Sunday 8 April 2018

'That Jesus lived and died is beyond question - the question that remains is did Jesus die and then live?' - transcript of sermon Second Sunday of Easter 2018 St Anne's Brown Edge


Sermon St Anne’s Brown Edge Second Sunday of Easter 2018


Around Easter 2017 an article from the Guardian was being pushed around the social media.  The article was outlining the case for the historicity of Jesus. It was the concluding sentence that attracted me.

It said something like this, ‘it is beyond question that Jesus lived and died, the real question however is whether he died and lived.’

Interestingly recent research has shown that just under half of English adults believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.


Yet whether Jesus died and lived remains the most important question to ask and to answer.  Far more important than Hawking’s search for black holes, a lot more significant that whether Russia was complicit in the nerve agent attack.

If you answer yes to that question then everything changes, the world, the universe, everything.

And as someone who believes it to be true I would argue that whether you believe it or not the world, the universe and everything has changed for ever anyway.

How might that be, what has changed, who has changed?

One thing that can change is ourselves as new life is offered out to us both individually and corporately as the People of God, as a Faith Community as a Church.

A part of my Lent reading was 40 Stories of Hope.


Forty stories of lives transformed from all kinds of mess and violence and brutality by the love and transforming grace of God offered through Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Perhaps we might couple this with John 10.10 where Jesus has been talking about his being the Good Shepherd, something we can relate to very well at this time of year.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

As God’s people we live in the now and not yet of God’s Kingdom come upon earth, such as we pray for regularly in the Lord’s Prayer.

We also as God’s people have been raised to new life…

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2.6

Like many Christians and Faith Communities you may well have embarked upon some Lenten study.

However doesn’t it strike you as odd that we seek to undertake such reflection and study during Lent and then when we come to the critical point in the story, the resurrection and the celebration of Easter, we stop?

Surely our hearts cry should be, now in the light of this new reality, that Jesus is raised from death, how should we live?



As we heard from our reading in Acts the infant Church began to live in a very different way, and do remember that society was marked by class and cultural barriers that could never be crossed.

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

So is that the answer, are we seek to emulate the early church in Jerusalem?

Not too many people think this passage sets a blue print for the life of the people of God in every age.

However, very helpfully for today Andrew Roberts, a Methodist Minister has written about the emerging Faith Community exploring the familiar passage of Acts 2.42-47 that also talks about the selling of goods and holding everything in common, picked up again in the passage we heard today from Acts 4.32-35.

Andrew notes to what he refers to as Ten Holy Habits for both individuals and as a Community of Faith.


The ten habits are: biblical teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, giving, service, eating together, gladness and generosity, worship and the making of more disciples. 

Andrew has further developed his book into a Training Course where these Holy Habits can be explored in more depth.

Our Lenten study and discipline may be over but ought we not to continue with our studies, especially as we seek to learn and understand more of Jesus, just who was and is this man?

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

We need to read, heed and take to heart our Scriptures as a daily discipline.

I heard it said recently that in the Old Testament the New Testament is contained and in the New Testament the Old Testament is explained.

This is the meta-narrative, the Big Story of God’s redeeming the whole of the cosmos and you and I as God’s people who have responded to His invitation of grace are called to be co-workers with God in this great enterprise.

Michael Quoist in his book ‘The Christian Response’ put it like this…

‘You are a unique and irreplaceable actor in the drama of human history, and Jesus Christ has need of you to make known his salvific work in this particular place and at this particular moment in history.’

Maybe what Andrew offers is a good place to begin such a study of how we should now live as the People of God in Brown Edge in the light of the resurrection of Jesus.




How do you think you measure up here as the People of God at St Anne’s, Brown Edge?

Biblical teaching
Fellowship
Breaking of bread
Prayer
Giving
Service
Eating together
Gladness and generosity
Worship
Making more disciples

A good litmus test is to be found Acts 2.47

They broke bread together in their homes all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 

Do you have the good will of the people of Brown Edge?

Do you share meals with each other?

Are you known as those who ‘all the while praise God?’

Is the Lord adding to your number those who are being saved?

On encountering the Risen Christ Thomas’ life was transformed, ‘but blessed,’ said Jesus, ‘are those who have not seen and yet believe.


That my brothers and sisters includes both you and me – believing and blessed that we might bless others that they in turn may believe. 

Then they in turn having come to believe are blessed and then bless others who then come to believe - and thus the Church grows and God’s Kingdom is established on earth as in heaven.

Thus the reality of Jesus’ resurrection changes the world as people have their lives transformed and then begin to transform their communities as they live out the new life as a Resurrected Community of Faith.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Brown Edge needs you to live out an authentic resurrected life so that the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy may know he is defeated and that now in Jesus people may have life, and have it to the full.

Let us pray…

Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father.

Thursday 5 April 2018

Captain's Log April 2018





March was another month where the weather caused cancellations playing havoc with the diary.

In my capacity as Chair of Trustee’s for Rural Mission Solutions I met with Barry Osborne and Joy Howell at Selly Oak.  Joy has now been offered work with RMS to forward and foster work with children in a rural context. In due course she will be presenting a webinar and meanwhile Joy will be drawing up valuable resources that can help in children’s ministry in a rural areas.  Barry and I also presented a webinar as part of our Seasons and Cycles looking at the forthcoming summer season. It is available on YouTube – follow the link at www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk under ‘what we do.’


Staffordshire County Show – an interesting planning meeting at which we had two representatives from Rising Brook Baptist Church join us. (RBBC is a very large Church in Stafford)  Please pray for a fruitful outcome of this partnership. This year we hope they will supply us with a few folk to act as Host’s and also refreshments. Our good friends at House of Bread who have provided us refreshments in the past have grown and expanded and are no longer in a position to help out in this way. 

I had an excellent Review Meeting with Bishop Geoff and Archdeacon Matthew and then a few weeks later with George Fisher (Line Manager).  We are all mindful of my retirement in June 2019 and seeking to focus on successors for some pieces of work such as the County Show, and then to concentrate on particular pieces of work and people with whom I have been walking alongside.  I very much doubt if there will be a like for like replacement but the ministry I have been able to do has proved to be of great value. So consideration will need to be given to what support can be offered to parishes and benefices post June 2019.

I had a great time with Revd Captain David Collier, new into post (January 2018) at St Saviours and All Saints, Branston and Burton. I spoke at their Café Holy Communion Evening Service. (A rather odd animal!) I was invited to speak about my ministry and brought it around to talking about my coming to faith, my ministry and vocation and then challenging them to consider their own vocations and calling.

A preachment at my home church of St John’s on Palm Sunday.  I invited people to consider whether they we following the man on the horse, Pontius Pilate representing the world, or the man on the donkey, Jesus, representing the Kingdom of God.  It was very well received and the transcript is available on my blog.


I also met with all three of my Pilgrims this month, walking alongside them as their Spiritual Companion. I really like the mix of Pilgrims I am engaged with in this way.





Some appointments and engagements....

(Weather permitting!)

APRIL 2018

Easter Sunday and leading the SonRise Service at Stafford Castle 6.30am.

Wednesday 4th
Farming Community Network meeting including Dementia Friendly Training from Dementia Action Alliance. https://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/


Sunday 8th
Preaching and leading Service of the Word at St Anne’s, Brown Edge.

From Monday 9th – 12th Jane and I will be on Retreat at The Sheldon Centre. On the Thursday we are going to Cornwall overnight to catch up with the grandchildren (and their parents) and see if we have time to call in to talk about putting our house back on the market. On the way back we have an overnight stop at Bristol to catch up with Joe & Alex.

Sunday 15th
Rescheduled Stafford Half Marathon and raising sponsorship for The Farming Community Network.


Text - GFCN51 £2 to 70070

Monday 16th
Church Army Regional Day in Sheffield.

Tuesday 17th
Meeting with Alan Betts as we make plans for the first session of Frontline Discipleship, ‘Preaching for your Frontline.’   (See Wednesday evening)

Wednesday 18th
In the morning meeting with newly appointed Priest, Julia Babb. In the evening ‘Frontline Discipleship One Year Course’ begins for St Lawrence, Biddulph.  Pray for their Vicar, Steven Dyson.

Thursday 19th
‘Chew & Chat’ – informal lunch meeting at Rising Brook Baptist Church. Out in the evening helping as I do most Thursday with RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association)

Saturday 21st
With Janet Arnold at St James’, Newchapel. We are going to spend the morning together looking at Evangelism as an Integral Heartbeat using the Five I’s of Parish Evangelism.

Monday 23rd – Thursday 26th
Lichfield Diocese Clergy Conference – and I get to go as well!  Great time of networking and catching up with folk, with some teaching and worship of course!

Saturday 28th
St John’s, Littleworth, Away Day.
(Going with Jane as participant)   

Sunday 29th
Tixall & Ingestre Messy Church in the afternoon.

Monday 30th
Personal Quiet Day