Sermon for Sunday 9th August

Listen to Him

Today's lessons: click to read

On Thursday of this past week I conducted a service of Holy Communion at St. Mary’s – in Fetcham.

The date being the 6th of August, was also the Feast of the Transfiguration; reminding us of that time when Jesus ascended the Mountain, by popular tradition Mount Tabor although not specifically named, with the three favoured disciples, Peter, James and John. There also appeared Moses and Elijah.

And there on that mountain top the cloud descended upon the gathered company and the disciples heard God speaking to them saying –

‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’

Listening to God and conveying the will of God to the people has in the past been the responsibility of the prophets – including Elijah who is the subject of our Old Testament reading set for today.

The OT reading follows that on from that occasion when the prophets of Baal were challenged by Elijah to a contest – to offer a bull as a sacrifice to their God. As you may well remember, after various attempts they failed. Elijah on the other hand succeeded. And although Elijah encouraged the people to douse his offering with a good supply of water three times, God when called upon by Elijah, sent an all consuming fire which destroyed not only the offering, but the stones and the dust and all the water that had been poured over the offering. Elijah then ordered the prophets of Baal to be seized and killed.

When Jezebel heard what had happened she sent a messenger to Elijah threatening his life. On hearing this, Elijah fled and while in the wilderness was visited by an angel as we have heard in our reading today, who encouraged Elijah to eat and drink, in order that he should be able in the strength of that food, to travel to Mount Horeb a forty day and night journey.

Today the ‘Christian Church’ believes that it knows the mind of Christ. But on many issues, there will be a diversity of views. Both sides in a situation facing the church will believe that it knows the mind of Jesus. All will claim to have ‘listened to’ and heard Jesus speaking to them. But they will have received different messages. And is it any wonder, since we find on one hand those who believe implicitly in the word of God as revealed in Holy Scripture, whereas others, perhaps of a more liberal view of the bible, will claim to have received and as a result proclaim a different interpretation of those same words..

However, our second reading from Paul’s letter to Church in Ephesus is perhaps a timely reminder, of how the church it seems, has always had the problem of consensus. But even Jesus found himself the centre of controversy - the reason being that the Jews judged Jesus on human grounds, and in so doing rejected him - and in rejecting him, rejected eternal life.

What then were the grounds on which this rejection took place?

Firstly they rejected him on human grounds. Jesus was the son of a carpenter: they knew him and had seen him grow up in Nazareth. How could the ‘son’ of a tradesman from a poor home, be a special messenger from God? Human assessment, social values and worldly standards – ruled Jesus out.
Secondly, the Jews argued amongst themselves. They did not think to take it to God. In fact they were not interested in what God thought it would seem! They were very keen to let others know what they thought, but not it appears in the least anxious to hear God’s opinion.
The Jews listened but they did not learn.

I am not always a good listener. I do not always hear what people are saying. One of the problems may be that my listening is of criticism or resentment. It might be that on other occasions my listening is of superiority – ‘I know what I am talking about’ listening.

Or it could be that my listening is of indifference, I really couldn’t care what you are saying – or, I am listening only because I can’t get a word in. We need to listen in such a way that we can learn.
Jesus refers to people being ‘drawn’ to him by the Father. Only those who accept Jesus are drawn by God to Jesus. This ‘drawing’ has behind its meaning the feeling of resistance. As when the fishermen would try and haul a net full of fish to the shore. It has the same meaning as when Paul and Silas were dragged before the magistrates in Philippi as we read in Acts 16. It is the same meaning as when a sword is drawn from its’ scabbard. God can and does draw people towards Jesus, but resistance can defeat the pull of God.

Jesus in this the first of what has been called the seven parables of our Lord’s person, relating to the ‘I am’ sayings, seeks to make clear that what he is offering to the people is both the ‘living bread’ but also the bread which ‘gives life’ eternal life – that is his own body. The bread, which the Jews received during the Exodus, could only sustain life temporarily for all who ate of it, eventually died. But all who come to Jesus, and hear and receive his word, will never hunger. Remember the words of Jesus from Matthews’s Gospel. Words which are regularly used in the 1662 HC Service and known as the ‘comfortable’ words. ‘Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you’. It is only when we are prepared to accept this invitation that we will know whether the promise is fulfilled in our own lives. God, through the power of his Holy Spirit initiates from us the response to the invitation. Our acceptance of that invitation, results in Jesus saying to each one of us – ‘I will raise that person up on the last day.’ Coming to Jesus means that we will never go hungry - for we will take into ourselves and receive from the one who is and who said, I am the ‘bread of life.’ Not only will we never hunger, but, those who believe in Jesus shall also never thirst.

I once heard a story told on the radio about a Daoist Monk who while out walking found him self lost. After a considerable time, without water and badly dehydrated he eventually came to a dwelling where a woman was in residence. The woman, seeing the monk’s condition, quickly fetched a bowl of water, but before giving it to the monk, she took a handful of dust and scattered it onto the water, before giving it to him. The monk, silently cursing the woman for this action, began to drink slowly from the bowl, as he had to blow away the dust before each mouthful.

Eventually, having drained the bowl, and refreshed by the water, he went on his way.Some years later, the monk passed by the same way and again the woman offered him the water but first scattered dust onto the water before handing it to the monk. Remembering how the woman had carried out this procedure on that first visit, the monk asked her why she had put the dust onto the water. She replied – ‘If I had given you the water on its own you would have drunk all the water in one go. And because of your dehydrated condition, there was the risk that you would have died!’The monk could have rejected the water as offered to him by the woman and in so doing that rejection might have cost him his life. He was offered not only resurrection but also life. When the Samaritan Woman came to draw water from the well, Jesus said to her -

‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’

Today it is you and I, the ‘living stones’, who are called to proclaim Jesus to a world which largely resists being drawn to him.

Jesus, whom we also proclaim to be the ‘living’ word, has spoken. To those who listen to his word and keep it, he is also the resurrection and the life. As God said to those three disciples, Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration – ‘Listen to Him.’