{"id":2617,"date":"2019-02-17T22:04:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-17T22:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=2617"},"modified":"2019-03-04T15:38:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T15:38:53","slug":"sermon-17th-february-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-17th-february-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 17th February 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermons index<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3rd Sunday before Lent – morning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Sunday 17th February 2019 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Proper 2 – 3 before Lent – morning
\nJer. 17. 5-10
\nLuke 6. 17-26<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Maureen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\nWhen did life get so\ncomplicated? There was a time when going out for a cup of coffee was\nquite a simple affair. It would probably be instant \u2013 or if you\nwere posh, maybe filter, but that was it! \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nNow we are faced with a\nbewildering array of choices \u2013 Latte, skinny latte, Americano,\nCappuccino, Ristretto, Marciatto, …. and would madam like a shot\nwith that? Hazelnut, mocha, gingerbread? Sometimes I feel like crying\nin despair, \u201cjust give me a cup of coffee!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd the promise (or curse) of\nchoice extends to all areas of our life it seems. What to wear, what\nto eat, where to go to school, where to work, live or take our\nleisure. What holidays do we take? Which utility company do we use?\nWhere do we shop? Which bank do we trust?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSuch is the proliferation of\nchoice with which we are faced every day that a whole industry has\ngrown up to assist us to compare, to contrast, to switch, to find out\nthe going rate and find the best deal. But it doesn\u2019t stop there;\nwhich comparison website should we choose to begin our research?\nThere are so many (too many?) to choose from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd rather than enhance our\nlives, all this choice can in fact cause us anxiety and blight our\nlives. And Anxiety must surely be one of the most destructive aspects\nof life today? Consumer choice is held up as the way to gain\nhappiness, but is that really true?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nJeremiah gave his people and\nus a simple choice. Do we trust in God or not? It is quite\nstraightforward; if you put all your trust in human power, you will\nbe like a shrub in the desert, desperate for nourishment and shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf, however, you put your\ntrust in God, you will be like a tree planted next to a river whose\nleaves remain green and luscious, bearing fruit to the end. It is an\neasy choice for once; do we want to flourish or not? Do we choose\nlife, or death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd in case anyone is in\ndoubt, we are promised that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.\nIf we choose him, we choose life in all its fullness. In him the\nworld is turned upside down, expected human choices are subverted and\nwe are invited to enter into a new way of looking at the world and of\nnavigating life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf we choose to live by the\nlight of Christ, the poor will inherit the kingdom of God, the hungry\nwill be satisfied, and those who weep will laugh. They are the ones\nwho will now be called \u2018happy\u2019 or blessed. Choosing Christ opens\nup possibilities for everyone whose lives have been diminished\npreviously: the downcast, the dejected, the dispossessed. All those\nwho have been denied choice by human powers and dominions will find\nliberty in the blessings of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn contrast, those who appear\nto have prospered by following the values of the secular world, will\nfind that they slowly wither away. The rich will be brought low, the\nwell fed will be hungry, and those who laugh will come to mourn and\nweep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo we are faced this morning\nwith a simple choice: blessings or woes? To inherit life, and to be\nlike the well-watered plants bearing fruits in their season, we are\ncalled to put ourselves next to those whom Jesus called \u2018blessed\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd if we choose Christ, the\nother choices we have to make in life will fall into their proper\nplace. Christ will come first and all other decisions will follow. A\nfriend of mine sometimes speaks of the need for us to mirror Christ\nin the world by being an \u2018un-anxious presence\u2019. Wise words in\nthese days when all around all we seem to see and hear about is\nanxiety and stress. In a world of too many choices Christ offers us a\nsimple one: believe. Choose life. So let us pray we can all say \u201cYes\u201d\nand \u201cAmen\u201d to that!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 … <\/p>\n

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