Not my will but yours!

Sermon for Advent 4

Yesterday afternoon, here in church, I met an angel. She had white-blonde-hair, she  was dressed in a beautiful white silk dress and she even had wings. Her name was Hattie and she was nearly three years old. She was brought by her Mummy and Daddy to the Stepping Stones Christmas event and it was a joy to meet her.

Now, had I been Mary from our gospel reading today, confronted by the Angel Gabriel and given the outrageous message from God that would change the world, I really don’t think that my first reaction would have been one of joy.

For Mary, her reaction was one of puzzlement. ‘How can this be?’ We can only imagine what must have been going round in her head.

I think you’ll agree that she handled it all very calmly, serenely even. Much better than others mentioned in the Bible, Zechariah, for instance was startled and was gripped with fear – I can understand that. And there were the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. We read that they were terrified! Then there was Joseph. His two visits from an angel were in dreams – now, that’s a bit easier to handle. But I suppose also easier to disregard or kid yourself that it probably isn’t the real thing. For Joseph, there was no denying that the message was very real!

What about us? We might read stories about angels, we might even believe in them but we don’t really exact to be visited by them…do we? Do we??

Did you know that a third of people in Britain believe in angels? One in 10 believe that they have come into contact with one. One in ten! If we are typical of the general population, that means that at least two or three of us here this morning may well have a story to tell and I’d be very pleased to hear your story some time.

Most of us know Mary’s story. She was just a young girl, thirteen or fourteen years old. The angel told her that she was favoured by God and that she would conceive and bear a son who she would call Jesus. He also told Mary that nothing was impossible with God and that her elderly cousin Elizabeth who was barren had also conceived a son and was six months pregnant.

Without hesitation, Mary said those now famous words ‘Let it be with me according to your word.’ She accepted without question that she had been chosen by God. Regardless of her lack of prestige in the world and her lack of experience or abilities, she doesn’t question God’s choice for a moment.

Just as God chose Mary, I believe that God has also chosen you and me. It is no mistake that we are here in this congregation today. I believe that God has a purpose and he has chosen all of us to be instruments to carry Jesus into the world.

I don’t mean physically as Mary did… but to carry him in our hearts. We have been chosen to be the loving presence of Jesus in every situation we happen to find ourselves in. We may lack prestige, experience and ability, just like Mary. We may be scared of the future and of what people might think of us.

We may even only want to share our good news with others just like ourselves and restrict our faith to church on a Sunday? 

That is not God’s purpose. He didn’t choose us to just come along to church each week to be fed, he chose us to go out into the big wide world and help to feed others. We have been chosen, like it or not, to take the good news outside of this church building and to do God’s mission.

Unlike Mary, thankfully we don’t face the possible prospects of being stoned to death for accepting God’s will.

Mary accepted, without question what God wanted her to do and from that moment on Jesus was a part of her life. When we accept Jesus, he revolutionises our lives and he turns everything upside down. Being loves so intensely can do that to a person!

Because Mary believed that she had been chosen by God, she was able to put into effect what God had chosen her to do.

The big question for us this morning is, do we really believe that we have been chosen by God?

If we dare to believe that God has some significant purpose for our individual lives and our church life together, fantastic things will start to happen in the life of our church here in Giggleswick and to each of us individually. 

When we think about it, it is amazing what God did through Mary. That young girl, alone and afraid and yet her joy cries out to us and fills us with awe and inspiration.  

And what is truly amazing is that just as God chose Mary, he has also chosen each one of us to do our bit!  We don’t need to look for the reasons why, we just need to accept it and say… ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

Thanks be to God.

Amen 

Sermon - Advent Sunday, 29 November 2020

 'AWAIT THE COMING’ 
Mark 1.1-8 

May the Word of God redeem all our speaking, and may the Wisdom of God inform our listening – that we may hear, pray and act.

Today, Advent Sunday – the Day of Coming - marks the birthday of the church. Today is a new beginning – the start of a month’s preparation, reflection and waiting before we celebrate the coming of light into our world’s darkness, the birth of Jesus Christ the Word of God.

We wait - but waiting can be hard. We are not encouraged to wait by a consumer-led free market in a fast and noisy world. Yet over the past 8 months we have had to get used to waiting – waiting with uncertainty, with anxiety and frustration, grief for some, having to watch our every step … waiting for news of loved ones, waiting for a vaccine … waiting in hope & faith that there is indeed light at the end of a dark tunnel - and that this is not yet another onrushing train heading directly for us!

Today is Sunday – yet we continue to wait in a seemingly endless

Saturday Time.  For Saturday is that longest of days between the dark desolate tragedy of Good Friday and the liberating light of Easter. This day has to date been a 2,000 year long day – a continuing time between the decisive drama of that first Good Friday and the final glorious flowering of Easter – that time when God will come in Christ to bring all things together  through inclusive Judgment and liberating Redemption.

So “All is ready - but not yet”. Meanwhile, in an ever more crisis-torn world, we might well often cry “When O Lord – when – WHEN?” But be sure of this, resolution will come. The time will come when ‘the crooked places shall be made straight’ and ‘justice will roll down like waters’. It will be so in God’s good and right time . But until that time comes, it is our part to wait and act in faith and hope.

Today also signals a time to wake up! “Sleepers wake, a voice is calling”. For, as the writer Franz Kafka said, we humans all, collectively, tend to be ‘sleepwalkers’!

Are we, then, ‘woke’? Are we awake, alert, aware of what is going on here in our community and in the world around us? Can we read the signs of the times, can we see and hear what God, with an ever more  urgent voice, calls out to us through all this? Do we heed these messages of warning, but also of hope?

We certainly hear warning about peoples, communities and a world in crisis.  Crisis of pandemic, crisis of economy, of civil war, crisis of countless refugees, of poverty, crisis of climate emergency.

But we also know hope. Hope as young people spearhead the Black Lives Matter movement. Hope as they come out, speak and act on our pressing need to tackle Global Warming now. Hope through the deep care, compassion and love shown by health workers and so many others during this pandemic – together with so very many unknown, unrecognised acts of kindness. Hope too after the election of Joe Biden, with a promise of some decency, humanity, & truth returning to American life – and who knows, the life of the world!

Above all we keep hope - but also heed warning – because Jesus Christ comes. He comes into our life, and so God comes – not just then, 2000 years back, not just at some future Judgment time, but here and now, every day!

So on this Advent Day we wait, we wake and we watch – and take in, as we must, today’s prophetic Gospel warning of global chaos if we fail to follow the way of justice, mercy and peace. And let there be no doubt that we have our part to play in this work. We begin again today, here and into the future, watching and praying with active hope. Today we affirm that the ever-spreading flood of light and love released in the birth of Jesus means that God-in-Christ does indeed come into our lives daily - and that when the Son of Man, the man Jesus Christ who is God, comes in that final Judgment where all things on earth become at-one with all things heavenly, then all our long and active waiting, and waking, our watching and praying, our working and keeping faith, will surely be vindicated. Because when Christ comes, his Judgment will be thorough, searching and tough – but in the end it will be marked by forgiveness, mercy and liberation.

For this, you see, is the abiding reality and truth, the foundation of all that life - that God is, God is as he is in Jesus, and so there is hope!

What is more, as surely as day follows night, God comes, God is most truly God as he comes in Christ Jesus, and so most comes the divine promise that we, with all those who have opened themselves in penitence to the redemptive forgiveness of God, will be as children of God. And so will we, together with all creation, become free – oh yes, free – free at last – when the time shall most surely come – that final Easter Resurrection time, “the time that will surely be, when the earth shall be filled with the Glory of God as the waters cover the sea.”  AMEN                                                                          

Rev Paul Fisher

Sermon - 22 November 2020

Out with the old and in with the new
Matthew 25:31-45

Today is the final Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year. For those of you who don’t know, we follow a three-year cycle of readings…years A, B and C.

Today being the final week means that next week, which is the first Sunday of Advent, we will begin a new church year using the readings from year B. On the final Sunday of the church’s year, we always celebrate the feast of Christ the King. And today, the gospel reading from Matthew paints for us, a picture of Jesus appearing on clouds at the end of time…as a king sitting in judgement on those who stand before him. He talks about two groups, one side going through the pearly gates to eternal bliss, the others, the unrighteous are sent off to eternal damnation.

Scary – or what?

We often try to ignore this story or try to water it down because the thought of a last judgement makes us feel uncomfortable because the consequences of being rejected by Christ don’t bear thinking about. But God thinks that the lives we lead here on earth are of consequence, and so our behaviour has serious penalties. The way in which we treat others has importance to God, he takes note and there is judgement.

We love parables like the Lost Sheep and the Good Samaritan, but this parable about the sheep and the goats is a bit close to home. We can see the truth in it and the truth is painful. It makes us feel uncomfortable.

Did you notice that in Jesus’ words, both the righteous and the unrighteous are surprised by how they’re judged….both groups say:

‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’

Jesus refers to them as sheep and goats and whether we like it or not, we have the capacity to be both. The righteous (those classed as sheep) had no idea that their good deeds meant that they were inheriting the Kingdom prepared for them. They weren’t trying to earn God’s favour. They were just living their lives of faith in the way that they always did. This is what loving our neighbour as ourselves is about. Loving our neighbour just to get ourselves to heaven wouldn’t be real love.

It’s easy, isn’t it, to show love and compassion to those we like or love? But what about loving those who do things that repulse us or things we don’t believe in? What about muggers or murderers, sex offenders, thieves, liars…I could go on.We might even find ourselves judging others by their appearance, or we make assumptions about how people think or feel. Most of the time we are unaware that we are even doing it.

Our Christian calling is to be Christ like and we are faced by many opportunities to help the needy. These acts of kindness can be provided by anybody, we don’t need any special qualifications or lots of money. To visit, to care, to offer our time …such things all are well within reach of everybody.

Everything we know about Jesus from the Bible tells us that he befriended outcasts and helped the poor and needy. He came to earth to help us to find God. And that happens in the most unexpected places, and in the most unexpected ways.

We are judged not on the dramatic moments in our lives, but by the ordinary, mundane ones. We are judged by God and by our neighbours on the smallest actions, the throw-away remarks, the routines of our lives.

So…do we care about the hungry and thirsty or do we turn to another channel when the Water Aid adverts come on? Do we cross the road when we see someone hungry and homeless? Do we even notice when we hear a cry for help? There is a lot of need in the world, and because of the pandemic it is only going to get worse. I wonder whether that will mean that we will begin to notice more, or respond more readily, or even that we begin to switch off if the demand is too great?

We might be able to kid ourselves, or even others if our thoughts and actions are not very Christ-like. But there is no hiding things from God. He knows what is in our innermost thoughts and if we are to take today’s reading seriously, then there are consequences.

Not a good thought, is it?

But there is good news as well as bad news, and however seriously we take today’s gospel reading, we need to hold it in balance with other things that Jesus taught… about the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son for instance…who ran...ran…to meet his irresponsible, lazy, greedy younger son to welcome him home with a great celebration….or Jesus’ emphasis on forgiveness ...even when he was dying on the cross.

The good news is that God’s judgement is very different from human judgement. And God judges us with perfect understanding of why we avoid some types of loving and are ignorant of others. But God sees and knows everyone with the same perfect understanding.

God knows when we have crushed someone’s confidence or withheld encouragement, or avoided thinking of them….and he loves our neighbour just as perfectly as he loves us. Maybe the judgement we need to fear is that sometime, somewhere, we will see ourselves as God sees us.

Better get ready, better be more alert, better practise for that day…

Oh yes, of course, that is what Advent is all about…and it starts next Sunday!! 
Amen.

Rev Julie Clarkson

Sermon - Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Sunday

Matthew 25:1-13

Today is a Remembrance Sunday to remember!

In a normal year, there seem to be boxes of  poppies in every shop you go into. Not this year. In fact, I really struggled to buy a poppy this year. Normally we’re falling over poppy sellers but this year… I haven’t seen one.

But this is not a normal year and coronavirus has put paid to much of what we have taken for granted in the past. This year, instead of selling poppies, the British Legion have suggested that we should show our support by using a digital poppy on social media sites or by donating online and downloading a picture of a poppy to display in our windows.

In a normal year, the crowds would be gathering in Whitehall, along with royalty, military, veterans and dignitaries, waiting for the Remembrance parade and the laying of wreaths at the cenotaph. The Queen will be at a closed ceremony at the cenotaph and the crowds will have to watch on TV later. For us, instead of attending a civic ceremony, we are being encouraged to stand for the two minutes’ silence on our own doorsteps at 11am.

In a normal year, this church would be packed on Remembrance Sunday. The Settle and Giggleswick brass band, along with our organist Graham, would be leading us in rousing hymn singing. There would be representatives from the local council, scout groups and St John’s Ambulance. Input into the service would be had from other church leaders and the local church school.  Then, at the end of the service we would process to the cenotaph, helped along by the local police to control the traffic.

Instead…in Week One of Lockdown Two,  I am leading our Remembrance service from a very quiet Holy Ascension Church that is closed for public worship. When I leave here this morning, I will be making my way to the cenotaph to lead a short Act of Remembrance. There will be no long streams of crowds, or police needed to  control traffic and the cordoned off area where the service will take place will be attended by approx. 12 people, all of whom will be socially distanced.

Definitely not a normal year! The problem we’ve got is that we don’t know whether this might be the new normal. Will normal ever be normal again…if you know what I mean. We are in uncharted territory.

This morning we have heard the parable about the foolish bridesmaids. Jesus told stories about real life. Weddings, being real community affairs were familiar territory to the people Jesus was speaking to. They knew how weddings worked and the tale he told would have meant something to them. Our parable tells us about ten bridesmaids who were waiting for the bridegroom and the wedding celebration that would follow. As the waiting begins there is no difference between the ten bridesmaids.

The five wise bridesmaids take out their extra oil and trim their lamps. The foolish bridesmaids have no oil and so they are caught unprepared and have to try and get some oil quickly. They are then turned away by the bridegroom and not allowed to join the celebration. It wasn't that the foolish bridesmaids didn't want to be a part of the wedding celebrations or that they did not care for the bridegroom, they just thought that they would have enough time to get the oil they needed or that the procession to the banquet would be during daylight hours.

Are you one of those people who plan for every eventuality? Many of us are often unprepared for what life throws at us, despite doing our best to prepare for the future. We’re probably all in favour of having a few savings, life insurance and probably even a will as none of us wants to be a burden on anyone in the future. We are part of a culture that likes planning and preparation. We do what needs to be done, we put it to the back of our minds and we then get on with our lives.

What we don’t plan for is the unexpected…illness…pandemic…war. It catches us out and it is so easy to let things get on top of us and to look on the black side. The reading from Matthew reminds us that as Christians we live in a world where we draw life and strength from God. God’s grace is a renewable source …a bit like our oil lamp being topped up with new oil and having our wick trimmed so that we can give off more light.

On this Remembrance Sunday, in the midst of a second lockdown and separated from many of our family and friends, we think about all those  who not only left loved ones behind but who fought in wars so that we could live in peace.   Regardless of their sacrifice, we are living through a time where there is a delicate balance between life and death. Where a sudden loss of our sense of smell or a tickly cough fills us with trepidation. On top of that, even a pandemic doesn’t seem to stop war or terrorism and only this week, the Home Secretary Priti Patel raised the UK terrorism level to severe, after the shooting in Vienna.

Now…before we start to feel depressed, the message from Matthew is not bad news.  It talks of the wedding feast…a time of great celebration that awaits those who are ready. Each one of us have been called to live in readiness, to live lives of faithfulness and as people of remembrance. We are called to be people of God whose oil is regularly topped up and whose wicks are trimmed so that we can help light up the way,  not just so that we can see the way but so that we can help light up the way for others too.

You may be worshipping with us today on your own…but you are not alone. All over the world, we are in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ …and not only that but Jesus is with us too…every step of the way…supporting us, guiding us and loving us.

This is a normal day…a normal Remembrance Sunday
…a Remembrance Sunday to remember.

Parish Newsletter - October musings

 Weekly Newsletter - 2 October 2020

­­Dear friends

 

I hope that you have had a good week.

 

So, here we are in October and autumn is well and truly in the air. The pandemic continues to limit what we can and cannot do in church and so harvest this year won’t be celebrated in the way that you’ve been used to in the past. Sadly, our schools can’t visit church this year although the good news is that I have been invited to begin leading Collective Worship again at Settle Primary. All three harvest festivals will be family services, the first of which is on Sunday at Holy Ascension and will be streamed live on to Facebook. All food donations this year will go to Skipton foodbank.

 

October is the month when a Dedication Festival may be held. Not to be confused with the Patronal Festival, it provides an opportunity once a year (either the first or last week of Oct) to give thanks for the bricks and mortar of the church building and its role in the community. We always stress that the church is the people and not the building, which is absolutely right, however, there is no denying that our buildings are sacred places, beacons of God’s love and are close to the hearts of those who are drawn to them. Again, we are restricted in how we can celebrate a dedication service and so, we will be using relevant readings at St Alkelda’s on this Sunday and at Holy Ascension on 25^th October.

 

Normally all three of our churches use the same pew sheet but this week, because of the different services, we find ourselves with different readings… which mean different pew sheets. So, the readings in this newsletter are taken from the dedication service that will be used at St Alkelda’s.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the newsletters and have decided that rather than prepare a newsletter and a pew sheet, I will amalgamate the two. This is something that will evolve over the next few weeks. It also means that my weekly letter will go to the people ‘in the pew’ too. The ‘Vicar’s Blog’ that accompanies the Newsletter contains the sermon from the past Sunday and by the time you receive it, it is always several days ‘out of date’. So, I’ve been thinking that it might work better if we move the day that the Newsletter is delivered to you. I will start to produce it for Sunday rather than Friday and your ‘deliverer’ will collect if from church. It may even mean that you are there to collect your own?

 

Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and possible future lockdown rules, I will continue, for now, to produce the newsletters weekly. This may reduce to once a month when the time is right. Your feedback is important, so please do let me know what you think.

 

You remain in my thoughts and prayers.  

Julie

Sermon - 27 September 2020

Matthew 21:23-32 

Labelled for God

For years I parked my car in front of a neighbours house. This worked really well until he moved house and new neighbours moved in. So, being a good neighbor, on moving day, I popped round to ask if they wanted a cup of tea. We got chatting and then she said something about the car that was parked in front of her house.

It dawned on me that she didn’t realise that it was mine and she said “I think it belongs to the religious woman”… the religious woman! It really threw me…I was shocked. It came out like some sort of condemnation. I think I said something like “that would be me then”! It really made me think.

We do that, don’t we? … we label people according to the way they act, the things they do, the way they look or the things they say. Or even according to local gossip.

By the time Jesus entered the temple in the story we’ve heard this morning, he had built up quite a reputation. Not only did he have a huge following of the common people but he had become known as a trouble maker to the Jewish authorities.

Jesus had the chief priests and the elders summed up too and when they asked him who gave him the authority to do the things he did, he turned the questions back on them.  He asked them whether the baptism of John came from heaven, or of human origin?

They were in a lose-lose situation. They couldn’t say that John’s authority wasn’t from God because that would upset the people…big-time. But at they same time, saying that his ministry was from God would undermine the temple authorities.

So, they took the easy option and said they didn’t know.

Jesus then went on to tell the story of two sons, the first said he wouldn’t work in his father’s vineyard but he changed his mind and he did. The  second said that he would work in the vineyard but changed his mind and he didn’t bother. Jesus asked them which son did the will of his father? They didn’t hesitate in saying the first son.

Jesus was really quite clever and used the story to point out the hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders. He highlights the difference between those who pay lip service to God and those who, having set out on the wrong track, make amends and do the right thing.

The chief priests and elders may have looked the part. They taught the law and obeyed all the rules and considered themselves as the elite but it wasn’t enough. They failed to grasp the true meaning of their faith. They saw people like the tax collectors and the prostitutes as beneath them and outside of the law. Definitely not good enough for God.

So … what about us?  You look alright to me!

And that’s the thing, isn’t it? We can’t tell on the outside, what’s going on on the inside. We can’t tell by looking, whether someone is a person of faith or how deep that faith goes.

Jesus is making it clear that just by saying that loving God and wanting to be a part of his Kingdom isn’t enough. The chief priests and the elders stuck to the letter of the Law but they’d lost their way.

We too may believe the right things and say all the right words. We might attend church every single week. We might even do all the right things…but …has it become or is it in danger of becoming an empty routine? We all have good intentions but it can be so easy to become complacent or see our faith as a habit or just something that we’ve always done.

When the likes of the tax collectors and prostitutes met with Jesus, their lives changed.

Now, I may be making assumptions, but I’m guessing that Jesus is part of your life and that your life changed in some way as a result. And once you’ve accepted Christ…what then? One of the dangers is becoming comfortable and feeling that we have arrived. We might even think that we have all the answers.

Today’s Gospel message is a challenge to change and to grow. Many people don’t like change but I do, especially when I look back and see how God was at work. I love it when I see prayers answered and when I see people grow in faith.

Yesterday was exactly 10 months since I was licensed to the parishes here. One of the things that attracted me to apply in the first place was this…the parish brochure. It told me about the area, the three churches, the worship patterns, links with the community, church school, even what the vicarage was like. You can see, it has been well-read. Looking through it, I can see that I had scribbled a few notes and had high-lighted a few bits…

…you said that you wanted: 

• “a Priest-in-Charge to lead us on the next stage of our collaborative missionary journey.” 
• Someone “to initiate change” 

You said that you wanted to:

• nurture the green shoots of growth 
• to reach out to the community 
• to encourage young families to worship with you 
• to encourage and nurture disciples 
• to develop lay leadership 
• to work with the clergy to support the mission and ministry of the church.

Thinking back to the gospel reading and taking into account that list from your brochure…if you had to relate to one of the sons, which one would it be?

Are you like the son who said he would but didn’t? Or the son who said he wouldn’t but did?

Now…in our defence, the covid pandemic has been with us for about 7 of the 10 months that I have been here and things are hardly normal. But that doesn’t mean that we should become complacent or too comfortable because we can’t get out and about like we used to.

What I think we really need to do at this time is to start praying more. Prayer is a dangerous thing. When we pray, things happen. And not always in the way we expect it but don’t be mistaken into thinking that God has just ignored our prayer; he hasn’t.

So, my prayer for us all today is that we may be strengthened by the presence of Christ in our lives. That we will follow where he leads us, and that we may do our bit to further God’s kingdom.

And then…and only then, will we join the likes of the tax collectors and the prostitutes on the journey to heaven.

Amen.

Parish Newsletter - 25 September 2020

 

Dear friends

It has been another week of change, with new guidelines and legislation put in place to try to stop the ever-growing pandemic. Yesterday the NHS Track and Trace app was launched and I was busy creating posters for all three of our churches, so that those with a smartphone can scan the ‘QR’ code that allows people to be traced. It is all sounds rather technical but it all seems to work quite simply…providing you have a smartphone of course!

Not everyone likes the idea of the government knowing their every movement…it is very ‘Big Brother is watching!’ How are you feeling about all this? Confident…comforted…assured…worried…confused…sceptical …doubtful…afraid…excluded?

Being under a watchful eye isn’t something new. The psalmist writes –

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” – Psalm 139

With God, there is no need of any fancy smartphone, or the need to ‘zap a QR code’. God is all-knowing and his love is unconditional. How does that make you feel? Confident…comforted…assured…worried… confused… sceptical…doubtful …afraid…included… loved beyond measure?

However you are feeling at this very strange and difficult time, may God bless and keep you safe.

With love and prayers - Julie

The Generosity of God

Matthew 20:1-16
Sermon 20 September 2020

One of the things that we have had to get used to in recent months is queueing. It has become the norm to see long lines of people, 2-metres apart in orderly queues on our streets. It isn’t just at the chemist or the food stores but everywhere. DIY stores, sports shops, cafes, bus stops. There’s even traffic light systems in some shops.

I read somewhere that over the year, on average we spend approx. 67 hours queueing – that’s almost 3 days! And that was before Covid 19!

We Brits are pretty good at queueing. We’re well known for it. Have you ever noticed when you go abroad, they don’t queue quite as orderly as us. They just go for it. Barge right in and never mind good manners.

We might be patient at waiting our turn but we’re not very good about it when someone tries to jumps the queue. We do everything to stop it from happening, whether that’s in the street, in a shop or even in a traffic jam. Or is that just me?

Most of us are fair minded and all for equal rights and so reading this mornings’ parable is actually quite a hard read. On first hearing it, your first reaction may have been something on the lines of…”erm…that’s not fair’.

If you were listening carefully and keeping score, you will have worked out that by the end of the day we have different groups of workers in the vineyard. There are those who have been there for twelve hours, for nine hours, for six, three, and only one hour. When the time comes to pay them, the landowner pays everyone a full day’s wage, and what is more, he pays the last ones first.

You might ask, “Why does he allow the last to receive a full day’s pay for just an hour of work? How fair is that on all those who put in 12 hours worth of work? The workers in the vineyard, were angry, not because the others got the full pay but because, those who worked longer didn’t get more. They looked down on the late arrivals as unworthy of being considered equal.

Can you imagine? There would be uproar if that happened in our politically-correct society.And also, no employer, then or now, could hope to run a business successfully in that kind of way. But the parable was not a lesson in business and in money-making. It was a lesson on the Kingdom of God. It was a teaching about God and his generosity. The parable turned the way of the world upside down. But so does the kingdom of God. God is like a father who gives to his children according to their need and not according to what they have earned. He doesn’t pick and choose and he doesn’t have favourites.

Jesus told this parable in answer to a question from Peter. He was asking what God-given reward that they, the disciples could expect. After all they’d given up a lot in order to follow Jesus.

The parable challenges Jesus' disciples in their spiritual arrogance. They were probably thinking that they should be the first in the queue or given some preferential treatment at the very least...they’d earned their place. Or so they thought!

It also challenges Matthew's Jewish Christians who oppose the entry of Gentiles into the blessings of the kingdom.

And the parable continues to challenge us today in our churches as we come to worship and accept, beyond doubt that we are saved and that we are guaranteed a place in God’s kingdom.

The scandal of this parable is that we are all equal recipients of God's gifts. The parable teaches that the gift of eternal life is not the reward of all our human endeavors but a free gift of divine grace. God’s ways are not our ways. God gives us all the same thing, not what we deserve, or what we’ve worked for. God is being merciful, not fair, and this is what mercy looks like.

It is very easy to feel resentful at the idea that someone, having a death-bed conversion after a life of self-indulgence might receive the same reward as us. Or even worse, what about the likes of mass murderers like Adolf Hitler?

At one level, it is not fair! At another - what reward could be greater than eternal happiness as a child of God in heaven? Not one of us can ever earn eternal life…however hard we work. It is purely a gift of God. The point is that God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness are God's to give away as God sees fit. Think about how dangerous it would be if God were to put human beings in charge of who receives what from the hand of God.  I mean…who are we to judge?

This is a kingdom turned upside down. Individuality, self-worth and deals do not work. What we do doesn’t get us into the kingdom. The generosity of God does.

We are privileged to be the people of God. God has chosen us, you and me, to work in the vineyard, to offer our time and our talents. Maybe God chose you when you were a child and you have worked your whole life to further God’s kingdom. Or you may have just recently begun that spiritual journey. I’m sure we can all think of others who’ve worked longer and harder than we have. The reward of the heavenly banquet is offered to all without regard to

our work(s) or the price we have paid to be part of the kingdom. The truth is that none of us can claim that we have earned, or deserve this wonderful gift from God.

So…the next time that you are standing in a queue in the supermarket, or sitting in a traffic jam, just remember that God’s fairness isn’t our fairness and that in Jesus Christ we find that what seems to be the unfairness of God in saving those who don't seem to deserve it…

is in reality…the grace of God… for you and for me.

Amen
Rev Julie Clarkson

Parish Newsletter - 18 September 2020

 

Dear friends

 

I hope that you are well, staying safe and managing with the new six-person rule. Our churches are still open and we are still worshipping together albeit socially distanced. Although there is no limit on numbers for Sunday services, we still have to abide by the guidelines which means that face coverings are mandatory, hands are washed or sanitized and we have a one-way system for entry and exit. Oh yes, and there is still no singing or gathering for coffee afterwards. Regardless of all that, it is still good to gather to worship God in a sacred place alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

What a treat this week with the return of some sunshine. There is no denying though that autumn is just around the corner and my garden is showing all the signs. The nights are really drawing in and last night I had a meeting at Rathmell and it was pitch black at 8pm as I walked back to my car. I’ve always liked autumn, especially the trees and the wonderful colours. In fact, I like each of the seasons for different reasons. The prospect of winter this year is one of trepidation and we face the unknown in terms of what coronavirus might bring. Having such nice weather back in March made lockdown so much more bearable and I’ve even heard it said by some, that for them, it was a time of peace and even rejuvenation.

 

Isolation may suit those who like their own company or who are self-sufficient but there are many who need additional support at these difficult times. I mentioned in last week’s newsletter that I intended to say Thursday’s Morning Prayer online so that people could join in from home if they wished. I’m pleased to say that several people joined me on Zoom and we used the Celtic Daily Prayer from the Northumbria Community, which is a quiet contemplative style of prayer. On Monday this week at Holy Ascension, a Requiem Mass was held in memory of Elsie Twistleton, after which, her ashes were interred in the churchyard.

 

So, the rich cycle of church life and worship continues to evolve as we continue on our Christian journey. It may sometimes look and feel a bit different to what it has in the past but one thing never changes and that is God himself – 

‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ - Hebrews 13:8

 

Blessings

Julie

3 Parishes Newsletter - 4 September 2020

 Dear friends

September already…where does the time go? In 1752 Britain decided to change from the Julian Calendar (365.25 days long) in favour of the Gregorian Calendar. By doing so, 3 September instantly became 14 September and as a result, ’nothing whatsoever happened in British history’ between 3 and 13 September 1752. Many people believed that their lives would be shortened and they protested in the streets, demanding their 11 days back! Well…it’s been 165 days since Covid 19 forced us into lockdown and the future continues to be uncertain.

 

If you could, would you protest in the streets to demand back your ‘lost’ 165 days? I’ve heard it said by many that they actually enjoyed lockdown. What about you? For me it has been a bit of a roller coaster. Yes, there were good bits, like at the beginning when suddenly everything stopped and I had some time on my hands…books were read, jigsaws completed and lots of gardening done. I even managed a bit of baking. But then there were (and still is) some sad times because of being unable to see and hug many of my loved ones.

 

This week, we formed a bubble with my son’s family and they came to stay for the first time. What a joy to be able to hug my grandsons. They are 11 and 9 (so I make the most of it before hugging and kissing their grandma becomes an embarrassment!)

 

Also this week, you may have read in the Craven Herald that Craven District Council has granted the planning permission needed for St Alkelda’s to go to the next step in arranging solar panels of their church roof. This is quite something because being a 15^th century, Grade 1 listed building means that there is a lot to take into consideration. It does, however mean that we are on the way to reducing our carbon footprint, save energy and do our bit for the environment.

 

Quite apt really because it’s that time of year when, as a Church, we move into Creationtide. The Season of Creation runs from September 1 until October 4 each year, with the theme for 2020 being ‘A Jubilee for the Earth’, based biblically on the idea of Jubilee which is found in Leviticus, making the Season a time to listen to prophetic voices.

 

“For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself.” – Leviticus 25:3-6

 

With every blessing - Julie

Semon - 30 August 2020

 Matthew 16: 21-28

Have you ever been through a time in your life when things have gone really well? You know what I mean...when you just can’t seem to do no wrong, when plans come together and everything just falls into place. The sun shines, everything’s rosy, all’s well with the world and it feels good to be alive.

At those times, our confidence is built up, we get a sense of invincibility and it could be said, even a shot of arrogance.

But, let’s be honest, life isn’t really like that. We may experience little glimmers but more often than not, these exciting episodes in our life don’t last all that long and the ups and downs of life quickly return to normal.

Last week in our gospel reading, we heard how Jesus’ disciple, Peter had his moment of glory when he declared Jesus to be the messiah, the son of the living God. He must have been feeling pretty chuffed with himself. For once he had got it right. He had left behind the family fishing business to follow this man Jesus and he hadn’t been   disappointed. Jesus was proving to be quite something. He was a man of deep faith, a powerful speaker, he healed people, he performed all sorts of miracles, he’d even walked on water! And just look at the following that he had. He couldn’t go anywhere without crowds of  people following him. Yes, he was definitely the one to lead the people to freedom from their Roman oppressors. And not only that, but he Peter, the rock would continue to be part of the inner circle, a trusted confidante who would share in   Jesus' victory. Peter must have been basking in the glory and he was feeling pretty good.

This week’s gospel reading tells us what   happened next as Jesus began preparing for the next stage. He told his disciples that he would suffer and die at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and that on the third day he would be raised.  Peter, riding high on his new-found         confidence objected strongly.  I mean… this didn’t fit in with his vision of the future. What about the overthrowing of the romans and being a military force to be reckoned with?

Jesus’ reaction isn’t what Peter expected. Can you imagine? One moment, Jesus is saying you’re “the rock on which I will build my church” and the next he’s calling you “a stumbling block.” 

That told Peter!

Yes, Peter would share in Jesus’ victory but it wouldn’t be the kind of victory that he had in mind. It would be a victory won, not by overthrowing his enemies but by forgiving them. It would be a victory gained by death on a cross and that certainly didn’t fit in with Peter’s plans.

We do that don’t we. Sometimes, we have our plans. We build them up. We look     forward to everything falling into place and then something happens and we have to adapt or change things. Not funny, is it?

Jesus went on to tell his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. To pick up your cross can mean many things. Most of us at some time or other have what we may consider a cross to bear. It might be in the form of illness or disability …addiction…an unhappy family life …bereavement…and much more...  

None of us can know what will be asked of us in the days, months or even years ahead. Knowing and trusting in God isn’t a passport for an easy life and it doesn’t eliminate suffering. But the thing is, is that there is nothing in this world that we go through that Jesus can’t understand… because he’s been there. He knows all about human suffering. He knows about doubt and fear, about humiliation, betrayal, bereavement…and he knows about love. There is nothing that Jesus has not seen, that he has not heard, nothing that would cause him to stop loving us. 

Jesus chose the way of the cross for each one of us. Yes, he could have avoided it. He could have gone back home, picked up the family carpentry business and carried on with a nice quiet life in the rural town of Nazareth…Nothing easier.

But God didn’t come to this world to take the easy path…NO! He came to experience life as we know it. Not just the times when things go right but to see hardship and     suffering up close and personal. Christ shares in the weight of our cross. He helps us to bear the load by being with us in the midst of what we’re going through. He suffers with us and for us. We are not alone.

Jesus denied himself of the easy path and took the route to the cross. He told his   disciples that “If any want to become my  followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross. 

Deny themselves…

He wasn’t talking about living lives of constant self-denial, of fasting or living lives of abstinence. He was talking about saying yes to God. Of following him wherever that might lead.

When we follow Christ and live a Christian life, we try to follow Jesus’ example. That may mean that we have to think that bit   differently to what our natural instinct and reaction would normally be. To give instead of take, to love instead of hate, to forgive instead of condemn.

It isn’t easy.

In the world that we live in, it may mean that we are the odd one out. It may mean       sacrifice, putting ourselves out. It may even hurt our pride or go against what we really believe. It may be costly. It may even weigh us down…it’s the cross we bear.

But we don’t do it alone because God is with us. Supporting us, strengthening us, enabling us and loving us…it doesn’t get any better than that.
Ame

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me. 
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for me will find it." 
Matthew 16:24-25

Sermon for Sunday 23 August 2020

Matthew 16: 13-30

This year, coronavirus, computer algorithms and teacher assessments will all contribute to the direction that life will take for the hundreds of thousands of students who recently received their A-Levels and GCSE results. Many of them will have had their long-held dreams shattered as they missed out on their choice of university.

I’ve always admired people who always knew what they wanted to do when they grew up.

Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

- doctor 
- nurse
- teacher

- astronaut

In times past, children would often follow in their father’s footsteps when it came to their livelihood or they would automatically take over the family business. Yes, it still happens but not like it did in the past.
 
Jesus himself probably had his own father’s trade of carpentry passed down to him. We know that, because when he went back to his hometown, the people were asking, ‘isn’t this the carpenter? We also know that he left all that behind and became an itinerant preacher and built up a reputation which meant that crowds of people followed him everywhere hoping to benefit from his wisdom, see a miracle or receive some healing.
 
The story from today’s gospel reading comes at a crucial point in Jesus’ ministry. He has some big decisions to make and so he escapes the crowds and withdraws with his disciples. He asks them: “who do people say I am?” They come up with the names of the great prophets. They mean it as a compliment, but Jesus isn’t looking for a boost to his ego, he needs to know that his work will continue after he has gone. Do people really get him?
 
And so Jesus asks them again, “Who do you say that I am?” I can just imagine the immediate reaction, the silence, the lack of eye contact, and the hope beyond hope that he wasn’t going to single one of them out.
 
So while the other disciples are reeling from the shock of having to come up with something for themselves, Peter, quick as a flash finds his moment of glory…a turning point in history…and reveals Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 
 
This is the same impetuous Peter who is better known for putting his foot in it and for getting things wrong. But this is his defining moment, probably the high point of his life when he gets the answer just right. He does so because it came from his heart. It is what he felt deep inside and we get a glimpse of the post resurrection Peter, when he speaks to the crowds with such conviction.
 
Jesus recognises that such an answer can only come from God and Jesus tells him “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
 
When Simon, the fisherman, proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, his life was changed forever. We know from the gospels that he still didn’t always get things right. He would continue to make mistakes, he would even deny Jesus three times. But he still went on to be Peter, the rock, the foundation on which the Christian Church is built.

That was 2000 years ago and Jesus continues to ask those two same questions to his disciples today… that is to me and you?
 
Jesus asks:

 “Who do people say I am?”

Have you ever asked anyone who they thought Jesus was? Its a bit of a scary thought, isn’t it? They’d probably look at you gone out. But what about those close to you, those who you love? Your family members and close friends. Do you know what they think? But more importantly, do they know who you think Jesus is?
 
Or even ... do you know who you think Jesus is?
 
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? If you had to come up with an answer right now, at this very moment, could you?
Now before we all start squirming in our seats, relax…I’m not going to ask!
 
 Just spend a moment now thinking through who you think Jesus is. What words or names spring to mind?
 
<…moment of silence…>
 
… Love,
God,
prophet,
friend,
redeemer,
Saviour,
King,
Father,
Mother,
Almighty,
Creator,
Lord…
 
These are great names but what do they really mean…?
 
It isn’t easy, is it? I must admit that over the years, my answers to the question have varied depending on what’s been going on in my life at the time.
 
The early Church fathers attempted to help us out by formulating creeds…that is …statements of belief. We still include creeds in our services today and very soon we will be reciting the Nicene Creed together. This is all very well but if we examine the words, does it really help?
 
…“God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father…”
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father…”
 
Ask yourself this. If you had to describe Jesus to someone who had never heard about him, what would you say? I encourage all of you to spend some time this week to sit down with a pen and paper and write down who you think Jesus is … to you…no one else…just you. It sounds easy, but it isn’t!
 
When we know Jesus, deep in our heart, like Peter did, it defines who we are as a people of God. We shouldn’t be afraid to allow it to shape our lives. It is what Jesus is looking for, that his work is safe, and that his Kingdom will grow.
 
We don’t need an A-Level in theology, we just need to believe and trust in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 
Amen

Rev Julie