Christ the King

Ephesians 1.15-end SERMON

Paul’s Prayer

¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. ²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

My text this morning is written in Ephesians 1:15-16:

¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.

In this passage we see the essence of the characteristic of the Church: loyalty to Christ and love to others. These two are inextricable linked together because true loyalty to Christ will always, if it is authentic, lead to love for others (verse 15).

There can be a loyalty to Christ that does not issue in love for others. Some monastic orders shut themselves off from the world, and I have to confess that this makes little sense to me, unless its purpose is to be of service to others. If not, it strikes me almost as a form of selfishness because the individual concerned might feel closer to God and have a sense of peace and tranquillity, but this is of little worth unless it also leads to love for others. At the same time, I have enormous respect for those monks and nuns who live this way so that they might be of more use in caring for the needs of others. The Jesuits, Fransiscans and Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity are notable and wonderful examples as was the case of the Community of the Resurrection in South Africa with their school, colleges and hostels and a notable example being Trevor Huddleston. This was true of early Methodism as well: when people came to Christ and became part of the Church, the society they lived in was transformed. Loyalty to Christ must issue in love for others or it is meaningless.

Indeed, whatever we do, unless it results in love for others, is worthless. The Spanish Inquisition and the Pharisees are examples of those who were guilty of trying to be so right that this led them to do the most hurtful things to others. I believe Paul here gives us a practical yardstick with which we can measure if something is truly right; anything that does not issue in greater love for others should make us seriously question what we do, because it is only in our loving of others that we show our love for Christ.

In our Gospel reading we are told of the very practical way this love ought to be demonstrated: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the cold, visiting those in prison. Jesus, in this parable identifies with each person in need, because on the cross he took their place. We meet with Jesus when wee minister to those kin need – indeed that person becomes the presence of Christ for us. De Dietrich, in her commentary on the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats explains what Jesus is implying here: “How many times will we have passed by Jesus without recognising him.” She continues:

He comes to us under the figure of the stranger, the refugee, the person of another race, or the sorry bore. And we turn away, or treat such persons with humiliating conceit. Ione day he will say to us: “That was I.” Could he then not say to us: “You pretended to know me, but I did not know you!”

I am glad to hear that in some cities there has been a revival in attendance at Cathedral worship. I love Cathedral worship with all its pomp and beauty; but there is a real danger that this can cover all sorts of dreadful things. We have all heard of times when Cathedrals have been in the press because of conflict, strife and general inappropriate behaviour. Sadly, I have also experienced this first hand, and in fact, it is a major reason why today I am ordained as a Methodist and not an Anglican! Gladly, most Cathedrals are beacons of love and hope in Christ in the heart of our cities. Beauty only really becomes beautiful when it is an ingredient in showing love for others.

This refers to some theological debates as well. The ‘truth’ will become evident when the theology issues in greater love for others. All too often, in debates and discussions, Barclay accurately states that ‘... we have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.’

Paul then prays for a Church that he loves and that is doing well. He prays that they may have wisdom using the word Sophia (which refers to the deep things of God) and so asks that the Church might be taken deeper into the knowledge of the eternal truths. This reminds us of an important dimension of our life and ministry. It is necessary that we are a people of depth – that the Church be a thinking people. We must beware of dumbing things down; but rather, always strive ourselves to go deeper and deeper into the depths of truth which issues in love. At the same time, this is worthless unless we make it a personal discovery as well. Socrates said: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Barclay suggests that an unexamined religion is not worth having and adds: ‘It is an obligation for a thinking man to think his way to God.’ Lionel Swain adds that knowledge here also means something else; it is knowledge in the sense of ‘intimate experience’. Thompson adds that here, Paul is praying for ‘... a deeper understanding of the ...Gospel and its implications, so that one can move closer into line with God’s mind and attitude.’

The ministry of the Church must be a teaching ministry. The exposition of scripture from the pulpit is a vital element, because we know that the scriptures are God’s primary way of communicating with his people of every age and generation. The paradigm was set on the road to Emmaus when Jesus expounded the Word to the disciples and they felt their hearts warmed within them – as was the case of John Wesley on that important evening in Aldersgate Street in 1738. As we listen to the scriptures read and the preacher’s exposition, we should not only be interested in what the preacher thinks but more importantly we should also asking: “What is God is saying to us as a Church; and what is God saying to me as an individual within the Church?” We come seeking knowledge that touches us and moves us, challenges us and blesses us – we come – as verse 18 explains: to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened.

But as our Lord reminds us in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, unless this enlightenment leads to love, as de Dietrich explains, we may have the most orthodox of beliefs, but we remain in death.

We are therefore in this passage, challenged to get things into proportion. So much time is spent in the church discussing mundane matters and these often result in conflict. How much time do we, as a Church, spend discussing the ‘... eternal verities of God?’ How many hours do churches spend discussing ‘problems’ for every one that is spent discussing the depths of theology? Paul here is praying for the people to be led into a deeper wisdom of the eternal things of God and this prayer will never be answered unless we give up time to listen to what God is saying to us; time prayerfully discussing what this means and then acting on what we feel God is calling us to do.

Paul then prays for a greater realisation of Christian hope. We live in days of despair. The economy is terrible and the myth that money is the root of all happiness and security has been destroyed. But many in our society have nothing to replace it with. We need to offer the world an alternative – the alternative – the universal and eternal way. The insight we can offer the world is that even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty, there is always hope and this hope is sure. We know that God’s cause and ways will win the day eventually, for this has been the testimony of history – for even if we do not get to experience it in this life, there is nothing – not even death – that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (as Paul stresses in Romans 8).

Paul continues in his prayer for a new realisation of the power of God. For Paul, the proof of the power of God was in the Resurrection of Christ. Sin had done everything in its power to destroy Christ; people had done everything to get rid of Christ; but God raised him from the dead. The Resurrection proved that his power is greater than any human agency and that no human can thwart the power of God. Even though we can’t fully understand it all the time – God is ultimately in control. The last verses also make clear that all in the heavenly realm are also under God’s ultimate control. But even more importantly, this same power is available to us, to help, to strengthen and encourage those who are committed to being faithful to God’s call. Our assurance is not based on mere wishful thinking, but on a fact of history: God did raise Jesus from the dead. Think of Jesus and the disciples at the time of his death. Everything seemed hopeless, crushed, ended – but God raised Jesus and he appeared to his disciples and the ministry continued and still does. As we gather together as a community of faith, Jesus continues to meet with us, especially in the breaking of the bread, nourishes our relationship with him, and encourages us to go out into our world giving expression to his love for others. This is the focus of the Gospel reading appointed for today where Jesus tells the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

The last verse is of great significance for us – because it refers to the Church in every age as the body of Christ.

Despite reforms and improvements over the years, the 20^th century was a human catastrophe and disunity still remains throughout the world between different races, languages and religions, sadly even within Protestantism. Jesus died to bring unity – but we still seem far from it. This ideal of unity is expressed in the next chapter where Paul speaks of Christ breaking down the wall that separates. As Barclay puts it: ‘Jesus Christ was above all things God’s instrument for reconciliation.’ He uses the analogy of a doctor finding a cure for a deadly disease: unless that cure is taken to the different parts of the world where the disease is prevalent, sufferers will not be cured! Doctors must get to know about it and must be trained as to how to use it.  The cure is there – but it needs a corps of people to take the message and the technique throughout the world. The same is true of the Gospel – it is there – but unless it is taken into the world, it remains ineffective. It is only in Christ that all can come together; it is only in Christ that there can be unity and peace and flourishing – and the Church is the agent that is given the task of taking this good news to all people. The church ought to be the corps of Christ but so often it has become a corpse!

Christ is the head – the Church is the body – and the wonders of salvation cannot become real in the world unless the Church takes it to the peoples of the world. Barclay explains: ‘... God’s plan for the world is in the hands of the Church ...’ It is God’s plan that the warring elements of the world be brought together in peace; and to make this possible he sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but this message and this power must be taken out to all people. The Church is the body, with Christ as the head, and so it is in the hands of the Church to bring all this to fulfilment.

The Church – we – are called to be a living organism with the ascended Christ as the head, called to do his work in the world ‘... as once his own body and flesh and blood had done it.’ This is the essential nature of the Church, as A M Hunter explains: the Church is‘... an organism truly responsive to the impulses of the mind and heart of Christ, an organ sacrificially expendable in the carrying out of his great and gracious purposes ...’

I know that this circuit is committed to being faithful to this calling and so, as Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus:

¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.

Amen.

Talents

Surgery in hospital and need to travel on courses has meant not many contributions of late. But I am well now and back, and so I hope to me more helpful in future.

D

Matthew 25.14-30 (NRSV): The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” ²¹His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” ²²And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.”²³His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” ²⁶But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

My text this morning is written in Matthew 25 and verse 29, which reads:

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

When I preached on this text for the first time in 1992, as a Probationer Minister in my first appointment in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, I entered the pulpit from the vestry door to find a church packed – way over 300 people in attendance. It had been announced that I was preaching on this passage and members of the congregation had spread the word, and many visitors, together with my members were asking: “How is he going to explain that verse.”

A wealthy man goes away on business and leaves the remainder of his wealth to his workers – each according to their ability. The wealth is expressed in ‘talents’ which was the largest unit of currency at the time. In NT Greek ‘talent’ only referred to money, in modern times it now refers to ‘gifts’ largely as a result of this parable because of the phrase ‘... according to his ability.’

The words ‘After a long time ...’ (Verse 19) is of significance because of the delay of the parousia a technical, theological term for the Second Coming of Jesus. After this long time, the master does return and demands a reckoning – which is a reference to the final judgement. The first two servants are praised for both their industry and courage in doubling their amounts of money – and for their faithfulness – a vital component because faithfulness in small things means that one can be trusted with larger things – larger responsibilities – and intimate friendship with the master. The fact that both servants receive the same reward shows how it is not one’s accomplishments that matter, but rather one’s faithfulness.

The last servant is condemned because of his inactivity. His defence lacks pure logic putting forward that it was because of the demanding nature of the master that he did nothing. Out of fear of failure; he did nothing and so lost all that he had! This has everything to do with God’s free gift and our human response.

The verse of my text, then, is not that difficult; it can be paraphrased as “A disciple who gives of himself to the gift that God has given him will receive greater grace still; the one who does nothing will lose it.

In the book The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, a devil, briefs his demon nephew, Wormwood, in a series of letters, on the subtleties and techniques of tempting people. In his writings, the devil says that the objective is not to make people wicked but to make them indifferent. This higher devil cautions Wormwood that he must keep the patient comfortable at all costs. If he should start thinking about anything of importance, encourage him to think about his lunch plans and not to worry so much because it could cause indigestion. And then the devil gives this instruction to his nephew: "I, the devil, will always see to it that there are bad people. Your job, my dear Wormwood, is to provide me with people who do not care."

We must always remember that this is a parable and so we need to remember that we are dealing here with something that ought not to be taken literally. It is a story to explain a complex lesson of some considerable depth, so that ordinary language simply would not do. It deals with a scenario that would have been commonplace in the society of the time.

A master was going away so he entrusted his property to his slaves. Those who had proven themselves often held managerial positions. He apportioned property according to the ability of each. He was not asking anything unreasonable: five to one, two to another and one to the last. The one with five made another five, the one with two another two, but the one with only one, buried it in the ground to keep it safe – again a common practice of the day. After a long time, the master returned and praised and rewarded those who had doubled what they had been given but condemned the one who had done nothing and gave what he had to the one who had made the most.

So, what does it all mean?

There is an element of the Parousia – the Second Coming of Jesus - in this passage. We now know that the Gospel narratives were eventually written because the long awaited return of Jesus in the Second Coming had not yet happened. But they did not doubt that Jesus would return as a judge and that people would need to give account of how they had lived their lives. At this level, all Christians have been given gifts and we will all be judged on how effectively we have used them. So, the master’s journey would have been a reference to the Ascension, the slaves are the Christians and the property refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that all Christians have been given. The long delay refers to the delay in the return of Christ, and the settling of the accounts refers to the Last Judgement or the Day of Reckoning. The horrible reference to what some people refer to as ‘Hell’ in verse 30 in some translations, is a wrong, because literally, the Greek should be translated as 'outer darkness' (as in the NRSV). The weeping and gnashing of teeth is most commonly agreed by scholars like Fenton, as something added by a later editor and reveals more about the views of the editor, putting his particular spin on the story, rather than what Jesus either said at the time. But they would be correctly reflecting the seriousness of Jesus' warning that not using one's talent would have serious consequences and so is still well stated in this classic ancient hyperbole.

The slaves were probably a reference to the Scribes and the Pharisees and their use – or rather misuse – of the Law of God – the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures. They wanted to keep things exactly as they were, changing nothing at all – like the man who buried his talent. This is why they are condemned.

Jesus is alive and present in the Church as we meet. He still speaks to us through the Scriptures when we open our minds to receive what He has to say to us. This is why a preached message is a sacred thing, and for me one of the greatest privileges possible. Jesus speaks, not only through the mouth of the preacher but also in the discussions and gatherings of the people of God. This is why meetings of fellowship, discussions, Synods and Conferences are so vital. This is why people will be called to give account, and if they persist in burying the truth that is being revealed rather than setting it and people free to discern the mind of God. Jesus challenges us by asking: Are we open-minded? Are we adventurous? Is our faith alive and vibrant? or is it buried and dead in the ground?

Each and every one of us has been given gifts from God and they are immeasurably valuable because they come to us from God according to our ability. We are never asked to do anything that God does not also equip us to do. It is not the talent or gift we have that matters, but what we do with it. What is your gift? Are you using it? When last did you ask: What can I do to enrich the fellowship of the people at Christ Church and the people of Shepshed? Could it be that I am asked to pray regularly? Could it be that I am called to send messages of encouragement? Could it be that I am asked to greet people and welcome them? When you ask, you will find that the opportunities are countless and wonderful and the more you respond in faithfulness, the more you will find to do. Peter J. Blackburn in his book, Using What We Have provides the following helpful illustration:

An anonymous writer has said, "My small son and I were taking a walk. In the far corner of the field we found a small patch of beautiful and fragrant flowers. They were in the middle of weeds, almost completely hidden and unnoticed, yet these flowers were blooming in full beauty and we sensed their fresh fragrance. All of us have met persons unnoticed by many, but who in the middle of struggle and unlikely surroundings far from the centre of attention live lives of beauty and fragrance. And living lives which seemed obscure they faithfully fulfilled God's calling for them. God's question on the last day will not be, 'How much were you noticed?' or even 'How much did you do?' Rather, his question will be, 'Were you faithful in fulfilling your calling where I placed you?' "

The reward we can look forward to when we faithfully use of talents is more work. The ones who doubled their talents were given more, which meant greater tasks and greater responsibilities. This is a great joy. When we are faithful, God blesses us with more and more opportunities and our lives become more and more meaningful and useful, and we have a real sense of purpose.

As soon as we become active by using the talents we have been given,  Jesus comes into our lives and blesses us and others through us, which compounds our blessings over and over and over again. Or as Jesus put it to his listeners:

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

Amen