Sermon - HTW - 24.1.16, 10am
Readings:
Neh 8: 1-3,5-6,8-10, 1 Cor 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21
So they read from the book, from the law of God, with
interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people
understood the reading.
May I speak in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost. Amen
I wonder how such an opening text leaves you feeling? (it’s
taken from Nehemiah, our OT reading this morning.) If you are
expecting a sermon in which I will give the sense of one or more
of our readings this morning so that you will understand them,
I’m afraid you’re in for a disappointment. Firstly, that is beyond
my expertise. Secondly, it is beyond what is right, it seems to
me. And that is for a few reasons.
Firstly, to assume there is just one definitive sense to any
passage from the Bible is not right because it ignores the
richness and vitality of Holy Scripture, its Spirit-filled nature.
Scripture is a medium for God’s communication with his people,
with us, with our Jewish brethren, and, we believe, with the
whole of humanity. It is shot through with divinity.
Secondly, although we are to hear God’s word, to proclaim it and
share it, surely we are not to limit its ability to speak to the world
by wrapping it up in one definitive, interpretation - interpretation
that is of our own making? This interpretation, whatever it is, will
be affected by who we are, by our context, and a host of other
personal things we will unavoidably bring to our reading. In all
our human diversity, even in this congregation now gathered,
how could we possibly agree on just one definitive
interpretation? How would we know which of our human
interpretations was the right one, the divine one?
Thirdly, for me to tell you ‘what it means’, even if I felt I could
and should, would be to disempower you, to take away from
you the chance to interpret it for yourselves, to hear God speak
to you personally through these passages, in this place on this
day in your circumstances. My ‘definitive interpretation’, if it
existed, could be an intervention between you and God, rather
than an illumination.
More prosaically, on a practical level, in our world
communication just doesn’t work like this, does it? Anyone
who has collaborated with others, tried to work in a team, knows
that it can be fraught with difficulty. What is said and what is
heard are very often two different things, even though the same
words are used.
This week the Church of England has been observing a week of
prayer for Christian Unity. And my goodness, do we need it! It is
perhaps unfortunate that just at this time we are hearing afresh
of deep divisions within the Anglican Communion over the
question of gay marriage. However, a different interpretation
might conclude it is perfect timing. Just when we hear readings
such as from 1 Cor this morning, we are reminded that we are
one body with many different members with different qualities to
bring to our communion, and that that body is the Body of
Christ.
In recent years, it seems to me that we have changed, I would
say improved, in our interpretation of Christian unity, of what
that phrase means, of what the shape of Christian unity might
be. We talk about unity not uniformity, of unity in diversity.
We recognise that we are not all the same, that we do not all
hear and interpret God’s word the same. We do not all worship
him in precisely the same way. There has been a sea change in
ecumenical relations, which is a huge step forward.
We celebrate this at local level, through CTIC, which is alive and
well, as many of you will know through your involvement.
Church leaders from the different denominations meet together
regularly for lunch and fellowship. We have prayed together in a
service for Christian unity. We rejoice together with our Baptist
brethren as they lay the foundation stone, (or rather stake!) of
their new church building and community. And no one is going
to be burned at that stake over a difference of opinion! Together
as Christians we shall come together on Wednesday, to mark
Holocaust Memorial Day, and reflect through a film on Standing
By those who are persecuted for different beliefs and different
faith. And we are working together to bring relief to those Syrian
refugees who will be housed in Gloucestershire.
But things are not so rosy within our own Anglican
Communion, that worldwide body of Anglican churches. You
will have heard on the national news, and perhaps read in the
Church Times, of the temporary suspension of the Episcopal
Church in the USA due to the recent change in their doctrine of
marriage, to allow gay marriage. And you will also have heard
of the protests and vigil mounted outside Canterbury Cathedral
by representatives of the African Lesbian Gay and Transgender
communities, a reminder of the pain and suffering of LGBTI
Christians around the world, particularly where homosexuality is
interpreted as criminal behaviour.
I suspect that, even in this congregation, small in number
compared with the worldwide Anglican Communion, there will be
a range of opinion, a range of interpretations of the rights and
wrongs of gay marriage, of the biblical texts that support those
views, and of the action the Primates have taken. That is only
human and to be expected.
Surely it is also to be accepted - not in a defeatist manner, for a
feeble reason, saying ‘Well, because we are all different,
because we all interpret differently we cannot be of one mind’ but in a whole-hearted manner for a far better and more
serious reason. And that reason is Jesus Christ.
In our Gospel reading, on this Third Sunday of Epiphany when
we continue to reflect on the revelation of God to us in Jesus
Christ, surely it is this Word that we Christians need above all to
listen to. We have the interpretation of Christ, who is the Lord’s
anointed, to govern how we behave towards one another. His
interpretation of his mission in this world was this: He has
appointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim
release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let
the oppressed go free.’ As his disciples, we have him as our
model. We Christians above all ought to take this to heart and
work together for the same ends; for the care of all God’s
creatures, for the reconciliation of all to God our Father.
In their communique issued after the recent meeting, the
Anglican Primates wrote: ‘Over the past week, the unanimous
decision of the primates was to walk together, however painful
this is, and despite our differences, as a deep expression of our
unity in the body of Christ.’ Despite the decision taken
implementing temporary suspension of the Episcopal Church of
the US, the Primates have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury
to appoint a Task Group to maintain conversation among
themselves, with the intention of restoration of relationship, the
rebuilding of mutual trust, healing the legacy of hurt, recognising
the extent of our commonality, and exploring our deep
differences, ensuring they are held between us in the love
and grace of Christ.’ That speaks of the way of Christ, of
Christian unity and of the love of God for every human being.
And so let us pray that they may share, rather than dictate,
their interpretations of the law, and come to understand each
other better, and so find a Christ-like way forward together for
our Anglican Communion, as part of the wider Body of Christ in
this world.
Let us pray:
Father, we come together as your family. We pray for recovery
of the unity of Christ’s Body, the Church, and for the renewal of
our common life in Him. In all our weakness, sustain us by your
mighty power. Form us into the likeness of Christ.
Lord in your mercy - hear our prayer. Amen.