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Sermon - The First Sunday in Lent (B) - 1st March 2009
St Alban's Anglican Church Epping 7 and 8am
Readings: John 2:13-22
“May the words of my mouth….”Hearing, being able to listen and hear is vital to our life and relationships. It has been said that the ear is man’s second most important sense organ.
Only our eyes are more important to us. Hearing lets us exchange ideas and opinions with other persons through speech. It also gives us pleasure. Through our ears, we enjoy the beauty of music and the sound of a loved one’s voice. It also protects us when we hear a warning call or signal. (U.S. Navy- “Now hear this” Roberts, Caine)
So we have hearing aids, implants, amplifiers, microphones audio loops that enable us to participate wherever we sit and feel a part of the audience or congregation.
To experience hearing loss whether through accident or age is very concerning.
1 . Sometimes we can experience a spiritualhearing loss when the Holy Spirit speaks to us through worship or words from the liturgy or the bible and we don’t hear or listen.
To experience this type of hearing loss or deafness is also very concerning. Let me quote some words of the psalmist. Ps.95. 7. “Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”
Spiritual deafness can lead to a hardening of the spiritual arteries and threatens spiritual disaster. He seems to be saying.” Listen, hear God’s voice.”
These words are very familiar to those who recall the service of Morning Prayer. They occur in the canticle, Venite, or psalm 95, which commences with the words “O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; O come let us worship, and fall down; and kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is the Lord our god: and we are the people of his hand. “Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
The writer then goes on to warn his listeners not to repeat what occurred when the children of Israel, under Moses were in the wilderness. On one occasion they complained bitterly that God was abandoning them as their water supplies were low and were vociferous in their criticism of Moses. The Lord provided water from a rock, when Moses was commanded to strike it with the special rod. But that place was called Meribah and Massiah, which mean “provocation” and “ temptation”. To tempt God seems to mean seeing how far one can go in not listening and disobeying Him.
I was vaguely familiar with the words of the Psalm and was probably suffering from a form of spiritual deafness, but there was an occasion when I heard these words as though they were explosions of dynamite. They completely changed the direction of my life.
2. Let me explain. Baptised at Holy Trinity, Kingsford, I had been a chorister at St.Jude’s Church, Randwick in my early primary school years. Confirmed by Bishop Pilcher when I was fifteen at St.Michael’s Church, Flinders Street, Surry Hills.
My association with the parish had been infrequent being seven years boarding at Newington College. Whenever I was on holiday the rector of St.Michael’s, Norman Fox a distant relative would ring me up and suggest joining the CEBS with Ian Shevill for a trip to Melbourne or playing in the church cricket team, with catechists like Jim Payne. The rector was a remarkable shepherd. My sister was in the church choir, my father was parish treasurer. After serving two years in the RAN, mostly overseas, as a young able seaman, my ship HMAS Arunta, escorted the first Australian occupation forces into Japan, I had been working as a journalist on the Grafton Daily Examiner, a daily newspaper published and printed in Grafton, owed by Sir Earle Page, a prominent Country Party politician, which was popular in the Clarence valley region.
It was a very fulfilling and happy time, boarding with a generous family whose head had been a champion shorthand writer with Hansard. I was very enthusiastic about my work and enjoyed every aspect of it from reporting daily items, to police rounds, occasional leader, and acting as recorder for a commission of enquiry into local corruption into racing.
Sport in the rowing club, surf club, a server at the cathedral, an active member of the dramatic society filled my days easily. I had it made, with plans for a city newspaper position, followed by working overseas in journalism in the future.
So when the editor asked me if I would be interested in reporting the first land based aeroplane service from Grafton to Sydney, I jumped at the chance and looked for a weekend at home with my parents.
3. On the Sunday evening it was suggested that I might like to drive the family car to the local parish church, for the final service of our student minister or catechist. I quickly agreed.
It was a service of Evening Prayer, and I looked at the hymns, then at the choir as they processed in. The sermon by my former cricket club captain, Jim Payne, was about the conversion of St.Paul. I was vaguely interested until I began to feel he was speaking about my personal situation, and began to feel under severe pressure. He was referring to someone who thought they were doing what God wanted, and had everything sewn up, but in reality they were doing the opposite.
St.Paul was confronted with the living Christ who informed him that he was on the opposite track to what God wanted and challenged him to a complete change and find fulfilment and meaning with Jesus.
Every word seemed to me aimed at me. Why would my former cricket captain disclose to the congregation my personal situation? What on earth had got into his head? I glanced around the church expecting every eye to be on me; perhaps some would be standing and pointing at me. I sat lower in my pew, hoping the service would conclude soon.
Jesus was challenging me. But I had everything organised in my life. I didn’t want to change. That was the finish of church for me. I would take a break from attending until this had passed over.
I returned to Grafton, glad to be back in a familiar environment and back to my job and recreation, but having a break from attending the cathedral and being a server. Gradually things returned to normal and I had almost forgotten the strange experience of my visit to Sydney.
4 . Then I was rostered to report on a special service at the cathedral for a visiting church dignitary, and went to the morning service, sat at the back pew and produced my pencil and shorthand notebook. The Venite was sung, and those words “Today if you hear his voice harden not your heart” transfixed my mind and heart. I knew I had to respond.
But I needed advice. I spoke in a vague sort of way to the diocesan registrar and choirmaster Arthur Singleton, and the diocesan youth chaplain, John Wagstaff They were my friends and were helpful. Bishop Christopher Storrs was away on leave.
Fortunately my previous rector in Sydney, Norman Fox, was now archdeacon of Lismore, not far away, and a fellow journalist who had a car, joined me one weekend staying with Ena and Norman Fox, and an opportunity occurred for me to pour out my heart and thoughts to a wise counsellor and Christian minister. Theological training was suggested and after some hesitation, I wrote to the principal, applying to enter the college for study and preparation to the Sacred Ministry.
My application was accepted and in March 1948 I commenced as a theological student.
Why have I chosen to preach on this verse? I am not quite certain. I have felt a growing guidance to choose this verse for today.
Perhaps there is someone listening this morning, who is perhaps in a similar position to mine on that day. A definite call from the Holy Spirit has been resisted and almost forgotten. It could be a call to a full time ministry; it could be a challenge to commitment to a particular role here in the parish. It could be a strong reminder of something we have left undone in our relationships.
If you hear the voice of Our Lord, don’t continue resisting. Give up spiritual deafness. You may be missing the chance of a lifetime.
In 1848, a young gifted Irish woman, Frances Humphreys, published her verses in a book “Hymns for Little Children”. John Keble wrote the preface and the profits were to be devoted to the support of deaf children. Many of her poems, attempt to teach young Christians about the meaning of the Apostles Creed.
Frances had a remarkable gift with her writing, which continued after her marriage to the Rev. William Alexander. He was later to become the Archbishop and Primate of All Ireland.
Her writing continued and you and I have enjoyed her wonderful ministry.
“ All things bright and beautiful”, “Once in Royal David’s City”, “There is a green hill far away” St.Patrick’s Breastplate “I bind unto myself today”, and one not so well known, “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult “ let me quote the final verse 5
“Jesus calls us, by your mercies, Saviour, may we hear your call, Give our hearts to your obedience, Serve and love you best of all. “Today if you hear his voice, harden not your heart”
PRAYER:Lord Christ, whose insistent call disturbs our settled lives: give us discernment to hear your voice, grace to relinquish our tasks, and courage to follow empty-handed wherever you may lead, so that your good news may reach the ends of the earth. Amen.