What follows are my thoughts on the lectionary readings alongside some personal thoughts, we are very fortunate to be able to access the URC Sermons on a Sunday in written or Audio format, I think it shows how resilient we are as people, my own thoughts pale into insignificance by comparison, I may also touch on subject matter that I have already spoken about, so I ask for your forgiveness in advance. - Keith Finch “The disciples (in Acts) met each other’s needs by sharing their possessions and wealth. We are not used to this in our culture – neither that kind of dramatic generosity nor the vulnerability of having people know that we are in need. But we are church just as much as the community we read about in Acts. How can we meet each other’s needs? The first step may be for brave people to allow others to know that they have a need in a certain area. This can be very hard in a culture where self-sufficiency is so prized. But we know that circumstances can hit any of us in unexpected ways. Can we find ways to break down this barrier – e.g. by inviting people to identify a need anonymously using a box at the back of church? The needs could be displayed on a ‘board of abundance’, where others who have something they could share relating to a specific need could post an invitation for the anonymous person to speak to them about.”
Last week some of us decided to decorate our Church cross, social distancing was maintained throughout, when I visited the church no one else was in the vicinity, I posted as did others the pictures on Facebook, Claire mentioned that she had been asked by people passing if they could add flowers to the cross, setting in motion the question – do we reach out enough or to put it another way are we reaching out in the right way? I can’t remember if I have used this quote before, I probably have but I don’t apologise for using it one more. It came from Juliet Rosenfeld who is a psychotherapist “While loneliness may sore for some, technology, even its just a landline can really help with this. “ So maybe when we come out the other side and we will ,let’s remember all the things we promised we would do, all the compassion shown to ALL our front line workers, remember how good it was to talk – to keep that regular contact that in normal times we put off till tomorrow. It’s something I have promised to carry forward, I am now in fairly regular contact with an old friend & also with an ex work colleague. So once again I have come to the end of my Blog for Sunday May 3rd2020, I would like to close with a short prayer: Dear Lord, In these troubled times, give me space for stillness, A place for prayer, ways to walk in your path, A continual reminder of your presence with us, To walk in your path with purpose. Let us share the “Peace” with one another in a virtual reality. Amen. Extracts taken from Roots with permission.
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This article was originally published in Progress, the monthly magazine of Romford Congregational Church, in April 1950. I wonder if any of you have heard of the story of Saint Margaret? I came across it in a book the other day and thought you might be interested. She was a princess in England nearly a thousand years ago and with her brother, the King, was driven out of the country. They escaped in a boat and made their way up the coast. In a storm they were driven ashore in Scotland, which was then a separate kingdom. When King Malcolm heard of their arrival he invited them to stay with him, which they were glad to do. After a time Malcolm married Margaret and she became Queen of Scotland.
Queen Margaret soon made a great difference in the castle. She loved to wear beautiful clothes and have bright things around her. She taught the servants to keep things nice and to be cleaner in their work. It was not only in her own home, however, that Margaret made changes. She at once began to help subjects in every possible way. Every day all those who were in any kind of need made their way to the castle and the Queen herself attended to them, giving them food, clothing, medicine or money. Many people in those days had no opportunity for any kind of learning, and so Queen Margaret started schools for them, where they learned to read and write and also do weaving and embroidery so that they, too, could have more beautiful homes and clothes. Churches were built too, so that the people might worship God, and Margaret taught them to keep Sunday as God's day. It was her own love for God and her desire to serve Jesus Christ that led Saint Margaret to devote her life to serving others. We should remember, as she did, the words of Jesus: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me". H.M.H What follows are my thoughts on the lectionary readings alongside some personal thoughts, we are very fortunate to be able to access the URC Sermons on a Sunday in written or Audio format, I think it shows how resilient we are as people, my own thoughts pale into insignificance by comparison, I may also touch on subject matter that I have already spoken about, so I ask for your forgiveness in advance. - Keith Finch You may remember that I was using WORDS as a subtext to my previous three Blogs, well I suppose it’s fairly obvious that we all use words every day of our life, but I wanted previously to reflect on how we use words, how important it is that we use words in the correct way, and that we study the words we read whether that be from our Bible or any other source. So the following extract from Roots struck a chord with me!
“Whose voices do you listen to in your daily life? Radio presenters? Television personalities? Members of your family? The satnav when driving? Station announcements? Other people’s conversations? Unwanted telesales calls? We are bombarded with voices, most of which our brains filter out. Some of them we do listen to, because they give us information and help us choose our direction. Jesus identifies his sheep as being those who hear his voice. How easily do we hear Jesus’ voice? Does it ever get drowned out by other voices? Do we let ourselves get distracted from listening for him?” “ Does your computer printer have a display that shows the level of each colour ink – so that you don’t run out? Sometimes there may be an abundance of black ink, but the magenta or cyan will be dangerously low. We often think of abundance as being filled with things and events. Jesus promised ‘abundant life’, but that is not the same as a ‘wealthy’ or a ‘successful’ life. How do you think your ideas of ‘abundance’ differ from those of Jesus? In all of our lives, however abundant we may feel in some areas, there will be something, some area, where we are lacking or struggling. It might be our finances, our relationships, our career or spiritual life. What in your life do you want to bring to Jesus for him to bless with his abundance? I thought these words linked quite nicely to the extract from Fresh from the Word by John Proctor,’ carry the defence of faith’, in these times we need to remind ourselves of the trust we have in Jesus, and all the human pain and suffering we are all being touched by in one way or another. So let’s allow Jesus to bless us with his abundance. “Jesus says that those who hear his voice and follow him will ‘come in and go out and find pasture’. Jesus modelled a way of life where he regularly sought out quiet, peace and stillness – time to be with God. Sabbath is no longer a nationally shared event, but as Christians we are still commanded to give a day a week to rest, to reconnecting with God and with family, whether that is Sunday or another day that fits our work and family patterns. When is your Sabbath?” What are you doing on the Sabbath – for myself it is still Sunday morning listening to the URC sermon sitting on the bench in my garden, seeing first-hand the wonders of Gods kingdom, the daffodils and tulips that I’ve recently posted on Facebook to act as a reminder of our world beyond Covid-19. To be continued... Extracts taken from Roots with permission. This article was found in the March 1950 copy of Progress, the monthly magazine of the Romford Congregational Church. It was written by R. A. Newman The only hymn of which words and music touched any chord in me, wrote the Hon. R. Brett, is Lead Kindly Light. There is no doubt of its popularity with all denominations. At the great Parliament of Religions which was held at Chicago some fifty to sixty years ago, representatives of all known creeds to man found two things they could all join in, viz. The Lord's Prayer and the singing of the aforesaid hymn.
It was written by J. H. Newman (no relation) whilst still an Anglican clergyman and travelling on the Continent for health reasons. He was, however, attacked by a further sudden illness, and lay three weeks with only his man servant in attendance at Palermo, and then had to wait a further three weeks for a boat on the homeward journey. At last he secured an orange boat bound for Marseilles and whilst at sea between Corsica and Sardinia, and a very sick man, he composed this famous hymn. Each verse crystallises round its own special thought and in the following order -
Newman was born in 1801 of a Godly mother of Hugenot [sic] descent and was the eldest of six children. I wonder whether he had in mind his mother and three sisters when writing the last two lines -
Another of our favourite hymns is that written by our own Congregational poet, Issac Watts, born 1674, the eldest of eight children of a schoolmaster at Southampton. I refer to When I survey the Wondrous Cross, which Matthew Arnold described as the greatest hymn in the English language. Dr. Rendel Harris said, "There hardly exists a more moving and a more sacramental hymn." Is it not true to say that if one truly meditated upon the Cross - if one surveys - it's a grand word in this connection - To survey, i.e. to inspect, to examine, to measure and estimate the breadth, length and depth and height, of the love of the Prince of Glory - who can then doubt the Saviour's love for mankind in dying of the remissions of our sins. But do we always think of the meaning of the words we sing. Iremonger relates a story in his biography of the late Archbishop Temple, that in 1931 whilst conduction a Mission at Oxford with the undergraduates, and the moment for the dedication and resolved had come - the hymn "When I survey the Wondrous Cross" was given out. It was sung lustily, but Temple stopped the singing at the last verse and said "I want you to read over this verse before you sing it. They are tremendous words. If you mean them with all your hearts sing as loud as you can. If you don't mean at all, keep silent. If you mean them even a little, and want to mean more, sing them very softy." There was dead silence whilst every eye was fastened on the hymn sheet, and then - to hear Isaac Watts' words - "Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far to small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all," whispered by the voices of 2,000 young men and women was (in the recollection of one of them) an experience never to be erased from memory. A different story is told of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon os Tabernacle fame, in his early days, before he experiences large offertories. His congregation had just finished singing this beautiful hymn before the sermon, when Spurgeon rose and before giving our his text, said "Brethren you have just sung Watts' great hymn," and he softly repeated the words - "Were the whole realm of nature mine, etc, etc." Then suddenly he electrified his congregation by asking whether they knew the collection that morning amounted to "seventeen shillings and one penny." "The whole realm of nature is not yours to give, but surely you can offer more than 17s/1d. It is an insult to your Maker. I am sure you did not realise it, and in order the you don't go away unhappy, there will be another collection at the end of the service." Watts wrote 697 hymns, of which only 25 are in our present hymnary. As a boy he was always rhyming and his habit of applying this gift in the domestic home irritated his father to such a degree that he resolved to check that practice by corporal punishment. It is said that even then the young incorrigible Watts had the last word during the application of the punishment by crying out- "Oh, daddy, mercy on me take, And I will no more verses make," Watts at 24 years of age was called to the Independence Chapel at Mark Lane at £100 per annum - money values were different to ours today, and it was probably equal to £500 at the present time [1950]. He only held the post, in full activity, for ten years, owing to bad health, and lived for 36 years with Sir Thomas Abney ay "Theobalds." Cheshunt, where he died in November, 1784. What follows are my thoughts on the lectionary readings alongside some personal thoughts, we are very fortunate to be able to access the URC Sermons on a Sunday in written or Audio format, I think it shows how resilient we are as people, my own thoughts pale into insignificance by comparison, I may also touch on subject matter that I have already spoken about, so I ask for your forgiveness in advance. - Keith Finch Jesus says, ‘I am the gate’.
Come, and be loved. Come, and receive peace. Come, and find life. This opening prayer comes from Roots, I want to follow that with an extract from “Fresh from the word” written by John Proctor. So besides being ‘Be Vigilant ‘come two further commands: ‘Be sober’. Sobriety is not just about alcohol. It means not letting our sense and stability be swept away by the heady potions of time, by the myth of celebrity, slogan, prosperity or power. And ‘Be armed’. Not literally. Cary the defenses of faith, hope and love. Let these be the outward face of your character and conduct, and you will not be overcome. Wise words and quite appropriate for the times we find ourselves in. John 10: 1-10 “This reading begins with the phrase ‘Jesus said to the Pharisees’. He addresses them because they have been disputing his authority in the previous chapter; they were very suspicious when he healed a man born blind. So we need to hear the opening words of this passage: ‘anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate…’ as both a challenge and a warning to teachers and leaders. When it comes to guiding and caring for people spiritually, Jesus is uncompromising: there are those who approach by the gate and whose voice is recognised by the sheep, and there are those who climb in another way, with the intention of exploiting the sheep by stealing, killing and destroying. The sheep will not follow a stranger, but they recognise the voice of the shepherd. Is this perhaps a reflection on the crowds that follow Jesus, feeling instinctively that his teaching brings them closer to God? Are the people like sheep, allowing the shepherd to guide them to pasture? The Pharisees here will not do anything as simple as listen; they are more fearful of their own authority being usurped than they are thankful that a man has been healed. In John’s Gospel, the speeches given by Jesus often move in a kind of spiral – they mention an idea, move on to a second idea, and then spiral back to a fuller understanding of the first idea. This speech has that kind of pattern: Jesus moves from the image of entering by the gate to the image that he himself is the gate. He is both the shepherd with a voice that the sheep recognise and the actual gateway in and out between safe pasture and the protection of the sheepfold. When he summarises what he has come to give, he calls it abundant life – a life so full of life that there is some to spare.” To be continued Extracts taken from Roots with permission. This article was found in the January 1950 edition of Progress, the monthly magazine of the Romford Congregational Church. It was written by one of the church deacons, Mr. C.W. Pepper who lived in Gidea Park. The History of the Play
The History of Oberammergau is bound up with the Monastery of Ettal, situated some two mile from the village. An old legend tells that the Emperor Ludwig, who had been beset by many difficulties, undertook a pilgrimage to Rome. There he was visited by an aged monk who promised that if he would build a monastery at Ampfrang in Bavaria all would be well with him. As a token the monk handed the Emperor a statuette of the Madonna. Arriving in the wild mountainous district of Ampfrang, still bearing the precious statue, Ludwig found himself in the middle of a dense forest. His horse stumbled to its knees before a giant tree, and would go no further. This Ludwig interpreted as a sign and on that spot, now known as Ettal, he built his monastery. To obtain help in the building he granted privileges to the local peasants, and when in 1330 the building was completed he endowed it with gifts of large tracts of land. Thus the monks of Ettal became virtual rulers of the countryside, and Oberammergau, the nearest village, came under their special protection. The main Roman road once passed over the hills some distance from Oberammergau, but improvements in the roads made by the monks caused the byway which passes through the village to become the more favoured route. The villagers organised Guilds of Guides to protect and assist the passage of caravans of rich merchandise which came from Venice on the way to Augsburg and the Free Towns of the north; and the importance of the village was further increased when the Duke of Bavaria conferred on them the sole right of haulage and hospitality over a large section of the road. Oberammergau thus became different in character from other villages. During the long winter when traffic on the road ceased, they turned to the crafts taught by the monks of Ettal, and soon earned a reputation for wood-carving. Pedlars began to tramp through Europe carrying the crucifixes and other articles carved by the villagers, and thus laid the foundations of a thriving trade. Then, while enjoying a prosperity unknown by less fortunate villages, war put an end to traffic on the road. The Thirty Years War was a time of confusion and misery for the ordinary folk who had little idea what it was about. The rival armies pillaged and burnt, and left death and destruction in their trail with equal impartiality; and this desolation was succeeded by a terrible plague which swept through the country taking heavy toll of those whom war had spared. For a time Oberammergau, in the purer air of the mountains, was immune. Then, as village after village was infected from fever-laden valleys, the community of Oberammergau isolated itself. Guards and watch fires were placed on all roads, and no one was allowed to pass. During the festival of Kirchwieh, when family reunions were the custom, villagers prepared to celebrate as well as the conditions would permit. It so happened that Kasper Schisler, a native of Oberammergau working in the plague stricken village of Eschenlohe, felt the urge to see his wife and family again, and to exchange the gaiety of the coming festival for the village on which the heavy hand of death was laid. He crept up during the night, evaded the watch, and entered his home; the plague entered with him, and in a few hours he was dead. Thus the plague came to Oberammergau, and it raged for over a year. Then the Council of Six, the elders of the village, met and made a vow, as an act of petition and penance, to perform a play of the Passion of Christ every ten years until the end of time. The idea of a vow was no new thing; many towns and villages were doing the same thing, but the form it took in Oberammergau was in keeping with its traditions. There is little doubt that many morality plays had been performed from time to time under the direction of the monks of Ettal as a means of teaching religion to unlettered peasants. Immediately the vow was declared, hope revived, a new interest was aroused and from that time no further deaths occurred. The plague was stayed. The first performance of the Passion Play was staged in the Church in 1634, and performances continued every ten years until 1674. Then by way of exception it was produced in 1680 and since then, often in the face of almost insuperable difficulties, the vow has been fulfilled with very few exceptions. In 1770 the Government of Bavaria prohibited the performance, and the ravages of the First World War caused the normal presentation in 1920 to be postponed until 1922. In 1934 an additional production was arranged to celebrate the tercentenary of the making of the vow, and preparations were in hand for the usual performance in 1940. Then rumours began to filter through that the Nazi Government had insisted on a radical alteration to the text to conform to their anti-Jewish doctrines. It appeared certain that the villagers would refuse to perform the Play except in its original form, but the outbreak of war decided the issue, and the production was cancelled. In 1934 the Parish Priest wrote: "In the Passion Play year of 1934 the present generation pays its own joyful witness to the promise of its forefathers, and proclaims its steadfast intent and conscious responsibility in handing on that promise, inspired anew with all the sacrificial spirit of its first makers, to the generations of the future". To what extent the events of the past decade have affected the life of the community cannot yet be assessed, but I believe that Nazism, if ever it touched the lives of the simple folk of Oberammergau, has faded like an evil dream, and the visitor in 1950 will find the noble words of 1934 re-echoed. An address preached by the Rev. Ronald M. Ward, B.D This sermon was found in a copy of Progress, the monthly magazine of the Congregational Church Romford, published in March 1949. "Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."
- Genesis 11:4 "Which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it." - Luke 14:28 The story of the Tower of Babel tells us how the survivors of the flood determined to build a city with a great tower in it, "whose top may reach unto heaven." At the time, so the story goes, there was only one language on the earth. And so men were able to engage in this great enterprise with the maximum of co-operation. The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, and because it was such a bold work in which men were engaged He decided to end it. "This they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do." And so the common speech is confounded into many language, and men are "scattered ... upon the face of all the earth." The city and the tower remain unfinished. The first thing to be admitted about this story is that it is not true, at least in the sense that it is not history. This we may confidently assert, not only because it is in the highest degree improbable that the origin of language difference could be explained in such as way, but also because the picture of God portrayed in the story is a false one. This rather petulant Deity, alarmed when His creatures show too much enterprise, is certainly not the God of the universe, neither is He the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why, then, is the story in the Bible? Should we reject it as unworthy of Scripture, and cease to read it? No. Personally I think it is one of the outstanding examples of genuine inspiration in the Old Testament. Just because it is so full of human error we can see all the more clearly that it is also full of Divine wisdom. What the men who wrote the story meant to say is one thing. What God has to say is quite another. Let me suggest a possible explanation on the human side. The primitive mind, like the modern mind, was always searching for explanations of incomprehensible phenomena. This story is an ancient and very simple attempt to explain why it was that in different parts of the earth men spoke different languages. The word Babel is linked with the word Babylon, and it means "the gate of heaven." But it was also popularly connected with another Hebrew word meaning "to confuse." The story, you will remember, took place in the plain of Shinar, which is Babylonia. These three facts cannot be coincident, and are likely to fashion the material out of which the story grew. It is not difficult to speculate on what actually happened. Perhaps there was on the plain of Shinar a ruined city with a huge unfinished tower. An unfinished work which promised greatness always has a powerful fascination. Half the charm of the Unfinished Symphony is its name. One can imagine a nomadic people, wandering over the plain and finding this massive ruin. Thus by simple association of ideas the story of the Tower of Babel may have been told. The myth, for such it undoubtedly is, contains elements which are common to the primitive imagination all over the world. It betrays, for example, a fatal tendency, not perhaps so very primitive, to make God in our own image. That is to say it is a projection into God of something which is really in us. This is not what God does. This is what we might do if we were God. All religious people have to guard against this danger. It is that which provoked the gibe, "All theology is anthropology." That is, all study of God is really the study of Man. It is also worth noticing that the idea of God, or the gods, becoming jealous of men come to know too much, and perhaps taking revenge, is a common one. The Greek myth of Prometheus provides an example of it. In this story Prometheus, who wrests fire from heaven for the benefit of men, is cruelly punished for his presumption by Zeus. All these childlike ideas can be read into the story of the Tower of Babel, and they can be forgiven, because after all the story was told a long time ago when men were childlike. I have been at pains to point all this out not in order to undermine the authority of the Bible but in order to assert it. For the fact is that when we have discerned all the childish errors in the story there remains something else, something the writer never intended at all. The myths of Ancient Greece remain myths. They tell us a great deal about human psychology, but nothing more. The great bulk of the Bible is grounded in history, but of course it includes myths too. And the extraordinary, the wonderful thing is that they are more than myths. They too belong to the vast stream of Divine inspiration. God takes the foolishness of man and makes it speak His own wisdom. So that in this simple story there is an element which is deeper and wider than the whole range of human understanding at the time when it was written. The writers would have been astonished if they had known that what they had really said. It is this, I think, which constitutes the seal of God's activity in Scripture. "The Lord hath yet more light and truth to break forth from His Holy Word." So the Bible continues to speak in new ways to each person and to each generation. It is the continual and contemporary miracle. We have guessed at what the story of the Tower of Babel might have meant for the writer. Let us see what it can mean for us. The motives for building the tower are significant. First, "let us make a name," Moffat translates this, "let us make a name for ourselves." Now the desire for a name is nothing but the desire for identity, the longing to be someone, an individual, a person. This is one of the strongest impulses in human nature. The history of the race, looked at from one side, is the history of personality coming to flower. Gradually there emerges from the anonymous shelter of the tribe, group, family, the individual person. And the history of the individual is the same. From early childhood we are always seeking ways in which we can assert our individuality and show the significance of a personality which is different from others. "Let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Side by side with the longing to be a person is the longing for community. We want to be ourselves, but we want also to be sufficiently like others to be in fellowship with them. The search for a name drives us away from society, the need for community draws us back again. The men in this story attempt to achieve these objects by means of a building enterprise. It is a tower like no other tower which they attempt, for it is to reach the heavens. And so it is by making and establishing something, by creative activity, by erecting a city, a culture, a machine, by writing a book or painting a picture or planting a garden or organising a business that men try to find themselves. But they cannot make these things in isolation. There is no point in a name unless someone will call you by it, no point in doing anything unless it can be understood by another. "Less we be scattered." This implies beside the need for community the need for security. Man needs something permanent to which he can belong. He fears the loneliness of wandering homeless across the world. His cities and his civilisations symbolise the need for spiritual as well as material security. And his art is his hunger for immortality as well as his delight in discovering and displaying himself. Yet the tower remains unfinished, the city deserted. And at the end of this bold attempt to save his soul he is worse off than he was at the beginning. Even the common language is lost to him. Why is this? Because he thinks that he can find his salvation in himself. "Go to, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly." Full of confidence, it does not seem to him impossible to build a tower to heaven. And the message of the story is just the impossibility of doing that. Without God none of these legitimate aspirations of the spirit can ever be achieved. And if we think about it we shall see why this is so. "Let us make us a name." It is quite impossible to make a name. I can only receive one. If I have a name, if I am a real person, if my existence has any particular significance at all, that can only happen because God confers it on me. "Then shall I know, even as also I am known." But I have to be known first. Man only come to self consciousness in religion, and supremely in the Christian religion. There is no other faith in the world which has so quickened his sense of himself as a significant person. And where the Christian, or religious, element is removed, as in a totalitarian state, there personality sinks back again into the anonymous mass. We have an ant hill, but not a family. We have uniformity, but less individuality. Systems matter more than names. "Lest we be scattered." The hunger for togetherness is perhaps stronger to-day than ever. But it is becoming more and more clear that there is no community except that which is based in God. We cannot impose community from without, we have to grow it from within, out of the response to God. We can regiment men easily enough. That is, we can iron out their differences and destroy their individuality, or, if you like, take away their names. Or we can let them retain this at the cost of disorganised chaos. But religion alone provides us with the means to bind men together in such a way as to preserve the valuable differences which make them persons. In God we can have a community of names. Without God we can only have a regiment of numbers. The longing for spiritual security, for roots in the universe, cannot be met if we ignore God. And this for the simple reason that death will leave the tower unfinished if nothing else will. To come to terms with death, through God, to see it, by the light of the Cross, as a means of fulfilment instead of a disastrous interruption; this alone can remove that inner loneliness which come with the sense of mortality. Perhaps, when we read the story of the men who wanted to build a tower to heaven, we smile indulgently. We were prepared to accept this childish mistake as we accept the baby's cry for the moon. But the twentieth century is no wiser than men in ancient time. "Go to, let us build out of our great technical ability, our new psychological understanding of one another, our political wisdom, our economic foresight, a tower ..." But without God the human enterprise remains a hopeless one. Like the tower, it points its finger into the void. And we shall lose even the common unity we used to have in Europe unless we remember this in time. For already we speak a "different language of the heart." What follows are elements from the Sermon I would have given on the above date, including Communion, as I revisited this sermon which was to be the last of a trio on the basis of “Words” it struck me how relevant it was to the current situation. - Keith Finch, Nelmes URC As Jesus walked along the road, the disciples did not realise who he was until Jesus recited his own words, and their eyes were opened. There is power in God’s Word and the faithful proclamation of it, as in the Acts passage, where 3,000 came to believe, as God’s Word and his story were faithfully shared.
All these readings explore situations where people have jumped to false conclusions: All these thoughts were overturned by the reality of the resurrection. This is the greatest story we can tell, and one which will change lives: who might we share this story with? In our culture, there are lots of ways to interact with people without actually seeing them as discussed back in March we can email them, send a text, share messages in a WhatsApp group, ’like’ something posted on Facebook or Instagram, and so on. I did mention back at the beginning of March that words and how we use them was a topic we would be returning to moving forward I am an advocate for some of those mediums if used wisely, I don’t intend to devalue these products, but we are made for human interaction. The disciples understand who Jesus is after hearing him share stories about himself from the Scriptures, and watching him break bread in their home. While teaching Family History at the Library I consistently remind my students that getting the dates is in some ways the easy part, the hardest part is attempting to tell that persons story, sometimes that story can only be told if a family member has memory of a particular event or maybe family folklore or written evidence from the past, old newspaper articles etc.. In some ways it reflects on our ability to transit the readings from the Old Testament to the New and onwards to today! Does this raise questions for us, not only about the depth of our own relationships, but also whether we spend (enough) time allowing Jesus to come alongside us? Driven as the two disciples were by very different emotions, we cannot fail to notice the contrast between the speed of the journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and that of the journey back to tell of the meeting with the risen Jesus. It can be hard to get ourselves moving when we are weighed down with worries and disappointments. The Church has never pretended such stresses are not real, but it has always looked for ways to help people meet with Jesus personally – e.g. through prayer. If we are struggling and finding our path difficult, are there ways we can encounter Jesus and allow him to meet us in – and transform – our situation? In the last six months of my working life in our head office in London, as usual I wore my URC cross in my lapel, a young lady joined me when I was making myself a coffee, she said you’re a Christian aren’t you, you’re the first person of the Christian faith I have come across and I have been here 18 months, I was very happy to point her to two of the very large Compliance department who were practicing Christians – so don’t be afraid to talk – I am absolutely positive that talking to people we meet can give comfort, that is I suppose nothing directly to do with faith, but is a clear example of how it is a part of how we should behave as Christians. Sometimes these conversations take us to unexpected places, some people share readily, I had an example (I am sure you will all have had similar occurrences) While working at the Windmill Garden a few weeks ago, a lady walking her dog came to the garden perimeter and complimented us on how good the garden looked, I must have been close to my finishing time as I came across the lady with her dog as I walked home, we struck up a conversation which disclosed that she had been recently widowed and how tough she was finding it, she had recently found comfort in meeting others in similar circumstances at a local bereavement group, I did nothing more than any one of us would do in a similar situation, but I thought it worth mentioning as we have read so much about Jesus on the road to Emmaus, it’s so easy to pass by and not interact, we that is 21stCentury society in major cities have plenty of reasons not to interact, but if the circumstances feel right then give it a go! (This was written in earlier in the year, but I think its fits well into the situation we find ourselves in today) At this point in the service we would have shared communion with one another, we are not all in one place but let’s share a virtual “Peace” with one another. Sending out prayer: Lord Jesus As you walked on the road to Emmaus, Walk with us on the roads we travel. Help us to know your presence with us, And to be your presence to others. And at the end of the day, may we all enjoy your feast. Amen Elements of these words have come from Roots for the 26th April 2020 Today, there are many films about the life of Jesus Christ, however, back in 1949 when this article was published in Progress, the monthly magazine of Romford Congregational Church, Jesus' life had yet to appear on film. Mr T.J. Dove questions whether it is right to produce such films. Two or three weeks ago when I read in one of the papers that the suggestion was under consideration of filming the life of Christ, I had mixed feelings.
I suppose most of us have, at some time, been under the impression that to put anything on the stage or screen of a religious nature was, to say the least, a bit dangerous as there was the possibility of it upsetting folks who regarded anything of that nature as bordering on blasphemy. There must have been something like this at the back of my mind but then on reflection I thought there were great possibilities if dealt with in the right way, and how it could bring to the masses the message they would not otherwise hear. In my mind's eye I could visualise the rapt attention with which He held the multitudes on the mountain sides, the look of the faces of the Pharisees when He preached in the Temple, the amazement as He healed the sick, particularly the look of gratitude of those cured. What a lovely episode when the blind man was made to see and gave that so human answer to the critics "This I know, whereas I was blind, now I can see" - with what must have been an "and that's that" attitude. Then again the procession on Palm Sunday with the cheering crowds and perhaps there could be something shown which would make us understand why, in a week, the feeling of the multitude changed as they demanded Barabbas, if it was the same crowd! The trial scene could be of real educational value as shewing the system of justice and government in force in the Roman Empire and no doubt there will be differences of opinion as to whether Pontius Pilate was forced into the position he found himself or adopted it as the easiest line when he found the risk of rising. Yes, I think it would be a fine thing to film Christ's life if done in the right way. It ought to prove one of the finest pieces of missionary work or evangelism so far accomplished. Look at the millions who could see it. But how careful the director and producers would have to be. It would be terrible if the part of Christ was taken by some actor who, brilliant though he might be in his profession, had a past that was not in keeping. The ideal, of course, would be for the cast to be anonymous, who would give their services for Christianity. What do you think? What follows are elements from the Sermon I would have given on the above date, including Communion, as I revisited this sermon which was to be the last of a trio on the basis of “Words” it struck me how relevant it was to the current situation. - Keith Finch, Nelmes URC Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
Peter concludes his open-air sermon with a strong statement about the identity of Jesus: ‘God has made him both Lord and Messiah’, and a hard-hitting accusation: ‘this Jesus whom you crucified’ (v.36). How could they get it so wrong? They ask the anguished question, ‘What should we do?’ (v.37). Peter’s answer is surprising – he does not tell them to go away in sackcloth and ashes, but to be baptized and then they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a promise for all who hear God’s call. Peter gives them an urgent yet open invitation Two disappointed and heartsick disciples are making their way home when Jesus himself comes and walks beside them. Their eyes are kept (literally, ‘held back’) from recognising him. We are not told who or what prevents them from knowing – it could be God’s direct action, or the trauma they have experienced in witnessing his death, or a combination of both. Jesus asks them what they have been talking about as they walked along, and there follows the almost comical scene of Cleopas and his companion recounting the story of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ to – Jesus of Nazareth! When he first asks them, though, they stand still ‘looking sad’, as if the horror of recent events has sapped all their energy. The word for ‘sad’ here could also be translated ‘angry’. Either way, they are overcome with deep emotion or say, ‘We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.’ ‘Redeeming Israel’ could mean freeing Israel from Roman rule, but it could also indicate more far-reaching hopes, such as the idea that the Messiah would end all wars or bring about the end of time. Whatever they were hoping for, it all seems lost now. Then the unrecognised Jesus begins to reframe their experience by explaining to them, from the Scriptures, that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer; it was in God’s plan and not a terrible accident. It is as if this unknown teacher takes their isolated beads of knowledge and re-strings them into a different sequence revealing a new pattern. Their hearts burn within them as they listen to him. It is this new knowledge, plus their own generous hospitality, that paves the way for the moment when they recognise him in the breaking of the bread The gift of story is significant in the way the Scriptures have been written and shared. They began as a faithful retelling of stories from generation to generation: around a fire, walking along the road, and then written down for us to hold onto today. Much as I touched on when we attempt to build a Family Tree. Jesus begins to reframe the experience of the two disciples on the road by explaining God’s story, told through the Scriptures. It is as if this unknown teacher takes their isolated beads of knowledge and re-strings them into a different sequence, revealing a new pattern: God’s story. We see within scripture the imperative and the power of sharing God’s story. |