All Saints Sunday – Sermon 232

8th January 2016 Off By Derek Buckthorpe

All Saints Sunday

10.00am Holy Communion

3rd November 2013

Bible References :

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Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

AMEN

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

The Saints – who are they?

How would you describe a Saint?

 

–Somebody Famous – somebody special – Some body Great? –

Somebody in the Bible?

 

Paul’s definition of a Saint in our NT reading is someone ‘marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit’ –

 

Robert Louis Stevenson calls Saints – ‘sinners that keep on going’

 

The grandparents of a little girl – brought her to the church – to show her the images of the saints in the stained glass windows –when they’d finished – they asked her to describe what she thought a Saint was

 

Her answer was simple – “somebody who the light shines through” –

 

being a Saint is about being Christ-like – and Jesus has some very clear ideas about the qualities we would need for that – as we have heard in our sketch –

 

First Point  A new code of practice

 

In the Gospel reading  – we have what we call – the Be-attitudes – teaching from Jesus in simple rhythmic verse  – about what it means to put God first – foundation stones – or steps that we need to climb  – if we want to Be more like Jesus –

 

Jesus’ method of teaching is to give his hearers three or four things to remember to do – and three or four things to remember not to do –

 

Imagine that we are a school teacher in a playground – where there are dozens of youngsters kicking a ball around – and you want to call them together to play in a football team –

 

Having selected your players – its no good lecturing them on the refinements of the game – the art of dribbling or – bending it like Beckham –

 

You have to assume they know something about the game because they are all playing together – but playing in a proper match is not the same as playing in the playground –

 

so what they need is a few do’s and don’ts  –  to get them started – key points on how to work together for the good of the team and for themselves –

 

then in the heat of the moment – when they are thinking of what to do next – some of these basic guidelines will come back to them – or you hope they do – to keep them focused on how best to go forward –

 

Well Jesus – of course wasn’t thinking about his disciples – and hearers – playing in a football match – He was addressing something far more serious than that?

 

What the people of Israel did have – was a long memory – they knew about God’s activities in history – through to the twelve tribes of Israel – and their descendants – and their priests and holy men had developed a lot of different interpretations of what they should be doing – to please God – which to put it bluntly – were well wide of the mark – but the people were trying to follow them –

 

Some had ideas about – withdrawing in the desert – some for violent revolution – some for supporting the Romans – and some for following the Law – to the Book –

 

But Jesus came along with some new rules – He picked – the nucleus of His team  – and gave them clear orders on how – God’s work should go forward –

 

Four promises – and four warnings –

 

But it wasn’t a code of practice that they might have expected –

 

It was an up-side down code – to many that listened to it –

 

Point 2        The Be-attitudes

 

Blessed are the poor?

How can the poor be blessed?

Being poor – is not a very nice state to be in!

 

How can those who weep – be laughing?

And those who are hungry be feasting?

Does Jesus actually want us to celebrate when people hate us?

 

And the warnings – to those who are rich and have plenty – is their comfort – really coming to an end?

 

What Jesus is proclaiming in these verses fits well with what He described – as His intentions – in His first sermon at Nazareth – at the beginning of His ministry – that Keith highlighted to us last week

 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me – because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor – He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives – and recovery of sight to the blind –

To let the oppressed go free – to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’

For those who haven’t had a lot of good news for some time – Jesus is bringing them some –

 

But for those who are rich and powerful – who think they have made it – and are satisfied with their ‘self’ rule –

“I didn’t get where I am today – by being merciful!”

Their time had come!  and of course – to them –  Jesus – had become an enemy.

 

Love – mercy – forgiveness – helpfulness – caring – are to be the prime motivators –

Not greed – prejudice – self-interest – pride –

 

A new way of living – has been announced – and His twelve and the many that follows after them – are required to play His way – and not the world’s way –

 

But there’s more to being Christ-like than just obeying a few simple rules – no matter how hard they are to stick to –

 

In the last few verses of this passage Jesus gives us concrete ways to love our enemies –and He’s not just asking us to think that way – It’s about showing – love – in practice –

 

Give to everyone who begs from you

If someone strikes you on the cheek – offer the other –

If anyone takes your goods – don’t ask for them back

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 

It’s a tough challenge –but unlike the footballers – we are not on our own – we have help – help and support from Jesus – from God and His Holy Spirit –

 

Point 3        Inheritance of the Spirit

 

Paul in his letter to the Ephesians tells us that God wants to give us the Spirit of Wisdom –

 

A Spirit to support our practical skills – providing understanding – revelation – greater knowledge of Jesus and His ways –

 

and a power for living – power not as the world understands it – of brute force and strength  – but a power of love – seen in humility – service and self-sacrifice

 

So often in moments of crisis or opportunity –difficulty or challenge – we find ourselves short on power –  when we most need it – in such moments – God wants to illuminate us – with His Spirit  – so we may know the hope of His calling – and power of the king –

 

For Paul the greatest display of power the world has ever known was when God raised Jesus from the dead – no one has ever been raised bodily from the dead before – or since –

 

‘God has put all things under His feet’ – which means that nothing is more powerful than Jesus –

 

And this power and illumination is there and available for us to use to help us live as God intends us to live –

 

He speaks too of the Spirit being an inheritance or ‘down payment’ – for the future

 

Saying ‘Yes’ to Jesus’ ways and nature – not only brings us His power and security – today – but also a foretaste of what awaits us – a guarantee for what is to follow- of the promised future – that has come forward to meet us in the present –

 

Ending

Jesus came to turn the world’s way upside down –

His road to God is paved with love and compassion –His job description – a tough assignment – but we have God’s Spirit and strength to support us all the way –

 

The Saints are people set apart from the crowd  – they know they have a faith of Grace – and that God has done everything in His power to make it possible for us to know – grow –and glow – with Him – and in Him –

 

So – to be or not to be – like Christ ?  Its a question – we all face – The saints before us have responded – How will we respond?

 

Prayer

 

AMEN