I’m sure I’m not the only one who is happily transported by that beautiful anthem of Howard Goodall’s to the very funny television series ‘The Vicar of Dibley’; familiarly set in a rural parish, with a full-of-love-and-faith female vicar juggling the complexities of village life and a chaotic Parochial Church Council (that bit isn’t familiar at all). Over twelve million people tuned in to watch the last episode of that series.
That’s twelve million people from every walk of life, almost 20% of the population, connecting with those precious words of Psalm 23 ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want’.
God knows what we need and is our guide. He constantly offers us spiritual nourishment – we just have to notice it.
For Christians and non-Christians alike, day-to-day aspects of life with their roots in faith are everywhere. Just as that beautiful line from Psalm 23 has become familiar to so many people, phrases originating from scripture have also found their own place in the English language;
The names we give our children often have faith connections;
This year in the UK, the top choice for baby girls is Eliana – it means ‘My God has answered’.
For baby boys, Noah, Luca, Theo (meaning ‘Gift of God’) and Elija are in the top ten.
St. Martin’s, St. John’s, St. Joseph’s and St. Paul’s schools in Dorking. St. Trinian’s was made up. St. Bernard dogs, the San Andreas Fault…..and in a nod to vintage retail …. St. Michael…
In a family-filled action-packed home, my skeptical friend’s most regular supplication is to St. Anthony of Padua, Patron Saint of lost things. And her prayers are usually answered.
Faith-inspired detail exists pretty much everywhere we look in our world. Do we notice it? Do we ever think a little more about it? About the link to God that we might find there? What about those embodied moments in life; a breath-taking view, a toe-curling conversation, a heart-warming cup of tea, a tear-inducing headline, a spine-tingling descant….
When we notice an unusual sense in ourselves, perhaps a sense of the extraordinary, could we call these experiences *spiritual*?
God knows what we need – what is He asking us to notice?
We’ve already heard that saints feature heavily in everyday social structures. As Christians, we use the example of these individuals to understand that God asks normal people, people like us, who are human and flawed, to do His will, to be part of His plan.
In our own Benefice we are especially connected to St. James, St. Mary and St. John; all people with incredible stories of faith to tell….and here at Christ Church we have the ultimate patron….
You may have noticed at the top of your order of service that we are surrounded by Saintly celebrations today.
Last Wednesday was the Feast of John the Baptist, which celebrates the birth of this ‘greatest among men’. Surrounded by miracles, prophesies and wonder, John was born about six months before Jesus and has often been described as his ‘cousin’ through maternal kinship. He spent his adult life preaching repentance, telling of the coming of Christ and baptising new members into the family of God, including Jesus himself, who honoured John for his humility, spiritual strength, courage and obedience.
Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Peter and Paul the Apostles. Peter the fisherman was a disciple of steadfast faith, one of the closest to Jesus, whose name means ‘rock’ and whom Jesus trusted most. Peter carried on sharing the gospel after the death and ascension of Jesus, at a time when personal desolation and confusion could easily have crushed his faith.
Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a Jewish Pharisee who was extremely irritated by these evangelising Christian disciples and persecuted them, until one day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him. Converted after this staggering experience, Paul dedicated his life to sharing God’s word and the story of Jesus, travelling to set up new Christian communities, writing letters to encourage and strengthen the increasing number of God’s followers.
Friday is the Feast Day of St. Thomas the Apostle, the ‘doubting’ disciple who brings us welcome reassurance that it may not be easy to ‘just believe’, who shows us that honesty about our doubt can bring about comforting conversations with God, whose story allows us to share in the assurance that Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life.
The Christian bible is a constant and endless source of divine inspiration and encouragement.
In our readings today, we heard about Ezekiel, who lived in the 6th century Before Christ, an Israeli priest and prophet known for his extraordinary visions. We have his dramatic description of the Spirit telling Ezekiel that he will be tied with ropes and unable to speak – completely bound and gagged – until God allows him to say the words ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’. God’s objective is to give those who don’t believe in Him a clear and irrefutable demonstration that He is the ultimate Power.
Our New Testament reading from Matthew offers further inspiration, greater encouragement to us to truly have faith given by God, as Peter the Rock did. How delighted Jesus was with him, to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven!
We celebrate these individuals recognised for their exceptional lives. They were humans, but God was their guide, helping them to be unquestioning, or brave, or selfless. Through them, we can see that we ourselves can be truthful with God, they show us the power of prayer and the strength that comes in changing direction, in noticing what God is trying to say to us.
God knows what we need.
Coming together as a Christian community can nourish us in so many ways. What was in your heart as you prepared to come here this morning? Apprehension? Confusion? Distraction? Hope? Optimism? Gratitude? Have you noticed something that God may be offering you here today?
Has there been poignancy in our worship together, in the structure of our service, in hearing about other Christians’ experiences through our readings? Could conversation over coffee after our service bring words that strike us as particularly useful; soothing or clarifying, challenging or provoking? What will you notice?
We have heard that God is quite deliberately present in the detailed fabric of our everyday lives, and that, if we ever doubt that, we have strong, scripture-based evidence which makes His message absolutely clear; God is with us, He knows what we need and He will guide us.
As we sing our last hymn together, calling on the inspiration of God’s Saints and Jesus’ disciples, as we ask for encouragement, support, hope and prayer, let’s also ask God to help us hear those words He wants us to hear, to help us to feel His love and the protection he offers us, to see the pathways he has set for us and to walk through the doors He has opened for us.
Whatever is in our hearts, God knows what we need and He will guide us. May our prayer today be that we notice. Amen.
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