“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
If there is one good thing that has come out of this present Pandemic it is the care that so many people have shown to those in need. Doctors, nurses, carers, those who work in food banks and other charitable organizations; even neighbours who for the first time have perhaps got to know who lives next door or in their street; often these acts of care or kindness are carried out without the knowledge of the recipient.
It is true that often out of trouble and adversity there is a very human and basic response of kindness, charity and dare I say even love. We have again just had “Children in Need”, and one cannot but be struck by the plight of so many children in this country alone, without looking at the desperate situation of children in so many parts of the rest of our world. Yet, year after year there is a very heart warming response from the British public as a whole.
Today, ‘Christ the King’ Sunday, celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of all things. Instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, this Feast Day is now celebrated on the final Sunday of Ordinary Time in the Church’s calendar, that is, the Sunday before the beginning of Advent, which of course, leads us up to Christmas.
In 1925 Pope Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, was witnessing the rise of non-Christian dictatorships in Europe, which saw Catholics being ‘taken in’ by these earthly leaders, dictators who often attempted to assert authority over the Church. The Feast of ‘Christ the King’ was instituted during this time, when respect for Christ and the Church was waning; the ‘feast day’ was seen to be needed to reverse this decline.
Today of course many of our churches are closed, as with St. Luke’s and the Barn apart from being open for private prayer, and I know our church leaders are trying very hard to reverse that Government decree, as I believe many reading and hearing this would also wish. It is though in my opinion the strength of the Christian faith, that it lives in it’s believers, we are the ‘body of Christ’, the church.
This allows us to function outside the four walls of a building, in fact Christ began to build his church on a ‘rock’ called Peter, and this ‘church’ was taken on and grown by the Apostle Paul and his followers in the peoples of present day Turkey and Greece.
How much of that teaching of Christ, as we heard in our Gospel reading, is being carried out, day after day, in these present times, and by those who do not ask or seek for any reward or recognition. Who so often go unnoticed, without praise or thanks, other than knowing in themselves that they have done a good turn for a fellow human being less fortunate than themselves.
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
We are never in isolation, never completely alone, never just one set of footprints in the sand, for God sees and knows all, even if so often we doubt or forget that He is with us always.
As Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians:
“God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.”
A king who rode on a donkey, and ruled not by the sword, or by false promises, or by offering power and prestige to others, but by love and care and commitment to those who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, unclothed and unloved, those who even today are the most forgotten or rejected by our society. It is as Christians, as Christ’s Church here on earth that we, you and me, must continue to grow His Kingdom, and show ourselves worthy of being with Him in the ever-lasting kingdom at the end of time.
So as we celebrate this ‘Christ the King’ Sunday let us do so in the knowledge that Kings, Queens, Dictators and even Presidents will come and go, but there is only one true King with ‘power and dominion’, who will be with us and care for us as long as we praise His name. Amen.
Prayers for the Feast of Christ the King
Dear Lord, You sent your son as the servant King whose kingdom is one of service, suffering and humility. A King who rules by love and care. We are reminded by the Gospel today that we should serve and care for one another and in doing so we serve you.
In that spirit, let us pray.
We pray for our leaders and all who are in positions of responsibility. We ask that they make wise decisions for the good of all people. May they keep in mind their responsibilities in all they do and the decisions they make. The news of a vaccine has given hope for all that the end of the pandemic is in sight. We pray that our leaders will ensure a fair distribution between all nations. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Truthful God, we pray for those who hunger for justice and peace. Help us to stand beside them. We pray for our neighbours caught up in conflicts; we pray for our neighbours fleeing from danger; we pray for our neighbours who are oppressed or wrongly imprisoned; we pray for our neighbours whose lives are blighted by natural disasters or poverty; we pray for our neighbours who are victims of terrorism or hate crime. Bless those who work to bring relief to our neighbours and help us to show the same compassion and generosity. We ask for peace in our world, we ask for healing in our world. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are suffering in our community. We think of people who have lost their jobs or who are anxious about money. We think of those who have no homes nor friends and family to support them. We give thanks for the work of Glass Door, the Vineyard and Richmond Foodbank and their supporting volunteers. We pray for an end to poverty. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Loving God, we pray for those who are thirsty for human kindness. We pray for those who are finding the isolation of lockdown hard. We pray for those who are lonely, those in care homes missing their loved ones, those who are in difficult relationships, those struggling with mental health problems. Help us to seek out the lonely and to be a refuge for the abused, so that they might be refreshed in you. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Caring God, we pray for those who are sick in body, mind or spirit. We give thanks for the care that they receive through friends, family, or caring professionals. Let us pray for Grace Hay, Alan Hay, John Lynch, Roger Mason and others known to us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Gracious God, we commend all those who have died into your loving care. Bless those whose hearts are filled with sadness that they too may know the hope of resurrection in Jesus Christ our Lord. We remember Janet Hicks and others known to us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us finish with the post communion prayer for today: Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son our saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The story of the ten talents – money, its investment and its wise use – is a perplexing tale to have at this moment in time when the Chancellor is borrowing billions of pounds to shore up an economy with a very unpredictable outcome. We have been told ‘to eat out to help out’ and to support small businesses by shopping locally but now that shops and eateries are closed, those of us who still have incomes have fewer outlets for spending and those with no income are looking to Food Banks to keep them going.
I am no economist so it is not for me to pass an opinion save to say that we seem to be living in extraordinary topsy turvy times where ‘normality’ is so different it feels difficult to work out what is best to do.
And maybe this is the point – life can throw such googlies at us that normal conventions of behaviour are seriously challenged. Last week five bridesmaids were found ‘unprepared’ and for those of us who have been living comfortable lives in a well-ordered society it would seem easy to wag the finger. The reading from Zephaniah describes such a people who have a materially comfortable life. Being well housed, well fed and with money to ease their discomforts they don’t feel they really need to trouble God or God them. So they are completely flummoxed when their world gets turned upside down, which Zephaniah describes as a punishment for their ‘complacency’.
And today the story of the talents is, in its own way, another confusing story. At first glance it can look like those who have enough funds can afford to invest them, while those with very little cannot – which doesn’t seem very fair.
What are we to make of a master who suddenly decides to go away without saying when he will be back? And who gives his three slaves money but with no instructions about what to do with it. Two of the slaves seem to realise that this is some sort of a test and they appear to trust their master. He has trusted them with large quantities of money, they understand it is not theirs to spend as they like so they make the most of it by investing it so that the master will have even more money to do with as he wants when he eventually returns. And it turns out this is the right response and they are rewarded with even more responsibilities. Responsibilities which are considered less of a duty and more of a privilege.
But the third slave has a different relationship with his master. This slave feels his master trusts him less than the other two. He already has a difficult relationship with the master and being only given one talent feels like confirmation of this and he is both afraid and resentful. So he buries the talent – in an act of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. But of course the wretched talent isn’t ‘out of mind’ because when the master returns this slave knows he is going to get into trouble which makes him determined to have his say first. His response is one of attack, attack on the character of his master. The third slave cannot see beyond himself. If the foolish bridesmaids were only intent on enjoying themselves the third slave is just as self-obsessed – in this case with his own failure and resentment. He cannot see that the other two slaves are rewarded for their efforts irrespective of how much profit they make. The slave with only one talent can only see what he doesn’t have and how deprived he feels compared with the other two. But also – and perhaps most importantly – he doesn’t want to change. Burying his talent is shutting away the possibility of opening up to something different.
So, what might we take from this in our present COVID 19 world? Like the master suddenly leaving the household, we too have experienced an unexpected, huge change in circumstances. This may have given rise to the discovery of new riches, new responsibilities in each one of us. What are we doing with them? Are we trying out new ways of growing by learning different skills or dusting down old ones? Are we now more aware of the greatness and mystery of God?
But it does not all have to be about doing and taking on more. If circumstances in this pandemic have left you feeling totally drained and broken then, as the psalm says, ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Because then your one talent may simply be to be open, not buried like the third slave did with his one talent, and by being open, open to being filled with the love of God – and that is a talent invested
Intercessions for 15th November 2020
From St. Luke’s and The Barn churches, companions in Christ, we pray to God.
We ask you to bless our Royal Family, our clergy, and the clergy of all faiths that preach peace. We remember at this time Rabbi Jonathan Sachs and the leadership he gave beyond his flock. Give courage to all congregations that have no services to attend at this time.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We ask for your guidance for all those in our government and parliament. May they see clearly the tasks before them, whether at home or in relations with other countries, setting aside any animosities and choosing always the common good.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the ending of division in the United States of America. May all people there find unity and peace during the coming weeks, for the benefit of the whole world.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Dear Lord, let us give thanks for our scientists from all over the World who are working hard to develop vaccines that will safeguard the health of all people.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all doctors, nurses and healthcare workers in our country. So many of them are tired and overworked. Let us pray especially for any known to us.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the sick. Grace Hay, Alan Hay, John Lynch, Roger Mason. And for others, known to us.
Lord in your mercy, her our prayer.
At this time of remembrance, we think of all those who have given their lives for us. We remember also those known to us who have recently died, among them, Janet Hicks. And we keep in our prayers all who are bereaved. May they reach peace and comfort through their troubles.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our community in Kew. We call to mind especially those among us who face the challenges of losing jobs, of anxiety over money or who suffer loneliness or unhappiness.
Fill all our hearts with your love and send us out like lighted candles to our families, friends and all whom we meet.
Merciful Father,
Accept these prayers,
For the sake of your son, Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Am
Matthew 5 v 1-12; 1 John 3 v 1-3; Revelations 7 v 9–end; Psalm 34 v 1-10
Today is All Saints Day or All Hallow’s Day. The day after Halloween, which now has much more secular than religious significance in our society.
Saint is not a term we see in the Gospels, except for one mention at the end of Matthew, where there is a reference to the Saints and, in this context, holy people who had already died. Jesus does not talk about Saints.
So, who are Saints? In the early church it was a term used for the Christian community as a whole. It was only as the church gained in size and influence that it began to be used for people of particular sanctity as a specific title. The Catholic church still creates Saints to this Day.
Over the centuries it has been used occasionally to talk about Christians in general – as Charles Wesley did in his famous hymn, Let Saints on Earth in concert sing.
A true saint is not really someone who is just good or kind or who has had a hard life and coped well. In the Christian tradition it is now usually used to refer to someone who is recognised as being holy, worthy and a good servant of Christ
When researching this sermon, I came across a no doubt apocryphal story of a man who went to see his parish priest after the death of his brother. ‘I’d like you to conduct the funeral service, he said, and I would like you to say that he was a saint. If you do so, I will give you a cheque for £10,000 for your church roof appeal.’ What to do? The Vicar knew that the brother was certainly not saintly, but the roof was leaking and the money would be welcome for the appeal. The day of the funeral came. The Vicar stood to speak, ‘Everybody knows he had a colourful life, he said, but, wicked and sinful though he was, compared with his brother he was a saint.’ It is not known whether the £10,000 arrived in the church coffers!
Christians do not have a monopoly over goodness, in fact for the most part we are all sinners and often fall short of the calling we have to be children of God. The sermon on the Mount, which we heard in the Gospel this morning is Jesus’ call to us all to lead righteous, kind, good and Christian lives: to strive to be Saintly.
As Christians we should all do our best for Jesus, try to keep to his commandments, to love one another and to work for the benefit of our fellow humanity. But we can and do fail and, even then, we are redeemed through God’s love for us all.
Tomorrow is All Soul’s Day, the day when we commemorate and pray for all those who have died. The ordinary people, who led ordinary, hopefully decent, faithful and good lives and passed on into the arms of our Saviour. I feel perhaps a little more comfortable with those commemorated tomorrow. The majority of humanity, uncommemorated except by those who loved them, the sinners and the triers, the sort of people Jesus liked to mix with.
All Souls Day is a big event in Latin America, where it is known as the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. I remember it well from when I lived in Panama. In Mexico especially it is huge and they entertain their dead relations and friends with feasts and dancing. It brings memories alive and gives opportunity for prayer for those who have gone before. I chair a small charity here in the UK called the Anglo Latin American Foundation, which works to support projects for disadvantaged children in South and Central America. Usually we have a big Dia de Los Muertos fund raising fiesta – this year sadly it is only an on-line bingo night! But we continue to try to help the living by commemorating the dead.
Moving on; Oscar Wilde once said: ‘The only difference between a saint and a sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.’ Flippant perhaps, but every sinner does have a future, if they accept the loving forgiveness that God offers them.
In conclusion: ‘Saint’ is not usually a word that we would use to describe ourselves these days. But in the early church it was a term for the community of believers, trying to live out the Christian life. We are trying to do this, so there is no reason for us not to think of ourselves as Saints as a collective noun or group, who work together to fulfil God’s will for his world. This is a work in progress as it has been for two thousand years and we must keep on trying, supporting and helping each other.
Jesus said ‘I will be with you to the end of the age’. Through his love and by listening to and obeying his commandments we are part of his body on earth: his Saints. Let us be proud to be these Saints on earth working together to fulfil God’s wishes for his World.
Luke 10v 1-9; 2 Timothy 4 V 5-17; Psalm 147v1-7; Isaiah 35v3-6
Sermon
The Gospel and New Testament readings today are both about mission and community. Jesus knew that the message of salvation needed to be passed on by his followers to the rest of the World – and we know that they did that as the message of salvation flooded across the Middle East in a very short time after Jesus’s Ascension.
A few weeks ago we had Harvest Festival, when we gave thanks for all the good gifts produced by the Earth for us through God’s generosity. And, here we are, thinking about harvest again. But this time in terms of the work God has for us to do as his disciples in the World.
God has a wonderful message for the World and it is the responsibility of Christians to spread it. This is much more of a challenge now than it has been in the past. Even fifty years ago it was still the norm to go to church in this country and even if people did not go, most of them knew the basics of the Christian faith. Now we read in the media that about only 1 million people attend a Church of England service on an average Sunday. This does not of course mean that only one in 65 people go to church. There are many other churches – the Catholics and Pentecostalists among many. But church going is no longer the norm and many people do not even know what we believe. Just as in Biblical times, it is our responsibility to tell them.
Jesus sent seventy of his followers to spread the Word. These are described as “others”, so we can assume that they were not of the twelve disciples. We know little of these people except that they were joined together by a shared task, having all received the same instructions from Jesus. They were sent in twos, no doubt so that they could encourage one another when the going got tough.
Jesus was sending out those who had been his followers, people who had seen his miracles, heard his words, and responded with faith and enthusiasm, asking questions to which they did not necessarily receive answers that were easy to understand. It was quite a tough commission. This was before the passion, before Jesus’ death and resurrection. It must have been taking them outside their comfort zones, when they did not perhaps themselves really understand what it was all about. What they had to so was to explain that in the person of Jesus, God was bringing his love and his peace to the World. They needed to bring this message simply and openly. And clearly. It was quite a challenge and quite a sacrifice to ask of them and it required them to be brave.
Sacrifice and bravery. Being a follower of Jesus is not for the faint-hearted. Jesus sent out these anonymous disciples to spread the Word. And he sends us too and, similarly, we have to accept being sent out with only what he gives us, because he will give us what we need.
What struck me when I read the Timothy and Gospel passages together was that Jesus named no names – he sent seventy people. There was no favouritism, no compliments to one or complaints about another. We do not even know if he sent only men or if some were women. He was starting the massive work of Christian witness and mission that would follow over the centuries. Work for all Christians.
And then we read Paul writing to Timothy and he makes it all much more personal. He talks of several individuals. Those who had stayed with him and helped him and those who had not. We know that Titus and Tychicus were loyal followers away preaching the Gospel. Crescens is believed by Biblical scholars to have been a worthy missionary and perhaps even one of Jesus’ seventy. But Demas had fallen by the wayside and Alexander was a non-believer making Paul’s work more difficult. It all sounds terribly human – those who were useful and helpful and those who were indifferent or a hindrance. The contrast with the calling to all without differentiation of Jesus and the detail of Paul brings home to me the universality and yet the individuality of our faith.
We may feel small and of little value in spreading the good news. But we are all challenged by Jesus’ sending out of the seventy to spread his word. Are we willing to be sent out by Jesus as they were? They may not have felt safe or secure, they may have felt inadequate, they no doubt had their doubts and their fears, but they went for him nevertheless and so must we, bearing witness to our Lord and our faith in our everyday lives and contacts with the World.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord, the God of bravery and boldness, who encourages the weak and timid, grant us the courage to be your agents to those we meet in this World. For the sake of Jesus, in whose name we are sent. Amen
Matthew 22 v 1-14; Philippians 4 v 1-9; Isaiah 25 v 1-9; Psalm 23
When I was serving our country overseas, I received – and it has to be said – sent, many invitations to events. Most of these were to things like diplomatic dinners or other countries national days. I hosted the Queen’s Birthday Party on several occasions in both Panama and Mongolia. Invitations usually said RSVP or Regrets only – meaning you only had to reply if you could not come. But when people could not come this was accepted at face value without any further thought. I never received an invitation which had to be accepted on pain of death, I am glad to say! And I never served in another country which had a Monarch. But, had I done so, I think I would not have regretted an invitation issued by a King, I would have been there whatever!
Like many parables, on the surface the parable in today’s gospel all seems like a huge example of overreaction all round. But when we look at the serious message behind the story, it all makes much more sense.
God has prepared a wonderful place for us in heaven. All are invited and he hopes that all will come. But many reject him and his love and all that he offers us. Many do not believe or do not care or have much better things to do with their time than worship him or thank him. You cannot blame him for being at the very least disappointed.
One could think of the first people who were invited as the people of Israel, to whom Jesus was sent, but who rejected and killed him. Perhaps. But then we come onto the main point of the parable. God invites everyone.
I am reminded of the lovely song “The Holy City” – where it talks about the dream of the writer about Heaven, the new Jerusalem:
The light of God was on its streets,
The gates were open wide,
And all who would might enter
And no-one was denied.
Many are called, but few are chosen. God’s invitation is an open one, everyone is invited. This is the point the parable is making. The Gospel is for all people and all nations. Everyone is called to the heavenly feast. We ourselves are to help invite everyone. Not all will respond. Some will be ambivalent. Others will reject it with hostility. Many people may think that have autonomy to live their lives any way they want. Well they do, up to a point. But everything has a cost – we can reject the invitation, we can be luke-warm about it, but if we really love God, we will accept it with joy and enthusiastically. The chosen are those who take the invitation seriously and come with keenness and faith and true acceptance of the message they have received.
Hmm, but then we come to the man improperly dressed. Poor chap, he had been dragged in off the streets with no time to change or prepare. Bit rough perhaps to be cast into the outer darkness. But if we look at it another way – was he just perhaps treating his fabulous invitation a bit too casually. Was he hoping for the benefits without any effort or input or devotion? Worth pondering on.
So, let us examine ourselves today as we come to the holy table. Why are we here? Are we coming with the right motives? Are we ready? Are we thankful that Jesus died for us? Do we really appreciate that when we take the holy sacraments, we are placing ourselves at the commemoration of the most central part of our Christian lives and preparing ourselves for heaven? Jesus said: “This is my body” and “This is my blood” – the best banquet we could ever had as it cleanses our souls, puts us right with God and prepares us, not only for the week ahead, but for the joys to come. No better bread and no better wine have ever been offered at any banquet. The world often looks at this celebration with contempt or indifference. It has no appreciation of just how precious the body and blood of Jesus really are.
As Christians we look back to Cavalry, but we also look forward to the joys of the banquet in heaven. In this World we will have trails and obstacles. We need to prepare ourselves for the journey ahead with its bumps and problems. But, without a shadow of doubt, the goal and reward will be worth it all.
He said to his disciples, ’Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing’.
I have to admit straightaway that one of the bonuses of moving to where we now live, here in Kew, is the fact that M&S is less than 10 minutes walk away, absolutely great for both food and clothes!
Well today we celebrate Harvest Festival and it is I feel a double celebration, for we are also celebrating the return of Junior church.
How wonderful it is to have more children joining us here in St. Luke’s. So it is a double ‘thank you’ to God, firstly for our bountiful Harvest, all that the land and sea provide us with, and a ‘thank you’ for creation itself, and for our children.
As we know from the story in Genesis, after God had created the world and all that lives in it, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”, Genesis 2.15. Well, in all honesty human kind has made a pretty bad job of it ever since, and here we need to come together to say sorry. Sorry firstly to God, but also a very big sorry as adults to our children, grandchildren and all future generations, because it is these young people who are and will suffer from our greedy and reckless handling of the beautiful and bountiful world God created for us.
Just one simple fact to demonstrate, we in this country waste up to £9.7 billion pounds in money, not in weight, in food each year with 65% of adults admitting to buying more food than they need, while 9 million people die from starvation each year, with a child dying every 10 seconds somewhere in the world.
“And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work…..for God loves a cheerful giver.“ Words heard in our reading from 2 Corinthians.
As Jesus told in his Gospel parable, we can be very good at storing things up for ourselves, especially at the moment with the Pandemic, without stopping to think of others and actually being realistic and reasonable about our own needs. Do we all really need 50 loo roles in our cupboards?
Yes, we are all human and we panic buy and we do worry about how we look and what to wear, and what our next meal will be and if we will be able to afford next year’s holiday, that is if we are even allowed to go. Yet Jesus is saying to his disciples, and to all of us, where is your faith? “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you- you of little faith!”
We are, perhaps at last, beginning to understand what Sir David Attenborough and Princes Charles, with many others, have been saying for years, and echoed now by Greta Thunberg and Prince William, we cannot keep taking more and more and leave behind only our waste. We do not live in a disposable world, although there still remain some, even in places of authority and great influence, who believe so.
God provided us with a wonderful world full of great beauty and wonder, full of abundance both on the land, in the seas and in the skies. Who cannot be touched by the beauty and fragrance of a rose garden, the wonder of a rainbow or a sun set, and the grandeur of the mighty Himalayas, or an awe inspiring elephant?
How lucky we are in Kew to have the Gardens and the 2,360 acres of Richmond Park on our doorstep, no wonder Sir David Attenborough was happy to spend a lot of his time in ‘lock-down’, just listening to the birdsong near the Park. No one, not me not you, are going to change the world overnight, or reverse the damage done to God’s world all at once, but as David Attenborough replied when asked what one thing would he advocate for us all to do, it was ‘don’t waste anything, squander nothing!’ Therefore each and everyone of us can make a difference in how we live and manage our lives, so that we may be truly thankful and joyful at God’s great Harvest and leave to our children and grandchildren a cleaner and healthier world than the world we now have, so that we can truly say, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
