2024
What are you waiting for?
A sermon based on Luke 2:22-40.
When the angel appear to the shepherds in the middle of the night it declares to them “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” it all sounds great. Who doesn’t want good news of great joy for all people?
The shepherds rush to Bethlehem and find the baby all wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger… and they are indeed overjoyed. They are so happy they tell anyone who will listen about what the angels told them about the child before returning to their sheep, still singing praises to God.
I wonder, how many times in your life have you felt like that?
So full of joy that you had to tell everyone all about it?
I wonder what caused such joy?
And how long the joy took to fade a bit as life returned to normal?
Or how long it took you realise that people are happy for you but that the joy isn’t theirs?
One of the good bits about the days between Christmas and New Year is that the TV schedule is different, not that most of us even watch what’s on the TV at the time. It’s all apps and on demand now.
It turns out there are loads of brilliant kids animations on. If you haven’t seen the amazing adaptations of the Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler books like The Snail and the Whale and The Gruffalo then you’re really missing a treat.
The other day Avril had gone out and I made a coffee and turned on the TV, probably to watch whatever sport was in. Instead I found myself watching the Disney Pixar movie Inside Out. I’ve seen it before but it was at a part I didn’t really remember. For those of you who haven’t seen it, Inside Out is an absolutely brilliant story of what goes on inside the head of Riley, an 11 year old girl. Inside her head is a command centre where Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger struggle to work out how to react to what’s happening to Riley when she moves from Minnesota to San Francisco.
Joy is in charge and she just wants Riley to be happy all the time. Everything goes wrong when Joy and Sadness get lost and have to journey through Riley’s mind, through her imagination, memory banks and her subconscious. Joy eventually realises that Riley needs Sadness too… and that some of what Joy thought were purely happy memories were actually tinged with sadness. And we all know that sometimes the moments of greatest joy come after a sadness. “Joy comes in the morning”.
I think we all recognise that. There are times when we have moments of great joy but those are often moments when something changes, when we realise that things will never be the same again.
That’s what’s going on just a few days after Jesus’ birth when Mary and Joseph make the short journey from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the Temple and offer a sacrifice… of two turtle doves. Luke seems very keen to tell us that Mary and Joseph have fulfilled all the requirements. Jesus has been circumcised, as required. As their firstborn son he must now be taken to the temple along with Mary to take part in a ritual of purification that happens after birth. Remember, there are very strong religious ideas around blood at this time and so anything that happened where bleeding would occur needs a ritual of purification afterwards and this has nothing to do with sin or anything like that. It’s a health and hygiene thing.
At the Temple Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus meet two people we almost never talk about as part of the Christmas story, Anna and Simeon.
We read that Simeon was righteous and devout. He was looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
I wonder what it was like to live with that promise? You will see the Messiah before you die. It’s been a long, long wait. There must have been times where Simeon was discouraged. Times where he doubted the promise. Times where he lost hope.
Prompted by the Holy Spirit Simeon goes to the Temple when Mary and Joseph are there… and taking the baby Jesus in his arms he starts praising God in words that have been used by the church across the centuries…
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’
It’s known as the Nunc Demittis and it has become a part of the night prayers of the church, which are sometimes called compline. It’s a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. I can go in peace because I have seen the promise of God fulfilled. This ancient hymn of praise also makes an appearance in the traditional funeral liturgies, a time where we give thanks for someone’s life but also a time where we are sad because they have died.
Just look at what Simeon tells Mary and Joseph in the midst of his joy… “‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. And he tells Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.’”
Jesus is the Messiah. This baby is the one the prophets told of. He is the one Simeon has waited patiently for. Jesus is the source of great joy, the prince of peace, if we want him to be… but there will be some people who aren’t going to like what’s coming and they will do everything they can to oppose Jesus and all he stands for.
Jesus will bring change. Transformation. Jesus will remind the world of God’s priorities. Just look at what Mary sings when she discovers she will become pregnant:
“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
There are some people with much to loose and those people almost never let their power and position and wealth go without a fight.
I imagine that Mary must have known this. The magnificat, the song she sings, isn’t a song Mary makes up. It’s Hannah’s song from hundreds of years before. It’s the song that Hannah sings in praise of God when she finds out she is pregnant with Samuel, the boy who would become the High Priest, the boy would take over from the line of Eli, the boy who would anoint David as Israel’s great king… ending the line of Saul. Samuel is the priest who would usher in the greatest changes in Israel’s history. And there were many powerful people who didn’t like it.
There was also a cost for Hannah. Her prayer for a son was answered. Her joy was so great that people thought she was drunk! But her son, her only son, the son she had wished for with all her heart, would be left at the Temple to live a life dedicated to God.
Simeon isn’t the only one who has been waiting, waiting for a long, long time. Anna was a prophet who has spent every day in the Temple waiting. She, like Simeon, was very old. She had spent all of her time there in the Temple and as soon as the Holy child appeared she knew. Anna’s response was to do what prophets do… she started to tell everyone who the child was to everyone who was looking for change.
Their wait is over. Their joy is complete and Simeon is content. Anna and Simeon have found what they were looking for.
I wonder if that’s how it is with us? Christmas has come. The Christ-child has been born. And that’s enough. It’s enough to know that light has come. Enough to know that hope is present. Time to put away the tinsel and get back to normal.
But perhaps we shouldn’t. Perhaps we should take at least a couple of weeks to celebrate the great joy that comes with the birth of Jesus but as part of our celebrations we should consider the implications… and consider what our response will be, even in the face of the opposition the Gospel provokes.
Howard Thurman, wrote
I will light candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage where fear is ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens.
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.
I wonder, now you have met the child… what candles will you light?
What message will you spread?
What transformation will you bring?
What light will you bring to the darkness?
2022
Scratching the Surface 6
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
What do you realise?
So as we listen to this week’s reading think about What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise?
Luke 9:28-43a
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.’ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’
‘You unbelieving and perverse generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.’
Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise? I’ll post my answers in the comments. I hope that you’ll be curious about the passage and that you’ll post your answers to the three questions in the comments too.
2022
Luke 6:27-38 – Scratching the Surface 5
To help us to Scratch the Surface we are going to think about 3 questions:
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
What do you realise?
So as we listen to this week’s reading think about What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise?
Luke 6:27-38
‘But to you who are listening I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise? I’ll post my answers in the comments. I hope that you’ll be curious about the passage and that you’ll post your answers to the three questions in the comments too.
If you want to dig deeper then join us for our bible study on Thursdays on zoom!
2022
Scratching the Surface 4
What do you notice?
I notice that Jesus seems to be dishing out blessings to those who never feel blessed and are never told that they are worth anything.
What do you wonder?
I wonder what those people felt when Jesus told them they were blessed? Were they grateful? Cynical? Inspired? Many of them had been healed in some way so I wonder if that made them more likely to feel blessed?
What do you realise?
I realise that we don’t treat each other like people who are loved and valued by God as much as we should. We fall into the trap of valuing the things Jesus warns against. We look up to people who are rich or successful rather than people who are kind and honest. I realise that I probably need to get some new role models.
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise? And what do you think of what I noticed, wondered and realised?
I hope that you’ll be curious about the passage too and that you’ll post your answers to the three questions in the comments.
2022
Scratching the Surface episode 3
Our reading today is from Luke 5:1-11
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding round him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’
Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
What do you notice?
I notice that when Simon tells Jesus to go aways from him because Simon recognises his own failings Jesus tells Simon not to be afraid.
What do you wonder?
I wonder why Jesus said that? I wonder if he knew Simon was afraid? And what he was afraid of? Perhaps Simon was afraid of following Jesus. Perhaps he was afraid of being left behind.
What do you realise?
I realise that I spent a long time being afraid of following Jesus to where he was calling me to go. I realise that mostly that fear was unfounded but there are days when I’m still afraid. Simon Peter didn’t get over his fear that moment he followed Jesus. Far from it. He does loads wrong and messes up. But he changes. He learns as he follows. I hope I can do that too.
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you realise? And what do you think of what I noticed, wondered and realised? Let me know in the comments below!