Gratitude for a new start in life

Here's the sermon, which is adapted from ‘Luke for Everyone’ by Tom Wright, that I have shared at St Mary's Runwell and St Peter's Nevendon today:

What would make you shout for joy at the top of your voice? What would make you fall on the ground – yes, flat on your face! – in front of someone?

Two explorers were lost in the South American jungle some time ago. For nine months they wandered about, not knowing where they were or how to get out. Finally, after many adventures and often giving up hope, they were found and rescued. They probably didn’t have the energy to shout, but they would have felt like it. Certainly their relatives back home did.

You might shout for joy when the doctor told you that someone you loved very dearly had come safely through an operation, and was going to be all right after all. You might do it when suddenly all your debts were rolled away and you were given a new start in life.

Which is, then, more surprising: the fact that one person came back, shouted for joy, and fell down at Jesus’ feet? Or the fact that nine didn’t?

All ten had to trust Jesus in order to receive their healing (Luke 17. 11-19). Interestingly, none were healed until they had obeyed what Jesus asked them to do. The priest who lived locally had the responsibility to declare when people were healed from such diseases. That was why Jesus asked them to go to the priests but at the point that they obeyed Jesus and turned to go they were not healed. It was on the way to the priests, as they were obeying Jesus’ instruction, that they were made clean and their lives changed.

There is a saying that we should be the change that we want to see in the world and Jesus regularly challenges us to take responsibility for changes in our individual lives and in the world around. We are the hands and feet, the eyes, ears and mouth of God in our world. He does not mess with the free will that we have as human beings and so works through us, his body. If we are not prepared to pray, to speak and to act, then his ability to impact our lives, the lives of others and ultimately our world is restricted.

A little while ago I was told about a church musician who was struggling to read music because of diminishing eyesight but who would not have glasses or any other corrective treatment because he was believing that the Lord would heal him. That is like the old joke about the man caught in floods who believed that the Lord would rescue him. He turns away a neighbour in a dinghy, a lifeboat and a helicopter before the waters rise over his home, all because he believed that the Lord would rescue him. He arrived in heaven in a state of shock. “Lord,” he complained, “why didn’t you protect and rescue me?” “I sent you two boats and a helicopter, “ said the Lord wearily, “what more did you want.”

So, we need to play our part if we are to see change come within our lives, our church and our world. Part of the change that God wants to see is flagged by the fact that the man who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan, a foreigner and outsider to the Jews of Jesus’ day. Jesus focussed his ministry on the lost sheep of Israel but regularly commended the faith that he found in those who were not Israelites – the Caananite woman, the Roman Centurian, the Samaritan woman at the well, and this Samaritan man. The faith of those who are not thought of as the people of God often puts to shame the faith of those who are.

Throughout his ministry Jesus commends and includes in the kingdom of God those who were considered as excluded and outside of the kingdom by the people of his day. Like Jesus, we are called to be the change for those who are excluded in our own day; however and wherever that exclusion comes. In this story, those who consider themselves part of the children of God are shamed because they don’t return to thank Jesus and that is a challenge to us.

Luke doesn’t say that the nine were any less cured, but he does imply that they were less grateful. But it is not only the nine who are shown up by this story. It is also all of us who fail to thank God ‘always and for everything’, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 5. 20. We know with our heads, if we have any Christian faith at all, that our God is the giver of all things: every mouthful of food we take, every breath of air we inhale, every note of music we hear, every smile on the face of a friend, a child, a spouse – all that, and a million more things are good gifts from his generosity.

There is an old spiritual discipline of listing our blessings, naming them before God, and giving thanks. It’s a healthy thing to do, especially in a world where we too often assume we have an absolute right to health, happiness and every possible creature comfort.

Jesus’ closing words to the Samaritan invite a closer look. The word for ‘get up’ is a word early Christians would have recognised as having to do with resurrection. Like the prodigal son, this man ‘was dead, and is alive again’. New life, had arrived in his village that day, in the shape of Jesus, and it had called out of him a faith and gratitude that he didn’t know he had. His experience of life had been one of suffering and exclusion but, through Jesus, he came to see that life could be about transformation and inclusion. His personal change began as he obeyed the words of Jesus, it continued as he was accepted back into society by letting the priest examine him and went on to live as a grateful witness to the transformation that Jesus brings as we follow him. May it be so for each of us. Amen.

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Tracey Chapman - All That You Have Is Your Soul.

Dare you to move

Here's the sermon I preached at St Mary’s Runwell this morning:

Only one in 10 of the lepers who were healed came back to thank Jesus for his healing and, as a result, many sermons have been preached from this passage (Luke 17. 11 - 19) on a perceived lack of thankfulness in our lives.

There is, however, a simple reason why only one came back and that is that their healing didn't happen instantly but only as they did what Jesus had told them to do and went to see the priest who could confirm that their leprosy was healed and readmit them to the community.

All 10 did as Jesus said, all 10 were healed as they did so, nine continued to see the priest as they had been told to do, while one returned to thank Jesus before then continuing to see the priest. Like Jesus, we can certainly celebrate the thankfulness of the one who returned but there are also significant lessons to learn from the fact that the healing of the 10 occurred as they were obedient and as they were travelling.

As human beings we often find security in sameness, in repetition, and in things remaining the same. The result can be that we also remain the same and do not change. Change inevitably involves disruption and movement; something different needs to happen in order that we change. That is what Jesus calls these 10 lepers to experience. Having been ostracised by society because of their condition they understandably banded together to support each other on the edge of society. 

In Jesus' day, those with diseases were ostracised from society because of concerns over wider infection. Then, to make the journey back from the edge of society people had to be examined by a priest who had to confirm that their condition had been healed before they could be readmitted to society. That is what Jesus told them to go and do but it is significant that they had not been healed at the point that he told them to go. He told them to go, to move, to make a change but they were not healed until they had begun to make the change and were on their way to see the priest. This is why they don't all thank Jesus; they are not with Jesus when the healing comes.

As well as being willing to make a move, to change, they also had to trust in Jesus and in his instructions. It would have been easy to say, 'I'm no different, I'm not healed, therefore there's no point in going to see the priest.' They could have stayed where they were in what had become familiar and safe for them. Instead, they all set out on what was a risky undertaking where they could have been exposed to ridicule, as if their healing had not occurred on the way, they could have gone to the priest and have been turned away in disgrace as delusional lepers.

There will be points in all our lives where our experience will be similar. We will have been in one place or one role or one way of doing and being for too long and we will be stagnating as a result. Something has to change in order that we grow and develop in new ways and in different aspects of our lives. Sometimes we recognise the situation and choose to change, sometimes the change is forced on us. However it begins and however resentful we might sometimes feel, the only way for us to experience growth and develop in that situation is to make the move and accept the change. While we may not be thankful at the time, often, with hindsight, we can see that change was actually good for us.

The rock band Switchfoot put it like this:

“The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
Like today never happened before”

Ho Wai-On, a classical composer and member of the congregation at St Andrew’s, told us her story on Friday at Unveiled whilst sharing some of her compositions and experiences. As a young person she gained a scholarship from Hong Kong to study at the Royal College of Music in London. She was training for a career as a concert pianist but, while working on a recital programme hurt her wrist and was no longer able to play the piano. After hurting her wrist, she retrained as a composer and her works have been performed in Britain and abroad since 1974. She talked about this in terms of aiming to plant a flower yet unexpectedly growing a tree.

Change is constant – it inevitably comes - there are always challenges to be faced and overcome. What needs to change in us is our attitude towards change, our acceptance of it and our willingness to face it. If that is our desire, we might then pray: May we be equal to the task ahead of us, ready to renew ourselves, ready to take on the new, anxious to let go of old ideas that no longer fit, moving with confidence, into the future, your future. Make us strong enough to triumph, flexible enough to grow and change as needed, optimistic enough to see the new opportunities as we move into the changing landscape of our lives. May we accept and welcome the change that will inevitably come.

Jesus was the catalyst for change and the predictor of change for the 10 lepers, as was also the case for his first disciples. So, we can pray: Help us to see you clearly in the challenges and changes of our times that you might also be our Lord and guide today. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory. Calm our concerns, show us new opportunities, and give us the freedom to discover ourselves afresh in serving you. Show us what you have stored up for us and give us the courage to follow you. 

Having support in making changes - the encouragement of Jesus to make the move and the benefit of being part of a group as they do so - is clearly very significant. If we are those needing to make a change then finding the support of others in doing so is wise while, if not, we can seek to be among those who support others in making changes. The key, as the 10 lepers and Wai-On discovered, is to recognise that movement and change needs to occur if growth, development and healing is also to come. So, I pray for us the blessing of new opportunities, renewal of our lives, flexibility to grow, moving with confidence into the future, and God’s heavenly glory made known to rest upon you and remain with you always.

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Switchfoot - Dare You To Move.

Dare you to move

Here's the reflection I shared during today's Choral Eucharist at St Martin-in-the-Fields:

Only one in 10 of the lepers who were healed came back to thank Jesus for his healing and, as a result, many sermons have been preached from this passage (Luke 17. 11 - 19) on a perceived lack of thankfulness in our lives.

There is, however, a simple reason why only one came back and that is that their healing didn't happen instantly but only as they did what Jesus had told them to do and went to see the priest who could confirm that their leprosy was healed and readmit them to the community.

All 10 did as Jesus said, all 10 were healed as they did so, nine continued to see the priest as they had been told to do, while one returned to thank Jesus before then continuing to see the priest. Like Jesus, we can certainly celebrate the thankfulness of the one who returned but there are also significant lessons to learn from the fact that the healing of the 10 occurred as they were obedient and as they were travelling.

As human beings we often find security in sameness, in repetition, and in things remaining the same. The result can be that we also remain the same and do not change. Change inevitably involves disruption and movement; something different needs to happen in order that we change. That is what Jesus calls these 10 lepers to experience. Having been ostracised by society because of their condition they have understandably banded together to support each other on the edge of society.

In Jesus' time, to make the journey back from the edge of society people had to be examined by a priest who had to confirm that their condition had been healed before they could be readmitted to society. That is what Jesus told them to go and do but it is significant that they had not been healed at the point that he told them to go. He told them to go, to move, to make a change but they were not healed until they had begun to make the change and were on their way to see the priest. This is why they don't all thank Jesus; they are not with Jesus when the healing comes.

As well as being willing to make a move, to change, they also had to trust in Jesus and in his instructions. It would have been easy to say, 'I'm no different, I'm not healed, therefore there's no point in going to see the priest.' They could have stayed where they were in what had become familiar and safe for them. Instead, they all set out on what was a risky undertaking where they could have been exposed to ridicule, as if their healing had not occurred on the way, they could have gone to the priest and have been turned away in disgrace as delusional lepers.

There will be points in all our lives where our experience will be similar. We will have been in one place or one role or one way of doing and being for too long and we will be stagnating as a result. Something has to change in order that we grow and develop in new ways and in different aspects of our lives. Sometimes we recognise the situation and choose to change, sometimes the change is forced on us. However it begins and however resentful we might sometimes feel, the only way for us to experience growth and develop in this situation is to make the move and accept the change. While we may not be thankful at the time, often, with hindsight, we can see that change was actually good for us.

The rock band Switchfoot put it like this:

“The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
Like today never happened before”

Change is constant – it inevitably comes - there are always challenges to be faced and overcome. What needs to change in us is our attitude towards change, our acceptance of it and our willingness to face it. We can pray: May we be equal to the task ahead of us, ready to renew ourselves, ready to take on the new, anxious to let go of old ideas that no longer fit, moving with confidence, into the future, your future. Make us strong enough to triumph, flexible enough to grow and change as needed, optimistic enough to see the new opportunities as we move into the changing landscape of our lives. May we accept and welcome the change that will inevitably come.

Jesus was the catalyst for change and the predictor of change for the 10 lepers, as was also the case for his first disciples. We can pray: Help us to see you clearly in the challenges and changes of our times that you might also be our Lord and guide today. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory. Calm our concerns, show us new opportunities, and give us the freedom to discover ourselves afresh in serving you. Show us what you have stored up for us and give us the courage to follow you.

Having support in making changes - the encouragement of Jesus to make the move and the benefit of being part of a group as they do so - is clearly very significant. If we are those needing to make a change then finding the support of others in doing so is wise while, if not, we can seek to be among those who support others in making changes. The key is to recognise that movement and change needs to occur if growth, development and healing is also to come. So, I pray the blessing of new opportunities, renewal of our lives, flexibility to grow, moving with confidence into the future, and God’s heavenly glory made known to rest upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

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Switchfoot - Dare You To Move.

Start:Stop - I dare you to move

Bible reading

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. (Luke 17. 11 – 14)

Meditation

As human beings we often find security in sameness, in repetition, and in things remaining the same. The result can be that we also remain the same and do not change. Change inevitably involves disruption and movement; something different needs to happen in order that we change. That is what Jesus called these ten lepers to experience.

They had been ostracised by society because of their condition and had banded together to support each other on the edge of society. In order to make the journey back from the edge of society, in their day, people had to be examined by a priest who could to confirm that their condition had been healed leading to their readmission to society. That is what Jesus told them to go and do but it is significant that they had not been healed at the point that he told them to go. He told them to move, to make a change, but they were not healed until they had begun to make the change and were on their way to see the priest.

Jesus brings the life of God into all that is stagnant in people’s lives. He is the catalyst for change. His arrival on the scene brings the opportunity for hope and faith; faith that life can be different, can be better than it is now.

As well as being willing to make a move, to change, they have also had to trust in Jesus and in his instructions. It would have been easy for them to say, 'I'm no different, I'm not healed, therefore there's no point in going to see the priest.' They could have stayed where they were in what had become familiar and safe for them. Instead they all set out on what was a risky undertaking where they could have been exposed to ridicule; as, if their healing had not occurred on the way, they could have gone to the priest and been turned away in disgrace as delusional lepers.

There will be points in all our lives where our experience will be similar. We will have been in one place, one job, one role or one way of doing and being for too long and we will be stagnating as a result. Something has to change in order that we grow and develop on new ways and in different aspects of our lives. Sometimes we recognise the situation and choose to change, sometimes the change is forced on us. However it begins and however resentful we might sometimes feel, the only way for us to experience growth and develop in this situation is to make the move and accept the change. While we may not be thankful at the time, often, with hindsight we can see that change was actually good and healing for us.

The rock band Switchfoot put it like this:

“The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
Like today never happened before”

Prayer

Change has come and there are many challenges to be faced and overcome. May we be equal to the task ahead of us, ready to renew ourselves, ready to take on the new, anxious to let go of old ideas that no longer fit, moving with confidence, into the future, your future. Make us strong enough to triumph, flexible enough to grow and change as needed, optimistic enough to see the new opportunities as we move into the changing landscape of our lives. May we accept and welcome the change that has come.

Change has come unbidden, and at times, unwelcome. May we be ready to embrace change and move swiftly forward.

Lord Jesus, you were the catalyst for change and the predictor of change for your first disciples. Help us to see you clearly in the challenges and changes of our times that you might also be our Lord and guide today. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory. Calm our concerns, show us new opportunities, and give us the freedom to discover ourselves afresh in serving you. Show us what you have stored up for us, and give us the courage to follow you.

Change has come unbidden, and at times, unwelcome. May we be ready to embrace change and move swiftly forward.

In the tension between who we are and who we could be, between how it is and how it should be; may we here your call daring us to lift ourselves up off the floor and to move like today never happened before.

Change has come unbidden, and at times, unwelcome. May we be ready to embrace change and move swiftly forward.

Blessing

New opportunities, renewal of our lives, flexibility to grow, moving with confidence into the future, God’s heavenly glory made known. May all those blessings of almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

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Switchfoot - Dare You To Move.

Movement for change

Here is my sermon from today's Eucharist at St Stephen Walbrook:

Only one in 10 of the lepers who were healed came back to thank Jesus for his healing and, as a result, many sermons have been preached from this passage (Luke 17. 11 - 19) on a perceived lack of thankfulness in our lives.

There is, however, a simple reason why only one came back and that is that their healing didn't happen instantly but only as they did what Jesus had told them to do and went to see the priest who could confirm that their leprosy was healed and readmit them to the community.

All 10 did as Jesus said, all 10 were healed as they did so, nine continued to see the priest as they had been told to do, while one returned to thank Jesus before then continuing to see the priest. Like Jesus, we can certainly celebrate the thankfulness of the one who returned but there are also significant lessons to learn from the fact that the healing of the 10 occurred as they were obedient and as they were travelling.

As human beings we often find security in sameness, in repetition, and in things remaining the same. The result can be that we also remain the same and do not change. Change inevitably involves disruption and movement; something different needs to happen in order that we change. That is what Jesus calls these 10 lepers to experience. Having been ostracised by society because of their condition they have understandably banded together to support each other on the edge of society. We find a similar experience repeated today, for example, among those who are homeless in Central London.

In Jesus' time, to make the journey back from the edge of society people had to be examined by a priest who had to confirm that their condition had been healed before they could be readmitted to society. That is what Jesus tells them to go and do but it is significant that they have not been healed yet at the point that he tells them to go. He tells them to go, to move, to make a change but they are not healed until they have begun to make the change and are on their way to see the priest. This is why they don't all thank Jesus; they are not with Jesus when the healing comes.

As well as being willing to make a move, to change, they have also had to trust in Jesus and in his instructions. It would have been easy to say, 'I'm no different, I'm not healed, therefore there's no point in going to see the priest.' They could have stayed where they were in what had become familiar and safe for them. Instead they all set out on what was risky undertaking where they could have been exposed to ridicule, as if their healing had not occurred on the way, they could have gone to the priest and have been turned away in disgrace as delusional lepers.

There will be points in all our lives where our experience will be similar. We will have been in one place or one role or one way of doing and being for too long and we will be stagnating as a result. Something has to change in order that we grow and develop on new ways and in different aspects of our lives. Sometimes we recognise the situation and choose to change, sometimes the change is forced on us. However it begins and however resentful we might sometimes feel, the only way for us to experience growth and develop in this situation is to make the move and accept the change. While we may not be thankful at the time, often, with hindsight we can see that change was actually good for us.

Having support in making that change - here the encouragement of Jesus to make the move and the benefit of being part of a group as they do so - is clearly very significant. I mentioned earlier the experience of rough sleepers in London and there is a specific way of supporting that group of people as they make the journey back into the heart of community. Home for Good matches a former rough sleeper moving into accommodation with a volunteer in that person's new community who can befriend and integrate the person where they now live. Those who sleep on the streets find community there and often find the experience of moving into accommodation one that is isolating. Having someone to befriend them and overcome that sense of isolation can be vital in making the change. The Passage, the charity which runs Home for Good, is specifically looking for volunteers from City to become befrienders in their local areas.

Whether we are those needing to make a change or those able to support others in doing so, the key is recognise that movement and change needs to occur if growth, development and healing is also to come.

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