Charles Amis Sermon - 31 May 2020
John 20:19-23
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Many years ago in the misty days of black and white television there was a series called 'Mission Impossible'. It started with a Supervisor telling the Agent 'Your mission, if you choose to accept it is …..' and then went on to describe what sounded like an impossible challenge.
The Great Commission which the Risen Lord Jesus gave to his followers sounds like 'Mission Impossible' We have slightly different versions of this Commission in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts, plus John, our reading for today. The Mission is to proclaim the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection to all people. Every believer has a part – a calling – in the overall cause and we do not have a choice as to whether to accept or not. If you follow Jesus then we are on the team - we each and everyone of us have a part to play. We may never have been to bible college, seminary or mission school, but as Father Bernard pointed out the other week, we are all priests in His Kingdom.
In this short passage of John's Gospel Jesus appears to his disciples in the locked room. As has been pointed out many times these were a group of nervous frightened men - afraid of what the Jewish authorities might do to them - after all they had crucified Jesus, was it their turn next. It was the evening of the first day of the resurrection. Thomas was not there. We do not know where he was, but we can guess that he was somewhere brooding over his doubts and fears about the resurrection. I believe Thomas represents a little part of each one of us, but tells us that it is not wrong to have doubts and fears or to ask questions - to want proof.
The mission that Jesus presents to his friends is summed up in John 20:21 where Jesus says to them and us:
'As the Father has sent me so I send you.'
If you can think about these words and not feel inadequate for the impossible task, you are not thinking clearly enough or do not recognise the full implication of them. How can I possibly go out into the world - no, let's forget about the world - how can I go out into the town, to neighbours and friends and tell them the Good News? After all Jesus was God's Son. He was intimately connected to the Father - God in human flesh - he walked in unbroken relationship with God his Father. I do not. Jesus never made mistakes. I make them all the time. Jesus never sinned. I sin in many ways daily, so it is not surprising that we feel inadequate to this great task. So with the Apostle Paul, I empathise when he says in 2 Corinthians 2:16,
'And who is adequate for these things?'
But in our reading this morning the Lord turns 'Mission Impossible' to 'Mission Possible'. Just as Paul follows up his feeling with inadequacy with the triumphant verses in 2 Corinthians 3:5:
'Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.'
For it is God in Jesus who sends us and it is God who equips us. For after giving to us our task to go out and tell the Good News in verse 22 he equips these frightened men for all that lays ahead in their lives:
'Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive my Spirit”.'
God never sends us out alone but goes with us as a priest a holy people. The words we speak come not from us but by the power of the Spirit speaking through us.
2. In these strange times through which we are currently living - a nation in lock-down - many afraid to go out - our Church of St Barnabas is a living symbol of our nation and indeed a greater part of the world. It is locked - shut down - locked down. Just as our government and others around the world consider how to unlock, how can we come out of this situation? So we, the Church of St Barnabas must consider the future as the doors begin to unlock.
Do we look inward to our building - putting our house, our finances in order - or do we look outward? For I truly believe that the future of this Church Family, this Congregation of Disciples, lies out there in the streets, the road and the alleyways of Linslade.
'As the Father sent me so I will send you.'
Can we - dare we - take up the challenge by opening the doors and go out into the town with the message of God's love?
I finish this short word by quoting from the letter from Bishop Alan.
'Today we mark the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury - a missionary sent from Rome
to Britain with a copy of the Gospels and a commission to preach the Good News.
May his example inspire us as we share the Gospel with our generation during these strange times of lock-down.'
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
John 20:19-23
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Many years ago in the misty days of black and white television there was a series called 'Mission Impossible'. It started with a Supervisor telling the Agent 'Your mission, if you choose to accept it is …..' and then went on to describe what sounded like an impossible challenge.
The Great Commission which the Risen Lord Jesus gave to his followers sounds like 'Mission Impossible' We have slightly different versions of this Commission in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts, plus John, our reading for today. The Mission is to proclaim the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection to all people. Every believer has a part – a calling – in the overall cause and we do not have a choice as to whether to accept or not. If you follow Jesus then we are on the team - we each and everyone of us have a part to play. We may never have been to bible college, seminary or mission school, but as Father Bernard pointed out the other week, we are all priests in His Kingdom.
In this short passage of John's Gospel Jesus appears to his disciples in the locked room. As has been pointed out many times these were a group of nervous frightened men - afraid of what the Jewish authorities might do to them - after all they had crucified Jesus, was it their turn next. It was the evening of the first day of the resurrection. Thomas was not there. We do not know where he was, but we can guess that he was somewhere brooding over his doubts and fears about the resurrection. I believe Thomas represents a little part of each one of us, but tells us that it is not wrong to have doubts and fears or to ask questions - to want proof.
The mission that Jesus presents to his friends is summed up in John 20:21 where Jesus says to them and us:
'As the Father has sent me so I send you.'
If you can think about these words and not feel inadequate for the impossible task, you are not thinking clearly enough or do not recognise the full implication of them. How can I possibly go out into the world - no, let's forget about the world - how can I go out into the town, to neighbours and friends and tell them the Good News? After all Jesus was God's Son. He was intimately connected to the Father - God in human flesh - he walked in unbroken relationship with God his Father. I do not. Jesus never made mistakes. I make them all the time. Jesus never sinned. I sin in many ways daily, so it is not surprising that we feel inadequate to this great task. So with the Apostle Paul, I empathise when he says in 2 Corinthians 2:16,
'And who is adequate for these things?'
But in our reading this morning the Lord turns 'Mission Impossible' to 'Mission Possible'. Just as Paul follows up his feeling with inadequacy with the triumphant verses in 2 Corinthians 3:5:
'Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.'
For it is God in Jesus who sends us and it is God who equips us. For after giving to us our task to go out and tell the Good News in verse 22 he equips these frightened men for all that lays ahead in their lives:
'Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive my Spirit”.'
God never sends us out alone but goes with us as a priest a holy people. The words we speak come not from us but by the power of the Spirit speaking through us.
2. In these strange times through which we are currently living - a nation in lock-down - many afraid to go out - our Church of St Barnabas is a living symbol of our nation and indeed a greater part of the world. It is locked - shut down - locked down. Just as our government and others around the world consider how to unlock, how can we come out of this situation? So we, the Church of St Barnabas must consider the future as the doors begin to unlock.
Do we look inward to our building - putting our house, our finances in order - or do we look outward? For I truly believe that the future of this Church Family, this Congregation of Disciples, lies out there in the streets, the road and the alleyways of Linslade.
'As the Father sent me so I will send you.'
Can we - dare we - take up the challenge by opening the doors and go out into the town with the message of God's love?
I finish this short word by quoting from the letter from Bishop Alan.
'Today we mark the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury - a missionary sent from Rome
to Britain with a copy of the Gospels and a commission to preach the Good News.
May his example inspire us as we share the Gospel with our generation during these strange times of lock-down.'
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.