Dear friends,With grateful thanks to all that helped with our services in Lealholm and Glaisdale this morning. Such a lot goes on behind the scenes to get ready for our services and I’m most grateful to all of us who are able to help. If you couldn’t get to one of our services today, and there’s anything I can help you with, please contact me and I’ll be in touch.We had the first of our new ‘Celtic Communion’ celebrations at St Thomas at 10:45 this morning, which was well received and attracted some visitors from Guisborough. Thanks to Sarah Mainwaring-Parr for leading our prayers of intercession, that had a wonderful Taize feel to them. We’ll continue with the Celtic and Taize explorations over the summer months at St Thomas. A few of us are meeting on Wednesday evening at 7pm on Zoom to talk about setting up something Taize-based that we could do weekly in Glaisdale, probably either on Saturday or Sunday evenings. If you’d like to be involved in those discussions, please contact me and I’ll send you the Zoom link. It’s exciting to see new things afoot in Glaisdale!A copy of my sermon from this morning is included below (with the readings and prayers we had), along with details on what’s coming up in the next few days.Next Sunday we arrive at Pentecost. I hope to see you then, if not before.With love and summer blessings,Reverend AnthonyThy Kingdom ComeAs we continue the Thy Kingdom Come journey from Ascension to Pentecost, can you think of five people to pray for each day over the next week?Coming up in Middle ESK MoorTomorrow2:00 PCC Meeting - Goathland6:30 PCC Meeting - GrosmontWednesday 15th May8:30 Contemplative Communion in GoathlandThursday 16th May10:30 - 2:30 Vi's Community Cafe in Grosmont at St Matthew1:30 Play Space at St Matthew'sToday in Lealholm and GlaisdaleCollectRisen, ascended Lord,as we rejoice at your triumph,fill your Church on earth with power and compassion,that all who are estranged by sinmay find forgiveness and know your peace,to the glory of God the Father. Amen.Acts 1.15–17, 21–end In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred and twenty people) and said, Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection. So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.John 17.6-19 I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. Post Communion PrayerEternal God, giver of love and power,your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the worldto preach the gospel of his kingdom:confirm us in this mission,and help us to live the good news we proclaim;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Sermon - what, or who, is the ‘evil one’?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.At the end of our Gospel reading Jesus says to his Father, "I ask you to protect them from the evil one." What, or who, do you think the evil one is?There is an old Indian story which tells the tale of a woman who was so concerned that her children would be influenced by evil in the outside world that she built a huge wall around her home. Her infant children got used to their restricted space, but as they grew older, they became curious about life beyond their garden. One day, while their mother’s attention was distracted, two of the children climbed over the wall. As they landed on the other side, they were met by lots of local people who laughed at their nervous expressions. The villagers had also been curious to know what existed on the other side of the great wall. But the two children became very frightened and frantically searched for a way back to their home. They couldn’t cope with the world outside the wall.There’s a very human temptation to build walls around us for protection; to build boundaries around our families or communities in an effort both to guard those inside and to keep others out. But the worst kinds of boundaries are those around our minds: those which cling to outdated concepts, that limit the expansion of thought and the creative imagination that God gave us, so that we could do his work as his hands and feet. Like those children escaping from their comfortable and safe garden, a sudden burst of new ideas can disorientate and frighten us. But if we grow up absorbing the knowledge of Jesus’ confidence in us, we’ll learn how to handle development and change. Jesus is all the protection we’ll need. We shouldn’t need walls.Jesus didn’t ask his disciples to build a big wall around themselves. He was well aware of the dangers and evils of the world. He’d been subjected to enough of them during his own life and ministry. One of his concerns for them was that they should be protected from the "evil one”! He doesn’t want his followers to be removed from the world, but protected within it. The evil one takes many forms in a world like ours, perhaps even more in number and subtlety than in first-century Palestine. In this great discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper he prays with all his might, not just for those around the Passover table, but for the whole Church, then and to come in the future. He wants his followers to remain faithful to his teaching. He knows that this is the way that God's world can be renewed and made more perfect. Not an easy task in a world where many people, in fact most people, reject his message.Jesus’ disciples, those who accept and hand on his teaching, will also receive harsh treatment. Christianity isn’t going to be easy. But Jesus has confidence in his disciples, and he has confidence in us: in our ability to keep his message alive, despite the hardships and dangers. Jesus believes in us, and we can feel supported by his prayers for our protection and encouragement.For many of us self-doubt and lack of confidence in ourselves as Christians keeps us from realising the degree of faith that God has in us. Each Christian has been given the skills and faith needed to deepen our knowledge of the truths in the Bible throughout our lives. But there are dangers and we do need protection not only from our own weaknesses, but from the "dark forces": those aspects of life which are not of God, which can divert or tempt us away from God's grace. Jesus had no doubt of the quality of those he called to follow him, then and now. We are gifted just as they were.Of course we have our doubts, we struggle with questions of faith. But this is part of our gift to God, that we persist in spite of difficulty. Walls which restrict our movement or thought cannot protect us, but God can. The Father hears the prayers of his Son on our behalf. If Jesus has confidence in us, as individuals and as part of the Church, then we should have confidence in ourselves and in each other. We’re a force for tremendous good in the world: in our families and communities. In acts of generosity, and in simple acts of kindness, we make the presence of God visible. And, then, under the protection of Christ, we become confident disciples, sanctified and consecrated in the truth and ready to spread his word by living out the example of his love.As we move through the period between Ascension and Pentecost, the period of ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ let’s pray for people we know. Let’s pray for them to know God more deeply. Let’s pray for them to come under the protection of Christ too.Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor---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.
Dear friends,Welcome to my second update for this week as promised.Tomorrow morning we have two celebrations of Holy Communion in Middle ESK Moor:9:00 Traditional Communion in Lealholm at St James'10:45 Celtic Communion in Glaisdale at St Thomas’Please join me at one of those celebrations if you can. The first one will be in our traditional format, and the later celebration in Glaisdale will be in a ‘Celtic’ style as an experiment to try something new for the summer months.If you can help with refreshments after the celebration in Glaisdale please reply to this email ASAP. I will provide mugs, hot water, tea and coffee, milk and sugar, we just need plates, biscuits and cake! I do hope you can help.If anyone needs a lift to either service, again please reply to this message.A copy of my sermon for Ascension Day is included below, along with some details on ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’With love and summer blessings,Reverend AnthonyThy Kingdom ComeTomorrow we will be continuing the Thy Kingdom Come journey from Ascension to Pentecost. Can you think of five people to pray for over the next week?Sermon for Ascension DayPlease follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Thursday in Goathland: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.There’s an ancient mosque built over a rock on the Mount of Olives outside the old city of Jerusalem. It’s not used for prayers and it’s completely empty except for a glass case over a place where the bare rock forms part of the floor. In the rock is an indentation said to be the footprint left by Jesus as he ascended to heaven. Jerusalem is a holy city for the three great religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And the footprint in the rock is a place of pilgrimage for both Christians and Muslims, who may light a candle and worship silently at the site where Jesus was last seen on earth. For Muslims, the site gives a memory of Jesus, a great prophet. But for Christians this small, unassuming place bears witness to the continuing life of the risen Christ, God incarnate.What are we to make of the story of the Ascension as told in the New Testament? Did it happen as Luke says, in his Gospel and in Acts? Is it true? Or should we regard it as a legend? Interestingly, only Luke, the storyteller, gives any details about the Ascension. Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke - who brings us the delightful details of the Christmas story and the excitement of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost - elaborates on the story of the Ascension and adds plenty of flesh to the bare bones. Luke ends his Gospel with the briefest of statements, "While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven." But Luke begins his second book, the Acts of the Apostles, with a much more colourful account of what might have happened.In a style reminiscent of the story of the Ascension of Elijah in the Old Testament (in Second Kings) Luke pictures a cloud which gathers up Jesus and removes him from the disciples' sight. The bemused disciples then see two angels in white robes, who ask mysteriously, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.' Clearly whatever happened had a profound effect upon the disciples, for they all returned to Jerusalem to the upper room and together with "the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers" devoted themselves to prayer. Perhaps the disciples learned more during their weeks with the risen Jesus than they did during the years of his earthly ministry. When Jesus disappeared for good, they were no longer the terrified human beings that they had been after his execution. Even before the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter, the disciple who had denied that he ever knew Jesus, was boldly and openly preaching the Gospel.Luke might have used his imagination to fill in the gaps left by Jesus' final disappearance from earth, and to appeal to the mindset of first-century people who lived in a world of magic and myths and legends. Or the Ascension may have happened exactly as described. But the factual details are probably less important than the truths conveyed by the account. After all, a vivid story helps us to remember truths easily. When Jesus died, the disciples were distraught. But after he ascended, they were full of confidence and deep spirituality. What made the difference? On both occasions Jesus had disappeared, apparently to be seen no more on earth. But after the Ascension he definitely wouldn’t be seen anymore, so we might perhaps have expected the disciples to be even more distraught than they were after his death. But, somehow, meeting with the risen Christ had transformed their lives. Terror and anguish were replaced by prayerfulness, enthusiasm and confidence. They realised that a new dimension of life continues after death. And, today, nothing has changed. Meeting with the risen Christ day by day still transforms lives. And we, who meet with the risen Christ, need no longer fear death. And that’s because we know that God loves each of us individually.So, let’s celebrate that love for each of us on this special Ascension Day, and let’s continue to ask the Holy Spirit how best we can share that love in our communities.Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor---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.
Dear friends,I’m sending you two news updates this week.This first one includes a quick reminder about Ascension Day tomorrow, and a copy of my sermon from last Sunday. We welcomed Jackie Newton to our services in Lealholm and Goathland. Jackie is a licenced lay minister (LLM)-in-training. It was wonderful to have her with us, and we look forward to getting to know Jackie over the coming months.I’ll be back in touch tomorrow with some exciting details about this coming Sunday.With love and kind regards,Reverend AnthonyAscension Day - ThursdayJoin us at 10 am on Thursday morning at a special service of Holy Communion at St Mary's in Goathland as we begin the Thy Kingdom Come journey from Ascension to Pentecost. If coming by car you can park at the Homestead Kitchen (with grateful thanks to the owners) across the road.Quite a few members of our congregation were fined for parking on the road outside St Mary’s in Goathland on Sunday. If that affected you, and you haven’t been in touch with Reverend Anthony, please reply to this message, and please appeal your parking ticket while we try to work out a solution.Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Sunday: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.As we gather today, with Jackie here with us, we’re reminded of our collective calling to serve God and His people. And I think our readings today, from Acts and John’s Gospel, illuminate the path of our vocations, whether that’s inside or outside the Church of England. In terms of ministry, we have various appointed roles in our church: sacristans, intercession leaders, sides people, lay Eucharistic ministers, churchwardens, PCC members, deanery synod representatives, licensed lay ministers, deacons, priests, archdeacons, bishops… The list goes on, but all those roles are appointed within the church in accordance with its rules and regulations.In Acts, we see the Holy Spirit poured out on all who heard the word, a testament to the inclusive nature of God's call on all of us as Christians. The Spirit knows no bounds and is freely given to all, irrespective of our backgrounds or previous roles in life. Our passage from Acts invites us to consider the universal nature of our vocation, to serve in various capacities within the body of Christ. That includes within the Church of England, of course, but not exclusively. I wouldn’t like to say that our church has the monopoly on the best way of doing things. But there are some commonalities across denominations. At my ordination as deacon, and then priest, I was admitted into ‘The Church of God’ not the Church of England. And, as we will say in our creed, we believe in ‘One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.’ The structures we have I think do their best to reflect that. We are part of a ‘broad church.’Turning to our reading from John, we’re commanded to abide in Jesus’ love and to love one another as He has loved us. This is the cornerstone of our vocation—love. And we’ve talked about that a lot since Easter.It’s a love that compels us to put others first,to bear fruit that will last, to be Jesus’ joy in the world. Let’s have a think about the roles of licenced lay ministers, deacons and priests within that context. All are ministers, and there are ten of us across the three benefices of the Moorlands, Middle Esk, and Lower Esk. According to the various definitions for the different roles, agreed by the Church of England, Licensed Lay Ministers, LLMs, formerly known as Readers, are “called by God, trained, and licensed by the Church to preach, teach, lead worship, and assist in pastoral, evangelistic, and liturgical work.“They are the bridge between the secular and the sacred, embodying the Church's mission in their daily lives and professions. “LLMs are vital in nurturing the faith of others, leading educational courses, and ensuring that the connection between faith and daily life remains strong and vibrant.”And, isn’t it wonderful that Jackie has almost finished her training to become an LLM!Deacons are ordained ministers. They have to do more training than LLMs generally, and they have certain specific roles, which are in many ways complimentary to LLMs. Their role arises from the deacons we see in acts, as the church grew and spread. Deacons are heralds of God's kingdom. They’re called to serve the community, bringing to the Church the needs and hopes of all people. According to the Deacon’s ordination service, “they work with the Bishop and priests, proclaiming the gospel in word and deed, and reaching into the forgotten corners of the world that the love of God may be made visible.” It was that phrase about ‘hidden corners’ that really struck me at my ordination as deacon.How good am I at seeking out the forgotten corners of the world?How good are we at seeking out the forgotten corners of the world?OK, it’s named as a Deacon’s responsibility. But I think all the roles, LLMs, deacons etc, they all emphasise different aspects of what it means to be a Christian. And, we’re all very much in it together. Part of my job, I guess, is to help us work out together hoe to seek out those forgotten corners.The ordination service for Deacons goes on to say that they “are ministers of pastoral care, ensuring that the needy receive practical help and that the Church responds to the signs of God's presence as He reveals His kingdom among us. Priests, like me in Anglican and Roman Catholic roles (or presbyters as they’re called in the Methodist Church, or pastors in the Baptist Church), aim to represent Jesus and His Church through a ministry of teaching, preaching, celebration of the sacraments, and pastoral care.The ordination service for Priests in the Church of England goes on to say that Priests “are called to be servants and shepherds among the people, proclaiming the word of the Lord and watching for the signs of God's new creation. “Priests lead the community in worship, share in people's joys and sorrows, and encourage all to live out the Good News in their everyday lives.”My role here as an Interim Minister has a primarily Priestly focus, because that is what I have been trained and appointed to do. But it’s focus is mainly on leadership, as servant and shepherd. And Priests like me, that have been selected and trained for paid leadership roles, can apply for those roles. You wouldn’t be able to apply if you were an LLM or a Deacon, or a Priest that hasn’t done sufficient leadership training.A specific training pathway is needed into all these ministries. But it’s possible to progress from LLM to deacon to Priest to Archdeacon to Bishop to Archbishop.I started out doing LLM / Reader training. I’ve ended up as a Priest in a paid leadership role. But I have no ambitions to work my way up the career ladder and become an Archbishop. Sorry to disappoint you!Each of these roles is a response to the same call - a call to love, to serve, and to be Jesus' hands and feet in the world. Whether we’re called to be sacristans, intercession leaders, sides people, lay Eucharistic ministers, churchwardens, PCC members, deanery synod representatives, licensed lay ministers, deacons, priests, archdeacons, bishops, archbishops, or any other role, we’re all part of the one body of Christ, each with different gifts, passions and skills, but each with the same Spirit.As we contemplate our vocations, let’s remember that we’re not alone. We’re part of a community of believers, each discerning and responding to God's call in our daily lives. And the Church of England is essentially a tapestry of ministries, woven together by the threads of our diverse callings.In our journey of faith, let’s be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit, guiding us to where we’re needed most. Let’s be courageous in embracing our vocations, knowing that God equips those He calls.If, listening to this, you feel that you are being called to a specific ministry within the Church of England, please do have a chat with me. We can talk, and I can arrange for you to speak to someone to discuss further. We have various people appointed to help discern vocations.So, dear friends, let’s hold fast to the love of Jesus, abiding in Him as He abides in us.Let’s love one another as He has loved us, and in doing so, let’s fulfil our Godly vocation to bear lasting fruit for the kingdom of God. May the love of God with you as you live out your calling and may the love of Jesus inspire you to serve with joy and faithfulness.Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
Dear friends,This news update comes with my love and blessings as we journey onwards through Eastertide. I do hope that all is well with you? Please get in touch if there’s anything I can help you with.With love and kind regards,Reverend AnthonyGospel Singing DayMany thanks to everyone that made our Gospel Singing Day with Hannah Brine such a success on Saturday at St Matthew’s in Grosmont. It was such an uplifting day, and it helped to inspire Reverend Anthony’s sermon (see below) for Sunday morning. We plan other similar events, and quite a few people expressed an interest in being part of a new choir through the survey we have done. Watch this space for further information on that! Around forty people came on Saturday from across the county.Our Annual Church MeetingsWe mentioned a few weeks ago that we weren’t actively seeking to appoint any Churchwardens at this year’s annual meetings, but we’re delighted to announce that Ed Mangles and Nigel Parr were elected at Egton on 14th April. They are both very keen to collaborate across the benefice and develop new ways of distributing the Churchwardens’ responsibilities amongst those in our community willing to undertake aspects of the Churchwardens’ role. A similar approach will apply to the administration parts of Reverend Anthony’s Interim Minister’s role, as we continue to build a more straightforward and systematic approach to the day-to-day running of the four parishes and their six church buildings.We are also using the responses to the recent survey alongside our community forum discussions, and our involvement with John Day and the ‘Revitalise’ team from the Diocese, to begin to re-design our approach to how our parishes are run.Thanks to everyone currently involved in the many aspects of our church community – all your hard work is very much appreciated!Please do come along to the last of our four annual meetings if you can. It’s at Midday this coming Sunday, 5th May, at St Mary’s in Goathland.The Week AheadTomorrow - 30th April6:30 - 8:30 Sharing Space in Glaisdale at St ThomasSomething a little different at Sharing Space this week. We want to explore the importance of place in faith. We're meeting at St Thomas' and we'll have some refreshments first. Then we'll spend some time individually, absorbing and exploring the beautiful place, in the building and in the churchyard (if the weather is good). We'll then compare our thoughts and see where the discussion takes us. All are welcome to come along and be part of the group.Wednesday - 1st May8:30 Holy Communion Service in Goathland at The Bield, Beckhole Lane, YO22 5NEThursday - 2nd May10:30 - 2:30 Vi's Community Cafe in Grosmont at St Matthew's1:30 - 2:30 Play Space in Grosmont at St Matthew'sSunday - 5th May9:00 Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James10:45 Holy Communion in Goathland at St Mary's11:00 - 3:00 Spring Fair in Grosmont at St Matthew's12:00 Annual Church Meetings at St Mary’s in Goathland4:00 Fellowship Space - meet at The Hollin's Institute in GrosmontWe’re delighted to be welcoming Jackie Newton on Sunday morning at Lealholm and Goathland. Jackie is a licenced lay minister-in-training and she’ll be spending some time with us over the coming months as she looks forward to being licenced in September. Please come along and meet Jackie - she’s lovely and is full of enthusiasm! She’ll be helping Reverend Anthony lead our two services, and she’ll be coming to the annual meeting in Goathland.Helen and Chris invite you to Fellowship Space every first Sunday of the month. Topics vary but almost always include music and conversation. This Sunday the meeting starts with a walk in bluebell woods followed by tea and cake at home! Meet at The Hollins Institute, Institute Row, Grosmont YO22 5PQ (parking free on Front street from 4pm or, if available, at the Institute). We will leave for the walk at 4.10 pm. It is likely to be muddy and slippery so please bring appropriate footwear. Walking is at your own risk. In the case of wet weather we will not walk but have a social time. Sorry, but please no dogs!And last but my no means least, our Spring Fair is coming up on Sunday too, from 11 am at St Matthew’s. Refreshments served. If you would like to have a stall, please contact Hilary on 01947 895722. We always need help with making and serving food for refreshments. Please email us back if you can help with this or either of our community cafes. Thank you.Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Sunday: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.We had a wonderful Gospel singing day on Saturday with Hannah Brine at St Matthew’s in Grosmont. We sung,“I sing because I’m happy;I sing because I’m free;His eye is on the sparrowAnd I know He watches me.”That was an amazing experience – who’d have thought that was written back in 1905 by Civilla D Martin. The words we sang conveyed a sense of joy, contentment, and trust in a higher power. As Christians, we know that higher power is God, and the imagery of God’s watchful eyes on a sparrow symbolizes divine care and protection. God is in the detail of our lives. And the repetition of “I’m so happy” emphasizes Civilla D Martin’s deep happiness and faith. Overall, it’s a hopeful and uplifting message.I wonder what today’s readings can tell us about happiness, and whether they can add anything to our gospel song from yesterday?In our gospel reading, in verse 8, Jesus says, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." I wonder if bearing much fruit is intrinsically what makes us happy? Serving others, if you like? But how good are we at serving others? There are many people in our villages that feel insecure, isolated and vulnerable. Those that feel alienated from the world. Those that feel abandoned. Unloved.Jesus wants us to be happy, and I’m sure he would have been pleased with our gospel singing yesterday. In our beautiful Gospel passage, Jesus is explaining that we’re a part of him. Jesus is allowing us access to everything the Father gives him: Jesus will love us and value us, respect us and never let us go. In him we find our authenticity, our confidence and our relevance to God and to the rest of our world. A vine is a remarkable plant. As it grows, a vine develops a very thick and winding stem from which the branches emerge. The vines grow so that it can be hard to work out which branches are the original ones, and which branches are the fully grown ones.At the beginning of our Gospel passage, when Jesus says, "I am," in relation to the vine, we know that he speaks from his divine nature. "I am" is God's own name, given to Moses. And Jesus-as-God is the vine. The vine, and the wine that comes from it, are symbols of love, Jesus’ love in the form of his blood poured out for us and given to us as the sacramental wine we will share at Communion. Jesus is the visible source of love in his ministry on earth, and he invites us to become a part of that vine, a part of that love. But it’s important for us to remember that even though the vine’s branches all look alike, no two branches are exactly the same. They may weave and curl in similar ways, they may produce similar fruit following the same pattern. But each branch is unique. And this symbolises Jesus' call upon each of our lives. Jesus calls to us in our uniqueness to become joined with him in his purposes: spreading the love of God wherever we are. Serving others. We produce the same fruit from our individual branches, and we remain integrated and united with the original stem.Whether we’re fruitful vines or not depends upon us. And there is a cost to being a fruitful vine, of course, just as Jesus' life had a cost.The Holy Spirit wants us to be happy. The Wisdom of God which comes to us through the power of the Holy Spirit is God’s special gift: a gift which strengthens and inspires us to hold fast, to remain faithful and fruitful. We’re called to hang on to Jesus when we’re challenged by the world, and challenged through our personal hardships, too.And we’re called to hang in there even when we’re being "pruned" back a bit. But the wider our experience of God gets, good and bad, the deeper our understanding becomes. And sometimes, paradoxically, the more we suffer, the greater our capacity becomes to appreciate life as a precious gift. We see others more clearly through Jesus' eyes, and we place greater value on others. Our own little branch becomes an active extension of Jesus. And from that little branch grows a greater love for God and one another: the result is an expansion of love throughout our world. And that love is an expression of the joy that Jesus wants to lavish upon us. To let Jesus’ joy permeate our daily lives, and to express that joy, may, in unexpected and surprising ways, attract others to explore the essence of what it is that brings us that most wonderful cause for joy. Others that we serve then might discover such joy; such happiness.“I sing because I’m happy;I sing because I’m free;His eye is on the sparrowAnd I know He watches me.”Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor---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.
