Thursday, Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

There has been some conflict in Georgia lately – thankfully not the sort we saw some months ago - but a conflict between the Head of the Georgian Orthodox Church and a TV show called Top Ten Best Georgians. The programme is modelled on the BBC’s 100 Top Britons. In Georgia voting by more than 300,000 viewers has put one of Georgia's most widely celebrated medieval kings - now known to the Church as Saint David the Builder- into the Top 50. A further 13 saints has also made it on to the shortlist. At once the Georgian Orthodox Church protested that saints should never have been part of the contest because it was, in their words, unjustified to make the public put them in rank order. The TV channel that airs the show is still trying to decide how to respond. It is rare for anyone in a position of authority - even leading politicians - to oppose the view of the Georgian patriarch. The programme editors say that they will not be hurried into a decision and recording for the next edition will go ahead on Thursday. Will the saints be allowed in to the Top Ten? We shall have to wait and see!

Meanwhile, in the Letter to the Hebrews there is no question about rank. The letter writer, keen to express to the Jewish Community to whom he is writing that Jesus is the expected Messiah, talks about Jesus as the ideal high priest, above and beyond any high priest who has ever been before: ‘Holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens…we have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises.” In the gospel reading Jesus is proving more popular then ever. People are gathering to him in great numbers, and they are coming to him from all over the place: from Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordania and the region of Tyre and Sidon, and in great numbers. In fact there are so many people that Jesus has to arrange for a boat to be at the ready to save him being crushed by the crowds. There is no question in their minds as to the one who really matters.

Today we remember and thank God for St Vincent, a deacon and martyr of the Church who was killed in the persecutions of Diocletian in the early fourth century. Our society and culture, of course, is very different from that of fourth century Rome and of 21st century Georgia. There are those, of course, who would wish us Christians no harm, there are those who couldn’t care less or who never think about what is important to us, there are others who are curious or questioning or inquisitive, and there is also a number of people who are actively antagonistic towards Christ and his Church. In whatever way we are met by those around us, we still believe that Jesus is the Christ, whose ‘power to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.’ It doesn’t make us better than anyone else, it doesn’t make one Christian better than any other: we all fail at times - and where indeed would you begin in ranking any of us anyway. But we are all in this together, and whether or not we are popular for choosing the life we choose it matters not. The one who really counts and the one who really matter is Jesus. Conflict over!

Readings: Hebrews 7:25 - 8:6, Mark 3:7-12
The illustration for the homily may be found here

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

‘What’s occurring?’ If you’re a Gavin and Stacey fan you’ll know where that catchphrase comes from, and you will no doubt be looking forward to the Third Series. The series hasn’t been written yet, but Ruth Jones (who plays Nessa in the series) and her co-writer James Cordon are soon to sit down and get the scripts on paper. Speaking at the Royal Court's Young Writers Festival she said the pressure is on but the scripts should be finished by the end of March. She also talked about what it feels like to write. 'With acting you are a little bit protected,' she said, 'you have other actors with you, as well as the writer and the director. But when you've written something it's such a fragile and lonely process. You are never quite sure how it's going to be perceived.’ She refused to give any hints as to what happens to the characters but she said, ‘We've always known how it's going to end, it's a good thing to know where you're heading to.’

That’s not bad advice for life, really, is it? And it’s not bad advice for us in our Christian discipleship: to have some kind of direction in life, to know where we’re heading. That’s not to say that we won’t experience unexpected events or circumstances, or that we won’t get confused along the way, that we won’t feel fragile or lonely at times, or worry about how we are perceived by others. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be willing to be led in certain directions if that is where God is leading us. But ultimately our direction is or should be towards God. (Sometimes, of course, we veer away from God: it’s so easily done and before we know it we can find ourselves a little lost and off track and far away from God. But Jesus never abandons us, and it’s never too late to get back on track, to look to where we are heading).

I love the image in the gospel reading of Jesus taking those followers home to where he lives. They are searching and seeking for the Messiah, they have been waiting for him, and now they think they have found him. And so they go out to see. They follow Jesus, and Jesus (aware that they are following him) turns around and asks them, ‘What do you want?’ (Maybe Nessa would have another turn of phrase: ‘What’s occurring?’) ‘Rabbi, where do you live?’ they ask. It doesn’t actually answer his question. Or does it? They haven’t directly said what they want, but they obviously want to know more about Jesus: they want to know where he lives. Maybe they are waiting for an invitation. Maybe they are too timid or fragile or scared to ask directly, ‘Can we spend more time with you? Can we talk with you? Can we be with you? Can we follow you? Can we come home with you?’ Jesus answers them, ‘Come and see.’ It’s an invitation for them to come and see for themselves. And so they go home with him. They spend the rest of the day with him at home with Jesus.

Apart from being extremely funny, Gavin and Stacey is about relationships, it’s about falling in love and being in love, it’s about the ups and downs of life, of being together and trying to find your way through it all. The Gospel reading today is quite obviously about discipleship, about following. But discipleship is also about a relationship: it’s about wanting to be with Jesus, to be where Jesus is, to live as Jesus wants us to live, to love as Jesus loves us. When we follow Jesus there is (or should be) a sense of feeling at home, of being at home with Jesus. Yes, there is and always will (and always should) be a sense of awe and wonder (as in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when Mrs Beaver says about Aslan the Lion ‘If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.’) But there’s also an intimacy, a closeness, an intimate friendship. In the first reading, Samuel is called whilst he is lying down, trying to get some sleep. It’s a very homely image, a nice domestic scene. The voice he hears is so intimate, so close, so familiar, that he thinks it is Eli calling him in the night. It is, of course, God.

We too are called to be close and intimate with Jesus, called to have a warmth about our faith, called to be be and feel at home with Jesus. It doesn’t mean being over familiar, or flippant or casual. Perhaps we could call it having an intimate or familiar holiness. Here in this Eucharist we are gathered around the table of the Lord. How intimate is that? But more than that, he gives himself as food and drink. Henri Nouwen said, ‘The Eucharist is the most ordinary and divine gesture imaginable.’ And I think I read somewhere that Mother Teresa once said of receiving communion, ‘I’m not sure which is the case: that I receive Jesus in communion, or he receives me.’ It is, of course, both. Through sacrament and prayer, through reading the Bible, through discovering Jesus at home and in every part of our lives, we really can and should feel at home with Jesus. And, of course, be able to take Jesus home with us!

Readings: 1 Samuel 3:3-10.9; 1 Corinthians 6:13-15. 17-20; John 1:35-42

The homily illustration may be found here

First Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday

Lionel Bart's musical Oliver has become the fastest selling stage show in the West End. Part of the new attraction of the musical is that it stars the winner of the BBC Talent show ‘I’ll do Anything,’ Jodie Prenger, as Nancy but the other attraction, of course, is that it stars the comedy actor Rowan Atkinson as Fagin. The character of Fagin is a colourful and well-known one and has been played so well by many talented performers over the years. One reporter said, ‘What is a revelation is that Atkinson can not only hold a tune but can make you feel sympathetic towards this scoundrel.’

In the gospel reading we have a scoundrel in our midst, a tax collector. Matthew by name. He, like many if not most tax collectors of the day was looked upon as a devious character who colluded with the occupying authorities and who, from time to time, would pick a pocket or two. The people just cannot believe that Jesus is bothering to bother with him. And not only is Matthew called, invited, beckoned (choose your own word) to follow Jesus, he invites him to his house for dinner. ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ they ask. Jesus is spending time with scoundrels. The onlookers don’t like it. They think it's time he reviewed the situation. Yet Jesus is full of sympathy and, more than that, with compassion for these scoundrels. He overhears the remarks. ‘I did not come to call the virtuous,’ he said ‘but sinners.’

We are often on both sides of that story. There are times when we may be surprised that we are called by Jesus, or that he (or anyone else for that matter) would bother to bother with us. And there are other times when we look on and wonder why anyone would want to waste their time spending time or giving time to those we may consider being far from perfect and who don’t fit into our idea of what’s acceptable or tidy. But Jesus has indeed come to call sinners, and that includes you and me. Jesus does not dish out meagre portions of his love and compassion. He lavishes it upon us. As the letter writer to the Hebrews says: ‘Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace to help in time of need.’ So here we are to dine with Jesus, and what gifts he lavishes upon us in the Eucharist. So, sit up, eat up, get your feet under the table, there is plenty to go around…even for us scoundrels!

Readings: Hebrews 4:12 -16; Mark 2:13-17

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7830126.stm

St Antony, Abbot
Today is the memorial of St Antony, Patriarch of Monks, St. Antony (251-356) retired to the desert when he was eighteen years old. He was the first abbot to form a stable rule for his family of monks. His talents at spiritual direction were famous, and many people travelled to the desert to seek his advice

Saturday after Epiphany

If the Credit Crunch has got you counting your pennies then you should take a note out of Ieuan Butler’s book. The 42 year old from Pembrokeshire has been voted Britain’s ‘tightest man’ in a TV Show on Channel 4. He has worn the same work boots for seven years and his trainers since 1987. But he has only £18,000 left on his mortgage and has put one child through university and two through college. He said: "A lot of people can learn from me the way the current climate is. Money's hard to come by." He never goes to the pub and does not visit the cinema, instead preferring to wait until DVDs are reduced to £2. To top it all, he plans on getting married soon: on a budget of £500 compared to the average £18,500 that most couples spend, because it will be on a beach and people will be asked to bring a bottle. His wedding will be for just 40 close family and friends, with a small buffet, a few drinks, plus any bottles they bring. He said: ‘People come to the wedding for the bride and groom and their happy day. It's not all about the food and alcohol.’

Well, that’s much the same message that John the Baptist brings in the gospel reading today. He isn’t greedy for more than he needs. ‘A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven,’ he says. John compares himself to the bridegroom’s friend who is glad when the groom arrives. After all, it’s the groom and his bride that people have come to see, not the best man. He’s not there to steal the show, or take all the attention. In fact, as soon as Jesus appears on the scene John the Baptist is happy to stand back and allow Jesus to take the limelight. ‘He must grow greater, I must grow smaller,’ he says. John the Baptist is cutting back, he is reducing his own significance, beginning to draw back into the shadows. When Jesus arrives it is John the Baptist’s happy day.

The Credit Crunch has made lots of us careful about how we spend our money and maybe lots of people are doing without some of the luxuries and only concentrating on what’s really important in life, on the basic necessities. It may mean that some people are not so happy. But Credit Crunch or not, in times of affluence or penny pinching, when things are going well or we are struggling to make ends meet only one thing is important. John the Baptist points us towards what’s important: to the one who completes our joy and makes us truly happy, the one who gives us all we need.

Readings: 1 John 5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16
The illustration for the homily may be found here

Thursday after Epiphany

A story to make you smile. Two young elopers from Germany have been stopped by police from running away to Africa to tie the knot. Guards at the Hanover Railway Station were suspicious of the two young elopers who had sneaked away from their parents’ homes in the early hours of the morning and were waiting for a train to the airport. They were “very much in love” said a spokesman and wanted to go to Africa because “it is warm.” However, being aged only 5 and 6yrs of age, and accompanied by the girl’s 7 yr old sister as a witness, they didn’t get as far as they wanted. The police were called and they convinced the young children that they wouldn’t get very far without tickets. They were later reunited with their parents. The story is a rather cute one of course with a happy ending, although it could have ended disastrously and dangerously. Thank goodness they are safe. At only five or six I would imagine they have a lot to learn about love and romance and getting married. For now, they have to be put their plans on hold. They will have to wait some time before they tie the knot!

The reading from the first letter of St John, at first glance, seems to be tying us up in knots. But the letter tells a love story – the story of God who is not just loving or loveable but is love itself and who is very much in love with the people he has created. His love was revealed, says St John, when he sent his Son into the world so that we could have life through him. The reason we love one another and the reason we know what love is, is because God has loved us first. And if we say we love God the proof of that will be in how we love one another. But now we really do seem to be getting all wrapped up in knots, and love is sounding quite complicated. So much for tying the knot!

A crucifix was recently removed from the outside of a Church in Horsham, Sussex. It was removed because many people thought it was a rather scary and frightening image and, it is said, put off people going to Church. I’m not sure how the work of art worked for people. But the image, as scary as it is, is one that reveals the love of God as proclaimed in the letter of John. It may not be totally understood by people who don’t understand the Christian story. It may not connect with people who are looking for a happy ending and don’t know what the ending of the crucifixion story is. But like it or not, the work of art demonstrates the love of God as told by John in his letter. The crucifixion is not cute or tidy because love and life is not cute and tidy. But in the midst of our untidy life it’s nice to have a news story that makes us smile. Need something else to make you smile? We don’t have to wait for God to tie the knot. He’s already done that in Christ.

Readings: 1 John 4:19-5:4; Luke 4:14-22
The illustrations of the homily may be found here and here

Monday after Epiphany

In what makes rather depressing reading the Prince's Trust (set up by Prince Charles in 1976 to help young people develop skills and move into work, education or training) has published a report based on interviews with 16 to 25-year-olds. The trust said the survey revealed an "increasingly vulnerable generation" without family support. More than one in 10 young people in Wales claimed life was "meaningless", with many feeling stressed. They are then, so often, a people who walk in darkness, the darkness of depression and despondency.

The Gospel Reading today looks back to an older prophecy from Isaiah. "The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned." In the gospel we see Jesus begin his preaching with the message of the Kingdom of God. Repent, he says. Turn your life around. The Kingdom of God is close at hand. The message he brings is one of good news, one that is symbolised by the curing of all kinds of sickness and disease and painful complaints of one kind or another. How we could do with that today. With more and more people, and more and more young people, saying how depressed or down they often feel, and how they feel that life is meaningless, how we could do with the good news of the kingdom of God, close at hand, tansforming lives, helping them look upwards to a dawning light.

Yet that is exactly what Jesus offers. We must, of course, be careful not to preach quick fix solutions or overnight miracles. But the kingdom of God is close at hand, and the message that Jesus preached is the message that we carry too. In Jesus, we find meaning to life. Yes, it is difficult at times. It is sometimes hard work, and often confusing. But Jesus' message is one of love, in which all are valued by God. We have in our midst "a vulnerable generation," and one that is so often dismissed and bad mouthed. But we see (don't we?) the value and worth of young people? We see (don't we?) the wonder and beauty of what it means to be alive and to know Jesus. How they could do with the good news of the kingdom of God, close at hand, tansforming lives, helping them look upwards to a dawning light. It's up to us to show them.

Readings: 1 John 3:22-4:6; Matthew 4.12-17. 23-25
You can read the illustration of the homily here

Epiphany of the Lord

Yesterday I made a rather embarrassing mistake. A friend dropped me off outside Tescos and, when I returned outside armed with my small bag of shopping, she had moved the car to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until I climbed into the car parked in its place. Well, both cars were silver - it was an easy mistake to make! Im not really interested in cars and can't tell one model or make from the other! One car that I would take notice of, though, was the 1937 classic Bugatti car found in someone's lock up garage a year after they had died. Owned by reclusive Newcastle doctor Harold Carr it has stood in the garage, away from the public eye, along with a classic Aston Martin and a Jaguar E-type. The car is valued at £3m and will be sold next month by Bonham's in Paris. James Knight, international head of Bonhams' motoring department, said: "I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and, like a select group of others, hadn't dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone. It is absolutely one of the last great barn discoveries.'

Over the last few weeks we have been celebrating a great barn discovery, the discovery of something valuable and precious: the birth of Jesus, the Word made flesh,Son of God and Son of Mary, born in a barn, who has come to share his love and show us how to live, to save us and lead us home. Today, we celebrate the discovery of the same thing, not in a stable but in a house, where wise men who have travelled from the east come in search of the new born king. Today the light of day has been cast on the barn. It's a discovery for all the world to see, and all the world can decide whether or not they think it is valuable or precious. But this is not the discovery of something old (although the God who reveals himself in Christ has existed before time began and it was through Christ that the world was created) but the beginning of something new, the beginning of our salvation. God in Christ has revealed himself to the world, he has placed himself in the public gaze, he has come to us at our level, for all the world to discover.

The wise men symbolise all who seek the Lord, all who wish to discover what’s important. They represent all who wish to discover the meaning of life, no matter what their race, religion, language or colour. Like them we too are seekers. We are people who look for meaning in life, people who want to get to grips with what it's really all about, people who look to God as the one who makes sense of who we are and what we are, people who are seeking to love and know Jesus more each day. There are lots of other people who are seeking and searching. We, too, as fellow seekers are called to encourage them in their journey, and to encourage each other as we grow closer to God in Christ. We are called to welcome all who come in the name of the Lord. The great barn discovery, then, is for you and for me, for us and for them. In terms of great barn discoveries it is the first and the last, and the only one that really matters!

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:2-3. 5-6; Matthew 2:1-2
The illustration for the homily may be read here

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

I’m not certain how politically correct it is, in this day and age, to refer to Housweives but in a recent survey it emerged that Housewives would be paid more than the average worker if they received the going rate for their household chores. A poll of 4,000 housewives for a networking website (alljoinon.com) suggested that the average mum worked for nearly nine hours a day every day. The website said a housewife would earn almost £30,000 a year if she was employed to do all the same errands. The average annual UK wage is £23,700, according to official figures. Some 71% of those polled agreed that successfully running the family home was a full-time job.

Certainly family life has changed in the last few decades: roles have been changed, some households are one-parent families, in others the wife is the main earner, in others - jobs are equally shared. Today, as we celebrate and bless God for Mary it’s worth thinking about how much she is worth. Not what she is worth in terms of an imagined salary for her household chores -but what she succeeded in doing, and how we have benefited from what she has done. It is through Mary’s response to God that Jesus comes into the world.

Would Mary have looked upon what she was doing as a chore? I imagine there were some things that she found confusing or difficult, some things that were hard work or demanding. I imagine that running the family home would, at times, have a rather bizarre touch to it. But Mary had accepted God’s way for her life. The household of which she is a part, is a household that is centred on God. In the gospel reading we see, just after the birth, those strange shepherd visitors who arrived at the door of the stable and who come to see her child. Everyone who heard what they had to say are astonished. But Mary treasures all these things and ponders them in her heart. She holds them dear. There is, in Mary’s life, a treasure beyond all imagining. Her worth comes not from some imagined salary or the hours of work she puts in, but from God who has filled her with grace and invited her to participate in his plans for the world. So we Hail Mary, generation after generation, we call her blessed, for in giving her life over to God, God gives Jesus to us.

Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

The illustration for the homily may be found here