November 3, 2024. JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 6. "Surely, Not I Lord?" (Communion)

Readings: Psalm 27, Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Hebrews 9:11-14,  Matthew 26:19-30
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, November 3, 2024

In 1495, Leonardo Da Vinci began painting a fresco on the wall of a monastery dining room in Milan that became one of his most celebrated works. It pictured the Last Supper. The painting is said to reflect upon the moment Jesus said to the disciples “One of you who is dipping into the bowl will betray me.” Each of the disciples is shown to be reacting to the statement, visualizing verse 25 of our Scripture reading where the disciples exclaim "Surely not I, Lord?"

Earlier this year during the televised opening of the Paris Olympic games, some sections of the church made a mountain out of a molehill, when they suggested their faith was under attack, because a very small segment appeared to resemble Leonardo’s fresco. This claim was later totally debunked, when the Olympic World Library published the media guide (written before the ceremony) which mentioned it was actually paying homage to Greek cultural festivities.

The most ridiculous aspect of that whole embarrassing fiasco was how Leonardo’s dining room imaginings had somehow become elevated to the level of infallible scripture. Little wonder that in our day many find the church to be out of touch and completely irrelevant to their lives.

Furthermore, Leonardo’s painting is, of course, just an artistic representation. The participants all sit on one side of the table. In reality they would have sat around a table… or even a number of tables and be facing each other. Each one of them in the painting was an actual citizen of Milan. We have no idea what the disciples actually looked like. Normally at a Passover celebration whole families, including women and children, would be present. There are only disciples in the picture. Some aspects of the Passover celebration are ignored, while others are emphasized.

Yet that image, originally meant only for the eyes of a monastic community as they munched their lunch, has eaten its way into our sub-conscious to such an extent that some folks seem to believe it is on a level with what actually happened, as though Leonardo was there with a camera recording the event.

So, as I’m continuing with this series on Jesus and Individuals, I felt it would be a great idea to revisit that upper room …  and engage our own imaginations. To try and put aside for a moment all these other representations and reflect upon what it would have been like to be one of those disciples sitting around the table when Jesus had made the starling declaration that He was about to be betrayed by someone in the room.  "Surely not I, Lord?"

The first thing to bear in mind is that Passover was very much a celebration. Yes, it had its serious side, but it could resemble a harvest supper or a homecoming more than a religious service. There was wine. There was a lot of food. There was symbolism and a whole lot of memories.

For the disciples that would certainly be the case. I imagine there was some joking and ribbing going on. “Hey, Peter, remember that time you went up the mountain and wanted to build tents?” “Hey, John, what about when Andrew came and said, “A little boy here with a few loaves and fish and we ended up feeding over 5000!” “Yeh, and what about that time we were in the boat, and the storm came, and Peter tried to walk on the water? Took a few steps then… glug, glug, hey Pete, meet the fishes!”

Of course it was a little unusual. According to John there was that whole thing with the foot-washing and a lesson about serving each other before the meal. I mean that was a visual sermon they would never forget, but now they were seated at the table it was party time.

I wonder who we would most identify with at that table? We have snippets of information about the disciples throughout the scriptures.

We read in Luke about the mother of James and John, (the sons who had left their Father Zebedee’s fishing enterprise to be disciples) coming to Jesus and asking that they be given some preferential treatment. Were they embarrassed by their mother’s request, or did it reflect conversations wondering if they had done the right thing walking away from the family business. I mean, what was in it for them?

As we become involved in church life, and have to put other things on hold, and how that interferes with family commitments and expectations, well that may be a real struggle for some sitting around this table today. It was for James and John back then. But enough of a struggle to make them want to betray Jesus? I don’t think so. But there they are, having to ask the question, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Or what about Thomas? He had a very practical mind. Very much a “Come on guys, I can believe that, but this is too much.” After the raising of Lazarus from dead it is Thomas who encourages the others to recognize the true dimensions of what following Jesus was all about. When Jesus says, “Go” it is Thomas who gathers them all together and moves them forward. A deep thinker. After the resurrection he won’t move forward until he has seen the marks of the nails in Jesus hands. But once he is convinced, there is no stopping him.

History does Thomas a great disservice calling him “Doubting Thomas.” According to church tradition Thomas became a missionary to India and his work established one of the first thriving Christian communities outside of the area Jesus walked. He was at that table because he was fully committed. But even he must ask, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Maybe you are around this table, and you are a thinker. You do not commit until, you are sure. But once you are sure, there is no turning back. Thomas was like that. Then came the crucifixion and the resurrection. Thomas needed time to process all of that and think it through. See, that’s one of the things about this table. We can sit and contemplate. It allows us to question. We can come with our doubts. "Surely not I, Lord?"

Then there’s John. In Scripture described as ‘The disciple Jesus loved.’ Some art critics suggest that in Leonardo’s painting John, is actually Mary Magdalene, because of his curly hair and feminine features, almost leaning on Jesus’ shoulder. I had a colleague in theological college that was convinced that the gospel of John portrays a more feminine side of Jesus and the gospel story and should have been called the “Gospel of Joan.” I did not share his view, but it is nevertheless a fascinating observation. Even more so when you consider, that however deep John’s love relationship to Jesus was, John still must ask, "Surely not I, Lord?"

In recent years many worship choruses are less hesitant to use the word “love’ as expressing devotion to God, than were hymnwriters of previous generations. I think of modern songs that have choruses such as “I love you, Lord, And I lift my voice, To worship You, Oh, my soul, rejoice!” Previous generations appear to have focused more on God’s love towards us than our love towards God.

Love. It’s a loaded word isn’t it. These days some people fall in and out of love as though it were a revolving door. Sometimes the words “I love you” are said without the depth they deserve. Love for Jesus was never an emotion but a way of being. I think we need to be careful when we use the phrase. Even the disciple Jesus loved had to ask, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Then of course there is Peter. A fallible character if ever there was one. One moment full of the deepest insight. “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Next moment, he blows it and is being told, “Get thee behind me Satan”. No one was more faithful than Peter, yet when after the crucifixion he is siting in the courtyard warming his hands around the fire he declares three times about Jesus, “I don’t even know Him.”

I’m glad Peter was at the table. He seems to embody the best of us and the worst of us. He knew what it was to gain insight. And he knew what it was to totally mess up. Maybe of all of them, the possibility he may actually be fallible, gave a deep reality to his words "Surely not I, Lord?"

And then... Judas.  We don’t want to identify with Judas. We don’t know how he became the betrayer. He seemed to have been highly respected by the others. Took care of the finances. Seemed to really care. Did he care too much? Was he trying to remove Jesus from the storm he sensed was coming their way? Was it just about the money? Was it fate? Was it the devil? Was it predestination? Maybe all of the above and maybe none of the above. The theologians will argue about that till all things meet their end. Tragically we know that it did not end well. When Jesus said betrayal was coming, he responds , "Surely not I, Rabbi?" but Jesus replies, "You have said so."

You know what the difference between Peter and Judas is? They both betrayed Him. Terribly. There was no excuse for their actions. When Judas realized the depth of his betrayal, Judas tried to atone for his own sins. It couldn’t be done. That can’t be done. In Christ alone can atonement be found.

When Peter realized the depth of his betrayal, he was heartbroken and turned to God for redemption. He turned to Jesus for forgiveness. And he discovered that the forgiveness was there. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”

Whoever we are, whatever we have done, whoever we have betrayed, no matter how much we have messed up, this table of holy communion is here to remind us that there is forgiveness on offer. Not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

It was as they sat at that table asking, "Surely not I, Lord?" that Jesus explained the significance of the feast He was sharing with them. They did not understand right then, but they would know for ever more afterward.

“Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Come to this table today. And bear in mind the question that was on the disciple’s mind, so artistically interpreted by Leonardo Da Vinci. "Surely not I, Lord?" Like it or not, however we identify with those at that table, one thing is for sure. We are not perfect. 

 

We are going to need help to carry on following the way of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need His Holy Spirit as our strength and our guide. We need the forgiveness He died that we might receive. We need the love and peace of God that passes all understanding.

Around this table is a sacred place where we can seek to make the blessings of God alive in our hearts in such a real way that we can share them with others. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

October 27, 2024 JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 5. "Caught in the Act"

 

Readings: Psalm 34:1-8, Hebrews 7:23-28, Jeremiah 1:4-10, John 8:1-11
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, October 27, 2024

I've been preaching a series about Jesus and Individuals, taking a series of snapshots and observing how Jesus reacted with both individuals and groups of people. We saw a sinful woman at the home of Simon, we saw how He dealt with a group of Scribes who came from Jerusalem to contend with Him. We saw an encounter He had with a disturbed man in a graveyard and the reaction of the townsfolk when He healed the man.

As we've looked at those stories a number of common themes have emerged.
•    Self-Righteousness in people blocked His love from working in their lives.
•    He loved people... regardless of their social standing and was concerned to reach those others rejected.
•    While loving the sinner, He was opposed to their sin and wished to deliver them from it.
Those three themes emerge again in the account that we heard today about Jesus and a woman caught in the act of adultery.

THE TIME Most commentators suggest this was during the latter part of the ministry of Jesus. We also know from verse 2 that events took place early one morning.

THE PLACE Again we can identify it precisely. The incident takes place in the temple, just after Jesus has come down from the Mount of Olives.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES Jesus is teaching in the temple. People are gathered around Him. They are seated, or sitting on the floor, listening, asking questions. It's an idyllic rabbi and student’s picture. Into this cozy gathering barge some scribes and Pharisees, dragging with them a woman. They force her to stand before them and before the people.

They explain what is happening. “Teacher” they call Jesus. This was something of a turnabout. The day before they were calling Him a deceiver and telling folks He was doing the Devil's work. “Teacher” they say, “This woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.” They go on to tell Jesus what the law of Moses required. That she should be stoned to death. (As though, being a teacher, Jesus didn't know what the law of Moses required. )

Of course, they are not really concerned about justice being done. Nor have they any feelings towards the woman except to use her as bait to place Jesus in a compromising situation. Maybe they had set the whole thing up in the first place. It is suspicious how they only bring the woman along with them, and not the man who was with her.

They obviously suspect that Jesus would not stone her Himself. After all, He had already been teaching them that He had come to fulfill the law in a new way. And they already knew what kind of company He had been keeping. Elsewhere we have heard them grumbling about “Harlots and tax-collectors” being His friends.

They know how to play the game. If Jesus let her go...firstly, they would prove beyond any shadow of doubt that He was not fulfilling the law of Moses, He was an enemy of the law of Moses. Secondly, it would validate their conviction that as one who had friends who were sinners, He was relaxing all laws of morality and was as guilty of sin as they were. Whatever course of action He took they would catch Him out. You can almost picture them plotting, rubbing their hands together in glee, “Hey, hey, hey, we've got Him this time!”

For the Scribes and Pharisees their concern for legalistic morality went far beyond their concern for their fellow human beings. The way they treat the woman, shaming her, dragging her along, declaring her guilty without a trial, simply using her as a prop for their hateful scheming and desire to protect their own power against the threat of the love of Jesus, is a disgrace.

You know anybody can moralize. It's easy. You just point your finger and say, “You mustn't do that” “The Bible says you need to repent” “You are going to hell if that's the way you're going to live.” It's easy to pump yourself up through pulling others down. “Oh my gosh, look at the way they are acting. We are above that sort of behavior. Look at what she's wearing. Listen to how they are talking. I wouldn't be seen dead acting like that...” And so it goes.

You can do all that, and as you do so, you stifle any remnant of compassion you may still have in your being.  But, beware, for when you point the finger, the finger points back at you. When you shine a light on other people’s behavior, watch out, for the light is also shining down on you.

Jesus did not come to moralize the world. He came to save it. His teaching took morality beyond the law and into the heart.

Of course, the church must speak out about sin, challenge it, and call it what it is. Of course, the church must call people to personal morality and speak about social and political morality, because the Bible does. A quick look at the teaching of the Old Testament prophets reveals God's Word to be very political and with a bias towards justice, the downtrodden and those whose cries are often ignored.

But the unique revelation that Christianity offers is the grace of God and the forgiveness that Christ offers through a blood stained cross and the renewing, life giving, game changing power of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees and Scribes offered to the people a religion of morality. Jesus, for sure spoke about right behavior and the danger of sin but did so from the foundation of love and compassion.

It is the reception of the love and compassion of Christ that forms morality and through His Spirit the power to overcome sin is found. The gospel good news is not “Sort your life out and then you will be acceptable to God” But, “God loves you and as you love God back, your morality will fall into line... for your heart’s desire will be seeking to do God's will.”

Returning to the scene in the temple. Jesus. The crowd. The Pharisees and Scribes mistreating this poor lady and breathing daggers at Jesus. They challenge Him. “So, teacher,” “What do you say about this... woman!”

What Jesus says... is …. nothing. He instead begins to write on the floor, in the dust. There must have been a moment of roaring silence. The Pharisees and Scribes must have been thinking, “Oh Yeah. Got Him now.”  Maybe they were looking around at the people and sensing they were starting to come around to their point of view. “See. What did we tell you about this guy?”

Jesus sits up and says, “Whichever of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her.” Then He carries on writing in the dust. Some commentators wonder if He was writing down sins related to the crowd gathered around Him.

Slowly, starting with the eldest, they file out of the temple. What He said frightened them because it sent them back to their own consciences. He had shown them to themselves. Maybe they were afraid His next words would show them to the world. We read in Hebrews 4:13 'There is nothing that can be hidden from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies before God's eyes. And it is to God that we all must give an account of ourselves.” We can fool some people some of the time. We can even fool ourselves. But we can never fool God.

This came home to those people as they walked out of the temple. A wound had been opened. Their consciences were struck. The sad things was, that as often happens to people, rather than have the wound treated and healed by Jesus, they hope it will heal itself. Bible Commentator, Matthew Henry, writes, “It is folly for those who are under convictions to get away from Jesus Christ, for He is the only One who can heal the wounds of conscience. To whom will they go?”

Then Jesus stands up. He is alone with the woman. He, as He was without sin, could have cast the first stone. Instead, He asks her, “Where are your condemners?” She answers, “No-one left.” Jesus declares “Then neither do I condemn you.”

He then adds... “Go. And sin no more.” Though she was indeed, as we all are, a fallen human being, she is offered respect and He talks to her, not about her past, but about her future. That seems to be how the love of God deals with us. We can't change our past. But we can learn from it. We can move on from it. Forgiveness opens that doorway. The gift of the Holy Spirit enables to walk on in peace and the security of God's acceptance and love. And that changes the way we desire to live!

A FEW LESSONS FROM THIS PASSAGE

1. We should reserve our condemnation of others and concentrate on our efforts to reach them with the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ. Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” John 3:17 “For God did not send God's son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

2. We should realize that we cannot change anyone by telling them how to live or giving them a set of rules. We must show by example that Jesus Christ is alive, changing and renewing our lives, by His Spirit bringing joy, peace and fulfillment to us. Then others will seek Him.

3.We should consider if our presence as Christian people makes others feel accepted or condemned. Notice how the holiness of Jesus bought to her soul a sense of peace and acceptance, while the alleged spirituality of the Scribes and Pharisees brought to her fear and rejection.

4. We, like Jesus, should not be intimidated by self-righteous people who tell us what Christians should or shouldn't be doing. Rather we should hear Christ's call to reach out to the down-trodden, to the lost, to the sinful, to the hurting and the needy, regardless of personal cost or reputation. We should offer the forgiveness of Christ and explain that, through a living relationship with Jesus Christ, and in the power of God's Holy Spirit, the possibility “To go and sin no more” is available to us all.

Of course, we will fall. Of course, we can never be perfect. But we can strive to be a better version of the person God wants us to become.  Every time we gather to worship, is an opportunity to nurture our personal faith for whatever journey may lay ahead of us. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

October 20, 2024 JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 4. "Darkness and Deliverance"

Readings: Psalm 104:1-9, Job 38:1-7 (34-41), Hebrews 5:1-6, Mark 5:1-20
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, October 20, 2024

I'm continuing with a series of sermons I've titled “Jesus and Individuals,” taking a look at ways Jesus interacted with both individuals and groups of folk.

Our first sermon was about Jesus at Simon's house, when a lady of questionable morals anointed His feet, much to the disgust of the religious folk present. Then we looked at an encounter Jesus had with a group of Scribes come down from Jerusalem. We saw how they were warned by Jesus not to describe the things of God's kingdom as somehow being associated with any evil scheme, but rather recognize that His ministry was the real thing.

This time we leave the Jewish territories and travel to the land of the Gadarenes, a predominantly Gentile area of the country and we witness an encounter between Jesus and a man said to be possessed by a legion of demons. We also see the effect his healing has upon the locals.

THE TIME is immediately following a story about Jesus calming the Storm. On the same days as Jesus controls the chaos of the natural world, He also brings calm to a troubled soul who is a danger to himself and feared by those who are around him.

THE PLACE is a graveyard somewhere between the two cities of Gerasa and Gadara, near the Eastern shore of the lake of Galilee in the borderlands between Arabia and Judea.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Inhabiting this graveyard is a man in a miserable condition. He is living among the dead. He is unclothed and uncontrollable. He is strong and though people have tried to bind him, he breaks free.  He is a danger to himself, inflicting self harm, and violent towards anybody who comes near. People are very afraid of him.

In our day we would probably suggest he had severe mental problems. Some of the mentally ill  homeless folk in our cities, especially those who exhibit violent behavior, evoke a similar response of fear and repulsion to people not accustomed to dealing with them. Thankfully for this man, Jesus is not among those who were intimidated. The man even recognizes something about Jesus that causes him to reach out. Though in the man’s mind are many voices, somehow the light of God's love breaks through when Jesus enters the scene.

It's a dark story. As a teenager I used to watch many of the movies that came out of the Hammer Horror studios. Films that were often populated with vampires and werewolves and dark forces of the undead in draughty mansions and graveyards where the thunder and lightning would magically appear at the most dramatic moments.

In this story Mark tells us that night is drawing in, darkness is falling. Back then demons were thought to be most comfortable in lonely and desolate spots, in dark hollows and lonely caves where no human usually trespassed at night. It was a perilous place, at a perilous time, and the man was a dangerous man.

When the man speaks, it is in horror movie fashion, with multiple voices, representing some kind of internal struggle. “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the most High God?”  This is in response to Jesus first attempt to release him from his predicament, an attempt that had been unsuccessful because the man was in deeper trouble than at first imagined.

Further conversation takes place, and the man tells Jesus, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” This revelation offers a striking explanation of the terrible situation the man was in. The term legion would at least mean a battalion of 2000.

There are some fascinating aspects to this story. The area of the country that they are in is one that had fallen heavily to Roman occupation.  The legions had conquered this region and that's why it was known as Gentile territory. That's why there were people there farming pigs, an animal unclean to the Jews, but presenting no dietary issue to Romans and Greeks.

This is also one of the first times Jesus and His disciples extend their ministry outside of the boundaries of Judaism. It is only later in the story that He begins instructing His disciples to take the gospel message to Jerusalem, Samaria and the ends of the earth. There is the hint here, that His mission was about a lot more than the locality in which He had been raised.

Then there's the fact that this legion of demons comes before Jesus and bows down. There is a hymn in our hymnbooks... “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess Him, King of Glory now.”

The demons recognize His authority and power... at a time when, as we saw in Jesus’ confrontation with the Scribes who came up from Jerusalem... the religious authorities were suggesting He was the one who was in league with the devil. Yet here we see God's Kingly power subduing imperial domination, here we observe the beginning of a religion that would eventually dominate the Roman empire.

Returning to the encounter, the unclean spirits that the man gives voice to, beg not to be sent out of the country but to be allowed to possess a herd of pigs that are grazing nearby. It is a considerable herd, about 2000, the same size as a Roman legion. Jesus gave them permission, and  the whole herd jumps off the cliff and are drowned in the same waters Jesus had earlier calmed during the storm.

In our day we may be more comfortable describing the man’s condition as a sickness, rather than him being demonically possessed. Even though our culture has a fascination with the dark side... we have a problem with the notion of evil.

Our literature and movies and TV programs are filled with material that focuses on the living dead and the occult and vampires and monsters. Many classic movie franchises, from Star Wars to Harry Potter, to Lord of the Rings to the whole Marvel Universe, are stories about another worldly struggle between good and evil. Such tales give a voice to our fears and maybe a window on our subconscious. But how we translate that into daily life, how we deal with the demons of terrorism and war and drug abuse and Human Trafficking... well … that's a different matter. It has said that are two dangers we can make in regard to evil.

The first is to focus too much on it and end up demonizing everything. Every moral failure becomes a battle with the devil. Those who we disagree with become not just wrong, but agents of Satan. We discover secret plots where none exist. We give the Devil and his minions far more credit and power than they deserve.

The second mistake is to mystify it to such a point that we deny it. That evil becomes a matter of perspective, rather than something to be wrestled with and overcome. That we attribute everything to causes we can explain and believe that we have the power to cure all things... even the darkest desires of the human will, without reference to God.

The Lord's Prayer offers us a helpful perspective. Every week we pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Such acknowledges that, not only can we be our own worst enemies and make wrong choices, but that there are also forces and powers that can destroy us. We may not describe those powers as “demons” but the cycles of addiction and abuse and anxiety that cause untold suffering and the loss of life, in the lives of families and communities and individuals are surely things from which we need deliverance. And the power of prayer and the gift of God's Holy Spirit are truly remarkable resources available to every disciple of Jesus Christ.

Witness the effect of Jesus ministry upon the man. It was remarkable. His storm is over. The people of the village, verse 15, “They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion.” But we also read of their reaction. “And they were afraid.”

Some who were particularly afraid were the owners of the pigs who had just lost their livelihood. I'm guessing there has never been a compensation scheme for victims of exorcisms! It tells us something about the way the world works that they were a whole lot more worried about their pigs than they were delighted by the miracle of a man now in his right mind.

When the Kingdom of God invades the kingdoms of this world, there can be economic ramifications. Imagine for instance if coffee growers or garment manufacturers in the third world were paid the same wage as their counterparts in developed countries. Surely such would be a fair way of doing things.

But we also know that the price of coffee and clothes would go through the roof. Our prosperity is partly due to global economic inequality. We are not so keen on others receiving benefits that may take away our privileges. We would be more likely to complain about rising prices than rejoice at their rising standard of living. In a similar way, the pig owners are not at all pleased and want Jesus out of their neighborhood.

Other folks were simply frightened by the encounter. This encounter with evil was not something they wanted to deal with. We easily become accustomed to the way things are. We don't like radical change. Everything and everybody has their place. Some may not be in a good place, but please, don't upset the apple cart!

Jesus and the disciples do as they are asked. They leave the area. They walk away. But they leave behind an incredible seed for the Kingdom in the person of the man they have delivered. The man begs the disciples to take him with them. Jesus refuses to do so.

Instead, the man is told, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.” In this way the mission to the Gentiles would continue. Seeds were being planted that later Christian evangelists could build upon. For we read, “He went away and began to declare in the Decapolis (that is in the ten Greek/Roman Gentile cities in that region) how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”

The man was moved from being in a place of darkness to becoming one of the first Christian missionaries to the world outside of Judaism. The name of Jesus, even during His earthly ministry, was becoming known in places you would never have expected.

SOME TAKE AWAYS FROM THIS  ACCOUNT

Firstly, The mission of Jesus, and therefore of the Church, involves confronting evil, however such may manifest itself. Such is not always comfortable, not without anxiety or fear and involves us in having to trust in the authority and love of God as our source. Ministry isn't always pretty or decent and in order. When the light shines in the darkness, we don't always like what the light reveals.

Secondly, The mission of Jesus, and therefore of the Church, can bring disruption as well as peace. When powers are challenged and injustice is opposed, there are losers as well as winners. We may not want to go there. But the command of Jesus is clear. Go into all the world and make others my disciples.

Thirdly, The mission of Jesus, and therefore of the Church, is totally dependent on the work of God's Holy Spirit, to bring healing, to deliver from evil,  and to calm the storms that threaten to destroy us.

Yet just as evil and violence and fear are a reality, so is the Cross and the forgiveness that is offered to us in Christ, and the power of His resurrection is a force to be reckoned with. Though it is not yet, there will come a time, as already spoken of in the hymn I referenced, when “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess Him, King of Glory now.”

Until that day we are called to do, as did that delivered man, to go home to our friends, and our families and our communities and tell them how much the Lord has done for us, and what mercy He has shown us. And all to the glory of God. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

October 6, 2024 JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 3. "Jesus and the Scribes" (Communion)

 Readings: Psalm 26, Job:1:1;2:1-10, Hebrews 1:1-4, Mark 3:20-35

Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, October 6, 2024

I'm preaching a series titled “Jesus and Individuals.” Two weeks ago we were thinking about an encounter Jesus had at the home of Simon the Pharisee with a sinful woman of Galilee. Last week we were considering a personal 40 year journey since ordination.

This time I want to take a look at an encounter from Mark's gospel where we find Jesus encountering a whole group of folk known as “The Scribes” or “The Teachers of the Law.” They have come down from Jerusalem with a whole host of questions in mind. We also see an encounter in this passage that Jesus has with His own family, and some words of Jesus about forgiveness... or rather the lack of it!

As we each personally encounter the gospel message in our lives, it does indeed raise for us many, many, questions. If we choose to embrace the gospel message, then it creates new dynamics in our relationships with others, including our own families.

There are some scriptures we find difficult to understand. Each of us is on our own spiritual path. Our journey is not the same journey as another person’s. We walk in our own shoes. We are all unique. We are all individuals and that's what this sermon series is all about, Jesus and Individuals.

In Colossians chapter 3:20 Paul writes  “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.” Apart from being the kind of advice that parents really like to hear, it is clear that in the early church there were whole families who had felt the embrace of the gospel. And though it is sadly an increasingly less common feature of our society, in the past there have been many who fortunate to have grown up in a Christian home.

I have had several people over the years tell me that they just don't remember a time when they didn't believe in God. God was just... always a part of our conversations, our mealtimes, our bedtimes. We went to church because that's what we did.

Of course, they can identify some significant moments when particular insights came their way, but they can't say,  when their discipleship journey began, because they can't remember a time when they were not on it. More importantly they can point to a present experience of God to which their journey has led them.

For others their Christianity is more of a Damascus Road experience, rather like St. Paul. Paul could point to the hour, the day and the moment when he met Jesus and felt God's call on his life, the crisis encounter that changed everything in an instant.

In between the two are a vast number of options. There are those like Peter, who though they follow, can hardly put a foot right. Who have learned just as much from their mistakes as from their breakthroughs. There are those like Thomas, who struggle to believe because their doubts overwhelm them. Who just have that mindset that says, “I hear what everybody else is saying. That's great for them! But I need to touch it and feel it for myself.” And Jesus came through... eventually... for Thomas.

There's an encounter Jesus has with a man called Nicodemus. In John 3:7, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be  or “Born from Above” or “Born Again” if he was ever to experience the Kingdom of God. Some sections of the church have taken that phrase and used it as a source of division. So that there are average Christians... who don't really get it... and then there are the true faithful, the “born again” Christians.

I recall an encounter I had with a lady in a Christian bookshop in the U.K. In conversation I explained that I had recently felt the call of God on my life and was now a Presbyterian minister. I was looking for some good theological books to help me feed my congregation. She shook her head in disgust, as though knowledge were a terrible thing to pursue and said, “That's all very well... but are you born again?”

It is scary how certain phrases can be taken completely out of context and overlaid with meaning they were never intended to have... and become not a source of unity, but a source of division within the Christian Church. Some folk use certain scriptures like sledgehammers to destroy those who feel different to them! Kind of like the Scribes who came down from Jerusalem to meet with Jesus. They weren't seeking enlightenment. They were on a mission to discredit. Let's dig deeper.

THE TIME It's a busy day. The disciples haven't even had time to eat because of the crowds around them. Jesus is on a second tour of ministry and there have been remarkable healings and exorcisms taking place. His ministry is causing quite a stir.

THE PLACE Capernaum. The hometown of Jesus.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES As Jesus is in His hometown, His family are around. And they are expressing their concern! They think He's lost it... going too far... a touch of madness has got to Him. Believe me, when you tell your family you are giving up everything and going to be a minister of gospel for the rest of your life... some people are not slow in telling you that, in their opinion, you have totally lost your marbles.

Been there. Experienced that! I think there may even be some who still think that this whole Christianity thing is just a phase I'm going through. Who shake their heads and say, “He always did take things to extremes. He couldn't just go to church, he had to go and be a pastor!”

But with the family of Jesus, it's more than that. They are also concerned about the trouble that He's stirring up. Although in favor with many, because of His ministry, others, notably the Scribes and Teachers of the Law, are offended by Him and they just want Him to stop. So, they arrive from Jerusalem.

THE SCRIBES ARGUMENT The Scribes argument is altogether more sinister than that of His family. They don't think He's mad. They accuse Him of being evil. They suggest that the only spirit driving His mission is a demonic spirit of Beelzebul, the God of dung and flies.

It's an argument that the great Christian apologist C.S. Lewis had encountered. In his own spiritual journey, he came to the conclusion that Jesus must have been mad or He was bad. Either that, or He was exactly the person He claimed to be. The Scribes from Jerusalem are sticking with the second option. He was bad .In fact He was evil. Mark 3:22 tells us plainly; “The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons."

In reply to such an accusation Jesus gives them some pictures... short parables.

Firstly, a country fighting itself and tearing itself apart. Secondly, a family dividing into groups, and falling apart. Thirdly, the picture of a thief breaking into the home of a strong man and needing to tie him up before taking his possessions.

The Scribes who came down from Jerusalem never question the power Jesus had to cast out demons. They question the source of His power. One commentator describes them as saying “It is by the great demon he casts out little demons.”

Jesus completely explodes their argument. William Barclay, in his commentary, writes, “Jesus says, 'Just think! If there is an internal dissension in a kingdom, that kingdom cannot last. If there are quarrels in a house, that house will fall! If Satan is actually making war on his own demons, then he is finished as an effective power, because civil war has begun in his kingdom.'”

We may wish to go further and say that the power of love was being shown as overcoming the power of hate. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

Jesus refuses to be drawn into a debate about the nature or the source of evil. He does not try and explain it, or quantify it,  He just deals with it. He brings healing into the situation. He dealt with it and gave others the power of His Spirit that they may engage in the same struggle to bring God's Kingdom to be revealed among the kingdoms of this world.

Having reasoned with them, then Jesus starts to warn them that they were making accusations that put their souls in peril and led them beyond the grace of God. That if they took such a flippant and careless attitude towards the things of God, they were in deep trouble.  They only had to look around them. To see that person restored to a right mind. To talk with that person who had now received healing.  These good works were the work of God's Holy Spirit.

They knew how absurd it was that the Devil would cast himself out and they knew that the Spirit which gave Jesus power was a very different spirit than that which gave the devil any power. They were not just people with stupid theories, they were placing themselves in a dangerous position in relation to God.

We then have one of those biblical verses that has caused a lot of head scratching and heartache. Mark 3:28 and 29 “Truly I tell you; people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” This passage, and others like them, have led folks to speculate if there are some sins that are unforgivable.

The “So-Called” unforgiving sin has been put forward as being everything from suicide to sexual orientation, from paganism to folks simply belonging to a different religious tradition. Thankfully this passage offers the actual context. Verse 30 “For they (that is the Scribes) had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

The original meaning of the word blasphemy was that it described “the act of insulting or showing contempt  for God.”  In their heart of hearts, the Scribes know they are wrong. 'The Message Bible' offers us a perspective that gets to the heart of the matter.

Jesus tells the Scribes:  "Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God's Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives." Jesus, as did John before Him, is calling them to repentance. They choose not to respond.  They therefore remained outside of God's grace. That was where their inability to be forgiven kicked in.

A whole lot of lessons in this encounter Jesus had with the Scribes. Here are some of the things we can learn.

From the family of Jesus who thought He had lost His mind we learn that, at times following the call to discipleship can be misunderstood be even those who are closest to us. Yet God chose to redeem the world through what Paul describes as “Fools Wisdom.” People encounter and are embraced by such wisdom, in as many different ways as we are different people.

From the Scribes we learn a sobering lesson that the heart can be so deceptive as to lead us beyond the reach of God's grace and cause us to knowingly attribute the work of God to the work of evil. If we are in that position, we should fear for our personal salvation. Forgiveness is always available to those who repent.

From the passage as a whole we learn that we are not called to explain evil, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to oppose it and work against it. This we do through acts of healing and love, though acts of deliverance and justice, both individually and corporately as communities of faith.  

While we cannot explain every evil in this world, we can consistently stand against all that cheapens and destroys. We can continue to pray that God's will may be done, and kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven. We can seek to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem We can always seek for God's transforming grace to lead us and guide us. 

Around a table laid with bread and wine is a wonderful place to do just that. Amen!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

September 29, 2024 JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 2 “More Than Enough!” (Ordination Reflections)

Readings: Psalm 19:7-14 , Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-42, 49-50
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, September 29, 2024

On September 26th, 1984, in Pembroke, United Kingdom, I was ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament by the Presbyterian Church of Wales. I had taken on my first churches three  months earlier, but because the denomination only held one ordination service a year, I had to wait before I could administer communion or baptism. Thankfully a previous minister was still around and was able to take care of the sacramental duties.

This means that I’ve been a minister within the Presbyterian Church for a little over 40 years. 40 is a significant number in scripture. David reigned on the throne for 40 years. After Noah built his big boat, it rained 40 days and 40 nights. Following His baptism Jesus was sent into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days and nights. The Israelite's wandered in the desert under Moses leadership for 40 years before ever reaching their promised land.

Have 40 years of ministry felt like 40 years in the wilderness? Do I feel ministry has been like 40 days and 40 nights when the rain has never stopped? For sure there have probably been at least 40 days or nights when the temptation to and pursue a different occupation has seemed a most attractive proposition!

Scripture expects a lot from everybody who seeks to be in ministry. Our reading from Mark tells us we will be ‘salted with fire.’ That, like John, who gets fired up when he saw things he did not agree with, and came to Jesus saying “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us,"  we will encounter people who are doing stuff that just seems wrong to us.

Even with the best of intentions we will sometimes get it wrong, and our actions can cause harm rather than good. There’s a chilling warning, in Mark 9:42,  "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.”

Then there are the expectations! In the Book of James, Elijah is described as “a human being like us” yet was such a powerful prayer warrior that he could stop the rain coming and decide when it was going to fall. And though in this passage he talks about prayers that will be answered, every person of faith I have ever met is aware that they have made many prayers that don’t seem to have been so fruitfully and positively answered! Expectations. Can we ever do enough? Is all that we do ever enough? Can we ever be enough?

Today, as I recognize 40 years since my ordination, there are more than enough things I could say, but I want to reflect on just three things, that relate to expectation. The first is this.

Throughout my ministry I have never been enough.

I don’t mean that in any self-depreciating way. In our society we are encouraged to “Be all we can be” and it can sound like an admission of defeat or weakness to talk about not being enough. I make that as a statement about the nature of Christian service, and in particular, ministry.  

We were given the advice in seminary to never try and please everybody. There are days when you start to question if you can please anybody! Your theology is always too far to the left or to the right. If you speak out about something, there is somebody to tell you, you should have kept quiet. If you don’t speak out there is somebody to tell you should have said something. Whatever you do, there is somebody who has the opinion that you should be doing it differently. Folk can be quick to point out your failings, but slow to recognize your achievements. It can be mentally, spiritually, and physically exhausting.

Part of the problem is that in ministry there are no measurable results. You are constantly sowing seeds and rarely get to see the harvest. A pastor colleague shared with me how his favorite thing to do was mow the grass. It was so quantifiable. There is grass that needs cutting. You cut it. A job well done with recognizable satisfactory results. Like many other similar professions, ministry does not offer that instant sense of gratification.

One of the things that has kept me going is acknowledging, from my earliest days of seeking to serve the church, that whatever I did in ministry, it would never be enough. That I, for many people, would never and could never and will never be enough.

I hope that doesn’t sound like I am being defeatist or complaining, about what really has been an amazing four decades of unexpected blessings and encounters. It is simply this. You need to know, that if you are thinking about being active in kingdom life that you are placing yourself in a situation where, to some of those you work alongside and share your life with, it will never be enough. Why do I put it that way? Think for a moment, what the bottom line of being a Christian is. A Christian is somebody who follows the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. And one thing about the ministry of Jesus, that it is crystal clear…

 Throughout His ministry, Jesus was never enough.

Jesus was so ‘not enough’ for the people of His day, that the political and religious authorities demanded His execution, one of His closest followers handed Him over to their hands to do with Him whatever they wished, the crowds cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him,” and His closest friends and disciples denied Him and abandoned Him. For them, He wasn’t enough.

Nobody had the authority and understanding and insight and discernment of Jesus. Nobody else offered such a radical transformation of ideas regarding who God was, who we are and how the world can be changed. Nobody did the miracles Jesus did. Nobody delivered people like Jesus delivered people. Nobody healed people like Jesus healed people. Nobody told stories like Jesus told stories. Nobody preached like Jesus preached. Nobody loved people like Jesus loved people. Not just His own people. Loved all people. And it wasn’t enough.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was never enough for the world He walked through. Nor for this world we travel through. “Love your enemies.” “No thank You Jesus, we prefer hate.” “Forgive those who trespass against you. “No thank You Jesus, we need to pay them back”. “Serve one another as I have served You.” “No thank You Jesus, we are way too important for that!” “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,” “No thank You Jesus, we have a kingdom of our own making to put first.”

As I follow a “Never enough” Jesus, I am content to say that throughout my ministry, I have never been enough. If He was never enough, after all He did and said, then it would be both arrogant and foolish to believe I could do better.

Hold on. I am looking at expectations from the human side of things. As a person of faith there is another perspective to consider. We go through our lives often overly concerned about how we look in each other’s eyes. The real question should be, “How do we seem in God’s eyes?”

If we accept what Jesus taught us, then there will be a time, when all the things we hold onto so tightly, even life itself, will be snatched from us and we will stand before God. Where is the good news, where is the gospel message that Jesus died to deliver to us, in all of this? I would state it quite simply.

In God’s eyes, we are more than enough!

The great reformation understanding is that we are saved, by grace through faith. That we can never do anything worthy of redeeming ourselves. That our only hope in this life and the next is to throw ourselves upon the mercy and forgiveness of God. We can do that with great assurance because God believes we are more than enough.

We are important enough in God’s eyes for God to send God’s only Son, to die upon a Cross, to break down the barrier of sin that we create between ourselves and God. We are forgiven. We are set free. We are blessed with eternal hope. We, who are never enough for each other, are more than enough to God!

The resurrection of Jesus assures that God’s love is a force even death cannot destroy. As we invite the Holy Spirit to transform our lives, we participate in the life of God, in the dance of the Trinity, and in the abundant life that God desires us to experience.

It is within this framework that we are freed from the worry of being enough. The little things we do become the big things. In our reading today we heard Jesus telling us “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.”

That is what I am celebrating as I look back over the 40 years of ministry since I was ordained. I have been able to do the little things. Little things that have never and will never be enough for some people but are precious and beautiful … and enough… in God’s eyes

Never be discouraged. In God’s eyes we are more than enough for the tasks God will lead us to accomplish. Some we will do well. Others, maybe not so well. But that’s OK. We are learning how to be disciples; we are not training to be masters of the universe.

Do not be dissuaded by those who will insist that what you have to offer is not enough. Remember how in His life, after all that He did and said, Jesus was not enough for those who were blind to the light of God’s revelation. When He declared on the Cross, “It is finished” it was not a statement of defeat but a declaration that everything God had sought to accomplish through His earthly ministry had been completed.

In God’s eyes we are more than enough. We are loved. We are loved so much that God sent Jesus to die upon a cross for our salvation, that we may enjoy the abundant life of God’s Kingdom. So just keep doing the little things that remind those around you that they are also children of God that God longs to embrace.

I am so very thankful for every person who has been part of my 40-year journey since ordination. It has not been 40 years in a wilderness. Even though the rains have fallen, they have never fallen for 40 days and 40 nights. I have been tempted to pursue other paths, as Jesus was during His 40 days in the wilderness, but God has been faithful, and to prove it, 40 years after ordination, here I am Lord!

40 years that have flown by so much quicker than I could ever have anticipated. 40 years when God has provided everything I needed. 40 years that feel like they are not enough, but in fact have been spent in the loving presence of the God who wants us all to know, we are more than enough!

To God’s name be all the Glory, Honor and Praise.
To Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, my hope, my provider, be all the Glory, Honor and Praise.
To the Spirit who guides us, leads us, teaches us and feeds us, I give thanks.
To the Trinity that invites us to dance in the love of God; “I am the Lord of the dance says He, dance on, dance on till eternity.”
Amen and Amen.
To God be the Glory!

The Reverend Adrian J Pratt B.D.

September 22, 2024 JESUS AND INDIVIDUALS 1. "Simon And the Sinful Woman"

Readings: Psalm 1, Proverbs 31:10-31, James 3:13-4:3, Luke 7:36-50
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, September 22, 2024

I'm stepping away from the usual Lectionary readings and I'm preaching a series titled “Jesus and Individuals.” When Jesus came to this earth in the flesh, He spent His time dealing with individuals, not with systems or policies, but directly with people.

I want to therefore set off on a journey to look at some of the people He met, how He dealt with them and ask what we can learn from such encounters. I hope you will find it as rewarding hearing about these interactions, as I have researching them.

Today I'd like to take a look at Jesus in the home of Simon the Pharisee, and His encounter there with a woman, whose name we are never given, and is described only as “A sinful woman of Galilee.”

Every church community desires to do well and see their congregations full of a balance of younger and older people. But one of the problems of a church full of people is that they may not be people that others consider “Their sort of people.”

Church growth never takes place in a vacuum. It's concerned with individuals encountering Jesus Christ. He died for all, regardless of what they may be like. Rich, poor, moral, immoral, black, white, religious, irreligious, democrat, republican, straight, gay, young, old and those you just can't stick a label on.

Accommodating people who differ from ourselves is never easy. We don't like change. Growing up can be a painful process at times... and one of the biblical pictures of the church is that of a “Body.” And what happens to our bodies from the moment we are born on earth to the moment that we leave this earth is that they are constantly changing and growing.

And often, if a church wants to grow, the first people that need to change and grow are not those outside of the church, but those inside the church. All of us, sitting here. And that's another reason why I felt like taking this theme of Jesus and individuals, because as you have got to know me and I have got to know you, one thing is for sure. We are all individuals!

So, today, Simon and the sinful woman of Galilee. There are times when being religious can prevent us from faithfully following Jesus. That's one of the insights that comes out of this passage about Jesus visiting the home of a very religious man. The passage teaches us that Jesus would not allow anything, not even religion, to get in the way of His mission to the lost.

Let's dig deeper.

THE TIME. During a meal, sometime in the second half of Jesus ministry in Galilee. It could be noon or it could be evening.

THE PLACE.  A Home, probably in Capernaum.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Jesus is a guest in the house of Simon the Pharisee, who apparently feels he has done Jesus a great honor by allowing Him to be a guest in his house. Simon seems curious about Jesus. Yet he appears to have neglected to do some customary things that hosts normally did for their guests.

Normally there would be an offering of foot washing, particularly to somebody who travelled as much as Jesus did.  Another common custom was to greet an honored guest with a kiss of peace. Neither courtesy is extended to Jesus.

Now into this situation, somehow, arrives this woman. An outcast, apparently due to her immoral behavior. Some commentators suggest she may have been a prostitute, or the daughter of somebody involved in some less than respectable business. We are not given the specifics.

What we do know is that she is broken hearted over her sinful state and feels a strange attraction to Jesus. Her deep devotion has led her to ignore whatever obstacles folk may have tried to place in her way. And there she is. Weeping and crying. Pouring precious ointment on Jesus feet. Drying them with her hair.

Simon the Pharisee does not approve! Although he does not vocalize how he is feeling, Jesus reads his thoughts.  Simon is thinking, “Daa. This Jesus isn't all he's made out to be. If he knew what sort of woman that is, fiddling around with his feet, he would tell her to leave Him well alone.”

Jesus looks over at Simon, and starts to question him, by means of a story. The story goes something like this. “Let us say I know a couple of people in financial trouble, and I am fortunate enough to have the means to help them out. To one of them, I give a thousand dollars, to the other only a dollar. A week later I say to them both, “Hey, you know that money I loaned to you. You have no need to pay me back. It's done with. The debts cancelled.”

“Now, tell me Simon, which one of those two people is going to be the more grateful?”

It was a no-brainer. Simon gives the obvious answer. “Well... the one who has had the larger debt cancelled!”

“Right” says Jesus. “But, you know what Simon, you have hardly welcomed me to your house. Didn't even offer me the usual common courtesies. But this woman, through her demonstration of love, is showing that her sins have been forgiven.”

Then Jesus turns to the woman and we read, verse 48, “He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Simon and his Pharisee guests are completely horrified by this action. Who on earth did this Jesus think He was that He can go around forgiving peoples sins? Jesus just looks over at the woman and tells her, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

It is here that the encounter comes to a close. We don't know if Simon quickly brought the party to an end. We don't know what became of the woman, but we do know in the next chapter of Luke there are a number of women who have been touched by His ministry who are accompanying the disciples as they travel to different cities and villages to spread the news of the Kingdom. Maybe she was among them.

We can learn different lessons from different aspects of this account.

From Simon we can learn that we should never allow our “religion” to become more important than the words and actions of Jesus Himself. If our belief system causes us to look down on others or ignore their needs, then we have ceased hearing the voice of Christ and have substituted some other teaching in His place.

One of Simon's greatest problems was his misplaced pride. It caused him to not show the Son of God even the expected courtesy one would offer a guest. It caused him to reject Christ's teaching, because, well, he was a Pharisee, he knew better. He passed judgment on the Son of God, and it rebounded upon him and left him outside the experience of God's grace and forgiveness. In Matthew 7:1–2 we hear Jesus saying, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged, since you will be judged in the same judgment that you make, and you will be measured by the same standard you apply.”

From the woman we learn that there are no depths to which we can sink that we are not able to be forgiven and redeemed by Christ’s love when we turn to God in repentance and with faith. We do not know what the woman's situation was. Maybe she was more sinned against than she had committed personal transgressions. Maybe life had dealt her some heavy blows. Maybe she had just messed up. A saying I was bought up with, whenever somebody was seen in bad circumstances, was to say, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

The acceptance of this woman by Jesus reminds us that though His love, the love He died to show us upon the Cross, the love that shines down in grace upon us through the light of His resurrection, that love... is offered and available to all who seek to live as part of God's Kingdom. We are all invited to know His love, His forgiveness and His peace.

From the situation as a whole we see that if any faith community desires to be a thriving congregation, then their mission must reach out in many different directions and to all sorts of people. God loves everyone. God's Son died that all may come to know Him. We must reach out, without respect of a person’s situation, with the gospel of the Savior.

Looking back over the history of Christianity we see how some of the greatest sinners have turned out to be the greatest saints. There are many autobiographies of people whose lives have been changed and turned around by their encounter with Jesus Christ. From prison to praise, from slave owner to hymn writer, from atheist to believer, from doubter to champion of the gospel.

Scripture itself furnishes the example of Saul, the persecutor and approver of the death of Christianity and of those who claimed Him as Lord, who became Paul the Apostle, the great proclaimer, definer and promoter of the faith.

Each one of us has our own story to tell. We are each one of us, unique individuals. It matters not if we find ourselves more like Simon or more like the sinful woman of Galilee; we still need to experience the love and acceptance of Jesus.

We can, like Simon, block out a true experience of God by our misplaced pride, or we can, like the woman, discover in His love and grace, a new dynamic to our very existence. Such is the picture this story leaves with us.

It also challenges us to consider the notion of mission. If Jesus reached out to all, so must His Church. If Jesus welcomed all, so must His Church. If any congregation wishes to thrive as a spiritual community, then “Welcome” has to be as much a part of its D.N.A. as grace, trust, faith and love.

I am grateful for the welcome I have received in this place. I am confident that whoever has the good fortune to occupy this place in the future, can look forward to a similar blessing falling on their lives.

May God continue to direct you and lead you. To God's name be the glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

September 8, 2024. "The Stranger in Karabazoo"

Readings: Psalm 125, Isaiah 35:4-7a, Mark 7:31-37, Ephesians 5:15-20
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, September 8, 2024

As today is the day we restart our next Session of Sunday School, I decided it would be fun to share a story rather than preach a sermon. Our reading from Ephesians encouraged us to share words and sing songs that tell of the ways of the Kingdom.

Sometimes the greatest carriers of truths are simple stories, something Jesus witnessed to by the fact that when He wanted to say something really important, He often turned it into an unforgettable parable. The Good Samaritan. The Prodigal Son. We do not easily forget them.

Well I’m going to share a story I originally wrote for a youth retreat in West Virginia when we first came to the U.S.A, but since then it has been used for various other events.

In fact, some folks have taken copies and used it themselves at their events. So... I figured, just in case one of those who have borrowed my story, ever made their way here, it would be better if you hear this story from the original author, while he’s still around.

I don't claim that it is particularly original; in fact, it's a combination of a couple of sound-strips I recall seeing in the UK when I was a young ‘un (produced by Scripture Union) along with a few thoughts of my own.

But for what it is worth (and with the hope that it may carry something of the love of God within it), I present to you...a cowboy classic…

"THE STRANGER IN KARABAZOO"

Once upon a time, in the days of the Wild West, (Or it could have been the Wild East), there was a little town called Karabazoo.  Karabazoo was much like any other town and its people much like any other people.  Every day they got out of bed, ate breakfast, went to work, came home, ate supper, chilled out for a while, then went back to bed.  

Every day that is, except for Sunday, when they went to their pretty little church, with its proud, upstanding bell-tower, in the middle of town.  Every Sunday the sound of its bell would ring out across the town, and most everybody would be there.

And much like any other town, people did not always say what they wanted to say; did not always act the way they felt they should act; did not always do what they thought they should do.

The people used to - well - they wore masks.  In the morning, even though sometimes they got out of bed feeling awful they would wear an "'Oh what a beautiful morning' mask". When they walked down the street about their business, they would greet each other with, "Hello, how nice to see you" masks, even when they were not a bit pleased to see each other.

The men had some masks they hoped would impress the ladies.  Some of the ladies had "Oh, I'm so pretty" masks to hide behind.  Many had a "Look at me, I'm working ever so hard and deserve a pay rise" mask to impress their employers with.  Some of the employers had stern, disapproving masks that seemed to say, "Just remember who's the boss around here!"

Some people had real important masks. The Judge.  The Manager at the Company Store.  The Night Watchman. Some had masks that looked expensive. And some had masks that looked really poor.

They had masks to say, "I really care," when really, they didn't care; masks that showed an interest, when really, they weren't interested; masks to say, "I'm real," when really, they were just pretending, and they even had masks that said, "I love you".

And on Sundays they would put on their Sunday best masks and, listening to the tolling of the bell, from their pretty little church, would march to the center of town to hear the pastor preach his Sunday best Sermon, in his Sunday best suit, through his Sunday best masked face.

Now one day a stranger came riding into town.  The stranger was kind of weird.  He looked like the rest of them.  He dressed like the rest of them.  He spoke like the rest of them. He acted much like the rest of them. Except for one thing. He was not wearing a mask. "Did you see him?" people said, "He wasn't wearing a mask!"

Behind their masks people began to mutter, mumble and whisper. "No mask. It is not right. No mask. He's dangerous. No mask... must be a crazy man... stranger... doesn't he realize everyone in Karabazoo wears a mask?"

A rumor started to spread. Rumor was that one afternoon he had met a lady down by the old water well, on the outskirts of town. (Not the center of town where the pretty white church with its proud bell tower stood, but... you know... the other side of town.) "He met a lady there," they said.

Not just any lady, but a lady, well... let us just say that she spent more time down in the saloon than was ladylike and her husband... well it wasn't really her husband and nor were the last fellows she was living with… and so on and so on and so on.

Rumor had it she had met him down by the well one hot sunny afternoon, and he... he... in broad daylight, he had made her take her mask off! And now she was running all over town telling everyone that it felt good to have your mask removed, felt free and liberating and alive and good.  

Worse still, some other people, (people admittedly from the wrong side of town), had listened and were seriously considering destroying their whole collection of masks!

Sunday came around. Everyone put on their Sunday best masks and marched along to the pretty little church, with its proud, upstanding bell-tower, at the center of the town.   In the study the pastor prepared to preach his Sunday best Sermon, in his Sunday best suit, through his Sunday best masked face.

The service began and the choir put on an admirable performance. Calls to Worship and prayers of confession resonated around the rafters.  Hymns were dutifully sung (but without too much emotion lest it become a distraction).  

People snuggled down in their pews for their customary slumber as the pastor began his address. He was halfway through when, suddenly, yet quietly and respectfully, in walked the stranger.

He went and sat on the back row, as church folk do.  As the preacher talked on, he noticed the stranger whispering something into a little girl’s ear. Next moment the child was taking off her mask... taking off her mask, in all places and at all times, in the sanctuary during a divine service of worship... taking off her mask and handing it to the stranger.

The stranger lifted it to his face, and it just seemed to melt into his features, to be absorbed by his gentle smile. Then the next child took off her mask, and the boy next to her, and each mask was passed to the stranger where it became immersed in his smile.

Now some of the little ones were whispering to those in the back row.  "Take off your masks... be free... it feels good… .it feels right".  And some did and some did not.  Those who did had their masks passed to the stranger and he took them onto himself.

Down at the front of the pretty little church, with its proud, upstanding bell-tower, at the center of the of town, some of the people, the important people, the ones who held the keys of power, the preacher, the elders, all those who wore masks that had "I'm important and you should know about that" written across them, were shifting in their seats uncomfortably.  

They looked around at the stranger. They looked up at the preacher who had reached another incomprehensible milestone in his unintelligible sermon.  One of them went to the front, beckoned to the preacher to stop his flow, and whispered something in his ear.

 There were a few moments of jarring silence as the preacher ruffled his notes uncomfortably. Then, accusingly, he pointed his finger down the aisle, looking directly at the stranger, he said, 'In the name of all that is decent and true... LEAVE US ALONE".

"Stop Him,” shouted the chief elder.  And with that the stranger leaps out of his seat and starts darting among the pews, heading randomly for the front of the church, pulling off people’s masks, left, right and center as he made for the vestry door. "You can never be free as long as you wear your masks" he said, as he purposefully rushed by.

They chased him into the vestry. Out through the vestry door into the hall. Up the schoolroom steps onto the second floor. Along the polished floor scattering the chairs as they went. Heading for the little door that led to the spiral staircase that led to the top of the pretty little churches proud, upstanding bell-tower.

The stranger kicked through the door and headed up the narrow staircase. Hands pulling up on the metal, a missed footing here yet climbing ever higher and higher. The chief elder was in hot pursuit. "Come back here with those masks" he was screaming.

Then out on to the roof they went, the stranger squeezing through the hole that led to the outside. He had his back to the edge as the chief elder reached him. The proud elder did not hesitate. Just pushed him over the edge with a hard smile on his face. "That should stop you" he said.

Down, down, down, down, fell the stranger and hit the ground with a sickening, dull, thud. Not moving. Not breathing.

Back inside the church, a strange mixture of people.  Some with masks, some without.  Some laughing, some crying. Some whispering, "I'm free," some shaking their heads in disbelief. Slowly they made their way outside to where the body of the stranger lay, with masks strewn all around him.

Some recognized their masks, picked them back up, put them on and went home. But others ... well... they never did put their masks back on.

Just a few.

But their number is growing every day.

"Don't need masks" they say, "Need to be Free".

And the stranger?
They left his body lying on the ground and everyone went home.

When the funeral director came for the body, strange thing... he was gone.
Some say he is still in town. Others say, that in other towns, others are taking off their masks, and he has been seen there.

There had been a stranger in Karabazoo.

And one thing is for sure.

Karabazoo
    has never been the same
        since that stranger     
            came riding     
                into town.

The Reverend Adrian J Pratt B.D.