Sunday 25 September

This moring we continue with our studies in Matthew Gospel and will consider the story of Jesus calming the storm from three perspectives to build a picture of knowing the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Last week we learned that discipleship begins not with us and our gifts and dedication but with knowing the hhelaing touch of Jesus.

Matthew 8 v14-22 - 'Healed to Serve'

First there was the leper, the man who was unclean, the man whom people fled from; to the horror of the crowd Jesus does not simply heal him He touches Him Jesus not only cures his leprosy He restores him as a human being. Then there is the non-Jew the Gentile centurion, to the horror of the crowds Jesus offers to go to the man’s home to heal his son. Now there is Peter’s mother-in-law. An older lady, past child bearing years, no doubt she is just a burden on the family, just another mouth to feed with nothing much to give who would bother with her. More than that she is suffering from a fever she too should not be touched, to touch her means becoming unclean but Jesus ministers to her.

All the time Matthew is teaching us that there is no one Jesus considers worthless; it His touch that brings wholeness. He is willing to become unclean; He is willing to take upon Himself the filth and the stench of our guilt that makes us obnoxious to God in order to restore us to fellowship with God.

When you look in the mirror who do you see? Do you see the leper someone whom no one wants to know, a pariah, someone decent people turn away from. Do you the centurion someone who is an outsider, you have no religious background, in your won world people admire you and you have your friends; but amongst those who really matter, those who know what goodness is; you are an outsider you do not belong. Do you see the old woman? Someone who was never worth much anyway, but now way past your best with nothing left to give. It is funny but here in Matthew 8 Jesus restores the leper, befriends the centurion, heals Peter’s mother in law but he turns way the bright you teacher of the law who wants Jesus to be his teacher; He turns away the zealous religious man who wants to follow but must do his duty first.

What Matthew is telling us is that discipleship begins not with us coming to Jesus and laying at His feet our devotion, our gifts and zeal. Discipleship begins with Jesus simply touching us and making us whole.

Fascinatingly Matthew connects Jesus healing of the leper, the centurion’s son and Peter’s mother-in-law to Isaiah’s prophecy about the suffering servant whom he saw as being pierced for iniquities. Matthew sees the leper finding his withered limb restored and going home to his family, the centurion going home and finding his son, or his servant, fit and well and pater’s mother-in-law rising from her sick bed and serving Jesus as being pictures of knowing the healing of forgiveness that flows from cross.

For us guilt is a big thing. We find the past condemning us, so many, many painful memories. We find the great commandments, ‘thou shalt have no God’s before me’ ‘thou shalt not steal, lie, covet’ condemning us. We find Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount condemning us ‘You have heard it said anyone who murders will be subject to judgement … but I say ‘you fool’ will be subject to hell fire.’ There are so many people who make us feel small and inadequate. Guilt is a big, big thing for us. Guilt cripples us in so many ways. I spoke to a lady once who told me that she refused to believe in god because she knew that she would be in hell for all that she had done. Guilt made her turn away from God and the whole possibility that he might just be bigger than our failure. That is what guilt does it. She could not open her eyes to behold the beauty of Jesus for she feared condemnation.

But for Jesus dealing with guilt is easy; all it takes is a word. To the woman caught in adultery, just a word, ‘Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.’ To the murderer and thief on the cross next to Him, just a word ‘you will be with me in paradise.’ To Thomas who poured scorn on His resurrection ‘Behold my wounds.’ Those words cost Jesus His life, but He uttered them nonetheless.

I used to wonder what was in Jesus’ eyes what was in his voice as He spoke to Thomas in the Upper Room. Thomas is so brash so scornful, ‘Unless I see nail marks in His hands and put my fingers where the nails were; I will not believe it.’ ‘You are credulous fools’ he is saying to his fellow disciples, ‘I’ll not be taken in as you have been.’ All the time Jesus is there; how does Jesus react? What is in His eyes what is in His voice? The one day at the Clydebank crematorium I had put together a series of short readings from John’s Gospel John 1 the uncreated Word, the glory of the Saviour. John 3 – why He came, not to judge but to save; John 17 – His prayer for us in the Upper Room that we should be with Him forever. Then John 20 Jesus appears to Thomas – Jesus greater than our unbelief. I put John 3 and John 20 together and there was my answer. Jesus did not appear to Thomas to sneer at him, or to crush him but that Thomas too would know resurrection life. So it would be with the warmest of smiles and with the most tender, forgiving love in his eyes that Jesus would have said to Thomas ‘Behold my hands!’ It gave Jesus the greatest joy to say these words to Thomas in a way that created faith and trust in Thomas’s heart; it took just a word to restore Thomas but that word cost Jesus His life.

The leper could not heal himself. The Roman centurion could do nothing to help his son. Peter’s mother in law was helpless, delirious with a fever. Discipleship always begins with us knowing the gentle life giving touch of the Saviour.

So the crowds flock to Jesus. We know from other stories that Jesus found healing exhausting; energy strength, life drained out of Him as He ministered to others and so to recover the commentators suggest He sought some time apart on the other side of the Sea of Galilee just to recuperate. A few weeks ago I had to make a routine visit to the doctor and there with him was a student, he looked about 12, and so the student as part of his training had to find out all that had happened to me in the last couple of years and he did it very well and could answer all the questions our doctor put to him. Later another lady I know was visiting the same doctor and the same student was there. This lady had been through a hard time and the doctor said she needed to take things easy and allow her strength return she needed to convalesce. He turned to the student and asked him if he knew what ‘convalescence’ meant and he struggled to give an answer! Whilst I was convalescing last year for three or four months all I read was PG Wodehouse. My brain needed a rest. Sometimes all God the Father wanted Jesus to do was rest and all He wants you to do is to rest.

But as he makes His way to the shore at Capernaum Jesus meets two young men who are both keen to have Jesus as their teacher, one who will deepen their knowledge of the Torah. Both men have their qualities but Jesus perceives that neither really understands what knowing God’s will really means.

It was the practice in Jesus’s times for a young man who was keen to become an expert in God’s law himself to go around listen to various teachers of the law and then choose the one whom he thought he could learn most from. This first young man has, evidently, listened to Jesus discerned that He has an authority the other teachers of the law do not have and that he would learn much from Him. Bjt Jesus turns him away saying, ‘Foxes have their holes and the birds of the air their nests but the Son of man has no place to rest his head.’

Did this young man see the law of God as something very beautiful to be admired? Did he see it as an essential part of the Jewish culture that had to be protected? Or was he a young man that loved an argument and wanted to become skilled in debate?

Jesus is saying to him that knowing the will of God is none of these things; it is a life it is something you live. It is bearing the ignorance of the crowd, not being repulsed by the stench it is allowing life flow out of you and reaching out and touching a leper.

To the second young man who came Jesus said, ‘Let the dead bury the dead.’ According to Jewish custom it was a son’s duty in fulfilment of the sixth commandment ‘thou shalt honour your father and your mother…’ that he should return home and organise his father’s funeral and that he should then remain at home for six days of mourning. For this man knowing the law of God was doing one’s duty.

The trouble with duty is there is no life in it, it is for the dead. Those without the imagination to see the beauty of and old lady everyone else considers useless rising from what all assume to be her death bed to make Jesus some scones and serve them to Him for His tea. Those without the heart to say ‘Your son is dying, take me to him.’ Those without the eyes to see the remarkable faith of the centurion and rejoice that God the Father could allow a Gentile see the glory of the Saviour so clearly. This guy I am sure could have invented a thousand reasons why it was better for the centurion’s son to die Peter’s mother-in-law to fade away it was more than his job’s worth, he lacked the imagination to show compassion and now the law fulfilled with love.

So the gifted and the dutiful are turned away and the leper, the centurion and the old lady get on with loving and serving Christ. Discipleship begins not with the gifts and the dedication we bring to Christ but with the healing touch of the Saviour.

Sunday 18 September

A normal Sunday in BVP when we continue with our studies in Matthew's Gospel. I have decided to rearrange the pages on the blog. I have moved Order of Service to where the Sermons were and am putting the sermons on the first page because the blog then keeps back issues as it were.

On Sunday 11 September we considered the Centurion of great faith ...

Matthew 8 v5-13

'Amazing Faith'

Many, many years ago I worked as a student cutting grass for quite a few summers cutting at Fort George. One chap used to tell great jokes but they were told with rough language that would have made Billy Connelly blush. One day I thought I would be smart and retell one of his jokes as he told it. Instead of getting roars of laughter the other blokes looked stunned and turned away saying they never thought they would hear me speak like that. I learned the lesson the hard way that when you are a Christian people expect you to live as Christian. I have never forgotten the stunned silence that followed my telling of the story.

There would have been stunned silence amongst the crowd and the disciples as Jesus touched the leper; it simply was not done to touch such a man but Jesus did it. Now again as the centurion approaches Jesus and asks him to heal his servant, or as some versions of the story have it, the man’s son and Jesus makes to go to this man’s home, the crowds, the disciples would have been stunned. Jews did not mix with Gentiles and certainly did not visit their homes! A stunned silence would have followed Jesus offer to go to this man’s house.

The willingness of Jesus to visit the centurion’s house anticipates a story in Acts 10. Peter is at prayer and all of sudden he has this weird vision: a large sheet is lowered down from heaven, and on the sheet are all kinds of animals sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, reptiles, crocodiles, armadillos, alligators and birds of the air, eagles, sparrows, doves, guinea fowl, ducks, geese. Now it turns out this sheet is the menu for the day and a voice commands him, ‘Get up Peter. Kill and eat.’ On this al a carte menu there are animals and birds the Jews considered unclean, and so Peter protests saying he has never eaten anything unclean. But the voice declares ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ Peter is so slow on the uptake this happens three times. Peter is completely bemused.

Then there was a knock on Peter’s door some men had arrived from Caesarea inviting Peter to the home of a centurion there called Cornelius. When he arrives at Caesarea Peter goes to the home of, Cornelius falls in reverence at Peter’s feet; but Peter says to him ‘Get up I am only a man myself!’ The meaning of the sheet descending with all the different animals on it becomes plain and Peter realises that the mercy and grace of God are not just for Jews like him but for Gentiles too.

A great deal is made today of how we are to be free of prejudice and be welcoming to all who would come to worship with us no matter their colour, gender age, nationality culture. For the most part most of us do not have a problem with that; except for one person. I think there maybe just one person you cannot accept as a child of God, you cannot accept that this Christ died for this person and he or she is forgiven once and for all. It is someone you know well; you have suffered at their hands and so have those who are precious and dear to you. The memory of what they have done haunts you. That person is you.

Go home, look at yourself in the mirror, remember Christ giving His life for you, rebuke the accusing voice and say, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

Our normal practice when studying the Gospels is to concentrate upon Christ and learn more and more about Him. But this morning I would like us to concentrate on the centurion. His great faith astonished Jesus and so I would like us to study this man that we might discern what it is about him that made him so remarkable.

Centurions as the name implies were in today’s terms junior and middle ranking army officers; they could command 100 sometimes 200 legionaries. But they were not backroom staff coordinating a battle from a safe distance they fought alongside the ordinary foot soldiers were expected to lead the charge mortality rates among centurions was therefore high. But more than centurions were to lead by example. Their example of their courage, skill in the arts of war and appetite for the fight was to be an example to the 100 soldiers around them.

The Jews would have been astonished at Jesus offering to go to this man’s home; but how shocked the centurion’s entourage must have been at this warrior, whom they all looked up to, seeking the help of the carpenter of Nazareth.

The first thing that strikes me about this centurion is that he was a man who knew his limitations; he could lead a hundred men in battle, he could lead the men over the top and rouse them to a frenzy of murderous fury but there was nothing he could do for his friend who lay dying; this centurion could destroy and be an angel of death but he could not bring life; s his friend lay dying he was utterly impotent there was nothing he could do. But he does not surrender to despair and give in to the hopelessness of the situation; he comes to the one man who can help Jesus of Nazareth.

Then secondly what strikes me about this man is that even though he is a man of some importance in the Roman army and is used to having people come and go at his command he realises that if Jesus was to enter his home to heal his servant Jesus would be declared unclean and would suffer greatly at the hands of the Jewish religious officials and so though Jesus is willing to come to his home he is not willing to allow Jesus suffer unduly. The centurion in spite of his position is remarkably considerate and kind in his dealings with Jesus. Jesus was subject to so much criticism, so much ridicule and rejection this man’s consideration and kindness must have moved Jesus deeply.

Thirdly, there is his insight. He discerns that Jesus does not use magic spells and the cheap tricks of the illusionists and sham healers to effect His remarkable healings Jesus authority rests not magical incantations and spells but in simple plain authority. Just as he as a soldier has a hundred men at his command Jesus as the Son of God has the created order at His command and just as soldiers obey the centurion so the forces of nature obey Jesus. This man with a clear eye sees through to the true source of all Jesus power.

Then fourthly there is his quiet acceptance of Jesus word. Jesus says ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And the centurion simply accepts Jesus word. There is no flash of lightening in the sky, stars do not come twinkling from Jesus lips as He utter the words, Jesus does not wave a magic wand and a flash of light streams from the end of the wand to the man’s house enters the servant’s room and zaps him to life. No the centurion accepts Jesus word.  Turns and walks home. I find that incredible. I think I would be dragging Jesus to 20 St Kilda Drive ushering Him upstairs and then watching as He placed His hands on my son’s head and listening breathlessly to every word of the prayer. But the centurion simply takes Jesus as His word.

Then there is joy; within the hour the servant, or the centurion’s son, is healed and faith finds its fulfilment and there is great joyous celebration and this centurion quietly in a corner worshipping Jehovah and Christ Jesus.

In the Old Testament we are taught that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and the problem for us is that we think of fear in terms of awe even of dread; whereas we have non word in English that conveys what the fear of God is. One great German scholar Rudolf Otto tried to find a German word that described the Hebrew means by our translation of the ‘fear of the Lord’ and found there was nothing in the German language that could convey the meaning either; so he used the Latin mysterium tremendum.

But the fear of the Lord is all that this Roman centurion experienced in the presence of Christ. Knowledge of one’s absolute inadequacy and incapacity, the desire to exalt Christ, knowledge of His absolute authority, rest in His willingness and delight in doing good, joy in His mercy and compassion. One of the fascinating things about the centurion is that all these thoughts and insights were churning around in His at the one time. One moment he is overwhelmed by his powerlessness, the next he is rejoicing in the greatness of Christ, he is cast in meekness at the feet of Christ, he is receiving the blessing of Christ and delighting in Christ’s joy in his faith. All these things together, each one gaining strength from the other, is what the Old Testament knows as the fear of the Lord.

The amazing thing is that throughout the whole Old Testament period God longed to find such amazing faith in the hearts of His people and found it only occasionally, say, in the great prophets like Elijah certainly not in the ordinary people and most certainly not in a pagan Roman. Here in Galilee Jesus comes across this centurion who exhibits the true fear of God that He has longed for since the opening pages of Genesis.

What can this mean? It can only mean one thing; that God the father heard the anguished cry of this centurion as he cried out to the heavens for his beloved to be healed. God the father then sends the Holy Spirit to open this man’s mind to who Jesus is and the authority and compassion that resides in Jesus. Then Jesus delights in meeting this man’s need and heals the servant. The man then rejoices in the greatness of God.

This whole wonderful movement between the persons of the Trinity is known as the perichoresis. Perichoresis is a Greek word and literally peri means around and choresis means to dance. So perichoresis means to dance around. Perichoresis describes the joy and delight God the Father has in the goodness of Christ the Son and of how the Son takes pleasure and is in complete harmony with the goodness and compassion of the Father; and of how the Spirit delights in honouring the Son at the Father’s bidding.

So what is really happening in this story is God the Father thinking to Himself how can I bless Jesus today how can I make my beloved’s heart overflow with joy. He hears the prayer of the centurion and sends the Holy Spirit to this man to lead him into Jesus presence and open this pagan Roman’s eyes to the splendour of who Jesus is. Jesus then delighting in the Father’s compassion heals the servant rejoicing in the this wonderful fear of God, this mysterium tremendum, the Spirit has created in this man’s heart the knowledge that God the Father is doing a wonderful and new thing in the world that is greater even than all he has done past for His people Israel This wonderful joyous flow of goodness and grace between the Father, Son and the Spirit is perichoresis and the centurion becomes part this wonderful dance as he worships Christ.

This is the joy and wonder of the Christian life that as we know the fear of God, the mysterium tremendum we too become part of the perichoresis.

As we come to the our Lord’s Table today, conscious of how destructive our lives have been, knowing that only Jesus can heal and bring life, as we come conscious of His goodness and wanting Him and Him alone to be exalted, as we come to the Table with a simple trust in his word and quietly give thanks for His goodness; all these things together mark the fear of God, the mysterium tremendum and quiet unconsciously we are caught up in the great dance of the Godhead, the perichoresis.

Sunday 18 September

Tomorrow in BVP have a 'normal' Sunday when we continue our stuies in Matthew's Gospel. OUr Order of Service will be:

Introit

Call to Worship

Hymn 162 The God of Abraham praise

Collect / Lord’s Prayer

Children’s Address

Hymn 181 For the beauty of the earth

Prayer of Approach

Intimations

Offering / Dedication

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 8 v 14-17 p972

Prayer of Intercession

Hymn 98 Oh, hear my prayer Lord

Sermon:  ‘Healed to Serve’

Hymn 461 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

Benediction / Sung Amen

Sunday 11 September

This Sunday we look forward to welcoming everyone to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We will be continuing our studies in Matthew by examing the faith of the centurion who astonished Jesus. Our Order of Service will be:

Introit

Call to Worship

Hymn  39 God the Lord, the king almighty

Collect / Lord’s Prayer

Children’s Address

Hymn 531 My Jesus my Saviour

Prayer of Approach

Intimations

Offering / Dedication

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 8 v 5—13 p972

Prayer of Intercession

Hymn 550 As the deer pants for the water

Sermon:  ‘Amazing Faith’

Hymn 553 Just as I am without one plea

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Hymn 662 Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts

Benediction / Sung Amen

Sunday 4 September

This morning as we prepare for Communion next week-end we have th joy of welcoming Miss Katrina Birss as a new member. Our Evening Services will resume at 6.30pm with a new series of studies in the prophecy of Zechariah.

Introit

Call to Worship:

Hymn 64 Sing all Creation

Collect / Lord’s Prayer

Children’s Address: ‘Family Problems’

Hymn 426 All heaven declares

Prayer of Approach

Welcome of Miss Katrina Birss to BVP

Intimations

Offering / Dedication

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 8 v1—13 p772

Prayer of Intercession

Hymn 606 Lord sometimes you speak in wonders

Sermon:  ‘I am Willing’

Hymn 356 Meekness and majesty

Benediction / Sung Amen