Sharing some thoughts

Last week we thought about the Magnificat and this evening I want to think a bit more about the other Song of Praise that we sing in the Evening Prayer service, which is the Nunc Dimittis. Nunc Dimittis is the Latin for the words ‘now you are dismissing’, and the words are those of Simeon contained in the gospel of Luke ( 2:28 -32) as the baby Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the Temple – there they will make their sacrifice to God as a thanksgiving for the gift of the child. At the Temple they meet Simeon, a man who we are told is righteous and devout ( 2:25 ). He seems to have been waiting quietly for the promised day when God would save his people – through the Holy Spirit God had promised Simeon that his life would not end until he had seen the Messiah. In the baby Jesus, Simeon recognised his Messiah and he praised God, satisfied that his life’s work was done. And we’re told that Mary and Joseph were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. These words are ...

Shortly after being ordained I was invited, or instructed actually, to preach on the Feast Day of St Simon and St Jude, the day which was actually celebrated yesterday in the Church Calendar, but which we are commemorating today. Of all the major Saints Days in the Church Calendar that St Simon and St Jude is the one that is perhaps most difficult to preach about, simply because we know so little about either of them. Both Simon and Jude were named in the gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke as 2 of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Simon is called the ‘Zealot’. It may have been that he belonged to a political group fiercely opposed to the Roman occupation, or it may have been simply a nickname to describe his zealous work for Christ. Whatever the truth, it probably helps us to shape some sort of view of Simon as a radical campaigner. Sadly even less is known of Jude. It seems he was also known as Thaddaeus, which may have been a last name. Somewhat unkindly, he has become known as the Pa...

Last week I mentioned that the gospel of Luke contains 3 of the great hymns of praise, the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis which are sung at evening prayer, and the Benedictus which is included in the morning prayer service. This evening I want to think about the Magnificat (Luke 1:46 -55). The words are very well known to all of us who attend evensong. These are the words of Mary after she has been told that she is to give birth to Jesus. It’s a remarkable set of words for a young lady, and it’s worth just remembering the position she had found herself in. Here was a girl probably in her early to mid teens who was engaged to be married to a local carpenter who was probably quite a lot older than her, and she received a vision that she was to give birth. Whilst she may have had little doubt about the reality of that vision and of the virgin birth, she must also have known and feared what people around her would have been thinking. The disgrace and shame she had brought on her fami...

I was reading recently some actual excuses which have appeared on insurance claim forms – excuses such as, I collided with a stationary car coming in the other direction or To avoid a collision I ran into the other car or I saw the tree before I hit it, but I didn’t realise it was there. The Christian life is all about a relationship with Jesus, yet on many occasions we seem to make excuses for not really being an active part within that relationship. But today’s Collect reminds us of where our priorities must lie, ‘God, without you we are not able to please you…’ Many of us will have heard time after time about good people, really good people, but people who are living their lives without God. We assume that God must be pleased with good works and nice people, but that is to assume that God thinks just like we do, when in fact he doesn’t. In the gospel reading we heard again the account of James and John asking to sit by the side of Jesus in heaven (Mark 10:35 -45), becaus...

On Wednesday in the Church Calendar we celebrate the Feast of St Luke. Luke is of course well known as the Gentile, or non Jewish, Doctor, who wrote the gospel of Luke and also the Acts of the Apostles. If these two books are taken together then Luke actually wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else, even Paul. It seems likely that he was brought up in Antioch, in an environment strongly influenced by Greeks and Romans – the fact that he was a doctor points to the fact that he would have mixed very much in the upper circles of society – yet his writing points us to a God of compassion for all people and a God offering salvation and hope to all. Of the 4 gospels, Luke is my favourite, and this evening I just wanted to share some of the messages of that gospel, because perhaps more than in any other gospel we find there some of the guidelines of how our Churches should look today. In fact just before doing that I read a joke this week which is relevant tonight really beca...

This morning’s gospel reading (Mark 10:17 -31) is one of those uncomfortable ones where Christians for probably 2000 years have tried to explain it or reason it away. In it Jesus is asked by the rich young ruler what he must do to inherit eternal life. Actually, although most of us will know this story as the story of the rich young ruler, Mark is the only gospel writer who suggests he is rich, Matthew is the only one who says he is young, and Luke is the only one who calls him a ruler. But these three things are all tremendously relevant to the point Jesus is making. First of all we are told that the man is rich. More often than not at those times riches came from taking advantage of the poor. For someone to have money generally meant someone else did not. Today material wealth is gained in many ways, and often I am pleased to say, not at the direct expense of others, but, and this is where even today things get very uncomfortable – there are many people today living in povert...

Tonight I want to think about 2 things. The first is hope and the second is example. I think it’s around these two things that our readings revolve this evening (Isaiah 65:17-end,Revelation 21:1-7,John 15:1-17). In Isaiah we are painted a picture by the prophet of a new creation – a new heaven and a new earth where, and I quote, ‘the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind’. In the reading from John’s gospel we hear the story told by Jesus describing himself as the TRUE VINE. The reading from Isaiah along with the reading from the Book of Revelation very much remind us of our Christian hope and the gospel reading considers the example of Jesus. As you know recently Helen and I visited Krakow in Poland where Pope John Paul II spent 40 years in ministry – some time ago I read a book by him, and in it he wrote about the hopes for and of young people. When he first became Pope he stood out on the balcony and shouted the words, ‘Be not afraid.’ For many people of all...

Children are well known for their unpredictability. There are times when you hope that they will be on their best behaviour and they won’t, there are times when you hope they will be quiet, and they just won’t, and at other times they can be little angels behaving perfectly. But one thing that you can really be sure of with children is that they will say what they think. Some of the children’s letters to God are wonderful, for example :- Dear GOD, In school they told us what You do. Who does it when You are on holiday ? Dear GOD, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? Dear GOD, Is it true my father won't get to Heaven if he uses his rugby words in the house? Dear GOD, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? In our gospel reading this morning (Mark 10:13 -16), we heard the account of the disciples trying to stop people bringing little children to Jesus. It was usual in that society for people to bring children to a Rab...