AMEN
I’d like to begin by explaining that Helen is away for a few days on a course, and that information is very relevant when you take into account what I am going to say next !
I read recently that because a woman's vocal cords are shorter than a man's she can actually speak with less effort than he can. Shorter vocal cords not only cause a woman's voice to be more highly pitched, but also require less air to become agitated, making it possible for her to talk a lot more with less energy expended.
Obviously I wouldn’t want to personalise that statement in anyway !! However it’s hard when you’re perfect like myself to understand sometimes the thought process of a woman – yes sometimes means no and no sometimes means yes, indecision can sometimes reign supreme, and I’ll be in a lot of trouble when Helen hears what I have said tonight… So I wont say any more on that…, but let’s not even get started on subtle hints about clothes they’d like !
Anyway now I have alienated all the women present I’ll go back to the reading from Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians (1:18-22) – the kind of indecision common amongst so many is what Paul is referring to as he says, ‘As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been “yes and no”… because in Jesus every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes’.
And he goes on ‘For this reason it is through him that we say “Amen”, to the glory of God’… And that word ‘Amen’ is what I want to think about this evening. It’s an incredibly powerful word.
It was translated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech. The word is directly related- in fact, almost identical- to the Hebrew word for "believe" (aman), or "faithful."
And so it has come to mean "sure" or truly," an expression of ABSOLUTE trust and confidence. When we believe God, we indicate our faith by an "amen." When God makes a promise, the believer's response is "amen"--"so it will be!"
Over and over again in services we use this word and over and over again we are expressing our absolute trust in God… or are we ?
In Church we say a lot of things because we’re used to saying them, we pray for a lot of things which are radical, life changing, even revolutionary : ‘your will be done’, ‘peace on earth’, more people to know the love of God in their lives, healing, reconciliation, justice for all, for an end to the worst of the worlds poverty, unity between Churches – all of these things are big things to which we say ‘Amen’.
But ‘Amen’ means involving ourselves in causing these things to happen – certainly if we are faithful and bold and willing to trust then God will support us and strengthen us, but he won’t do everything for us…
Saying ‘Amen’ to these things means as Paul suggests in his letter to the Corinthians, saying ‘Yes’ to following the will of God, and ‘yes’ to accepting his promises.
And as we do that we pray for the coming of God’s kingdom, not distantly in heaven, but here and now, and that means a transformation in so much of our country, the world, and ourselves.
It is a transformation in a number of ways. Firstly, in spiritual terms. Saying ‘Amen’ to God’s vision of the world must mean that we seek to grow closer to him through prayer, through the Bible, through fellowship and worship, and through our lives.
Our spiritual transformation is one aspect of this, but saying ‘Amen’ must also involve directing others towards God. Within this country there is a desire for spiritual things – so many people have tried money and all kinds of other things to try and make themselves happy, and found nothing. They have a gap which only God, not the Church, but only God, can really fill.
Recently in the Deanery Conference we had a presentation about ‘Back to Church Sunday’, which I will talk a lot more about as the year goes on, but the question was asked, ‘If we’re going to invite people back to Church, what is the reason for it ?’ It’s an incredible question really – the answer was given perhaps that we need them – no we don’t !
Actually new members in Churches tend to cost money because they come and our parish share goes up and they rarely give as much in offerings as the cost goes up to us – but it doesn’t matter because they come – and we are concerned that they come not because we need them, but because they need to hear some good news about God, and his unquestioned and unbending love for them – and if we’re not offering that good news to everyone who walks through our Church door then we should be ashamed.
Spiritually people are crying out for the transformation that comes from God.
Secondly we seek an economic transformation and a political transformation. For many years people have suggested that religion and politics don’t mix, but this couldn’t be further for the truth – religion and politics walk hand in hand, because religion, like politics, is about life, all life !
When Jesus lived on earth he spent his time with outcasts. He spent his time with the poor, the widowed, all those who found life a struggle – and he offered them hope, and he stood up for their rights.
The economic and political transformation is not about following any particular party, it’s not about suggesting that one party or another is going to do all the right things, but it is working and praying that those in most need within our world today are cared for as individual children of God.
Recently in PCC we had a booklet called the ‘Money Revolution’. It was produced by the Church of England, and there was a lot of different information in there, but one of the things that struck me most was that if we earn the average wage in this country, just over £15,000 we are in the top 6% of the world’s biggest earners – a wage of £26,000 gives us a place in the top 1%... an annual income of just £5,000 would place us in the top 13%.
To whom much has been given, much will be expected…
Economic and political transformation is about seeking to give everyone opportunities even though some will perhaps reject them…
In the news sheet recently I have been appealing on behalf of the Wallich homelessness charity – I tried to get 30 people to give £30 – we’re nowhere near. I’m not saying people have to give to that charity. People, I know, give to lots of different things in lots of different ways, but a homeless charity is a good example of care because some people assume that the person who is homeless is at fault, that they have brought it on themselves, and sometimes they have, but if we look at the example of Jesus, not once did he refuse to help someone who asked him for help – he didn’t judge them, he loved them…
The people that Jesus judged, the people he argued with were those who thought they had all the answers, those who were too arrogant to ask for his help…
Economic and political transformation is about making the love of God known throughout the world in works of justice, hope and peace, and it begins with us. To whom much has been given, much will be expected.
And that is the third aspect of transformation – personal transformation. One thing the gospel of Jesus must do to us is change us and continue to change us, hopefully for the better. In some people change is very slow, in others it is incredibly quick, in some it may not even be immediately obvious.
Last night I heard an American speaker. This man runs the largest Sunday school in the world, working in the roughest parts of Brooklyn in New York. It’s an incredible story of transformation for so many people. People without hope have been offered hope, children without loving homes are offered someone who cares for them, parents, often drug addicts are supported and encouraged to seek change in their lives.
He even told one story of a well known drug dealer that he knew. One day the drug dealer called him over, saying he needed to speak to him. He went and the drug dealer whispered quietly. ‘I’ve noticed that one of your staff girls wears some very low cut tops, and you may want to counsel her to dress a little bit more appropriately…’ A drug dealer giving moral advice about appropriate clothes – transformation is slow at times, and comes in all kinds of different ways, but personal transformation, God shaping us and reshaping us is something that we continue to go through as we grow closer to him, to other people and the needs of those around us…
Saying ‘Amen’ to the will of God means not just signing up to a passing interest or a nodding acceptance of his will, but it means devoting ourselves and our time and our commitment to trying to absolutely ensure that with his help, and with his support and strength, his will will be done on earth as in heaven. AMEN
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