3rd Sunday before Lent – morning
Sunday 17th February 2019
Proper 2 – 3 before Lent – morning
Jer. 17. 5-10
Luke 6. 17-26
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
When did life get so complicated? There was a time when going out for a cup of coffee was quite a simple affair. It would probably be instant – or if you were posh, maybe filter, but that was it!
Now we are faced with a bewildering array of choices – Latte, skinny latte, Americano, Cappuccino, Ristretto, Marciatto, …. and would madam like a shot with that? Hazelnut, mocha, gingerbread? Sometimes I feel like crying in despair, “just give me a cup of coffee!”
And the promise (or curse) of choice extends to all areas of our life it seems. What to wear, what to eat, where to go to school, where to work, live or take our leisure. What holidays do we take? Which utility company do we use? Where do we shop? Which bank do we trust?
Such is the proliferation of choice with which we are faced every day that a whole industry has grown up to assist us to compare, to contrast, to switch, to find out the going rate and find the best deal. But it doesn’t stop there; which comparison website should we choose to begin our research? There are so many (too many?) to choose from.
And rather than enhance our lives, all this choice can in fact cause us anxiety and blight our lives. And Anxiety must surely be one of the most destructive aspects of life today? Consumer choice is held up as the way to gain happiness, but is that really true?
Jeremiah gave his people and us a simple choice. Do we trust in God or not? It is quite straightforward; if you put all your trust in human power, you will be like a shrub in the desert, desperate for nourishment and shade.
If, however, you put your trust in God, you will be like a tree planted next to a river whose leaves remain green and luscious, bearing fruit to the end. It is an easy choice for once; do we want to flourish or not? Do we choose life, or death?
And in case anyone is in doubt, we are promised that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. If we choose him, we choose life in all its fullness. In him the world is turned upside down, expected human choices are subverted and we are invited to enter into a new way of looking at the world and of navigating life.
If we choose to live by the light of Christ, the poor will inherit the kingdom of God, the hungry will be satisfied, and those who weep will laugh. They are the ones who will now be called ‘happy’ or blessed. Choosing Christ opens up possibilities for everyone whose lives have been diminished previously: the downcast, the dejected, the dispossessed. All those who have been denied choice by human powers and dominions will find liberty in the blessings of Christ.
In contrast, those who appear to have prospered by following the values of the secular world, will find that they slowly wither away. The rich will be brought low, the well fed will be hungry, and those who laugh will come to mourn and weep.
So we are faced this morning with a simple choice: blessings or woes? To inherit life, and to be like the well-watered plants bearing fruits in their season, we are called to put ourselves next to those whom Jesus called ‘blessed’.
And if we choose Christ, the other choices we have to make in life will fall into their proper place. Christ will come first and all other decisions will follow. A friend of mine sometimes speaks of the need for us to mirror Christ in the world by being an ‘un-anxious presence’. Wise words in these days when all around all we seem to see and hear about is anxiety and stress. In a world of too many choices Christ offers us a simple one: believe. Choose life. So let us pray we can all say “Yes” and “Amen” to that!