This sermon was delivered to St Oswald’s, Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland on the 8th July 2016; St Oswald’s is a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries.
The readings for today are: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13
Prayer: In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit let these words speak for you, to bless each and every one of us, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Before we start, I would like to read of Gospel message again as it is so important to this sermon. Our text as I said earlier is Mark 6:1-13:
“Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.
He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Introduction
Today’s readings are very close to my heart. I did not pick them but they are very coincidental, and a direct parallel in them with them is happening in my life and ministry here in Maybole. Obviously not to the same extent as Jesus, but there is a parallel just the same which I really need to explain.
Mark 6 verse 2 again says: Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?
As many of you know, I was brought up in Maybole since birth, I am a 500 hundred generation McCulloch, and no matter where I go, I am still a Maybole man, which kind of bothers me at times.
As some of you know, my parents forced me to go to the West Parish Church, (the Church of Scotland), here in Maybole from a very early age, and sort of remained there for about 25 years, I became a member of another Church of Scotland, St Andrews church in Ayr, and although I got on well with the minister a Mr Neil, something was not right.
In fact I had a bad feeling in the church one day which suggested that I “leave right now”, in the middle of the service, and never return to the Church of Scotland again. Well I waited until the end, but I left and never returned. That was a horrible feeling, and I was worried about it, but at that time I was engaged to Christine, and Christine being Episcopal, somehow encouraged me to attend Holy Trinity in Ayr, where I remained for many years.
But again, that same feeling came back one day, that “this place is not where I should be” and after long deliberation I left Holy Trinity, in fact I gave up the church completely for about 8 or 9 months, knowing deep down I was to move on in faith, but I did not know where.
I did not know what to do until Christine said one day that as I hadn’t fallen out with anyone; and that as I spent every weekend at the village of Maidens, (5 miles away), why not come back to Maybole. She also said, sit up the back, speak to no one and disappear as soon as the service finishes. In fact don’t get involved in anything.
So I did, I sat well back well away from everyone, and absorbed what was going on; and it is amazing what you see when you are looking from the bottom up, and not the top down.
First of all, I knew some of the congregation, I knew Ruth and Bertie from Holy Trinity, and Mrs Glasswatson my old primary 3 teacher; and some of the congregation knew me too, through my family, like Edna and Molly and Ann and Josephine; so I concluded I was in safe hands.
I also remember watching Becky’s and Marilyn’s families growing up, when they were in Sunday school, and I remember all the events that they organised. This then I concluded a small and friendly church but strong in its beliefs, … with a congregation working well together; and without exception made me feel welcome time and time again. I thought, this will do me fine.
The Rev. Ian Meredith changed that as you know; “Gordon”, he said, “you are a qualified server and it is time you took up your duties again” and the warmth within this church did not allow me to refuse, and in time I was appointed Eucharist Assistant, then worship leader as I am today.
I did not want to, but like Jesus I too came back to my home town, and although not in the same vein, we had some good services; but like Jesus I have also found some things very difficult.
Mark 6 verse 3: is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
Do you want to know how that feels, well I will tell you? I was brought up with most of the older congregation in that very church across the road, and through my Mother and Father I do have many friends there; but there are also those who are not.
There are many who constantly remember me from primary school at Cairn, and as well as secondary in Carrick, they many like to remind me; of the time I did such and such; inferring they were above me then, and are still above me now. Yes I was a wild one, and yes I deserved their wrath, but that was over 40 years ago, you would think things would have had move on.
They obviously felt they need to do that, t them I was still Peter and Margaret’s son, … Bryce’s brother, … and that boy that was forever getting into trouble, and bringing shame on the family? Believe me, comments are still being made, because I was no angel.
I would love to be a minister in any town, in any part of the country, but please not in Maybole. Can you imagine how I felt when the minister across the road asked me to fill in for him when he was away? It was one of the biggest honours in my life, but I did not, or could not commit because it would be a service of pure judgement and condemnation.
Verse 5, Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deeds of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
As well as being a qualified teacher, I am a qualified engineer; an engineer qualified in Marine, Mechanical, Production, and even a bit of electronics, and as luck would have it, I have found myself working in companies who employ the services of highly paid consultant engineers, which is normal, what these highly paid consultants did time and time again was ask me for my advice, and then present my solutions to the problems they were employed to solve or endorse in the first place. Can you imagine how that feels, … regardless of being an accepted practice?
Basically, most companies do not trust their own engineers, in other words, their own engineers are not without honour (as they can do the job in the first place), but are not always accepted by their own company; because the company has become over familiar with them, and we all know or should know, that familiarity breeds contempt.
What is the definition of an expert? An expert is someone who people find it agreeable to listen to and take advice from, and preferably someone … who comes from somewhere else. Everywhere Jesus went; he was widely recognised as the messiah, … but not in his home town.
These verses have always disturbed me and can you see my reluctance in coming to Maybole. If the perfect Jesus struggled with it, what chances have I?
Did you also notice the other qualifiers in that verse also, "Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house
and among their own kin,
Question, how often have you seen my parents in this very church? Never, but this suits me as they cannot interfere.
and in their own house.
Christine has her own deep but quiet faith, a faith that I am not to question, in fact I am not even allowed to ask; but she too does not attend this church, but this too suits me as well, as she stops me from running off at a tangent being detacted from the church.
To continue, well we can’t because our story in Marks gospel stops here, but it continues again in Luke 4:28, and although it looks horrific, it is full of victory.
Luke 4:28, All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him (Jesus) out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
The town’s people must have been so angry that they were going to commit murder under mob rule. They dragged Jesus out of the town, climbed a hill and were about to throw him off the cliff to his death.
We can only imagine what happened here, and it could only have been at the cliff face when Jesus must have said something like, “enough”. … He must have said it with power and authority that could only have come from God, … power that made them all stop in their tracks, and back away.
I have heard a lot of people say that this story has an anti-climax, but I disagree.
The crowd must have been so full of rage to carry or drag Jesus that far; to climb a hill; and can you imaging what was going on in their minds when they wanted to throw him over the cliff.
That is a lot of anger, yet suddenly they stopped. Verse 28 tells us that Jesus simply “walked right through the crowd and went on his way”. It must have been a mass deliverance, an expulsion of evil to achieve that.
Jesus, calmly walked on his way and I am sure Jesus must have had eye contact with them “on his way”, which said, “I am the Messiah; get used to it”.
Here we see the great son of God in his most human form by allowing his own kind to reject him, and carry him off to his death, … yet when Jesus needed it most; his father intervened and protected him; for no other reason than to live out the scriptures of prophecy where Jesus was to die, taking the sins of the world with him, and not simply die by being thrown off a cliff.
Can you see how brutal your own kind of people can be, as soon as you achieve success? It took me years to accept this; in fact your own people can be your worst enemies in disguise.
I know many ministers, yet I do not know any who are preaching in the town they were brought up. There are many times I feel I have been a failure, but then recognise that I have done just that, and it makes me feel blessed. Yes, God took my sins and forgave them; but he also made me face up to them; by bring me back to Ayrshire instead of allowing me to run away.
Facing up has been the most painful part of my life, and yet I know God has not finished with me. You have to be careful what you ask for, for example, there are hymns which say things like, “purify my heart” or “refine me as silver” or such. Think about it, how do you refine silver? … As an engineer I know you heat it up until it is red hot, then your bash it about, and then cool it, then heat it up again and bash it and continue doing this until it is pure.
Sometimes God can only heat us up by putting you in the furnace of our childhood, and present us with our past; and only then he can mould us, and form us by putting us in with our old flames.
But notice, (and to finish), God had a plan for Jesus, and that plan did not end on that cliff. I just hate it when people say, what are your goals in life? Where do you see yourself in 5 years time, because that question suggests that you are in charge of your own destiny, and that you are ultimately responsible?
No, the bible is very clear, God is in charge of our lives and he has a plan for us. We are to do his bidding, and we are not to do what we want, and use God’s methods to achieve our goals; just like some Victorian father or some Jim Jones.
It is not what we want, but it is what God wants for us. Fortunately through the refining fire, God aligns our desires to his desires, and that way, when we are doing his will, it is a pleasure.
I do not know what it is, but God has a very definite plan for my life, and I have never, at any stage asked to be in this church; and yet I know this is where I am meant to be; and this is where I am going to stay until He says otherwise. … That is why I love taking this service, and why I love this church. I see it as a pleasure and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Amen.
Let us pray,
Father we thank you for Jesus, and we thank you that like us he was human, and suffered as we suffer on this earth.
We thank you that he over came this earth, and we thank you that you want us to do likewise.
But Father, sometimes the refining fire can be too much for us, we feel the pain and we do not know why until it is all over.
Father we know it is for our benefit, but we ask that you give us a sense purpose when you put us through the fire.
Give us the knowledge, and faith to understand that you know what you are doing with us, and that you have a plan for our lives; a plan that is part of your plan for this earth, and a plan for the world to come.
We humbly ask, in Jesus name.
Amen
