Dear friends,
Welcome to my latest update, including a copy of my sermon this morning, and the readings we had at St Hilda’s, Egton.
We’ve been working hard in our parish church council meetings over the last week and a bit to plan our Christmas events and services. All the details will be added to our website in due course: middleESKmoor.org. But see attached a poster advertising our new and exciting weekly Play Space for parents and toddlers, which starts at St Matthew’s this coming Thursday at 1:30 pm. Please spread the word!
I’ll be on holiday for almost two weeks from Tuesday morning. If you need a priest urgently whilst I’m away please contact the Reverend Michael Gobbett on 01947 602590 or [email protected].
Sam and I are off to Holy Island for a week from Saturday 25th November. Hence, there won’t be a newsletter next weekend; the next one will be ready on or soon after 3rd December. We’re most grateful to the wonderful Egton School for taking care of our hens - Snap, Crackle and Pop - while we’re away, but we still need a volunteer to unlock and lock St Hilda’s each day, please. Do get in touch ASAP if you can help. Thanks.
With all good wishes,
Anthony
The Collect - Our Gathering Prayer
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Matthew 25:14-30
‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Sermon at St Hilda's, Egton
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.
"No gain without pain!" – I wonder if you would agree with that concept? It’s a mantra I used to follow a few years ago when I decided to sign up to an online fitness plan. It was a struggle, but I lost about 7 kilos over 12 months. However, since I started here, my weight has begun to gradually track upwards again. Maybe I need to re-evaluate my daily rhythm of life? Probably by eating less cake? Probably by spending less time sat at my computer screen?
You should have a copy of the ‘Rhythm of Advent’ leaflet. Please have a look through it over the next few weeks as we look forward to Advent, and think where “no gain without pain” fits into our Christmas preparations. For those of us exercising to keep fit or lose weight - watching workout videos, following fitness regimes - we all quickly become aware that the experience is not by any stretch a straightforward and comfortable one. How can I fit more exercising into my rest day? How can all that extra exertion possibly bring me a sense of joy?
Well, I guess we all know that we have to put effort in to see positive improvements, and that applies to many aspects of life. "No gain without pain" is a modern way of expressing a long-established tradition: the way we describe "self-discipline" or "willpower.” To achieve various objectives we need to focus on step-by-step priorities. As long as the demands we place on ourselves aren’t too excessive, those objectives can challenge and stretch us, allowing us to achieve even more than we might have dreamed possible. But many of the worthwhile things in life have to be sought after and worked for. And we might need to attempt something multiple times before we make any progress. It can appear as though the good things in life that we strive for don’t happen unless we put in all that hard work and effort. But actually that’s not an absolute truth. Quite often surprising things happen in our lives, and we end up moving in a different and positive direction that we hadn’t planned or anticipated. The action of the Holy Spirit, at work, has to be discerned and recognised! We experience surprising moments, gifts from God, which we don’t perceive as having earned or deserved.
The parable of the talents, in our Gospel reading, is about responding creatively to a challenge, from God or other people, and then acting responsibly. It sounds very much like the man who was on his way abroad had a fair idea about the abilities of his servants: he entrusts the most to the servant who, eventually, was able to provide the greatest return. But the challenge was clear: the need to be a wise steward of the master's wealth. The master, keen to increase his fortune, was also encouraging his servants to act responsibly and to use their own initiative. As he made demands upon them, the master expected the servants to act wisely and sensibly. The first two servants are commended, although it appears that one of them achieves more than the other. But the point is that they both tried their best. They put the effort in and got positive improvements.
However, the third servant fails in his duty because he refused to put any effort in. He didn’t even put the money in the bank. Surely that would have been a no brainer? There could be no gain for the third servant, because he wouldn’t take a risk and absorb some pain. But this parable isn’t simply about wisely using what we’ve been given. No, this parable is about our expectations of one another. The master could have simply banked his money himself, but that would have missed the point. If the master had no expectations of his servants, they wouldn’t have been challenged to grow in creativity and responsibility. It was important that the master did not set his sights too low, being satisfied with inactive and lethargic servants. This theme has echoes in our other reading from Paul’s letter to the young church in Thessalonica. Paul is urging the Christians there to be prepared for the sudden arrival of the Day of the Lord. And if they’re ready, they must be awake and clearheaded. They can’t risk being caught off guard. Once again, there’s no gain without pain: the community in Thessalonica must be alert while others sleep. And we must be wide awake too.
In our communities, if we expect little of our fellow human beings, we won’t be able to see beyond our own limited expectations. But if we regard others highly, seeing each individual person as capable of greatness, then we’ll give each person the space and time to really blossom and to grow: we’ll listen to their ideas; find out what their passions are; understand what they have to offer our community. And, in doing so, maybe, together, we’ll continue to grow into the people God created us to be?
This is an exercise in listening to each other. And we’ve done some of that over the last sixth months through the setting up of our Benefice Forum and our Advisory Council. But how can we ensure that everyone connected into our church really blossoms and grows and contributes to a whole that’s greater, and even more wonderful, than the individual parts?
When attempting something worthwhile for the Lord, like our task here to grow the Church of England in Middle ESK Moor, we might find the going exceptionally tough. We might find that things get harder before they get easier. Or, rather, we will find that things get harder. We will find that change is difficult – a bit like walking into a fog in a deep valley, uncertain of our individual paths through to the view of the clear sky on the ridge ahead. Sixth months into my time with you, and I think we’ve moved into that fog, a fog that covers uncharted territory. There are lots of little experiments we’re trying but none of us knows how they will be received. We’ve put a lot of work into plans for Advent and Christmas, but how will those plans pan out? We’re thinking of lots of ways of working better together across our four parishes, but what will that end up looking like in practice?
No one knows the answers to these questions; and we need to be realistic.
We’ll all have to put up with a significant measure of uncertainty if we’re going to make progress and seek something for this place that we deeply desire: something profound, meaningful and beautiful here in this place. But we do know that, through the uncertainties, often surprising things happen in our lives. The Holy Spirit is at work!
And then we end up moving in a different and positive direction that we hadn’t planned. Let’s continue to look out for those surprises.
Through the Gospels in the Bible, Jesus speaks to us and makes demands on us. Those demands aren’t to satisfy an infinitely demanding God: those demands are to challenge us to grow - to grow more like God. And that is worth some pain as we walk through the fog together.
Amen.
The Reverend Anthony Bennett
Interim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
middleESKmoor.org
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These two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing:
Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.
Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.