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The Speechless Sing - Page 47

  • Christmas

    I'm a bit late posting this, but just in case anyone would like to be reminded of Christmas these are the sermon notes for Christmas Eve at Hallfold and Christmas Day at both churches.



    Reflections on the Manger
    A story to shock - story of the King of Kings, the Son of God - begins in poverty - with an illegitimate birth - with shepherds (scum of the earth, the outsiders, the great unwashed) - a hard journey - stable - manger. (a trough or box in a stable, barn from which horses or cattle feed - OF maingeure food trough). Yet mention the manger and it resonates cuteness, a lovely nativity scene, Away in a manger. The first  draft of CEV used feedbox - but after protests it was changed to bed of hay - if you had any choice in the matter would you put your new born baby in an animals trough? -it’s shocking.

    There was a letter in the Observer last week complaining that the crib outside Littlewoods has been pushed out of the way - but what is to be expected when Christmas is about money - obsecene money. The shock is to question to suggest that Christams might be about something else - Feast of the nativity - Feast of theFeedbox - God coming to the poor, to those you despise the most, those we turn our noses up at, those we don’t believe have any better right to meet with Son of God than we do.

    This is no cute Christmas card scene, this is not even Peace on Earth - the cross hangs as a shadow .... - the baby has a scandalous destiny. Why celebrate? year of flood, earthquake, war, - bethlehem prison, hostages, refugees, aids, why celebrate?

    in the midst - Jesus, Son of God
    in our tears - Jesus, Son of Mary
    in our pain - Jesus, Crucified Redeemer
    in our living - Jesus, Word of Life
    in our dying - Jesus, darling, darling, little child
    under all the rubbish, cutting through the sentimental crap - the baby Jesus

  • Trinity & Moorhouse 4 December 2005

    Mark 1:1-8
    Isaiah 40:1-11

    The prophetic tradition is about truth-telling, radical criticism, lament, imagined alternative, energising communities, penetrating despair. The first task of the prophet is to be the voice in the wilderness or to give voice for those in the wilderness. In Rochdale in 2005 one group being left to starve in the wilderness are those who came seeking a welcome, asylum and are disbelieved and left destitute.

    Yesterday, I heard the story of one such refugee from DR Congo. He came to UK 5 years ago, asylum was refused in December 2002 and then he finds himself in limbo - NASS benefits withdrawn, Sec 4 hardship unavailable unless voluntary return agreed to, not allowed to work - left destitute, homeless, rootless. This is one story among many and has led Church Action on Poverty to begin a campaign called Living Ghosts. (http://www.church-poverty.org.uk)

    As part of this campaign the following letter (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1901530_1,00.htmltimes) to The Times called on a change in Governmet Policy towards unsuccessful asylum seekers.

    “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” begins Mark. And in the pages that follow we see Jesus working with the poor, the marginalised, the broken hearted, the downtrodden, He feeds the hungry - physically and spiritually. We have just sung

    The kingdom of God
    is mercy and grace,
    The lepers are cleansed
    The sinners find place
    The outcasts are welcomed
    God’s banquet to share,
    And hope is awakened
    In place of despair.

    Matthew 25 spells out our responsibility towards the hungry, the stranger. Hebrews 13:2 tells us “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some have welcomed angels unawares. At St. Andrew’s we are playing a small part, collecting food for our friends from New Life Church to distribute - you may wish to support that project. Some of you may want to get involved in the Living Ghosts campaign.
    John’s was a voice in the wilderness. He did not come to the people and places of power - he did not have access to the media, to the people who create and influence policy - he came to the wilderness and invited people into the wilderness to hear his voice. It is in the wilderness that we will hear the voice of God, it is in the wilderness that we will hear the cry of the poor, the destitute, the broken hearted, those who lament the past and the present and hope for the future.

    The good news of Jesus Christ is that there is hope, that in amongst all the rubbish that is Christmas - there comes a child, the Saviour of the world -Son of Man and Son of God who invites us to follow him into the wilderness, into the broken heart of God, into the kingdom of God - where “They shall never again feel hunger or thirst, the sun shall not beat on them nor any scorching heat, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to the springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.

  • Hallfold 27 November 2005

    Isaiah 64:1-9
    Mark 13:24-37

    Mark is warning of end times, destruction of the old and looking forward to the Son of Man coming in glory. The world is standing on the brink - the old has passed - the new must come.

    Isaiah speaks to a people in exile, mourning, revision, hint of promise - hope - It is the death of all their dreams, all their hopes, of any future.In the crisis in the darkness of life there is a hint of hope - God is the potter.

    Listen/look at U2’s song Yahweh http://www.u2.com/music/lyrics.php?song=457&list=y
    dead end lives struggling for meaning
    cheap, throwaway, insecure, rootless
    someone else bursting to get out
    Advent - acknowledges pain - looks towards the Christchild - among us, one of us
    hands - fist; mouth - kiss; encouraging caring, life-changing,
    garden to City - harking back - need to be looking forward.

    Waiting for the dawn -
    dark times for the church - marginalised, irrelevant, scorned, dieing. Who are we? what are we about? do we have a future?
    Dark times for many people in their personal lives - hopelessness, despair, fear, waiting for the dawn/

    Hope is in God - the potter who mould us - the child who comes amongst us - the saviour who offers life-changing love. In broken hearts and faithful living.

    Come, Lord Jesus, Come