A Word In Time. Sermons And Addresses.

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In today’s reading Jacob (Joseph's father living in Canaan) makes the understandable, but in time momentous decision to send ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain. They come and offer the natural respect of suppliants to a foreign leader by bowing down before Joseph. (They don't realise he is their younger brother who they had sold into slavery.) In so doing they unknowingly fulfil Joseph’s early dream of his brothers' sheaves of corn bowing down to his sheaf ( Genesis 37:7). Love is necessary in all personal relationships. It is a permanent debt or obligation each person owes to every other person they encounter (verse 8). I am, of course, a Christian minister and I know that our remembering, what we do today, our profound silence and our deep lament, is not the end of the story. It does not end here. God speaks into our silence with words of justice, grace and peace. God gathers the cries of the broken, bewildered and bereaved and holds them closely.

The crowds have been trying to make Jesus king for quite some time now. In the early chapters of John’s Gospel, word of, and enthusiasm for Jesus were spreading to such an extent that, after he had fed a crowd of 5000, they decided to crown him on the spot. “When Jesus realised that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (J ohn 6:14-15). It isn’t clear what the crowd’s agenda is, but the use of coercive force, and Jesus’ withdrawal, suggest it had little to do with the developing picture of his identity and mission as Messiah, God’s ‘anointed’ or chosen one (the translation of ‘Messiah’). John’s Gospel tells us that there was significant expectation that the Messiah would appear. The priests and Levites thought John the Baptist was the Messiah ( 1:20, 25), and Andrew told Peter that he had found the Messiah ( 1:40). But an excited crowd forcing a crown on Jesus only for him to slip away suggests this had more to with their will and purposes than God’s. Forgiveness is frequently key to resolving conflict but it can prove to be very demanding. In this passage, Jesus recognises that forgiveness may be required on numerous occasions: he says we have to forgive many times – ‘seventy times seven’ being the exaggerated number (for effect) in one translation of v. 22.

It is clear that, despite having met with Noah and approved of him as one who fulfilled what God was asking of the people, God still intends to carry out vengeance on the world. But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.' (vs 18-19) Why do you think that Jesus’ teaching on his coming suffering and death were so difficult for his disciples to accept? Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, 'I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.' Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. (vs 1-2)

Good hospitality would have been essential at the wedding, especially as it would have possibly lasted over several days. To run out of wine would have been a huge problem for the hosts. Perhaps Mary is close to the hosts, she is certainly concerned enough to involve her son, and it is implied in the text that she already has a knowledge of his power. She is confident enough to say to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” ( v. 5). Verses 23-35 of today's reading is known as the ‘Parable of the Unforgiving Servant’ and it gives insights into our indebtedness to God. It is important not to interpret parables too allegorically, ie every aspect of the behaviour of ‘the lord’ in this parable should not be viewed as indicative of God’s behaviour. But the main point is clear and important: God is profoundly and generously disposed towards us, in love and forgiveness, so we should aspire to be likewise in our relationships with each other. If you are a member of a Christian community, in your own life how do you feel about other voices and beliefs? The kingdom of heaven is like yeast," Jesus says. Yeast. It is an image with a cutting edge. Yeast bubbles, ferments, disturbs, agitates. Yeast is hard to control. Yeast is transformative. The kingdom of heaven isn't merely growing quietly in our midst; it is bubbling inside us, fermenting, agitating and transforming us into something new. The movement of God within our lives may well be disturbing and unsettling. This is counter to popular thinking, which runs: "I want God to make the world a safe and secure place for me and my loved ones. I want God to make my life easier, less stressful, more stable, and secure." Surely, most people, reading this story for the first time would react with horror at what God is asking Abraham to do. It has echoes of the Hagar and Ishmael story: in both cases, a son whom God had promised to Abraham is to be sacrificed. In both cases, Abraham did not hesitate; he set out to do as God commanded.We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. (v. 18) Maybe, as a faithful and observant Jew, Mary knew the song of another woman whose world became utterly changed: this was Hannah who desperately wanted a baby. She promised that, when her long-awaited son arrived, she would give him to God and she did. She too burst into song – a very similar song. You can read it at 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Each woman has been made special and those who are special in their own eyes will be humbled. Heaven has come to earth!

Think of a time in your life when someone took an interest and showed they cared by encouraging you to be better or to go further. How did that motivate you? Why do you think the groups that challenged Jesus didn’t recognise his feeding of the crowd as that sign they were looking for? Today’s psalm includes the words “Do not remember the sins of my youth…” ( Psalm 25:7). How can we ensure that past mistakes and regrets in our lives do not spoil our current relationship with God and with other people? When I listen to Jewish and Muslim prisoners discuss their faith and to my imam and rabbi prison chaplaincy colleagues, I hear angels mentioned quite often. My Hindu colleague tells me that Hinduism also has a special focus on d evas (celestial beings) with the belief that every living thing is assigned a devas to guard them, although these are not strictly angels as in the Abrahamic traditions.And into that silence comes the sound of people – broken, bewildered and bereaved. For not all who have participated in conflict have died – many more continue to live with their injured bodies, their troubled minds, their disturbed spirits – and we will remember them. Not all who suffer the effects of conflict have engaged in battle; those who are left behind are also profoundly affected. And we will remember them. What we do here is not the end of the story. We wait for heaven’s morning to break through. "And know that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." (Mother Julian of Norwich) My wife believes in angels and she even calls upon them in her prayers, especially when she needs them to take care of our children and grandchildren. Her prayer goes something like this, "Lord, send your angels to look after ... one angel at the top of the bed and one angel at the bottom." Many people may consider her slightly odd these days, but she has good support for her prayer requests from scripture, art, architecture and from other religions.