11th May 2014
HYMNS:
82
322
416
185
Preacher: Jennifer Potter
“O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder”
“How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear”
“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy”
“Sing we the King who is coming to reign”
READINGS: Psalm 23
John 10:1-10
“OFFERS OF ABUNDANT LIFE”
“Abundant life” –that is what we heard about at the close of that passage from John’s
Gospel which has just been read for us .In a remarkable sentence at the end of a
reading about sheep and their shepherd we hear Jesus saying, “I came that they (his
sheep, the people in his care) may have life and have it more abundantly.” Nowhere
else in the New Testament does Jesus speak about the purpose of his mission and
ministry so clearly, so extravagantly, so attractively.
In contrast to all that would rob us of life, diminish or reduce our life, Jesus comes to
give not just real life but life in abundance.
- Not just survival – but real flourishing
- Not just getting by – but thriving
- Not just existence – but joy and real purpose.
Is there anyone in the whole world who would not want this quality of life? Is there
anyone amongst us here this morning who would not love to have this promised life
of abundance and joy? It would be a strange person indeed who would respond to
this offer of abundant life by saying, ‘no, thank you,’ Every human being would love
to live life to the full but what that would actually mean will vary from person to
person. Just think about what it would mean for you.
We live in a world where peoples’ ideas of what constitutes ‘abundant life’ are deeply
affected by advertising, by the media in general and by the lives of so-called
celebrities, who are held up before our eyes as examples of people living life
abundantly. For the majority of people ‘abundant life’ is closely allied to having
money, to being able to buy those material things that give people status, an image
for others to envy.
Advertising has developed into a fine art – engaging in endless research and using
psychological techniques to play upon our vulnerability, out lack of self-confidence
and to offer us the way to a particular image. ‘If only one buys this type of car,
gentlemen, you will draw queues of attractive girls to you.’ This type of clothing,
these cosmetics will make you stand out from the crowd. Take these multi-vitamins
and your skin will shine and you will have boundless energy.
In the early days of advertising, the qualities of a product used to be emphasised but
that has now moved on – it is known as ‘emotional branding’ – selling products which
seek to fill the empty spaces left by the decline in religion, the role of the churches
and other institutions. Just look at adverts in the newspapers or on the TV – so many
have shifted from a focus on what the product ‘does’ to what the product ‘means.’
Some experts call this ‘pseudo-spiritual marketing.’ If you think you are strong and
able to resist all of this – do a reality check – all of us are affected because a lot of
this is done in a way that ‘attacks’ us below the level of our normal consciousness –
sub-liminally. One would have to live on a desert island where there was no phone
signal and no satellite dish to be immune from these influences. Our idea of what
constitutes ‘abundant life’ has been influenced by powerful forces other than our own
thinking and our own faith.
Secularists, humanists and atheists also employ these self-same strategies. Do you
remember that bus advertising campaign in 2008 – ‘there’s probably no God – now
stop worrying and enjoy your life.’
One could do a whole sermon around that piece of advertising. Firstly it is interesting
that even atheists introduced the word ‘probably’ – either they were not confident
enough to say, ‘there is no God’ or they feared that that would have got them into
trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority. Yet clearly many nonbelievers think
that having a faith makes life more difficult and less enjoyable. They had not read
John10:10.
But for many people this stuff has an effect. It projects Christianity and other faiths as
influences which reduce or limit life and outlaw fun and joy. Sadly, at times in its
history Christianity has done just that for some people. For other people in our
contemporary world the Church and Christian faith is seen as just another ‘emotional
brand’ claiming to have what people need to fill the empty spaces in their lives but in
effect no different from any other brand. Once people begin to doubt and be cynical
about the claims of brands in general, they apply those same doubts and that same
cynicism to the claims of Jesus and the Christian faith. ‘Show us the abundant life
being lived by Christians,’ they will say.
So we need to return to our passage, to try to unpack a little more what Jesus meant
if we are going to be able to give an account of the faith and hope that we have.
In the passage we heard read Jesus does not define what ‘abundant life’ might
mean. But if we turn to the preceding chapter we will realise that these words about
abundant life come right after the story of the healing of the man born blind. Indeed
lectionary sections and division into chapters were not part of the original record –
we have imposed these upon the writings. We need to read John’s Gospel, as well
as all the other New Testament books, as a continuous whole if we are really going
to grasp the full meaning.
If we think about the healing of the man born blind, it prompts us to imagine that
abundant life – perhaps even salvation itself – is highly contextual. For each person
it depends upon where they are in life, their experiences, their desires and their
openness to the possibility of new life.
So for a single parent abundant life may be companionship and help in raising
children. For the bullied teenager abundant life might be having an advocate,
someone to stand with him or her, speaking out for them and helping them to regain
confidence and acceptance.
For someone who has just retired from work, where their life was given its meaning,
abundant life might come through an opportunity to volunteer for or be involved in a
charitable organisation – a Food bank, Day Care Centre for the homeless or a
Homework Club for young people.
These examples give you the picture – abundant life looks different in different
places. Unlike in the adverts, there is no one-size-fits-all. Abundant life, as promised
by Jesus shows itself as a response to whatever seeks to rob us, the children of
God, of our inheritance of life, purpose and joy.
In the emotional branding of the advertising industry the promised ‘abundant life’
comes, as if by magic, just by buying the right car, wearing the right clothing or by
applying the specific cream. But the Christian life is not like that. Not only do we have
to listen intently to what God is saying to us as we read the Scriptures, but we have
to live our faith out with application and commitment. ‘Abundant life’ is not just going
to fall from the sky and hit us on the head. We have to listen to Jesus’ promise of
salvation and abundant life and live ourselves into it. This means, in the first
instance, for both ourselves and for others, we need to pay attention to what is
robbing us of the full life promised to us. Once we have discerned these forces then
we need to decide what we can do to change the situation.
This week and next week we shall be talking about Christian Aid – it is the special
time in the year when we raise awareness and money for their work. Christian Aid
and other similar organisations seek to discern the factors which are robbing people
of the opportunity to live a good life and then they try to do something about those
factors, to respond to need – to bring piped water to where there is none, to help
construct proper toilets instead of people just using the bush, to design stoves that
use less fuel so helping stem deforestation and making life easier for women who
have to gather the wood. Christian Aid provides nets for use in malarial zones.
These things may not strike you as constituting ‘abundant life’ but if you have doubts
just try spending night after night swatting mosquitoes and suffering repeatedly from
energy-sapping infection. You may then see the role of a mosquito net in a different
perspective!
Contributing relatively small amounts of money can have a serious impact in bringing
a more abundant life to many people. But for the people we live amongst these are
not their needs – they have water and sanitation, gas and electricity, and freedom
from insect-borne disease. What would constitute abundant life for the elderly person
living across the street from you? A visit or a phone call, or collecting the shopping?
Or even taking the person out for a meal or a cup of tea?
What would constitute abundant life for the mother with several small children,
struggling alone to bring in money and care well for the children? Someone taking
care of one or more of the children by taking them on an outing to give the mother a
break and the children a new experience.
So that one line from Scripture which concluded our reading, I came that they may
have life and have it more abundantly’ needs to be exploded and expanded. That
abundant life is not a promise for a distant, eternal future, ‘pie-in-the-sky- when we –
die’ to use the old expression. Nor is that abundant life a one-size-fits-all piece of
magic that makes everything right. No, this abundant life is an invitation to discover
in very real and concrete ways how to live a full and rewarding life in the here and
now, following in the steps of Jesus and by seeking to extend that full life to people
all around us.
Coming to church as we have done today isn’t just a matter of coming to hear about
abundant life and contemplate what it might mean for us. Coming here means being
willing to be sent out to experience abundant life and share it as we commit
ourselves to improving the well-being of those around us through what we say, what
we do and through how we use our time, our talents and our money.
As we shall sing in a moment:
“If our love were but more simple
We should take him at his word
And our lives would be illumined
By the presence of our Lord.”
This is the advert that should be on the side of the bus, “there is a God, stop
worrying, enjoy a full life and share it with others.” Amen