John the Baptizer - Winner

Preached 29 July 2013 @ Christ Church in the Summer series on Winners - a '10 minute' sermon

Reading Luke 3:7-20

Introduction

We have already heard a little about John's life. I hope you have some idea of what he did, you may even have some idea of what he was like.

I'm going to look over what we've heard so far to try to see why John was a winner – at first glance you may not think he was.

Jesus certainly had a high opinion of John, because he said to the crowd (Luke 7:28) “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

What was it about John, that so impressed Jesus?

John's appearance

Perhaps it was John's appearance. He wore a fetching camel hair coat.

  You can pick one up on e-bay for USD 35, if you hurry. (I've no idea what the shipping charges would be.) We don't usually picture John as smartly dressed though. 

The point is that he was trying to identify with the people he was preaching to – the poor and underprivileged of Galilee.

John's diet

John's diet doesn't sound too impressive either. He ate locusts [06] and wild honey [07]. We must assume that those were not the ONLY things he ate or he wouldn't have lived very long. He had chosen to live in the desert, where food is scarce, and as he was poor he had to eat what was available. Bear Grills will tell you that locusts are a good source of protein, and honey is a good source of sugar, but you have to get past the bees first.

John's mission

It was John's mission that really impressed Jesus. When he was asked who he was he said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:23) John knew what God had called him to do, so he chose to live in the desert and call people to repentance and baptism.

John knew of his mission even before he was born. (Luke 1:41) [08] and in life he was not going to give up on it. He had come to prepare the way for Jesus. That started in the desert where he invited people to come for baptism to mark their intention to change their ways.

Nothing, but nothing was going to deflect John from his task. He is even prepared to insult those who have come out to see him. “You brood of Vipers”, [09] sounds pretty horrible to us, but to his followers it meant that they were sinners who opposed God. It said they are on the side of the serpent, the devil, the original cause of sin. Not a very nice thing to have to say.

He also gives them an escape clause “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” They had found their way to John, and the chance to repent and be baptised. To change their mind – that's what the word repent here means – and begin to behave the way God intended. He then provides them with some very practical advise on how to behave.

“The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”

Tax collectors also came to be baptised. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely —be content with your pay.”

Well, insulting you audience is fairly minor, but John was so concerned about the way people lived their lives he told Herod that his marriage to Herodias was immoral [10]– he was not allowed to marry his niece, especially as she had been his brothers wife.

That got John imprisoned, and upset Herodias to such an extent that she engineered his execution.

So we can see that John was very clear, to the point of bluntness about how God wanted people to live their lives, and would stop at nothing to be sure they knew it.

John's Primary Mission

[11] That was not his primary purpose though. As we have already heard his main purpose was to introduce people to Jesus.

[DVD – Chris Froome]

It is a very difficult thing to do to give up winning a race to allow someone else to win instead.

Cycling is a strange sport. Its a team sport with an individual winner.

Probably any one of the sky cycling team could have been the winner of the Tour de France, but the team had settled on Bradley Wiggins. In the clip we saw Chris Froome sticking to the plan – and as a result not have a chance of winning.

For John to make straight paths for the Lord, his own disciples would have to leave him and follow Jesus. [12] When John and his disciples met Jesus, John said “(John 1:36) Look, the Lamb of God!”, as a result two of his disciples began to follow Jesus instead of John. When questioned about what was happening he said (John 3:30) “He must become greater; I must become less.”

What can we learn from John?

Most of us will not know our mission, our ministry, or anything else from birth. We have to find our way to God, just like those two disciples. It's a great help to us if people will point us directly to Jesus. So, if that helps us, that is how we can help others.

In pointing others to Jesus we are doing exactly what the Lord wants us to do. How we do it will be different for each of us, and for each person we meet.

We will also need the other major qualities that Jesus admired in John:

• his straight talking, straight forward approach
• his ability to stick with the task through thick and thin and not to worry about the consequences.
• his acknowledgement that Christ must increase and he must decrease.

John the baptist is a winner in God's eyes, and we can learn a lost from his approach to his mission.

Rejoice and be glad, for you are being persecuted - Matthew 5v10

Sermon from 13 May 2012 17:45 @ Christ Church (Come Together)

Matthew 5v10

Introduction

What Jesus? What did you say? Did I hear you right? “Blessed are those who are persecuted ...” … really. How does that work then?

I don't suppose that interactive preaching was that common in Jesus' time, so I doubt if they asked questions – but I'm sure they thought them. It was probably the looks, perhaps even the murmurs that resulted in the next two verses. Just to underline, expand and enforce the point.

It is not popular teaching, and we still react to it in the same way. Right! Who'd like to receive a blessing? [mime a punch]

None of you – thought so!

So what is Jesus getting at, and how can persecution be a blessing?

Causes of Persecution

Before I try to answer that it would be a good idea to understand what counts as persecution, where it comes from and to understand something of its causes.

If we look back over the beatitudes we will see a progression – a series of changes that have taken place in our lives as we have moved away from the world and closer to God.

• First we recognize our poor spirit, that may lead us to conversion, or a greater commitment.
• Then we mourn our past failures and wasted life, this leads us to meekness – an openness to lean from the Holy Spirit and accept the ways of God.
• We will then begin to have a greater desire for righteousness. A desire for righteousness will change how we respond to events and people.

This is usually the point at which we 'get noticed'. Now we can no longer turn a blind eye to the immoral practices in our society. We try to do the right thing, and that will include not covering up for others. We have become a threat because we are no longer willing to compromise our standards.

I was once asked at work whether I wanted to be right or to win. My answer was 'Both' – why would it be anything else? But that is the wrong answer. The winning answer is 'win'. They were really asking “do you do what's best for everyone, so they can have an easy life and get on with their job, or do you insist on doing everything the right way?”. Yes, I can see what they mean, but I still want both.

Let's take a hypothetical example. My team has certain targets, which are worded slightly vaguely. If we meet them we are guaranteed a bonus at the end of the year. We are close, but not quite there. The team leader looks at the wording and spends a little effort re-interpreting the meaning – so that it now looks as though we have made the target. If I then make it clear to more senior management that we haven't made it, none of us are winners, and I especially am a loser (in the eyes of the team). I may be persecuted as a result, but the loss of the bonus cannot be considered part of the persecution – we shouldn't have been eligible for it in the first place.

Look at it another way. There is a war on. The forces of God and Satan are fighting over humanity. The war is almost won – Jesus has beaten Satan and now its only a matter of time until the mopping up operations are completed and time comes to an end. There is of course still much to do and recruits are still needed. When I gave my life to Jesus, I switched sides:
– from the loosing side to the winning side
– from the wrong side to the right side.
See I CAN have both!

Seriously though, the changes in your life mean you are easily seen as a traitor – and we all know how traitors are treated.

Persecuted, but not blessed

That gives a flavour of the causes, but before we can claim we are being persecuted, we must be sure that it is for Righteousness.

Righteousness simply means doing the right things (God's things) in the right way (God's way).

Things like sickness, redundancy, or being the random victim of crime are just the result of living in a fallen world and are not persecution at all.

If you're being obnoxious, arrogant, jumping on people and forcing them to listen to your testimony and are persecuted as a result, you are simply getting what you deserve, that will not get a blessing.

Some people may deliberately put themselves into a position where they know they will get persecuted. This is usually because they have failed to take Jesus advice about not throwing pearls to pigs. If you do Jesus says “they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

Levels of Persecution

But there Will be persecution.

Lk 21:12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.”

Persecution can be trivial or serious.

Perhaps you have noticed that some of your colleagues are a little less friendly once they've found out that you're a Christian, perhaps you're excluded from the inner group.

There is one person at work, who is sympathetic privately, but cannot resist the occasional jibe at my faith I public. It's not serious – water off a duck's back to me – but it is an example of what we may all be facing.

Christian organisations can also find that more is asked of them when they are trying to get funding, or update their building.

I was struck by Riding lights – Monsieur de Corbatans amazing Opymlic feat – which told the history of the birth of the modern Olympics was refused funding as part of the cultural Olympics. Some of the things they read out that did receive funding did not seem remotely connected to the Olympics as far as I could tell.

Sometimes persecution can be more serious. Earlier this month we heard reports of a Canadian student sent home from school for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “life is wasted without Jesus”. He was suspended for 5 days. William Swinimer said “Some people say you're not supposed to have religion in school. Well, every other religion is in that school and they constantly put Christianity down.” He has since been allowed back to school and to wear the T-shirt. It's been a big deal in Canada, but is just an example of the trivial level of persecution Christians face for standing up for their faith.

Heb 12:4 reminds us that “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Many of our forebearers have, and have ended up as martyrs. In many places in the world today Christians are regularly arrested and put to death for their faith. In the latest edition of the Barnabus Persecution Update we read that “Kuwait’s Islamist-dominated parliament has passed a bill that would make insulting key Islamic figures and the Quran punishable by death.”

and

Christians in Northern Nigeria are refusing to let the threat of attack keep them away from Sunday services as security is stepped up after a spate of deadly bombings.

Going to church on a Sunday has become a highly dangerous activity for Nigerian Christians, who are being targeted by suspected Boko Haram militants. The Islamist group in March declared “war” on Christians, and since then a number of church attacks have left dozens dead.

History teaches us that persecutions are usually local and come in phases. Our church history records three great persecutions in the Roman Empire. Persecution was not at high levels all the time, and we have no information on what was happening to Christians in India and other places out side the Empire.

Blessings

We are on the right path – we are growing as Christians

Jesus clearly expected his disciples to suffer persecution, when he said in

Jn 15:20 “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

So if we are the victims of persecution it proves that we are doing something right – the things that Jesus expects of us.

If we don't give up at the first sign of opposition it means that we are growing in the Christian life and are well rooted in the good soil.

Rejoice & be glad

Rejoice & be glad, we are in good company – the prophets of the Old Testament were almost all persecuted.

It's for our good

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We cannot see all of reality, only a small part. So we have to trust God when he says that ALL things work together for our good.

Reward (we can't see the full story)

The reward, may have noticed is the same as the Poor in Spirit. Belonging in the Kingdom of Heaven means having a close relationship with Christ. How better to have a close relationship than having shared the same experiences.

Prize is worth it (store up in heaven …)

So the prize we are hoping to attain is worth the pain we experience now -

Mt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Its a great witness – also Paul

I read Luke 21:12 earlier. There Jesus promises there WILL be persecution. Verse 13 says “This will result in your being witnesses to them.” So our persecution does the work we are here to do.

How should we respond?

When Paul was in prison in Rome he wrote this to the Philipians:

Phil 1:12-30

Devil May Care, Sebastian Faulks

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a long, long time since I read the original series of Ian Flemming books, but much less time since I have seen some of the films. The first thing to point out is that Bond in the films is a different character than in the books, so it is important that the character comes across correctly. I think Sebastian got this just about right. The plot of the book is good too, before writing this I had a look at a couple of other reviews, and I have to say I didn't pick up on the similarities that were mentioned to the previous stories while I was reading the book. It starts with a woman, which is always a good start for Bond. The plot has a nice twist at the end which is well hidden and well explained. After that intrigue the plot slows for a while. The violence and fight scenes are much more realistic than in the films, as they are in Ian Flemming's books, but here the physical limitations of the human being are not respected as much as they should be. A dislocated shoulder does not heal in a couple of days!

Overall this is an enjoyable book and well worth a read, but is not up there with the classics.

View all my reviews

Spotlight Introductory Article - being a Reader

Spotlight, the once monthly magazine of Christ Church, has recently been resurrected, although it is only published 3 times a year.  I was asked to write about being a Reader as the introductory article.

I’m so pleased to be writing for Spotlight once again. I have been asked to do a piece on ‘being a Reader’, of course the brief was a lot more detailed than that, so I’ll start with the calling. Many of you will have heard some or all of this story before.

It starts way back in ’92 in earnest, although it goes back further than that really. That was the year I started the Reader training course, after having finished the Course in Christian Studies (CCS). I had attended a vocation day, seen the vocations advisor and even had a talk with the Bishop, who rather reluctantly agreed that I could go forward for training. The following year, my Dad died, and I withdrew from training. There followed a few years, not really knowing what to do. Then I was asked to run help in Explorers. Well, teaching had always been my aim, but not children that young.

It turned out to be great, and I also enjoyed leading Pathfinders for a few years, until Paul Hinckley suggested I got on with Reader training. I took a while to decide that it was still the right thing to do. Then I started training – through CCS once again, through vocations and selection interviews again, and finally starting, and this time completing two tears training.

I was licensed in October 2007. Then the real work began. Reader ministry is a preaching and teaching ministry. I had been preaching occasionally for a long while under Paul’s leadership, but now I had been trained, and in training a full text is required, so I had become used to having the full text in front of me, I still do, although I don’t always follow it and occasionally get lost! Now it is quite formal, I am on the rota and have a working agreement which indicates how much I should do.

Being a Reader is not about being on the rota, though. It means that I have the privilege and responsibility of sharing God’s word with all the congregation. It means I have to have a sense of what God is saying to the church, sometimes that is obvious through the reading, more rarely it is part of a planned series, almost always it is a combination of prayer and study.

It’s a privilege because you sit patiently and listen to me. There are not many, if any, other places where a person can speak, and not be subject to questions, either immediately, or later. When I listen to a sermon I am trying hard to pay attention, and sometimes making notes, but generally I take very little of it away with me. Occasionally something important is said, as sticks with me while I work it through with God. I know from conversations that I’ve had that this is also true for my hearers. That’s OK, I understand that a sermon is not primarily about teaching the facts and beliefs that are in the Bible, but helping people to live them. That is a kind of teaching too.

It’s a responsibility for two reasons. Most importantly because it’s God’s word, and James warns us that teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). God doesn’t want his word corrupted, so we who present it have the responsibility to present it as accurately and as truthfully as we can.

It’s a responsibility also because it is my calling, so I want to be as true to it as I can be. That means not just presenting accurately and truthfully, but in a way that communicates what is being said and engages the listeners. I’m still learning, and occasionally experimenting!

Jesus said “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), he didn’t say “make converts” – which is great for me, because I’m not good at making converts. I can help those converts to grow, and as I learnt leading the young people, watching people grow into true disciples is a marvellous thing.

I seem to say quite a lot “There’s always more with God”, so when I asked Him during New Wine a couple of years ago, “What now?” I should not have been expecting the answer “just get on with being a Reader”. Instead, I thought he said “Something big is coming”. I didn’t understand, perhaps it related to retirement – I’m almost old enough. Earlier this year, there was a general request for Readers to help with CCS. When I saw that, I was pretty sure that I now knew what God was meaning. It’s big (for me) – a lot of work, but so far I’m enjoying it. If you don’t see me on Wednesday evenings – that’s where I am.

That’s a part of me trying to be true to following Jesus wherever he takes me. A question I got asked a lot was about ordination, but that’s not something that I have been called to. At least not yet.

Peace be with you

15 April 2012 at Christ Church Billericay

John 20:19-22

Introduction

The theme this morning is “Peace be with you”. I suppose you can see that the disciples needed God's peace, they had locked themselves away because they were frightened that the Jewish authorities were coming to get them.

Lets remind ourselves of how they got here.

They were all young men. They'd given up their careers to follow a man called Jesus. He was a charismatic leader and had a view of the world that was new and different. While they had been with him they had seen and done some extraordinary things – healings, even bring people back from the dead. They had become convinced that Jesus was the Messiah – the person God had promised who would make the Jews right with their God. Some of the teaching they had received had been difficult for them to understand – so they hadn't really taken it in. Then just a couple of weeks ago they had been preparing to go into Jerusalem for the Passover festival. There were always huge crowds at the festival. Jesus had chosen to ride into the city on a Donkey. The crowd realised that He was fulfilling a prophecy. Here comes the Messiah! They all knew it – every one of them! There was cheering and praising God, the crowd were in great spirits. The next day Jesus had gone into the temple and thrown out all the traders who were ripping off the people. It was the first time the disciples had seen him really angry.

They shared a Passover meal together, and what Jesus had done there had seemed very odd. After the meal Jesus was in a strange mood, and kept insisting they stayed awake. Then soldiers had arrived with the chief priests and Judas. Jesus was arrested.

The disciples had followed him at a distance, but kept quiet about who they were because they thought they would be next.

Then Jesus had been crucified like some common thief and the disciples had fled.

But Jesus never was predictable and after the Sabbath – the day of rest when no work is permitted – they had reports that He was alive. His body was certainly missing from the tomb.

They had quickly got together all those they could find. They carefully locked the door. No doubt they were already under suspicion of stealing His body. They were expecting to be arrested and face the same fate as their former leader.

“What are we going to do now?”

[How would you answer that question?]

Then a voice said “Peace be with you”. Not just and voice – Jesus' voice.

Peace was the one thing they most certainly didn't have. You can't have peace when you think that someone is about to arrest you and crucify you!

[Pause]

Or could you?

What does peace look like?

[Candle demo]

Candle is you – lit is being alive.

Fan outside events that you have no control over) puts you out (kills you inside)

shield is like peace of God and protects you from the effects – not the events themselves]

What does peace look like?

[Peace picture sequence]

Well they are certainly peaceful, but do they really represent God's peace?

Philippians 4:4 – 4:9

^{Phil 4:4} Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

^{Phil 4:5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

^{Phil 4:6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

^{Phil 4:7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

^{Phil 4:8} Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

^{Phil 4:9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What peace is not?

According to Paul the peace of God is deeper than we are capable of understanding, but that does not mean we cannot get closer to understanding it.

Sometimes it is easier for us to understand what something is by looking at the opposites.

Here are some things that the peace of God is not:

Fear

Anxiety

Worry

In-action

Resting

Sleeping

Why did the disciples need peace (2)?

Let's have another look at why the disciples need God's peace.

What can't you do?

A man attended an interview for the job of Financial Director. It was a long and difficult interview, the panel asked some difficult questions. At the end of the interview the main interviewer said “I'm sorry, we are not going to offer you the job, but we would like to offer you the Managing Directors job, which is also vacant”. The man considered for a minute or two and replied. “It's very kind of you, but I really don't have the right skills and experience for that job”. The chairman replied “we think you have the right attitude and approach, and will provide you with the expert support you need”.

[Is there something you have been asked to do that you thought you could not do?]

Lets go back to the passage and look to see if there are other reasons that the disciples needed God's peace.

In verse 21 Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

So their immediate problems of being caught by the Jews are not so important. They are to take over Jesus' job. Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Now lets read verse 23, because Jesus has not finished what He is saying. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That's the job Jesus expects his disciples to do – they are to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. They are to decide who to forgive and who not to forgive. It is about the hardest thing that you could possible be asked to do.

If you forgive them, they too can have eternal life. If you don't forgive them they are condemned.

Jesus said on the Cross “Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing”. It is no easy thing to forgive when you have been wronged.

That's the reason we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the powers of discernment so that we can see things from God's point of view, and have the power to forgive.

These are excerpt from a report on Forgiveness in the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/vicar-struggles-to-forgive-the-terrorists-who-killed-her-daughter-468960.html

Acts of forgiveness are tremendously costly. One of the most celebrated of the last century was that of Gordon Wilson, who was standing at the war memorial in Enniskillen for the annual Remembrance Day service in 1987 when an IRA bomb exploded. Eleven people were killed, including Mr Wilson's daughter, Marie. The world was touched when, in a voice cracking with grief, he told of how he clutched her hand as they lay beneath the rubble and then said: "I have lost my daughter and we shall miss her, but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead."

Rev Julie Nicholson said

"It's very difficult to stand behind an altar and lead people in words of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself.". She was announcing her intention to resign as vicar of St Aidan's church in Bristol. What has estranged her from one of the most fundamental tenets of her Christian faith is the killing of her daughter, Jenny. The 24-year-old, a gifted musician, died in one of the four terrorist bomb explosions in London on 7 July 2005.

Poor Julie clearly did not have any peace. To have and to hold on to the peace of God there can be nothing causing anger and resentment. Anything that gets through the protection that God's peace provides and blows out the flame must be immediately forgiven for God's peace and active life to return.

Let's share a sign of peace together.

Are we more concerned about living LIKE a king, or living FOR a king?

Palm Sunday 1 Apr 2012 at Christ church, Billericay

Zechariah 9:9-13 & Mark 11:1-11

Introduction

What do you think of Elizabeth?

What do you think of Elizabeth? Not, our youth worker – whose away at her friends wedding, nor our band leader, but Elizabeth II, our queen. It's her diamond jubilee year. Very few kings or queens make it this far – that's one of the advantages of living in a constitutional monarchy, the king does not have to lead the troops from the front.

Most people have only known the one monarch so it may be a little difficult to make an evaluation, but anyway do you think she is a good queen? What could she have done better?

Make Jesus King

In the passage for today we see the crowds have another attempt to install Jesus as their King. So I thought it would be a good idea to look at some kings and queens to see what they were like and whether we think they would make an ideal monarch.

Good king / bad king.

I'll start with a list of 4 monarchs that I think are good and then look at four who are not so good.

Edward I – his reforms of criminal law are still (just) the basis for most of our criminal law today.

Elizabeth I – had a conciliatory approach to the feuding Catholics and Protestants in the land, and established the Church of England. Her reign is still seen as something of a golden age.

Henry VIII – Henry's energy in the early part of his reign was responsible for setting the framework for Elizabeth's golden age.

Richard I – The lion heart. He was a brilliant military leader, commanding his own force at the age of 16.

Now for some bad kings:

John – probably tops everyone's list of bad kings, having tried to usurp his brother. He was also known to be petty and spiteful.

Charles I – had a very strong belief in the divine right of Kings lead to a fatal split with parliament and resulted in the English civil war, which he then lost!

George III - his focus on war with France and his attempt to raise taxes from colonists lead to the loss of the American colonies.

Henry VIII - had a flagrant disregard for the law which led him to behead his wives. His concern was to produce a male heir, at the expense of everything else.

Ideal King

So there we have seven monarchs from our history. All of them had some good qualities, but what would an ideal King be like?

Here are a few Ideas:

Wise, like Solomon

Strong, like Richard I, or Churchill

Decisive

Fair, like Eadwig (955 - 959)

Proactive, like Henry VIII

Dutiful, like Elizabeth II

Charismatic, like Edward I

Natural Leader

Merciful, like Richard I

Subject to his own Laws

Living Under a King

For us, of course, it doesn't matter very much. How will England change when Charles III takes the throne? It probably won't affect your daily life.

In Jesus time the ruler had a significant influence on daily life. They decided if there would be war or peace. Many wars have been fought solely to satisfy a kings pride, which were nothing to do with the security of the nation. If there was to be war, there would have to be money raised, so new taxes would be imposed. If the King came to visit, he would have to be given the best room in town. (Yes! Given! Even Elizabeth II does not carry money!). If the King asked for anything, however bizarre it would be done for him.

Jews wish for a king

The Jewish nation wanted their own king, they had been conquered many times – that is not an experience that we can easily understand. They were currently part of the Roman Empire. The taxes that were raised were used to support Roman military efforts, and even worse than that the customs and practices of their religion were restricted. The people were looking for someone who could lead them to freedom, to self determination.

They looked back to the reign of king David, when they had defeated their enemies and all was well with the Kingdom (hindsight is a wonderful thing).

Jesus for King – the crowd

There were huge crowds in and around Jerusalem, they have come for the passover festival – perhaps the biggest festival of the year. When the Olympics start later this year we will get a sense of the impact that a huge number of visitors can make on an area. There are people everywhere. They have come to remember the time that Moses led the people out of slavery and into the promised land. They are looking for a repeat performance from someone – from anyone. They are hoping for a miracle cure, a cure that would see the nation restored to its former glory – to independence and self determination. This time they are not going to run away, they want the Romans kicked out.

Jesus for King – the donkey

It's at this point that Jesus decides to demonstrate who he is. He clearly signals to them that He is their king. Remember the reading from Zechariah:

^{Zec 9:9} Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king ¹⁷ comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

The crowd could not miss the sign. They recognised their new king immediately and began praising him. They grab anything they can and use their coats as a 'red carpet' to welcome their honoured guest. For someone this important, even the donkey must not walk on the dusty, dirty earth.

A donkey is a symbol of peace and humility.

Hosanna means 'save' and it had become an expression of praise. A recognition of the fact that God had saved His people many times in their history.

Praise and expectation

The praise and the expectation are high. John's account tells us that the crowd who had seen him raise Lazarus from the tomb were there shouting their praises, and that the story of Lazarus spread through out the crowd. A prophet who can raise the dead was something that Israel had not seen since Elijah.

Jesus enters the city and then moves on to the temple. He enters the temple and takes a look around at everything. That's odd, because He had been there lots of times before. Jesus is planning what he will do next – tomorrow he will purify the temple.

Living Under the King

For whatever reason, and there are many theories, the crowd will turn on Jesus and reject him as their king or as their messiah (saviour). After his death and resurrection his disciples would see that He is in reality King of the world, not just King of the Jews (even if that title was finally given to Him by Pilot).

His followers would recognise that as King and Saviour Jesus has a special call on their lives. We as his followers should also recognise this.

Christians live under an absent King. Jesus is in charge, but not completely in this world, in this time.

How do we respond to living under a king?

It's something that we are not used to, and no longer has any meaning in our culture. Here are some questions – see how you respond to them.

Are we willing to follow the king's orders even when they puzzle us?

Is 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Try to interpret what God is saying, if it is not un-biblical, then obey. This can be difficult, how are you going to answer the question “Why did you do that?”

Are we ready to go out of our way to follow him?

In today's world a commitment to attend worship every Sunday can seem peculiar and fanatical. Worship is reserved for celebrities and sports stars, and some of them – the real fans – the fanatical ones will follow their heroes every week. Most don't. Jesus was a celebrity in his procession to the temple, but the crowd soon turned on him. Celebrity can be fickle. As a king he asks that we put one day aside each and every week, and stop our regular work. That day should be dedicated to Him, and used to prepare our selves for the week ahead. That's the day when we get together to worship Him.

If that's hard, supposing the king were to ask you to travel to a foreign land and live there among the people, so that you could tell them about him?

Here are a few quotes from Eric Liddel, the runner at the 1924 Olympics who refused to run on Sunday and afterwards became a missionary in China.

“One word stands out from all others as the key to knowing God, to having his peace and assurance in your heart; it is OBEDIENCE.”

“HAPPINESS is to have enough for the day's needs with always some to spare for those who have not.“

"The kingdom is where the King reigns. If He is reigning in my heart, then the Kingdom of Heaven has come to me."

What are our equivalent of cloaks?

In Jesus time most people would have owned only one cloak. It was the only outer garment for protection against the cold. Here they lay their cloaks on the ground in honour of their king, not considering the cost. Perhaps the nearest equivalent today would be your car. This question is really asking what of value we are prepared to put at risk in honour of our king? How many of those folks got their cloak back? How many got them back without any damage?

Has our God become domesticated and trivialised, a mere helping hand through the tough times of life?

Or is He really a King to us?

Are we more concerned about living LIKE a king, or living FOR a king?

The Transfiguration - Mark 9:2-9 @ Christ Church 19 February 2012

Reading – Mark 9:2-9

The Transfiguration

Introduction

This talk will be in the form of a quiz, loosely based on Who wants to be a millionaire. The main difference being there is no million pound prize. Indeed no prize of any sort. Also the only qualification for taking part is volunteering. So I'd like four volunteers first please.

…

The rules are quite simple. I'll give you a minute to think and then ask you to show the letter in response to the question.

If you're not sure there's phone a friend and ask the audience, but no 50-50.

I'll explain those if we get to them.

After each answer I'll say a few words about what we have read.

[organise volunteers]

1. Complete the sentence “Jesus went up the mountain …”
   A) to find the lost sheep
   B) with his best friendsC) to be alone with God
   D) to build a shelter
   Jesus was with Peter James and John. They were the three men who were closest to him – his best friends. They would all play important roles in the development of the Christian faith, but for now Jesus was teaching them about God and helping them get to know Him better.
   It's important to remember that Jesus, Peter, James and John are all Jews. They have all grown up with the books of our Old Testament being read to them, probably every day.
2. What happened to Jesus on the mountain?
   A) metamorphosis
   B) transmutation
   C) transmogrification
   D) conversion
   The word in the reading is not in the list of choices. So what does transfiguration really mean.
   [Harry Potter Slide]
   Well J K Rowling got it wrong in Harry Potter.
   Lets look at the other words and see the real meanings of each.
   Transmutation is a description of the work of the alchemists – those ancient scientists trying to turn lead into gold. They were trying to alter the essential substance of a material from one type to another. That is not what happened to Jesus.
   [Cat Slide]
   Transmogrification is closer. It means to change into a different shape or form, one that is bizarre or fantastical. It doesn't have to be a cat!
   Conversion also means changing one thing to another, but is a general term and is not specific enough to describe the events in today's reading.
   Metamorphosis is the biological process by which caterpillars turn into butterflies. It means that the form of the creature changes, but the substance (the 'stuff' that it's made of) stays the same.
   That's what happened to Jesus. His appearance changed. You could say that God began to show through.
3. Who joined them on the Mountain?
   A) the other disciples
   B) Paul & Timothy
   C) Moses and Elijah
   D) The centurion
   Moses and Elijah.
   [Who were Moses and Elijah?]
   Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets. Do you remember that I said Jesus, Peter, James and John would have known the old testament well. Two important parts of the old testament are the Law and the prophets.
   The Law, mostly in the first five books was given to Moses by God, - do you remember the story of the 10 commandments?
   The prophets were men and women who spoke God's words to the people of Israel. They were often murdered for telling unpopular truths.
   Jesus said in Matthew 5v17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
   And in Luke 24:44 after His resurrection “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
   These things would help the Leaders of the Church understand how to develop their beliefs within the Jewish faith.
4. While Jesus was shining the disciples were
   A) preparing to leave
   B) arguing
   C) building a house
   D) very frightened
   Imagine it! - well try to imagine it. It's almost impossible.
   [Transfiguration picture]
   

   The picture is an inadequate representation of the event. Matthew 17:2 says “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” So it would have been impossible to look at him.
   The person you have been with for three years suddenly starts to emit light. A light so white and so bright that it almost blinds you. You cannot look directly at him any more – he is just too bright.
   I'd be frightened, so I'm not surprised that the disciples were.
5. What happened while Jesus was shining?
   A) the weather turned
   B) a cloud covered them
   C) it began to get dark
   D) the sun came out
   Exodus 19:9:
   The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
   In Exodus 33:20 God says “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
   [Cloud cover slide]
   Since Moses' encounter with God, a cloud has always signified the presence of God. Here it is no different. The cloud hides God's face, but not his voice.
6. What did the voice say?
   A) This is my son
   B) I love my son
   C) Follow Him
   D) Listen to Him
   This is one of those questions where the Christ church rules are different from the real rules. God's voice from the cloud said “this is my son”, “whom I love” and “Listen to Him”. The voice is confirming what the rest of the vision had suggested – that Jesus is God's son.
   Unlike at his baptism this message was entirely for the disciples. They must have already known that Jesus was special. Now they knew just how special.
7. As they came down the mountain Jesus told the disciples
   A) Keep it secret for nowB) The plan to visit Jerusalem
   C) That he was going to be killed
   D) Meet back here next week

[Complete the competition]

“Don't tell anyone about this until ….” Can you keep a secret? Sometimes keeping a secret can be very difficult. I can remember times when I've almost let slip and ruined the surprise for someone. In this case though I doubt the disciples had too much trouble. What they had seen was pretty fantastic, and now they were being asked to keep it secret until after the 'son of man' had risen from the dead.

“Son of Man” is a title that Jesus used of himself, so the disciples would have understood what he was talking about.

What does it all mean for us?

What can a vision given to three men over two thousand years ago mean to us today?

We've seen how the vision confirmed that Jesus was the son of God. The glory of God shone through him and out to the watchers, the whiteness symbolizing holiness and purity. Moses the giver of the Law and the rescuer of Israel appears, linking Jesus with the very origins of the Jewish faith.

Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”

Elijah, the greatest prophet, a man everyone expected to return and announce the coming Messiah appears, and both talk with Jesus.

Then there is the voice from the cloud. God says: “This is my son, whom I love, Listen to Him.”.

Prior to this vision Jesus had been teaching his disciples about his forthcoming death and Peter had recognised Him as the Messiah.

The vision served to help solidify those realisations. It can do the same for us. It helps us to see where Jesus fits into the history of God's redemption of the World.

Jesus knew that he was soon to die at the hands of the Romans and that His voluntary death would give people a way back to the relationship with God they were intended to have.

After his resurrection the disciples would have remembered the vision – even assuming that they'd somehow forgotten it – and that, along with everything else they had seen would have helped them understand that their rescue from death was possible.

If you can't take any of that there is at least God's command to listen to Jesus.

The Million Dollar Question really understates what is at stake here.

It's a life and death question we're finding answers for.

Final Answer Slide - 21

Final Answer?