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Sermon - The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (A) - 20th July 2008
St Aidan’s West Epping 8.30 am
Readings: Genesis 28:10-19; Psalm 139; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-43
What is your reaction to World Youth Day?
There has been a great variety of reactions in the media and the community, hasn’t there? Anger and resentment at the inconvenience and the expense. Frustration from those who feel that the Catholic Church is not dealing rightly with the evils of clergy abuse, sadly exacerbated by a very unhelpful response from Bishop Fisher. There is of course disinterest and bemusement from many, and surprise from others as to what a positive experience it has been for so many. And of course thousands and thousands of people have thrown themselves into the celebration as pilgrims, as volunteers, or as hosts of billets.
There has been enthusiasm, but there has also been criticism, not least from the Anglican Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, in two strongly worded articles in the Herald. The unity of the church is expressed in many ways, and the unity of the human race as well, as people from different churches and different backgrounds take part, including Viruben Watson from our own Parish, who was one of those involved in the journey of the cross on Friday.
As I have reflected on it all, I realize what a mixture of reactions I myself have had. I have wondered whether the expense and the hassle are appropriate. I have felt uncomfortable at some of the triumphalism which is to be seen. I have been delighted at the positive buzz that has been evident amongst the pilgrims, which has certainly had a happy effect on the city. And I am thrilled at such a major event which points people of all backgrounds to the story of Jesus, and the Christian gospel.
I was able to see some of the Way of the Cross on television, and saw that it had focussed on the biblical account and omitted some of the traditional sections which do not come from the Bible. That pleased me, and no doubt many others, but the associated repetition of the “Hail Mary”, especially where it had no connection with what was going on, did not please me at all!
So a mixed reaction from me. And yet I must always be pleased when people are being pointed to Jesus and encouraged in faith and in Christian living. The Roman Catholic Church is not what I believe it should be, and yes I have to agree with many of Phillip Jensen’s criticisms, even if I do not think he has presented them in a helpful way or a helpful context. But I am glad for the good things that are taking place in Sydney at this time, and I pray that many people, young and old, will be drawn to Jesus the Saviour through all that happens this week.
These reactions came to me as I was reflecting on the parable of Jesus that formed our Gospel this morning. Jesus tells of the farmer who sows good seed in his field. However an enemy sows weeds amongst the seed, weeds of a kind which will get mixed up with the good grain, and indeed which look rather like the good grain as it grows. How does the master deal with it? He knows that if he sets his workers the task of getting rid of the weeds as they are growing, they will destroy much of the good grain as well. So he tells them to leave it: harvest time is the time to sort out the weeds from the good grain. Then the weeds can be sorted out and destroyed, and the good grain will be ready for use. It is at harvest time that the right decisions can be made about what is good and what should be destroyed.
When Jesus tells the story, he tells his listeners that the kingdom of God is like that. What is he getting at?
We don’t have to guess, for Matthew records Jesus’ own explanation. The field is the world. And the good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the harvest is the end of the age.
What Jesus is saying is that the world is a mixture. There are God’s people and God’s enemies. Is it the task of God’s people to get rid of God’s enemies? Not at all. We’d make mistakes. We’d get it wrong, just as the laborers would make mistakes about the grain and the weeds. Judgement day will come, but it will not take place in this world.
Jesus is warning Christians not to set themselves up as judges on God’s behalf. We are certainly not to set ourselves up as executioners on God’s behalf. We are not to think that God wants us to use violence on his behalf to express his judgement or to further his kingdom. If the church had taken seriously the message of this parable, the Crusades would never have happened in the way they did, and the atrocities of the inquisition would never have been used as a means of dealing with those who were not Christians.
But there is a more specific level on which we need to see the relevance of the parable. For from the earliest days, it has been seen that there is something also here about the nature of the church. The church is also a mixture of genuine and false, of good and evil, of truth and error. We are thankful for the work of the Holy Sprit within the church, the Spirit of truth, who shows us the way of Christ, as Paul points out in Romans 8. But we are not perfectly open to his leading, and we all, even the most theologically expert amongst us, are prone to error. There is always more truth for us to learn. That should make a difference to the way we judge Christians with whom we disagree. My concern with Phillip Jensen’s articles is that they seemed to me to condemn far more than seeking to correct or persuade. The Catholic Church seemed to be treated as an outsider to true Christianity, rather than part of the family where Phillip saw problems. Is such an approach consistent with what Jesus is saying?
When we make judgements, our knowledge is always incomplete, our understanding is always limited. Of course we should assess the things that people say and do. We don’t have to believe that one idea, one faith is as valid as any other. That would be nonsense. And for us it would a denial of the one who is the way, the truth and the life.
We all come to scripture with our own stories, our own experience, our own understanding and assumptions. Yes, scripture will show us the truth of God, the truth of Christ, the true way to follow him. And it is not as vague and confusing as some would like to convince us.
But there are different approaches to scripture which lead people to different conclusions about particular issues. Some of those conclusions may well be wrong. Some may be equally valid as ours. Or we may be wrong in our own understanding. We must be ready to listen, to understand and even to learn when our natural inclination is to assume that someone is in the wrong. Of course, we must also remain strong in our convictions until they are shown to be wrong. God’s truth is still true truth.
In other words, we need to be sure of the basis when we conclude that someone is wrong. When a Christian leader accuses someone of blasphemy, they need to be very sure of their grounds. Let us test the reliability of our own convictions, let us test our understanding of the other person, before we condemn.
We are not the judges. We are not the source of all knowledge. Like the world, like the church, each of us is a mixture of goodness and sin, of truth and error. Did you notice in that amazing Psalm we said, that the Psalmist speaks with slightly mixed feelings? It is wonderful that God knows us inside out, it is wonderful that God is never absent from us. But isn’t it also something that makes us uncomfortable? Aren’t there times when we try to pretend that God is not there? Aren’t there times that we almost hope that God doesn’t notice our actions, our words, our thoughts? We haven’t arrived yet! At the end, the Psalmist invited the Lord to examine him inside and out: I think he knows that he is not perfect, but he wants to be open to the Lord, who knows and understands, who forgives and heals.
So when we look at branches of the church and see their faults and mistakes, let us remember that others are doing the same to us. Only God knows truth perfectly. There is a judgement coming, a judgement by the One who will get it right: a judgement which we approach in hope only because Jesus’ death brings forgiveness for our sins and failings.
God alone is judge. God alone knows us completely: and when he sees our faults and failures, he views them not only with the eyes of knowledge, but with the heart of understanding and love.
We all follow Christ with our blind sports and failings, seeking to be open to the message of Christ, open to the correction of the Spirit. We are not judges. We are disciples. As Christ’s disciples, we are to follow, to learn, and not to judge. We are thankful that the true judge knows all, and loves us anyway. Amen.