Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 17 August 2025.
• First Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7 (The song of the vineyard)
• Second Reading: Hebrews 11: 29 – 12: 2 (Examples of faith)
• Gospel: Luke 12: 49-56 (Not peace but division. Interpreting the signs of the times)
Last Friday Eileen and I went through to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, and saw four performances.
All were interesting, but the last, ‘Hingin’ Oan Fir Googsie’ was a Scottish variant on ‘Waiting for Godot’. It was replete with the usual swearie words, but it asked a lot of questions about God. It had some quite funny lines and gestures, and the resident feminist turned up in military uniform, speaking – no, shouting 19 to the dozen. Had to be heard, fearing interruption but bordering on the incoherent. Had to be angry. But less is more.
Maybe that is also par for the course. Perhaps it also reflects a perceived stereotype.
Yet the interesting thing was that as they waited they talked a lot about God: maybe too much for a culture that rejects God and despises those who believe. Perhaps that is the point: speak a good spiel about rejecting God but they keep looking for Him anyway. Can’t stop. And yes, that quest never really ends.
And this brings me to our lessons. The passage from Isaiah has absolutely no doubts about God. The problem is not unbelief in God but the human response. Here is a people rescued from slavery and given a new law of life and society, and a new and refined cult in which to worship God. And yes, the point of this worship is not to appease God with sacrifices to assuage judgment and to secure rainfall and the year’s crops.
No: it is about the relationships within the community of faith and that offenses against the community – all of whom are related to one another – and also offenses against God.
God is glorified in healthy and trustworthy relationships and transactions in the community. He is honoured with justice in their judicial decisions and fairness in the life of the people.
Isaiah gives us the picture of a vineyard in which God is the owner and Israel are the tenants. It has been prepared for them and all they had to do was to look after it properly.
And yet: ‘He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard the cries of distress.’ Definitely not the purpose of the vineyard. And yes, something would be done about it.
It was not just about people looking for God – He also was looking at them and not being pleased at what He saw.
The gospel, has another striking passage. Yet it also turns against the expected message of peace and goodwill.
We expect to find messages of peace and forgiveness, wholeness and healing.
But this is different because it is centred on the person Jesus Himself. It is not about what He says or does – it is about who and what He IS. And either He is Lord or He is not. There are no other options. No escape routes or compromises, no via media. No space for ‘We’ll think about it. Come back tomorrow. Let’s be reasonable. Think of the peace of the community, social harmony, getting on with the neighbours.’ And so on.
No: eventually we have to make up our minds about Jesus. A holy man who went too far, offended the wrong people, took His mission too literally, lost His sense of proportion. And yet came to a sticky end?
Or: He is Lord. Saviour. Risen from the dead. He is God, given to us so we may see God and learn from Him, person to person and heart to heart. One who changes us around, gives new life and new direction. New authority in life, and the kind of life and forgiveness that none other can offer.
And so yes, Jesus is divisive. He finds us where we prefer not to be found. He presents us with our own contradictions, even – no especially, when we talk a good game ourselves.
A few weeks ago we were looking at Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus. His question was not what do you think or feel about Jesus: it was what do you say about Him? How do you expose and commit yourselves?
And so, in Hebrews, we are presented with the question of faith. Partly, who and what do we believe in – and I have spoken about the many fashionable options, all competing for our faith and money and allegiance.
And then there is Jesus Christ. Many first find Him as a swear word. But then it gets uncomfortable. A throw-away line that is just not good enough.
After all, people do not use the name of our favourite soap drama actors or actresses. Nor of our political leaders. Their names do nothing to relieve our tension or anger or frustration.
So what about Jesus Christ? Not so much what have we said but what will we say? Where will we stand?
For to acknowledge Him is to invite sarcasm, abuse, rejection, contempt. Is parts of the world it invites death, and certainly imprisonment. Unemployment and poverty.
This is where the letter to the Hebrews presents us with heroes of the faith. It invites us to reject the things that hold us back and to look towards Him for our life and identity.
Yes, it means confronting the things that hold us back: the memories, habits, thoughts and attitudes – all of which demean us.
It means accepting that our lives in the sight of God are definitely works in progress.
And yes, it means asking for help. Again and again.
