Sunday 18th November 2007

Living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life”.

Not the words of a great theologian or philosopher but the words of an actor.

The late great James Stewart talking about next month’s spiritual cinema offering, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. This charming film has James Stewart playing a character called George Bailey. George grows up in a small town in Bedford Falls and dreams of adventure and travel. But his dreams are not fulfilled and when faced with a crisis in which he feels he has failed everyone, he breaks under the strain and flees to a bridge to attempt suicide. That’s when his guardian angel, Clarence, comes down on Christmas Eve to show him what his community would be like without him. The angel takes him back through his life to show how our ordinary everyday efforts are really big achievements. Clarence reveals how George Bailey's loyalty to his job at the building-and-loan office has saved families and homes, how his little kindnesses have changed the lives of others, and how the ripples of his love will spread through the world, helping make it a better place.

Writing on the 50th anniversary of the film, James Stewart said – and I quote - “I've heard the film called an American cultural phenomenon. Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It's simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life”.

Human kind’s suffering has been at the heart of our current spiritual cinema series. In Shadowlands we had the story of CS Lewis and his relationship with his wife joy. We witnessed how they fell in love and we caught a glimpse of the pain he went through coming to terms with her subsequent death. And in Dead Man Walking we saw the suffering of victims of brutal murder, suffering of a man on death row and the suffering of a nun who befriended him. I will never forget her last words to him. “When they give you the lethal injection….look at me – I want to be the face of Christ”.

Some of us who were at Guildford Cathedral earlier this week to witness the authorization of Judy Brickett as a pastoral assistant were struck by the number of people who are willing to help others in this wonderful ministry. Judy will join a team of a team of pastoral visitors “ Living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others”. She has made herself wholly available to work for others. Most likely she will be there for people in great need. The suffering, the sick and the bereaved. I am sure she will greet each and everyone of them with that unique smile. Not a smile that comes with the job, but a smile which will say to the people she encounters – let me be the face of Christ.

Our readings this morning on first sight might appear to either too hard to understand or at worst depressing. What are we to make of talk of the end times?

In America the fastest selling books predict the destruction of the earth and humanity as we know it. Christians queue up to suggest that wars and natural disasters and diseases – be it talk of flu pandemics, military conflict or the tsumani or no doubt the Bangladesh cyclone are signs that the end of the world is nigh.

But looking closer at our readings this morning I find myself believing that they miss the point. The Day of the Lord was always a day of anticipation for the people of ancient Israel, hence Malachi’s prophesy. It was to be a day of fulfillment – the moment in history when all the promises God had made would come to fruition.

Luke was probably written about 40 years after Jesus’ death at a time when people believed that they were living in the end times. A time when astrologists looked to the heavens for signs of movement – signs that Jesus would return.

So, it is hard for us, here towards the end of 2007, to understand these apocalyptic passages. Some people take all these passages quite literally. It was this approach to biblical interpretation that led the late Bishop John A. T. Robinson to write:

'With the Second Coming of Christ we reach what perhaps to most people seems the greatest phantasmagoria in the whole collection of mumbo jumbo that goes under the name of Christian doctrine. For people really suppose that the Church teaches that one afternoon - this year, next year, sometime - Telstar will pick up a picture of Christ, descending from the skies with thousands of angels in train, returning to earth to judge the earth.'

Robinson went on to say:

'But I certainly don't believe that…The Second Coming is not something that can be caught by radar or seen on a screen. It's not a truth like that at all.'

Like all the Bible’s depictions of the future, these descriptions are symbolic in nature.

They are meant to inspire believers to derive whatever good they can from life’s inevitable suffering.

I believe that they do not point to specific historical occurrences; they are not blueprints of the events taking place in our own world. Rather, they are used by God to motivate us in the difficult times of our lives. Jesus said that “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Jesus did talk about the end coming after there had been wars and destruction. But even the word ‘end’ needs to be put into context. In Greek this word means “purpose” – so Jesus was not necessarily talking about an end as we might imagine but of a time when his purpose would be realised.

Jesus’ words about the temple follow the account of the widow who displayed true devotion to God’s temple by giving two small coins. You may recall the story when the rich gave from their abundance but Jesus praises the woman for giving from her poverty. Such devotion should have been replicated by the temple’s leadership and instead Jesus was confronted with greed and hypocrisy. This is what, Jesus wanted to see an end to.

He did then and I am sure he still does now.

Today’s readings reflect the suffering side of our faith, a faith that claims that God can bring life out of death. It also insists that the age of fulfillment, which is the age of new life, will not dawn until we are purified of our wrongdoing. Therefore life’s inescapable suffering, if endured in the spirit of Jesus, can act as a purifying agent.

Time and time again I meet people who witness to seeing something unique about God in their suffering and most often it is because they too have seen the face of Christ in those who support them. Today the challenge of acceptance and endurance is placed before us.

As the liturgical year comes to an end it is right that we consider the advent of a new age. During the year we have been led through the mysteries of death and resurrection, and now the drama of our faith is about to be brought to fulfillment. In the psalm appointed for this morning we are reminded of just how this drama will end: “The Lord...comes to rule the earth; he will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity”, the psalmist wrote.

The readings for this morning focus on the suffering of “that day”, but we are reminded that the final scene is one of victory and fulfillment. We should pray that that day will come sooner rather than later.

Amen

©Rev Renos Pittarides November 2007