Sunday, September 28, 2025

The seen and the Unseen

Preached at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead on 28 September 2025 at 10:30

Prayer

Father God, As we consider Your Word, open our eyes to what is seen and unseen. Teach us to look beyond the superficial, to recognise eternal truths, and to respond with compassion and faith.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

I’m going to look at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and the differences that it shows us between those who are seen and those who are not seen in our societies.

This parable is unusual among all of Jesus’ parables in that one of the characters is named. This has led some commentators to believe that this is a true story. It is not. Jesus has made it up to make some important points in his teaching. He has taken an Egyptian morality folk tale and given it a new twist – a different and more useful ending.

Let’s see where it goes.

The Seen man

The rich man is seen. He is dressed in purple – that would tell Jesus’ hearer's that he was indeed rich. Purple was an expensive colour to make, only the very rich could afford it.

My irreverent brain can’t help reminding me that bishops wear purple. I’ll just leave that there.

The rich man’s life was luxurious, good food every day and plenty of it. I therefore picture him as over weight, and perhaps that explains his untimely death, but that would be putting a 20^th century spin on it. In Jesus’ time, being a little portly was considered a sign of God’s blessing – just as was the ability to afford purple robes. They will get him noticed wherever he goes.

The Unseen man (vv. 19–21)

Lazarus is the unseen man. He’s not invisible; he’s repugnant. Everyone notices the sores, and the dogs paying him rather too much attention. He’s probably dressed in rags and as thin as a rake. No-one would want to look at that, never mind don’t go near. Imagine the smell, a cross between rotting flesh and someone who has never washed.

All Lazarus can do is hope that some of the bread that fell from the table would fall his way. We don’t know how far it was from the table to the gate.

After a great feast, where there is a lot of greasy meat, bread would be used to clean your fingers. By this time you are full, so the bread is discarded, on the floor, under the table, wherever it lands.

Lazarus

The name Lazarus means “God Helps”. It seems the only help available to Lazarus comes from God.

The Unseen reversal (vv.22–23)

Both of our characters dies.

Death, t

Expositors Bible Commentary - Matthew, Mark, Luke

Luke for Everyone - Tom Wright

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Leon Morris

hey say, is the great leveller. But, that is not the case here. When the beggar dies, he is taken to Abraham’s side. Now, he’s with the man who made the first covenant with God, a place of the greatest honour. The rich man also died, for him though there is the grave and Hades – where there is torment.

Hades

Hades is the Greek culture’s place of the dead. It is ruled over by the Greek god Hades – the god of death and riches. The origin of the name Hades is believed to mean “the unseen one”. Hence, the place of the dead is also known as the unseen kingdom.

Many commentators have used this passage to answer the question “What happens when you die?” We should be careful taking those sorts of lessons from this passage, rooted as it is in Greek and Egyptian myth. The story, as I have said, is told by Jesus to make a very specific point about the living, not the dead – as we will see.

Death does not level.

Expositors Bible Commentary - Matthew, Mark, Luke

Luke for Everyone - Tom Wright

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Leon Morris

Death has not levelled the field at all, instead it has reversed the situation. The rich man is in the unseen realm, in torment, and Lazarus is in a place where he is receiving the highest honour.

Against Wealth?

If the parable stopped here, we could see this as simply saying wealth is bad. There are other places in the Bible that talk about wealth. For example, when Jesus is talking to the rich young man and tells him to give up his wealth. The man walks away:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:23)

and

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, ea
Expositors Bible Commentary - Matthew, Mark, Luke
Luke for Everyone - Tom Wright
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Leon Morris

ger for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

In all of these instances, the Bible is warning about the dangers of wealth, not condemning wealth itself.

Justice

What about justice, has justice finally been done? In Hades, the rich man can see Lazarus, enjoying the benefits that he once had. Perhaps if we stopped here, we would say that justice had been done, but there is still more to Jesus’ parable.

The Unseen Chasm (vv. 24–26)

The rich man can see Lazarus with Abraham, and that gives him an idea. He calls to Abraham and asks that Lazarus be sent to him to bring him some relief from his suffering.

Abraham reminds him of the life of privilege and comfort he once led. He also reminds him of the agony that Lazarus had suffered. Then tells him that a great chasm has been set, to prevent either side visiting the other.

Moral Chasm

The chasm is not physical, it's an unseen chasm, a moral chasm. The rich man has, all his life, considered the life of people like Lazarus beneath him. They should be at his beck and call, to provide anything he wants, right when he wants it. He doesn’t see Lazarus as a person, just as a servant.

That’s how he behaved in life, and that’s how he’s behaving still. He has not changed, and there is no indication he is going to. His self-centred arrogance over many years is what built the chasm.

In life, his wealth allowed him to get away with it and probably insulated him from the need to change. That’s why it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The choices we make in life echo through eternity for us as much as for those we live with.

The Unseen Witness (vv. 27–31)

The rich man does, though, see his family as people. He is concerned about them, their lives are clearly going in the same direction as his, and he doesn’t want them to suffer the same long term torment he is going through.

So, he asks that Lazarus be sent to them. Not that he could go himself, he has probably already recognised that that is not an option. So, send the servant Lazarus – see his thinking isn’t changing even now.

^v29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

Moses and the prophets are the unseen (or perhaps unheard) witnesses that the rich man should have been familiar with. And, he probably was, but had not really heard, not really listened to their message.

God’s word is enough. Our conscience is enough. The evidence of our eyes, if we choose to see, is enough.

But all these witnesses were unseen by the rich man and his brothers. Perhaps, he thinks, if someone from the dead goes to warn them, they will repent and change their ways.

‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

Jesus uses this final line of his parable so that the disciples will know, after the resurrection, that some people won’t believe in Him or his message. Even His witness will not be enough to make people see.

Today - the same rejection

We see plenty of people today who reject Jesus, and reject the message of this parable. There are even some who claim to follow Jesus, but reject the message of this parable.

Living with Eyes Open

If we are going to be those who see the unseen, we will have to:

- See the Lazarus at our gate: Who is suffering within reach?

- See the chasm forming: What habits of indifference are hardening our heart?

- See the witness already given: Are we waiting for a sign, or responding to the Word?

[Repeat questions]

Closing Prayer

Lord, open our eyes to the unseen. Let us not be like the rich man—blind to suffering, deaf to Your Word, and hardened by comfort. Teach us to cross the gate, to close the chasm, and to live with eternity in view.

Amen.

References

https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.16.19-31.NIV

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/hades/

https://mypastoralponderings.com/2022/09/24/learning-to-bear-the-beams-of-love-my-sermon-on-luke-1619-31/

https://desperatepreacher.com/sermonbuilder/Pentecost-C/c_proper21-26/homily.htm

https://desperatepreacher.com/sermonbuilder/c_pool/who_is_lazarus_for_us.htm

Expositors Bible Commentary - Matthew, Mark, Luke

Luke for Everyone - Tom Wright

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries - Luke, Leon Morris

Copilot was used to assist with the prayers, the outline and the picture.

Monday, September 22, 2025

I Desire Mercy not Sacrifice

Preached at Christ church, Billericay on 21 September 2025 at 10:30

Recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLIwZDI2kAI from 30:00 to 42:06

Reading Matthew 9:9-13

Prayer

Father God, Thank You for calling us, as You called Matthew, not with judgment but with grace. Teach us to extend that same mercy to others, seeing them through Your eyes of compassion.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

Jesus has just healed the paralytic. He said “Get up, pick up your mat and go home”. The man did, and Jesus got in trouble with the scribes for blasphemy, as he had started the conversation with the paralytic by saying “your sins are forgiven”. Only God can forgive sins. Now He’s being watched!

Calling Matthew

Jesus has moved on, and comes to a tax booth. These were probably small, open-air stalls or tables positioned by the side of a busy road, near a city gate, a marketplace, or a port—anywhere goods and travellers passed frequently. They would collect any tax they thought they could, because the tax collectors were under contract by the Romans. They would be seen as traitors, and most definitely as ‘sinners’. It’s a very public place.
Jesus says, “Follow me”.
Imagine you were standing in Billericay High Street, perhaps manning a charity stall, and Jesus comes by and says “Follow me”. What do you do?
That’s a much easier situation than Matthew faced, but he didn’t hesitate, he just got up and went with Jesus. Did he take the money he had collected? What about the records? Or did he leave everything behind? We don’t know.
Either way, this scene would have had a major impact on the people who watched it. The man who obviously had God’s approval, as he had just healed a paralytic, is now inviting traitors to join him. And Matthew, breaking his employment contract, just leaves his very lucrative job and moves on.

Feast

We know it was a lucrative job, because the next thing he does is hold a celebration for Jesus at his house. It’s in Luke 5:29:
29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house.
Levi and Matthew are the same person, it is thought that it was relatively common to have a Jewish and a Greek name.

Pharisees

Matthew’s friends – other tax collectors, and Jesus’s friends – his disciples are all mixed together enjoying the feast. The Pharisees see what’s going on and question the disciples. Jesus responds on their behalf.
Now, to get a better feel of the environment, imagine there were half a dozen bishops in the congregation this morning. They were asking me questions, and I told them, go and learn what scripture really means.
Jesus says:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Well, He seems to have put an end to their argument, but what does He mean by “I desire Mercy, not sacrifice”?

Sacrifice

Sacrifices were offered for all sorts of things in the Old Testament, not just for the forgiveness of sins, but for any agreement or covenant with God, and at many of the festivals celebrating with God. Sacrifices did not always require an animal, there were grain offerings, drink offerings, and even sweat of the brow offerings. When they did offer an animal, it had to be a farmed animal, so something that had value to the person offering the sacrifice. The meat would usually be used at the celebration, or maybe used to feed the priests. Only occasionally was it totally consumed by fire.
The sacrifice offered had a cost to the person who offered it.
Today, we see our sacrifices as the time and money that we give to support our church and the wider Christian community.

Mercy

Jesus, though, says that more than sacrifice He desires mercy. What He is saying is consistent with the Old Testament message. We see in Micah 6:8 it says:
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Mercy is a kindness that allows you to forgive someone – usually someone that you have some sort of authority or power over. So that they are not punished for their actions.
Here are a couple of examples:

The Gallows Pardon – Iran

Samereh Alinejad’s teenage son was murdered in a street fight. Under Iranian law, she had the right to oversee the execution of the killer. Moments before the sentence was carried out, she stepped forward and removed the noose from his neck. Her act of mercy—choosing life over vengeance—was inspired by a dream in which her son asked her not to take revenge.

Mayor La Guardia’s Night Court Mercy

In 1935, New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia visited a night court in one of the city's poorest districts. He took over the bench and heard the case of an elderly woman who had stolen bread to feed her grandchildren. She broke the law so, La Guardia fined her, but then paid the fine himself and added a donation for the woman. His acted justly, and showed his love or mercy.

My Example

Of course, all acts of mercy are not that dramatic. Mercy can also be shown for much smaller things.
Many years ago I worked supporting a Mainframe computer – you’ve heard of them I’m sure, they fitted into a very large room, and had about the same processing power as your phone. The whole of the back office of the bank relied on it to work. About mid-morning, in trying to solve a problem, I had it shut down and restarted, when I really didn’t need to. The restart took over 45 minutes. All my manager said was “You know what you’ve done don’t you!?” I did. He could easily have disciplined me, and put it on my personnel record, but he didn’t.
That was an act of mercy that I’m still grateful for.

Your mercy

When was the last time, or the most memorable time, when you were shown mercy?
How did it make you feel? Relieved, happy, grateful, thankful?

Today’s World

In a world where there is, it seems, increasing hate, and a greater desire for revenge rather than justice, a small act of mercy can go a long way to changing someone's attitude. Maybe we can turn the tide, not for everyone, but for the few we meet, if we can truly appreciate that God does not want our sacrifices, but wants us to show mercy, as he shows His mercy to us all.

Amen.

References

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M2OgLeqkRLI

https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/i-desire-mercy-not-sacrifice-premium-sermon-on-mercy-40000102

https://mypastoralponderings.com/2023/06/09/mercy-not-sacrifice-my-sermon-on-matthew-99-13-18-26/

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mercy

https://aleteia.org/2023/10/26/10-ways-to-practice-the-works-of-mercy-with-young-kids/

Bible Doctrine - Wayne Grudem

https://www.rd.com/list/inspiring-forgiveness-stories/https://www.familytoday.com/family/8-incredible-stories-of-forgiveness-that-will-touch-your-heart/

https://list25.com/25-unbelievable-inspiring-acts-forgiveness/

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/9-10.htm

https://www.bible-researcher.com/parallels.html

Matthew Part 1 - Tom Wright

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

The Golden Rule

Preached at Christ church, Billericay on 31st August 2025 @ 10:00 See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuP57-nAnM from 36:26 to 54:56

Prayer

Father God, we gather today to seek Your wisdom for living in peace with those around us. Open our hearts to Your love and guide us to reflect Your harmony in our words and actions. May these word inspire us to build bridges of kindness and understanding.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

As we come to the last of our summer series, I’m going to first look at the whole series – to remind you what we have learnt. Then we will look at the final step in bringing God's peace to the world, so that we can be living in peace.

Summer Series

In the first service I started with Shalom, often translated peace, but also having the meaning of well-being and completeness. In the activity, I asked, “What disturbs your peace?” We wrote those things down and stored them in an envelope. We will come back to that later, so if you weren’t here that first week - now’s your chance to think about it. We learnt that Jesus has overcome the world, so that the peace He gives us is not disturbed by the worldly problems we have to deal with.

In the second service, Paul looked at sources of peace. We can get a sense of peace entering a church, or getting a blessing from God. In the activity, we decorated bookmarks with things that bring us peace. There were drawings from nature and scripture, among other things.

In the third service, Christine talked about peace in our community. She looked at Isaac and how he maintained peace for his community. In our activity, we listed the different elements of our community, and divided them up in to 3 categories:

Fun activities
Activities with moderate faith input
Activities with high faith input

We were asked, “Which Christ Church events fall into each category?” Which age groups are missing, and what types of activities might we need to fill the gaps?

Hazel has collected all the feedback, so hopefully the DCC can have a look at it.

On the fourth week, Margaret spoke to us about part of the beatitudes – blessed are the peacemakers. We made peace windmills, to learn that just as a windmill yields to the wind, so we too must yield to the Holy Spirit.

Last week, Margaret talked to us about peace in our hearts, which can only occur when our sins are forgiven. She spoke about Legion possessed by so many demons, being in his right mind after Jesus released him. Our activity saw each of our sins displayed, and a bible verse was read that identifies them, so they can be forgiven. You might like to add any sins that disturb your peace to the list.

[Shredding]

Living in Peace

Today, the last of our summer series services, we’re going to talk about ‘Living in peace’.

In Romans 12:18 Paul tells the Romans

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

As we have seen, he has a lot more to say on that subject later. He starts by telling them to stop judging one another and goes on to say that all food is clean. We could perhaps see this passage as saying “Don’t bring a burger to a vegetarian's birthday party”. That might get the flavour (pun intended) of what Paul is saying. But in Rome at the time it is more serious and more complex than simple thoughtlessness. So what’s going on?

Situation in Rome

It seems that in those days in Rome, there was a group of Roman Christians. Another group of Jews had recently been allowed back into the city, and among these were some Christians – who had joined with the gentile Romans. Now, there were issues with the food that they were eating. While the gentile Romans were not bothered, the Jewish Christians considered many of the foods that were being eaten as unclean.

Grow Up?

We might think that Paul would tell the Jewish Christians to grow up and follow Jesus, as He had already declared all foods clean. That’s in

Mark 7:18b-19 “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

But, he doesn’t, instead he tells the gentile Christians that if they are to show love to the Jewish Christians, and live in peace with them, it is they who have to change.

The strong for the weak

We might phrase it like this:

For all Christians to live in peace with one another the ‘strong’ Christians, those who have freedom in Christ and are not bound by all sorts of petty regulations, must not put stumbling blocks in front of the ‘weak’ Christians, who following Jesus to the letter of the law and believe very strongly that all they do makes them more holy.

It is the strong who must change to protect the weak. It is not the job of the strong to change the weak – that is the way of conflict, not of peace.

All of us will find ourselves in this situation on one side or the other over different issues. Actually, it doesn’t matter which side you see yourself on.

Limits

Of course, there are limits, what Paul is saying only applies inside the church, and only to non-essential doctrines.

Matthew 7:7-12

Perhaps more important is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:7-12. He is trying to explain to them that God only has good gifts for those who ask for things from Him. He tells them that even though they are evil, they give good things to their children. Then He gives them another summary of the Law:

¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Golden Rule

“Do to others what you would have them do to you” is known as the Golden Rule. It exists in almost every belief system, here are a few examples:

Greek: "Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you."

-- Socrates (the Greek philosopher), - circa 470-399 BC

Confucianism :Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state.

Analects 12:2

Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.

Udana-Varga 5,1

Hinduism: This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.

Mahabharata 5,1517

Islam :No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.

Sunnah

Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.

Talmud, Shabbat 3id

Taoism: Regard your neighbour's gain as your gain, and your neighbour's loss as your own loss.

Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien

Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good, which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good for itself.

Dadisten-I-dinik, 94,5

21st Century British culture: “Do unto others before they have the chance to do unto you”

Jesus has a slightly different take on this common saying, instead of a negative, He has a positive. “Do to others what you would have them do to you” This is typical for Jesus and entirely consistent with the rest of his teaching.

Problem

But there is a problem with this. It lacks true empathy. Now, I’m certain that Jesus didn’t lack empathy, very far from it, so I can only assume that the words were translated like this correctly, and the nuances of our use of language has changed since. And that just might come from my 21^st Century British culture quote.

As an example, many years ago I was given the gift of a driving experience – I got to drive a Mini Cooper around a racetrack – and I loved it. But I wouldn’t now go and get the same thing for Jo – she doesn’t like driving fast – especially when she’s my passenger!

So to get closer to Jesus’s meaning, perhaps we should say:

“Treat others as you want to be treated”

An Example of the Golden Rule, as it should be: The Stoke Gifford weekend

Here’s an example of how it should work:

Many years ago, we took Liz to her new home, where she was doing a year out, in the Parish of Stoke Gifford, just outside Bristol. I'll remember the weekend for a long time. They had planned it all for us, they took us out to eat on the Saturday evening – and paid the bill. They put us up in somebodies house, and gave us the key so that we could come and go as we pleased. The lady of the house also left breakfast for us.

I think this is an excellent example of the golden rule in action!

Conclusion

If we are to live in peace with those around us, whether from the church, our neighbourhood, our workplace, or our school, we have to make the effort to make the peace we want to live in. We must not be judgemental – within reason, instead we must treat everyone we meet with the respect and love we would like to be treated with.

This is what showing God’s love really means.

Amen.

References

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/what-is-the-golden-rule.html

https://memosfromgod.com/romans-1413-21-stumbling-blocks/

https://3cephas-notes.blogspot.com/search/label/Matthew%207%3A7-12

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_the_Elder

Sunday, July 27, 2025

The Meaning of Peace

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 27 July 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0AuG3T7boA from 35:57 to 57:47

Prayer

Gracious God, We gather in Your presence, with hearts open and hopeful. In a world often marked by noise and unrest, we come seeking Your peace. As we reflect today, shape our thoughts, stir our compassion, and guide us in the way of peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction Video

I will start by showing a video that explains the biblical meaning of peace. Then we will go on to look at the meanings that come from our two readings. Let’s watch the video.

The Longing for Peace

Even if you almost never see or hear a news program, even if you almost never see a newspaper, it should be obvious to you that there are conflicts everywhere. There are over 40 armed conflicts in the world today. That does not include all the places and situations where one people are oppressing another. In our own, relatively harmonious country there are fights between neighbours, protests in the streets, disagreements in the workplace and I haven’t even mentioned the church.
What peace we have feels fragile, easily broken by grief, disappointment and fear. The Bible, and especially our readings today, present peace not as a fleeting emotion, but as a profound promise from God.
Shalom, as we heard in the video, brings healing, reconciliation and completeness. Let’s have a look at Isaiah’s vision of peace.

Isaiah - A Vision of Peace

Isaiah paints a stunning picture of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse. Jesse was David’s father, his lineage had not held power for over 600 years when Christ was born. David’s descendant, the new and true king, is described as:
• Full of wisdom and understanding,
• Empowered by God’s Spirit,
• Delighting in the fear of the Lord,
• Righteous in judgment of the poor and needy,
• Doing everything with faithfulness to God
And under His rule there is a new reality that defies nature’s violence:
• The wolf will live with the lamb,
• The calf and the lion will feed together,
• A little child shall lead them.
It’s an image of creation restored—not just ceasefire, but cosmic reconciliation. Peace isn’t merely the absence of conflict. It’s the presence of divine order, of justice, and of unshakeable harmony. Isaiah promises that this peace will come through the Messiah—a ruler who transforms fear into trust, and division into unity.

John - Peace in the Storm

Fast-forward a few centuries, and we find Jesus speaking to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion. His words are mysterious—“In a little while you won’t see me… then you will see me again.” The disciples are confused. But Jesus knows exactly where He’s going: to the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection.
He tells them:
“You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” “I have told you these things, so that in Me, you may have peace.” “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Here is peace—not promised as an escape from trouble, but as strength in the midst of trouble.
The Prince of Peace doesn’t erase storms—He walks through them, and walks with us. His victory isn’t just some future ideal; it’s current and personal. He has overcome so, with Him, we too can live as overcomers—with peace that endures betrayal, loss, and confusion.

Activity

Let’s take a minute now to think of some of the things that disturb our peace. On your tables there are sheets of paper, pencils and envelopes. Take a sheet and write down anything that occurs to you. It may be a long, or a short list. In a couple of minutes, we will fold the paper and put it in an envelope and seal it up. It will be symbolically hidden in God.

Living in Christ’s Peace

As we launch this series, let’s ask ourselves:
What kind of peace are we searching for?
• Is it circumstantial or spiritual?
• Temporary or eternal?
Isaiah gives us a glimpse of peace fulfilled, and Jesus gives us the path to peace today.
Peace isn’t passive. It’s powerful. It begins by abiding in Christ, receiving His Spirit, and living not in fear, but in faith. As the series unfolds, we’ll explore how to cultivate peace in our relationships, our decisions, and our witness to the world.

Final Challenge

Let this be our prayer this week:
“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is despair, let me shine hope.”
Because in Christ, peace isn’t just something we receive—it’s something we carry into every room we enter.
Amen.

References

Written with the help of copilot, images created by copilot

https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/meaning-shalom-bible/

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The Tree of Hands / A Demon in my View - Ruth Rendell

There will be spoilers, so don't go on, if that will ruin your enjoyment.

The Tree of Hands

I picked up a paperback from the book exchange shelf in the hotel, as I often do when these things exist. This review is only for the first of these two stories - The Tree of Hands. It is my first Ruth Rendell. To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of it.

Fairly early on, we start off with the criminal act of a woman who is clearly certifiable. At this point we are following her daughter, Benet, who is set up as a self-sufficient woman. So much so that she has had a child quite deliberately by a man she wants nothing to do with, and perhaps never really did.

Then we meet Carol, and her lover, Barry. Carol is a career petty thief, and has the looks and character that make her unlikely to ever really love anyone. It is Carol's child that goes missing. The police involvement is really a side plot.

Other characters are bought in, some are developed well, others are just there to round out the narrative.

It is a very easy read, and there are plenty of twists and turns. One of those is Carol's murder, which is inadequately explained and seems to be a device to bring the book to a conclusion. Having carefully wrapped up all the other plot lines, this one is terminated messily and seems like an easy way out for the author.

I am not sure if I should be sympathetic with the main character - Benet, or appalled by her actions and her selfish lack of judgement - she got away with it, as some criminals do, but I couldn't be more than disappointed at the ending.

⭐⭐☆☆☆

A Demon in My View
================
Of the two, this was better, the ending, a proper ending, a reasonable, believable ending. However, there is still an unexplained death, which favours the protagonist and so detracts from the believability of the plot. The characters are once again well-developed and rounded. There is less jumping around, which made the story easier to follow. Quite an enjoyable read. Delving into the mind of a psychopath was interesting, we've all met people like him and never realised. The action, the physical murders are almost glossed over, but the feelings are examined to a limited degree.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Friday, June 06, 2025

Two Prisoners were freed

Preached at Christ church, Billericay on 1 June 2025 at 08:00 and 10:0

recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxSah2wePag, from 25:50 to 42:10

Title: Two Prisoners were freed

Reading Acts 16:16-34

Prayer

Introduction

I’m going to talk about the Acts reading today – the story of Paul and Silas being jailed. These are the people that Jesus prayed for in our Gospel reading. We will see how two prisoners are set free by the actions of a loving God. They might not be who you’re thinking of now.

Background

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke are staying in Philippi with Lydia, who has just been baptised. Philippi was a Roman city in Northern Greece. There were very few Jews living there, so there wasn’t a synagogue. So, instead, they met at the Place of Prayer – probably a garden that gave some privacy, where they could worship God and spend time in prayer.

Slave woman with a spirit

On the way, they were met by a female slave who was possessed by a spirit that allowed her to accurately tell the future.

Fortune-telling played a major role in ancient Roman society, it affected decisions in politics, warfare, and daily life. Romans believed that the gods communicated through omens and divination, and interpreting these signs was important for keeping order and securing divine favour.

That meant her owners could get rich from her.

Most High God

She describes them as “servants of the most high god”. To the Jews, this would have meant Yahweh. To the Greeks, it would be Zeus. If you were a Greek (or Roman), being saved, would be to be freed from the powers governing the fate of man and the material world.

Spirits identify Jesus

The problem with these spirits is that they seem unable to keep quiet about Jesus. Jesus himself came across one of them. In Mark 1:24 it tells us the spirit said

"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

And Jesus’s reply was, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"

It’s not really clear why the spirits react like this, trying to create some sort of mischief, maybe. They seem unable to ignore the God they are trying to replace.

The female slave followed Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke, shouting “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” At first this was useful. After all, she had a reputation for making correct predictions, so there is every reason to believe her now. It served their purpose, because they wanted people to come and talk with them, and that is exactly what they want to talk about.

As this goes on day after day, it becomes more and more about her show and less and less about Paul and his companions and what they are trying to do. It diverts people from the apostle’s message.

So, Paul drives out the demon. Now her owners have no chance of making money from her, their easy life is over.

Release number 1

That’s our first prisoner freed.

[break a chain]

She had been held captive by a demon, now she can live a normal life. We are not told what happened to her. I like to think that she was bought by Lydia and lived a much better life.

Revenge

Her owners dragged Paul and Silas into the market place, and left Timothy and Luke behind. That’s probably because Paul and Silas look like Jews, and the other two don’t. There was an undercurrent of anti-Semitism in many Roman towns. Notice their complaint:

“These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

Paul and Silas are accused of causing trouble – disturbing the peace might be our version of the charge.

The magistrates sentence them to be flogged and thrown into jail. They are kept in the most secure part of the jail and have their feet in stock. Imagine being forced to sit on the ground with your feet raised a few inches and kept maybe 18 inches apart. It’s a very uncomfortable way to sit, especially if you have just been beaten, and you are chained down as well, so movement is further restricted.

The slave owners have their revenge, and now the only audience that Paul and Silas have are other prisoners and their jailers. Surely this is NOT what God wants – how can this have happened?

Sing-song

We are told that during WWII, when people were sleeping in tube stations, that there was often a sing-song, or other entertainment to make the nights pass more pleasantly. Singing can lift our spirits when times are difficult. So, Paul and Silas sing hymns and pray.

Worshipping God

Worshipping God in any form will lift their spirits far quicker and further than just any old songs. In this case it seems to get the rest of the prisoners involved a little too as they are listening to Paul and Silas.

In some strange way, it may have allowed God to act. In 2 Chronicles 20, God acted while the Israelites sang praises to God, and the invading army defeated itself!

Perhaps something like that was happening here as Paul and Silas showed their faith in God.

Earthquake

Because around midnight there is a violent earthquake. Perhaps the strangest earthquake I’ve ever heard of. Instead of flattening the building, it just unlocks the doors and loosens the chains.

What happens next is even more surprising. Nobody leaves!

Jailers

Jailers in the Roman world were often ex-army, people who could be relied upon to take orders and deal with difficult prisoners. The penalty for loss of a prisoner, was that the jailer had to serve the sentence in their place. So, it is no surprise that the jailer in this prison, where he thought everyone had gone, chose suicide.

I wonder how much the jailer had heard from Paul and Silas? Did he just know them by the reputation they had built up in the town? Had he heard of the demon leaving the slave girl? He must have been aware of the singing, if not the prayers. He must have realised that they had somehow become leaders among the prisoners.

To be saved

When Paul calls out “We are all here”, the Jailer gets lights and checks, when he sees that it is true, he immediately asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. He addresses them as “Lords”, which shows that he already sees something in them, but as we have already seen, it is unclear who he was expecting to be saved by.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved

He is told, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”. This is the consistent message of the book of Acts. It is all that is ever asked of potential converts. The jailer, of course, knew nothing about Jesus, so they have to explain who He is in more detail.

Joy (of freedom)

He goes from almost attempting suicide to the Joy of the Lord, in a just few hours. So here is our second release from prison. The jailer has been captive to his culture and the beliefs that he was taught from infancy. Now he has been freed.

[break a chain]

Paul and Silas

So, what of Paul and Silas, well, they were never really in prison at all. They were simply captured, beaten and bound so that they had the opportunity to show the jailer the glory of God, and the salvation offered to all those who believe in His resurrected son. In the next part of Acts, they are let out of prison, and use that as a witness to Christ as well.

All in prison - to be freed

Some of you will, no doubt, have the words of a hymn going around in your head now. Here's the 4th verse of "and Can It Be"...

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

This is the freedom that Charles Wesley found, and it is the freedom we have all been given. Just like Paul and Silas, our mission is to offer that freedom to others.

Amen.

References

https://pastors.ai/bible/acts16.16-34

https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2025-05-26/acts-1616-34-4/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavala

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/paul-and-silas-2/commentary-on-acts-1616-34

https://theconversation.com/mythbusting-ancient-rome-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-87939

https://biblehub.com/topical/b/beaten_with_rods.htm

https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-most-reluctant-convert/

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/23739125.wycombes-jason-mccarthy-finding-christian-faith/

https://www.bibleversestudy.com/acts/acts16-spirit-of-divination.htm

https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/article/fortune-telling-in-ancient-rome/

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/ancient-roman-methods-for-predicting-the-future

https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-role-of-fortune-telling-in-ancient-societies-divining-destiny-across-cultures

https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/how-concerts-dances-dart-leagues-19047366

Sunday, May 04, 2025

Jesus Appears

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay @ 10:00 on 4 May 2025

Recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9vQM2saNrw from 28:20 to 43:25

	Introduction There’s a common thread running through the two readings that we had this morning. In each of them, Jesus appears. In John 21, He appears in His resurrection body, and in Acts, He appears as a vision. These are not the only times that Jesus appears, it happens many times in the New Testament and afterward. Whenever Jesus appears, something happens, not just in the instant, but in the future, because the people He meets are changed by meeting Him. Let’s start by looking at what happened in Acts.
	Acts 9 In Acts chapter 9 Saul has already stood by approvingly as Stephen was stoned to death. After this there was a great persecution of the believers, and they fled in all directions. Only the apostle stayed in Jerusalem. Pure Religion Saul is zealous for God, and believes that the Sect of the Nazarene is heretical and should be eradicated. He is a Pharisee, highly educated, and very devout. He will go to any lengths to keep his religion pure. Letters So, he goes to the high priests and gets letters for the synagogues in Damascus. These will allow him to arrest believers, restrain them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial – it’s a foregone conclusion in Saul’s mind. The letters would also assure any curious Romans that he was working for the Jerusalem authorities. They had what we might describe as an extradition treaty with the Romans, so that they could apply their own religious laws, without needing constant reference to Roman authority. It should be a straight forward job. He’d got the documents, he’d got the heavies, and most of all he’d got the attitude. Jerusalem to Damascus Walking from Jerusalem to Damascus today would take 66 hours according to Google Maps. If he can walk for 11 hours a day, that’s 6 days. The journey may have been a little longer in the first century. There’s plenty of time for thought, prayer, and reflection on such a journey. Scholars have suggested that Saul may have been meditating on the vision at the start of the book of Ezekiel. It was a common exercise amongst devout Jews at the time.
	Jesus Appears in Acts 9 As they near Damascus, suddenly there is a bright light from heaven. He and his companions are stopped in their tracks. A conversation occurs and Saul realises that he is persecuting Jesus. That’s how close the Lord is to us all, when something is done to us, it is done to Him, just as much. So, in persecuting the followers of “The Way”, as Christians called themselves at the time, he is persecuting Jesus. Bright Light The bright light has blinded him, and he is led to Damascus by his companions. After 3 days, something like scales fall from his eyes, and his whole theology has been re-written. Paul refers to this vision frequently – twice more in Acts – it is the defining moment of his life. He’s changed from hating the followers of “The Way”, to being their greatest evangelist. When Jesus appears, people are transformed, turned around, and reset.
	John 21 In John 21, seven of the disciples are together. They have all seen Jesus, they have believed in the resurrection, but they don’t know what to do, they seem lost and defeated. At Peter's suggestion, they decide to go fishing. In effect, they are returning to their old lives before they met Jesus, and spent 3 years with Him. Fishing is a nighttime activity, the fish are nearer the surface at night. So, they work all night, throwing the nets and retrieving them. It’s hard work, as dawn approaches they are tired, wet, and cold. Probably very fed up too. Friends / Children There’s someone on the shore, but they can’t tell who it is. He speaks to them. The NIV has: “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” The RSV has: “Children, you have no fish, have you?” The Greek word is children, according to my Interlinear. It’s interesting that Jesus would address them as children, it seems appropriate because they have no idea how to move forward. As a term of endearment, it will be comforting for them and perhaps makes the suggestion that they try again more acceptable. It may also be the first clue as to who the stranger is. Either way, it’s the catch that makes John sure. They’ve seen miraculous catches of fish before, they know who performs those sorts of miracles. Peter takes Action Peter, impetuous as ever, jumps over the side and swims ashore, leaving the others to manage an almost impossibly large catch.
	Jesus is ready for them Jesus already has a fire, with fish cooking and bread, ready for the hungry fishermen. He doesn’t need what they have – but He does want it, and asks Peter to go and get some of the fish. Once the catch is ashore, they are invited to breakfast. God doesn’t need anything from us, but He does want all sorts of things. Acts 17:25 says “… He is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” They know it’s Jesus, yet somehow they still feel the need to ask. Jesus in His resurrection body is definitely Jesus, but somehow, different. The breakfast leads into Peter's re-instatement as head of the disciples and the newly founded movement that will become Christianity. Peter has been changed back into what he was before he denied Jesus, but is now stronger for the experience. But that’s another sermon.
Pic 6	St. Francis of Assisi Jesus appears many more times through history, each appearance is unique to the circumstances, but all result in the person being forever changed. I have two examples, the first is St Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was born into a rich family, but although living the high life when he was young, he always showed signs of dissatisfaction with that style of living. There were many times when he could have changed his ways, and it did begin to happen slowly. Then, in a run-down church he had a vision where an icon of Christ crucified spoke to him and said, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My church which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” And he did repair that building and many others. This seems to have been the tipping point, but there was a long way to go and many trials to overcome before he founded the Franciscan Order.
	Sundar Singh My second example is Sundar Singh. He believed that his religious pursuits and the questioning of Christian priests left him without ultimate meaning. So, he decided to take his own life by throwing himself off a bridge. The night before, he asked that the true god would appear before him. That night, he had a vision of Jesus. Now a committed follower, he was rejected by his family, and they tried to kill him. He was rescued by a British Christian, and was soon publicly baptised – he was just sixteen. He travelled India – the Punjab and Kashmir - dressed as a sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. When Jesus appears life takes on a completely different meaning, or perhaps it has real meaning at last, and so becomes worth living.
	In WWII As we are remembering the 80^th anniversary of VE day, I looked for some evidence of Jesus appearing during the war. There is a little, from newspaper cuttings that someone has collected. Small numbers of people had seen a vision of Christ crucified, followed by Angels in the sky. This happened in Sussex, Ipswich, and something similar in Peckham at different times. The purpose seems to have been mainly to bring some comfort to those who saw the visions.
	Conclusion We have seen how Jesus’s appearances to his disciples, to the apostle Paul, and to His followers throughout history have mad transformational changes to their lives. We can expect that Jesus will continue to appear to inspire and transform his followers. Personal There have been many times when I have had pictures, or words that may have come from God. I’m pretty sure about 2 or 3 of them. They were always for the church or others in the church. I wonder if any of you have had such a life-changing experience? My calling came through prayer and reflection. As I was told one of my recent sermons was depressing, I’ll leave you with this hope. Jesus could appear to any of us at any time, may be today, or tomorrow. If He does, our lives will be different from that point onwards. Amen.