Second Sunday before Lent – morning
Sunday 16th February 2020
2 before Lent – morning
Genesis 1.1-2.3
Matthew 6. 25-end
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
Nada te turbe, nada te espante
Quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta
Nada te turbe, nada te espante
Solo Dios basta.
May nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you
Whoever knows God, lacks nothing
May nothing bother you, nothing scare you
God alone is sufficient.
I thought I would treat you to something a bit different this morning. That song comes from the Taize community in France – an Ecumenical Christian monastic community that was established after WWII by brother Roger Schutz– a reformed protestant and a lay person, and a group of other brothers who included, Roman Catholics, Protestants from all kinds of nationalities. They live in the Burgundy region of France and each year they attract thousands of young people (and others) who go to worship, to live in fairly basic conditions (although I think these have improved over the years).
They have become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage and are a very inclusive and attractive community and have produced a lot of simple meditative chants and songs – often in Latin, but sometimes – as with this one, in other languages too. Sadly Brother Roger met a violent death in 2005 – you may remember it being in the news, when a mentally disturbed young man fatally stabbed him. But the community and the music and the prayer and the bible study and the focus on reconciliation and ecumenism continue. If you are ever wanting to go – there is a very nice Guest House run by a former colleague and her husband, Ruth and Joe Cook who moved there some years ago from Wombourne . See me for further details!
Sometimes being told ‘not to worry’ is the surest way to make certain that we do become anxious…. How many of you had had a phone call that started, “Mum (or Dad) I don’t want to worry you, but….”? Yes, I thought so!
But this morning, Jesus is bidding us not to worry – not to “sweat the small stuff” – as I think some might put it today ?
And sometimes it is indeed good to go back to the very beginning and remember that there is a bigger picture. One that God is ultimately in charge of. It is good for us to sometimes lift our eyes from the detail of our daily concerns and see that we are in fact, part of greater narrative. The first chapter of the book of Genesis establishes the greatest story ever told. We hear of God’s creation – God’s creative act which begins with nothing and culminates in the creation of humankind – made in the image of God and capable of sharing with him in the act of creation. What a blessing! What a privilege! What a responsibility! … Oh, no – we are back to worrying!
Thousands of years later, Jesus finds himself among those who seem to have lost faith in what is possible. Their eyes are downcast, their hearts are fearful. Worry clouds their thoughts and furrows their brows. Perhaps the thrill of making a new start with Jesus and joining him on the road has begun to wear a bit thin? The realities of the itinerant life they are leading were becoming apparent perhaps? So Jesus reminds them of their ultimate origin and encourages them to consider that their horizons need to be much broader than they imagine. Jesus calls his disciples back to the beginning and to the utter, life-giving generosity of God. He offers a bigger picture, a grander narrative. And Jesus always calls us to see things differently and put our hope in him.
Yesterday the PCC and I went for our annual awayday. This is our opportunity to try and lift our eyes above the immediate needs of the church family and building and do some longer term planning and vision setting.
And it is only when we have time to spend with each other, pray with each other, argue and laugh together, eat together even, that such vision has a chance to emerge. It is incredibly important that we make time to do this – at least once a year (maybe more often in future?). And out of it will come our plan – our Mission Action Plan (MAP) for the next 12 and 36 months.
And God – and our forbears – have been incredibly generous where this church and this parish is concerned. We have very few worries when it comes to keeping the roof on this building (despite the winter storms), but we have become increasingly aware that there is so much more that we should and could be aspiring to achieve – Following Christ in the footsteps of St Chad, by living out our faith; taking the church to the community; and growing the church. And we don’t always have the financial and people resources regularly available to do all we would like, but that is our challenge.
That is our “bigger picture”, our broader horizon. And it is one that we hope you will come to share with us and help us to realise as we move forwards together.
We will try not to be over-anxious; to worry – because we know that God is ultimately in charge and is beckoning us forward. And whoever knows God, lacks nothing; God alone is sufficient. Nada te turbe. Amen.