St Luke 9: 28 – 36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.  They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’  When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Reflection

One question among many that this passage asks of us, is, are we trying to remain? The disciples wanted to remain on the mountaintop. It was a place of wonder, of safety, and of joy, but Jesus made them come down off the mountain. His glory was hidden again, though its memory was in their hearts. The event and the occasion was good, but they all had to move on.
 
Do we try to hang on to past glories? Are we more comfortable remaining where we are, when what we should consider doing is moving on to a new place?
 
God reveals himself to us, just as he revealed himself to his disciples and we may be blessed with wondrous moments, but they are just that – moments. Not timeless, but fleeting. They inspire and excite,
but they are also meant to encourage us to move on.
 
Samuel Greg wrote these words in a hymn:
 
            Stay, Master, stay upon this heavenly hill;
            A little longer, let us linger still;
 
            No, saith the Lord, the hour is past, we go;
            Our home, our life, our duties lie below.
            While here we kneel upon the mount of prayer,
            The plough lies waiting in the furrow there.
            Here we sought God that we might know his will;
            There we must do it, serve him, seek him still.
 
The retired American Presbyterian pastor, Joseph Harvard III, describes it like this,
 
God gives us mountaintop experiences that are transformative. They change the way we see the world and ourselves. Business as usual is no longer possible after you have seen the vision of God’s good future revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
 
This teaches us a truth that while it is good to be on the mount, we must remember that we cannot remain there, that we have a duty to do, and that this duty is to carry out God’s work in the world. But we should remember that we do not do this work alone. For we are empowered and accompanied by the very same God whose glory is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

We pray using words of a hymn written by Joseph Robinson,

            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Your glory fills the night;
            Your face and garments, like the sun,
            Shine with unborrowed light.
 
            How good, Lord, to be here!
            Yet we may not remain;
            But since you bid us leave the mount
            Come with us to the plain.
 
            Amen.

St Luke 9: 18 – 27
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’  They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’

He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’

Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.  But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’

Reflection
With the exception of the adherents of Messianic Judaism, most orthodox Jews today continue to await a human messiah who will usher in a messianic kingdom.  Many Reformed Jews pray for a Messianic age of peace and prosperity accomplished by human good works.

Our reading today focuses on the truth of who Jesus claimed to be. Our Christian faith is based upon Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the idea that the natural order can be overthrown by the miraculous.

There were some Jews who believed in the resurrection but this was assumed to be at the end of time when God would intervene on behalf of all his people – not in the middle of time. We also know that the many Messianic movements of the time – save the Christian movement –  died out completely with the eclipse of the leader.  The Church was different – even James, the brother of Jesus became leader of the church in Jerusalem with no thought of replacing Jesus.  James was not hailed as the Messiah, nor as a replacement for Jesus because the tomb was empty!

Whilst in John’s Gospel in the “I am” sayings does Jesus specifically claim that he is God, the earlier Synoptic Gospels give many examples, in our Lord’s critique of the scribes’ allegation against him, of blasphemy – “only God can forgive sins”. Jesus claimed that “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins.” (Mark 2.10; Matthew 18.20;  Luke 12.10.) Jesus claimed lordship over the demons, sickness, the Sabbath, world judgement.  He prophesied accurately.  However in order to fulfil his ministry, in the prophecies in Daniel 7 and Psalm 110, and to die on the Cross, Jesus hid his true identity.

C.S. Lewis’ in “Mere Christianity”  suggests just three options for Jesus’ claims – liar, lunatic, or God.  This impels us to make the decision to follow the path of our Lord or not.

Prayer 
“For I tell you this; 
one loving blind desire for God alone is more valuable in itself, 
more pleasing to God and to the saints, 
more beneficial to your own growth, 
and more helpful to your friends, 
both living and dead, 
than anything else you could do.” 

(Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing)

inspiration in your inbox Monday 13 January 2025 St Luke 9: 10 – 17 On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida.  When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’  But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’  For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’  They did so and made them all sit down.  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Reflection Luke 9 began with the twelve sent on mission to heal and bear witness. We glimpsed fearful Herod, worried about Jesus. Stories of missionary blessing and bewildered tyrant; worlds are colliding as the realm of God breaks into the day. Then, today’s text. Imagine the delight. The disciples must have been filled with the wonder, joy and maybe, being naughty, the pride at all they’ve done. Jesus wants a private debrief. But as God’s work is unfolding some things become unstoppable it seems. People are, in every way, hungry in this story. They long to listen. They want good news. They need to be healed. Is Jesus the one? Has the Messiah finally come? I notice that, as so often, Jesus responds to context. Private debrief forgotten, he gives himself fully to the needs of the crowd. It takes all day. Which is when the disciples get twitchy. They see problems and impossibilities; too many people, too few resources. Jesus is concocting a disaster and they ask him to stop: “Send the crowd away…”   But these are the same disciples who have shared the good news just days before. They’ve discovered the wonders of the ways God will work with them to change the world. The miracle that now unfolds is as much about hearts as about stomachs. Jesus invites the disciples back to where they were days before when they trusted that God was at work with them. The loaves and fish become more than enough because, in the hands of Jesus, blessings overflow. He invites his friends to trust him even as a new challenge engulfs them. He reminds them that what they bring is enough in God’s grace.  Where are we today? Perhaps we’ve plenty of signs of God’s blessing to cherish. Perhaps our day dawns daunting and dangerous. Perhaps something of both, interwoven. Hold on to this story of how God works with us, with what we bring, to work wonders. Keep trusting. Prayer God, when our gifts feel too small to make a difference, too fragile to survive, too worn, help us to offer them all the same. Then, in your wonderful ways, do with them and us what you will. Amen.

Today’s writer The Revd Neil Thorogood, Thornbury URC and Trinity-Henleaze URC (Bristol) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Andy Braunston

 
Welcome

Hello and welcome to worship.  Today we mark Jesus’ baptism at the start of his ministry.  We’ve very little material about Jesus’ childhood and so we jump, in our Sunday readings, from the visit of the Magi straight into his baptism and public ministry.  We like to think of baptism as something the Church does yet, as we read today, it was a rite first offered by Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist.  John was a fiery preacher who didn’t seem to get nuance.  He told people what’s what; his condemnation of Herod for marrying his sister-in-law led to his death.  He divided the wheat from the chaff so it’s surprising Jesus went to be baptised.  We’ll think about why that might be the case, and we’ll ponder Isaiah’s beautiful words of assurance.  So, let’s join together in worship.

Call to Worship

With all of creation we come to worship and raise God a song on high! We glorify God’s unmeasured strength and unbounded love and raise God a song on high! At God’s voice the clouds come, the thunder roars and torrents fall, and we raise God a song on high! As creation quakes in God’s presence we know that the voice which sets the planets spinning also speaks, in gentle breath, with the peace which sustains us and so we raise God a song on high!

Hymn     Summoned by the God Who Made Us
Delores Duffner OSB  GIA Publications OneLicence # A-734713 Performed by Frodsham Methodist Church Cloud Choir accompanied by Andrew Ellams. Used with their kind permission.
 
Summoned by the God who made us rich in our diversity, 
gathered in the name of Jesus, richer still in unity: 
Let us bring the gifts that differ and, in splendid, varied ways, 
sing a new church into being one in faith and love and praise. 

Radiant risen from the water, robed in holiness and light, 
male and female in God’s image, male and female, God’s delight: 
Let us bring the gifts that differ and, in splendid, varied ways, 
sing a new church into being one in faith and love and praise. 

Trust the goodness of creation; trust the Spirit strong within. 
Dare to dream the vision promised sprung from seed of what has been. 
Let us bring the gifts that differ and, in splendid, varied ways, 
sing a new church into being one in faith and love and praise. 

Bring the hopes of ev’ry nation; bring the art of ev’ry race. 
Weave a song of peace and justice; let it sound through time and space. 
Let us bring the gifts that differ and, in splendid, varied ways, 
sing a new church into being one in faith and love and praise. 

Draw together at one table all the human family; 
shape a circle ever wider and a people ever free.
Let us bring the gifts that differ and, in splendid, varied ways, 
sing a new church into being one in faith and love and praise. 

Prayers of Approach, Confession and Grace

You tell us, O Most High, not to be afraid, to trust in Your redemption, to hear You call us by name, and to know we’ll not be overwhelmed by flood nor consumed by flame. For these promises we thank you. You tell us, Eternal One, that we are precious in Your sight, that we are loved, that You formed and made us. For this gracious love we thank You.

Yet there are times, Lord Jesus, when we forget Your promises, when we ignore You standing at our side, and prefer to go our own way rather than trust in Yours.   Forgive us, good Lord, and give us time to turn back, time not only to know Your love but to spread it, time not just to experience Your grace but to share it, time not just to rest in Your assurance but to help others to be safe.

Remind us, Most Holy Spirit, that we are created for glory, even as we are mix of saint and sinner, wheat and chaff, give us the grace to accept our forgiveness, to forgive others, and to forgive ourselves.  Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

You speak to us, O God,  in ancient words and contemporary interpretation, in the majesty of creation, and in the minutia of our lives,
shine in our hearts and lives, that as we hear we may follow.  Amen.

Reading     Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight and honoured and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.  Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Hymn     All on Earth and All in Heaven (Psalm 29)
Michael Morgan © 2011 Faith Alive Christian Resources OneLicence # A-734713  sung by the choir of the Mt Cross Lutheran Church Camarillo, California & used with their kind permission.

All on earth and all in heaven raise to God a song on high;
strength unmeasured love unbounded, God alone we glorify.
At God’s voice the clouds assemble thunder roars and torrents fall;
Earth shall quake before God’s presence, mountains tremble at God’s call

Trees shall bow in awe & wonder, bend their branches to the ground;
from God’s lips one word in anger wreaks destruction all around.
But the Word which sets in motion such travails can make them cease;
that same voice which tumult beckons in a gentler breath speaks peace.

Reading     St Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Hymn     Christ Is Our Light!  The Bright and Morning Star
© Leith Fisher performed by Mr Gooch, Mr Muirhead and Ellie N from Strathallan School and used with their kind permission.

Christ is our light! The bright and morning star  
covering with radiance all from near and far.  
Christ be our light, shine on, shine on we pray  
into our hearts, into our world today.  

Christ is our love! Baptised that we may know  
the love of God among us, swooping low.  
Christ be our love, bring us to turn our face  
and see in you the light of heaven’s embrace.  
 
Christ is our joy! Transforming wedding guest!
Through water turned to wine the feast was blessed.
Christ be our joy; your glory let us see,
as your disciples did in Galilee.

Sermon

Our contemporary world is concerned with many things but, perhaps most deeply, with questions around identity and purpose.  Who are we?  What are we here for?  How do we find meaning in life?  These are questions that folk wrestle with seeking answers in social movements, politics and, sometimes, in faith.  We may find meaning in identities based on how we love, where we were born or live, how we vote or how we live.  And, in finding those identities we strive to find meaning.  We’re tempted to think of all this as a modern phenomenon but,  as our readings show, these concerns were ones which preoccupied the ancients too.

In our Isaiah passage the prophet addresses a bruised and battered, dislocated and despondent people.  The Jews were living in exile with little hope of return.  The people are reminded, after harsh words in the previous chapter, that they are precious in God’s sight – they may feel insignificant at the margins of a mighty empire but they are held in God’s own hand.  The prophet reminds them that they belong to God and, despite their sins, cannot be separated out from God.  Their identity is as God’s people, their purpose to glorify God and be a light to the nations; despite their sins and the prophet’s view that the exile was a divine punishment, they were loved and redeemed.  

Psalm 29, which we sang in paraphrase form, is one that benefits from looking at various translations.  The Psalm’s opening line might be addressed to “heavenly beings” to “sons of the mighty” or to “mighty ones”.  The paraphraser in our sung version hedged his bets and rendered the line “all on earth and all in heaven” which covers bases nicely.  Calvin thought the Psalm was addressed to haughty humans rather than the heavenly beings some versions have.  Calvin thought the Psalm was a reminder to see beyond the forces and powers that control the world and to turn to God the world’s true sovereign.  The Psalm, for Calvin, is addressed to those who see their identity as being based in wealth and power, who derive meaning from amassing riches; he saw it as a wakeup call to consider their true identity and purpose – in glorying and following God not amassing wealth and oppressing the poor.  

Calvin’s reading is a good counter point to the powers and principalities that exist today – where haughty (normally men) accumulate wealth and power and behind systems used to keep them in power.  The rise of Christian nationalism drove Mr Trump back to the White House (along with a Democratic Party that allowed itself to be portrayed as elitist whilst, multi-millionaire, Mr Trump was seen as ordinary!).  Maybe Mr Trump and his followers need reminding that glorifying God is rather more than voting for a particular party.  The powers of racism that swirl around us and infest politicians ever more eager to pander to the press barons also need reminding that God alone do we glorify.  Those who follow God are always tempted to put other things before God – whether that was the temptation to worship idols and pagan Gods in the ancient near east or the temptation to compromise with the Nazi state in 1930s Germany.  It might be the temptation to see right wing populists as divinely ordained or it might be the temptation to see Christianity as having nothing to do with secular concerns and only focused on the spiritual.  Maybe the political thunderstorms and tempests of our own age are signs that God is at work just as the Psalmist saw God at work in nature’s unleashed power.  The Psalm reminds us to speak truth to the mighty – the truth that only God is to be worshipped, only Jesus is Lord.  

Which brings us to Jesus and his baptism.  It’s a puzzling episode in some ways.  John’s baptismal practice was about repentance, separating out the good from the evil, the wheat from the chaff.  With John you’d know if you were good or evil – he made it very clear.  So, we have to wonder why Jesus submitted to baptism from his cousin – a baptism that was about, according to John, turning away from evil and towards God.   

In Luke’s gospel the baptism narrative comes after the genealogy but before the temptations.  We skip over the genealogies as they are rather boring and repetitive.  Unlike Matthew, Luke doesn’t include the women in the Messianic line.  We’ve no idea of some of the men he names whilst some of the others were nasty characters.  Abraham who pimped his wife and tried to murder his son is there.  So is Judah, who tried to get out of his responsibilities to a woman he made pregnant.  David the murdering rapist is there too.  We can assume, therefore, that Jesus’ ancestors were a motley crew; a mixture of good and bad and, like us, something in-between. Jesus was born into a world of personal and systemic sin.  He’d know this with those ancestors, with the occupation of Rome, with heartless taxation and injustice.  His identity, therefore, included this list of ancestors as well as being a Jew living under cruel occupation.  

His baptism shows he understood this; in submitting to baptism he identified with the world in all its fallenness and in all its glory – a world in need of redemption just like the Jews in Isaiah’s day.   

Later, Jesus is driven to the wilderness to face temptation – something we come back to in Lent.  In a world where sin is baked in, where oppression is part of our systems and structures, Jesus rejects the temptation to just make the best of things.  Jesus cannot escape the tragic structure of the world – he’s Son of Adam, Son of God, after all.  But he ensures he bends his will to God’s.   By accepting John’s baptism, Jesus rejects John’s dualism of good versus evil, wheat or chat, saint or sinner and shows, as his genealogy shows, that life is complex.  No wonder he was accused of being a glutton, a drunk, a friend of sinners, outcasts and collaborators.  Jesus was part of an interconnected web – ancestors and friends, systems and structures, that he identified with, worked in, and redeemed.  

In our own day we might ponder who we are and whose we are.  We might wonder what makes us worthy.  Like the Jewish exiles we may feel estranged in our culture which, at best, ignores us and, at worst, sees us (with good reason) as dangerous.  We might be tempted to find our identity, and safety, in what our money can buy.  The need to be secure is as important as it ever was.  Employers transfer pension risks to the workers rather than bear it themselves, rent costs more than mortgages – yet one needs to earn a lot of get a mortgage. A move way from a unionised workforce means it’s easier than ever to lose one’s job.  Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shows how precarious things are not in faraway places but in countries very near us.  Yet, we’ll only find true security in God; the Psalmist reminds us to ascribe God glory (and by implication that means not ascribing it elsewhere!).  Over the floods and thunders, the waves and flames, God is there providing our identity and security, our place under the sun.

As Christians our prime identity is secured in our baptism.  Jesus’ baptism served to identify with his mixed ancestry, his humanity in that time and place, and with God’s will.  Ours serves to identify us as God’s and God’s alone.  Despite our sins God loves us; our identity is assured in God’s promises. At baptism we were marked by and claimed for God; great promises were made – God keeps His!  Let’s pray:

Eternal God, help us to ascribe You the glory that is Yours, not to pander to divine capriciousness –  You have no need of our praise after all –  but to remind us of our place, our need for security, and our duty to trust in, and serve, You. Remind us of our baptism, of promises made and forgiveness given, and remind us, O God, that we are no longer our own, but Yours.  Amen.

Hymn     When Jesus Came to Jordan
Fred Pratt Green © 1980 Hope Publishing Company OneLicence # A-734713. Sung by the choir of North Stoneham and Bassett Parish Church & used with their kind permission

When Jesus came to Jordan to be baptized by John,
He did not come for pardon, but as his Father’s Son.
He came to share repentance with all who mourn their sins,
to speak the vital sentence with which good news begins.

He came to share temptation, our utmost woe and loss,
for us and our salvation to die upon the Cross.
So when the Dove descended on him, the Son of Man,
the hidden years had ended, the age of grace began.
 
Come, Holy Spirit, aid us to keep the vows we make,
this very day invade us, and every bondage break.
Come, give our lives direction, the gift we covet most:
to share the resurrection that leads to Pentecost.

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the one and only God, Eternal Trinity,  from whom, through whom and for whom all created things exist.  God alone we worship; in God we put our trust. 

We worship God, source and sustainer of creation,  whom Jesus called Father, whose sons and daughters we are.

We worship God revealed in Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God made flesh; who lived our human life, died for sinners on the cross; who was raised from the dead, and proclaimed by the apostles, Son of God;  who lives eternally, as saviour and sovereign,  coming in judgement and mercy, to bring us to eternal life. 

We worship God, ever present in the Holy Spirit;  who brings this Gospel to fruition, assures us of forgiveness, strengthens us to do God’s will, and makes us sisters and brothers of Jesus, sons and daughters of God. 

We believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church,  united in heaven and on earth: on earth, the Body of Christ,  empowered by the Spirit to glorify God and to serve humanity;  in heaven, eternally one with the power, the wisdom  and the love of God in Trinity. 

We believe that, in the fullness of time, God will renew and gather in one 
all things in heaven and on earth through Christ,  and be perfectly honoured and adored.  We rejoice in God who has given us being,  who shares our humanity to bring us to glory,  our source of prayer and power of praise;  to whom be glory, praise and adoration, now and evermore. Amen.

Intercessions

We bring our prayers to God, the Eternal Trinity.

Eternal One, we pray for those who feel insecure;  for refugees fleeing war, oppression and poverty, for those waiting for the next bomb to drop and cling to life, for those whose loves and lives attract anger and hate, for those meeting in secret to worship this day for fear of the powers. May we, through our gifts, faith, and life change the world.

Lord Jesus, we pray for those baptised this day, those making promises for themselves – often at great risk –  and those parents making promises on their child’s behalf, remind them of Your faithfulness and love, prepare them for lives of discipleship that they, with us, through our gifts, faith, and life, we may change the world.

Most Holy Spirit, remind us to look beyond our own identities, our own searches for safety, our own riches and wealth, to see that it is God alone that we worship, God alone in whom we must trust, that through our gifts, faith, and life, we may, change the world.

Eternal Trinity of Love, we hold before you now,  in the silence of our hearts, all who are in need….
May we, through our gifts, faith, and life change the world. As Jesus taught, so we pray…Our Father…

Offertory

Part of our identity as Christians involves giving.  St Paul reminds us that God loves cheerful givers – though I’m sure grumpy ones are welcome too!  Giving changes us, it reinforces our identity as being part of God’s people, and it changes the world.  We give with love of our time, talents and treasurer; we give in many ways to many different people and causes.  We may give in the plate in church or by standing order, we may give by remembering the Church in our wills.  However we give, let’s give thanks for the ways in which such giving brings change:

Loving God, thank you for the gifts you shower up on us, and for the ways in which you provide for us to give; help us to remember that giving changes us –  helping us control our selfish desires. Help us to remember that giving reminds us that we are Yours. Help us to remember the difference that our giving makes  to the lives of others. Bless these gifts and all that is given in this placethat we may continue as Your people and, as we are changed,  change the world.  Amen.

Hymn    The Silent Stars Shine Down On Us
Herman G Stuempfle (1923-2007) GIA Publications OneLicence # A-734713 Sung by Paul Coleman

The silent stars shine down on us with bright but sightless eye,
unmindful of our little earth, of us who live and die.
Are we but grains of stranded sand beside a cosmic sea
that lie unvalued and unseen in such immensity?

Creator of all stars you came to grace our transient race.
In Christ you spoke a word that broke the silences of space.
Still through that word you call our hearts to know that we are known, 
to trust we do not walk through time  unvalued and alone.

We see the star the wise men saw and hope again is stirred.
We track the footprints left in time by your incarnate Word.
We see them climb a lonely hill where Love is left to die –
the Love that formed the farthest star and hears the faintest cry.

O Christ, the bright & morning Star whose radiance does not fade,
whose glory filled the universe before the planets played:
come, heal our hearts of blinding doubt till faith shall end in sight.
Shine down upon our darkened earth and conquer sin’s long night.
 
Blessing

May the One who made the silent stars shine,
the One who understood his past, present, and future,
and the One who calls our hearts to follow,
shine upon you, allow you to understand your contexts,
and give you the grace to follow,
and the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be with you evermore.  Amen.

St Luke 9: 1 – 9

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.  He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.  Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’  They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,  by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen.  Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him.

Reflection

I’m not a great one for horror films. I love a police procedural or an action film but scary films? No thanks, I’m too much of a wimp. But one thing I know, in almost all genres of film, when the hero dispatches the baddy, it’s always worth making doubly sure that they’re really, really dead. Otherwise they’ll somehow come back to mess up your plans again.

Now, I’m not suggesting that Herod was a hero and John the Baptist the villain. But Herod must’ve been scared silly! He absolutely knew that John the Baptist was dead. He’d ordered it, seen the head on the plate and everything. There was nothing more that could’ve been done to ensure that John would not trouble him and his reign any further. Yet others were saying that John had come back to life.

In churches, we often try and deal with thorny and difficult issues. The role of young people (or, more often, where are the young people?), hearing, and responding to, the voices of children,  Legacies of Slavery, safeguarding, lack of volunteers, an organist who is no longer able to keep up with the congregation… we have to meet these issues head on. We must deal with these issues with grace, humility – and finality. Making a half-hearted attempt to resolve them and breathing a sigh of relief that “it’s done” risks them coming back to haunt us and causing more hurt and disruption further down the line.

When responding to difficult situations we need to grasp the nettle and pull it up to make sure we get the roots, too (Jesus used a LOT of gardening metaphors so I feel I’m on safe ground here). Let us not be half-hearted in what we do. Let us be honest, forthright and seek God’s help.

Of course, I’m not suggesting we serve up the organist’s head on a platter. Or, at least, only as a last resort.

Prayer

God grant me the courage to change the things I can
The serenity to accept the things I can’t
And the wisdom to know the difference. Amen

St Luke 8: 40 – 56

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her haemorrhage stopped.  Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’  But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’  When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.  He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’ While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.’ When Jesus heard this, he replied, ‘Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.’  When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother.  They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, ‘Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.’  And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.  But he took her by the hand and called out, ‘Child, get up!’  Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat.  Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

Reflection

The woman with a haemorrhage has suffered for twelve years. She comes in desperation, daring to enter the crowd in order to reach out to Jesus.  When Jesus notes the healing, she comes to him and confesses.  Jairus comes in desperation seeking healing for his twelve year old daughter.  

What is remarkable about both events is that Jesus touched/ was touched by them.  The Law stated that touching a bleeding woman and a corpse were prohibited.  (By the time Jesus’ reached Jairus’ daughter she was dead – a corpse.)  Jesus was willing to circumvent religious law to care for the woman and the girl.    Jesus did not hesitate to take the hand of the child, commanding her to get up. Jesus did not reprimand the woman for touching his garment. 

Both woman and girl were restored to the family of faith. Jesus called the woman, ‘daughter.’  Calling her ‘daughter ‘was bringing her back into the circle from which she had been excluded for twelve years.  Having been raised from death the twelve year old girl/daughter was able to resume her life within her family and community.  By his actions Jesus recognised the worth of both.  

Reflecting on Jesus’ actions causes me to wonder how our callings ask us to cross thresholds we might not have crossed before?  How are we asked to honour the spirit of the religious expectations?  Where are we called beyond those expectations to  act in ways that people can be restored to wholeness and embraced within God’s community?  

As we reflect, perhaps we can ask ourselves these questions:  Who is quietly edging toward us, pulling at our garments, seeking care, asking for healing and peace?  Who is pushing through the crowd in desperation, seeking our help because in us they see God?  Whose whole life has been shaped by pain and is now asking for help?  Where can our offerings of support be the path to healing?

Prayer

Listening God, open our eyes and our ears to those who are seeking restoration to community and wholeness.  Give us courage to act for their healing.  Give us courage to love unconditionally.
  
Listening God, when we are the one who is in pain, bring us the person who stops, listens, and offers hope.

God, help us remember we are named as ‘beloved’ within the family of faith.  Give us courage to voice that love within and outside of our churches.  Amen.

St Luke 8: 26 – 39

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.  As Jesus stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’—  for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 

Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country.  Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed.  Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesusto leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.  The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,  ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Reflection

I used to think images of a team of devils inside someone of little use to a modern congregation. Then I listened to someone who had suffered long periods of depression and she said the best way she could explain what it was like was that she felt she had been invaded by devils. She longed for them to be removed so she could be her real self again. We sense the same with physical illness. If only the cancer tumour could be removed, surely I could get back to being normal again. Our innate sense of who we were made to be has been invaded and insulted. We rejoice with those who are set free, while very aware that not everyone has that privilege.

The real punchline of the story is not, however, the healing. Now freed, Legion would love to join Jesus’ group and waft along with them. His joy would be complete. Jesus forbids it. Instead, Legion has to stay amidst his own people and work out appropriate ways of witnessing to them.

This is a wonderful passage for a chaplain to meditate on. Chaplaincy is too often an unsung and under-resourced ministry, as if we think ministries based in church buildings are always more important. But chaplains go where people in need are – which is everywhere people are – and have to find a way to witness to the love of God in Christ amongst them. Like Legion they have to surmount unhelpful assumptions about motive and method, they have to earn the chance to be taken seriously, they have to judge when it is right to mention the work of God.

And not just chaplains. Spare a prayer for those carrying heavy burdens in small churches because instead of going to worship somewhere else with more support, they feel profoundly called to witness where they are.     

Prayer

Lord Jesus
Your commands are not always what we want to hear.
We think we could map an easier path through life.
But just as we gratefully receive your freedoms
and healings of body and soul,
make us willing to accept what you call us to do with our privileges.
We pray for those of the faithful who today will find their calling hard,
the people they encounter cold and their energy exhausted.  Amen
 

St Luke 8: 22 – 25

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out,  and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger.  They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm.  He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

Reflection

They were all in danger, and it was all Jesus’s fault. At least, that must have been how it appeared to the disciples. After all it had been Jesus’s idea to take a boat trip to the other side of the lake, and look where that had got them.

It had got them into danger. When you’ve read or heard this familiar story so many times it’s a challenge to take seriously the idea that they were in real danger. Our eyes skip down to Jesus calming the storm, which is usually the title given to this episode anyway. So our eyes tend to skip over the Gospel writer’s clear statement that the boat was filling with water ‘and they were in danger.’

The disciples needed no convincing of the reality of the threat. They were shouting at Jesus that they were all going to die, to perish. Jesus, on the other hand, and perhaps to their considerable frustration and annoyance, seemed more concerned that their faith might die than that they might drown.

As many other disciples have discovered in the years since that Galilean boating incident, following Jesus does not guarantee that your life proceeds smoothly. In fact, doing what Jesus says to do as you  journey through this world, one which often lives by other opposing and  competing values, potentially exposes you to inconvenience, opposition, and loss. In today’s world, for some Christians doing what Jesus says to do actually puts you in danger of death.

We should take that seriously, just as we should take seriously that God, who has been made known to us in Jesus, has both the power and intention to bring us through such experiences to a place of calm and safety.

Prayer

O God, strengthen my faith,
so that I both seek to do what Jesus says to do,
and am able to cope with the consequences when they come.
Strengthen and save those today
whose faithful following exposes them
to inconvenience, opposition, and loss –
and even to the danger of death. Amen.

 

St Luke 8: 19 – 21

Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ But he said to them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’

Reflection

As you read this, we are both celebrating yesterday’s feast of Epiphany, the revelation of the truth of Jesus to the world.  You are likely in the throes of winter whilst I’m in the throes of summer. Wherever we are, no matter who we are, no matter what we or others think we are, we who read this devotion have a huge thing in common. We’re related to Jesus. Not the kind of blood relatives we think of as relations, yet related. We’re related by believing in God in Jesus and doing what we’re called to do.

This gorgeous little moment in Luke comes in a section about what it means to do God’s will by understanding God through Jesus and doing what we are called to pay attention to.  The chapter starts with women helping God’s message by funding Jesus in his travelling. As he travels, Jesus tells parables; in Luke a few verses ago, the parable of the sower shows that it’s ready ground which takes the good news, then, that light should be revealed – the good news seen. It’s a little task list of: support the messenger, prepare to receive, show the God task done. This passage is not Jesus rejecting his birth family, it is that when we all take on the Holy task of receiving God and sharing that love, we are all related, connected as closely as family.

So? That God familial connection helps us through.  Though many of us know the pain from those who chose a different path, we who choose the Jesus path get strength and hope to carry on doing the God-tasks we do. Knowing we’re not alone is huge. It gives us oomph and courage to do the really hard stuff. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, all the relations we are, hello.  We’re in this together.

Prayers

Amazing God,
it can be hard for us to imagine
that via you, we humans are an us.
Let us accept the graciousness of that
whether it makes sense or not.
Only you can connect us with each other
and your eternal power in one fell swoop.
We praise you, thank you
and ask you to put us to your work.
We’re ready.
Amen and Amen.
 

St Luke 8: 16 – 18

‘No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.  Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.’

Reflection

God’s light… God’s love is what I consider this passage to be about. The lighting of a lamp, for me, represents the igniting of God’s love within us; once we receive God’s love, it never dims and never really goes away, always shining brightly.  God’s light reflects HIS love in a way that nothing else can match. By speaking words of faith, positivity and joy, we shine and radiate God’s light in how we live and how we behave.   

It is this same light that is powerful enough for people to turn their lives to Christ when a person is ready to receive HIM.  It is this same light that regardless of what we go through, doesn’t leave us bitter or resentful in the long term, but helps us forgive and move forward, despite the impact of devastating news or sad events.  

This wonderful light can’t be hidden and it will be disclosed. People will discern by our actions and ‘shine’ that we are actually different (not better than anyone else) but are kind, loving, generous and forgiving.  

The final part of the passage ‘for those who have, more will be given’ calls to mind, that those who turn towards the light, will keep growing and getting to new depths of faith. However, in some circumstances and for those who do not open their hearts to the light or are closed off to God’s love, teaching and guidance.. sadness and darkness can take over as can doubt and cynicism i.e. the less than positive parts of our world; this can engulf us. It can lead us to a different path altogether, one that serves us little good.. only to draw more negativity towards us; the consequences of this can lead to a spiral that is difficult to come back from and that affects us mentally, emotionally and physically.

So the lesson is that we must let our light and love shine…. always.

Prayer 

God of light; God of love
Help us; guide us when life is hard and cruel, 
to face into your light and focus on our blessings.. 
as this is the only way to radiate your love.
Teach us to grow and to glow 
and in this way to always ensure 
we are a blessing to the many who live in darkness.
So that they too can be a blessing to others. Amen