Part Three of my Easter Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 12th April 2020 As those that attend Nelmes will know I like using articles from the Newspaper to highlight points that I want to make. Here is an extract from an article written by: Juliet Rosenfield (who is a psychotherapist) “While loneliness may sore for some, technology, even if it’s just a landline, can really help.” let’s talk to one another & remember at this Easter time that Jesus died for us!
I would like to close with an extract from Kate Brealey “Fresh from the Word” This is part of her lesson for Good Friday: For those that cannot relate to the physical violence of the crucifixion, this aspect of Jesus’ treatment may be more familiar, the old saying goes “sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However I think we know that this is often not the reality, especially in the age of social media. Cruel words can be incredibly damaging, especially for younger people, and may have tragic consequences. Perhaps you have had your words taken and used against you, or seen this happen to people you know, or to those in the public eye? Or maybe you have done it to others. This aspect of the crucifixion narrative reminds us that Jesus new the pain words cause. His death on the cross is a sign of his full humanity and demonstrates his understanding of our human condition, including all the forms of violence this entails” Kate Brealey Where do you see words used cruelly? How can you challenge this or model something different? You will have noted in my last Blog that I was using WORDS to link my first three sermons, I think at this time of such uncertainty we need to ensure we use WORDS wisely, remembering Jesus died for us & for the forgiveness of sins!! Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we all carried through the principal of being kind to one another? A prayer to close: Take with you joy of the risen Lord, And share the good news with all those you meet. Amen
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Part Two of my Easter Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 12th April 2020 Seen in a Church’s visitors book: “ Cold and comfortless like the religion” contrast this with Augustine of Hippo “ A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot” The sheer joy of those first witnesses was authentic and infectious. Christians from some other cultures have much to teach us about joy. Joy is not about getting a religious fix; rather it is about fixing your eyes upon the risen Christ. We are transformed by the one we encounter, with the one who we worship. I don’t recognise that “Cold and Comfortless like the religion” in fact for me it’s the total opposite even if I go all the way back to my time in the Old Vine Church in Ilford, I only have fond memories of my time growing up in that church, even then lots of my “friends” didn’t understand the pleasure I got from being in the body of the Church, yes we were all fairly naughty in that 40’s & 50’s style, not heavy duty bad. But that church was my second family and fast forward to now and I consider Nelmes my second family, they have been there for me and I hope in some small way I have been there for them, we have over this period for me sixty plus years of attending church had lots of bad times, along with a lot of good, good deeds are not exclusively carried out by Christians in fact we see more and more acts of Kindness being carried out as all those that work on our behalf are supported by us in so many different ways, we are both in self isolation ( me partial because I have to go out once a week to do food shopping) we were both delighted to receive a hand written card from one of our neighbours eight year old daughter with her parents mobile & land line numbers in case needed help. I am sure we have all seen many similar actions. So we as Christians with our wider faith family must continue to extend the hands of friendship in as many ways as possible! To follow Jesus’s example in reaching out to ALL not just our immediate Church family but into the wider community. So, I don’t know if anyone will read this blog, if you do maybe consider this: Make an invitation to invite some of your friends to a virtual Easter tea. Design a small act of Easter worship (possibly by lighting a single candle) Read through and discuss with others Mathew 28: 1-10 If you had visited Jesus’s tomb and found him gone, how would you have told your friends, convinced them of the truth? Inspiration taken from ©ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020. Reproduced with permission.
Part One of my Easter Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 12th April 2020 Opening Prayer Come with joy. Come with praise. Come with expectation and wonder. He has been raised from the dead! Come and worship our risen Lord. There are two pervasive themes in the resurrection stories: surprise (or awe) and joy. Despite Jesus telling his disciples that not only would he suffer and die, but he would rise on the third day, they would not believe the first, and could not believe the second. Sadly, our problem today is different. Christians are so familiar with the story that it ceases to surprise us. How can we recapture the sense of surprise and joy today? Due to the current situation we find ourselves in we would in theory have more time to watch television, for some of us that means watching the soaps, back in the day all the soaps reflected life quite accurately, not so today, when person X seems to have found there perfect partner, we all know it won’t last – Soaps are invested with every conflict & tragedy imaginable, Do we all like happy endings, Jesus died on the Cross to be raised from the dead, were the disciples filled with JOY was it a happy ending for them, in most cases the answer was NO – but in the time they all had they filled there known world with JOY & Happiness as they spread the word of the Lord. What does Christian Joy look like? There will be many who look at the events that occurred over this period and are unsure that we are remembering a real event, once all the Easter Eggs have gone, and in normal times we would go back to work! Interestingly in these difficult times, there is a split between those coming to our Lord and those laying the blame at his feet. We know that even people who met Jesus after he rose from the dead doubted the truth they were presented with. But the reality to me is that nobody is to blame! Our Jesus is there for us through thick & thin, our effort to let those that don’t see – to see the light well I believe that is what our real work should be! Inspiration from ©ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020. Reproduced with permission
Extracts from my Palm Sunday Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 5th April 2020 (Part 4) So here comes my last quote of the day it comes from Mary Colvin the Sunday Times War correspondent made in 2001 so quite a few years before he premature death “It has always seemed to me that what I write about is humanity in extremis, pushed to the unendurable, and that it is important to tell people what really happens in war” Mary followed a path that would lead to her being killed, she was always foraging for the truth, putting herself in danger, much as Jesus did. Is that not what we should do as we attempt to follow the path Jesus has laid out for us not to end up dying because of our faith but giving that authenticity to how we lead our lives.
Extracts from my Palm Sunday Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 5th April 2020 (Part 3) As a point of interest one of the quotes I have used has been adapted from the Talmud (The primary source of Jewish law) I have learnt much from my teachers, but much more from my friends, I think maybe Jesus new this as well, he understood that things had to change an example had to be set, he himself was a teacher but his example is to those in legal authority over the populace.
At the start of the sermon I pointed out the saying from Octavia Hill, she was born in 1838 and died in 1912, the quote was written in 1888, when I first read it I thought how true she was. But my theme today has touched on the voracity of our need for truth in our day to day life. Yes we all want quite, we all want beauty…. We all need space. She carries on to say that unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quite in which whispers of better things come to us gently. To be continued... Extracts from my Palm Sunday Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 5th April 2020 (Part 2) Sometimes in the News when we listen to a discussion or debate all that is discussed seems common sense, we then collectively ask why action has not been taken before, but usually things are not that simple. We are all aware of those biased voices out there that tell us what to think & how to act. Some of you may remember that when I last took a service I mentioned that the next two services would focus on “Words”
One of my quotes for today was made by Octavia Hill (1883) “We all want quite. We all want beauty….. We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently” To be continued... Extracts from my Palm Sunday Sermon - Keith F. (Nelmes URC) 5th April 2020 (Part 1) Come, pilgrim people. Come too worship the liberator and the peacemaker who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Come to worship pilgrim people.
Following are some extracts from my Palm Sunday service, it was intended to be the second of a trilogy based around words. In these uncertain times I felt some of these words are ones we all need to remember. Kate Brealey writing in Fresh From The Word, children have a knack for picking up words and phrases and repeating them loudly in public. Some children at the temple echoing or mimicking the cry of the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem, (v14-15) perhaps re- enacting the events as they play. Do the little ones understand what they are saying? And possibly even of more relevance to the adults, did they fully comprehend how things were playing out. To be continued... This morning (Saturday 22nd March) I read a passage from Word for today and looked up where their reading came from. It was 2 Timothy 3. You may wish to read the whole chapter in your own time. Whilst reading the chapter myself it struck me how poignant it was for the position our world is in now.
Verse 2 starts “People will be lovers of themselves.” This is what we have seen recently in the actions of some selfish people who have hoarded essential items and cleared the supermarket shelves so there is nothing left for anyone else. The media has shown us hard-working nurses in tears because they can’t find anything to eat. A friend of mine in Inner London, who is diabetic, dined on croissant with anchor butter, a Dairy Lea triangle and a Mars bar because he couldn’t find anything else other than salad which he’d had enough of the day before. It mentions the people being “Disobedient to their parents” too. This week our parent is the British government giving us daily guidance on how we should behave but if you look at stories on the internet or walk to the shops you will still see people not heeding the advice and standing around chatting in groups and on Friday still going to pubs and restaurants when the Prime Minister had pleaded with them not to because they are putting not just themselves at risk but all the keyworkers too. It made me laugh, however, when I read Verse 9 “But they will not get very far because…their folly will be clear to everyone.” Toilet roll jokes have been rife on the internet! However, it is not all doom and gloom. This week in Havering we have heard of church friends doing exactly as they are told particularly the elderly and vulnerable and our church members are supporting them with regular phone calls and help. We have seen acts of random kindness from total strangers who have helped our church members out. One member at Trinity had her shopping paid for by the woman standing behind her in Aldi after she discovered she had left her purse behind. So for those of you who are struggling, keep strong and let the result of your faith continue to support and uphold each other. Anonymous To the Heath and Havering Group of Churches,
As our magazines go to press, some of our members are confined to their homes, our children too, are no longer attending their schools and universities….and perhaps most significantly the doors of our churches are closed! Nevertheless, we will have found time to celebrate ‘Mothering Sunday’; time to stress the importance of the Church and the role of mothers in our lives. Time to show how much their love means to us, and has meant to us, and to recognise the love they show speaks to us of God’s love for all. Moving on, we will soon be making our way through Holy Week to the Glories of Easter. Whatever problems or troubles may weigh us down, Jesus, through His death on the cross, is able to carry those burdens and so set us free to live life to the full! In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed.’ (Isaiah 53:4&5) There are many astonishing comebacks in our world, but none is anywhere near so amazing or half as wonderful as the resurrection of Christ which we celebrate on Easter Day. Our Bible tells us that Jesus had come back, just as he promised he would! He is alive! Victorious over death and evil,returning to give new life to His followers! Hallelujah, Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son! This letter would not be complete without saying thank you to all who have shown such wonderful love and concern for their fellow members, friends and neighbours during this unsettling time.Truly demonstrating what the Queen said in her letter to the nation, ‘...Concentrating our efforts on a common goal’. And Jesus said, ‘Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 5:16) May God bless you and keep you safe. Wishing you every blessing, Ann |