St Andrew's Zurich The Anglican Church in Zurich

Sermon for Safeguarding Sunday

20th November 2022

Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

I am the door of the sheepfold

Not one that’s gently hinged or deftly hung,
Not like the ones you planed at Joseph’s place,
Not like the well-oiled openings that swung
So easily for Pilate’s practiced pace,
Not like the ones that closed in Mary’s face
From house to house in brimming Bethlehem,
Not like the one that no man may assail,
The dreadful curtain, The forbidding veil
That waits your breaking in Jerusalem.

Not one you made but one you have become:
Load-bearing, balancing, a weighted beam
To bridge the gap, to bring us within reach
Of your high pasture. Calling us by name,
You lay your body down across the breach,
Yourself the door that opens into home.
(Malcolm Guite)

I don’t know what you thought when you saw the theme of this Sunday. It is a subject that conjures up many images and ideas, especially with the news reports and internal reports in the various churches, followed by an ever-increasing raft of instructions, rules and regulations to be interpreted and worked through by Safeguarding Officers in every parish and chaplaincy – and our Safeguarding Officer does a great job in working out how these affect our situation and implementing them sensitively. Thank you.

back view of child climbing the stairs — Photo by Nathan J Hilton on Pexels.com

But that isn’t what this Sunday is really about – the rules and paperwork. This Sunday can probably be looked at better by separating the word into its two halves: safe and guarding. It is one reason that I chose Malcolm Guite’s poem about the Good Shepherd. We are looking to the one who, like a shepherd and his flock, keeps us safe, who protects us: guards us sleeping and guides us waking – as a recent anthem told us. And it is all there in our readings today. Jeremiah describes a God who is personally concerned with the well-being of the people, God’s created beings. It speaks of the flock being in danger, being threatened, and yet God will step in, will protect and guard them: they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, or lost. God will keep them in perfect peace. It is an image which we associate deeply with Christ, and which he used to describe his ministry and mission: I am the Good Shepherd. The one, in the words of the poem, who lay his body down across the breach for his sheep, his lambs. The one whose last instruction to Peter was to tend my sheep, feed my lambs. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. All of us, and everyone. Our psalm tells us God is our refuge and strength, we don’t have to fear. We can be still and know that God is God. The God who came down to earth as a vulnerable child, to defeat the fears and the darkness and who stretched out his arms on the cross in love for his people. The God who gathers us in his loving arms as a refuge.

All of us. Everyone. The whole of creation is held in God’s hands: He’s got the whole world in his hands – you and me sister/brother; everybody here; the whole world. Held. Loved, kept safe in God’s presence. God is our refuge a very present help in trouble.

human hands forming heart on white surface — Photo by ATC Comm Photo on Pexels.com

And that is what Safe-guarding Sunday is all about. This place, this building, where we are in the presence of God: The Lord is here: his Spirit is with us we say every Sunday, and I choose that opening to the Eucharistic prayer quite deliberately. Because the Lord, the Good Shepherd, is here. And this place should be somewhere where we feel safe. Where anyone who turns up through those doors can feel safe, protected, secure. Where they can bring their tears of pain, fear, distrust, and have God wipe away all those tears. Through us. Through our care, attention and welcome. We, as people of God, should be working together to make this place, our community, a place where all feel they can come for refuge, where doubts can be discussed and shared. We are called to be a pastoral church, a pastoral people – it is no accident that priests are also called pastors, but it is not just priests, ministers or lay ministers. It is all of us. We are all required by God to shepherd God’s people. Paul speaks of wishing the Colossians to be strong, to be made whole again. And this is what we are here for – to be made strong and to be made whole again. And to make others strong, to help heal them, support them, care for them. Because this is what Jesus did – he raised up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things, and drove out the darkness. And we are Christians, Christ’s ones, baptised in his name and called to continue his ministry and mission to others. So this place, our place of worship, should be a sanctuary, a place of safety, where all can come and feel the love of God in action. Christ became the door of the sheepfold, Load-bearing, balancing, a weighted beam To bridge the gap, to bring us within reach Of his high pasture. Calling us by name, He lay his body down across the breach, Himself the door that opens into home.

We can be people who bridge the gap, who reach out into the darkness and provide a safe haven – a heaven – for all whom we meet, and for all who cross our doorway here.

The second commandment is this: that you love your neighbour as yourself. And so we are called to work together to serve others by being safe, watching out for the sheep and lambs around us and offering them strength, hope and love.

Amen.

Reverend Jackie Sellin
Assistant Chaplain

Reference – Malcolm Guite: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/i-am-the-door-of-the-sheepfold-a-poem-for-good-shepherd-sunday/

Sermon for Stewardship Sunday

6th November 2022

Gospel: Luke 17.11-19

There is a beautiful carol which I love to hear, and sing, at Christmas. In the Bleak Midwinter. It is a beautiful poem by Christina Rosetti, and the words are powerful, yet simple: heaven cannot hold him; enough for him who is adored by angels is a breastful of milk; Mary worships Jesus with a kiss. Simple things, simple offerings, human offerings to Christ in response to the gift of him to us. The word that became flesh and lived among us. And of course then there is the final verse: what can I give him, poor as I am? It does seem to be a huge question: what can we mere humans do in response to the great loving gift of God to us: the gift of God’s only Son; the gift of God’s unconditional love; the gift of freely given grace. The gift of freedom, of new-life. Well, maybe our response can be simple too: thank you. Or, in the words of Christina Rosetti: yet, what I can I give him, I give my heart.

But what does that mean? Giving your heart to God? The first commandment Jesus gives us expands this offering: we are to love God with all our heart, yes, but also with all our mind, all our soul and all our strength. With all our being. And we are to love our neighbour as ourself – this too is part of the response to God’s gifts to us: to say thank you to God is to love God totally, with all our being and to love our neighbour as ourself.

black and white photograph of children sliding on snow in a town — Photo by Sadi Gökpınar on Pexels.com

But saying the words is easy. What do we do, what can we give, actually physically do to respond to God’s gifts with our heart, mind, strength and soul? Well, I’d like to go back to basics. To the things we learned from early childhood. Things each and every young child struggles with, and even adults can find difficult! Sharing and saying Thank you. I have memories of my mother telling me to “share nicely” – I can’t remember what I was sharing, but the words stay with me (probably because they had to be said to me a lot!). Sharing what we have with others, and if we follow that through to the life of Christ, sharing what we have with those who need it, ask for it, are less fortunate than us. But also sharing it with each other, here, in our community. Because sharing is a way of ensuring community works. It helps community develop and deepen. Community, our church community, requires that we all share our time, talents and treasure in order to create a sense of belonging, of being part of something, of belonging to each other, and to God.

Rowan Williams wrote about what it means to be community, a community of Christians. For him it meant showing the characteristics of Christ and these include: unquestioning compassion and mercy towards each other and towards all of God’s children; and generosity and simplicity. If we are living together, working together as a community of Christ then we are working together for God, responding to God’s love. Because, in the words of Rowan Williams: Christian identity claims a citizenship “deeper and more universal than any human society can provide.” We are called to share who we are, what we are, with each other in our community. We are called to use our talents, our time and our treasure to support and grow our community so that we can reveal God’s love in the world, to the world, so that all can experience this love, and feel the power of God’s grace in their lives. Because it is through our church, our chaplaincy, that God can work in the world. But we need to give of ourselves to let God reach out through us into that world.

Which means asking ourselves the question posed by Christina Rosetti: what can I give him, poor as I am? And the example is around us in our church, shown by all those who already give what they can. The ones who make coffee, produce Search, help in the bazaar, join in the church clean, sing in the choir, work behind the scenes to make our church run smoothly. And to whom we are already very grateful. But, they, I, cannot do this alone. It takes a whole community to build a community doing God’s will, God’s work. There are so many ways we can be involved in our community.

The first is by being here, by coming to church, by supporting our worship and sustaining our prayer life. Easy. Just by being here, talking to each other, sharing with each other, we are doing God’s work. For those who can, there are many opportunities of getting further involved in our work as God’s hands on earth. Join one of the rotas, think about your own vocations, help carry the coffee out to the garden, come and sing with us, support our young people as youth leaders or Junior Church leaders. And of course, finally, there are the financial needs of the church. To sustain our ministry and outreach, to develop it further does require funds. We all need to consider what we can give: big; small; time; talent; or treasure.

Because by doing so we come to the second of those things we learn as children: Say “thank you!” By offering ourselves – our time, talents and treasure – to the work of God we turn back to God and say thank you, like the Samaritan leper in our Gospel story. We stop and say, thank you, from our hearts, through our actions. We stand, and in our gifts we praise God, we show our gratitude to God for all God’s gifts to us. Because: My God loves me, his love will never end, He rests within my heart for my God loves me. And: dearly, dearly has He loved, and we must love him too. And show God’s love in our lives. Please, consider what time, talents and treasure you can give to help the work of God in this place. Offer your gift to God – whether that is just your presence, here in Church, or a talent given by God, joining a rota, or even helping with the washing up.

We ask so much from God. God has given us so much unbidden and unconditionally, surely we can give something back to God: our hearts and hands and voices. Our time, talents and treasures.

Amen.

Revd Jackie Sellin

Williams R (December 22 2021) The Two Ways, Plough Quarterly – 14:Re-formation Essays, plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/the-two-ways-williams

Why Junior Church?

It’s a good question, why Junior Church?
Why do we separate out our generations nearly every Sunday during term time?
Is it just because it’s always been done – I know many of us have been through Sunday School in the past?
Or is there more to it?…

I believe that Junior Church is important for the children. It gives them an opportunity to mix with other children of Christian families, which can give them confidence to own the faith themselves. I think a lot of us know it is difficult to admit to our faith if we are in the presence of those who are at best indifferent and sometimes even aggressively opposed to our beliefs. Children in Junior Church can see that others do share their interest and growing in the faith – they are not alone. And that it is not just other children but the leaders and the rest of the congregation ready to stand up for what they believe in.

Junior Church can give them a sense of security and belonging, which is so important in the nurturing of faith.

Junior Church is a place to explore faith. To test out faith and ask the questions that young minds delight in asking. They can test out their faith with sympathetic leaders who understand where these questions are coming from and have the faith confidence to answer, or let the young people find their own answers in a safe place. They can also learn with and from the young people, demonstrating that faith is an ongoing journey – not a once-off point of knowledge, but a constant searching and learning and sharing of new insights and thoughts. It also is a place where their doubts can be expressed safely and with support. Our leaders are wonderful at leading and guiding young believers into a deeper understanding, walking with them in their journey and learning about their own faith at the same time.

Being together in Junior Church is also a good place to hear the Gospel, to learn the stories that inform our beliefs. To take part in fun activities, especially art, music and drama, which will help them understand what being Christian means and how we show we are Christian. Each week they explore different aspects of faith with opportunities to express their understanding in different and interesting ways, which they can then share with their families and the wider community after the service.

And of course, being in Junior Church gives children an opportunity to see what Christians do in church. They come up to join in Communion and see what we do in the service. At the same time they see adults taking faith seriously, sharing it with each other, and learning from each other, and the young people in our community. Once a month our young people get a chance to lead us in worship, taking themes important to faith and being Christian in todays world and sharing their views and ideas. Sharing in worship with other generations is important for all people – we learn about our faith, deepen our faith by sharing it with others, seeing and experiencing the faith of other generations and walking together on our faith journey.

So why Junior Church?

Well, it’s fun for all involved; it supports and guides all our faith journeys, and it allows for exploration of our beliefs, whilst supporting us all through tough times.

If you would like your child to join our Junior Church group, or if you are a member of our congregation and would like to be involved in nurturing our young people, in sharing your faith journey and learning from and with our young people, then do consider joining us. You can always Email us, or talk to Jacqui, Philippa, Jackie or any of the Junior Church team. We look forward to welcoming you!

All clergy and Readers within the Church of England have Safeguarding training and need record check clearance certificates as a normal part of their ministry. Our lay volunteers who work with young people and vulnerable adults also go through the same safeguarding process, so that we can ensure that our congregation is a safe place for young and vulnerable people to visit. If you have any questions concerning Safeguarding, please contact our Safeguarding Officer.

Email: Safeguarding@standrewszurich.church
Click here to view St Andrew’s Chaplaincy Safeguarding Policy

God so loved the world: Sermon Sunday 9th October

During our Intergenerational Service on Sunday, Revd Jackie’s sermon considered the themes covered in the Church of England’s Season of Creation theme. If you missed the service, or would like to read the sermon, the text is below and links to the reading from Luke 12: 22-34.

Also, don’t forget about our weekly Outdoor Communion Service that takes place every Wednesday morning at 9.15am. This is a simple service, lasting about 20 minutes, which can bring a brief pause for calm reflection during the middle of the week.

We aim to hold services outside in St Andrew’s church garden every Wednesday, weather permitting.

God so loved the world – A theme I want to break into three parts.

I don’t know about you, but over the past few weeks, months, I seem to have been experiencing the power of God’s creation, in fact most of the world has been experiencing the power of God’s creation! I have dragged Pippin out on walks in the pouring rain – much to his great disgust, I must say. I have heard the mighty thunder, wandered through the woods and forest glades, feeling the rain on my coat, and listened to the birds exchanging stories above me in the tall trees. And that view from the top of the Rigi, across to the Pilatus, and other mountains, especially when the cloud line is below the Rigi summit and you feel as if you are on an island in the sky!

brown bear in the river — Photo by Francisco Cornellana Castells on Pexels.com

Looking down into the valleys below – Then sings my soul. Then I really feel close to God. I consider all the works God’s hand hath made, and my soul sings. Because it is good, and God saw that it was good. All of it. From the cricket sunbathing on the path, the red-backed beetle scurrying out of the way of feet, to the majestic stag bellowing across the valley, and the bear stocking up on food ready for the long winter hibernation. All are good because God saw that they were good.

And that should be enough, shouldn’t it. That they are good, that they have value for being what they are – the bird, the marmot, the bear– do we need to justify them? Their existence? They just are. They fit in with how the world is. Without them something is missing, some part of the great chain of being is gone and the chain weakens. And there was evening and there was morning.

God so loved the world. I was asked when this season of care for creation began why it was something we should be addressing in church. And this famous phrase from John’s Gospel sort of answers that question: we have to love God’s world because God so loved the world. God so loves the world. And we are made in the image of God. We are God’s people on earth, made in God’s image, God’s representatives, and therefore we have a responsibility, called by God to be in the world to act out God’s love, God’s compassion. In the words of Ian Bradley, a Christian writer on the environment,
“If we are in God’s image then just as God acts justly, creatively, with love, compassion and mercy, so we too must act justly, creatively, with love, compassion and mercy.“

brown marmot on green grass — Photo by Timo Niedermann on Pexels.com

Throughout the Bible we hear how God cares for and loves what God has created: for the ravens; how God clothes the lilies in the fields in finery, and in Matthew 10, verse 29, Jesus says: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. God sees what happens to creation. God sees when creation is abused, exploited, destroyed, when even the little creatures, the ones we overlook or discount, are damaged. And if God sees, we, in God’s image, as God’s representatives, should see too, and care, and love those creatures. This is not a “nice-to-have” part of our faith, it is central: we are in God’s image, we are to be God’s hands, feet, heart in this world, and so we must love as God loves, and we must love what God loves: all God’s creatures, however unlovely. I have preached so many times on how we must love those whom God has made in God’s image: our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters here and across the world. But God’s love is bigger than just humanity. In the words of that Sunday School song: wide, wide as the ocean, high as the heavens above, deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Saviour’s love. It covers the birds of the air, the creatures of the sea and all that lives on the land. All those things that God saw were good.

And God so loved the world that God gave us to be stewards of God’s creation. The word used in Genesis is dominion which has caused some misunderstanding. Dominion suggests control, dominance, dictatorship: it’s all ours therefore we can do with it what we want! But. In the Old Testament, Kings with dominion did not have the power to rule as they wanted, and do what they wanted. They were ruling in place of God, the ever-loving God. And as such they were expected to rule with compassion, justice and mercy. They ruled as God’s representatives and they knew that God would demand a reckoning when God came to claim what belonged to God. Our dominion means that we hold the earth in trust for God. We steward the resources, the creatures, caring for them as God would want, protecting and preserving them and the whole of creation. This is a solemn duty: God has entrusted us with God’s creation. And God will challenge us on how we have upheld that solemn trust. What have we done with what God has entrusted to us? And we are not just holding creation in trust for God, but for future generations, As Chris Park (another Christian Environmental writer) says,
“We do not pass this world on to the next generation, we borrow it from them. This world is not ours, it is God’s and it belongs to future generations. We are merely stewards. We have a solemn duty, a calling, a vocation to care for God’s creation as God would, as God does.”

green and blue peacock feather — Photo by Anjana C on Pexels.com

And this is what makes Christians different. This is what makes our call for creation, for environmental protections, different. We don’t do it for us. These things will help us because they will help the planet survive, but we don’t care for creation for our own selfish reasons, we do it because we belong to God. Because creation belongs to God and if we borrow something, if we are entrusted with something that belongs to someone else, we have a duty to protect, preserve and hand it back safe and secure. We can use it, but not abuse it. We are responsible to God for this beautiful, powerful, breath-taking creation and whatever we do with it, we must be prepared to hand it back safely to God. And just as we belong to God, and to each other, we also belong to creation as part of God’s created order, so by protecting God’s creation from abuse, we protect each other, all humanity from abuse. Everything belongs to God, and of God’s own do we offer God.

So, my three points:

First, creation is worth it, because. Because it has value in and of itself, an intrinsic value through the love of God. All things, including us, were created by God, for no other reason than God wanted to create and love them.

Second, as God’s people, made in God’s image, we are to love God’s creation as God loves it. It is who we are. And as God’s children in the world, we should act with compassion, justice and mercy, towards all creation.

And finally, we are not possessors of creation, we do not own it, but we borrow it from the next generation, and steward it for God, holding it in trust for God, and we will be held to account for what we do with it. The earth is the Lord’s and all that therein is.

Our task is to ensure it is stewarded well, that it is used lovingly and carefully, so all generations can see the stars, hear the mighty thunder, wander through woods and glades, hear birds in the trees, look down from mountains, hear brooks, feel gentle breezes, and in so doing can consider all the works God hand has made.
Then our souls may sing: how great thou art.

Amen

Bibliography:

Bradley Ian (2020) God is Green: Christianity and the Environment, Darton, Longman and Todd/Kindle
Park Chris (2013) Caring for Creation. Towards a Christian Environmental Theology, Harper Collins/Kindle

Sermon by the Revd Jackie Sellin for 24th July 2022

As you may know Jackie is unfortunately unwell at the moment. She had already prepared her sermon for last Sunday so we are taking this opportunity to publish it here.

Reading: Luke 11: 1-13

“He said to them, When you pray, say: Father”

Parenthood. Not easy, and quite often we are almost hated by our offspring because we put limits on their behaviour or seem to counter everything they want to do. Then there are the decisions they make that they blame on your advice. That’s after disturbing our sleep for years, and costing us an arm and a leg to clothe, feed, entertain and provide for. Who’d be a parent? And of course, there are parents who don’t care for their children, who see them as a burden, who make their lives a misery either through negligence, through weakness, through their own deliberate fault. So for some, father is a scary word.

And yet, Jesus asks us to call God Father. This is actually quite radical. It is unique. The Israelites couldn’t even bring themselves to use the word God, but referred to God as The Name. To call God Father was a revolutionary step. Jesus gives us permission to address God as he addresses God: Abba, Father. It is, in the words of Malcolm Guite:

“As though I stood with (him) in (his) position,
As though (his) Father were my Father too,
As though I found his ‘welcome home’ in you.“

We are invited to stand with Christ, and use Jesus’ words. To acknowledge ourselves as children of God, alongside the Son of God, by the Son of God. The whole prayer is a radical reworking of who we think we are, who God is and what the world is like. God is our Father, not just my Father, or your Father, but our Father. We are in relationship with God, we are God’s children.

This does not put us in the position of a human child, dependent on the whims of a human father. God is our Father, and God is love. Hence the comparisons in the following parables: God is not human, God is God, and so God will not act as we act: God will answer us, care for us, love us. Just as a human parent will not give bad things to their children – well most of them – God will give us good things: the gift of grace, of belonging to the family of God, of the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us. A role in building God’s kingdom on earth. Thy kingdom come.

Because it has come: the kingdom of God has come near in the person of the Son of God, our brother, Jesus. His life shows what the kingdom should be, how our Father sees our world. It is stated in the reading Jesus uses in the Synagogue to begin his Mission and ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour“. This is the world our Father wants for all God’s children. A world in which God’s ways become real and God’s will become cherished and obeyed. A world in which the humble and meek are exalted, where poverty is challenged, where equity, mercy and compassion reign. A world in which, as Bishop Curry said in the sermon at Meghan and Harry’s wedding: “love is the way, and there is no poverty, no hungry children, there is justice and righteousness and room for all people“.

Because this is what it means to be invited to use the words: Our Father. It is an invitation to be part of God’s plan, to walk with Jesus to bring God’s kingdom on earth, to improve the lot of those forgotten an overlooked by society. To be partners in bringing the radical love of God.

So let us pray to Our Father that love may be the way in this world, and that all God’s children may feel the power of that love in their lives through us, in union with Christ and the Holy Spirit.

I end with full version of Malcolm Guite’s poem on the words: Our Father:

I heard him call you his beloved son
And saw his Spirit lighten like a dove,
I thought his words must be for you alone,
Knowing myself unworthy of his love.
You pray in close communion with your Father,
So close you say the two of you are one,
I feel myself to be receding further,
Fallen away and outcast and alone.

And so I come and ask you how to pray,
Seeking a distant supplicant’s petition,
Only to find you give your words away,
As though I stood with you in your position,
As though your Father were my Father too,
As though I found his ‘welcome home’ in you.

Amen.

Rev Jackie Sellin, Assistant Chaplain

Malcolm’s poem can be found at this link (click here).

Faith in a time of conflict

Where is God? I think many will be feeling as if God has left the building, that God doesn’t care. There appears to be a vacuum where God should be; a piece missing from the crazy jigsaw that makes up our lives. Where is God in the mind of someone who can unleash missiles against the citizens of another country; who can spread lies about the reasons; who seems to feel nothing about bombing schools, hospitals, homes and now nuclear power plants? Where is God in the evil actions that seek to destroy lives, livelihoods, in the name of power?

And yes, we cannot find God in evil. God is good, God is all good. God works for good in all things. So, no, God is not in the evil we see on our screens, not in those acts of terror and violence. But that doesn’t mean that God is absent, that God does not care or that God’s presence is missing.

I see God everywhere in the news at the moment. And yes, the next words can sound trite and contrived, but from my own experience of life and darkness, the light does exist, and still flickers. We need to remember the simple story of Elijah’s request to see God: from behind a rock he experiences earthquake, wind and fire, but God is not in those. God is in the still small voice.

And we see that still, small voice in the action of the Ukrainians: handing hot tea and food to hungry, scared and bewildered Russian soldiers; allowing them to phone their mothers; in the bravery of the mothers giving birth in underground shelters; in the response of Poland and other nations in welcoming refugees; in offering free car journeys to safety, free accommodation, sharing their houses and food. In the united response of governments to condemn the violence, seeing it for what it is, and saying what it is.

And it is in the response of ordinary people around the world, collecting money, clothes, toiletries and blankets for the refugees: societies collecting these things have had so much donated they can’t deal with it all. And God is in the bravery of those standing up within Russia, protesting, and taking the consequences, even young children. God is the hope that lives in these actions, that shows love is there, that shows humanity can work for good.

We no longer believe in a God who will send thunder bolts or who will smite our enemies. Through Jesus we have seen that God acts in solidarity with those who are oppressed, through the action of the Spirit of God, of good, within us. We are sent out in the power of the Spirit to live and work for God.

I cannot imagine the fear and sense of helplessness those undergoing the onslaught in Ukraine will be feeling. But in their actions of love and friendship to the invaders I see the hand of God, and the light of hope. All those still, small voices reaching through the darkness and proving that humanity is good, and that there is hope.

Revd Jackie Sellin

We hope that you also derive comfort from these recent sermons by Jackie. They are available here:

A Sermon for the Sunday next before Lent

A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

This sermon was preached in St Andrews church, Zurich by the Assistant Chaplain, the Revd Jackie Sellin, on 2 March 2022.

The associated readings are Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51: 1-18; Isaiah 58: 1-12; 2 Corinthians 5: 20-6:10.

“On the way …we stopped for a few moments’ break. There was a series of burnt huts to our right, and I walked a few metres towards them. Around me rose ash. In fact it was the Monday before Ash Wednesday. The ash rose in clouds, settling on me …and as I walked I realized the ash came from those who had been burned”.[1]

Those words are from Justin Welby, writing about Ash Wednesday, describing visiting a war-torn part of Africa. And on the news over the past week we have seen more ash falling around Ukrainian cities and countryside. Ash from buildings, vehicles, missiles. And from the dead: civilians, doctors, teachers, children, and military on both sides. Welby describes the ash he saw as “ash without hope: rising in clouds to call all who saw it to acknowledge human evil but not to promise anything better.” Is this the type of ash we see on our tv news today?

Going into Lent from today, we need to think afresh about what we mean by Lent, by Ash Wednesday. What are we doing here? When darkness is spreading across the world, and ash is falling in cities and towns, why do we sit here are seemingly look into ourselves and away from the horrors others are facing? Is it just about giving up chocolate, alcohol, using the lift? Or is there more to this season of the church’s year? Pope Francis has called on all Christians to see today as a day of fasting and prayer for Ukraine. Yesterday evening, the Diocese in Europe held a service of prayer for Ukraine. And the sacrifices those remaining in Ukraine are undertaking seem far deeper and more meaningful than any of the “sacrifices” we traditionally do at this time. So what is the point of all this?

Welby goes on to explain that Ash Wednesday makes us think about our actions and how they affect others. More importantly, it makes us think about sinfulness and evil – the sinfulness and evil we are all capable of which has been thrown into the light of day by the events on the news. This is a time for contemplation of what humanity can do – both for the good and for evil. To acknowledge our sin and make amends before God.

The readings this evening also challenge our attempts at fasting and sacrifice: “Look you serve your own interests on your fast day; you fast only to quarrel and fight” says Isaiah. Jesus in the Gospel challenges our reasons for fasting – are we fasting to look good to others, or for a higher purpose, for good, for God. Again, Isaiah gives us the purpose: “Is not this the fast I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free … to share your bread with the hungry, house the homeless, cover the naked.” When we are marked with the ash today, and go out bearing our mark, is that to show how pious we are, how holy, or is it a sign of our inner repentance of our sins, of the sins of the world? Is it in solidarity with those whose ashing is not chosen, but the result of actions taken by those who wish evil? An ashing which they cannot control.

This Ash Wednesday is more important than most. Not just as the start of the journey to the cross and eventual resurrection, but also to help the world repent. To help begin to turn the hearts and minds of those who seek to oppress and turn them towards freedom and peace. It is a time to pray for others, to pray for ourselves, and to reach out: again Isaiah was here before us: “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil. If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be as noonday.”

Because there has to be hope. For us, through repentance and reflection, and for the world through our acts of kindness, generosity, selflessness and shouting out to the world their sins. Standing up for the oppressed. Seeking a divine treasure, not treasure on earth. As Welby says at the end of his chapter: “A good Lent starts within us. It moves through those most closely around us. It comes into the Church and it must be so generously experienced that it overflows into society … and for that we pray, “may your kingdom come.” Amen.

Reference: [1] = A Good Year, Ed Mark Oakley 2016, SPCK pp53-66

A Sermon for the Sunday next before Lent

This sermon was preached in St Andrews church, Zurich by the Assistant Chaplain on 27 February 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia the previous week. The associated readings are Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9.28-43a.

“We try not to panic. On the first day flew to Vinnytsia region three rockets. To Kalynivka, Bokhonyky and Tulchyn. The next two days were still rockets, planes, helicopters and landing. Every few hours a siren sounds about the dangers of the air, we hide in a shelter. We hold on, don’t panic, we love our city and country. We are ready for any event. Territorial defence collected. We are all in the city, transport works. Hospitals, medicines as well. We believe that everything will be fine. ”
(A citizen of Vinnytsia, Ukraine and a work colleague of the husband of the Assistant Chaplain)

Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.

Preparing this sermon has been difficult. From the hope that a leader of one nation would not seek to invade another, to the despair watching women, children, old and young fleeing for their lives and saying goodbye to fathers, brothers and sons. And the reading for the Gospel is the glory of Jesus revealed to his disciples. It seemed hard to reconcile the two.

And then I read the very last line of the Gospel. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.

Yes, we have this vision of Jesus, standing talking to the great prophets of old – Jesus, the Son of God, reconciling the law and the prophets. Those prophets who for centuries had tried to reroute the people of Israel from actions that alienate and reject others, to a people who were accepting and welcoming to those who were poor, refugees, different. God’s society is one which encourages forgiveness, justice, mercy: the psalm declares God is a lover of Justice establishing equity, one who forgives. And yet, humans turn away, towards greed, power and punishment.

So Jesus appears with Moses and Elijah, and talks with them, standing in his glory. And that’s where Peter wants it to stay: Jesus shown in glory, with the important people of the past. Put in a box, well a dwelling, so that they can sit and talk forever. Safely distant on the mountain. Peter means it well – he wants to show Jesus how important he is to them. But this traps Jesus in one time and place, one small area. And distant from our lives. Up there on the mountain, doing Godly things with the heroes of the past. But not in the world, with us, here.

Because that’s how we like it isn’t it? Or do we? I mean, we shove Jesus out of our lives, into the closet of glory, reflecting that he is God so we can’t understand him, or he can’t understand us. Until something bad happens, and then suddenly it’s “where is God? Where is your Jesus?” And we look for that God and think that we can’t find him. Just as Jesus felt bereft on the cross: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the people were no less mocking: He trusts in God, let God deliver him! Where is now our God? Peter wanted him on the mountain sitting in glory. So where is he? For those fleeing in fear, for those from Russia and Ukraine living here in Zurich or across the world, refugees in far away places looking at what is happening is Ukraine and crying: where is now our God?

For the answer we need to listen to the voice of God in this passage: When Peter speaks out, in the excited exuberance characteristic of him, suddenly everything changes. God intervenes to put things straight: This is my Son. LISTEN TO HIM! Listen to him. And what does Jesus say? Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.

But first, Jesus shows Peter and the disciples who he really is. This is no distant, unreachable God. This is the God whose first act is to come down from the mountain to be amongst his people, walking with them, sharing their joys, sorrows, pain. Responding to the calls for help of a distressed father. Not with great displays of shining lights or magician’s tricks: but with words, simply, quietly. And he is with his people. Truly human, there in the midst of human life and activity. Caught up in the dangers and disasters. So much so that he suffers and dies because human beings can’t accept his words of peace, love and compassion for all. His care for those less fortunate, his concern for the dangers riches possess for those who seek them. His desire to refocus people from earthly gain at other’s expense to living for others, putting others before themselves. Not seeking to control but to live in love and peace with all.

God, in Jesus, gets involved in the world as it is. As John Pritchard writes, Jesus is not at the edges in strange events but deep in our lives. We try and put God where we want him to be, but God is not there. God is somewhere else, with those we don’t expect God to be; in the situations we don’t expect God to be in. He is in the darkness of our lives; of our world. Reaching out, sharing the pain and suffering. Understanding. God is running with those fleeing the bombs, with those hiding in shelters, with those protesting across the world, with those in Russia daring to protest even though it means instant arrest. God has been there, in prison, on trial, lost and alone, betrayed. In the action of Russia, once again the Son of Man is betrayed into human hands. In the Gospels this was because he didn’t fit human ideas of who, what and where God is. Humans couldn’t control him so they destroyed him – or tried to. Today, he is betrayed by the greed, arrogance and hunger for power and glory that causes one nation to seek to control another. But the power of God shines out of the darkness of humanity’s actions and into the hearts and actions of those challenging that darkness, praying fervently for peace and justice, standing up and shouting for justice and righteousness. Jesus is there, as he was those years ago on the cross, through which we are redeemed, because God so loved the world that he sent his only son to give us everlasting life and hope.

So yes, we are at the moment in a time of uncertainty, fear and for those in Ukraine, danger. Mark has heard from colleagues trapped in Ukraine, describing the bombing. But we must remember that God is with us: Emmanuel, he is here, his Spirit is with us: we say those words at the beginning of the Eucharist: The Lord is here: His Spirit is with us. Jesus knows, he has been through this pain, this fear: in Gethsemane he struggled to face the danger, but came through despair to offer us hope. Life. Love. The Transfiguration shows that God is with us: God is here on earth in Jesus and shares our pain. But, as Nadia Bolz-Weber writes, when we call for Jesus, for God, to give us answers, perhaps sometimes all we get is God’s presence with us. That presence is with us now, in Zurich; it’s with those living in fear, hiding or fleeing leaving loved ones behind in danger. He is with those left in the danger. All we can do is gain strength from that presence and continue to pray for that strength to be with those who need it now.

This is my Son, says God. Listen to Him. Learn from Him. And let his presence spread into the whole world, taking his Words into the world in hope and prayer. I finish with a prayer for Ukraine sent out by the Methodist Church:

Holy and Gracious God
We pray for the people of the Ukraine and the people of Russia; for their countries and their leaders.
We pray for all those who are afraid; that your everlasting arms hold them in this time of great fear.
We pray for all those who have the power over life and death; that they will choose for all people life, and life in all its fullness.
We pray for those who choose war; that they will remember that you direct your people to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek for peace.
We pray for leaders on the world stage; that they are inspired by the wisdom and courage of Christ.
Above all, Lord, today we pray for peace for Ukraine.
And we ask this in the name of your blessed Son.
Lord have mercy. Amen

Supporting Ukraine and the Anglican Chaplaincy in Kyiv

Many Chaplaincies and individuals have been in touch with the Diocese wanting to give practical and financial help to our people and others in Ukraine. This was encouraged by members in Kyiv who were taking part in the service of prayers last night.
The Diocese will keep updating the information on the diocesan website in the coming days as more information emerges and things develop. [ links at end ]

Below is the current recommendation with a link for giving, plus a link to the Diocese.
Many thanks for your generosity

Christ Church Kyiv has funds in London looked after by our Diocese. The chaplaincy will be hugely grateful for donations made via the Diocese. They will work with the Diocese so that these donations can get through to support the Mission and Ministry of the Chaplaincy and its community.

You can give here (justgiving.com/diocese-ineurope) please mark your donation ‘Kyiv’ in the comments. (UK Gift Aid can be applied via this site)

Or if you wish to give by bank transfer the details are:
Barclays Bank plc
Account name: Diocese in Europe Fund
Account number: 40317039
Sort code: 20-06-13
Please reference ‘Kyiv’ with your gift.

Link to Diocese – for further info on supporting Ukraine

Great is thy faithfulness

Great is thy Faithfulness was written by Thomas Chisholm (1866_1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870_1957) in America. The words attest to the changelessness of God and gained huge popularity from its association with Billy Graham.

Shaun Yong

Great is Thy faithfulness (Faithfulness) – played by Shaun Yong, Director of Music

1. Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not.
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

[Refrain]
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

2. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
[Refrain]

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow;
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
[Refrain]

Thomas Chisholm (1866-1960)

A favourite hymn of Vicky Atchison, who writes:
This is one of the magnificent hymns of the twentieth century which can be sung with heart and soul – and a loud voice! It falls into my category of ‘Jubilant hymns’. These often have rousing choruses that raise our spirits and keep resonating in the memory.

I’m sure we could all do with a dose of jubilation and raising of spirits at the moment!