Everyday
Witness
Sermon
1: The Story of God
What's
your favourite Bible story? There are so
many to choose from aren't there? Is it the story of Adam and Eve in the garden
of Eden; the call of Abraham; perhaps Joseph his dreams and his coat; or Moses
in his basket; Daniel in the lion’s den; the boy Samuel and blind old Eli; Elijah
and the prophets of Baal; or New Testament stories like the birth of Jesus; the
feeding the 5000; the parable of the prodigal son; the coming of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost; or the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus. What's
your favourite Bible story? Is it one of these?
Talk
to your neighbour and share with them for 30 seconds-what's your favourite
Bible story and why.
30
seconds each; off you go.
We
know, don't we, that we live in a society that is becoming increasingly
biblically illiterate. Each generation seems to lose more and more memory of
all those great Bible stories we have been sharing. And I know that in some of
our all-age worship we have been trying to reconnect children with those great
stories and help them fall in love with the Bible stories as we once did.
But
all of these, however loved, are but small vignettes, individual scenes in the
great four act drama that is the big story of God. It’s the story of a good and
loving God who creates a beautiful world, and of creatures made in God’s image
who then go their own way and corrupt God’s creation – The Prologue.
God
calls a people to know him in a special way, with the aim of the blessing the
whole world – Act 1 is the story of God’s people the Jewish people; the people
whom he liberates from slavery and establishes in a promised land, who time and
time again turn away from him and to whom time and time again he reacts like an
exasperated, angry and sorrowing parent.
In
Act 2 we hear of the promised saviour who will make all things right, the one
who will be God’s chosen one to embody all that was meant to be in God’s chosen
people. When Jesus appears on the scene, some people recognise him as the one,
even though he doesn’t fit people’s expectations. He is crucified and, though
most conclude that this is the end of the story, we hear how it is just the
beginning.
Act
3 is the Act in which we are involved, the age of God’s church, Jesus’ family,
the primary sacrament by which God’s grace is mediated to his world. We are
still playing out the part of the drama that began on that day of Pentecost.
And
Act 4, the final act is when Jesus returns, the bridegroom ushering in the new
heaven and the new earth, when all will be made right and that kingdom glimpsed
in the promises to the patriarchs, pointed to by the prophets and bursting
through in Jesus will finally be made real and permanent.
Telling
stories is a little of what we will be doing as we think about what it means to
be an Everyday Witness over these weeks before Lent and after Easter. ‘Living
and Telling The Story’ is the diocesan strapline. In a sense this is what being
an Everyday Witness is all about. This big story is what we are called to live
and tell, to witness to – God’s loving purposes for us from the beginning of
time. And it’s most certainly not just on a Sunday in church among our brothers
and sisters in Christ that we are asked to live and tell the story. Where will
you be tomorrow? Home? Work? School? The tennis club? The art group? The pub?
What might it mean to be a witness to God in these everyday situations?
I
wonder if any of you have ever been called upon to be a witness by the justice
system, make a witness statement or even give evidence in court. Being a
witness in that context is all about seeing or hearing something important,
relating it to others and so helping them to make sense of it. I remember many
years ago at the Natural History museum in an exhibition about how we as humans
relate to the world there was an interactive section. There was a short video
to watch and then you were asked to be a witness to what you had just seen –
describe it to others. Lisa and I compared notes afterwards and realised that
we had noticed different things, witnessed to slightly different aspects of the
video. Together, I guess, we would have given a fuller picture.
Being
a witness to God’s big story takes in both these ideas – seeing and hearing,
relating it to others and so helping them to make sense of it and doing this
together because together we can give a much fuller picture.
In
Acts chapter 1, just before the ascension of Jesus, we read that he said this
to his disciples ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to
the ends of the earth.’ (Acts 1.8). That’s not just a message for the
people who heard Jesus on that day. It’s a message for all of us who think of
themselves as followers of Jesus. Those disciples who heard this message had
been on a journey of learning and growing with and being surprised by Jesus.
This was the final commission, not the first one. And they had taken that
journey together, sharing their hopes and dreams and their setbacks and
mistakes.
So
we, too, are going to embark on a journey together to learn how we can be
witnesses. Has anyone here taken on the NHS’ ‘Couch to 5K’? (explain).
It’s genius lies in recognising that the only way for non-runners to become
runners is to run! No amount of inspiring books and videos will make the
change. It is beginning to run, little by little, starting small doing what is
achievable; but doing it; and knowing that you are not alone in doing it.
This
is what we will be doing together with Everyday Witness. It’s not just about
the rhetoric from the pulpit and the inspiring words that Sam and Tony and I
will shower upon you. It’s also about putting into action what we have learned.
We will do it gently and we will do it together.
So
I’m going to stop now (‘thank the good Lord for that’ they all sigh) and ask
you to make your first step on your Pew to Witness journey to think of five
people whom you know whom you would love to see come to fall in love with God’s
big story. And commit yourself to pray for them regularly. Just five. It may
just be the first step in you becoming a witness to them of God’s loving
purposes for them.
Amen.
