In my work I often have funny occasions, such as people asking me strange questions, or being shocked that I am a priest – I never know how to take that, or people telling me I seem quite normal, I am even less sure of how to take that !
People build up ideas of what someone is like just by their title, where they are from …. Or even what their beliefs are.
Perceptions can cause more damage than reality. How many times have you heard people say, ‘They’re a Christian so you would expect better,’ or as happened to me when I was 9, when another little girl said, ‘as a Christian I guess that you only ever listen to Aled Jones (now nothing against Aled at that age I was convinced I was going to marry him…) but I protested that I did listen to the Bangles as well. The little girl responded, ‘O, you are normal then.’ I was once told that as Ian and I are both priests we would never understand what it was to have an argument ……
Anyway, perceptions. People expect something of all of us based on who we are. It is really hard when what we do doesn’t quite fit with people’s perceptions of us… either their perception is wrong or … we really aren’t living up to who we are or what we claim to believe.
Our readings this morning have reminded us of the need to stay rooted in the word of God, to listen to the words of the Bible and to put them into practice. Our behaviour pattern is not to come from anyone else but from the words of Jesus Himself, His words that as we heard in the gospel reading will never pass away.
In the reading from the letter to the Colossians we heard of a perfect way of being. To be honest the reading explains how we should be, this is the perception that we must follow because it is our instruction for life. We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, meekness and the one that I am perfect at (in a Uriah Heap type of way) humility. These are quite hard demands after all who has ever shown all these things at once apart from Jesus.
In the section before this one in the letter to the Colossians Paul wrote of all the things that can stop us from living in harmony. He wrote of wickedness, blasphemy, lying, disobedience. All these type of attitudes he put down as the old life, the before Jesus life.
The reading this morning spoke of how things should be this is the perfect perception, the perfect way of being. What a contrast to the former part!
This morning we are celebrating 65 years of the Mothers Union in this parish. The mothers union has often been seen as a dying organisation of women drinking tea and gossiping. How wrong this is! The MU does wonderful work and I am able to say truthfully that due to the work of the organization it is a great place for any Christian to belong, as members support each other, pray for each other, and as those people in poverty are helped, people in family difficulties are helped, the gospel is given to people not just by words but by actions.
The reading from Colossians reminds us of the people we should be, as we reach out to others. And the Mothers union does this by promoting stable marriage, family life and the protection of children.They do this through prayer, through enabling people to discover and utilise their skills and to stand against injustice.
The MU does what we should all seek to do, which is to follow Jesus, to be people who live in perfect harmony, that as we worship we celebrate Jesus and being together, that as we turn to praise we do so with all our heart and that we use scriptures to encourage us and most important that we do everything with love following our God who loves us so much.
Today is Bible Sunday when we give thanks for the Bible, for the words of God in our lives. The words which help us through prayer and fellowship to follow God’s commandments. We do this by being more like Jesus. In the reading from Colossians we heard of what the new life, the life following God should be like.
I read a book a little while ago called ‘In His steps’, this book is a fictional story of a minister who was challenged to think of what following Jesus really meant. In order to do this he continually asked, ‘What would Jesus do? He then asked his congregation if any would like to pledge to do the same for a year, many did and there was a huge success and a complete change in the lives of the people who lived in the town. The movement spread to other towns and cities.
If we all sought to do exactly as Jesus would do can you imagine the change we would see? The world would be turned upside down as the ways of Jesus to love the unlovable, to touch the untouchables, to befriend the friendless, to seek justice and righteousness rather than riches and our own ways became a daily reality for all around. It would be amazing..
Mothers Union members, just like anyone else, sometimes get things wrong in life – but the organisation stands for the values Jesus taught, and because of that offers an example to us all of how to live in perfect harmony. The last 65 years in this parish have been enriched by the love, the fellowship and the support of the Mothers Union and we praise God for giving those gifts to his church.
Some think Christianity is boring and timid, away from reality… but we follow a Saviour who revolutionised the world by reaching out to those that society didn’t take into account, who said to everyone that they mattered, who brought freedom from all that threatens to destroy people, who died for us not a timid carpenter who spoils our joy but a Saviour whose words will never die, who came to bring hope, freedom and perfect joy.
Let us all try and live up to the perception of being like Jesus, to life the new way and seeking to be more like Him. Lets move beyond perception to reality as we worship God who didn’t just create joy, love and freedom but who is all these things. AMEN
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