Stir things up....

Today’s (alternative) collect is one of the most well-known of all of the collects used in the Church calendar. 

“Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;  that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

It’s also one of the longest lasting. It’s changed slightly over the years, but the part that most people remember best has remained unchanged, and that is the first 2 words, ‘Stir up’. 

Of course the words bring with them all kinds of connotations about stirring up the Christmas puddings - that’s if you don’t buy them in Tesco or Marks & Spencer’s. But those words ‘Stir up’ must surely mean so much more to us. 

Today is of course the last Sunday of the year in the Church Calendar. Next Sunday, Advent Sunday, is the New Year celebration in the Church, and so as we end this one Church year, and prepare for the next, I want to think for a few moments about those words ‘Stir up’. 

If we take our minds away from Christmas puddings and think for a moment what those words really mean, we’ll perhaps get images of things really moving, God working amongst us, and amongst our whole community. We’ll think perhaps of people standing up and saying the awkward things that people don’t want to hear – perhaps about commitment to a God who has already committed absolutely everything to us. 

The words ‘Stir up’ are powerful words, and if we pray them, we are challenged to mean them and live them ! There’s the famous quote about the teaching of Jesus being to ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable’, and today we are challenged to ask ourselves whether we are willing to be afflicted – whether in fact we are willing to carry the cross of Jesus into the new year.

In the gospel reading (Luke 23:33-43) things seem a little bit confused – as we approach Christmas, as the carols and Christmas songs continue in the ever busier shops, we have a gospel reading of Easter and the crucifixion. 

But this is no mistake, because Easter is what gives advent and Christmas relevance. The birth of Jesus by itself would mean nothing 2000 years on, without the death of Jesus; just as the death of Jesus would mean nothing 2000 years on without the resurrection, and here we have Jesus talking to the 2 criminals being crucified alongside him. The one mocks him, but the other recognises something more about Jesus. 

He doesn’t see a criminal, he doesn’t see a guilty man – he sees a king. He sees someone who holds the key to his future – ‘Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom’ he says, to which Jesus responds, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

That criminal spoke to Jesus knowing that he had no real right to, knowing that he had no cause for justifying himself, but he received the full mercy of Jesus. It was too late for him to go and shout about it to friends and neighbours, too late for him to ‘Stir up’ a vision in others, but God accepted him, just as he accepts all who call on his name… 

But for us it’s not too late to ‘stir things up’, to shout about God to friends and neighbours, to tell them about how much he loves us, to ‘stir up’ this wonderful vision of an eternal future. This 1 criminal certainly had that vision – he knew that his death would not be the end, and just as he had a vision for the future, so we must have a vision for our future, and that vision must be earthly as well as heavenly ! 

‘Stir up O Lord’ must mean our being prepared to challenge others. It must mean committing ourselves to living out in words and actions the compassion, the courage and the mercy of Jesus. It must mean speaking out for good against bad. It must mean praying that right will always triumph over wrong. It must mean being prepared to stand up and let people know that God has made a difference in our lives, and that he can make a difference in theirs. 

Image is hugely important today. We only need to look at politicians and sports people and all kinds of celebrities to realise that. The images that people have in their minds make a difference to how they view things, and once again we are called to consider the image of the Church…. Is it of a body of people alive, joyful, compassionate and caring, eager to welcome newcomers of all kinds… or is it not… 

It actually doesn’t matter what the reality is – Many people’s idea of Jesus is already tainted by the perceived vision they have of the Church, and it’s up to us to tell them, and more importantly show them, that the vision is wrong. 

The criminal on the cross didn’t see a fellow criminal – he saw someone with the power to set him free from anything he’d done or been. His faith was incredible when you think about it, but not as incredible as the grace and mercy of Jesus who wiped the past away and offered that welcome into paradise…. 

It’s a real lesson to us in the church when we make rules and regulations about who is ‘in’ and who is ‘not’ because Jesus threw away so many of those rules by showing that love and compassion and welcome always come first… 

Today is also known in the church calendar as Christ the King Sunday, and I’d like to finish with 3 points about Christ as our King which hopefully remind us of our need to proclaim Him :-

Firstly, we’ve thought of the fact that the gospel reading seems a bit out of place today being more suited to the Easter period, but let’s remember that Jesus turns everything upside down. He wasn’t the King the people were expecting who would defeat the Romans in a mighty battle. 

And He isn’t the king who’ll force people to follow him. He isn’t the king who uses the weapons and powers of this world. He is the king who offers us a choice – follow him or not… Receive his love and his mercy or not… If we do we must be prepared to have our lives turned upside down – in all kinds of ways, some of which we will not expect. 

Secondly, because Jesus is the king and we worship Him, we need to be continually thankful for all He offers us. The fact that Jesus died and rose again and is majestic means that we have a King and Saviour we can really trust. He has not let us down and He never will ! When Jesus makes promises they are real and lasting ! 

And thirdly, we are privileged to call ourselves Christians. We may not be famous,but then we probably wouldn’t like being in magazines having our images questioned and judged, but we are people who have met and worship the ultimate, even if unexpected, King, and that is an image that must change us in a way that is visible for all to see.

The words ‘Stir up’ are powerful words that mean action, and dramatic action at that, and so as we prepare for a new Christian year, let’s be prepared over thiscoming year to ‘Stir things up’ for Christ, to make a difference as a Church and as individuals, to make his name known better, to help others to feel his presence in their lives, and in the words of Paul in his letter to the Colossians (1:11-14) may each one of us be made strong with all the strength that comes from God’s glorious power and may we be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father… (Colossians 1:11ff). AMEN