Dear friends,

Welcome to my latest update, including a copy of the sermon I preached last Sunday in Lealholm and Glaisdale. Apologies for the delay in sending this. I’m a little busier than usual this week.

For details of what’s coming up, you could check out the calendar on our website at this Link:

Middle ESK Moor - Services and Events Calendar

For the more technically advanced amongst you, there is the option to connect to an RSS feed, so you can add the calendar to your computer or phone. The ‘Calendar Feeds’ link is in the top right hand corner of the calendar page.

I’ll be in touch again soon, hopefully on Sunday with a copy of my next sermon. We’ll be exploring Jesus’ first miracle, as recorded in John’s Gospel, at the wedding in Cana

With blessings and all good wishes,

Anthony

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Collect for the Second Sunday of the Epiphany

Eternal Lord,
our beginning and our end:
bring us with the whole creation
to your glory, hidden through past ages
and made known
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Revelation 5.1-10

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:

‘You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God

saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;

you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,

and they will reign on earth.’

John 1.43-end

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’

Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’

Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’

Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’

Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’

Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’

Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

Sermon

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.

"Philip said to him, 'Come and see."'

A great invitation, one for us to think about this morning.

Yesterday at St Matthew’s we had the second meeting of our Benefice Community Forum. We were thinking about our passions and talents; our skills and gifts. And we were trying to work out how we can use all those attributes in the best possible way to build our church here. Part of that involves inviting others to join us, to ‘come and see.’ I’ve also been thinking in the last week about the Post Office, and all those miscarriages of justice. Did any of you watch the TV series?

Our Forum meeting and the Post Office scandal reminded me of a story I’d read in one of the books I use to help me write my sermons. Keith and Jim had been friends since school and their friendship strengthened as the years rolled past, until the company where Jim worked was investigated by the Inland Revenue. Jim was accused of fraud. The papers were so full of the news that Jim hardly dared to leave his house. All his friends except Keith melted away. Jim was distraught, terrified that he might be sent to prison and deeply ashamed. At that point, his wife left him, taking the children with her, and Jim contemplated suicide.

Then Keith asked him, "Why don't you come to church? It might help."

"What on earth for? No religious nonsense is going to sort out this mess!" But Jim went anyway.

People were pleasant to him, treating him like a normal human being, and Keith helped him to navigate his way through the Holy Communion service. Jim didn’t understand much that Sunday morning, and he was unable to concentrate or to remember anything afterwards, but somehow it was a turning point in his life. Church became a lifeline for Jim which sustained him through his prison sentence and helped him to pick up his life again afterwards.

All Keith had said to Jim was, ‘Come and see.’

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus doesn’t directly call Nathanael to be one of the Twelve apostles, he calls Philip. It sounds from the Gospel reading like Jesus actively sought out Philip to invite him to become one of the inner circle of apostles,

just as he had deliberately invited Andrew the previous day.

In Matthew, Mark and Luke’s Gospels, Jesus calls people from their work to follow him, but here in John's Gospel Jesus calls disciples of John the Baptist, and Jesus asks them to follow him instead. Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus and in today's reading Philip seeks out his friend Nathanael, eagerly telling Nathanael that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah. But Nathanael is highly sceptical and laughs in Philip's face: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth,” he asks?

Nathaniel mocks Philip, possibly using the words of a local proverb, since the people of Nazareth were universally despised. But despite his scepticism, Nathanael went along with his friend and met Jesus. As soon as Jesus spotted Nathanael, he saw a man who was straight and honest and upright, someone who might have been outspoken in his views but with no malice; someone who would be a loyal and faithful supporter. Perhaps it was this characteristic of open transparency which Jesus saw in little children: when Jesus was teaching his friends about the kingdom of God, he told them that to enter the kingdom, they must receive it just like a little child. And, just as a little child is instantly trusting, so Nathanael immediately trusted and believed in Jesus, seemingly just because Jesus had noticed Nathanael standing under a fig tree!

But it was more than that. Nathanael was instantly conscious of the fact that Jesus actually knew him through and through, even though they had never met before.

That sense of knowing was enough for Nathanael. He didn’t bother to ask questions or to hedge his bets with a fall-back position in case he was wrong; he gave himself wholly to Jesus and became exactly what Jesus foresaw: a loyal and faithful supporter.

Nathanael isn’t mentioned in any of the other Gospels, but it’s thought that he is the Bartholomew of the other three Gospels and of Acts. It may be that bar-Tholomew, son of Tholomew, was his surname. Nathanael-Bartholomew went on to become a missionary, carrying the good news of Jesus to Syria and Asia Minor. He was eventually martyred in Great Armenia and remains the patron saint of Armenia today.

Nathanael came to faith through his friend, Philip. Philip didn’t urge him or cajole him into following Jesus. Philip merely shared his own excitement and invited Nathanael to see for himself. Philip did no more; Jesus did all the rest. As soon as Nathanael met Jesus for himself, he believed. And it was the same for Keith and Jim in the story I told you earlier.

Sharing excitement! Being invitational! It can be that simple!

As Christians, here in Middle ESK Moor, all we fundamentally need to do is to share our excitement and invite people to come with us. Once they meet Jesus for themselves, the Holy Spirit does the rest. Let’s not forget that we’re not in this alone: we have God to help us! Jesus can see the potential within every person and the Holy Spirit can bring that potential to fruition. Jesus just needs us to work with him as his hands and feet; Jesus just needs us to invite people to 'Come and see."

Amen.

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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.