Are You A Swimmer Or A Toe-Dipper?
Sermon
There have been a number of adverts on television over recent months, warning against Benefit fraud. One scene has shown a hairdresser arriving late for work, because she'd been picking up the dole money before going straight on to her job. The other people in the shop wear expressions of disgust, but no-one says anything. The woman who is cheating the system is caught and prosecuted, and the message is, don't claim benefit if you're not entitled to it, because you'll be caught.
Years ago, there was a family in our street who were on benefit. There were a number of children and neither parent worked, or at least, not officially. Yet the family were doing much better financially than most of the neighbours who did work, and this produced intense feelings of anger and resentment towards the family, particularly as those years after the war were quite difficult years for most people. I don't know whether this particular family were cheating the system, but the neighbours certainly thought they were and they were pretty well ostracised by the community.
When I see football heroes or movie stars or television presenters or company directors being paid vast sums of money, I confess to a feeling of righteous indignation. It doesn't seem fair or just that many in the world who are starving could be fed by just one week's salary from one of these rich people. There's something wrong in a world which rewards a handful of people with wealth so vast that they barely know what to do with it, but is happy to allow others to starve.
And yet if I'm honest, part of my righteous indignation probably contains a hefty dose of envy. How I'd enjoy having so much money that I could swan off on exotic holidays whenever I felt like it, or buy a new car every year, or generously donate to some worthy cause without even thinking about it. And perhaps that feeling of envy is why some of us feel so angry about benefit fraud, because by cheating the system those who commit benefit fraud have more money than we do.
And yet when I really think seriously about the wealthy, I know I wouldn't change a moment of my life for a moment of theirs. However attractive wealth seems to be from time to time, especially when I'm struggling, I know very well that the attraction would soon pall and then I'd be left feeling empty again. That seems very apparent from the high lives led by many wealthy stars, lives which never seem to be fulfilled however glamorous they might appear to be on the surface and which have clear elements of discontent about them. A significant number of people with wealth commit suicide or marry and divorce seemingly endlessly or get into drugs or alcoholism.
So although wealth seems on the surface to be very attractive, perhaps the attraction is more in the dream than in the reality. As St Peter says in today's epistle, there's only one sort of wealth worth having, and that's an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. And that, of course, is the inheritance we receive from God. God has given us the gift of new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and that's an amazing gift.
What exactly is this new life and how has it happened, and when do we receive it?
It became a reality for all human beings on that first Easter Day when Jesus suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and began talking to his friends. That was when they all really began to realise that something amazing had happened. The women had gone to the tomb on the first Easter morning and returned with strange tales about Jesus' body having disappeared, and Mary Magdalene even claimed to have met Jesus in person. But since she was only a woman and women are known to be emotional creatures, her tale was easily rationalised and dismissed. Clearly she had met the gardener, and deranged by grief, had thought him to be Jesus.
But now in the Upper Room he appeared to all his disciples at the same time, and once they saw him for themselves, there was only one possible explanation. He was alive, and what's more, alive and well. The Jesus who appeared in the Upper Room bore no resemblance to the poor, broken human body which died on the cross, for now he was vibrantly, radiantly alive. As soon as they saw him, the disciples believed. But Thomas was absent at the time and so missed out on this fantastic, incredible experience. And that's exactly what he thought of the tale - fantastic, incredible - until he too met Jesus for himself. Then he too believed and his life changed completely.
This is the inheritance and the new life which is waiting for all of us. I would go so far as to say that no-one can meet the risen Christ and not be changed by him. If your life hasn't changed, if the Bible and prayer and churchy-type things have an element of boredom and duty for you rather than excitement and delight, then perhaps you have only seen the risen Christ from a distance and not actually met him for yourself.
How is it possible to meet him now, after a distance of 2,000 years? He meets us through his Spirit, the God within. As well as being "out there", God is also within each of us, part of our being. We can choose whether we wish to allow that God within to grow and develop, or whether we wish to crush him, or ignore him, or regard him from a distance with a true British reserve.
It's perfectly possible to regard Jesus from a distance, to like what you see and to try to live a good Christian life. Many people do that, and it doesn't require going to church or setting time aside for prayer or meeting Jesus for yourself. Jesus still responds to that, because he responds to every overture we human beings make, however tentative. But that's a bit like dipping your toe in the ocean and then claiming that you're swimming. Those who really want to swim must get undressed, must don special clothing, must wade out into the water or dive into it, and must then take the risk of lifting their feet off the seabed and trusting the water to hold them. Then they have a whole different and much more wonderful and exciting experience of swimming. A few go even further and surf or swim the channel or go in for racing.
The new life won for us by the risen Christ is very similar. Some dip their toes in it, some only paddle in it, and never experience it in all its fullness and wonder and excitement. To do that you must be stripped of all your defences and wear special clothing which is spelt out in St Paul's letter to the Ephesians - the belt of truth, the breastplate of right, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and feet ready to get going (Ephesians 6:13-17) - and you must then wade into or dive into Christ and the Bible and Church. And most importantly, after doing all that, you have to take your feet off the seabed and trust God himself to take control of your life. Then you 'll have an experience of meeting with the risen Christ and your life will be changed into something wonderful and exciting.
That's the inheritance that's waiting for all of us. And once you've experienced that, the wealth of this world fades into complete insignificance because this is the inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, which starts in this life and which is even more amazing and glorious after death because then we live with God himself in person. Once you've begun to experience that life, you may never care about other people's wealth again.
Years ago, there was a family in our street who were on benefit. There were a number of children and neither parent worked, or at least, not officially. Yet the family were doing much better financially than most of the neighbours who did work, and this produced intense feelings of anger and resentment towards the family, particularly as those years after the war were quite difficult years for most people. I don't know whether this particular family were cheating the system, but the neighbours certainly thought they were and they were pretty well ostracised by the community.
When I see football heroes or movie stars or television presenters or company directors being paid vast sums of money, I confess to a feeling of righteous indignation. It doesn't seem fair or just that many in the world who are starving could be fed by just one week's salary from one of these rich people. There's something wrong in a world which rewards a handful of people with wealth so vast that they barely know what to do with it, but is happy to allow others to starve.
And yet if I'm honest, part of my righteous indignation probably contains a hefty dose of envy. How I'd enjoy having so much money that I could swan off on exotic holidays whenever I felt like it, or buy a new car every year, or generously donate to some worthy cause without even thinking about it. And perhaps that feeling of envy is why some of us feel so angry about benefit fraud, because by cheating the system those who commit benefit fraud have more money than we do.
And yet when I really think seriously about the wealthy, I know I wouldn't change a moment of my life for a moment of theirs. However attractive wealth seems to be from time to time, especially when I'm struggling, I know very well that the attraction would soon pall and then I'd be left feeling empty again. That seems very apparent from the high lives led by many wealthy stars, lives which never seem to be fulfilled however glamorous they might appear to be on the surface and which have clear elements of discontent about them. A significant number of people with wealth commit suicide or marry and divorce seemingly endlessly or get into drugs or alcoholism.
So although wealth seems on the surface to be very attractive, perhaps the attraction is more in the dream than in the reality. As St Peter says in today's epistle, there's only one sort of wealth worth having, and that's an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. And that, of course, is the inheritance we receive from God. God has given us the gift of new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and that's an amazing gift.
What exactly is this new life and how has it happened, and when do we receive it?
It became a reality for all human beings on that first Easter Day when Jesus suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and began talking to his friends. That was when they all really began to realise that something amazing had happened. The women had gone to the tomb on the first Easter morning and returned with strange tales about Jesus' body having disappeared, and Mary Magdalene even claimed to have met Jesus in person. But since she was only a woman and women are known to be emotional creatures, her tale was easily rationalised and dismissed. Clearly she had met the gardener, and deranged by grief, had thought him to be Jesus.
But now in the Upper Room he appeared to all his disciples at the same time, and once they saw him for themselves, there was only one possible explanation. He was alive, and what's more, alive and well. The Jesus who appeared in the Upper Room bore no resemblance to the poor, broken human body which died on the cross, for now he was vibrantly, radiantly alive. As soon as they saw him, the disciples believed. But Thomas was absent at the time and so missed out on this fantastic, incredible experience. And that's exactly what he thought of the tale - fantastic, incredible - until he too met Jesus for himself. Then he too believed and his life changed completely.
This is the inheritance and the new life which is waiting for all of us. I would go so far as to say that no-one can meet the risen Christ and not be changed by him. If your life hasn't changed, if the Bible and prayer and churchy-type things have an element of boredom and duty for you rather than excitement and delight, then perhaps you have only seen the risen Christ from a distance and not actually met him for yourself.
How is it possible to meet him now, after a distance of 2,000 years? He meets us through his Spirit, the God within. As well as being "out there", God is also within each of us, part of our being. We can choose whether we wish to allow that God within to grow and develop, or whether we wish to crush him, or ignore him, or regard him from a distance with a true British reserve.
It's perfectly possible to regard Jesus from a distance, to like what you see and to try to live a good Christian life. Many people do that, and it doesn't require going to church or setting time aside for prayer or meeting Jesus for yourself. Jesus still responds to that, because he responds to every overture we human beings make, however tentative. But that's a bit like dipping your toe in the ocean and then claiming that you're swimming. Those who really want to swim must get undressed, must don special clothing, must wade out into the water or dive into it, and must then take the risk of lifting their feet off the seabed and trusting the water to hold them. Then they have a whole different and much more wonderful and exciting experience of swimming. A few go even further and surf or swim the channel or go in for racing.
The new life won for us by the risen Christ is very similar. Some dip their toes in it, some only paddle in it, and never experience it in all its fullness and wonder and excitement. To do that you must be stripped of all your defences and wear special clothing which is spelt out in St Paul's letter to the Ephesians - the belt of truth, the breastplate of right, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and feet ready to get going (Ephesians 6:13-17) - and you must then wade into or dive into Christ and the Bible and Church. And most importantly, after doing all that, you have to take your feet off the seabed and trust God himself to take control of your life. Then you 'll have an experience of meeting with the risen Christ and your life will be changed into something wonderful and exciting.
That's the inheritance that's waiting for all of us. And once you've experienced that, the wealth of this world fades into complete insignificance because this is the inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, which starts in this life and which is even more amazing and glorious after death because then we live with God himself in person. Once you've begun to experience that life, you may never care about other people's wealth again.
