St Andrew's Zurich

Readings: Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35

“‘Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’”

So, forgiveness.  How easy is it to forgive?  To truly forgive – let go of that anger, hurt, frustration and pain and forgive.  Sometimes it is easy – your partner forgets the yogurts when out shopping, well, no harm done, we’ll just pop out later and get some.  Some hurts are small, just minor irritations.  But what about bigger hurts, ones that tear at the heart – that first broken heart; the slight against a loved one; the deliberate harming of a loved one by another.  What about the death of a loved one at the hands of another?  Can we forgive that?  Should we forgive such a huge transgression?  I remember reading about one mother whose daughter was killed by two other teenagers because of who she was.  The mother spoke of her forgiveness for the culprits following their trial and imprisonment.  They had faced justice and were paying for what they had done, but for her, to not forgive them would mean allowing her hurt, her hate, her anger to eat away at her and destroy her, trapping her in a prison of her own.  Because holding that grievance does consume, does destroy, imprison us. 

But forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian message, it is at the heart of the cross.  From the cross, in the midst of his pain and dying, Jesus cried out forgiveness: Father, forgive, they don’t know what they’re doing!”  at that moment, from the cross, humanity is offered forgiveness, is given divine forgiveness. And not just forgiveness, salvation.  We are given a new life, a life of hope and redemption, one in which we live, in the words of the hymn, “forgiven, loved and free” and in which we can come with joy to meet our Lord.  It is forgiveness given in love, out of God’s deep and lasting love for us, for us all.  And if God can forgive us the death of Christ on the cross, the rejection of the Son even unto death, then that is what we are called to do: forgive seventy times seven, that is, always.  To live forgiveness, to live forgiven-ness.  To forgive the trespasses of others because our trespasses have been forgiven.  It does not mean ignoring our transgressions, or the transgressions of others. It does mean not allowing them to overwhelm and destroy us or others; it means not allowing them to turn into revenge or hate.  It means knowing that in order to be forgiven ourselves, we too must forgive and be prepared to accept that we are forgiven, and that those who trespass against us are also worthy of forgiveness too.  

And the parable Jesus tells makes it clear that holding onto the debts we think we are owed by others, the hurts against us we nurture, enslaves us in selfishness and hate.  The servant cannot accept his forgiveness because he cannot forgive his fellow servant.  It is only by forgiving those trespasses against us, and acknowledging that we are also forgiven the trespasses we have committed, that we can live forgiven lives, with hearts full of love and hope, so long as we “forgive our brother and sister from our heart.”  From our heart. 

However, Jesus’ call for forgiveness, for us to forgive freely, without ending, and from our hearts, is one of the hardest things we are called to do.  We do find it hard to let go of a grievance – it takes conscious, deliberate action and determination.  It is much easier to hold onto the hurt and anger, the sense of injustice, and let it burn inside.  Because that is what the world, what society, teaches us to do: to seek revenge. Just look at the news, at social media.  But holding the hate burns and consumes and destroys us; demanding revenge only makes further victims.  Literature reflects society and in literature we see characters so driven by vengeance that their lives are destroyed: Montagu and Capulet; King Lear for a perceived slight by his daughter; Hamlet.  And many a murder in a detective novel centres on revenge for an act from years ago.  But if we forgive, that burden of hate, of anger is lifted and we can live, not to ourselves but, as Paul tells us, we live to the Lord. 

And forgiveness is also central to life in the community, as the body of Christ, as the Church.  If we do not forgive, our whole community is affected, is damaged.  Grievance can build up and fracture communities, driving them apart and weakening our society.  We see it daily in the news: where revenge creates division, causes people to act in anger, provoking reciprocal anger and hate.  In the church where denominations cannot even share the one thing that should bring us together: the bread and wine, body and blood of Christ.  Though we are many, we are, should be, one body because we should be able to share in one bread.  Revenge, holding grievance, divides us.  Whereas love, forgiveness and understanding unite.  If we are to be a united community, a united Church, united in our love for God, following Christ’s example, living to the Lord (as Paul tells us), then forgiveness is essential. We cannot harbour grievance, or hatred or anger towards each other as this divides and destroys what God has created: our community, the body of Christ, the Church.  Instead, we are called to respond to Christ’s call to the Father to forgive, from our hearts, over and over again, so that we too can forgive, as we ourselves are forgiven, loved and free.  Because we cannot forgive without acknowledging that we are all forgiven, freely and unconditionally, from the cross by the Father.  This does not avoid the need for justice, for a reckoning for deeds done, but it does ask us to not hold on to the grievance, to let go of the hate and not let it so consume us that vengeance replaces love and justice. It means seeking justice tempered with, centred in and on, love and forgiveness, not hate and vengeance.  After all: Abels blood for vengeance pleaded to the skies, but the blood of Jesus for our pardon cries: Father, forgive. 

So, we must live forgiven lives, knowing that if we are forgiven, and if we acknowledge that we are forgiven freely and lovingly, then we too must forgive freely and openly and from the heart.  Because we are accountable to God for our actions, our thoughts, words and deeds.  And then, forgiven and forgiving, we can live lives reflecting God’s love in the world and bringing God’s forgiveness and the uniting and loving power of forgiveness into all situations and to all people: and surely that is something the world in so many places needs today.  It isn’t easy, the world, our societies, call for vengeance and the holding of grievance. But Christ calls for forgiveness from the cross and teaches us to pray: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Willingly, freely, brothers and sisters, from the heart.  Amen.

Revd Jackie Sellin

Readings: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 115; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16 :21-28

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.“

When I was a teenager, back in the ’80s, I used to dream about having a pocket computer. Something small enough that I could slip it into my pocket and yet powerful enough that it could store all my friends’ names and phone numbers. Forty years later, I think that my smart phone is amazing. I can communicate with loved ones in far-off places; I can navigate my way around any city; I can get an answer to almost any question I can think of; and I can order dinner to be delivered to my door without even making a phone call.

But it’s not all good news. This week a major lawsuit was settled in the US. Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay up to $18 billion dollars to resolve the federal lawsuit. The allegations relate to collecting children’s data without parental consent and harming the mental health of young people. Meta settled the lawsuit with no admission of guilt. And it’s not only young people that may be harmed by social media. There is growing evidence that adults of all ages are being affected by their use of digital technology. In society more broadly, there seems to be a trend for people to be disengaging from human society.

One of the causes of social withdrawal might be what is called “digital substitution”. Technology allows us to function while physically engaging less in the world than we used to. Remote working, online gaming and digital entertainment mean that physical presence is no longer required to meet many of our immediate physical and social needs. When I order food to be delivered to my apartment, I have no conversations with restaurant staff, no interactions with fellow diners and I share no friendly hand gestures with other road users. I get up from the sofa for two minutes, have a brief exchange with the delivery driver, and get back in front of the TV. Digital substitution may lead to less physical contact with others, but we cannot point the finger at technology alone. Modern society has many other features that are nudging people into social withdrawal.

Independence and self-reliance are highly valued in Western society, and we often prioritise individual success over community welfare. Swiss society is fortunately resisting some of these trends, but in many countries, membership of local clubs and civic organisations is in decline. The result is that our relationships are becoming more transactional and less intimate, and it becomes more difficult to feel that we are valued members of a community. We can also be nudged into social withdrawal by the competitive nature of modern life, especially in education and the workplace. The fear of not meeting high expectations can cause us to retract into ourselves as a defence mechanism against perceived failure. And the intense nature of working life can lead to an exhaustion that leads to a retreat from social life. Financial instability and the recent rise in the cost of living can mean that some of us cannot afford to be as involved in society as we had been. And finally mental health issues can lead to social withdrawal – negative experiences and difficult relationships can create anxiety and a desire to retreat from the world.

The trend of social withdrawal is complex and caused by many factors. None of them are trivial. None of them are easily solved. Western society is in a pretty gloomy place at the moment. Perhaps the best we can do is stay attentive to the changes happening around us and encourage each other as we seek to make the best of it. If we notice ourselves becoming more withdrawn from human society, can we find any encouragement in our Christian faith? Can the Gospel of Jesus Christ give us any clues about how to live well in uncertain times?

At Christmastime we often read the prologue to John’s gospel, where Jesus is described as the incarnation of the Word, and that: “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The image of Christ burning brightly and shining in the darkness is echoed in Graham Kendrick’s famous chorus: “Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.” This imagery draws inspiration from a heavenly body. At the centre of the solar system lies the sun: a burning mass of hydrogen and helium that generates a huge amount of light and heat. Light and heat without which there would be no life on earth. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness. But how does that help us navigate modern life?

The first encouragement is knowing that God created each one of us and has given each one of us a unique set of gifts. It’s not always clear how we should use the gifts we’ve been given, but in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his followers, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” We are called not to hide who we are from the world, but instead to take courage, to reveal ourselves to the world, and, as best we can, to “let our light shine before others”.

The second encouragement is knowing that we let our light shine, regardless of whether it is great or small. Jesus’s words are echoed in the well-known gospel song: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” We are what we do. Whether we are extroverts, getting our energy for life from the time we spend with others, or whether we are introverts, getting our energy from the time we spend alone, we are all replenishing ourselves so that we can go out into the world and shine. However small the light might seem to be, we are called to let it shine.

The third encouragement is in acknowledging that the road will not be easy. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus knows that he is coming to the end of his life. He knows he is approaching the suffering and death that he cannot avoid. And he says to his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” As Christians we are disciples of Christ, and as disciples we are called to imitate Christ. We are called to take up our cross and follow him. We are called to lose our life so that we will find it.

At the centre of the solar system lies the sun, generating a huge amount of light and heat. Yet one day, even the sun will die. By burning so brightly, it is consuming itself and one day its light will be extinguished. In the same way, God has given us a limited time here on earth. As Christians, let us follow the example of Christ and burn as brightly as we can until our energy is fully consumed.

We live in uncertain times and much in society is unstable. If you notice those around you withdrawing from society, or if you notice yourself withdrawing, I encourage you to remember the words that we use at the end of the baptism service: “God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life. Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.” Amen.

Revd Nigel Dawkins

Readings: Isaiah 55:12−end, Psalm 96, Colossians 1:15−20 and Matthew 8:23–27

Introduction

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

This is the first time that we are preaching on the Feast of Creation in Christ in the Anglican Church. This follows a proposal from the Orthodox Churches and has been embraced across many denominations. Quoting from the TV series Father Ted: “That would be an ecumenical matter.” It is exciting to partake in this ecumenical venture, where we reflect on creation, today with Christ as our focal point.

The readings for this Sunday are complex, but it is good to grapple with them – not just because of the ecological crisis we find ourselves in, but especially because these texts speak of Christ, his role in creation and why this is relevant to us today. Creation in Christ is a message of joy and hope for us and an invitation to roll up our metaphorical and physical sleeves.

So. for this sermon, I will concentrate on Christ and how Christ and creation are related, using the reading from Colossians to direct our thoughts:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
(Colossians 1:15—20:15.)

Christ was present at creation.

The Colossians reading is known as the Christological Hymn and is believed to have been an existing hymn from the early Church that Paul was quoting and editing. Christ is called the proto-tokos, the firstborn of all creation, who existed before all things, was the medium for creation and the one in whom all things hold together.

This hymn emphasises that you cannot see creation without seeing Christ. He is the sustainer and source of all being.

Saint John states the same in the Prologue to his Gospel – Christ who is the Word was in the beginning, was with God, and was God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”
(John 1:1-5.)

Christ has not disappeared since then; he is still in creation, bringing unity and solidarity. Creation is no longer chaos but has become a cosmos, Christ holding that beautiful universe of ours together.

It is a source of joy and awe to see these patterns and this interconnectedness. The trees in the forest communicate through a network of fungi called mycelium. Humpback whales sing to each other across up to 10,000 miles of ocean. A butterfly is said to be able to cause a hurricane.

In our ecosystem there is an intricate, delicate interdependence which humans are a part of. When one part thrives, all thrive. Understanding this is key, and it is our challenge. And when we do understand, perhaps by seeing Christ in Creation and Creation in Christ, we see that when we tend creation, act out our role in creation, it is a way giving thanks and praise to God.

Our reading from Colossians says all things were created “for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Maybe creation is this beautiful, because God delights in it and chooses to be involved with it. God did say creation was very good in the first creation story in Genesis (1:31). And perhaps creation in its turn mirrors God’s delight and shares the goal of glorifying, as our readings from Isaiah and the Psalm say. Having an ecologically sound lifestyle is giving thanks and praise to God.

So, what is our part in the intricate balance of our ecosystem, whom do we relate to and how do we rejoice? If mountains shall burst into song and trees clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12), seas roar and trees sing for joy (Psalm 96:11,12), how should we praise and give thanks?

Well, simply rejoice. Do you sing for joy as creation is said to do? Sometimes when we come together and sing in Church there is real joy. Singing in the shower works too. Sometimes you feel the Spirit move as we sing – as we join creation in praise. Sometimes it may be a simple muttered ‘thank you’ aimed at heaven when you reach the top of a hill and see the awesome beauty of Switzerland all around.

But that is not all. We are also called to work in, with and for creation. In Genesis 2 and 3 we are told our job is to till and keep the earth from which we were made (Genesis 2:15, 3:23). We may not all be farmers, but we can all play our part in taking care of creation and joining in giving thanks and praise to God.

Christ is the sustainer and end of creation.

Colossians states Christ was the firstborn of all creation, but Christ is also called the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:15 and 1:18). We are part of creation now and in the world to come. Through Christ, all things – creation in general and humanity specifically – are reconciled in this world and the next (Colossians 1:20). And if Christ reconciles creation, and we want to be his followers, then we as humans should work for reconciliation as well.

Since the “reign of God” embraces all, as Fordham University theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson says, then this reign includes the planet itself, its many different ecosystems and the creatures that inhabit them.

Reconciliation means bringing unity, understanding, empathy or tolerance of differences – to each other and to creation. So, I see two main tasks for us: first, to work for reconciliation with God by obeying the commandments Jesus said were most important – loving God and our neighbour. And secondly, to enable creation in general and ourselves as well as future generations to flourish and thrive as part of the interconnectedness and the delicate balance that God called very good.

We should want to do this because we are called to be like Christ and to work towards reconciliation, and not towards the abuse and even destruction of creation. Reconciling creation may mean switching to solar energy, recycling better, planting trees, eating less meat, picking up rubbish and simply sharing our love for creation by talking about these things.

This past summer has been quite the wake-up call. We have seen heat waves, fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, mudslides and death and destruction, grief and devastation because of our lack of reconciliation with creation. And we know that these disasters are not a one-off. They are a consequence of, among other things, our actions. But we still have a chance to repent and change our ways and honour God’s creation and our place in it.

There is hope: With every disaster, we have also witnessed the efforts to rescue and restore that were put into place by concerned people and courageous professionals like firefighters and mountain rescue workers.

And there is also hope because Christ’s role is not limited to creation in the past and sustaining creation in the present. There is an eschatological aspect to all of this as well. Jesus preached the coming of the Kingdom of God – which is manifesting itself already. More specifically, this Kingdom is centred on the possibility of a new relationship, not just between God and humankind, but with all created reality. Creation – not just us, but all of creation – will be redeemed in the world to come.

The work of the Kingdom did not stop when Jesus died, rose again and ascended into heaven. With the coming of the Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost, it was affirmed that the Kingdom work continues – with us. The time of transformation and reconciliation, for creation to be made whole was, is and will be now.

There is a goal to be achieved in and for creation by all of us.

We are at this moment not called to be a passive audience, but active participants: Love God, love and take care of our neighbour specifically and all of creation in general. That is our calling.

And so, for the rest of September, we will be dwelling on what this care for creation, this call to reconciliation, this working for and with creation in order to glorify God could and maybe should look like, for each one of us individually and for our Church community corporately. It sounds grand, but it basically means living ecologically conscious lives. Be good to each other and to Mother Nature.

When we celebrate Holy Communion together in a few moments, we remember the Paschal Mystery. We do not fully understand how the death and resurrection and the bread and the wine work, other than that it signifies that all of us are on a journey to God in and through the redemptive love of Jesus Christ – and we give thanks and celebrate reconciliation. Communion may remind us of our interconnectedness with Christ, each other and all of creation – and of our role in it.

Conclusion

The themes of Christ in creation and of this Feast of Creation in Christ show us that caring for creation is not something we do as an afterthought. It is and has been part of our calling here on earth from the very beginning. It is part of our discipleship. And it is a thing of joy, to become more Christ-like, to love more and better, to enable nature and each other to thrive and flourish more, to work for reconciliation.

The root of joy is gratitude – we give thanks because our earth, its creatures and we ourselves are awesome creations by a loving Creator who has given us agency and a calling to work with and in his creation. And when we do act as agents of reconciliation, we ourselves are transformed and we can live life in more of its fulness, peace and joy.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 

(All Bible quotes are taken from the NRSV UE translation.)

Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon Sunday 23^rd August: Trinity 12

Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Every week, after communion, we say the post communion prayer together: “Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.”  This is, of course, the culmination of the Mass, the missa! The Dismissal.  It is the sending out. Having been spiritually fed by word and sacrament, we are sent out into the world.  This is one of the points of our worship: to be sent out in the power of the Spirit to live and work to God’s praise and glory.  Each week we present our bodies as living sacrifices here in this building so that we can be renewed by the Spirit, inspired by God’s love and united in the body of Christ and then sent out to live and work in God’s name in the world.  It is an immense, awe-inspiring commission for which we need the sustenance of worship, Word and Sacrament and the community of the body of Christ to fulfill.  Because we do not ask: send me out, we ask God to send us, the body of Christ, out into the world having presented ourselves to God in our spiritual worship.

There is so much going on in the brief passage from Paul this morning.  Firstly, there is family: the body of Christ. We are brothers and sisters, called to come together – though we are many we are one body, we are members one of another.  Just as we welcome those who are baptised into this body, into this fellowship of Christ.  We. Like Peter, recognise Jesus as the Messiah, the chosen one of God, God incarnate. And this means something. Thomas Cranmer, brought to execution for his beliefs in a time when Christian fought against Christian, exhorted his hearers to: “love altogether like brethren and sisters. For, alas! Pity it is to see what contention and hatred one Christian man hath towards another; not taking each other as sisters and brothers, but rather as strangers and mortal enemies.” (1) And he knew what he was talking about: he was about to be burned at the stake for being the wrong kind of Christian!  And yet, he saw all his brothers and sisters in Christ as such: his brothers and sisters, and called for unity, an end to the divisions.  Because, of course, we are one body, regardless of denomination, and if we cannot love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ then how can we love those children of God who, although God’s children, are not like us or worship like us or even worship at all but who we are still called to love as fellow children of God because they are God’s children? 

But also, we are called to recognise our differences.  That although members of the same body, we each bring something to the body, each and every one of us has been given a gift by God,  something to give, something to take out into the world to share with the world.  Be it prophecy, ministry, leadership, generosity or compassion, we are given gifts to use in the world to God’s praise and glory.  And we must use them to this end.  We must ensure that everything we do, all our words and actions, are done in God’s name to God’s honour. And so, as Paul says, we must use our minds, renewed through our worship and faith, to discern what God wants from us, how we are to use what we have, our God-given gifts, so that we and our actions will be good, acceptable and perfect in God’s sight. 

But what is good and acceptable and perfect in God’s sight?  Well, here I turn to the beautiful anthem which ends with the opening words from Paul today. “Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it .. love is strong as death.” (2) Throughout his life Jesus taught us the importance of love.  Love for our fellow human beings – as Cranmer spoke: “But I pray you learn and bear well away this one lesson, to do good to all as much as in you lieth, and to hurt no (one), no more than you would hurt your own natural brother or sister.” (3)  Even on the point of martyrdom, Cranmer could speak of love for others, even those who are about to execute him.  He, as a Christian, understood Jesus’ call to love: “For this you may be sure of, that whosoever hateth any person, and goeth about to hinder or hurt them, surely and without doubt, God is not with that person.” (4) God is with those who love the other, all others.  If we claim to follow Christ then we are to love our neighbour as ourself and wish only good for them, do only good for them, pray only good for them. As St Anselm says in his prayer: “Whatever you cause me to desire for my enemies, give it to them and give the same to me, and if what I ask for them is ever outside the rule of love, whether through weakness, ignorance, or malice, give it neither to them, good Lord, nor to me.” (5)  We may not be able to resist the world’s need for vengeance but God can, and God will give us strength to wish only good, even for our enemies: to not just turn the other cheek but to seek their well-being too.  And, honestly, wouldn’t the world be a much better place if all, especially those with power and authority or influcence, could pray that prayer and live it!

So, we stand before God as living sacrifices, as sisters and brothers, to offer our spiritual worship to God and be sent out as instruments of God’s love and grace following Christ’s commandment to love one another, inspired and empowered by the Spirit working within and through us, using the gifts God has given us.  We call what we do in church service. It is. It is service to and of God.  And through it we offer our souls and bodies, everything that we are, in God’s service as living sacrifices, living and energised to be sent out in the power of the Spirit to live, to love and to work to and for God’s honour and glory. By doing this we will be doing what is good and acceptable and perfect in God’s eyes.  Loving all others as brother and sister, and working to transform not only our minds, but the minds of others so that all will live and work to God’s glory through loving service each of the other.  And we do this because, like Peter, we acknowledge Jesus as Christ, the Messiah. And so at the end of the service, listen and live the words of dismissal to: go in peace, to love and serve our Lord. In the name of Christ, the Messiah.  Amen

Revd Jackie

References

1. MacArthur B, ed. (2017) The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches, Thomas Cranmer, Penguin Books pp38/9
2. John Ireland (1879-1962) Greater Love Hath No Man https://mondoymusic.com/sounds/ChoirRehearsal/GreaterLove_Ireland.htm
3. MacArthur B, ed. (2017) The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches, Thomas Cranmer, Penguin Books p39
4. MacArthur B, ed. (2017) The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches, Thomas Cranmer, Penguin Books p39
5. Prayer of St Anselm

Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 133; Romans 11:1-2a,29-32; Matthew 15: 10-28

Jesus answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

Last week, a young man died after suffering three years of abuse, of humiliation, of harassment.  On the news, the chief nurse of the Royal College of Nursing spoke directly to those in power whose words gave permission for patients to use racist and derogatory language to her nurses and other medical staff. Across the world politicians, especially female politicians face abuse, name-calling, threats because they dare to be female politicians and speak out about oppression, speak for the underdog.  In the 1990’s neighbours were turned against neighbour, friend against friend, by the use of language, no the abuse of language: cockroaches, vermin, rats, swarms, infesting.  And this language can be heard by high-profile and ordinary people today to describe fellow human beings.  And Jesus said: “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”  The words spoken in hate, in prejudice, these defile the speaker, the one spoken about and, I would say, the world around them.  With every such word spoken the world becomes darker, becomes more dangerous, for us all.

Jesus answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’  These words of Jesus are jarring, they sound so unlike Jesus, so contradictory to his compassion and concern for the oppressed and suffering. So what is happening here?  Why is Jesus referring to a different tribe of fellow human beings as dogs?  It sounds so strange to us, that the incarnate God of love turns to this distressed parent, this distraught mother, and calls her, her daughter, her people dogs.  Well, I would say we need to look at what has just gone on before, the words he spoke to the pharisees, to the disciples in the first part of our gospel reading.  Words which warned about the power of words. Warning them that how we speak about and to others reflects our beliefs, what is in our hearts.  That the words we use about others, if they are intended to hurt, to demean, to judge or dehumanise our fellow human beings, these words can and do defile us, defile those around us, defile our surroundings, our society.  “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions…. These are what defile a person.”  I think that in this exchange, this conversation with the woman – the woman the disciples have tried to turn away, to get Jesus to “send away” because she is shouting her prayers at them – in his conversation with her, Jesus is putting his previous words into context, into action. 

I think he is saying to his disciples: listen to yourselves! You who are called by God, by me, listen to how you speak of this woman, of her people.  Do you speak of them in love?  Do you see them as equal to you in God’s eyes?  Because to God, all are made in God’s image and likeness, all are part of God’s wonderful creation.  And Jesus, through the deft and intelligent response of this rejected woman, shows them true faith: she speaks because she believes that her hope, her trust, her faith in Jesus will be fulfilled, she will be heard, even though those standing around her would class her unworthy of such a hearing because of who and what she is: a Canaanite, and, possibly even worse in their eyes, a woman.  “Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”  Jesus not only acknowledges her, but values her, and responds with love, instantly.

In his response and actions, Jesus challenges the ingrained attitudes of the disciples, but he also challenges our attitudes, our perspectives, our prejudices.  On the cross Jesus reaches out his arms in love not just to one type of person, one colour, one nation, but to all people: “for us (all) and for our salvation he came down from heaven and was made man.”  And if Christ is Christ to all people, if all people are children of God, then who are we to call those whom God called good, no, very good, dogs or cockroaches or any other demeaning, dehumanising insult?  Who are we to view any other human being as lesser, as not as human, as worthy, as valuable in God’s eyes, and in our eyes?  Who are we to defile ourselves and the world with language that hurts, that creates fear, that demoralises and demeans the children of God? 

If we believe that all humanity is part of God’s family, loved and wanted by God, deliberately sought and brought home through the life, ministry and sacrifice of Jesus, then we must have hearts that reflect that love of God, that puts in our mouths words that unite us as the family of Christ, that sees each and every human being as our sister, our brother in God’s family.  And if we see each human as our sister or brother then we must act on this, treating them as such, loving them as God loves us, as God loves all the children, loving them as sister, brother, family.  Because we are one family, children of the same heavenly Father, inheritors together of the kingdom of God.

And if we believe this in our hearts we must show it in our lives and speak words, echoed in our actions, which build a world where words enhance and encourage the other, build up those who are struggling, those who are made to feel unworthy by others, those who feel lost or lowly or worthless.  Our words should be words of welcome from the heart, of love deep in our hearts, breaking down the barriers and challenging the words of hate that seek to defile us and God creation.  Because this is what God asks of us, what Jesus came down to inspire in us, what we are called to do and be: one big family, the family of God, one in the Spirit and one in the Lord, and we pray and work together for the time when that unity will one day be restored, knowing that we are known as Christians by our love, by our love: the love spoken, shown, revealed, through the words we say and inspired deep in our hearts.  Then maybe all of us will hear Christ commend us for our “Great Faith” for our words of hope and grace from hearts filled with God’s love. And then maybe the kingdom will be brought closer as prejudice, hate and division are replaced by understanding, respect, love and unity guided by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Because, as we heard in the psalm for today: Behold how good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity. Amen.

Revd Jackie

Genesis 1:1-2:3; Psalm 136 :1-9,23-26; Romans 8:18-25; Matthew 6:25-34

“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  So do not worry”.

Do you feel “good”?  Do you feel “very good”?  I think most of us would probably answer: well, sometimes!  Sometimes we do feel good about ourselves.  Sometimes, not so good.  It is so easy to get into that spiral of worrying, or anxiety – it only takes a word from someone to knock our confidence, make us feel unsure, make us feel anxious, alone.  But, it also only takes a word from someone to make us feel stronger, valued, upheld.  As Martin Luther King III wrote recently in The Guardian (1), words matter, the language we use when we speak with or about each other, any others, matters – it can affect whole groups of people; language can cause hatred and prejudice: something to remember as we commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day recently.  And, of course, it is not just what we say, but how!  But, the example we have from God is of language that builds up others, valuing, loving them regardless, through thick and thin; everything, everyone, is very good.  “It is he who remembered us in our lowly estate … and rescued us from our foes; for his steadfast love endures forever” as our psalmist puts it.  God sees all of us as good, as very good, sees all creation as very good.  And that should be enough for us, and for our attitudes towards others, towards creation, surely.  “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.”

But what does it mean to be blessed by God in this way, to be called very good?  Well, it is not meant to make us feel superior, to make us see ourselves as better than anything or anyone else – than creation, than each other.  Because we are all part of creation, part of the created order of things.  But as children of God, made in God’s image and likeness, we have a special relationship with God.  In some ways we are to be Godlike – to do what God would do, to do what God would will us to do, what God showed us through Christ we should do.  Being in God’s image and likeness is a responsibility to live Godly lives, lives that reflect God, God’s image and likeness in us.  It means recognising the image and likeness in ourselves, and living up to that in our behaviour, in our language towards others, in our treatment of others, of each other, and in our treatment and attitudes towards the rest of creation: the creation that God also saw as good, more than that: “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”  God loved creation into being, loved us into being, and we, as images of God, given stewardship over all that God created, must reflect that love in how we live in creation, and how we live with each other.  It is a commandment: if we love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength then we are to love that which God loves: all of God’s creation, all of God’s children.  For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son into the world, to bring us forgiveness and salvation.  To redeem creation, and to bring reconciliation between God and humanity, between humanity itself (and that is so needed today) and between humanity and creation (and again, that is so needed today).

God reveals his love primarily in the sending of the Son, but also in every gift given to us: through creation we have light, water, day and night, sun and rain; we have food, drink, clothing, shelter, each other: for God knows we need these things.  But, humanity gets so caught up in things: in having the right clothes, eating the latest foods and drinks, following the latest trends, worrying about being on trend, seeking the perfection promised by social media influencers, that we can lose sight of God’s goodness.  We are distracted from seeing ourselves as good, as made in God’s image, and seeing others as good, made in God’s image, by the constant adverts, constant messages telling us what is good, who is good, telling us how to behave to be accepted, acceptable, who to like, who to dislike, who doesn’t fit in – the ones who don’t follow our trend, don’t look like we do, don’t eat the same things, the same way, who aren’t “us”.  And hate and fear replaces the lovingkindness we should show each other.  We dehumanise, degrade the other.  Again, I reference Holocaust Memorial Day and how easy it is to be convinced of the worthlessness, the non-humanness of others.  We lose sight of the goodness of others – of the fact that God calls them good too and that they are valued in the eyes of God – because we are too caught up in making ourselves good, perfect, in our eyes, in the eyes of the world.  In our “doomscrolling”, we lose sight of how good the world is, how good God’s children are, how good they can be.  We worry so much about not fitting in that we do and say things that undermine the goodness of God’s image in us and in others.  And we lose sight of Christ’s gentle words: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.”  We fail to “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”

So, we have a divine duty given to us, given to us right from the beginning.  To be those who live as ones made in the image and likeness of God, who do the things God wills, think in God’s ways, love as God loves, all things and all people.  To be ones who can look at the world and see God’s goodness there, to see that it is good, very good.  And to be the ones who challenge those voices which try to undermine the image of God in others, which try to take away their humanity.  We are called to see the good in all people, to build them up, give them hope; to see God in all people and to respond to them in ways that reflect God’s ways, God’s will, God’s love, God’s goodness.  Then we can feel good.  Then others can feel good, and the whole of creation will be very good.  And we can live up to God’s faith in us, God’s trust in us to be good stewards of what he has entrusted to us: each other and all creation.  And then God can look at everything that he has made and know it is very good.  And so we respond to Christ’s call to “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness“, then everything else will follow because God knows what we need, and has provided enough for all, if only we would see it.  And if we do see it then we can sing, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven: “O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures for ever.”  Amen.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/05/in-america-the-social-fabric-is-starting-to-collapse-australia-must-also-learn-that-words-shape-our-world