Sunday 9th January - Optimism in Troubled Times
WELCOME and NOTICES
CHILDREN ARE OUR GREATEST GIFT
CALL TO WORSHIP – James 1:2-4
HYMN 882 – Lord of all hopefulness
BIBLE READING – Joel 2:23-32
PRAYER and LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN 327 – Immortal, invisible, God only wise
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
HYMN 565 – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation
SERMON:
Optimism in uncertain times
This sermon was proceeded by Catherine Winkworth’s wonderful translation of Joachim Neander’s hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation; a hymn that takes me back to my school days, a hymn containing the words ‘ponder anew’. And we should always ponder anew. When we recite The Lord’s Prayer, do we merely speak the words, or do we truly think about them, ponder them anew? And what better time to ponder anew than at the start of a fresh year. So as we move from one year to another, I would like to read some lines that I find rather speak of the mood; lines taken from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s epic poem In memoriam, lines we know as Ring out, wild bells.
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Here we see the dichotomies of war and peace, purity and sin, and light and dark. This of course mirrors our lives. We are none of us perfect, nor can we ever be. Reflecting the message we heard in today’s call to worship, Paul wrote to the good people of the church in Philippi, I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above (Philippians 3:12-14).
All we can be expected to do is to live our lives as best we can. To trust in God and continue forward. This does not mean we should not strive to improve, but rather we should not be too hard on ourselves. Paul, a man who wrote nearly a third of what we now know as the New Testament was not perfect. The disciples, men who lived alongside Christ himself, did not themselves recognise His glory. So how can we be expected to understand all and live unblemished lives? We can’t.
God’s glory, God’s way is so far beyond our comprehension so as to be unreachable. But we must do our best. We must do our best and trust that good wins over bad. Those of you versed in Shakespeare will be familiar with the famous winter scene from As you like it, in which the bitter winds blow, ‘Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky’, ‘Though thou the waters warp, thy sting is not so sharp as friend remembered not’, but despite all of this, ‘heigh-ho’ sings the holly. The holly knows that good wins over bad. We must not let the darkness drag us down. We must brave the lows and trust in the Lord. And what better time to reflect upon what has been, and look forward to what lies ahead, than at the beginning of a new year. We should look back, we should reflect, we should learn, and we should advance.
We gather here as brothers and sisters in Christ. We must stand together and move forward as so. And today, in the week we celebrated the wonder witnessed by the Magi, we must do as they did. We must speak of what we see, and we must act correctly. We must speak of what we see; not using hyperbole, embellishment, or exaggeration, but in our own simple terms. We must attempt to influence through our behaviour. The simple things make a difference. The house of God is open to all, Blaby Congregational Church is open to all. If others agree and find comfort in our simple ways, may they join us. As Congregationalists we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord.
As we move into 2022, let us pray that more turn away from the hustle and bustle of modern life and find solace in our fellowship, let us pray that more follow the manifesto of life outlined in Scripture.
In today’s reading we heard from the Book of Joel. Like many churches of the age, we tend to focus on the Gospels for our weekly readings, certainly favouring the New Testament. When we do venture into the Hebrew Bible we often favour the words of Isaiah or the Book of Psalms, but we can learn so much from these ancient books. Joel, writing some two-and-a half thousand years ago, speaks of lessons still relevant today. Amongst the gloom-laden warnings, Joel urges us to be optimistic and to choose hope for the future rather than dwelling on the past.
Joel writes after a great plague of locusts had eaten all before it. A disaster. Or was it? Bad events in our lives are often over scrutinised, and in doing so, magnified. This can be seen in the present age. The Coronavirus has certainly brought a change to our lives. Yes, many have suffered and some died. Yes, we must be sensible and take precautions, but are we not in danger of choosing pessimism over hope for the future?
The prophet cites the present calamity as an opportunity for people to turn their hearts toward God rather than wallow in despair and learn helplessness. Is that not what we should be doing now? Turning towards God? Perhaps we should trust the Lord as a child trusts its parents.
For if we trust, the Lord provides.
I will give you back what you lost […] Now you will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied. You will praise the Lord your God, who has done wonderful things for you […] My people will never be despised again.
We must have trust. And with trust comes optimism. The Bible is a manifesto of life. The united church brings people together globally. Our individual churches give us great strength and fellowship. We all know this. But why can others not see it? Over-scrutiny and magnification, married to secular and consumerist notions, encourage complex ‘solutions’ that merely exacerbate the problem, drawing people deeper in. The answer is in simplicity. The answer is contained within our Scripture.
The answer, as Joel wrote, and is confirmed in the Book of Acts, is brought by the Holy Spirit. So with the Good Lord above us and Christ among us, let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit; guided to lead by example, guided to live in the way of the Lord, guided to live good lives. In doing so, may others follow our lead and turn to God, may the Word be spread, and may our churches once again be full of smiling faces and resound in songs of praise. Jesus, visit us with Thou salvation, enter every trembling heart. Our hearts may well tremble, but if we trust the Lord, fully trust the Lord, all our toils and hardship will be worth it when we glimpse the glittering prize. The prize of true faith.
All of this in Christ’s name,
Amen.
…the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.
Philippians 3:13
HYMN 449 – Love divine, all loves excelling
BENEDICTION – Psalm 52:8
Grace
Closing Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhFXg52KMH8
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