Tell God your plans and you're in for a surprise!
Again and again in my life I work, as the conscientious guy I try to be, to set up the best future for myself, for my family and for my church - but we have a God of surprises!
We have a God who as Paul teaches in Romans 8 works all things for good for those who love him and he works it both through our planning and through the surprises he gives us.
We are God’s Church and must keep open to God's surprises.
The call of Samuel in our first reading was a surprise to him. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. We're told. Yet At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’
After two rebuttals we heard how Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
Samuel – and Eli – have a surprise of the Spirit which they need to come to terms with. In consequence of Samuel recognising God’s call Israel gets a new start that leads through Samuel to Saul, David and the Kings.
As we move through the first month of a new year many of us are looking for one sort of fresh start or other. Could we do better than seek refreshing of our relationship with God? To seek the newness imparted us again and again from the permanent newness of Jesus who's the same yesterday, today and forever?
For our second reading we had a passage from the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. I've actually been to Patmos, the Island we’re told where John’s vision came to him when he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. I attended the Orthodox Liturgy on the Island and when you read the passage of the priestly elders falling down before the sacrificial Lamb you could imagine John dreaming at the eucharist which is so structured – led by elders we gather round the altar as Christ’s sacrifice is represented and we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The book of Revelation is a mighty surprise of the Spirit to any who read it with devotion. We had a particularly upbeat section of it read out today.
Upbeat and upwards pointing, just like our spire which invites our village to look to God in worship and prayer.
Again and again in my life I work, as the conscientious guy I try to be, to set up the best future for myself, for my family and for my church - but we have a God of surprises!
We have a God who as Paul teaches in Romans 8 works all things for good for those who love him and he works it both through our planning and through the surprises he gives us.
We are God’s Church and must keep open to God's surprises.
The call of Samuel in our first reading was a surprise to him. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. We're told. Yet At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’
After two rebuttals we heard how Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
Samuel – and Eli – have a surprise of the Spirit which they need to come to terms with. In consequence of Samuel recognising God’s call Israel gets a new start that leads through Samuel to Saul, David and the Kings.
As we move through the first month of a new year many of us are looking for one sort of fresh start or other. Could we do better than seek refreshing of our relationship with God? To seek the newness imparted us again and again from the permanent newness of Jesus who's the same yesterday, today and forever?
For our second reading we had a passage from the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. I've actually been to Patmos, the Island we’re told where John’s vision came to him when he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. I attended the Orthodox Liturgy on the Island and when you read the passage of the priestly elders falling down before the sacrificial Lamb you could imagine John dreaming at the eucharist which is so structured – led by elders we gather round the altar as Christ’s sacrifice is represented and we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The book of Revelation is a mighty surprise of the Spirit to any who read it with devotion. We had a particularly upbeat section of it read out today.
Upbeat and upwards pointing, just like our spire which invites our village to look to God in worship and prayer.
Worship may be
outwardly the same here Sunday by Sunday but, as in the passage, we find here
the eternal newness of Jesus. We join round the altar of God as if lifted into
paradise 'with all the company of heaven'. This morning I cannot but think of
Lesley Whiting and my mother-in-law Doris Scott being one with us in this
anticipated feast of heaven we call the holy eucharist.
Back to surprises - our Gospel reading has Philip very much surprised by Jesus. Such a surprise! So much taken up was Philip, we read, that he went and got Nathanael, Saint Bartholomew, who, initially sceptical of Jesus was won over by the surprising knowledge Jesus had of his being under the fig tree Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! He says in homage to Jesus who presents him with this astounding promise that extends to all believers: I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
Now that will be a surprise for us on the last day, or on the day of our death, as it was for those first disciples when they saw their friend and Lord ascending into heaven at the end of his earthly ministry
So what can we draw for ourselves from today’s readings?
That God is a living and therefore surprising God.
We can’t tie him down in human categories since we are to him as dust to the heavens above. Indeed in God’s house whether you’re the greatest saint or worst sinner puts you either top or bottom of the carpet so to speak.
In that respect what’s most surprising is God’s actual interest in us humans in the first place. How he takes trouble to call Samuel, John the Divine, Philip, Nathanael – and, yes, you and I - for we too are called and to be equipped for his purposes?
C.S.Lewis wrote a book ‘Surprised by Joy’ to describe the confounding of his dismal atheism by a surprising encounter with the living God.
Sometimes it can be the same for us.
Back to surprises - our Gospel reading has Philip very much surprised by Jesus. Such a surprise! So much taken up was Philip, we read, that he went and got Nathanael, Saint Bartholomew, who, initially sceptical of Jesus was won over by the surprising knowledge Jesus had of his being under the fig tree Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! He says in homage to Jesus who presents him with this astounding promise that extends to all believers: I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
Now that will be a surprise for us on the last day, or on the day of our death, as it was for those first disciples when they saw their friend and Lord ascending into heaven at the end of his earthly ministry
So what can we draw for ourselves from today’s readings?
That God is a living and therefore surprising God.
We can’t tie him down in human categories since we are to him as dust to the heavens above. Indeed in God’s house whether you’re the greatest saint or worst sinner puts you either top or bottom of the carpet so to speak.
In that respect what’s most surprising is God’s actual interest in us humans in the first place. How he takes trouble to call Samuel, John the Divine, Philip, Nathanael – and, yes, you and I - for we too are called and to be equipped for his purposes?
C.S.Lewis wrote a book ‘Surprised by Joy’ to describe the confounding of his dismal atheism by a surprising encounter with the living God.
Sometimes it can be the same for us.
We go through
phases of practical atheism when God doesn’t seem to count much in our lives
only to be woken up like Samuel by a voice from above spoken through our
circumstances as were the people touched in last week’s anointing.
Here I am, for you called me, we find ourselves saying in obedience to God’s surprising intervention.
If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans. The point is we need an openness to his possibilities that’s bred in humility.
At the end of the day we’re not ultimately in control of our lives - God is.
God must many a time be amused at the presumption of humanity in the plans we make since we can’t possibly comprehend the variables as we look forward in life as he does.
Plan we must, as this New Year gets underway, but let our plans leave us open to welcoming the surprises of the Holy Spirit.
Here I am, for you called me, we find ourselves saying in obedience to God’s surprising intervention.
If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans. The point is we need an openness to his possibilities that’s bred in humility.
At the end of the day we’re not ultimately in control of our lives - God is.
God must many a time be amused at the presumption of humanity in the plans we make since we can’t possibly comprehend the variables as we look forward in life as he does.
Plan we must, as this New Year gets underway, but let our plans leave us open to welcoming the surprises of the Holy Spirit.
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