Church Mission

Revd. Canon John Robertson 

Sermon given 8/7/12

Mark 6:1-13 (2 Corinthians 12:2-10)

Introduction

I have now been in the post of Director of Ecumenical Mission in Milton Keynes for 2 months. Before that I was vicar of Grove Parish Church in Oxfordshire, having previously been Chaplain at York University and before that I trained and worked as an engineer.

I am slowly getting used to MK especially the size of it, all the roundabouts and its many churches.

Mission Partnership

Hands up all those who have heard of the Mission Partnership? What do you think it does?

The Mission Partnership brings together churches across MK and other Christian Agencies under the same umbrella. They are brought together to enable, encourage and stimulate MISSION.

Mission

Mission is the central calling of all churches.

It is NOT a separate entity from the churches;

It is NOT just for Local Ecumenical Partnerships

It is NOT a bureaucratic structure

Mission depends on following the 5 Marks of Mission:

- to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

- to teach, baptise and nurture new believers

- to respond to human need by loving service

- to seek to transform unjust structures of society

- to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation

The five marks outline an enormous and grand vision but..

It leads us to ask the following questions:

- how effective are we in the central calling of Mission?

- how do we gauge our effectiveness?

Story

When I was a Chaplain at York University I was involved in a scheme to promote skills beyond degree/academic but broadened out to languages, IT, city action, even theology. The launch of the scheme brought together students, academics, business sponsors who were formed into teams to solve a problem.

Problem: A pile of about 40 lego bricks had to be assembled into a complex 3D model which we were only allowed to view for a short period of time.

My team struggled and ultimately had to admit defeat. However, a student working alone produced a perfect solution. How did he manage it? Where did he get the extraordinary collection of abilities in spatial awareness, memory and logic necessary for the task which my team so singularly lacked? He was a very ordinary looking student, a mere teenager, whereas my team possessed the best part of 10 degrees. Did he cheat? I noticed a look of collective jealousy as he was awarded a bottle of champagne. We clapped and smiled and took offence. Somebody suggested his talent was God-given, which excused us from competing with him but hardly lessened our envy and rejection.

Text

Our reaction to the student was identical to the response of the citizens of Nazareth to Jesus in Mark 6^2-3. It is not that his neighbours deny his wisdom or his ability to perform mighty works, but that the source of his activity lies with God. It is not that they deny the ordinary humanity of Jesus, quite the reverse, but that God is revealed in that humanity, that it is as ordinary flesh and blood that Jesus shows forth God and manifests the power of God to transform human lives.

The effectiveness of Jesus is found in the question: Where did this man get all this? Of course Jesus has no control over the reaction of the citizens of Nazareth who take offence, but the effectiveness of his ministry is already indicated by the fact that the people find themselves asking that question “Where did this man get all this?”

Now look at the episode which follows. Jesus sends the disciples out two by two to reflect his ministry in theirs

• they have authority over unclean spirits

- they anoint the sick

• they proclaim a message of repentance. ( Compare Mk.1 v15 “The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.” Implication is that ‘repentance’ here is shorthand for this wider programmatic message of Jesus)
• Jesus anticipates the same response of offence vs 10-11.
• Which means that he expects their activity to raise the same question

“Where did the disciples get all this?”

Their effectiveness will be shown in the raising of that question by their activity.

Church

Which brings us back to the Church here and now and the question of our effectiveness.

a) We are now the disciples: like them, the church is now sent by Jesus

our mission reflects their mission

our mission reflects the mission of Jesus

Note the impulse towards the 5 marks of mission in the task of the disciples:

Repentance (in extended sense of Mark 1v15) is about proclaiming good news of Kingdom

Casting out demons concerns a confrontation with evil which reflects the transformation of unjust structures in society

Anointing of sick is an example of acts of loving service

b) Are we doing those things??

i) Reflection Day produced 84 things to celebrate under 5 marks

That was just one morning with 40 people

Cornerstone will have its own list

Added to which there was a real willingness to work at improving what we do

ii) My own observations would reinforce that

eg Christian Foundation, Sector ministry in hospital/prisons/hospice, Venture FX, Foodbank, winter shelter, bridgebuilders, soup runs, holiday clubs.

c) Is the Question being raised?

“Where did these Christians/this Church get all this?”

What’s behind all this activity? What drives it?

And the implied answer that it is driven by faith, with God known in Christ at the source of all we do.

It is the raising of that question which shows how effective we are.

d) I don’t know the answer to that yet….

BUT I have yet to hear it coming back at me

Which means that if it is being raised, it is only in muted form.

Does that mean that we are afraid of generating offence??

If so, does that mean that the church has become a nice club like the Rotary or the Round Table doing nice things because we’re nice people?

To that extent, mission is constrained, discipleship half-hearted.

We need to be bold about articulating why we do what we do. When we dare to do that, however tentatively, the Question will be raised

Some may take offence: like Jesus, we have no control over the response of others.

Others will respond positively and seek to know the God revealed in Christ, and then we will know that our mission is truly effective. Amen.

Belonging

Ephesians 2:11–22 and Mark 6: 30–34:  53–56

A sermon by Maggie Prisk

Sunday 22nd July 2012

What goes around, comes around. History repeats itself. There is nothing new under the sun.

Over the last couple of weeks I have heard several discussions on the radio around the subject of circumcision. Periodically this matter is raised and aired whether on religious, moral, ethical or medical grounds however the latest focus appears to have arisen because the medical authorities (not the government) in Germany have decided that the practice of circumcision should be banned except for where there is a medical necessity for the procedure to be carried out. Naturally the Jews and Muslims are up in arms because it is so much part of their religious heritage. The practice clearly still has the ability to cause division and controversy.

Unlike many of Paul's letters, the epistle to the Ephesians seems to be more general in its approach rather than being written to address a particular issue or issues. Neither does it appear to have been written in response to questions which the young churches have posed to Paul to get his view of. And since I am neither of the Jewish or Muslim faith nor a man I do not intend to dwell on the ins and outs, rights or wrongs of the circumcision debate. However it gives us an opportunity to consider the 'reality of our unity in Christ'.

The pious Jews of Jesus' and Paul's day 'considered all non-Jews ceremonially unclean. They thought of themselves as pure and clean because of their national heritage and religious ceremonies'. The very familiar story told by Jesus of the 'Good Samaritan' is a good illustration of this point of view. The fact that Paul is addressing this issue suggests that it has given rise to divisions amongst the Christian communities to whom Paul is writing. He is very concerned that they should live together in unity having all been made alive in Christ because as he points out at the start of this chapter all were 'dead in their transgressions', Jews and Gentiles alike.

Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign of the covenant relationship between God and his special people. When Abraham first circumcised all the men in his household, Isaac had not been conceived never mind born and Isaac was the promised son, the start of a whole new nation. It appears that the practice had slipped because at the beginning of the Book of Joshua it states that all those who left Egypt had been circumcised but all who had been born during the wanderings in the desert had not. The act of circumcision both in Abraham's story and the event recorded in Joshua are reflections of new beginnings. The old has gone, the new has come. In fact in the story of Joshua this is made quite clear because all those whom God said would not see the promised land as a result of the disobedience, had died in the dessert, these men that Joshua addresses were the new generation, a new start, a new beginning. The same is true for the Christians of Paul's time, through Christ whether they were from the Jewish faith or Gentiles, all who had become believers were part of the new beginning.

As so often is the case, when something is new, fresh and exciting people set aside their differences for the project, adventure or cause, but as things settle down the old prejudices begin to surface and when insecurities creep in then divisions come more and more to the fore. Instead of individuals pulling together for the good of the whole they begin to focus on their differences with the result that dissent and discord take over. Relationships, bands, businesses, sports teams - the list goes on and on, high profile break ups and splits, the the world watches as accusations are thrown around and what had been a successful union begins to disintegrate and pull itself apart. Paul doesn't want that; for the sake of the gospel he wants all believers to work together as witnesses to God's saving grace through the death of Jesus Christ.

In my wallet I have a number of loyalty cards. Cards which if I use them in a certain place will give me something back. I have a Costa coffee club card which gives me points every time I buy a drink in one of their cafes. I have a card from Marks and Spencer which gives me a free greetings card whenever I have buy six and and have the card stamped. I have Tesco club and Nectar cards on my key ring. Belonging is very important to most of us. For some it may only be wearing the colours of the football team you support. For others it might be a particular way of dressing which shows they are part of the group. Some go further by getting a tattoo or other identification as a more permanent reminder of belonging. Then there are those who go to the extreme of showing they belong by undertaking a task and sadly for those wanting to become a member of a gang it could involve attacking someone who has nothing to do with the group. To be accepted is part of who we are.

You have had a busy hectic week, you're exhausted and someone suggests you go away for a long relaxing weekend. Sounds idyllic doesn't it? The disciples were well and truly ready for a rest, they have lots to tell and they want time alone with Jesus to relate to him what happened when he sent them out but no sooner have the set out for their well deserved break when they arrive they realise that the people have got their first both times. But Jesus had 'compassion on them'. The people were looking to this young teacher to give them guidance and more importantly to heal their sick. They recognise their needs and are looking to Jesus to meet them. If the disciples had had their way they would have been sent back to where they came from but that's not Jesus' way. Jesus ministry is not only 'spiritual', (the story of his feeding a huge crowd sits in between the two parts of Mark chapter 6 we read this morning), he 'ministers to their every need, touching every part of their lives, accepting them, healing them, teaching them'. And is not just to individuals, when he arrives in Gennesaret the whole community has come out to work together to bring their sick to be healed.

However by the time Paul was writing his letters to the Ephesians both Jewish and Gentile Christians have become divided by the issue of circumcision. Part of the covenant relationship these believers were to demonstrate to others was 'the divine riches of God's grace' to those who did not believe. Yet again on our television screens and in newspapers are pictures of men, women and children fleeing from their homes and countries as a result of famine or war, searching for somewhere to live. 'What refugees want above all, assuming they are not able to return to their homeland is to be accepted into a new community where they can rebuild their lives and their families'. Nearly two years ago my nephew married a young Canadian woman. For the year after their marriage he waited, having provided masses of information, for his citizenship to come through, until it did he couldn't leave the country without the penalty of beginning the process all over again. Now he was not a refugee but in many ways it is the same, he has been accepted into a new community. The relief felt in my sister's family when he got both his citizenship and his work permit was immense, for refugees too getting their passports is the sign that they have been accepted.

Paul wants the Christians to work together, for there to be unity. He wants the Gentiles to recognise that they have hope because of Jesus' death and resurrection, they have been received into God's family not because a ritual has taken place but because of the love and grace of God. He wants the Jewish believers to accept their right to be God's special people but not because they have been circumcised but like the Gentiles they too were lost and in need of the saving, healing power of Christ's death and resurrection. This was the new beginning, the new start, the 'creating of a new humanity which is radically different from both groups and open to all'. The issue of circumcision was dividing the fledgling church and possibly putting off others who might be in need of God's mercy, healing and acceptance. God has accepted both Jew and Gentile, 'they are all citizens of God's people and members of God's household'.

Abraham and the nation of which he was the founder had a covenant with God their side of this agreement was to be a blessing to all nations. The challenge for us today is to 'work in the power of the Spirit, both to break down social and ethnic barriers within the church, and to encourage those currently outside God's people to become part of his new creation'. The cross means nothing if divisions persist whatever their origins, the cross also means 'peace between believers and peace with God, in a community where God himself dwells'. We like the Israelites are to be a blessing to others and divisions will hinder that, we are all members of God's household and part of his new humanity which lives together in unity.

Victims

Mark 6. 14-29

A sermon by The Reverend Wendy Carey

Sunday 15th July 2012

‘Have you been injured by an accident that was not your fault?’ Or ‘Have you been mis-sold insurance in connection with a loan from a Bank?’ If so, you are a victim. And being a victim today, appears to call for one of two things – anger, or compensation, or perhaps both.

Over many years of work in prisons I have thought a great deal about victims. When I was often asked to speak outside the prison of my work as a Chaplain, a common comment was to chide me that in showing so much concern for convicted prisoners, I was failing to be aware of, and respectful to, the needs of victims. This was a rather simplistic comment, as it failed to recognise that dealing with the needs and the motivation of current prisoners was an effective way of ensuring that the number of future victims of crime was reduced. But a more compelling reason that the comment is too simple, is that a community of criminal offenders is likely to contain a much greater proportion of victims of crime, than does the general population. The matter is complex. Being a victim of crime, can never excuse or support becoming an offender, a perpetrator of crime, but it can go a long way to explain the matter, and that is a first step towards a solution.

These thoughts were prompted by reading our Gospel passage for today, St. Mark’s account of the beheading of John the Baptist, following the conspiracy of Herod and Herodias and her daughter. At first glance, this story seems quite simple, we have a victim, John the Baptist, and we have three perpetrators of varying culpability, Herod, Herodias, and her daughter, Salome. Surely this is a straightforward story of good and evil. But wait a minute, think again about Salome, is there not a case for viewing her as in some ways a victim as well? Is she a victim of the subservient role of young unmarried women at this time? Is she a victim of Herodias’ implacable hatred and desire for revenge? Is she simply a victim of poor parenting, and the lack of what has sometimes been called a moral compass? And what of her mother? Is she purely a perpetrator of crime, or is she a victim of circumstance, or treatment by others. Is Herod her victim, or she his?

If we think deeply about any situation, small and personal, or global and of major significance, we will see this complex web of perpetrators and victims. Court cases and judicial enquiries devote themselves to searching out whose fault lies at the bottom of any issue, but searching for such an answer may be just too simple. In a situation where journalists feel the need to tap phone calls and hack into emails, is there no recognition of the culpability of a society which loves to read a bit of scandal or gossip, and in general doesn’t much care how it is gathered, until the chance arises to become sanctimonious.

The complexity and interweaving of cause and effect, victims and perpetrators is bewildering, and almost inexplicable. But it can be, and is explained by a word we shall use several times in this and in most of our worship. It is, on the whole, an unfashionable word, but it lies at the heart of our Christian understanding. The word is sin. I suppose very few preachers set out to preach about sin in our times, but today you can go home and report that the sermon was about sin.

This evening, at St Mary’s church Bletchley, eight people, teenagers and adults, from the Parish of St. Frideswide, Water Eaton, where I now minister, will be confirmed. They will confirm the promises made by themselves, or on their behalf at Baptism:
‘Do you repent of your sins?’
‘I repent of my sins’.

Our Confirmation candidates have been preparing together using the ‘Start!’ course, led by two lay people. One young teenager had not been baptised, so last Monday evening at her baptism, I asked her that question: ‘Do you repent of your sins?’ How can one explain and help a young person to understand what is being asked? One way would be to point to this complicated and interminable web of victims and offenders, stretching back through time, to a root cause that can be explained by the word sin. Janet Morley wrote a collect for the readings that centre on the story of the Fall of humanity in Genesis chapter three. She writes: ‘Holy God, we are born into a world tissued and structured by sin....’ So where do we find an answer?

Before I began to write this sermon, I looked up the word Victim in the dictionary. Its earliest use in English is in the late 15th Century, denoting a creature killed as a religious sacrifice. So here we are, taken straight back to those words of a much used Good Friday hymn, whether or not you agree in detail with its account of Jesus’ sacrifice:

There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin
He only could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in.

And here it is, the answer to our questions about how we untangle and begin to cleanse that unending trail of victim and perpetrator, of accusation and counter accusation that so besets our life as a community. Jesus, the ultimate Victim takes upon himself in crucifixion the sins of the whole world. Soon we shall recall again Jesus words at the Last Supper: ‘this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sin’.

One of the most worthwhile things we can do for one another is to begin to break the unending chain of sin, of victim and offender, of action and reaction, of offence and response: ‘he hit me, so I had to hit him back’ that begins in the playground, and can continue into, and even dominate our adult life. Supporting those who decide to stop this chain of action and reaction, by absorbing the hurt rather than passing it on, is one of the most vital and the most privileged tasks of the Prison Chaplain. It is in the conscious decision not to pass on the hurt, not to create more victims, that we ourselves can become Christlike. But we cannot do this alone.

And that is precisely why in Baptism, in Confirmation, and in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we turn to Christ, the Victim, and the Victor.

So we pray Janet Morley’s prayer:

Holy God, we are born into a world
tissued and structured by sin.
When we proclaim our innocence,
and seek to accuse each other,
give us the grace to know that we are naked;
that we may cry out to you alone, through Jesus Christ, Amen