Churches
Together in Godalming & District
United Service
at St Peter & St Paul Ð 30th December 2007
1 Corinthians
1: 18 - 31
We've been
thinking about babies this Christmas here at St Peter & St Paul - but then
I guess you all have, because Christmas is all about a baby. In a world where success is measured in
profit and bonuses, having a baby doesn't actually make sense.
It means
moving away from the days of being DINKIES (Double INcome, No Kids), to managing on possibly half the income and
more than twice the expense. It
means exchanging an ordered, comfortable lifestyle Ð for chaos, where the
priorities become very different; dirty nappies rather than making a good
impression on the boss and heaven is grabbing a few minutes sleep rather than
enjoying a meal at a restaurant!
King Herod put
his own personal advancement above babies as he ordered the mass murder of all
babies in the hope of killing Jesus.
By becoming a baby Ð by being born in a stable Ð God turns the world's
idea of success on its head.
That was the
theme of St Paul in our reading. Some demand signs, or wisdom. But God chose the foolish things, the
weak things, the lowly and despised things Ð to frustrate the wisdom of this
world. And how better to do that Ð
than by giving us his message through the cry of a baby Ð and through a man
nailed helplessly on a cross!
Now I hope I
haven't painted too negative a picture of having a baby Ð because there is the
most amazing paradox about it all and I guess it's why we go on having babies .
. .
The paradox is
that the mess and chaos which replace neat and ordered lives are a sign of hope
and love in a desperate world. In
re-ordering our lives to nurture this messy, noisy child, we discover a fulfillment
and a joy which surpasses all that came before. And that is the same paradox which faith in the "child
in the manger" offers us. As
we put aside our own ambitions and re-arrange our lives so that God comes
first, so we discover a fresh perspective on life which makes what came before
seem empty in comparison.
The theme of
our service today is HOPE Ð and if you haven't discovered what Hope08 is about,
then do look at the websites mentioned on the back of the service sheet.
www.hope-revolution.com
Hope08 is very
simple. It asks how we, as
churches, might reach out into our communities Ð and make a difference. It gives examples:-
?
How might
we make a difference for those in debt - for we live in a country where
personal debt is growing by £1 million pounds every 4 minutes!
?
Or what
about the elderly, the housebound and disabled?
?
How can
we help with reading in schools Ð 2008 is the National Year of Reading.
?
How can
we make a difference to those on the edge of society?
This is what
Christian hope is about, not just in 2008 Ð but every day. Just as a baby demands that we put our
own needs to one side as we ensure that this vulnerable creature is able to
thrive, so the Christ-child calls us to make the same sacrifices on behalf of
the vulnerable in our community and around the world. As we give up our lives, as we lose ourselves Ð so we gain
the world. That is the paradox of
faith in this child in the manger.
In encouraging
us to engage with the challenge of Hope08, the challenge of the Christ-child,
as that challenge relates to the world around us, let me also bring the same
challenge home to the church.
This service
is a sign of our hope Ð coming together to share this simple, symbolic meal
together - with all our different ways of doing things, recognising that much
of what we hold dear is not the essence of our faith, but the culture we have
built around our faith. This is a
sign of hope in the world Ð as it declares our unity even in our diversity.
There is a
lovely prayer which is used in the church in Scotland. It asks that we might "find our
differences more stimulating than threatening".
We certainly
need God's help if that is to become true, because the church, so often, is
little different from the rest of the world in that we find it easier to go our
separate ways than to live with difference.
You probably
know the song, made famous by Frank Sinatra, about someone at the end of their
life, recognising some successes and some failures Ðbut at least, he sang,
"I did it my way!"
I would like
to suggest that hope for the world will be found not in being able to echo that
Ð but in being able to sing the opposite.
Will we be able to get to the end of our lives, saying:-
"I did it
your way!"
When you were hungry, I fed you,
when you were thirsty, I gave you drink,
when you were a stranger, I welcomed you in,
When you were naked, I clothed you
when you were sick, I looked after you,
When you were in prison, I visited you . . .
I put aside my
carefully planned, ordered life and allowed others to come in and mess it up. I
did it your way!
At the back of
the church we have our Peace and Justice banner with its message "PEACE is
in all our hands". It faces
us with the same challenge. The
best things of all are vulnerable Ð just like a baby. The responsibility to nurture the vulnerable is in our hands
Ð but if we are to succeed, we will find our neat ordered lives messed up. If we are cope with the mess, we will
need the security of knowing we are loved.
And that is
what this service of bread and wine does for us. It tells us of God's love, of God's re-assurance, of God's
presence, even in the darkness. It
tells us that, as we give our lives away for the sake of others, so we will find
them.
Hope08 reminds
us that the mark of a healthy society is the extent to which it cares for the
vulnerable, whether it be the vulnerability of those on the margins Ð or the
vulnerability of our united Christian witness.
Might our
hallmark for 2008 be "I
did it your way!"