Sunday 9th May, 2010 Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sentence
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’ John 14: 27
Collect
Loving God, Your Son has chosen us and called us to be His friends: give us grace to keep His commandments, to love one another, and to bear fruit which shall abide: through Him Who is the True Vine, the source of all our life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
First Lesson Acts 16: 9 – 15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days.
On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.
PSALM 67
Let God be gracious to us and bless us: and make His face shine upon us
That Your ways may be known on earth: Your liberating power among all nations
Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You
Let the nations be glad and sing: for You judge the peoples with integrity, and govern the nations on earth
Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You
Then the earth will yield its fruitfulness: and God, our God, will bless us
God shall bless us: and all the ends of the earth will fear Him
For the Epistle Revelation 21: 10 – 14, 21- 22 & 22:5
In the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
GOSPEL John 14: 23 – 29
Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”
NOTES ON THE READINGS
First Reading
If you have never spent the time reading the Acts of the Apostles, it would be both a good read and a helpful thing to do – it would provide all sorts of info about the Infant Church. This passage marks both the move from Asia to Europe for the Apostle, and the point at which (according to most commentators) where the beloved physician, Luke, joined the Pauline bandwaggon. Luke is thought to have been that man from Macedonia. On the other hand, it was a culmination of Paul’s response to the Spirit’s leading, and a great step forward at that.
It was no accident that Paul was ‘at the place of prayer’ on the Sabbath. Most Jewish communities outside Israel had either a synagogue – if they had the required number of male Jews, or a place in the open where the faithful ones would meet. Lydia, apparently, was a god-fearer, a Gentile searching for faith, and her step forward was a sort of double one: baptism marked her move towards faith in Christ. It is a beautiful insight into the nature of what we would call evangelism, not with a flourish but with a quiet and rather intimate progression.
Psalm
Here is another of the Psalms, sung at Evensong according to the Book of Common Prayer, when I was a choirboy eons ago. It is a gladsome song, rejoicing in the potential for life that faithfulness to God and loyalty to each other has for everyone. Note that bit about ‘judging with integrity,’ for that would be quite a rarity even in Jewish circles of the time. It is not easy to be true to one’s faith, especially it seems for the leadership.
For the Epistle
Pardon me when I wax lyrical about this most remarkable of books. Here, in apocalyptic and highly dramatic terms is described the real goal of life for the people of God. This is no reward for ‘being good!’ This is the natural outcome when life is lived as the Creator designed it to be lived. It is a description of what can be when evil is no longer part of the scenery. (Are you aware that when John in Chapter 21 writes about ‘no more sea’ he is not talking water, saline or fresh, but that which is very often epitomised by sea, or the Nile, or even the Jordan. That sea of glass like crystal is no pretty sight, but the conglomeration of evil, which has departed in Chapter 21 and has gone for good in this description.
Gospel
Never, never, never associate the peace of which Jesus talks with some sort of ‘blessing’ that comes to the spiritual ones. Here is no Christian nirvana or ‘off with the fairies.’ It is the solid outcome of reconciliation of which the Gospel is full, reconciliation both vertical and horizontal. Peace is not the absence of war; it is the concrete outcome of that reconciliation between humans.
Certainly this peace is not available to those who turn their backs on truth, integrity, justice and love; not because they are sinful and naughty, but because they are looking in a direction horizontally opposed to that to which our Lord points.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
It is probably some sort of evidence about where I have come from in my Christian pilgrimage, and also something of the encounters with those of other views that brings out the following thoughts for a sermon. So if this makes sense to you, then I am glad; if it does not, then just move on.
As a young person in the congregation and youth fellowship to which I belonged, all the ‘high and holy ones’ talked incessantly about ‘abiding in Christ,’ and being spiritual and holy. I confess that it never rang any bells for me, as it seemed so remote from ordinary life and relationships. It was all so moody and introverted, and whilst I was a shy young person, it did not resonate.
Even in those days, back in the 50s, there was also a contrary pressure from those who confessed and called themselves atheists, and were sometimes quite astringent in presenting their viewpoint. They were particularly vocal about those ‘holy ones’ whose heads were in the clouds as far as the non-believers were concerned. So one needed to determine who was correct in the great debate, and as often is the case, the reality was somewhere in the middle. I guess I have never been a conformist, (at least not by intention) so it was a matter of exploring both what Scripture has to say, and what connection there was in ordinary life and living.
Part of that search led me to the point of trying to determine what the substance is for the atheist view, and also that for the Christian (or believer in other faiths, come to that.) And – if you have been a regular reader of these notes, you will know of my encounters with those of disbelieving mien.
Sentence
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’ John 14: 27
Collect
Loving God, Your Son has chosen us and called us to be His friends: give us grace to keep His commandments, to love one another, and to bear fruit which shall abide: through Him Who is the True Vine, the source of all our life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
First Lesson Acts 16: 9 – 15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days.
On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.
PSALM 67
Let God be gracious to us and bless us: and make His face shine upon us
That Your ways may be known on earth: Your liberating power among all nations
Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You
Let the nations be glad and sing: for You judge the peoples with integrity, and govern the nations on earth
Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You
Then the earth will yield its fruitfulness: and God, our God, will bless us
God shall bless us: and all the ends of the earth will fear Him
For the Epistle Revelation 21: 10 – 14, 21- 22 & 22:5
In the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
GOSPEL John 14: 23 – 29
Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”
NOTES ON THE READINGS
First Reading
If you have never spent the time reading the Acts of the Apostles, it would be both a good read and a helpful thing to do – it would provide all sorts of info about the Infant Church. This passage marks both the move from Asia to Europe for the Apostle, and the point at which (according to most commentators) where the beloved physician, Luke, joined the Pauline bandwaggon. Luke is thought to have been that man from Macedonia. On the other hand, it was a culmination of Paul’s response to the Spirit’s leading, and a great step forward at that.
It was no accident that Paul was ‘at the place of prayer’ on the Sabbath. Most Jewish communities outside Israel had either a synagogue – if they had the required number of male Jews, or a place in the open where the faithful ones would meet. Lydia, apparently, was a god-fearer, a Gentile searching for faith, and her step forward was a sort of double one: baptism marked her move towards faith in Christ. It is a beautiful insight into the nature of what we would call evangelism, not with a flourish but with a quiet and rather intimate progression.
Psalm
Here is another of the Psalms, sung at Evensong according to the Book of Common Prayer, when I was a choirboy eons ago. It is a gladsome song, rejoicing in the potential for life that faithfulness to God and loyalty to each other has for everyone. Note that bit about ‘judging with integrity,’ for that would be quite a rarity even in Jewish circles of the time. It is not easy to be true to one’s faith, especially it seems for the leadership.
For the Epistle
Pardon me when I wax lyrical about this most remarkable of books. Here, in apocalyptic and highly dramatic terms is described the real goal of life for the people of God. This is no reward for ‘being good!’ This is the natural outcome when life is lived as the Creator designed it to be lived. It is a description of what can be when evil is no longer part of the scenery. (Are you aware that when John in Chapter 21 writes about ‘no more sea’ he is not talking water, saline or fresh, but that which is very often epitomised by sea, or the Nile, or even the Jordan. That sea of glass like crystal is no pretty sight, but the conglomeration of evil, which has departed in Chapter 21 and has gone for good in this description.
Gospel
Never, never, never associate the peace of which Jesus talks with some sort of ‘blessing’ that comes to the spiritual ones. Here is no Christian nirvana or ‘off with the fairies.’ It is the solid outcome of reconciliation of which the Gospel is full, reconciliation both vertical and horizontal. Peace is not the absence of war; it is the concrete outcome of that reconciliation between humans.
Certainly this peace is not available to those who turn their backs on truth, integrity, justice and love; not because they are sinful and naughty, but because they are looking in a direction horizontally opposed to that to which our Lord points.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
It is probably some sort of evidence about where I have come from in my Christian pilgrimage, and also something of the encounters with those of other views that brings out the following thoughts for a sermon. So if this makes sense to you, then I am glad; if it does not, then just move on.
As a young person in the congregation and youth fellowship to which I belonged, all the ‘high and holy ones’ talked incessantly about ‘abiding in Christ,’ and being spiritual and holy. I confess that it never rang any bells for me, as it seemed so remote from ordinary life and relationships. It was all so moody and introverted, and whilst I was a shy young person, it did not resonate.
Even in those days, back in the 50s, there was also a contrary pressure from those who confessed and called themselves atheists, and were sometimes quite astringent in presenting their viewpoint. They were particularly vocal about those ‘holy ones’ whose heads were in the clouds as far as the non-believers were concerned. So one needed to determine who was correct in the great debate, and as often is the case, the reality was somewhere in the middle. I guess I have never been a conformist, (at least not by intention) so it was a matter of exploring both what Scripture has to say, and what connection there was in ordinary life and living.
Part of that search led me to the point of trying to determine what the substance is for the atheist view, and also that for the Christian (or believer in other faiths, come to that.) And – if you have been a regular reader of these notes, you will know of my encounters with those of disbelieving mien.
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