The preacher’s role is to expound the scripture readings for the day and help us engage with the word of God through them. Sometimes that involves developing what is called a sermon proposition or summary challenge. Other times the preacher does more of an explanation of the passages chosen where their meaning isn’t self-evident. As I reflected upon today’s readings for the sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday in Year B of the 3 year cycle I failed to find an obvious summary. Instead it seemed right to give an explanation shaped like an exposition for each of the three passages leaving it to the Holy Spirit to harmonise as he speaks to each one of us. With that in mind I would invite you to join me in invoking the Holy Spirit before I start:
Lord we thank you for the gift of your holy word which is a lantern to our feet, a light to our paths and a strength to our lives. As we contemplate today’s scripture gifts send your Holy Spirit to guide the preacher’s words and inspire all who listen to them so that our hearts, minds and wills may be impacted and your reign advance in us and through us. Come, Holy Spirit!
Let’s start with Amos. Scripture calls him a prophet but he himself denies it if you look at the end of the first reading. I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
In scripture prophets and priests are linked respectively to challenging and maintaining the status quo. In our passage Amaziah, the priest of Bethel is a sort of Dean of Westminster Abbey of his day as an appointee of the King of Israel. Even the band of prophets were King’s men in those days. This is why Amos says he’s no prophet’s son. Though a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, God took him saying “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
In my former role as Diocesan mission and renewal advisor my task was linked to a diocesan vision that challenged our status quo as a religious community. To this day God sets a plumb line or marker against us, a measure linked to church attendance and financial giving. The Mission Action Plan or MAP we have at St Mary’s is a reminder to work for numerical growth here and get all church members to take responsibility for this. To follow the picture Amos provides mindful of the pastoral vacancy sheep (church members) produce sheep, not shepherds. Hence a past diocesan challenge we called each one reach one!
Then our second reading from Ephesians. It counts God’s blessings, speaking of our adoption as God’s children, our redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, ...the obtain(ing of) an inheritance...and the seal of the... Holy Spirit.
God who’s given us his dear Son Jesus Christ has given us all things in him. Our endeavours to grow in faith, love and numbers as a congregation are set within God’s plan for Balcombe that’s part of his plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
One of the challenges we have is to build relationships between the church and the village, so all that we know to be precious, the things Paul lists in the reading, may be made evident to those around us.
Through the various enterprises in which church members and non-church members engage. Through our prayers, and the good stewardship of our buildings we look to engaging St Mary’s more fruitfully with young and old in Balcombe for their good.
Ephesians 1.3-14 is one of the earliest eucharistic prayers – eucharistic meaning thanksgiving. The passage lists God’s mighty work among us in Jesus Christ.
When I was Rector of Horsted Keynes we held a vision day with the late Fr Keith McRae who spoke of critical mass and the mass as critical. Of our need to build a critical mass eg of youth and families for outreach and also to see the mass or eucharist as critical since it has in it the wherewithal to help us do what God wants us to do.
The more thankful we are, the more we live Ephesians 1 and the eucharist, the less inhibited we’ll be by pride and foolish self reliance as a Christian community. Self reliance is the major obstacle to hearts opening and being enthused by Jesus Christ who calls us as a church into greater dependence upon him.
Scripture, because it has a particular authority as 'the Word of God' is a particularly 'graced' servant of prayer. The very existence of Scripture is evidence of dialogue between human beings and God. To pray with Scripture can be, quite simply, an entering into that conversation as in the Psalms. To read slowly and prayerfully through Ephesians 1:3-14 later in the week putting your first name into the text might serve to enhance your prayer: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed John in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose John in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined John for adoption as his child through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on John in the Beloved. In him John has redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of John’s trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on John’. Try that - it’s can be very powerful as a prayer, a bible-based prayer reading back to God his own promises to you as an individual he loves.
Let’s move on thirdly to the Gospel account from Mark 6 of John’s beheading we might observe how the Baptist got beheaded for his forthrightness. He also won respect from his hearers for it, and a place in the church calendar. People, young people especially, feel they can engage with folk who’ve a definite and not a shifting world view. It’s the people prepared at times to tell us it as it is that are end up being most formative in our lives.
I have conversations with many an atheist nowadays who drag me over the coals about faith in God’s goodness given the dreadful evils in the world. I’m glad to so engage, seeing their engagement with me evidencing serious pursuit of the truth I am about. So with King Herod and St John the Baptist. When Herod heard John, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. Truth speaks to power. Christianity is true. There is a God who both made us and loves us. As we witness to that, something inside of people is stirred.
For 1000 years the Christian community here at St Mary’s has been a generation away from extinction. The truth of what we stand for is a counter to the powerful apathy and unbelief around us. We shouldn’t lose heart but take courage to be forthright at time about the truth we share - even if it costs. You won’t lose your head in Balcombe!
If there is a theme through today it is prophetic in that way. Amos and John the Baptist encourage us to speak the truth God lays on our hearts with courage and prudence. Paul in our second reading calls us to fresh awareness of all God has given us in Christ which will energise our faith.
In seeking a critical Mass for growth here we shall indeed do well to see the Mass as critical. Let’s then be open now in a quiet moment to what God is giving us this morning in the table of the word and the altar of communion so we can gratefully seize upon his leading.
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