My kingdom is not from this world

John 18.33-37 & Daniel 7.9-10,13,14

Power crazy people in themselves can be difficult enough but when they come face to face with their opposite number and neither will back down, then it’s often a recipe for disaster. People and physical resources become mere pawns in their games as they seek to destabilise and weaken each other. I’m sure that you can easily call to mind examples currently in the news, Belarus, Afghanistan and the troop build up near Ukraine come to mind.

So today we meet the familiar figure of Pontius Pilate, a powerful man indeed, the Roman Prefect (or Governor) of Judea with great military resources at his disposal. He really is not interested in the people’s squabbles as he sees the concerns of the Jewish leaders, there is a sense that he can’t be bothered to intervene in their dramas unless his rule is threatened. So he wastes no energy investigating what he assumes are false accusations against the man brought before him, this Jesus of Nazareth, and instead comes straight out with ‘ Are you the King of the Jews’?

If you asked a Judean local who was powerful they would tell you of the Roman and Jewish leaders but the way in which Jesus answers Pilate’s question has a sense of power that comes from a deeper authority which isn’t granted through rank or your place in the system.

Jesus’ reply is a challenge that I’ve seen described as ‘slow’, the slow food movement I’m familiar with but slow Kingship is a new way of for seeing things. I guess it’s the sort of challenge to Pilate and many like him which is subtle, rooted in truth and which just won’t go away. It requires a shift in the way we see things, it’s certainly not a Kingship for the war mongers or the vengeful.

Pilate correctly interprets Jesus’ replies to his question as a ‘yes’, a direct threat to his authority, in fact, to all authority. He’s not interested to hear what this type of kingship is all about, how it might differ from people’s expectations, how it’s very strength comes from turning away from the exploitation and violence that temporarily props up earthly rulers nor how it finds enduring power among the weak, the servants and those who seek justice.

Our lectionary labels this Sunday as ‘Christ the King’, the hinge between Ordinary Time and Advent which starts next week. When we think of Jesus’ kingship in the bible we may recall the time the Magi got King Herod worried when they asked ‘where is the child who has been born king of the Jews, or when Jesus was in the wilderness and refused an offer to have all worldly kingdoms if he would worship the devil. Perhaps the easiest image to conjure up is that of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as the crowds laid cloaks and branches in his path ‘Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey…’ 

These earlier events have already taught Jesus’ followers that this is no normal king but someone who has come to show them what real kingship is about, how things could be so much better for us and all in the world if only we would listen. But even to them it must have been a challenge to recognise Christ’s kingship as he is pushed around and sent before Pilate as a child might be sent to the Headmaster.

In our reading from the book of Daniel we hear an Old Testament description more in line with what we might recognise as earthly power. A great throne to be occupied by ‘an ancient one’, old and wise we assume, in white robes as fire spues out around him and thousands of servants attend him.

It plays into the stereotype that God is an old bloke with white hair, just like in many films and cartoons.

‘An ancient one’ can be an image used both positively and negatively dependant upon one’s agenda.

Age should not be a determining factor in anything much, ageism is often rife along with many other prejudices, and because our world is so technology driven some younger people associate a lack of familiarity with tech as a lack of familiarity with the world when the fact is that each can benefit from the others knowledge.

Admittedly it can sometimes seem that different generations have their own language. I heard of one mum, confused by all the abbreviations used in texting who sent a message her son to asking what does IDK, LY, & TTYL mean? He texted back, I Don't Know, Love You, & Talk To You Later. So she replied, don't worry about it. I'll ask your sister, love you too.

Let’s be honest, we’ve all done it, or at least had to fight hard not to do it. You are sat down in a warm conference room, however important the subject, the presenter may not be the most scintillating, maybe you’ve had lunch and the lights are dimmed. Add in some jetlag and a busy schedule and perhaps you don’t actually have to be that ancient to fall asleep, though if you hold a position of global responsibility you can be sure that your opponents will seize the opportunity to say this proves that you are ‘past it’.

Until very recently a Reader (Lay Minister) upon reaching the age of 70 would automatically trigger the need for Permission To Officiate (PTO) from the Bishop. It’s an interesting thought now that I have several people over 70 working full time in our business, a Building Surveyor of 78 was still happily inspecting lofts and climbing scaffolding when he retired.

It's quite thought provoking this age and power thing, especially when you consider that the boss of the Church of England, Her Majesty the Queen is 95. I doubt that she had any direct influence but now those youngsters in their 70’s can simply seek endorsement from the Vicar for a license extension.

Particularly in the Old Testament the various Kings were always up to something so Daniel’s vision would have caused the ears of those hearing this to prick up.

At this particular time, around 167 BC, the Syrian Emperor Antiochus IV was persecuting the Jews but Daniel speaks of a divine courtroom where God has pure white robes and sits in judgment unaffected by transitory rogue leaders offering a vision of hope.

Our focus should be on helping each other thrive through recognition of our common humanity drawing upon the example of the one who came before the throne to inherit an ‘everlasting dominion’…’that shall never be destroyed.’ Jesus humanity is found here.

As we begin to understand the type of kingship we see in Jesus it helps us recognise a clear mis-match with much of what we passively accept as normal. We need to think afresh about why we are doing certain things and if they seem right to pursue them with a degree of humility.

There is a great deal of difference between those that accept positions of responsibility and service aware of their weaknesses and reliance upon the support of others and those that seek self-importance and power. The real question is whether leaders want to rule over or to live in community with others.

We know that there is a great deal wrong with our world but we ( us here, you and me) also need to be people who can recognise God’s kingdom when we see it in each other. As Christians we remain people of hope, seeking peaceful resolution of our differences and not giving up in our efforts to collaborate with people of all faiths and none where this benefits others. We get a glimpse of Christ’s kingship each time we see kindness and forgiveness in action that seeks no reward, even more so when it is for those we don’t know, find hard to help or even like. In doing these things we are not keeping God’s kingdom to ourselves but allowing others to experience it and share in it. There’s always a possibility that it might catch on and spread further.

We are citizens of God’s kingdom every time we refuse to turn our back on people in need, every time we have the courage to stand up against what we know to be wrong and every time we try to put God’s desires above our own.

So, as we celebrate Jesus as king today, let’s try to take all we have been told out into our world and play our part in building that kingdom which he desires for our entire humanity.

Amen

Kevin Bright                                                                        20th November 2021

My kingdom is not from this world

John 18.33-37 & Daniel 7.9-10,13,14

Power crazy people in themselves can be difficult enough but when they come face to face with their opposite number and neither will back down, then it’s often a recipe for disaster. People and physical resources become mere pawns in their games as they seek to destabilise and weaken each other. I’m sure that you can easily call to mind examples currently in the news, Belarus, Afghanistan and the troop build up near Ukraine come to mind.

So today we meet the familiar figure of Pontius Pilate, a powerful man indeed, the Roman Prefect (or Governor) of Judea with great military resources at his disposal. He really is not interested in the people’s squabbles as he sees the concerns of the Jewish leaders, there is a sense that he can’t be bothered to intervene in their dramas unless his rule is threatened. So he wastes no energy investigating what he assumes are false accusations against the man brought before him, this Jesus of Nazareth, and instead comes straight out with ‘ Are you the King of the Jews’?

If you asked a Judean local who was powerful they would tell you of the Roman and Jewish leaders but the way in which Jesus answers Pilate’s question has a sense of power that comes from a deeper authority which isn’t granted through rank or your place in the system.

Jesus’ reply is a challenge that I’ve seen described as ‘slow’, the slow food movement I’m familiar with but slow Kingship is a new way of for seeing things. I guess it’s the sort of challenge to Pilate and many like him which is subtle, rooted in truth and which just won’t go away. It requires a shift in the way we see things, it’s certainly not a Kingship for the war mongers or the vengeful.

Pilate correctly interprets Jesus’ replies to his question as a ‘yes’, a direct threat to his authority, in fact, to all authority. He’s not interested to hear what this type of kingship is all about, how it might differ from people’s expectations, how it’s very strength comes from turning away from the exploitation and violence that temporarily props up earthly rulers nor how it finds enduring power among the weak, the servants and those who seek justice.

Our lectionary labels this Sunday as ‘Christ the King’, the hinge between Ordinary Time and Advent which starts next week. When we think of Jesus’ kingship in the bible we may recall the time the Magi got King Herod worried when they asked ‘where is the child who has been born king of the Jews, or when Jesus was in the wilderness and refused an offer to have all worldly kingdoms if he would worship the devil. Perhaps the easiest image to conjure up is that of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as the crowds laid cloaks and branches in his path ‘Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey…’ 

These earlier events have already taught Jesus’ followers that this is no normal king but someone who has come to show them what real kingship is about, how things could be so much better for us and all in the world if only we would listen. But even to them it must have been a challenge to recognise Christ’s kingship as he is pushed around and sent before Pilate as a child might be sent to the Headmaster.

In our reading from the book of Daniel we hear an Old Testament description more in line with what we might recognise as earthly power. A great throne to be occupied by ‘an ancient one’, old and wise we assume, in white robes as fire spues out around him and thousands of servants attend him.

It plays into the stereotype that God is an old bloke with white hair, just like in many films and cartoons.

‘An ancient one’ can be an image used both positively and negatively dependant upon one’s agenda.

Age should not be a determining factor in anything much, ageism is often rife along with many other prejudices, and because our world is so technology driven some younger people associate a lack of familiarity with tech as a lack of familiarity with the world when the fact is that each can benefit from the others knowledge.

Admittedly it can sometimes seem that different generations have their own language. I heard of one mum, confused by all the abbreviations used in texting who sent a message her son to asking what does IDK, LY, & TTYL mean? He texted back, I Don't Know, Love You, & Talk To You Later. So she replied, don't worry about it. I'll ask your sister, love you too.

Let’s be honest, we’ve all done it, or at least had to fight hard not to do it. You are sat down in a warm conference room, however important the subject, the presenter may not be the most scintillating, maybe you’ve had lunch and the lights are dimmed. Add in some jetlag and a busy schedule and perhaps you don’t actually have to be that ancient to fall asleep, though if you hold a position of global responsibility you can be sure that your opponents will seize the opportunity to say this proves that you are ‘past it’.

Until very recently a Reader (Lay Minister) upon reaching the age of 70 would automatically trigger the need for Permission To Officiate (PTO) from the Bishop. It’s an interesting thought now that I have several people over 70 working full time in our business, a Building Surveyor of 78 was still happily inspecting lofts and climbing scaffolding when he retired.

It's quite thought provoking this age and power thing, especially when you consider that the boss of the Church of England, Her Majesty the Queen is 95. I doubt that she had any direct influence but now those youngsters in their 70’s can simply seek endorsement from the Vicar for a license extension.

Particularly in the Old Testament the various Kings were always up to something so Daniel’s vision would have caused the ears of those hearing this to prick up.

At this particular time, around 167 BC, the Syrian Emperor Antiochus IV was persecuting the Jews but Daniel speaks of a divine courtroom where God has pure white robes and sits in judgment unaffected by transitory rogue leaders offering a vision of hope.

Our focus should be on helping each other thrive through recognition of our common humanity drawing upon the example of the one who came before the throne to inherit an ‘everlasting dominion’…’that shall never be destroyed.’ Jesus humanity is found here.

As we begin to understand the type of kingship we see in Jesus it helps us recognise a clear mis-match with much of what we passively accept as normal. We need to think afresh about why we are doing certain things and if they seem right to pursue them with a degree of humility.

There is a great deal of difference between those that accept positions of responsibility and service aware of their weaknesses and reliance upon the support of others and those that seek self-importance and power. The real question is whether leaders want to rule over or to live in community with others.

We know that there is a great deal wrong with our world but we ( us here, you and me) also need to be people who can recognise God’s kingdom when we see it in each other. As Christians we remain people of hope, seeking peaceful resolution of our differences and not giving up in our efforts to collaborate with people of all faiths and none where this benefits others. We get a glimpse of Christ’s kingship each time we see kindness and forgiveness in action that seeks no reward, even more so when it is for those we don’t know, find hard to help or even like. In doing these things we are not keeping God’s kingdom to ourselves but allowing others to experience it and share in it. There’s always a possibility that it might catch on and spread further.

We are citizens of God’s kingdom every time we refuse to turn our back on people in need, every time we have the courage to stand up against what we know to be wrong and every time we try to put God’s desires above our own.

So, as we celebrate Jesus as king today, let’s try to take all we have been told out into our world and play our part in building that kingdom which he desires for our entire humanity.

Amen

Kevin Bright                                                                        20th November 2021

Third Sunday before Advent: Second chances

Jonah 3:11-5, 10, Psalm 62:5-14, Mark 1:14-20

 

I really enjoy watching tv programmes like The Great British Bake Off. I love watching others bake incredible cakes and biscuits each week, or sew beautiful garments. There are several programs that follow this format. My favourite one is still the Pottery Throw Down - for me, it even beats Strictly. It amazes me how creative people can be as they make something wonderful to behold - or maybe not - out of a lump of clay. The bit I don’t enjoy, though, is when someone has to leave the group at the end of the programme. There’s often tears and sadness as someone is eliminated.

 

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t have a problem with people winning. But I have realised that what I don’t like about these programmes is that people don’t get a second chance at things. Wow - second chances are great, aren’t they? There is such relief and joy whenever there is one of those weeks where they don’t send anyone home but give everyone a second chance. You can see a sort of hopefulness in the group in the way their hearts are lighter within them, at this unexpected second chance.

 

The verses from today’s Old Testament reading tell us something about second chances - I wonder what that felt like for both Jonah and the Ninevites. We join Jonah halfway through his story. This is actually the second time that God has spoken to Jonah about Nineveh. When God first speaks to him, he tells Jonah to go immediately to Nineveh and cry out against their wickedness. This is the last thing Jonah wants to do - Nineveh had a fearsome reputation for being cruel and violent. ‘No thanks' - thinks Jonah - ‘that’s not for me! I’ll sail as far away from Nineveh as I can.’

 

Perhaps wickedness isn’t the only way to turn our back on God and go in the opposite direction to what he wants for our lives. Instead of going overland to the East, Jonah sails West. But God brings such a terrible storm on the boat, that Jonah asks to be thrown into the sea. And here’s the bit of the story that you might be familiar with - the whale. God sends a very large fish to swallow Jonah and get him to dry land.

 

Now, whatever we think about how possible it might be for someone to be swallowed by a very large fish and survive, Jonah writes a prayer about the experience. In it, he tells us about God. “Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” says Jonah. He says that when he called out to God in his distress, God answered him and delivered him. God hears Jonah’s anxiety and dispair and God responds with mercy, rescuing Jonah and saving him from death. Jonah doesn’t drown is given a second chance.

 

I wonder what Jonah felt about this second chance. Nineveh was the huge city of the Assyrians and was the largest in the world for a number of years. It was also a place of terrible cruelty. Two of the Old Testament books have stories of the violence that Israel experienced at the hands of the Assyrians. The Assyrians slaughtered and enslaved countless people, using exploitation and abuse to get what they wanted. Archeology shows stone carvings depicting the hideous acts they committed.

 

So it’s easy to see why Jonah didn’t want to go there. God was calling Jonah to have compassion on a city that was a threat to his own people, maybe even a threat to those he loved. God calls Jonah to trust God in a situation that was way out of his comfort zone.

 

And Jonah, this second time around, does what God asks. He walks for 3 days across this vast city, preaching God’s message for the Ninevites. He perseveres in warning the Ninevites about God’s judgement on their wickedness. My goodness, those Ninevites benefitted from Jonah’s second chance, didn’t they - because they get to hear about God, in time to have the opportunity to escape God’s judgement. They get to hear about the deliverance of the Lord by someone who knows what that feels like.

 

At this point in the story, everyone has been offered a chance to act on what they hear, either from God or about God. The effect on the Ninevites is quite unexpected, given their reputation for evil wickedness. There’s a radical change in the Ninevites.

They proclaim a fast, and everyone, whoever they are, takes off their nice clothes and dresses themselves in plain garments made out of sacking material. Rather like wearing hessian - very scratchy I would imagine!

 

And just as Jonah learns that deliverance belongs to the Lord, the Ninevites also discover this. God sees how they turn from their wicked and evil ways, and he changes his mind about  the calamity that he said he would bring upon them. Just as God heard Jonah’s anxiety and distress when Jonah was drowning, so God also hears the anxiety and distress of the Ninevites - and at this particular point he delivers them. 

 

We might find it quite hard to read about how God gives these wicked people the chance to turn to him and escape his judgment. It can be painful to think of wickedness going unpunished. I think that it’s very natural to feel confused and maybe even angry with God at times. But it’s what we do with that confusion that matters, and where we go with our anger. In the following chapter of Jonah, we read that God is big enough for us to take our questions to him. He will listen.

 

In fact in the Psalm we read today, we are encouraged to pour out our hearts before God. The Psalmist says that he has found God to be a refuge when he pours his heart out to him. The Psalm says that there is a robustness and firmness about God that we can trust - always. This is where we find hope. Even in the quiet waiting, as we put our trust in God, we can know that we are held safely and securely in the steadfast love of his power.

 

And just as God didn’t let go of Jonah, so he won’t let go of us. God’s grace and persistence with Jonah gives us such hope - I know how much I don’t want God to give up on me. I’m sure that I’m like most people in being grateful for second chances. I’m so glad that God doesn’t use the same format as all those tv programmes like Bake Off, and eliminate us one by one. Instead, he offers a welcome to everyone and anyone who wants to join in. Anyone who turns to him will find him. It’s the beautiful good news that Jesus brings, isn’t it. For he himself journeys out of his comfort zone to visit a vast place, full of wicked people. He also brings the same message - the need to repent - but he also brings good news with him. The good news is that in Jesus, God will deal with evil and wickedness. The good news, that in Jesus there is forgiveness for all the ways we turn away from God. The good news, that believing in Jesus is about having a relationship with God. It’s a relationship where we can pour out our hearts to him, and find God to be a strong, sure place of safety and refuge.

Amen

Third Sunday before Advent: Second chances

Jonah 3:11-5, 10, Psalm 62:5-14, Mark 1:14-20

 

I really enjoy watching tv programmes like The Great British Bake Off. I love watching others bake incredible cakes and biscuits each week, or sew beautiful garments. There are several programs that follow this format. My favourite one is still the Pottery Throw Down - for me, it even beats Strictly. It amazes me how creative people can be as they make something wonderful to behold - or maybe not - out of a lump of clay. The bit I don’t enjoy, though, is when someone has to leave the group at the end of the programme. There’s often tears and sadness as someone is eliminated.

 

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t have a problem with people winning. But I have realised that what I don’t like about these programmes is that people don’t get a second chance at things. Wow - second chances are great, aren’t they? There is such relief and joy whenever there is one of those weeks where they don’t send anyone home but give everyone a second chance. You can see a sort of hopefulness in the group in the way their hearts are lighter within them, at this unexpected second chance.

 

The verses from today’s Old Testament reading tell us something about second chances - I wonder what that felt like for both Jonah and the Ninevites. We join Jonah halfway through his story. This is actually the second time that God has spoken to Jonah about Nineveh. When God first speaks to him, he tells Jonah to go immediately to Nineveh and cry out against their wickedness. This is the last thing Jonah wants to do - Nineveh had a fearsome reputation for being cruel and violent. ‘No thanks' - thinks Jonah - ‘that’s not for me! I’ll sail as far away from Nineveh as I can.’

 

Perhaps wickedness isn’t the only way to turn our back on God and go in the opposite direction to what he wants for our lives. Instead of going overland to the East, Jonah sails West. But God brings such a terrible storm on the boat, that Jonah asks to be thrown into the sea. And here’s the bit of the story that you might be familiar with - the whale. God sends a very large fish to swallow Jonah and get him to dry land.

 

Now, whatever we think about how possible it might be for someone to be swallowed by a very large fish and survive, Jonah writes a prayer about the experience. In it, he tells us about God. “Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” says Jonah. He says that when he called out to God in his distress, God answered him and delivered him. God hears Jonah’s anxiety and dispair and God responds with mercy, rescuing Jonah and saving him from death. Jonah doesn’t drown is given a second chance.

 

I wonder what Jonah felt about this second chance. Nineveh was the huge city of the Assyrians and was the largest in the world for a number of years. It was also a place of terrible cruelty. Two of the Old Testament books have stories of the violence that Israel experienced at the hands of the Assyrians. The Assyrians slaughtered and enslaved countless people, using exploitation and abuse to get what they wanted. Archeology shows stone carvings depicting the hideous acts they committed.

 

So it’s easy to see why Jonah didn’t want to go there. God was calling Jonah to have compassion on a city that was a threat to his own people, maybe even a threat to those he loved. God calls Jonah to trust God in a situation that was way out of his comfort zone.

 

And Jonah, this second time around, does what God asks. He walks for 3 days across this vast city, preaching God’s message for the Ninevites. He perseveres in warning the Ninevites about God’s judgement on their wickedness. My goodness, those Ninevites benefitted from Jonah’s second chance, didn’t they - because they get to hear about God, in time to have the opportunity to escape God’s judgement. They get to hear about the deliverance of the Lord by someone who knows what that feels like.

 

At this point in the story, everyone has been offered a chance to act on what they hear, either from God or about God. The effect on the Ninevites is quite unexpected, given their reputation for evil wickedness. There’s a radical change in the Ninevites.

They proclaim a fast, and everyone, whoever they are, takes off their nice clothes and dresses themselves in plain garments made out of sacking material. Rather like wearing hessian - very scratchy I would imagine!

 

And just as Jonah learns that deliverance belongs to the Lord, the Ninevites also discover this. God sees how they turn from their wicked and evil ways, and he changes his mind about  the calamity that he said he would bring upon them. Just as God heard Jonah’s anxiety and distress when Jonah was drowning, so God also hears the anxiety and distress of the Ninevites - and at this particular point he delivers them. 

 

We might find it quite hard to read about how God gives these wicked people the chance to turn to him and escape his judgment. It can be painful to think of wickedness going unpunished. I think that it’s very natural to feel confused and maybe even angry with God at times. But it’s what we do with that confusion that matters, and where we go with our anger. In the following chapter of Jonah, we read that God is big enough for us to take our questions to him. He will listen.

 

In fact in the Psalm we read today, we are encouraged to pour out our hearts before God. The Psalmist says that he has found God to be a refuge when he pours his heart out to him. The Psalm says that there is a robustness and firmness about God that we can trust - always. This is where we find hope. Even in the quiet waiting, as we put our trust in God, we can know that we are held safely and securely in the steadfast love of his power.

 

And just as God didn’t let go of Jonah, so he won’t let go of us. God’s grace and persistence with Jonah gives us such hope - I know how much I don’t want God to give up on me. I’m sure that I’m like most people in being grateful for second chances. I’m so glad that God doesn’t use the same format as all those tv programmes like Bake Off, and eliminate us one by one. Instead, he offers a welcome to everyone and anyone who wants to join in. Anyone who turns to him will find him. It’s the beautiful good news that Jesus brings, isn’t it. For he himself journeys out of his comfort zone to visit a vast place, full of wicked people. He also brings the same message - the need to repent - but he also brings good news with him. The good news is that in Jesus, God will deal with evil and wickedness. The good news, that in Jesus there is forgiveness for all the ways we turn away from God. The good news, that believing in Jesus is about having a relationship with God. It’s a relationship where we can pour out our hearts to him, and find God to be a strong, sure place of safety and refuge.

Amen