Be Open

The third sermon in our 'I will tell' series was preached by Angie Milne, the newest member of the Living Brook ministry team, on the first two Sundays in February 2019.

Julia and Steve have already started our Sermon Series with the theme of I Will Tell.

I – meaning each of us

Will- doing something even if it feels a little uncomfortable

Tell- tell the story of Jesus and all his wonderful deeds

Julia spoke to us about her meeting with the distressed young man in the park that led to a journey of faith for him. And Steve spoke about the Monk and his retreat and how rather than shouting about his faith he developed a quieter existence that drew people to him.

So where do I begin…..I Will Tell started long before Jesus arrived.  A few weeks ago, a reading from the book of prophets Isaiah chapter 62 started “I will not keep silent”, what was Isaiah refereeing to?  Isaiah chapter 35 verse 4 tells us “be strong do not fear, your God will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped”. Was this the talk of a Messiah that will come. 

Mark shares with us in his gospel the wonderful miracles and deeds carried out by Jesus in his early days of ministry, Jesus’ disciples witness his miracles and listen to his wisdom and correctly identify him as the messiah.

 Healing the deaf and mute man just as predicted by Isaiah.  The gospel of Mark chapter 7 verses 31-37 tells us ‘Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went into the region of Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and begged for Jesus to place his hand on him.

Jesus took the man aside away from the crowds, Jesus put his fingers into his ears. Then spat and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven with a deep sigh said to him ‘Ephphatha’ which means BE OPEN. The man’s ears opened his tongue loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone, but the more he did, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well they said. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak’.

Why did Jesus command them not to tell, was it because he did not want to draw attention to himself with large crowds forming around him having just arrived in a new region, he didn’t want to cause trouble, especially with the leaders of Jerusalem. Was Jesus worried, that the messages about his miracles would somehow change and not be accepted for the miracles that they were. But how could they not tell of Jesus’s good deeds, they had just witnessed something amazing they were overwhelmed, why would they not share this news?  Why would they not BE OPEN.

Perhaps Jesus asking them not to talk was a way of getting them to talk more, you know it’s one of those occasion’s, when your best friend calls you to one side and says, ‘I’ve got something really important to tell you but you’ve got to promise me you won’t tell anyone else’   what goes through your head … who can I tell first or perhaps I won’t tell them all of it, just a bit of the story. Whilst you listen as the story unfolds, in your head you decide if you should keep it quiet to yourself or tell everyone else.  There’s always that person you know that if the story is told to them then everyone will hear about it. We are all very good at spreading the news about something amazing that we’ve seen or heard.  

So why should spreading the news of Jesus be any different? We are all disciples called to spread the good news, are we sometimes embarrassed about our faith or is it that some people just don’t get it, how can they after all we didn’t witness these miracles? Every week when you come to church and listen to the readings, gospel and sermon your ears are being opened to the teachings of God   sometimes, there is a message in them that really affects you, it may be a word, a sentence but something. Do you then go home and talk about that message and how it affected you.  Or is it that you’ve never spoken about your faith or shared it, are you by not sharing denying everyone of this amazing relationship that you have.  What I’m asking you to do is BE OPEN at home, at work, with friends, family with people you meet. BE OPEN about the good deeds that Jesus did but also about your relationship with Jesus.  When was the last time you asked a friend to come along to a service with you, maybe they are just waiting for you to ask?  I’m sure we all ask friends to come along and support our amazing church events and cream teas but how about a service?

 In our Gospel reading Luke chapter 5 verses 1-11 Luke tells us -  Jesus was in the fishing boats with Simon Peter preaching just from the edge of the shore. When he had finished he said   “put into deep water and let down your nets”.  When the nets were cast and a bounty of fish was caught, Simon Peter was amazed. He fell at Jesus’s knees and said ‘go away from me Lord I am a sinful man’– but Jesus said don’t be afraid, from now on you will fish for people.

A few weeks ago in a Sermon from Beverley she asked us to choose slips of paper with words on – mine was COURAGE – Well  I believe that’s what we all need, the courage to BE OPEN speak and share the news about Jesus, there are some people that won’t listen, some that will question you and that’s fine.  We have to trust in all the stories in the bible, even though we didn’t hear or see them unlike Simon Peter but he also needed courage to BE OPEN and follow Jesus. If our ears are opened to the teachings of God will our tongues be loosened to share them…will you have the courage to BE OPEN?

 Jesus is sometimes called Immanuel – God with us, that’s what God had in mind for Jesus to be with us and that’s what he has in mind for us – to just be with other people and talk, BE OPEN and have the courage to tell. So, when you’re standing in the queue at the shop or in the school playground that might just be the place where God need’s you to be and start talking, sometimes it’s just about what’s in your basket or the weather but occasionally the conversation goes a bit further….  maybe it’s the day that you talk to that person and it’s the spark or invitation they needed.

So that’s what I’m asking you to think about and do – BE OPEN – about your faith and your relationship with God – BE OPEN to Jesus – and tell.  Tell the good news of Jesus.

So what’s my story……..

My best friend has two daughters neither have been baptised my friend wanted her children to choose, she comes from a semi practising catholic background and her husband is Church of England.  As families we go on holidays and camping trips together and whilst the men sit around drinking and playing music us ladies and children tend to go off to the local towns for coffee and always a visit to the local churches- they call that part the Angie pilgrimage. My friend has always been aware of my faith and the children are just beginning to recognise it. They have started to question me about bits in the bible and things we see on our visits to the churches, wow Lucky for me my work with Gill and the school’s team has helped me to remember a few bits from around the church I’ve even impressed myself!!!!

 Her eldest daughter is now at university, we don’t see her as often. We met for coffee during the Christmas holidays where she couldn’t wait to tell me about a trip, for her mum’s birthday.  A 3-day Angie style pilgrimage to Rome. To explore and learn more about her faith ……. And when she’s home she want’s to come to an Elevenses service.

So the message I would like to leave you all with today is

Have Courage

BE OPEN

And Tell

Go, tell

In 2019 Living Brook Benefice is encouraging everyone to tell their stories of God in their lives, and to pray for people to meet Jesus. We begin the year with a sermon series given by the Lay members of the Living Brook Ministry Team.What follows is the second sermon given by Steve Watson.

Our Benefice theme for this year is the phrase I will tell and Julia on behalf of the Benefice Ministry Team introduced this a fortnight ago. I too stand before you today to continue the narrative and Angie Milne will carry it on further in 2 weeks time.

My  theme for today is taken from the last few verses of Matthew’s Gospel; these are commonly known as The Great Commission.

Reading from verse 16

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. The Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this was a few lines from a hymn:

Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.

Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.

Shortly afterwards I read a piece in the newspaper about a monk who had been living on a bleak hill in Northumberland since 1971; first in a caravan and latterly in a house he built with the help of friends. The site now has a church and 4 monastic cells also built with occasional help. Brother Palmer could be described as a hermit but he is not a full recluse having visitors every week or two.

I started to ponder how to square the idea of the great commission with this life of comparative solitude spent largely in prayer and saying the various daily offices. For me the answer is in the epistle reading set for last week and today from 1 Corinthians. Paul describes how each of us is given different gifts; we are not to have all the gifts, but some of them, and we are to work together as a team helping each other.

Brother Palmer’s gift is for prayer and he has used it to provide a retreat where others who want to experience prayer in solitude can come and join him. He has chosen a life not of going out evangelising but of visibly witnessing to God mainly on his own. It seems to me that his vision of telling it on the mountain is to set a clear example of following Jesus that anyone can look up and see. The invitation is implicitly there to come and join him for a while and engage in prayer with the aim of becoming closer to God.

Frankly it is not a life or a lifestyle that I feel comfortable with – for one thing I have stood out on too many draughty building sites in the cold and rain and I appreciate my creature comforts in Piddington. That led me to think about some of the people I have known over the last 40 years and who have prayed in all 3 churches in our Benefice. One of the things that struck me as I reflected was that many of the people of my parent’s generation had a faith that was grounded in a thorough knowledge of the Bible and they were not apologetic about sharing it with anyone. A Christian Life was important to them and it showed in what they said and did both inside and outside the church.

Of course times have changed but I wonder how many people could say of each of us - I can see that they are Christian by the way that they lead their lives, by the example they set, and that they are prepared to justify their beliefs in public.

Today’s Old Testament reading is from Nehemiah. In Chapter 8 Ezra, the priest, reads to a large gathering from the Book of the Law of Moses. This is probably the Pentateuch – the first five books of the Bible where among other things Moses is setting a way of living for the Jews. Ezra is telling the people God’s word and the people are listening carefully.

The Gospel Reading from Luke Chapter 4 sets out that Jesus has been teaching in the synagogues and today he starts to give a clue to who he really is – he has been already, and is now, telling them what the Christian story is going to be.

Both Ezra and Jesus are speaking publicly, their actions and their words are inextricably linked

So what does Go and make disciples of all nations look like. While I was reading round I came across some figures.

According to research the ratio of non - believers to believers has steadily declined over the centuries.

At the end of the first century (AD 100) there were 360 non - believers for every single follower of Jesus on earth.

By the end of the first millennia (AD 1000) that number shrank to 220!

By the beginning of the Reformation (AD 1500) there were 69 non - believers for every Christian.

 As the last century began (AD 1900) the number was down to 27.

After two world wars (AD 1950) progress was still being made. The number of non - believers for every Christian totalled 21.

By 1980 that number had diminished to 11 non - Christians on earth for every “Great Commission Christian” – those committed followers of Jesus who are trying to spread their faith to others.

To be fair that sounds good; however the number of people on the planet has also vastly increased so in terms of actual numbers there are a lot more people who still have to learn about our Lord

Also a couple of figures from the Diocesan website I found last week:

·       52% of mission is led by non-licensed lay people (31% clergy, 17% licensed). Often not picked up by the system these hidden gems are doing outstanding mission work all across the diocese.

·       77% of all contacts with non-church goers happens in and around primary schools.

Going back to Brother Palmer, the monk on the hill, he was definitely not someone like Billy Graham who was comfortable talking to thousands but someone who interacted with no more than 2 or 3 people at any one time – and that it was where I personally feel more comfortable, along with, I suspect, many other Christians.

So where does that leave us here in Quinton / Hardingstone? How can we show and tell today?

 Here’s a couple of ideas - could anyone help support the Benefice Pastoral Team by giving a small portion of their time to visit a lonely person. Alternatively the Children’s Team are running Experience Jesus days at the end of March for the local schools in Hackleton and Hardingstone. I know many of you have volunteered to help previously at these events and found them very spiritually rewarding both for the children and themselves, please speak to Gill Watson if you can help. We are going to need additional help this year because Gill needs another replacement knee operation and will be out of action during the schools’ visits.

For an action –

At Piddington I suggested that it would be good if we could tidy up Church Walk again and trim back the tree overhangs so that the children can reach the church safely. A lot of people use that path, it’s on the dog walking circuit and it’s another way of showing the church in action.

In Quinton I was very impressed with the display of poppies on the church for Remembrance Day. Is there anything else that the church here can do to show that it is not just contained within these walls.

Here in Hardingstone you can now see the church from the High Street thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers but is there anything else that the church here can do to show that it is not just contained within these walls.

In our brown hymn books the hymn immediately after “Go tell it on the mountain” has a chorus that goes

Freely, freely you have received;

freely, freely give.

Go in my name, and because you believe,

others will know that I live.

In many ways I think those few lines say a lot about Christian living and sum up what I have been saying earlier.

Go tell it on the mountain by all means – but much better to tell it here in Living Brook in both word and action.

Amen