Confidence in the flesh

 

This week the clergy in the diocese have spent some time away on a residential conference. We’ve explored the theme of ‘Rejoicing in Hope’ and thought about the challenges we face in maintaining hope at times in the church when we think about numbers of people coming to church, sometimes internal arguments, tiredness from being busy doing church things and of course the battle against an increasingly secular society… 

But the point was emphasised again and again that as Christians we are called to be people of hope – hope is at the very centre of our faith… Hope in God who loves us and who has called us into a relationship with him that changes us and can change others as well.

I want to think this morning about hope in the context of two of our readings. I may have said before that I really enjoy reading Paul’s letters in the bible – some people really don’t, but I enjoy the bluntness, the honesty, the willingness to engage in debate… and also the certainty, not of being right about everything, although I do suspect he thought he largely was ! But more the certainty of his faith… 

He wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison, imprisoned for his belief. It’s a short letter and a great letter because it contains so much about rejoicing at all times, confident in God’s love ! And it’s always important to remember it was a letter written from a pretty uncomfortable prison cell ! This wasn’t someone offering advice and hope from a position of comfort… 

In the section we heard (3:4b-14) Paul outlines a bit of a statement about faith. He outlines his credentials as someone who really can feel confident in himself – he’s done all the right things in his life to be a pretty important member of society – ‘If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more !’ is a great beginning to the section! And he then goes on to explain why… 

But then he turns it back to say that whatever material benefits and rewards he might have had, they became nothing compared to knowing Jesus. For Jesus, Paul is willing to suffer and to live by faith and trust and of course, hope. 

And with that hope and faith, he can take anything that might be thrown at him. There’s always a tendency to read the bible with the benefit of knowing that it happened a long time ago to people in a different society, but we can’t do that… 

As Christians we are called to display the hope that Paul displayed, not perhaps from a prison cell, but from all kinds of places where God calls us to be present today… 

It may be in our churches as we gather to worship God and for fellowship, for prayer, for encouragement of each other, or it may be outside talking to friends or family, perhaps in social occasions or work settings. It may be in the social justice projects, like foodbanks, or working with other charities. It may be in just reminding people that they are loved – loved imperfectly by us as we seek to share God’s love, but loved perfectly and immeasurably by God… 

We have a hope which needs to be shared. And maybe we even need to start by recognising that hope, which might have been dampened by all kinds of things…

And sometimes we need to refocus our lives, we need to just take time out to look at the big picture, to see whether we are just rushing from thing to thing without recognising the importance of people or the awesomeness of the world in which we live. The gospel is good news for people everywhere and we are to share and be good news… 

But what does that mean ? Well, we turn to the gospel reading (Matt 21: 33-46) for some guidance on that. It’s a pretty dark gospel reading with a parable about how people treat each other at times, but also how we have treated God. In the parable the landowner did all the work to create this great vineyard. When the harvest came the slaves went to the tenants of the land to collect the landowners produce, but the tenants didn’t want to give it up and killed the slaves. And then the landowner sent more and the same happened. 

And then he thought he would send his son. Surely they would respect him. But no! He too was seized, thrown out of the vineyard and killed… And then we’re left with the provocative thought of what the landowner will do to the tenants now! 

Jesus goes on to say, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’. And he goes on, ‘I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom…’ 

Jesus was rejected… By the Romans, by the Jewish authorities, by the crowds on Palm Sunday who had waved their palm branches but soon after allowed him to be killed… And perhaps most painfully of all, he was rejected quietly by those he had spent most time with, by those he had called to live closely with him, to be part of and watch his ministry, to witness the miracles, the compassion, the love for people… 

And today, that is our simple but so difficult challenge ! Which side do we want to be on… Are we with Paul, hopefully not in the prison cell, but in the places God calls us to be ? 

Or do we recognise the position of the Romans who just saw Jesus as a bit of an inconvenience, another religious extremist who could be easily ignored or, if necessary eliminated. 

Or maybe the Jewish authorities, keen to maintain their hold on power and authority in all matters of religion. Or maybe the crowds on Palm Sunday who were there in the good times, there for the celebrations, but absent when things got a bit tougher ? 

Or are we those who live close to Jesus, but are just worried about where to turn if things go wrong…

Or are we people who cling to the hope of Jesus, knowing that wherever we are, whatever we’re doing we can rely on God with us… 

Are we the people who are prepared to set Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives and upon whom we build our lives as we try to get to know him better day by day. 

In his letter to the Philippians, and in so many of his other writings, Paul reminds us of the need for a cornerstone in our lives. He reminds us to take time to just reflect – to think about our lives, perhaps what’s really important, perhaps what’s not. The same with our churches, because there’ll be things that are vital and things that are really just a distraction probably… And when we model this culture, the culture that looks like Jesus, then things will change – for us and for other people… 

There’s a story about an American painter John Sargent. He painted a picture of some roses which was highly praised by critics. Although he was offered a lot of money for it on several occasions, he never sold it. He considered it by far his best painting and whenever he was discouraged or doubted his abilities, he looked at that painting and his confidence came back. 

When we are discouraged, what gifts do we recognise that we’ve given by God – gifts in what we have certainly, but also gifts in who we are and what we can do and offer… 

God calls us and trusts us to be his. We can think of the trust that he places in us as we’re called to be his disciples today, and we can recognise the love that never leaves us… 

Whatever confidence we might have in ourselves, let’s measure it in terms of what confidence we have in God… 

Like Paul, let’s take time to just make time for God – make time to think, to pray, to worship, and - to share and be good news…. Amen