Christ the King - A sermon for Christ the King Sunday based on John 18: 33 - 37

I once remember hearing Tony Benn commenting on his discomfort at hearing Jesus being spoken of as being a king or a lord. I thinkI get his point. After all these are words associated with people of great wealth and power. Is it right for us to place Jesus within the class system as one associated with those at the top of the pile.

And yet our scripture raises Pilate's question

"Are you the King of the Jews?"

If this question were only in John's gospel the perhaps we could downplay its importance. But the same question is also raised in the Synoptical Gospels by Matthew, Mark and Luke. So we cannot ignore the matter. Instead we need to ask just what is going on.

There is something almost comic about this interrogation. On the one hand there is Pilate, a ruthless representative of the only superpower in the world. On the other hand there is Jesus, a storyteller and healer from the backwater of Nazareth. He has no power with which to confront Pilate. Indeed his life is very much in Pilate's hands.

There is also a sense of a dialogue in which the participants are at cross purposes. Pilate's only real concern is whether Jesus is a threat to the dominance of Rome. Jesus, on the other hand, whilst no lover of Rome, is not an insurrectionist like those whose folly led to the fall of Jerusalem in 70CE. Far from it, he offers a vision of a kingdom beyond the imagination of Pilate and his cohorts.

In the dialogue which we have heard, Jesus does indeed proclaim a Kingdom but when it comes to being a King he completely rewrites the rule book. You see he doesn't fit the ideas of Kingship that were current in his age. No more does he fit the ideas of Kingship that are current in our times.

Look for a moment at this King.

Whilst most kings are born in a palace, this is the King whose birth will be linked to a stall.

Whilst most Kings acquire great wealth, this is the King who will own precious little at all.

Whilst most Kings are surrounded with servants who attend to their needs, this is the King who will proclaim himself in word and deed to be a servant.

Whilst most Kings spend their time with the "great and good", this is the King who will party with outcasts and the poor.

Whilst most Kings wear a crown at defining moments, the only crown that this King wears is a crown of thorns.

And whilst most Kings command armies into battle, this king demonstrates the vitory of powerless love over the love of power.

Yes indeed this King rewrites the textbooks of Kingship in the most radical way possible.


There is nothing comfortable for the structures of power in this exchange. That Jesus is facing a capital charge is not the doing of anarchists or revolutionaries. Far from it. He is facing execution as a result of an alliance of the powerful. The Imperial power of Rome in alliance with the economic and religious powers of the Jewish elite has brought about this situation. And in the dialogue with Pilate, I get the feeling that Jesus is letting Pilate know that he bears a heavy responsibility for events. After all Pilate has sent troops to effect the arrest and indeed the Temple elite are very much Rome's collaborators dependent on Rome's patronage.

But in a way Rome is right. Jesus does indeed represent a challenge. His challenge is not however just to Rome. It is a challenge to all power that dominates. His kingship is more radical than anthing dreamt up by Lenin or Che. It is not about replacing one form of dominance with another form of dominance. Instead the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus is that in which the first shall be last and the last shall be first. It is the Kingdom in which greatness comes from serving others however unpalatable that might be. It is the Kingdom in which the love of God is expressed in the love of neighbour even if the neighbour may be from a community which is a threat to us or a community that we are tempted to despise.

See! We need to resist the temptation to so spiritualise Jesus as to make him safe. That his Kingdom is not from this world does not mean that it can only be expressed in another sphere of existence. On the contrary Jesus is showing the marked differentiation between his kingdom and the alternatives. Far from being safe, this statement demonstrates that the kingdoms of this world are themselves under judgement.

Soon we shall enter Advent and ultimately Christmas. One of the scriptures that we shall encounter is Magnificat with its revolutionary message of a world that is radically transformed. Once more the powers of this world will come under judgement. Our challenge is not to allow the seasonal fluff to drown out the voices of revolt that we are encouraged to hear at this time of year. Hark, they are calling out, longing to be heard, longing to be acted on!

But now on Christ the King Sunday we hear the news of a different kingdom. Not so much the end of Rome but the end of the world as we know it. May we march energetically into God's future where the sound of war will cease, where the cries of rejection will give way to the sound of comfort and affirmation, where those seen as of no significance will be enabled to find their true value as much loved children of God.

That's my girl!

Just enjoy Elizabeth Lambert who shows just what sort of wimps football's supposed hardmen like Chopper Harris, Tommy Smith and Vinnie Jones really were.

Rock on Elizabeth!

Remembrance 2009 - A sermon for Remembrance Sunday based on Mark 12: 38 - 44

There's something very different about Remembrance Sunday this year. Last yeat at the Cenotaph in London, wreaths were laid by the last three survivors of the First World War to live in Britain - Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and Bill Stone. In the year that has followed that occasion all three of these venerable men have passed away. With them has gone our direct link with that dark conflict. And doesn't something seem to be missing?

And yet reminders of conflict are all around us. This year we have commemorated the 70th anniverary of the beginning of the Second World War, a war that exposed the lie of the First World War being a war to end all wars. And furthermore the story has gone on with a host of smaller yet often deadly conflicts since 1945. And today do we not see so often on our televisions those pictures of dead soldiers being brought back from Afghanistan - more lives cut short, more families broken.

Today we are a nation that remembers. We remember those who showed great heroism, sometimes giving their very beings to save their comrades. We remember the selfless deeds in which thought of others triumphed over the instincts of self preservation. But also we remember those for whom conflict brought out their worst qualities, those who have or should have regrets.

We remember not just those who died but those who suffered dire consequences to body or mind and those who live with the awarenes that loved ones are not as they once were. We remember those who through conflict have lost the love of their lives, the children whom they had brought up or even the parent on whom they depend.Far from glorious this is stomach churning, mind wretching stuff.

Yet we remember. And we remember not only as those who pay a debt of honour though we do that. We remember as those who know that only by remembering that of our story which pains us, can we truly move forward learning from the past as we seek a better future.

I am sure that we can both learn and be challenged by those who have experienced dark times. I have this past week been reading Harry Patch's "The Last Fighting Tommy." It is the story of in many ways an ordinary man from the outskirts of Bath who was plunged into extraordinary circumstances. Amidst the sheer inhumanity of circumstances around him which included the Hell that was Passchendale, Harry seeks to do what is right. There is a description of his unease at killing when faced with an oncoming German shoulder rather than shooting to kill, he shoots at the shoulder which makes the German drop his rifle. As the German continues to come forward Harry shoots first at knee and then at ankle, commenting on this;

"I had about five seconds to make the decision. I brought him down but I didn't kill him."

Yes Harry knew all too well the horrors of war. We see it in his description of a dying British soldier whose pertinent last words were "Mother." No wonder after long reflection Harry Patch comments;

"War is organised murder and nothing less."

But what does our Gospel have to say regarding the Hell of passcendale, the beaches of Normandy or the present day horrors of Helmand Province? Certainly Christians have always known despite criminal episodes in Christian history, that war is contrary to the desire of God expressed in Jesus. Historically there has been a debate between the pacifist tradition which dominated in the early church and the "just war" tradition that emanates from Augustine a little later. Either way war is that which should where humanly possible be avoided even if a debate on permissibility itself goes on. So let's for a moment look to Jesus and two things he has to say.

The first of these is "Love your enemy." In short this means that if arms are taken up the wellbeing of those we are in conflict with must not be set aside. Hatred or greed for scarce resources are not permissible causes to fight. That is what Jesus says.

The second is "Blessed are the peacemakers." this means that in the darkest of hours we must not lose sight of a goal to find reconciliation and just peace. The possibility to build a bridge must always be sought. Again this is not what I say but what Jesus says.

Then look for a moment to our Gospel reading. Here there is a woman in the Temple who has given all she had. What she has done is honourable in the extreme. But that is not the whole picture. This scripture is found in the context of a blazing attack by Jesus on the scribal class at the Temple. Their misuse of power and their gathering of extreme wealth means the Temple can only be afforded by the sacrificial giving of others such as this poor widow. Read in context, we are led to honour the widow whilst being revolted at a system that demands her sacrificial giving.

And so it is today. We honour those who gave their all and indeed go on doing so in the conflicts of our world. We grieve their passing and the suffering of those whose lives have been marred and devastated by conflict. And because we do this we long for peace in which the nations of the world can live in justice and harmony. We long for a world in which we are not called upon to dehumanise others or to treat our courageous young people as pawns in power games. And so even today it becomes our duty to hold power to account where it falls short of proper standards and compassion. The very memory of those who have fallen and the dreadful anticipation of those who may fall in the future demands no less.

We shall remember them.

Now Hitler turns on John and Edward

Bartimaeus follows Jesus - A sermon for Pentecost 21 based on Mark 10: 46 - 52

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He has left Jericho a mere 15 or so miles from his destination. But now comes an interruption. It comes in the form of a blind beggar whom Mark names Bartimaeus. This Bartimaeus is one of society's nobodies. He is a man whose voice is wanted to loudly thank those of wealth who give him coins. But when that voice is used for his benefit rather than that of others then he is told to be quiet.

Mark's account would seem to suggest that Bartimaeus makes quite a racket as he learns that Jesus is passing by. Indeed I am tempted to imagine him having the noise level of Brian Haw who from a position across the road from Parliament is heard on a daily basis berating those politicians he blames for the deaths that have taken place in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts.

But Bartimaeus is not so much making a statement as simply seeking the mercy of Jesus. Unlike so many of his day and indeed our day whose understanding of God is rooted in power and domination, Bartimaeus already has the vision to see that Jesus, Son of David though he may be, is one who comes with mercy. And that vision is justified for Jesus takes time to speak with this rank outsider.

On the face of it this is a story about a physical healing. It ends after all with Bartimaeus being able to see. For this reason, our story is revered by those working in the field of blindness and visual impairment. For this reason, our story would have meant much to those who first heard of it, living as they were in a time and place where blindness was so very common with such catastrophic consequences.

And yet there is so much more to this story. After all it is a story of a man who will as a result of this encounter with Jesus find a very different vision of life than hitherto. An example of this is that Bartimaeus is transformed from being a dependent man to a man set free to make choices that he could not hitherto have made. And how he responds to such opportunity. We see it from the moment when having been called by Jesus, he throws aside the cloak upon which the coins granted him would have fallen. He is up for a new lifestyle - even a lifestyle that involves great risk as the comfort blanket of the past is disposed of and the challenge of learning new skills to support himself is embraced. But more than that this Bartimaeus becomes on of the followers of Jesus as he follows him on that road which will lead to Jerusalem and ultimately end with Jesus executed on a cross.

How Bartimaeus acquits himself as a follower of Jesus we do not know but it is a reasonable possibility that Mark takes the rare stept of giving the name of a man that Jesus healed, because Bartimaeus was someone who meant something to the community for whom Mark wrote. Maybe he lived up to a name which can be translated "Son of the Precious" which might indeed bear witness to a life greatly lifted up by an encounter with Jesus. We can't be certain but the possibility is certainly enticing.

And yet even this does not reveal the full wonder of this story. Just for a moment look back at the stories with which Mark has preceded the healing of Bartimaeus. A rich man whose security was founded on wealth rather than the way of Jesus has gone away sad. Disciples have quarelled about who should have the positions of status in Christ's Kingdom. These people have missed the whole point. Now contrast them with a nobody devoid of standing who sees even from his position of destitute disability that Jesus is about a wonderful mercy. Contrast them with that nobody who whilst they are putting life's vanity and tinsels first or seeking vain self interest, get on with the business of following Jesus and his way.

Jerusalem gets nearer. Soon Jesus and a motley gathering of Bartimaeuses will enter the city gates to confront the forces of cruel domination. In the face of overwhelming odds they will be at the beginning of a still ongoing story in which powerless love dares to confront the love of power. And guess what! That Bartimaeuses of this world are the ones who will change the world whilst the mighty, the powerful and the seemingly wise, stand exposed as dinassours whose time runs short. With "nobodies" like Bartimaeus, Jesus is bringing in the Kingdom of God and confronting the empires of self aggrandisement.

Yes indeed, the times they are a changing. For in Bartimaeus we see a story that confirms that which Jesus has already taught.

The first are becoming last whilst the last are becoming first!

Raring to go

This blog has been quiet for some time. The prime reason is that I have felt under weather whilst also going through a busy period of work. Rather than neglect my duties for the Methodist Church or my family I have neglected this blog. I now feel the urge to blog again so stand by for a relaunch this Sunday!

Who am I? - A sermon for Pentecost 15 based on Mark 8: 27-38

My son is a Liverpool supporter. It was not always thus. He was brought up much better than that by a father who would try with some success to get him to sing "Glory, Glory Man United" in the supermarkets of Cornwall. Such promise but it all went wrong. One day on the Isle of Man he watched a programme about Michael Owen entitled "Zero to Hero!" From then on he was filled with a deep desire to worship at the shrine of Anfield.

Well today's Gospel reading has reminded us of how in a matter of minutes Peter crashed from hero to zero in his case exhibiting a brilliant insight only for that insight to be shown as marred and distorted.

The episode begins at Caesarea Philippi. In this town where Herod the Great had built a temple in honour to Caesar Augustus, Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is. Their answers link him with the prophetic tradition. This is significant as there are Jewish traditions which expect the likes of Moses and Elijah to be involved in God's ultimate mission. So this is a sign that people are taking the mission of Jesus very seriously indeed.

But Jesus doesn't stop here. For now the question becomes personal;

"But who do you say that I am?"

Now the question cannot be answered by hearsay. Those present are challenged to answer the question from the very depths of their being. And so Peter responds;

"You are the Messiah."

Wow! I wonder if there followed one of those silences in which one could hear a pin drop. Why? Because the Messiah was the long awaited one, annointed by God, who would restore the political fortunes of Israel.

It is truly a momentous statement. In a place where A Roman Emperor had been venerated, Peter was asserting Jesus to the one through whom God would bring about the liberation of a people under colonial rule. In this moment we see a point of tension between the Jesus way and that of the empire. Certainly there was a growing movement in the empire to worship of the emperor whilst the Jesus movement saw in Jesus a liberator. And this would be a growing tension for Mark's community who would face the real conflict between the Lordship of Jesus and the Lordship of Caesar.

Now we do well to note that this does not mean a claim for the divinity of Jesus. This is something that will take longer to emerge as the belief of the Jesus community. A Messiah was a human figure even though he was one who would be mightily used by God.

Anyhow back to the story. Peter having made his bold affirmation is going to come crashing down. For Jesus starts to talk about what is involved in being a Messiah. And it's full of surprises. For the future offers not so much triumphs and banquests but suffering, rejection by an unholy alliance of disparate parts of the religious establishment and ultimately death. Peter cannot stomach the thought of this. It goes against his hopes for one he loves. It goes against his and just about everyone else's understanding of Messiahship. So protest he must. And for this he gets an almighty rocketing;

"Get behind me Satan!"

He is being spoken to in just the sort of way that he has heard Jesus speaking to demons not so long before. Poor, poor Peter! He must have wished the ground would swallow him up. Well and truly has he gone from hero to zero! From thinking he knew what Jesus was about he is condemned for the mother of misunderstandings.

Mark's Gospel is going from here to be about exploring what the way of Jesus is about. For Jesus extends the concept of denial from being about himself to being about those who follow the Jesus way.

Now he offers the call to followers to take up their crosses. There is indeed something shocking about this. After all crucifixion is a violent means of execution inflicted by Rome primarily on the lower classes or those who had offended Rome most grievously. Not least among those who were stripped naked and made to suffer the pain and humiliation of such a death were those who rebelled against Rome. Indeed many a Zealot freedom fighter in the days of Jesus suffered this fate. But first they had to carry the cross on which they would die to the place of execution.

Now Jesus is using the process by which Rome dehumanised its victims to be the model of his new way. In this we are reminded that true Christianity is at odds with empire rather than being the means by which empire is justified as became the case under Constantine and has beeen the case too often since.

But this does not mean that Christians are called on to long for suffering and death as some less than healthy traditions have suggested. Far from that it recognises the reality of conflict with the powers. And in that conflict which has an aura of inevitability, Jesus' words remind us that the Kingdom of God has an absolute calim upon us which goes beyond the claimes of empire or any of the powers. And to the beauty of that Kingdom we are called to ever be true not counting the cost. For it is in giving all we have and are to that vision that we are enabled to embrace the fulfilment. Or to borrow an evangelical phraseology concerning the way of Christ, there has to be a cross before there can be a crown.

This episode comes after a two stage healing of a blind man. Perhaps we need more than two stages in the opening of our eyes to the ways of Christ. For Christ does not fit easy packaging. He doesn't even fit into our so called commonsense. Rather he challenges us to see the world in totally new ways. And like Peter we will stumble and fall but still we are encouraged to go on seeking the counter cultural way of Christ with its new priorities. And that means holding on to his call rather than the counterfeit calls of the powers.