MOTHER'S DAY SERMON

Collect:  

Triune God, Jesus prayed that we might be one: help us to transcend our differences and find our unity in Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Readings

Acts 16:16-34 16

 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ 31 They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97 

Rev 22:12-21 

12 ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.

16 ‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’

17 The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19 if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

John 17:20-26

 ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

Firstly, to all mothers here, all of our mothers, be they in this world or the next, and all mothering types, happy Mother’s Day!!!

In His earthly ministry, Jesus repeatedly teaches that “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” meaning it’s close, it’s as if it is just behind a translucent, thin curtain… Just beyond what we can perceive with our five senses…

The whole point of Jesus’ incarnation is to SHOW us God is so close to us, as well as God’s character, God’s humility, and the extent of God’s love for us...

On Thursday, we celebrated one of the great feasts of Christianity, Ascension Day. Ascension Day is important because of what Jesus’ ascending to heaven (from where He came) means –

Jesus’ Ascension is the fulfilment of His mission, making it as important as Christmas and even Easter…

As I said at our beautiful Ascension Day service on Thursday evening, God’s amazing trust in us and love for us demonstrated through Jesus and His Ascension moves me to tears…

But, you might ask, that’s all very well, but how can I say Ascension Day is the fulfilment of Jesus’ earthly mission? Well, because earlier in John’s Gospel, before His crucifixion, Jesus explains “…I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever… the Spirit… he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned” [John 14:15-21] and “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” [John 16:7] … and Jesus predicts that their sorrow will be turned to joy…

And after his Ascension, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit is poured out on all believers, leaving us (yes, us – you and me) to continue in His name….

Our reading from Acts illustrate this point: we hear about the disciples being severely beaten and then thrown into the innermost cell prison, even being locked in stocks, and yet at “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God”! Surely evidence of the Power of the Holy Spirit at work in them!

And then, the prison gates are broken open, and do they flee? No! Inspired by the Holy Spirit, they preach the gospel and their jailor invites them into his home, cleans them, and the whole household is converted and baptised…

Our Gospel reading, a moving passage just after the passages from John where Jesus predicts the Holy Spirit coming, which brings us back to earth to hear the Man-God Jesus praying for His friends, both those who were with Him at the time as well as on behalf of those who will believe, including you and me…

Surely Jesus, of all people, knew how to pray and His prayers are surely answered? And what is Jesus’ prayer for us, what are His wishes for us?

Firstly, “that we may all be one”. As God the Father is in Jesus the Son and as Jesus the Son is in God the Father, so Jesus prays that we also may be in us.

This has so many layers of meaning, but let’s start with the personal one, the mystical truth is that we ARE all, each and every one of us, united with God, one with God, and our vocation to the spiritual journey is about realising this union with God, at least at times and even if only partially in this life. Of course, these glimmers will make us realise the broader implications of this – we are ALL part of this great whole, all creation, every component of every atom of every galaxy of every universe, we are all one, in God… every person, every creature, of every time, no matter what our religion, race or creed…

But as wonderful as these moments of realised union with God might be, they are merely a means to an end, and in this prayer, Jesus tells us the end for which He is praying is so that the world may believe that the Father has sent Him… Can you imagine a world in which we all live in the knowledge of Jesus being God’s child, a world in which we all truly followed Christ, loving others as he loves us? All of us as close to God and as caring for each other as He showed us in his earthly life an as He still shows us today?

Jesus goes and describes this state when praying that the glory that God have given Him, He is giving to us, so that we be one, as God is one, Jesus in us and God in Jesus, that we may become completely one….

Why? So that the world may know that God has sent Jesus and that Jesus loves us even as God has loved Jesus…

The whole world, all creation… This is when God’s Kingdom will come, fully realised, as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us…

Our reading from Revelation describes this, with the risen ascended Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the bright morning star saying, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who hears or is thirsty or wishes to, come, and receive the waters of eternal life, as a gift…

And, going back to our Gospel passage, Jesus prays “24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”. What an amazing picture of Heaven, as seen through Jesus’ eyes, of us being with and seeing Jesus in His glory…

And our passage concludes with Jesus describes this glory, this realised unity with God, each other and all creation, the state of being we need to seek and pray for and strive towards, trusting in God and His power,

that even though the world does not know God, Jesus does know both God and us, us, to whom God sent Jesus, us, to whom Jesus has made God’s Name known, so that the love with which God has loved Jesus, the Love that raised Jesus from the dead, the Love that raised Jesus to Heaven, may be in us, and that Jesus too will be in us, in the form of the Spirit….

What a beautiful vision of what will come, what will be, and to which we are invited to strive, with all we are, in the power of the Spirit…

AMEN!

Rev Gavin Smith

OPEN LETTER TO CHIEF RABBI WARREN GOLDSTEIN

OPEN LETTER TO CHIEF RABBI WARREN GOLDSTEIN

Dear Chief Rabbi, 

We have over the years met and spoken on several occasions, I have also had the opportunity of hearing you speak at various community events. It is clear to me that you are a deep thinker, an inspirational orator and an incredibly committed human being. I have on most occasions certainly found myself nodding in agreement with what you've been saying. I read carefully your 'open communication' on this year’s Yom HaShoa, and after deep thought felt strongly to write this. I do so (knowing that we have a very serious disagreement on this point) and I do so with respect to you and your office.

It is evident from your communication, that this matter (Kol Isha) concerns you greatly. In this (while we find ourselves on opposite ends) we share a commonality of great concern. We (SACRED) I give you every assurance, are not using the day to "score political points," we are though specifically drawing attention to this day, precisely because it aligns with such precision, and such importance - to the "principal and grave dangers of discrimination" - in any of its forms. 

As you so correctly pointed out "Hitler did not care if a Jew was a man or woman, reform or orthodox." In his mind - a Jew was a Jew - and that alone licenced him to discriminate. If one allows, condones or encourages "discrimination" in any form, (even if subtle at first,) it most often leads straight down a slippery slope.  

I often wonder why we as Jews were, and to this day are continually discriminated against, with the sheer force that we are?  Sometimes in a quiet moment I am reminded of an ancient Jewish sect that separated themselves from those of their time. They lived on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, and lived ostensibly by seven laws. The first of which is very well known; "like attracts like" or behave to someone the way in which you'd expect them too behave towards you. 

As their laws continue they become more subtle, but nonetheless powerful. I shall only draw to your attention the next, or second of their laws which says; "you will attract to you, that which you judge" - That is to say, if you are an honest person, but hold a deep-seated judgment (discrimination) against dishonest people - you will attract dishonest people to you - it appears on the surface as a contradiction to the first law, but some deeper thought will show that it is actually not.

If we as a nation Judge (discriminate) against one another (to the extent that we do, ashkenasi/ sfaradi/reform/ orthodox/ man/ woman etc.) then as a nation, we will attract this to ourselves - which we do. Above all, this (discrimination) is man-made, that is to say (while you are respected as my senior in years/experience and stature etc.) Still, as one Rabbi to another, you are well aware that NOwhere in our Torah does G-d (or any other sage) say that a woman cannot sing in front of a man – NOwhere - what comes after is "interpretation" and rest assured such "interpretation" was done by man or more-so a group of men.

You say that "Kola Isha" is to protect me, and there may have been an element of truth to that many years ago, but today it is to portray us as "potential victims" which victim I am not. Today instead of moving forward, we have taken a giant step backwards, even your predecessor Rabbi Harris had no issue listening to a woman sing, and so too his predecessors?

Lastly two of the speeches really moved most anyone seated there; Veronica Philipps and as well the German Ambassador Walter Lindner (I shudder to imagine being in his shoes,) having to stand up there straight after Veronica’s tremendously moving speech, but he did, he came and he spoke to us - he was there. I look at the Germany of today (whom the ambassador represents) and marvel at such a phenomenal success story.

I remember too even though I was a young daughter of the Soviet Union, hearing President Ronald Reagan saying to my President (Gorbachev) "Mr. President, the wall must come down, it must come down." Germany then healed from within, East and West became one Germany - became such an incredible success story. Chief Rabbi Goldstein, the discrimination must come to an end - it must end!

With greatest respect

Warm Regards 

Rabbi Julia Margolis

Chairman

SACRED

Submitted by Gillian Godsell, May 2016

THE EXAMPLE OF DORCAS

Collect

O God, your Son Jesus is the good shepherd: grant that all who hear his voice may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings:

1st reading – Acts 9:36-43 36 

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas, she was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ 39 So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Psalm 23

2nd reading – Rev 7:9-17

9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ 14 I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

Gospel reading – John 10:22-30 22

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.’

May I speak…

In our Gospel reading, Jesus says clearly that He is the Messiah, One with the Father, that “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me” and that “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me”.

So our job is to follow Jesus, the way sheep follow a good shepherd… I remember preaching on the characteristics of a Good Shepherd, leading His sheep, as described so beautifully from the sheep’s perspective in Psalm 23 – hearing the shepherd, obeying the shepherd, and of course we know the good shepherd goes to extreme lengths to find us if we stray… Surely, we can be sheep? Surely lots of us can get that right – being sheepish, hearing, trusting and following the good shepherd?  

In our reading from Revelation, we hear about the great multitude of sheep like us, too many to that count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb, sheltered by God, where we shall hunger and thirst no more; where the Lamb at the centre of the throne is our good shepherd, guiding us to springs of the water of life, and wiping away every tear from our eyes…

Our reading from Acts describes a dramatic miracle that energized the early Church as a sister sheep called Dorcas (or Tabitha), who was raised to life again. But did this momentous event overshadow an important lesson we need to learn?

We are told Dorcas (or Tabitha), one of the disciples of the Lord, lay dying in the city of Joppa.

In spite of the diligent care of the other disciples and perhaps physicians, she died. Her body was prepared for burial and laid in an upper room of the house. From the few brief words we have of this account36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and giving of alms which she did. 37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. 38 And for as much as Lydda was near to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent to him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. 42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

American King James Version×, the events surrounding her death appear to have happened quickly.

The believers in Joppa were saddened by this tragic turn of events. Having heard that the apostle Peter was in Lydda, a city close to Joppa, they sent for him to come to them. Perhaps they hoped he would attend to the funeral. Or perhaps they had heard of the healing he had performed at Lydda and hoped for another such miracle. Whatever their intentions, we read that Peter did come to Joppa. Then, in an amazing miracle, he was the instrument of God's raising of Dorcas from the dead.

This momentous event was early in the history of the Church, sometime shortly after Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. This miracle, which had great impact on the people of the city of Joppa, “became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.”

This miracle was important to the early Church. We all know how Peter was transformed by the Holy Spirit from the denying coward to a person willing to boldly proclaim the gospel after encountering the resurrected Christ (surely as powerful a reason for believing in the resurrection as any), and here we read of another amazing occurrence - people could see Dorcas and speak with her after her return to life. She was a walking proclamation of the truth and power of God, and clearly fulfills what Jesus said about His sheep following Him in our gospel reading – our readings make it clear that this is not because Dorcas is an over –achiever sheep, or an especially holy sheep, but that it is all about God – all we have to do is allow God to lead us, like sheep allow the good shepherd to lead them.

Joan Osborn wrote about how the Bible account of Dorcas stands as a memorial to her and as testimony to the working of the Holy Spirit in the early Church, rather than focusing on her miraculous resurrection. After all, her resurrection back to physical life greatly strengthened the faith of many then has continued to help many to believe in Jesus Christ.

So, let’s now look at the example Dorcas sets in her daily life for us of a fellow sheep who hears the good shepherds voice and follows Him in her context, so as to hopefully inspire us to be more sheepish as Christians as we too follow Christ in our contexts.

Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and giving of alms which she did.

American King James Version×tells us something about Dorcas - she was a faithful disciple, “full of good works and charitable deeds” (an example of why women should not only be ordained, but should also be bishops Luke calls Dorcas a disciple – even in such a patriarchal society, her deeds were so widely known that God inspired Luke to include them in the book of Acts).

When Peter arrived at Dorcas's house, the widows of the church there surrounded him and began to show him the garments Dorcas had made for them. This tells us something about Dorcas as a Christian. She was one known for putting her beliefs into practice to help the people around her where she saw the need – widows, who were often left destitute. Acts doesn’t say Dorcas helped everyone, but that she gave of herself to help the widows in several ways in a focused ministry that bore much fruit. Consider how much time she must have spent helping the widows. Making clothes in the first century was extremely time-consuming. There were no sewing machines; a garment had to be cut and sewn by hand- if one could buy the material.

We are not given any details of how Dorcas made the many garments and tunics attributed to her. Is it possible she wove the material herself? Did she spin the threads or yarns? Whatever her starting point, Dorcas gave of her time to those for whom she made clothing. She understood what it meant to be a living sacrifice ( Romans 12:1I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

American King James Version×), giving something valuable and precious: her time.

What about her talent? Not everyone can sew. Few possess enough patience to become an accomplished seamstress. The widows who were showing Peter the things Dorcas had made seemed proud of them; they were probably beautifully made. She had to be talented, and she used her talent lavishly to serve others – it’s something we all love – someone who gives lavishly of themselves to serve others: it’s one of my favorite characteristics of God as Jesus clearly shows us, a good characteristic for us to emulate, as Jesus’ sheep...

We all have talents – even if we’re sheepish about it because to us, they seem so small – some can sing or play a musical instrument. Some are artistically endowed and can paint or draw. Some are gifted in what they can create with their hands, as Dorcas was with the clothing she made. But Dorcas apparently had another sheepish talent any of us can cultivate: the ability to pay attention to and listen to others who need to talk about their problems, to share their burdens, something we sheep have all seen and heard about our good shepherd.

Look more closely at Dorcas's example. It was the widows of the Church who came to Peter, showing him the things Dorcas had made. Widows require special consideration, and Dorcas recognized this, doing “charitable deeds.” We do not read that Dorcas sewed to support herself. Perhaps she made garments and gave them to whomever was in need.

Proverbs 31:20 She stretches out her hand to the poor; yes, she reaches forth her hands to the needy.

American King James Version×says that the virtuous woman “extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hand to the needy.” Many are the times that a simple phone call, card or visit is just the attention a person may need.

The disciples who sent for Peter implored him to come; the widows were weeping when Peter arrived. The people of Joppa obviously loved Dorcas. She had loved them and served them through her kindness, concern and generosity.

One writer put it this way: “The works of Dorcas were recognized in the feeling which the Christian community experienced when Dorcas was gone. They remembered her self-consuming service, her compassion, her faithfulness, her charity. They knew that they had lost their dearest friend. The picture of these people gathered about her in her room weeping does not describe people who are sorry for the things and service they have lost but because they had lost one whom they love.” (Harold J. Ockenga, Women Who Made Bible History, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1962, pp. 224-225)

Dorcas gave time, talent and tender care to others. Because of this she is immortalized as someone “full of good works.” The apostle James would later write that good works are evidence of faith and that faith without such evidence is empty and worthless, of no benefit to anyone. Dorcas's faith was proven by her good works directed at helping others.

The world is a busy place. Life is complicated. It often seems to take all our energy just to get ourselves through the day. But we need to remember the example of Dorcas. We all hear our shepherd’s voice calling us to follow Him as we find many things we can do for others. Our good deeds need not be as complicated as making clothing; they can be as simple as telephoning an elderly shut-in or providing a few food items to the needy or to a local charity.

We live in different times and different physical circumstances. But people still need our time, talent and tender care in whatever form we can give it to them. Let's learn from the example of Dorcas; let us also be sheep who listen to our good Shepherd’s voice, who follow Him, as doers, in love, giving of God’s abundance! AMEN!

Rev Gavin Smith  2016