St Michael's Church (Church of England)

In case you are wondering what I am talking about there was a prediction by pastor Harold Camping in the USA that May 21^st at 6.00pm across the world was the time of judgement for all, heralded by earthquakes bringing reckoning for all human kind by God.

I found the thought interesting: should I

Dismiss as a crack pot idea?

See as funny?

What if true?

It did cross my mind the irony of planning this sermon in the morning with no need of it by sundown!

So yesterday there I was, sitting in the garden at 7.15am drinking tea with Megan our dog at my side looking at the colours and shapes of the plants in the borders. For me all was well with the world. A favourite time of my day, No phone, no people (apologies), email, TV, nothing except sun, blue sky, own thoughts and peace.

I realised in one sense I was ready to meet with God that day, at that moment I was content, and pondered how it might be when God arrived, with Jesus? Was I satisfied with my life, ready for it to be scrutinised? Hearing the reading from Acts of the Apostles we can tell that Stephen was ready to meet with God, and stayed faithful to God despite knowing that meant death.

How do we fair? Are we ready as Stephen was ready? Sitting there how did I feel should the possibility of the end of time actually be a certainty?

I offer to you an insight to my own conversations with God yesterday in the light of the possible end of the world, and hope I will neither shock nor disappoint anyone based within the role of your parish priest & as fellow pilgrim.

First I thought: should I prostrate myself before God, full of repentance & misery?

Yet by the Holy Spirit God already knows how I feel: what I regret in my life, and whether my repentance is true or manufactured as an insurance policy for entrance to heaven.

We regularly visit together God and me, those times of bad decisions, ill judged words or in-action so I realise there is nothing I can hide from God in my life. No, there would be no point in sudden prostration of myself with extra or belated repentance for past mistakes,

Second I could rush to the internet & change my standing orders to world saving charities and to St Michaels church to show I mean what I say when I want to live by faith and good stewardship. But then surely I should not be waiting until the end of the world to make that response to God? I should do that just because I want to live within his call to self sacrifice & giving.

Finally I think of those things to celebrate, so many blessings in my life. People, beauty of God’s world, development and changes, the matter of change and growth in my own self and how God is so clever in how he leads our lives. Why wait until the end to give thanks, why not each morning as we breath our first thought?

I reflected, if yesterday or today it is the final time then no last minute ‘flutter on the horses’ of living with love, charity, mercy and humility will make a difference. God will pass his judgement in the light of Christ’s call to me since I started to understand that call, judgement in relation to my appropriate ability and gained wisdom of response. It is not that I can do nothing to influence that moment, it is just that it is who I am that matters, not the big show at the last moment. Its funny how it is the now that is important, we should do things now rather than put them off, (from a Christian’s point of view read, pray learn more about Jesus) and yet the rush for a good show in the ‘now’ as God arrives probably will count for nothing………

..I closed my reflection with God by a prayer of thanks and hope and remembrance that big resolutions for how to get into heaven might be helpful but that the small changes in each day were likely to be the real deal.

In the Gospel verses of today Jesus was starting to say goodbye to the disciples, and was in part trying to equip them to be ready to live out his teachings to them when he was no longer with them. Trying to explain that because of who he was the whole of human relationship with God had changed.

When he said ‘no one comes to the father except through me’ he was not passing judgement on other Faith Beliefs or on No belief. He was speaking about the actual change to his listeners brought about through his incarnation – ‘God with us’.

He does not say no one comes to God except through me, rather no one comes to the Father. i.e to new relationship with God.

These words are a joyous affirmation of a religious community that believes God is available to them decisively in the incarnation. Before that it was a distant God, unnamed, unknowable before which sacrifices must be made to appease or to bargain with. Now, through Jesus, God’s identity is revealed.

Philip says “show us the Father”

Jesus says “I am the Father and the Father is in me. “

By his words and by his actions Jesus reveals the Father, through him we come to God. We become his people.

We even become his presence on earth, his Body on earth in the Body of Christ - in the Christian community of God’s People.

The reading from 1 Peter 2. 2- 10 is part of a letter concerning being God’s people. Its words were true for that community then and are also true for us today. The readers are given a two part message.

A reminder of the Good news they have received and
the call to live responsibly in the light of what heard.

The term in v 5 “that in Christ Christians have become a royal priesthood” can be amazing, or frightening, or plain weird. Does this mean we all have orders in the life of the church? Or that we should offer sacrifice of either animals or Eucharist at the altar?

It is linked with the claim based on Exodus that as God shows Aaron to be a priest for the sake of God’s glory so now all Christian people are called by God to offer sacrifices, not of animals but of faithful obedience and the life of love that goes with it.

Our lives are to be the means and the revelation of God’s glory.

Looking around us that might seem pretty optimistic but take to its conclusion the statement ‘those who see Jesus see God’ we can follow the path that

those who believe in Jesus become God’s people then
God’s people are truly the revelation of Gods glory because
God in Christ is in us.

We are asked by Jesus and therefore by God to be the light and salt, the breath of fresh air, the transforming catalysts that point to the invitation to know God and develop in faith.

What is that faith then if one day all will end and there will be discussion with God on how we did -

I suggest faith can be to strive to live in humility, hoping we are ‘lights in the world’ - God’s people living in the blessing of his promise of mercy and love.

But together with that humility we need confident open lives that draw others in.

Being disciples helps to make disciples as people decide they want to know more and start on their own path of discovery.

As I wrote I assumed we would be together today, in church on Sunday so what of judgement for ourselves and others? What of the fear for and care of others that drove Harold Camping to call the world to repent of its sins. Perhaps we too think that others may not seem to be part of the promise of eternal life. But in the great story God has authored and continues to author, who knows who will find mercy and light? who will next be included in God’s dear people?

There was a time when it was inconceivable that Gentiles, (non Jews) would be part of his plan, now we are, so we cannot live in judgement on others, only hope for ourselves.

And what is that hope to be: one of faith and belief in God and in Jesus Christ. But sometimes that is a tall order, sometimes, I know only too well, we go home and church, (that hour with God), becomes a small part of the rest of our busy lives, to be remembered later as a ‘what was it I was going to do?’

Anytime in the week, to help this Sunday stuff can I suggest we can shoot or ping up a prayer for the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith, to help us accept who we are and what our lives are. To guide us to be the parent at home or at work, the grandparent, the retired person, the gardener, golfer, computer programmer, accountant, teacher, just plain man or woman, child or teenager on their own path trying to get it together: Trying to understand how to lead lives of useful caring genuine actions which at our last day we can be satisfied with.

Let’s not live in fear of judgement, but in hope of love, seeing each day as the one, the one to matter to ourselves and to God. Not putting off those tasks we know we should do, but setting aside the fears that limit our potential.

To end I will use a prayer based on the Psalm verses for this morning Psalm 31. 1 – 5

In you, LORD, we have taken refuge; by your strength help us to keep faithful and deliver us from challenges that stop us from becoming more like your people. Please hear us when we call, come quickly to our rescue and be our rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save us from ourselves and outside temptations. Since you are our rock and our fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide us on the right path. Keep us free from the things in our lives that take us from you, for you are our refuge where we find peace. Into your hands we commit our Spirits and our lives; deliver us, LORD, our faithful God. Amen.

Thoughts on 1 Peter general

Context of 1 Peter: community of Christians, already aware of being in the society around them but not of the society, they were rescued from exile not into exile. Their alienation is a mark of their faithfulness: “live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors” 1 Peter¨17 – 18.

For the earliest generations of Christians it was clear that Christian life was “ New birth” it was chosen to become into not be born into.

New birth parallel between that of Christians with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Both move from death to life, so resurrection for J is the grounds for the new life of the believer. …… alluding to baptism.

God’s promise already made in heaven however difficult earthly life may seem God’s promise is signed and sealed. But not yet been fully revealed and will not be so until the last day.

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