Play Makers

Readings; Psalm 111, Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, January 31, 2021

Next week onto the field shall step two teams. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Each shall attempt to become supreme champions in the football arena.  Both shall try every trick in the book to win. The gods of chance and misfortune shall play their part. Ultimately the team that makes the best plays shall win.

Back in Capernaum some 2000 years ago a different game was about to play out. On the one side are the defenders of religious tradition and orthodoxy. Their opposition comes in the form of a preacher, proclaiming that because the Kingdom of God had drawn near in His very person, things had to change.

Almost as soon as He opens His mouth comes an awareness that His teaching is coming from a different place than that of the Scribes. His presence and His message exude a freedom that the listeners had never encountered before. He is bubbling over. The plays He is making suggest a revolution.

Then comes one of those moments that sometime happens in a game. A crazy person gets onto the field. Don't you hate it when that happens? Some half-naked, placard waving individual feels that their cause is one that the rest of us really need to be informed about and it stops the whole game.

In 2012, during one of the highlights of the British sporting calendar, the historic traditional Oxford and Cambridge University Boat-Race, just as the boats were reaching the very last bend, the umpire noticed a man swimming in the River Thames directly in front of them and he had to stop the race. A representative of the Metropolitan Police noted: “They almost took his head off.” Historic Boat Race enthusiasts were just left thinking “Is nothing sacred?”

That morning in the synagogue the antagonist is described as 'a man with an unclean spirit'. Verse 24 'He cried out “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy one of God.”

I am sure I do not have to tell those of you who are used to snoozing through the morning sermon that this is not what you want to hear during your morning meditation.  Religion has its place. Preachers have their place. Crazy antagonists have their place. And never the twain shall meet!

Actually 'twain' only refers to two things colliding. If there are 'three' things colliding maybe it should be called a 'Thrain'. But as 'Thrain' is a character in Lord of the Rings, that makes no sense. 'What's going on here? I'm losing the script!' Which is precisely how the scribes, that morning were starting to feel about Jesus.

Why couldn't He play by the rules? Who let the crazy in? Who really were the crazies? Was it Him? Was it the deranged man? Was it us?  There were some strange plays being made on that field that morning.

The religious authorities felt that the events that day were violating their sacred space. This kind of thing should not happen. Not in our synagogue. Not in our town. Who is in charge here?

Lest they had any doubt look at the next verses. “Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching-- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."

This passage is not just about an individual finding healing. It is about 'Who has the authority?' It is a very threatening passage. When people start manifesting what appears to be evil, when there are crazies or antagonists about, when people start to redefine the game or make plays, we have never seen before, people are going to feel threatened.

Let us make it personal. Here is the challenge. Our lives are our sacred space. We do not want that space violated. We want to feel like we are in control. We do not want to even acknowledge that in our lives there may be dark places, there may be unsettling corners of unresolved traumas. If they even for a moment threaten to reveal themselves, we are going to shut them down, and not hear them or acknowledge them.

Jesus calls them out. Jesus exposes them.  He confronts the demons.  He names them.   They really do not like it! "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God." We put our lives under the scrutiny of divine holy light, and we know we are not going to like everything that is revealed. We want to lift our strengths, not our shortcomings. Our victories, not our defeats.  Our good points, not our failings.

Pretending everything is OK does not work when it comes to God. In Matthew's gospel Jesus tells His followers "For nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” (Matthew 10:26)

Has your computer ever had a virus? This is how viruses work. They exploit the vulnerabilities of the system. They find an area of compromise and worm their way in.  Suddenly you get weird pop-ups appearing on your screen. Or worse still your whole system can be frozen up and everything on your computer, including your passwords and private information, end up in the hands of folk who you do not want anything to do with.

You can picture, what the Bible calls “sin,” as being a virus that attacks our personal system. Temptation sometimes gets the better of us. We tend to excuse it and say, 'I'm only human'. Jesus tells us, 'You are only human, and that's the problem. Human nature is very deceptive. To be delivered from something you must confront your inner demons, and that's why I'm calling them out!'

Ultimately that is the only strategy that can win the game. Until we allow God to deal with our vulnerabilities and heal the wounds we do not want to acknowledge, we live with them and they open us up to be exploited.

The first thing anybody with a problem must acknowledge is... they have a problem. Be it our diet, our finances, our temper, our impulsiveness, our avoiding something or our overindulging in something... I do not have to tell you what your vulnerabilities are... you know!

Jesus is the great playmaker. He wants our spiritual life to be strong.  He wants us to know the joy of God's wholeness and healing. He calls out the demons, not to embarrass us or create a scene, but because He wants the personal sanctuaries of our lives to be free from all that would cheapen or destroy them.

There is a song that some churches I have served used to sing sometime around the Souperbowl. It was called “Drop Kick me Jesus.” Apparently former President Bill Clinton’s favorite country song. I do not even know what to comment about that, but I like it because it has this ‘prayer’ within it.

 “Make me, oh, make me, Lord, more than I am, Make me a piece in Your master game plan, Free from the earthly temptation below, I've got the will, Lord, if You got the toe!”

Jesus certainly 'had the toe' back in Capernaum. He kicked the demons right out of the poor unfortunate guy who cried out for help in the middle of morning worship. Predictably, people did not like it.

Particularly those who sought to control everything and felt that they were the ones in charge. The demon cried out in anger 'I know who You are, the Holy One of God.' - a conclusion the teachers of the law and the scribes were certainly not willing to share!

Every time we involve ourselves in a time of reflection and prayer, a bible study, or a service of worship we are in a place to confront our personal demons and seek to be delivered from them The Lord's Prayer contains that simple phrase 'Deliver us from evil'; surely meaning both evil within and around our lives.

Every football, soccer, rugby, Lacrosse, basketball or other game, be it in a local school or some vast stadium, sees two teams battling it out on the field of play. One will win. One will... take second place. Life will go on. Every day of our life we face conflicts, both internal and external. Every day we are called to face structural evils, hunger, injustice, hatred.  

God promises us to walk with us. Sometimes God may call out the demons. If that happens notice the results.  We are called to a better place. We are called to a place of deeper peace. We become whole.  We move forward.

The very thought of confronting demons and facing evil is not a comfortable one. Many of us really hate conflict. Yet change can never happen if things that hold us back and prevent us moving forward remain in place.

I recall a minister, coming to a church I attended, beginning their sermon with the phrase, “Good Morning. Are you all sitting comfortably?” The congregation settled into their seats. “That right there…” said the preacher, “Is the whole problem!”

While part of our calling is indeed to rest in the peace of God, we are also called to share that peace with those share our lives with. For that to happen it can mean asking uncomfortable questions, confronting evil, challenging long held assumptions and moving from complacency to deeper commitment.

Jesus remains the great playmaker. We follow His example. We seek to be sensitive to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit. And we take courage. For our God is a God who promises to be with us.

And to God’s name be all praise and glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Fishy Followers

Readings; Psalm 62:5-12, Jonah 3:1-5, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, January 24, 2021

There was something fishy going on in Galilee. Following the imprisonment of His cousin John the Baptist, Jesus had arrived in town.  He is telling people that the day had arrived, the time had come, and they should stop fooling around and start sorting their lives out. He had great and good news for them. These were the days of God's favor. The Kingdom of God was near. So near you could almost taste it!

There was often something fishy going on in Galilee. It was a seaport whose economy rested heavily upon the fact that most of its inhabitants made their livelihood from the fishing industry. It was situated on a trading route that exposed it to foreign influence.  It was an occupied territory, considered spoils of war, by some of its Gentile inhabitants. Indeed, the Romans preferred to call the Galilean lake ‘The Sea of Tiberius', after one of their own renown emperors.

The historian Josephus tells us that there were around 230 boats continually working on the water. In 1986 archaeologists discovered one such boat. It has since been nicknamed 'The Jesus Boat'. They also tell us that the only way you could operate a boat in that area was through having a state authorized fishing license. Taxation would have made life hard for the locals and the area did not have a reputation for prosperity.

Poverty, alienation, and exposure to foreign ideas may account for the Galileans reputation of having a rebellious streak. In the year 6-BC, the governor Quirinius tried to do a census in the area. There sprung up a resistance army, led by a 'Robin Hood' like character known as 'Judas the Galilean'. Though he was spectacularly unsuccessful, later zealot movements that opposed Roman taxation and occupation looked upon 'Judas the Galilean' with great fondness.

It does not seem like the kind of place where a future world religion would attract its earliest followers. But there was something fishy going on in Galilee. Jesus was in town. And what He has to say is causing quite a buzz. His message is uncompromising and startling.

The promised 'Day of the Lord' had dawned, and it was all being fulfilled through Him. He was the One who was going to change everything, so people had better get with the program, repent, and believe.

By 'repent' He did not mean throw a personal pity party and shed a few tears because they had messed up their life.  He meant that, in the light of God's unfolding revelation, there needed to be a radical break from the past and a total turn around.

When He said 'believe', He did not mean that there had to be a slight shift in their theological understanding. He was talking about making a radical reassessment of everything they were building their lives upon. He was using 'believe' as an action verb, rather than inviting any merely intellectual and passive response.

If this message went over their heads, they were about to be given an unprecedented example of the impact the Kingdom could have upon people. Four of their own brightest and best, four local lads from among their own kith and kin, decide that when Jesus said, 'Follow me', it actually meant leaving everything else behind and doing whatever it was Jesus would ask of them.

It is a story many of us are over familiar with because we have heard it since our Sunday School days. Jesus strolls along the lake shore, sees Simon and Andrew fishing, and says 'Come with me and I will make you fishers of people'. 'And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.' (Verse 18). He goes a little further along and sees James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and 'immediately' offers them the same invitation. It receives the same response; 'They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed Him.'  (verse 20).

Imagine for a moment that this was not the the Sea of Galilee, but the local High School. A preacher had come to town and wandered along to the School. He had entered a classroom where two of the teachers were teaching, and said to them, 'Come with me, I'm going to get you to teach people about the Kingdom instead of teaching Math’s and English' and 'immediately' they went with him to the principal, handed in their notice and became his followers.

The preacher went a little further and wandered down to where soccer practice was taking place and said to two of the senior high school students, (who happen to be two brothers who are rising stars on the team).  'Follow me', he said, and immediately they had quit practice, quit school, and gone with him.

Wait a minute, are you talking about two of our East End born and bred local students? They 'immediately' had some kind of eureka-epiphany moment? How do we explain that to their parents? And two of our local teachers? And who is this preacher guy anyway?  All sounds a bit fishy to me!

Put it into context and it really was startling and shocking. It did not make a lot of sense. A preacher comes to town and four completely rational, young, everyday people with their whole lives ahead of them, decide they are going to turn their backs on all that they so far had held dear and go with Him?  

It certainly underlines the things that the message Jesus offered was asking of those who listened. 'Repent' meant that they needed to totally turn their lives around and go in a different direction. 'Believe' meant 'Do something', not just 'Y'know, maybe, think about doing things a little differently if that's O.K. with you!'

The transition that the disciples make is to do with the way they see their whole world. Notice, they are not called to a new career, they are still asked by God to be fishermen. That does not change. But the reasons for their activity, and the arena in which they will work, take a cosmic shift.

Up to this point in their lives they believed that participating in the system that provided for their families and put food on the table was what life was all about.  Life was defined by working, providing, and staying within the guidelines that family and culture dictated. Jesus walks by and they are invited to leave all of that behind.

The Greek word 'aphentes' carries the thought that they are 'released' from one way of living and liberated to seeing their lives as being about something more. No longer will they be defined by 'what they do' or by 'who their family might be', but they are given a new identity as followers of the 'Way' of the Kingdom of God, as it was being redefined by the teaching of Jesus.

That is a goal for all of us to pursue. To live for the Kingdom rather than live like everybody else. To question the values and aspirations of this world, in the light of what Scripture teaches. Of course, when we act that way, people may suspect something fishy is going on! It takes a lot of trust in God to do that!

Recently retired Rev. Neil Kirkham, a past moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Wales (who also happens to be married to my wife's sister) tells how he felt God calling him to leave behind his career as a civil engineer, building bridges for the British road system and embraced a call to ministry and to build bridges between people and God.

When his son Daniel was little, Neil was trying to explain to him, that there were some big changes coming now that he decided to be a minister. 'So, dad, what are you going to wear? ' “I guess I'll wear much the same things as I do now!” 'And what about eating, do you have to eat locusts and honey, like John the Baptist?' “No, I can still eat normal food!” 'And what about, mum, will she have to wear hats like other ministers’ wives do?' “No, she'll be able to still just be mum”.

And so, the questions went on and on. Eventually Daniel asked him, 'But, dad, where are we all going to live when you finally become a minister?' Neil, said, “I don't know yet. I guess we are just going to have to trust God” 'There you are, dad,' smiled little Daniel, 'You're getting the hang of it already!'

Responding to God's call certainly requires a whole lot of trust on our part. Not many of us are called to full time ministry within the church, but all of us are called to change the way we do the work we are already doing, in the light of the call Jesus places upon our lives. He calls our name, and we follow. That is discipleship.

It touches upon every single area of our lives. Our relationship to our families.  The places we work. The way we do our work. The way we invest our time and our spiritual gifts, financial gifts, and our personality gifts. It touches upon how we use the influence our lives have, to influence others to live God's way.

When we truly repent, turn around and begin living for Christ over and above all other things, when we believe, not just intellectually, but with actions that are a response to Christ's love, then people might start thinking we are acting a little fishy. 

And if that happens, rejoice! Because Jesus calls us all to be fishy followers. By the grace of God, may our lives cause others to also hear His call and so discover the peace that passes all understanding and the deep joy, that following Him can bring. Amen.

 The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Figgy Thinkers

 Readings; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18, 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51
 Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, January 17, 2020

Are you a figgy thinker? A what? A figgy-thinker! In our bible reading today Nathaniel, who according to tradition, was also known as Nathaniel-Bartholomew, is the figgy thinker of all figgy thinkers!

You might be a figgy thinker if when everybody else is going with the flow you decide to take things slow. At the start of John's gospel there is a lot going on. John the Baptist is shaking things up talking about a Messiah. Some of Nathaniel's friends, Andrew and another guy have been going down to the river to witness the action.

Whilst there they have encountered Jesus. 'Come and See' He invited them, and they saw their need to become His disciples. Andrew tells his brother Simon about it, and he also becomes a disciple and, in the process, receives a new name, Peter. The next day they meet Nathanael's best buddy Phillip. Jesus says to Philip 'Follow me' and Phillip follows Him.

But Nathanael. Where is he at? While all this is going on Nathanael is figgy thinking. In the Old Testament the fig tree is pictured as a place of meditation and contemplation.  It was a symbol of the peace and prosperity the coming of a Messiah would bring. (Micah 4:3-4, Zechariah 3:10). Under the shade of its branch’s successive generations of rabbi's studied and taught. So, whilst everybody else was running around and jumping on the band wagon, Nathanael was figgy thinking.

When I turn on my TV in the morning one of the first things that comes on is 'What's trending?'  It is never me! I feel that as soon I purchase a new electronic device it is out of date and needs an upgrade. I cannot keep up with the next thing because I am still trying to figure out the last few things. If ever there was a culture that needed to make room for figgy-thinking it is ours.  

Scripture calls it 'Sabbath Time' and it is important because the alternative is running around like a headless chicken. We need places and times to stop and reflect. You might be a figgy thinker if when everybody else is going with the flow you decide to take things slow.

You might be a figgy-thinker if when somebody tells you something is too good to be true you agree that it is too good to be true.  Figgy thinking Nathaniel is sitting in the shade, reflecting on all the crazy talk about John the Baptist and Messiah's and people saying they are going to follow Jesus for the rest of their days. He sees his best buddy Philip coming his way and thinks 'What now?' We read John 1:45 “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth."

You can picture Nathanael stifling a laugh. 'Really!' Joseph's son, Jesus, from Nazareth? "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (v.46) At first it sounds like Nathanael thinks Nazarenes are a bunch of no-hopers incapable of producing anything good. But that is not it. He is not speaking out of prejudice but from within his understanding of what Scripture taught about the Messiah. Moses, in the law, said that the Messiah would come from Judah, and the prophets said he would be born in Bethlehem.

When Philip tells him, 'The Messiah is from Nazareth' it just did not fit in with everything Nathaniel knew. It was a nice idea that a guy from a few towns could turn out to be the chosen one of God, but Nathanael was a figgy thinker and followed the maxim that if it sounded too good to be true than it was too good to be true.  

Nathanael did not have all the facts. Nobody mentioned that although Jesus now lived in Nazareth, He had been born in Bethlehem. The genius of Philip is that he does not try and argue with Nathanael. He knew him better than that. Philip just offers him the same invitation that Jesus offered; 'Come and See!'

There are a lot of people who know something of the story of Jesus, but do not have all the facts. We are tempted to think that we may be able to argue them into the Kingdom. This passage invites us to consider not pushing our case.  Just to say, 'Come and See!'

That is hard to do when we really care about people. That is tough when the gospel is something that means so much to us. But you know what? When people are not interested or dismiss what we are saying, or make some smart response, it is O.K.

Because the good news that 'God gives a fig about the way we live our lives' is huge. For most of us there was a time when that just did not fit in with how we understood life. But someone said to us 'Come and See!' and here we are. Nathanael was right to express his doubts.  You might be a figgy thinker if when everybody else is going with the flow you decide to take things slow.  You might be a figgy-thinker if when somebody tells you something is too good to be true you agree that it is too good to be true.  Which brings us to this.

You might be a figgy thinker if you are not afraid of being amazed. Jesus was always able to look beyond outward appearances and know what was really going on in people’s lives. Verse 47 'When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"'

Peter tended to put his words before his thoughts. James and John were over ambitious and had short tempers. Judas looked the part but never followed in his heart. Thomas thought only seeing was believing. But Nathanael? Jesus recognizes in Nathaniel character traits of honesty, sincerity, and trustworthiness.

Nathanael hears what Jesus says about him. Being a figgy thinker he does not accept it.  He knew that sometimes people used complementary words because they were setting you up for a fall. Nathanael doesn't mince his words, looks Jesus straight in the eye, and says 'How do You know me?''

How often do we hear that from people? 'You don't know what I'm going through. You just don't understand!' What an amazing insight this is from John's gospel. Jesus actually does know what we are going through. Jesus truly does understand. Jesus knew that out of all the people in town, nobody had been hoping more deeply and searching more carefully for their Messiah than figgy thinking Nathanial.

Have you ever had the experience where you have been reading something or watching something and you are trying to figure it out, and then you are doing something else, totally unrelated, and it suddenly all becomes clear? They call them 'Eureka' moments.  Or even 'Epiphanies'!

Nathanial's epiphany comes when Jesus said to him "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanial understood that Jesus had not just physically seen him, but the Spirit of God had searched his heart. This is a 'Wow! You really see me!' moment.

Back in 1999 country group Lonestar had a huge hit with a gentle love song that declared 'Baby, I'm amazed by you.'  The mystery of human love and attraction is certainly a source of amazement. People fall in love and sometimes their whole character changes. Hardened rockers start listening to country music. People start relating to Hallmark movies. Poetry makes sense.

Being amazed by the love of God can have an equally dramatic change upon our lives. It opens possibilities we had never imagined for our lives. Nathanial understands who Jesus is. "Rabbi,' he says' You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Jesus turns up the volume and says 'You ain't seen nothing yet!'  "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these... you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

The reference there is to Jacob's vision of a ladder that reached to heaven upon which he saw angels ascending and descending. Jesus had already affirmed Nathanael as being a true child of Jacob, a true Israelite. Now He's promising him that this was just the start. He is encouraging him that if he sticks with it, then he should be prepared for even more amazing things to happen.

After Jesus had been crucified a group of disciples are out on a fishing trip. (John 21:1-13) They have not caught a thing. A stranger on the shore shouts out to them, 'Try throwing your nets the other side'. They catch the biggest haul of fish they had ever known. Peter recognizes that the stranger is His risen Lord. They get to share in a fish supper with Him on the beach. Amazing.

Jesus has a conversation with them about love. The basis of it is simply that if they love Him, they will keep on trying to catch people up in His love. Figgy thinking Nathanial, (who was also known as Nathanial-Bartholomew) gets it. The call that he had received whilst he sat under the fig tree is confirmed. No more catching fish. Back to catching people for the Kingdom.  Our world needs figgy thinkers.

You might be a figgy thinker if when everybody else is going with the flow you decide to take things slow. As the world rushes on we get caught up in the latest thing. Yet there are those who have that rare gift of discernment. There are those who take the time to test what is going on against the Word of God and decide that seeking God's way is always the better option.

You might be a figgy-thinker if when somebody tells you something is too good to be true you agree that it is too good to be true.  Philip invites Nathanial to 'Come and See'.  Asking questions before we commit to things can save us a lot of embarrassment further down the road. A vital part of the art of discipleship is owning the gospel for ourselves; not just taking other people’s word for it but experiencing the love of Jesus personally.

You might be a figgy thinker if you are not afraid of being amazed.  Being believers in the midst of a world that does not believe is not easy. It takes tenacity to sing a resurrection song to a culture that belittles hope. Understanding that God has more in store in for us than we can ever conceive or imagine requires a childlike trust in God that is prepared to never call it a day, never quit believing, and never give up on hope.

Figgy-thinkers... your church, your community, your world needs you! People who seek only the truth and when they find it commit themselves wholeheartedly to living it. People who are ready to follow wherever their search may lead. People who genuinely believe the best is yet to come and take Jesus at His Word; “You will see greater things than these...”

May God grant us each the gift of figgy thinking! Amen.

 The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Out of Chaos

Readings: Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11, Genesis 1:1-8

Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, January 10, 2021

 This past Wednesday unprecedented acts were witnessed unfolding in Washington, DC. A protest turned into an invasion of the Capitol building. One of the saddest images I witnessed was of one of the perpetrators carrying a Confederate flag through the halls of power. Others vandalized, took selfies, and gloated as if they were freedom fighters. At the time of speaking five people had lost their lives. One a law enforcement official, the others protestors. 

Lord, Have Mercy.

It is testament to the members of government on both of sides of the House that they reconvened and carried on with the process until the small hours of the morning, seeing to it that their business reached its foregone conclusion. What should have been an administrative formality was turned into a shameful display of disorder. I understand that people can feel disenfranchised and angry and unheard. But this crossed a line and the acts we witnessed have been condemned by politicians across the board.

How does one bring a message in the light of such events? How do we move forward to a place of reconciliation and peace? How do we speak healing at a time when there is so much hurt? I wish to focus your thoughts on a verse from our Lectionary reading: Genesis 1 and verse 2.

Verse 2 is often overlooked. It comes in-between the first verse that tells us that in the beginning God created all things and the third verse where begins the story of the seven days of Creation.

Gen 1:2 as it appears in the Revised Standard Version: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” This is an image of darkness and turmoil. It was into this dark uncreated place that the Spirit of God spoke and by the Word of God new creation came into being.

By the time we reach the second chapter of Genesis we are given another creation narrative, this one about Adam and Eve and a fall from grace that is instigated through lies and deception. Again, God intervenes, and a new beginning ensues. Yet it becomes clear that the darkness of the void will linger and not totally disappear.

When we move into the New Testament our reading from Mark gives us an account of the baptism of Jesus and records John declaring (in Mark 1:8) “I have baptized you with water; but He (meaning Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." It is the Spirit that restores and brings a new opportunity to move forward in the face of darkness, emptiness, sin and failure.

Out of chaos can come new creation. From the beginning this has been the gospel message. That through the action of the Holy Spirit renewal, reclamation, restoration, and reform can happen. One of the mantras of denominations such as the Presbyterian Church (USA) is that we are both “Reformed” and always “Reforming.”

I count it a tremendous privilege to be able to stand today in the pulpit of a church that was established 350 years ago to declare the gospel message. This congregation was in existence before the Revolutionary war that led to a previous insurgence of the Capitol building. The people of this church survived through the days of the Civil War that created the Confederate flag. Your predecessors witnessed those events and witnessed the reconstruction that came after them.

This brings me some hope. The story never begins or ends with us. Through the ongoing witness of the church, we are offered an opportunity to be on the side of those who create order out of chaos and bring light to places of darkness. That is why I am not hesitant to invite people, “Come and be a part of this church.” She’s not perfect. She’s not always right. She makes mistakes. But the Spirit of God has been at work in her and through her throughout the ages.

This happens, not in a void, but by seeking to discover the initiatives of the Spirit. As it says in that Genesis verse, before creation “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” We read in Marks account of Jesus baptism verse 9-10 ^“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as He was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him.”

God’s Spirit is still at work in our world. Though we are passing through a time of division and turmoil. Though we are struggling to travel through a global pandemic. Though we cannot yet meet and share our stories and sing our songs and open our buildings.

Though we can face circumstances of chaos and defeat in our personal lives. Though we may sometimes become confused, despondent, and fearful, God’s Spirit is still at work in our world. Still hovering. (Or as one translation translates it ‘fluttering’) over the chaos. Still calling and equipping. Still inviting us to be embraced by the gospel message.

It would be too easy right now to make this a situation of “Us” and “Them.” The challenge the Holy Spirit places before us is so much more than that. The Spirit calls us to love. To the kind of love exemplified by Jesus. The love that calls us to love even our enemies. The kind of love that calls us not to demonize those we disagree with but to help cast out their demons. We are called to be both pro claimers of justice while reaching across the barriers to those with whom we have strong disagreement. And that is truly tough love.

Theologian Miroslav Volf, in his book “A Public Faith,” writes “Christ’s followers must love their enemies no less than they love themselves. Love does not mean agreement and approval; it means benevolence and beneficence, possible disagreement and disapproval notwithstanding.” 

He adds,“ A combination of moral clarity that does not shy away from calling evil by its proper name and of deep compassion towards evildoers, that is willing to sacrifice one’s own life on their behalf, was one of the extraordinary features of early Christianity. It should also be the central characteristic of contemporary Christianity.”

The Holy Spirit recalls us to our mission. Events such as those we have witnessed remind us that the darkness and chaos has never gone way. We place our confidence in Jesus Christ. The One upon whom John witnessed the Spirit descend. Over the Christmas period we declared that He is the light shines in the darkness and that the darkness can never and will never extinguish the light of His love.

As we travel through this New Year let us continue in the hope of the gospel. We are heading towards Easter. The time when we consider how the evil and misguided plots of those who crucified Jesus were bathed in a different light by the glory of resurrection. We do so as part of a community of faith that spans the generations. The very existence of this congregation testifies to a God who is with us yesterday, today and forever.

Gen 1:2: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” It was in that place that creation was born.

Let us pray that in all the places of darkness, all those places of formless confusion, that wherever there seems a void of meaning or all places where all we can see is the deepness of the need, that we will also sense that the Spirit of God is moving over those troubled waters. And let us seek for the love that is Christ to embrace our own lives and help us to move from condemnation to constructive action, from fear to faith and from chaos to creativity.

It will be in the little things we do. The loving actions we perform. The kind word we offer. The cup of water given to the thirsty. The encouragement we give. The time we invest in seeking to understand those we differ with. The gentleness of our actions. These are so often the avenues through which the Holy Spirit works. Take a deep deep breath and let us move forward. To God’s name be all glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.