{"id":3728,"date":"2020-02-16T12:59:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T12:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=3728"},"modified":"2020-02-16T13:08:36","modified_gmt":"2020-02-16T13:08:36","slug":"sermon-16th-february-2020-morning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-16th-february-2020-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 16th February 2020 – morning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

Second Sunday before Lent – morning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Sunday 16th February 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

2 before Lent – morning
\nGenesis 1.1-2.3
\nMatthew 6. 25-end<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Nada te turbe, nada te espante
Quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta
Nada te turbe, nada te espante
Solo Dios basta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you<\/em>
Whoever knows God, lacks nothing<\/em>
May nothing bother you, nothing scare you<\/em>
God alone is sufficient.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought I would treat you to something a bit different this morning. That song comes from the Taize community in France \u2013 an Ecumenical Christian monastic community that was established after WWII by brother Roger Schutz\u2013 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have become one of the world\u2019s 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 \u2013 often in Latin, but sometimes \u2013 as with this one, in other languages too. Sadly Brother Roger met a violent death in 2005 \u2013 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 \u2013 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSometimes being told \u2018not to\nworry\u2019 is the surest way to make certain that we do become\nanxious…. How many of you had had a phone call that started, \u201cMum\n(or Dad) I don\u2019t want to worry you, but….\u201d? Yes, I thought so!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut this morning, Jesus is\nbidding us not to worry \u2013 not to \u201csweat the small stuff\u201d \u2013 as\nI think some might put it today ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd sometimes it is indeed\ngood to go back to the very beginning and remember that there is a\nbigger picture. One that God is ultimately in charge of. It is good\nfor us to sometimes lift our eyes from the detail of our daily\nconcerns and see that we are in fact, part of greater narrative. The\nfirst chapter of the book of Genesis establishes the greatest story\never told. We hear of God\u2019s creation \u2013 God\u2019s creative act which\nbegins with nothing and culminates in the creation of humankind \u2013\nmade in the image of God and capable of sharing with him in the act\nof creation. What a blessing! What a privilege! What a\nresponsibility! … Oh, no \u2013 we are back to worrying!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThousands of years later,\nJesus finds himself among those who seem to have lost faith in what\nis possible. Their eyes are downcast, their hearts are fearful. Worry\nclouds their thoughts and furrows their brows. Perhaps the thrill of\nmaking a new start with Jesus and joining him on the road has begun\nto wear a bit thin? The realities of the itinerant life they are\nleading were becoming apparent perhaps? So Jesus reminds them of\ntheir ultimate origin and encourages them to consider that their\nhorizons need to be much broader than they imagine. Jesus calls his\ndisciples back to the beginning and to the utter, life-giving\ngenerosity of God. He offers a bigger picture, a grander narrative.\nAnd Jesus always calls us to see things differently and put our hope\nin him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nYesterday the PCC and I went\nfor our annual awayday. This is our opportunity to try and lift our\neyes above the immediate needs of the church family and building and\ndo some longer term planning and vision setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd it is only when we have\ntime to spend with each other, pray with each other, argue and laugh\ntogether, eat together even, that such vision has a chance to emerge.\nIt is incredibly important that we make time to do this \u2013 at least\nonce a year (maybe more often in future?). And out of it will come\nour plan \u2013 our Mission Action Plan (MAP) for the next 12 and 36\nmonths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd God \u2013 and our forbears \u2013\nhave been incredibly generous where this church and this parish is\nconcerned. We have very few worries when it comes to keeping the roof\non this building (despite the winter storms), but we have become\nincreasingly aware that there is so much more that we should and\ncould be aspiring to achieve \u2013 Following\nChrist in the footsteps of St Chad, by living out our faith; taking\nthe church to the community; and growing the church.<\/strong>\n And we don\u2019t always have the financial and people resources\nregularly available to do all we would like, but that is our\nchallenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThat is our \u201cbigger\npicture\u201d, our broader horizon. And it is one that we hope you will\ncome to share with us and help us to realise as we move forwards\ntogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWe will try not to be\nover-anxious; to worry \u2013 because we know that God is ultimately in\ncharge and is beckoning us forward. And whoever knows God, lacks\nnothing; God alone is sufficient. Nada te turbe. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 espanteQuien a Dios tiene, nada le faltaNada te turbe, nada te espanteSolo Dios basta. May nothing disturb you, nothing frighten youWhoever knows God, lacks nothingMay nothing … <\/p>\n

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