Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 25 August 2024.
PICTURE
• First Reading: 1 Kings 8: 22-30, 41-43 (Solomon’s prayer of dedication)
• Epistle: Ephesians 6: 10-20 (The armour of God)
• Gospel: John 6: 56-69 (Many disciples desert Jesus)
Amid the tragic sinking of the superyacht off Sicily there will be questions of what weather alerts were available and what action was taken by the night watch and skipper when any warnings were issued. That is of course for the Italian authorities to probe.
But weather forecasts are essential for any who live off or find pleasure in the sea. We have our own shipping forecasts, and then there are the coastal and inshore waters forecasts. And mariners of all kinds will pay attention to them.
But Jesus also issued some warnings of His own. There is the warning that discipleship means taking up a cross and following Jesus while bearing it. There is the house built on sand not rock and which collapsed when the storm came. Jesus Himself warned us that in our lives there would be costs of discipleship, and so to be prepared for them.
And so King Solomon, in dedicating the temple in Jerusalem to the Lord prayed that the prayers of the people may be heard, including those of foreigners.
For some reason, our lectionary compilers censored out the instances of national or personal trial when prayers might be offered and Solomon’s plea that God would hear and heed the foul weather prayers as well as the fair weather ones.
But then Jesus was also confronted by the disillusionment of some of His followers when He said things that were difficult to understand or accept.
They were all used to the idea of eating the sacrifices made to God in the Temple, the fellowship meals of the Passover, but when Jesus spoke of eating Himself then puzzlement became anger and rejection.
These were things that they did not understand and so many followers rejected them and walked away.
But not all. You can hear the disappointment in Jesus’ voice when He turned to His own intimate circle and said, ‘What about you? Do you want to leave as well?’
But this was also where, digging down, Jesus found rock. The solid foundation was still there and Peter, himself whom Jesus had called the Rock, expressed it.
‘Lord, where shall we go?’ Who else could they follow? What other alternatives were there? They had already seen Jesus’ miracles and they had heard His teaching and the way He responded to opposition.
They had already tasted of the life that Jesus had to offer. Who else could offer anything remotely comparable? Certainly not the Pharisees or Sadducees who were tied up in their own worlds of interpreting the law according to their own understandings.
Having tasted of the things of Jesus, Peter and the disciples knew that there was nothing even vaguely similar elsewhere.
And so they determined to continue with Jesus even when there was plenty about Him and His mission that they still did not understand.
But then Jesus had said something important about following Him: the Greatest Commandment was to love God with all their hearts and souls, minds and strength. It came even before loving their neighbours as themselves.
And when the teaching became difficult, even obscure then they were to love the Lord anyway. And loving Him with the mind meant waiting and pondering. It certainly did not mean throwing verbal or intellectual tantrums. It did not mean demanding full clarity and explanation there and then.
It would mean waiting and pondering – comparing the question at hand with things already said and done to see if any light could come from them. Having another look at the scriptures, maybe talking it over with one another. And yes, Jesus Himself would also explain things to them when all was quiet.
Paul looks at another aspect of doubts and disappointments.
His letter to the Ephesians sees these things as part of a spiritual opposition – even warfare. There were powers and spirits around which would want to undermine the faith and commitment of the disciples.
Get them to doubt Jesus or the scriptures. Doubt their own salvation and forgiveness of sins. Question whether their faith was relevant or reliable in a new, scientific and progressive age.
Certainly doubt and if possible reject the life and teachings of the church.
But then there were and are defences. He writes about a spiritual armour, to be taken up daily. The starting point is to stand firm on the ground already won by Jesus in His death and resurrection.
But then, starting with the belt of truth – the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ – the breastplate of His righteousness (certainly not our own) – shoes of the gospel of peace, protecting our feet and path in our daily walk with God.
Then there is faith, like a shield, not just stopping those assaults of doubt but overcoming them. Modern tanks call it reactive armour. Salvation as a helmet, protecting our minds and thoughts and the more incisive qualities of the Word of God – the Sword of the Spirit.
The challenges Paul faced are the same nature as those we also face. But equipped with this armour, we really can face them.
