Rebuilding
Sermon
2: Assessing the State We Are In
Allerton
and St Mary’s 13 June 2021
It was that beginning of
the weekend coffee catch up that got Lisa and I talking about the allotment. Do
you ever have those Saturday morning early doors sit down with a coffee to plan
what is happening over the weekend? Well, the allotment often comes up in
conversation at this time of the year. The weeds are growing nicely and we need
somewhere to put the pumpkins. Shall we use this or that patch? Have we enough
compost? – nothing particularly inspiring. What we decided to do was wait until
we went up there and had a look for ourselves. We needed to survey the space so
that the decision wasn’t just based on theory.
Assessing for himself was
what Nehemiah was doing in the reading we heard today. Last week we left him
lamenting – weeping and praying over what he had heard about the state of
Jerusalem and its people. And that lament spurred him into action. The Persian
king notices his sadness and, when Artaxerxes hears about Nehemiah’s concerns,
he agrees that he can travel to his homeland for an agreed length of time.
Letters of authority are written to ease his passage and Nehemiah sets off on
his mission. We are introduced to the baddies of the story – Sanballat and
Tobiah who will prove to be a thorn in Nehemiah’s side throughout his oversight
of the rebuilding and then at last Nehemiah is in Jerusalem. And what is the
first thing he does? – he goes out with a few trusted friends and has a look
for himself at the walls, makes a survey of the state of things and ensures
that any assessment is based on what he has seen, based on objective analysis
rather than the word of mouth.
Nehemiah is doing what any
good leader or any good organisation would do in seeking to look at the state
of things, gauge what changes might need to be made and capture a renewed
vision and a re-energised purpose – make a proper assessment.
You probably know by now
that I listen to a lot of podcasts – washing up, hoovering, walking the dog;
all good activities for enlarging the mind. My favourite is Simon Mayo’s and
Mark Kermode’s film Radio 5 Live film podcast but a close second is Melvyn
Bragg and In Our Time. It is like having a tutorial each week from experts in
the field from things as diverse as Multiverses to mediaeval Arab poets. Last
week I was learning all about Charles Booth. I’d never heard of Charles Booth
before but in the 1880s he undertook an invaluable survey of households in
London that showed that almost a third lived in poverty. He knew there was a
problem but wanted some data. Booth didn’t have much time for Dickens and his
descriptions of east end poverty – if things were going to change he needed to
find out for himself. And so he began a survey that showed that the state of
things was actually far worse than was thought.
In particular his
assessment of how poverty dramatically increased for the elderly once they were
no longer able to work led a decade later to the first State Pension. In other
words his assessment led to renewed vigour in tackling a problem and to some
important changes.
There’s only a point in
assessment if it leads to change or to action. Nehemiah’s assessment leads to
the people crying out ‘Let us start building.’ Booth’s assessment led
eventually to positive change. There is so much assessment in our current life,
but I wonder how much of it has any real purpose. Schoolchildren are assessed
all the time, particularly this year. Those who are or have been churchwardens
especially will know that the Church of England, God bless her, is obsessed
with assessments – Statistics for mission, Parish Share survey, Archdeacon’s
Article of Enquiry, the list goes on. But I wonder sometimes to what purpose.
Nehemiah’s assessment arose out of a clear vision. He understood there was
something amiss, he believed that change would have to take place, and so knew
that action couldn’t happen until a proper assessment had been carried out.
As we continue to live
through this pandemic, as we witness the changes it has forced in how we are in
society, in community and in our churches, as we wonder where we are and how we
can move forward, as we seek a renewed vision and a re-energised purpose a
sober and first hand assessment is needed.
So as we do this – here
is some good news. My first hand assessment of the congregations I am
privileged to lead and to serve is somewhat different to how Nehemiah viewed
the people of Jerusalem. When we were looking at last week’s passage and
Nehemiah’s prayer of lament in our home group, someone made the perceptive
comment that Nehemiah seemed disappointed with the people of Jerusalem. At
least I can say that far from being disappointed I am so humbled and proud of
how you all, have worked and worshipped your way through these last traumatic
months. One of the passages I have spent a lot of time with is from Paul’s
second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 4.1-12). It is the guiding
passage for this second year of the PMC process and it contains these wonderful
words – ‘We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not
driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed;
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus , so that the life of Jesus may
also be made visible in our bodies.’ I think that makes a wonderful assessment
of how things have been and how we are. There is much rebuilding to be done but
things aren’t lying in a heap in front of us.
And we do have some tools
at our disposal to help with our assessment. To turn to PMC again, the
formation of the Good Neighbours Scheme was built on listening and assessing –
listening first hand to members of the congregation and wider community; not
just assuming we knew what people were thinking and looking for but actually
spending time asking them. Time again we heard how those who were interviewed
appreciated a really good listening to. I wonder whether we might undertake
something similar – actually ask individuals how they view the state of our
church community and what might need to be some priorities as we grapple with
all these new realities.
Some of you will remember
a few years ago looking at The Healthy Churches Handbook and using that
checklist to help give a spiritual health check for each of our churches. Maybe
it is time to revisit that.
But for now I am going to
take you on a balloon ride for a few minutes. Sorry, I haven’t got the real
thing – this is all about using our imaginations to gain an overview for
ourselves of our community and our church. In a moment I’m going to lead a
guided meditation and as you are on your balloon ride I am going to ask you to
notice what is happening in this community from your perspective as a member of
this church, notice what is there, notice what is not there, notice who is
there, notice who is not there, notice what is going on – and then to write
down any insights down.
So to begin, make
yourself comfortable, find a position that leaves you relaxed and yet alert.
Close your eyes. Take a few slow calm breaths….
In your imagination, think
where are you standing in this village – outside your home, outside church,
middle of village, cricket field etc.
In front of you there is
a large hot air balloon waiting invitingly for you. You clamber into the basket
and as the ropes are cast off and you hear and feel the whoosh of the flame
filling the balloon with hot air, you feel the basket slowly rise into the air.
Gradually you rise up and gradually the community begins to stretch out below
you.
What do you notice? Is
there anything you hadn’t spotted before?
Is there anything that
has changed over this past year?
Is there anything good
happening? Is there anything amiss?
What is God drawing your
attention to?
Spend some time making
your first hand assessment.
What might need some
rebuilding?
Now the balloon is
starting to descend. Down, down it goes until with a gentle bump you are back
on the ground again. What insights do you bring with you? Why not take some
time just to jot them down.
We have lamented what has
been lost, we have assessed the state of things – next week some principles for
rebuilding and for beginning to look forward.
NEHEMIAH
2.11-18
So I came to Jerusalem and
was there for three days. Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with
me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. The
only animal I took was the animal I rode. I went out by night by the Valley
Gate past the Dragon’s Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls
of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by
fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool; but there was
no place for the animal I was riding to continue. So I went up by way of the
valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the
Valley Gate, and so returned. The officials did not know where I had gone or
what I was doing; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the
officials, and the rest that were to do the work.
Then I said to them, ‘You
see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burnt.
Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer
disgrace.’ I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and
also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, ‘Let us start
building!’ So they committed themselves to the common good.
Questions
for Discussion or Reflection
1.
When have you
been involved in some assessment that led to positive change?
2.
Why do you think
Nehemiah went out ‘at night’ to make his assessment?
3.
What tools of
assessment do we have to help us think about the state we are in?
4.
St Paul writes
to the Corinthians about being ‘afflicted in every way but not crushed.’ In
what ways is this a fair assessment of our Christian community?
5.
What insights
did you gather on your balloon ride?
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