom the Spirit of God is poured out without measure. As the fragrance fills the whole house, so the Spirit flows from Jesus to fill the world.

The woman pours herself out at Jesus’ feet, who will be poured out for her. As the perfume flows out, so Jesus’ blood will flow out for her and for many.

She bows before Jesus and lays her all at Jesus’ feet. The only way to come to Jesus is completely, wholeheartedly.

The woman takes on the aroma of Jesus. Jesus covers over the stench of our sin. The woman cannot cover her sin any longer, as a teenage boy might try to hide his stink with deodorant. The same anointing that comes on Jesus comes on her: she is united with him and takes on his life. It is as if the woman dies and lives again with Christ.

Jesus is her advocate, her defender.

John 11 & 12 are smelly

What is the aromour of these chapters?

At the end of John chapter 11 the people are afraid that the decomposing Lazarus will stink.

And death does indeed stink. It is horrible and unnatural and vile and evil and wrong. Or at least, death without Christ is like that.

But then at the beginning of chapter 12 there is another fragrance. Again it is the smell of death, but with a very different perfume: this is the aromour of Christ's death as he is annointed with expensive pure nard in preparation for his burial. The whole house is filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Although we can only catch the faintest whiff of it, and death still has its stinky aspects, death with Christ is sweet: it ends our suffering and ushers us into the fuller enjoyment of the presence of God.  Though our bodies will rot, may God enable us to catch something of this aromour on the wind of the Spirit.

Oh, and also 1 Cor 2:14ff

APCMs

It’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting season! “Hooray!” I hear you shout! Each parish is required to hold such a meeting every year before 30^th April. I don’t know whether or not that prospect fills you with enthusiasm?! Some people love such things; others would rather stick pins in their eyes.

Nevertheless, the APCMs are important. The church is neither a dictatorship nor exactly a democracy, but the APCM is one opportunity to play your part in the government of your church. I can’t say that people have given their lives so that you can have this particular vote, but you get the idea! Each year, the parishioners elect the Church Wardens and members of the Parochial Church Council. There are also elections every three years to the Deanery Synod.

And you can ask any question you like or make any comments (complaints!) or suggestions. Of course, you can do that at any time. You might prefer to give me a ring, or send me an email, or have a word with me, before you raise something at the APCM but, if you wish, that public forum is available to you.

The APCM is also a chance to review the year that has passed. The PCC will provide a set of accounts and a written report. We trust there will be encouragements and much for which to give God thanks. And, of course, the APCM is a bit like the Oscars: there are always lots of people to thank. Our churches depend on a wonderful army of volunteers who give freely of their time and skills, often with little recognition. Thank you!

The APCM is also an opportunity to look forward and to discuss plans. It encourages us to step back and look at the big picture. Frankly, it sometimes seems to me that I have more than enough work to do simply seeking to keep the show on the road. We’re all concerned about maintaining our buildings and balancing the books. But I don’t want to settle for “maintenance mode”, still less for the management of decline. Since people inevitably die and move away, we need to grow numerically just to stand still. The Diocese tells us that we don’t pay our full costs, and all three parishes are committed to working hard to seek to do so as soon as possible.

But above all it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ that should motivate and inform all that we do. The church is not just an under-resourced branch of English Heritage. Nor are we amateur social workers or counsellors or whatever. We certainly do not exist to pay into the central coffers or just to keep the Rector off the streets. It seems to me that in everything we do we should always keep two main aims before us:

(1) We want to follow Jesus. We are seeking to be his disciples. That’s an inexhaustible life-transforming adventure that affects everything.

(2) We want to help and encourage others to follow Jesus. We want to make disciples of Jesus.

We could add that we want to make disciples of Jesus who will in turn make disciples of Jesus – and so it goes on!

Hopefully, those big aims are clear. We know that our primary means are the Word of God and prayer – all in the power of the Spirit. We’ve also done some strategic thinking when we talked about our Mission Action Plan, and we need to keep that under review. There’ll be much to discuss by way of tactics. Your church needs you! We hope you’ll get on board with this vision and we really mean it when we say that your comments and suggestions are important to us. We’d love to hear how we can do better together.

So, God-willing, I hope to see you at one of our APCMs (details of which, later in the magazine):

·        Dallington on Wed 10^th April at 7pm in the church

·        Bodle Street Green on Fri 12^th April at 7:30pm in the village hall

·        Warbleton on Mon 15^th April at 7:30pm in the church rooms

Bread & Wine: Death & new life

I wonder if there is something to be said about bread and wine involving death and resurrection: the seed falls to the ground and dies and so on, the grain is crushed and lives again transformed and renewed as bread; wine is water or grape ressurected. And through this death and resurrection, they are also life giving: they live too in those who participate in them, as believers are vivified and indwelt by Christ and his Spirit.

A typical service

Today I missed out one of the Ten Commandments. (Murder, since you ask).

I drank up all the consecrated wine with two communicants still to go.

The readings did not correspond with the preacher's sermon.

The CD player wouldn't work. So someone went to get another one. Which arrived after the first hymn. And then the CD kept sticking or skipping or something.

So, a typical service.

Everyone seemed happy and edified!

Spiritual health warnings for Lent

On Wednesday I invited the flock in the name of Christ to the observance of a holy Lent by discipline, self-denial, reading of Holy Scripture and prayer and so on. Here are some spiritual health warnings to go with that:

(1) Lent is not in the Bible.

In itself that is an uninteresting point. Neither is Christmas (in this sense) and all sensible people observe that! So you don't have to observe Lent and neither does your "less godly" hyper-Protestant Christian neighbour. This is not a matter for strife or division or one-up-man-ship. Where God has been silent we must not attempt to bind one anothers' consciences.

(2) The observance of Lent and Advent as penitential seasons risks getting the Christian year out of balance.

It is noteworthy that in the Old Testament (a lesser covenant than the New) there was only one compulsary fast day and a number of feast days. That is the basic shape and tenor of the Christian life. Even if we keep Lent, remember that the Sundays don't count. Resurrection Day is always a feast to the Lord. That means chocolate and booze, surely?

(3) The Christian faith is one of daily year round repentance, but also of continual rejoicing.

Don't be a misery guts. Observe Lent happily or not at all. And observe self-denial and discipleship daily - but know that means loving God and loving your neighbour, the weightier matters of the law.

(4) Booze and chocolate are good gifts of God to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.

The Lord preserve us from a low-fat skinny Christianity! We are not Gnostics. The body and food and drink are good things, though of course they make bad gods. Lent might help us to put them in their place, but they don't belong in the dustbin. 

(5) Keeping man-made made rules for 40 days does not a godly life make.

Giving up sin and taking up godliness is what its all about. We mustn't kid ourselves that we have our minds and bodies under control if we can avoid cocoa solids for a couple of months. Lower the standard so that you can keep the standard and feel good smacks of Phariseeism.

(6) The Christian faith is first of all about what Jesus has DONE not what we DO. We are saved by Jesus, all of grace, through faith and not by good works.

(7) We are not to observe Lent to be seen by men. If we seek their praise, we may have our reward. It may therefore be best not to broadcast your devotions on Facebook!

No doubt more could be said. What would you print on the fag-packet of Lent?

Husbands, get your wives to submit to you

The Bible doesn't say that!

Wives ought to submit to / obey their husbands.

But its not the husband's job to "get his wife to submit" - at least not directly! Telling your wife to do so is unlikely to work. You shouldn't try to "make her", and in any case you can't since submission is a matter of heart, spirit and demeaner not outward conformity. A wife who does as she's told and rages against you inside isn't gonna be much fun!

The husband's duty is clear: love your life as Christ loves the church - with all her sins and imperfections. And with yours! And do all the other stuff that flows from that, like provide and protect and so on. And probably buy flowers and chocolates at regular intervals and tell her how lovely she looks.

In short, the husband ought to try to be Christlike - the kind of husband to whom its not so hard to submit.

Live to work or work to live?

Perhaps this dilema is lessened if we begin to think of our work as part of God's mission.

If our work is aligned to the creation mandate and the great commission, then, in part, we live to work. God's plan is to rule and fill the earth through the disciples of Jesus Christ and, in part, this plan is fulfilled by our work, in union with Christ and in the power of the Spirit by the Word of God.

If we are a bank robber or a prostitute it is clear that (more than likely!) we work to live. But any other lawful calling is part of the very purpose of our existence. We were put in the garden to guard and keep and fill it and to grow the family buisness untill its a global operation. We do not live merely for evenings, weekends and holidays. Neither do we live merely for church on a Sunday, homegroup or seeking to talk about Jesus at the water cooler. Work is part of life lived in obedience to God, part of his plan and purposes.  Sweeping the streets is as much part of that plan as the ministry of the gospel or being a teacher or doctor.

Oh, and of course, we also work so that we might live: to provide for ourselves and our families and to give to others.

Mark 13 - It's not the end of the world

If Mark 13 is largely or entirely about the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple etc. in AD70, we are left with the challenge as to how to preach it as relevant to today.

It obviously does not mean the same to us today after the event as it meant for the apostles before. We do not need to pray that it will not take place in winter or get ready to flee to the Judean hills.

Anyway, my attempt should appear on our church website this week.

After lots of introduction and preamble, my headings were:

(1) Jesus is the true prophet - listen to him, believe his word, do what he says etc.
(2) Jesus is the true Lord and Judge - submit to him, trust him, flee to him for mercy etc. Thank God for our friend on the throne
(3) Jesus is the true temple, the place to meet God and the ultimate sacrifice for sin - come to him in his Word, trust in him for forgiveness and access to God