Sunday, 3 May 2020
Saturday, 2 May 2020
Week beginning 3rd May
Song:
Thine be the glory
Reading:
John 21: 1-14
Song:
God is on the move
Reading:
John 21: 15-25
Song:
Break Thou the bread of life.
Here is a beautiful unaccompanied version of the same hymn. It includes a verse I am not familiar with.
Matthew tells us that Jesus told the disciples to go back to Galilee. He also says that they met him on the mountain where he had told them to go. He told them to go to the mountain. He gave them what we now call the great commission.
‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
It is not clear whether this took place before or after the appearance described by John, personally, I think it was probably after, but it is not possible to be sure from the accounts we have.
Some of you will be familiar with the film “A Bridge too far.” In one scene, just after a disastrous landing, Corporal Hancock has just offered Major General Urquhart (Played by Sean Connery) a cup of tea.
Major General Urquhart:
Hancock. I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods. My original plan has been scuppered now that the jeeps haven't arrived. My communications are completely broken down. Do you really believe any of that can be helped by a cup of tea?
Hancock. I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods. My original plan has been scuppered now that the jeeps haven't arrived. My communications are completely broken down. Do you really believe any of that can be helped by a cup of tea?
Corporal Hancock:
Couldn't hurt, sir.
Couldn't hurt, sir.
What do we do when the going gets tough? What is our immediate reaction in times of stress? We go to what we find familiar. Just like Hancock did.
The disciples had been on an emotional roller-coaster. It must have been terrible for them. Everything they had worked for over three years had come to an end. Then the resurrection appearances happened. How confusing would that have been?
Following instruction they had returned to Galilee, home. At that stage, as far as we know, there was no specific instruction as to why they should return home.
Suddenly, Jesus appears on the scene. What have they done? The familiar! They have gone fishing.
On the face of it, this is a simple story. Jesus appears to his friends, chats a bit and then goes on his way.
Or is it? John rarely tells simple narratives, this would be Luke’s territory. Everything John writes has a reason and is usually full of theology.
Let’s look at the details: in order.
We have a fire, specifically a charcoal fire, or fire of coals. Where else is this mentioned in scripture? In fact there is only one other reference. In the courtyard, where Peter denied Jesus.
Is Jesus saying “Do you remember the betrayal?” Or even,”Now look at the follow on”
What was on the fire? Bread and fish. Does this ring any bells? It is not clear where Jesus got the fish from, as the boat had not yet beached. A miracle perhaps? An unusual one, seemingly a selfish one? But nonetheless, a reminder that Jesus fed the 5000 and made food appear out of the ground, that he is God.
Miraculous catch. Reminder of the similar miracle that occurred at the calling of the first disciples.
How many fish? The account is very specific, 153. This is a strange number of uncertain significance. YHWH,the divine name is mentioned 153 times in Genesis. Could the number refer to the power of God?
Solomon counted 153 thousand (and a few hundred) foreigners in a census, could it refer to a calling to “catch” foreigners?
Jesus asks Simon three times “Do you love me?” Is this a reference to the three times Simon denied Jesus?
Jesus is saying “Don’t you remember?” “Haven’t you learned anything?” “This is all much more important than the last few years. The real job has only just started.”
A beautiful old story tells of how Jesus, after his Ascension into Heaven, was surrounded by the Holy Angels who began to enquire about his work on earth.
Jesus told them about His birth, life, preaching, death and resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world.The angel Gabriel asked, “Well, now that you are back in Heaven, who will continue your work on earth?” Jesus said, “While I was on earth, I gathered a group of people around me who believed in me and loved me. They will continue to spread the Gospel and carry on the work of the Church.” Gabriel was perplexed. “You mean Peter, who denied you thrice and all the rest who ran away when you were crucified? You mean to tell us that you left them to carry on your work? Hmm (Pause)
What is plan B? And what will you do if this plan doesn’t work?” Jesus said, “I have no other plan — it must work.”
The story about Jesus asking Simon “Do you love me?” is almost totally lost in translation. Greek, in which this story is written, has four words which translate into English as “love.” The story uses two different words in different places.
These are : “Philia”, with the force of the love between friends. The bond between people who share a common interest or activity; and “Agape”, unconditional love, the love that brings forth caring, regardless of the circumstance. The love of God for people.
When Jesus asks Simon “Do you love me” he uses “Agape” in the question. Simon responds “You know that I love you.”, but he uses “Philia”, a lower level of commitment.
The second time Jesus asks “Do you love me?”, he again uses “Agape” and Simon again responds with “Philia”
When Jesus asks the third time “Do you love me?, he uses “Philia”. He is accepting what is on offer. He can use what Simon is prepared to offer.
Mant time is scripture, God calls people to his service and they respond that they are not worthy. But each time God says, “You do what you can do, and I will accept what you are offering”.
Truly, Jesus has no other plan than to depend on the efforts of his followers!
So that is the plan – its a plan that depends on you and me – a plan that depends on each of us – each of us using our talents and gifts and time and resources for the good of the Gospel.
But often we sit back and say ah sure some one else will do it… NO that is not what Christianity is – it is a call from God to each of us to live our baptism – to live as active members of our parish and our church. There is no plan B – we are plan A
When our work gets difficult, we tend to go back to what we are familiar with. Just like the disciples. Just like corporal Hancock. We stick with what we have always done, when we are really called to try something new and different. When we try to stick with the familiar, we can expect a visit from Jesus and expect him to ask us what we are doing: whether we have learned anything at all from him.
I know that I have said this before. How often do we hear a call to go back to God. Usually expressed as sometghing like “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people would go back to God.
The message is we can’t go back. We can only go forward to God.
But the great commission given by Jesus on the day of his Ascension is a blanket order. It has everyone’s name on it. And you can be sure that he says, “Go! Make disciples! Teach!” It is your mission and my mission.
I can’t use a reading about a miraculous catch of fish without using this song. There is a story of achild saying that they did not want to go to Sunday School again. When their mother asked why, they responded, because the teacher said that “I will make you vicious old men”
There is a second verse in this version which I have not heard before.
Song:
I will make you fishers of men
Prayer:
Father, we cannot help thinking of our life as a journey. It is not just a cycle of birth, growth, maturity and decay. We are travelling from our origins to our destiny. We hope to arrive somewhere better than we set out from.
You are our destination. Not that we start far from you: for you are there in our heredity, in our earliest environment. But we can only reach you by setting out to come to you. It is only as we attempt the course that we realise how rewarding it is.
We know the way. It is through Jesus that we come to you. It is by following him, obeying him, identifying ourselves with him, suffering with him, rising with him that we receive direction and find the route. Help us not to hesitate, and not to wander away from the path, but to keep to the course he has travelled. Amen.
Song:
I stand amazed in the presence
Saturday, 25 April 2020
Notices
Contact.
For probably the first time ever, the Wesleyan Reform Union has not published its bi-monthly newsletter. Hopefully this will be a once in a lifetime occasion. An electronic version has been produced. If you would like to receive a copy by email, please email me and I will send it to you.
WELLBEING AMBASSADOR
This is a volunteering opportunity to offer emotional and spiritual support to people in distress.
Earlier last year, a Psychiatric Decision Unit opened in Northern General to work with people at a point of crisis.
Our Wellbeing Ambassadors will be there as a non-clinical “buddy” to listen, provide hospitality and address people’s holistic needs.
This is a fantastic opportunity to support those in crisis and full training will be given.
If you are interested email: sheffieldlisteningadm1@gmail.com or call 07903899751 for a role description.
www.sycls.co.uk
South Yorkshire Chaplaincy & Listening Service is a Christian-rooted charity providing a listening ear, encouraging word and supportive act to individuals facing life’s challenges. We are recruiting volunteers for a project supporting individuals in crisis at the Northern General, as holistic Well-being Ambassadors. Full training is given. If you are interested in further information, please contact sheffieldlisteningadm1@gmail.com or 08903899751.
Week beginning 26th April 2020
Psalm 111
Song: I know that my redeemer lives
I know we usually sing this to the tune Torquay, but I couldn’t find a suitable version on line. Truro is fairly near to Torquay! (85 miles according to Google.)
Reading: Isaiah 42: 10-16
Walk in the light
Reading: Luke 24: 13-35
Listen: Emmaus
“Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
There is a story told of a minister visiting his flock who was certain that someone was in because he could hear movement in the house; a feeling shared by anyone who has ever collected charity envelopes. In spite of all his ringing and knocking he could not get a response, so he put one of his visiting cards through the letter box. On the back of the card he wrote “Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20”. When the householder looked this passage up in their bible, she found it to read “Behold, I stand at the door and knowk, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me.”
The following Sunday, the lady of the house was in church, and as she left, she presented the minister with one of her cards. On the back she had written “ Genesis chapter 3 verse 10.” When the minister looked this up later he found it to read “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.”
Notice that the minister, even though he knew that someone was inside the house did not force his attentions on them, he let them have the decision as to whether he came in or not. Jesus was like that on the road to Emmaus. He knew who he was. He knew who the people with whom he walked were, but he did not force himself on them, he allowed them to make their own decisions.
It is very easy at this distance in space and time to be critical of the disciples who walked with Jesus. “Fancy not recognising him!” we say, “Perhaps they were not very close disciples.”
Have you ever been given a bolling you could not live up to? I have, by the local newspaper in the town where I grew up. Sometime in 1969 the “Craven Herald and Pioneer” carried an article with the headline “Jonathan Ben Youdan, a name for British Rail to watch”. Our local railway was proposed for closure and I had composed an objection, and collected signatures for a petition. Well, if there is anyone in British Rail, or its successors still watching, I advise them to stop watching. I don’t think I hold any terrors for them now.
(As an aside, I travelled on the last train to run from skipton to Colne. There is currently a group campaigning for the re-opening of that railway, so one of my current ambitions is to travel on the first train to run from Skipton to Colne when it re-opens.)
Many of Jesus’ disciples had given him a billing that he hadn’t lived up to. They had mentally installed him as the Messiah who would come as a king in all his glory and rid them of the hated Romans. But he was not that sort of King.
Have you ever lost anything? If your lifestyle is anything like mine, you will spend a great deal of time looking for your wallet, keys, cheque book or some papers. We all know what it is like; first of all we look where it should be, then we start to look in other places, we rush around, moving things, looking under and inside things. We look everywhere that the object could possibly be. As time gets shorter, we get more and more frantic. How often does the object turn up somewhere we haven’t looked because it couldn’t possibly be there.
Why then should we be surprised that the disciples did not recognise Jesus? In addition to their disappointment that he had failed to live up their billing for him, he was the very last person they expected to see. He was dead. Hadn’t they seen him killed? Jesus did not stand up in front of them and say “Hey, its me! What are you doing? Don’t you know me?” No, he talked about the scriptures to them, he showed them where it was shown that the Messiah would come, not as a glorious rebellion leader, but as a suffering servant, that he came not to change systems or nations, but to change people
On arrival at the house, Jesus made to go further, he didn’t want to push himself on them. They invited him in, and he accepted the invitation. Then over a meal, they recognised him, and he disappeared.
Have you ever been talking to someone, a stranger who obviously know you, but you can’t immediately recognise. As you talk, it become obvious that you have spent a considerable time in their company, but it is not clear who they are. Eventually you part, and after they have gone you say “Of course, it was so and so.”
“ Didn’t (I) feel on fire as he conversed with (me) on the road”
With hindsight, they realised what they had done. Hindsight is always clearer than foresight. Everyone is an expert at “We should have done this.” “Couldn’t we tell?” “Wasn’t it obvious?”. But they needed to have things explained to them, that they had held a limited view of scripture. They had taken from the scriptures the ideas which suited the, and when Jesus had not lived up to their ideas, when in their eyes he had failed, they were depressed and downhearted.
This is not a phenomenon confined to the first century A.D. Nowadays we have people who would attempt to resdtrict the reading of the scriptures.
There are those who try to restrict the Christian faith to the ministry of healing. There are those who ally the Christian faith to a particular political belief, or to the combatting of a political belief. Some would only use the scriptures to predict the future, other simply want to prop up their own likes, dislikes and prejudices.
Just as the disciples were in error in this, so would we be if wefollow this road. We needto take the whole message, not just the bits which back up our own likes and dislikes, not just the parts which make us feel comfortable. They had wanted freedomfromthe Romans, and had looked for a great leader to achieve this. Their eagerness had blinded them to the rest of the message, just as our love of the status quo can blind us to the need for change.
In many ways we are all like those early disciples on the road to Emmaus. We are all pre-occupied with our own ideas. We all have our preconceptions about Jesus. We have all, at times, been oblivious of his presence, blinded by our misunderstandings, and our own ideaas of what we want from life. Disappointed at what we see as the failure or ourselves , others and even on occasion, God himself.
Just as all those years ago, Jesus walked to Emmaus with the disciples, the risen Lord is walking with us, waiting to be asked in. He will behave in the same patient way as he did all those years ago, he will wait to be asked in.
There is a famous painting called “The light of the world” by Holman Hunt. It portrays a man holding a lantern, standing outside a closed door in a ivy covered wall. When it was first displayed, one of the painter’s contemporaries said “But it isn’t finished.” “In what way?” asked the artist. “There is no handle on the door” replied the critic. “Oh it’s finished” said the artist, That door is the way into a person’s life, it can only be opened from the inside.”
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me.” says the risen Lord Jesus.
All too often we want to reply “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.”
All too often, we are keen to keep the door shut. We make excuses, rather like the person in the song.
All our excuses count for nothing in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus.
All too often, we only open the door when we want something, when there is a crisis. Once the crisis is past, we try to close the door again, in case we are asked to do something which runs counter to our natural inclinations.
In order to live life to the full, we need to recognise the signs; the knocking on the door, the warming of the heart. Make no mistake, there is a price to pay for opening the door; that price is change.
See how Cleopas and his fellow changed. From a fearful and disillusioned pair, afraid to be out at night, they became energetic and enthusiastic to travel back to Jerusalem to tell their story.
At times like these, it is easy to become disillusioned and depressed. It is difficult to be optimistic and enthusiastic when we are confined to our own homes for long periods. Remember our encounters with the risen Lord Jesus, and how he can transform lives. Whatever we have opportunities to do, do them with the enthusiasm which will enable other to see the risen Lord Jesus in us.
Song: Now the green blade rises
Prayer:
We who have given thanks for Christ’s victories now pray for his victory in the life of the world today.
We pray that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ may be known and believed by increasing numbers of men and women. May young and old, rich and poor, of every race, nation and language, realise what Christ hasdone for them and join their praise with that of the whole church.
We pray that we who follow Christ may manifest his victory in our way of life. May we be strong where we have been weak,compassionate where we have been hard, generous where we have been selfish, wholehearted where we have been lukewarm.
We pray that the influence of christ may reach beyond professed Christians to affect the whole life of society. May the ideals of peace and justice and care for others be written on all our hearts, and may not rest until these become the normal standards of the world.
We pray that Christ may strengthen men and women in their trials; in sickness, in bereavement, in hardship, in loneliness, in persecution, in disappointment.
May the victorious Christ strengthen us all to endure and conquer in his name.
Amen.
Taken from “More Contemporary Prayers.”
Some of you will know that this passage from Luke’s gospel is one of my favourite passages of scripture. This last song is an encapsulation of the chapter, and I cannot imagine Easter without it. Unfortunately I have not been able to find an online version which sets the words to the tune I associate with it. If you follow the instructions below, you whould be able to hear the music and read or sing along.
Tune: Companion
Right click on the link and then left click on “open link in new tab”. This should enable you top hear the music and read or sing the words simultaneously
1 Lord Jesus, in the days of old,
Two walked with Thee in waning light,
And love's blind instinct made them bold
To crave Thy presence through the night;
As night descends, we too would pray
O leave us not at close of day.
Two walked with Thee in waning light,
And love's blind instinct made them bold
To crave Thy presence through the night;
As night descends, we too would pray
O leave us not at close of day.
2 Did not their hearts within them burn?
And, though their Lord they failed to know,
Did not their spirits inly yearn?
They could not let the stranger go.
Much more, must we who know Thee pray:
O leave us not at close of day.
3 Perchance we have not always wist
Who has been with us by the way;
Amid day’s uproar we have missed
Some word that Thou hast had to say.
In silent night, O Saviour dear,
We would not fail Thy voice to hear.
4 Day is far spent and night is nigh;
Stay with us, Saviour, through the night;
Talk with us, teach us tenderly,
Lead us to peace, to rest, to light;
Dispel our darkness with Thy face,
Radiant with resurrection grace.
Stay with us, Saviour, through the night;
Talk with us, teach us tenderly,
Lead us to peace, to rest, to light;
Dispel our darkness with Thy face,
Radiant with resurrection grace.
5 Nor this night only, blessed Lord,
We, every day and every hour,
Would walk with Thee Emmaus-ward
To hear Thy voice of love and power;
And every night would by Thy side
Look, listen, and be satisfied.
James Ashcroft Noble (1844-96)
Taken from hymns and Psalms.
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Keeping up appearances.
Saturday, 18 April 2020
Let's start at the very beginning.
I couldn't resist this when I saw it on You tube whilst looking for hymns. I thought it might be helpful and/or appropriate. Please don't take the bit about drinking too seriously!
One sunny day in March 2020
Sunday after Easter
Psalm 145
Song:
Come and see the shining hope
Reading:
Exodus 15: 1-11
Song:
All heaven declares
Reading:
John 20: 19-29
Song:
His hands were pierced
Reading
1 Peter 1: 3-9
“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
What do we know about Thomas. He is perhaps one of the most famous of the apostles, and yet we know very little about him. Probably the thing that most people know about Thomas is that he doubted. The phrase “a doubting Thomas” would be understood by many people. The only other thing that we know for certain is that he was twin. He is referred to as Didymus, which is the Greek for twin, where Thomas seems to be derived from the Hebrew word for twin.
Unfortunately we have no record of the identity of the other twin. Various traditions identify his twin as an unnamed girl, Philip, Matthew and Jesus. Fortunately, it is not really important to the story to know his family history.
The background to the story is that the risen Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene and she had related her experience to the disciples. Subsequently, Jesus had appeared to the disciples whilst they were meeting behind locked doors, in secret. The implication is that they were fearful of being found by others. The appearance of Jesus is implied to be a miraculous appearance. Thomas was not present at any of these incidents.
For some years I was a science teacher. One question which I always hated was “What’s supposed to happen?” If people are told what is supposed to happen, then that is what they see. Thomas knew what was supposed to happen. He also knew that what he had been told was not what he thought should happen.
I have a great empathy with Thomas. My training as a scientist means that I try to follow the Scientific Method. This follows the basic system of: Observation, which leads to the formations of a hypothesis; experiment(s) which either confirm or modify the hypothesis; once all this has been done, a theory can be arrived at, which may be modified after subsequent observations and experiments. The basis of all this is observations, things which can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted, or measured.
In the world of law, evidence in court cases must be what a witness has seen or heard for themselves. It cannot be what someone has told them, or what they have deduced.
Susannah will tell you that I have to find out for myself. This can be infuriating for others, “You should have been called Thomas!” has been said to me several times over the years. In fact I could have been, it is a name shared by my father, brother, nephew, great uncle and great grandfather. The well-known Sheffield theatrical entrepreneur from the 19th century, Thomas “Tommy” Youdan is believed to be a relative, although we are not sure exactly how he is related.
I am absolutely certain that confronted with those circumstances I would have had to touch and see. Thomas got his chance. He touched. He received confirmation that he was not dealing with an hallucination, nor with a ghost. There are those who deny the physical resurrection of Jesus, who say that this was some sort of spirit body. You can’t touch a spirit body. Elsewhere in the gospels the risen Jesus is recorded as eating; ghosts don’t eat.
The important thing is that Thomas believed. He affirmed “My Lord and my God.” He was praised for believing, as were those who had believed without seeing and touching. Apparently there was no favouritism for either position.
St Thomas the apostle.
“We do not know… how can we know the way?”
Courageous master of the awkward question,
You spoke the words the others dared not say
And cut through their evasion and abstraction.
Oh doubting Thomas, father of my faith,
You put your finger on the nub of things
We cannot love some disembodied wraith,
But flesh and blood must be our king of kings.
Your teaching is to touch, embrace, anoint,
Feel after Him and find Him in the flesh.
Because He loved your awkward counter-point
The Word has heard and granted you your wish.
Oh place my hands with yours, help me divine
The wounded God whose wounds are healing mine.
Malcolm Guite.
So we have St. Thomas the Apostle, so-called ‘doubting’ Thomas, though really he should be called ‘Courageous Thomas’, ‘Tenacious Thomas’, ‘Truthful Thomas’! Either way, thank goodness for Thomas, the one disciple who had the courage to say what many others were thinking but didn’t dare say, the courage to ask the awkward questions that drew from Jesus some of the most beautiful and profoundly comforting of all his sayings. “We don’t know where you’re going, how can we know the way”? asked Thomas, and because he had the courage to confess his ignorance, we were given that beautiful saying “I am the way the Truth and the Life”
Thomas was a firmly grounded man. He was what we would now called empirical. Empirical means "based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic." He is known for doubts, but importantly, because of his doubts, because of his experiences, He Believed.
He went on to do great things. Tradition has it that he went to India and evangelised there. There are the “St Thomas” or “Nasrani” Christians who trace their roots back to his work there.
How we get to faith is less important than that we do. More important is what we do with it once we have it. That we do something with it.
At the moment, it may seem that we have few opportunities to put our faith into practice, Stuck in our homes for long periods, bound by restrictions on movement restricts many of the activities that we take for granted. But, we still have contact with people by phone, email and post. We still have some conversation with people as we shop, or have groceries delivered. We can still be helpful and sympathetic. We can show God’s love to others. We can pray for each other and the rest of the world. As we believe Thomas did.
Song:
At your feet we fall
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we hear the news that Jesus is raised from the corruption of death, and walks this creation as the Prince of Glory. We pray for this tired old word with its illusions, that it may awaken to the new morning, and shine in your splendid light.
We pray for people who have compromised with evil, and find themselves on a downward path into the frightening dark.
We pray for those who have lost their sense of wonder, and expect no new idea; who no longer argue with their friends, and find that no answer is given to those who have given up asking questions.
We pray for those who have achieved the security they sought, but find themselves disappointed with only a semblance of life.
We pray for people who receive life with all its promise, and succeed only in burying it in the ground.
Please make us understand that as you raised Jesus from the dead you can recreate us to live in true glory.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Song:
See what a morning
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