SERMON FOR ST MARK’S FARNBOROUGH TRINITY 9 – 14th AUGUST 2022
Over the years you’ve probably noticed that a lot of people have some pretty strange ideas about what Christianity is all about and what we, who follow Jesus, are actually like. Some people think it’s just about what’s going to happen when you die and has nothing to do with life on earth now. Others believe that being a Christian means having to say ‘no’ to everything that other people enjoy, that we think having a good time is always sinful. Some believe that we Christians are hypocrites who think that we’re better than everyone else. There are many misconceptions out there. It can be difficult to get people to even listen to what we have to say about Jesus - that He enriches your life by giving it meaning and purpose, and that you are supported by Him through thick and thin.
We know that God wants us to enjoy the world he has given us, making the most of His gifts and sharing what we have with other people. That’s part of the positive message we have for the world. But passages like the one we’ve just heard from Luke’s gospel, at first sight, don’t make it easy to convince people to at least give faith a try. Jesus talking about division rather than peace on earth doesn’t sound very attractive! We all know that becoming a Christian isn’t an insurance policy against bad things happening to you, there’s far more to it than that, but it’s not a good selling point.
At my own church in Ash, we have a group which meets every month to write cards to send to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith – many of them imprisoned and tortured. The cards contain messages of encouragement and the assurance of our prayers. They are sent out under the auspices of an organisation called ‘Christian Solidarity Worldwide’, which, as the name suggests, shows this to be a global issue affecting many more countries than people might suspect. For those of us who meet together freely and safely Sunday by Sunday, it can be hard to remember just how fortunate we are in this country. But for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, the reality of following Jesus is that it comes at a very high cost. We need to be honest about that in our outreach, while at the same time talking about the positives that our faith brings, not least in the form of support from God and our fellow Christians.
All through His earthly ministry Jesus never pretended that discipleship was always going to be easy. He knew that what He came to do would not find favour with everyone, and talked about his disciples having to take up their cross. In today’s reading he warns that discipleship will even bring divisions within families. Having the gift of free-will, means that, sometimes, even those we are closest to, will reject the message of Jesus and make life difficult.
Jesus’ words ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled’ will come as a shock to those who think of Him as ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’. But, much as Jesus can be those things, especially to the sick and marginalised, He also had to be firm. He came to warn people to repent, because the Kingdom of God is close at hand and they need to take action urgently and heed the signs of that imminence. He is presenting people with a stark choice either to accept or reject Him and His offer of salvation, and that message cannot be, and isn’t, softened or watered down.
All of this can, of course, come across as depressing, after all, who wants to face division and suffering? But, the other side of the coin is that we have the assurance from Jesus that He is always with us, and that we were given the Holy Spirit in baptism, to strengthen and support us whatever we have to face.
Our first reading from Hebrews reminds us that Jesus himself has paved the way and left us the perfect example of endurance. We read ‘Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its’ shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.’ The author also tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and he lists some of the people of great faith from the Old Testament, to encourage us to keep the faith as they did, no matter what our challenges might be. Elsewhere, Jesus says that those who endure to the end will be saved, so we should never give up on hope and know that we can count on the reality of God’s unfailing love to see us through.
The world is in great need of much healing of divisions at the moment. People are longing for a brighter present, let alone a brighter future, and we, as Christians, can make a difference for good. Like Jesus, though, we have to be honest and not pretend that when you become a Christian, life’s problems and challenges will just go away. Christians sometimes struggle too! We should talk a lot, though, about the love that God has for us and all His creation, and speak clearly about the support and encouragement we receive, no matter how challenging things get. Jesus promise of the free gift of eternal life, will need some explaining, but it is at the heart of the message we need to get over. In what we say and do we have to dispel the misconceptions people may have of us, and trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us in doing what Jesus has commanded us to do – to spread the Gospel message to all nations and baptise people everywhere.
So, may we all aim for faith as strong as Abrahams’ and that of all the great cloud of witnesses from the past who surround us, and who urge us to carry on the mission that they started. Our faith ought to be obvious to other people, our words and behaviour a reflection of everything that Jesus stands for - love, care, forgiveness and compassion. In the power of the Holy Spirit we can play our part in changing the world. When so many are facing great uncertainty in their lives, we can bring them the message of hope and reassurance that, no matter what, they are loved and valued by Go and that there is a bright future to look forward to. Amen.
