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The sermon begins with a clip from the film The Hobbit where Gandalf meets Bilbo
{ for the sake of the sermon text, here is the relevant passage from the book the Hobbit:
“Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
"All of them at once," said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. If you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine! There's no hurry, we have all the day before us!" Then Bilbo sat down on a seat by his door, crossed his legs, and blew out a beautiful grey ring of smoke that sailed up into the air without breaking and floated away over The Hill.
"Very pretty!" said Gandalf. "But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone."
I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them, said our Mr. Baggins, and stuck one thumb behind his braces, and blew out another even bigger smoke-ring. Then he took out his morning letters, and begin to read, pretending to take no more notice of the old man. He had decided that he was not quite his sort, and wanted him to go away. But the old man did not move. He stood leaning on his stick and gazing at the hobbit without saying anything, till Bilbo got quite uncomfortable and even a little cross.
"Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."
"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir! Let me see, I don't think I know your name?"
"Yes, yes, my dear sir - and I do know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!" "Gandalf, Gandalf! Good gracious me! Not the wandering wizard that gave Old Took a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered? Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about dragons and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected luck of widows' sons? Not the man that used to make such particularly excellent fireworks! I remember those! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. Splendid! They used to go up like great lilies and snapdragons and laburnums of fire and hang in the twilight all evening!" You will notice already that Mr. Baggins was not quite so prosy as he liked to believe, also that he was very fond of flowers. "Dear me!" she went on. "Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures. Anything from climbing trees to visiting Elves - or sailing in ships, sailing to other shores! Bless me, life used to be quite inter - I mean, you used to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time. I beg your pardon, but I had no idea you were still in business." "Where else should I be?" said the wizard. "All the same I am pleased to find you remember something about me. You seem to remember my fireworks kindly, at any rate, land that is not without hope. Indeed for your old grand-father Took's sake, and for the sake of poor Belladonna, I will give you what you asked for."
"I beg your pardon, I haven't asked for anything!"
"Yes, you have! Twice now. My pardon. I give it you. In fact I will go so far as to send you on this adventure. Very amusing for me, very good for you and profitable too, very likely, if you ever get over it."
"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning!”}
{it’s shorter in the film version}
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Bilbo Baggins as the ultimate example of someone who is risk averse. Adventures? No thank you! “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner”
No as you may know JRR Tolkein was a Christian and the whole story of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings is bursting with Christian imagery. And this is one such scene. God calls us on an adventure into life in all it’s fullness (John 10:10) (2)
Matthew 13:45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Now I don’t know very much about investing.But do know one basic principle - have a diverse portfolio. If you have got a pension fund and it has the company goes belly up you have got nothing for your retirement. Have a nice safe boring portfolio with lots of little holdings of different shares. You may not end up a millionaire but you will at least be comfortable. That will leave snug in your burrow in Hobbiton smoking your pipe. That’s good investment advice for retirement.
But of course every now an then a Warren Buffet style investor comes along - puts all their money into Microsoft before anyone has heard of it, and becomes a multi billionaire.
That is God’s advice for the rest of life. Put all your eggs in one basket - a relationship with Jesus. That’s what this story about the merchant is about. He goes and sells everything he has to buy one single thing. Terrible investment advice. What if the pearl is a dud? Or what if he sells everything and then before he can buy it the price of the pearl goes up? Or what if once he has all his cash on him he gets robbed? Or what if… So many things could go wrong. Yet the merchant takes the risk - and buys the pearl that proves to be worth so much more than he could have thought. That’s God’s investment advice. Risk everything for a relationship with Jesus.
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
In July 2009 an unemployed man called Terry Herbert was using a metal detector in a field when he found some Gold coins. They turned out to be part of a huge treasure hoard(3)
Now in this case the land belonged to a farmer called Fred Johnson. And anyway we now have treasure trove laws. But even with this - the amount of money changed their lives.
But imagine living in the time of Jesus. Imagine if the owner of some land owned everything in. So if you walking through some useless rocky field that you couldn’t grow anything in, and you come across a treasure- you bury it and you rush and sell everything you have to buy the field. It is so risky. The treasure could be a dud. Or the farmer could have found it and removed it before you bought the land. So many things could go wrong. And yet Jesus says “Faith is spelt RISK”
Because a relationship with Jesus in this life and the next is treasure. A gold Saxon hoard is worth a lot - but this is worth much more. Shares in Microsoft or a set of bit coin - they are worth a lot. But this is worth much more. A relationship with Jesus is the most valuable thing you could have.
Like Gandalf with Bilbo, Jesus calls us on an adventure in search of treasure. We often want to make Christianity safe. Eddie Izzard mocks the Church of England with his “Cake or death” sketch - but sadly there is a lot of truth in it. We in the Church of England have tried to take the wild fire of the Christian faith and make it something tame. Some of you will have moved house because of your job. Some of you will have moved to different parts of the country so as to marry someone. Some of you will have moved to a different part of London in order to get good schools for your kids. But how many of you have moved house because of your faith?
In her early 20s Jackie Pullinger listened to God. She knew he was calling her to something, but she did not know what. So she got on a boat and prayed and stayed on that boat until God told her to get off. She ended up in Hong Kong in a suburb full of refugees and drug dealers. The year was … and she has been there serving God ever since.
How many of you have moved house because of your faith?
Holy Trinity Brompton is famous for planting new churches in different parts of London and different parts of London. And every time it has done so members of the congregation have moved house to join the new congregation. They have not necessarily had a job to go to. They may not have known anyone in the new area except the members of their planting team. But they have embraced the adventure. They have taken the act of faith spelt R-I-S-K.
There is a reason churches like Holy Trinity Brompton have been responsible for so much church growth.
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-45)
Bilbo is sitting in his sleepy safe village of Hobbiton when Gandalf turns up. Now the hobbits like Gandalf. He is the one who entertains their children with fire works. But they certainly don’t want any adventures “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner”
Christianity is fine when it is providing nice Sunday School or Messy Church for our children. A few Gandalfian sparklers. But what if it actually turns our life upside down?
It’s like the great quote from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - when Mr Beaver tells Susan that Aslan (the figure who represents Jesus) is
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ (Matthew 13:31-32)
In the Hobbit and the Lord of the rings Bilbo and Frodo - even once they overcome their fear and join the adventure are looked down on because they are hobbits - little people. Everyone expects warrior dwarves or noble elves or a great prince like Aragon - they are the people who make a difference in adventures - yet it turns out the true hero of the story are the little people.
[An extract from the song Little people from Les Miserables is played] (4)
{for sake of readers here are the lyrics
They laugh at me, these fellas,
Just because I am small
They laugh at me because I'm not hundred feet tall!
I tell 'em there's aot to learn down here on the ground
The world is big, but little people turn it around!
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome
Goliath was a buiser who was tall as the sky.
But David threw a right and gave him one in the eye.
I never read the Bible but I know that it's true
It only goes to show what little people can do!
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome}
God likes little people.
The bible is full of stories of God picking the underdog. David who is the youngest son who is so puny that his dad doesn’t even think he is worth showing off to the prophet Samuel, David who is so small that everyone laughs when he says he is going to fight Golliath. Abraham and Sarah, a doddery couple of pensioners who move countries in the adventure where God will give them a child through whom the saviour of the world will be born. Moses the stutterer “l…..l...let my p...p..people g...g..go!” Jeremiah who is so young no one takes him seriously. Judith who is a … a woman - yet it is her with her bravery who tricks Holofernes, cuts off his head and saves Israel. Elizabeth Hannah and Sarah - all barren women whom society has given up on yet become the mothers of great prophets. Mary the insignificant peasant teenager from a northern town that nobody takes seriously.
{a second extract from the song -
And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings but we got some bite!
So never kick a dog because he's just a pup
You better run for cover when the pup grows up!
And we'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give up
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome }
Gandalf calls Bilbo and Frodo, the hobbits, the little people to be the true heroes of the adventure. God calls you and me, the little people, the mustard seeds to be the true heroes of the adventure. He calls us to turn the world upside down.
And there don’t need to be many of us.
“ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’” Matthew 13:33
There don’t need to be many of us to change the world into the place God would have it be.
You will often see things on the news about public figures being forced into some humiliating retreat because of something that happened on Twitter. Now I don’t really use Twitter. I expect many of you don’t use Twitter. Only around 22% of people use Twitter. And of those, just 10% of people on Twitter are responsible for 80% of Tweets. Ie you when you see something in the news about some public figure getting into trouble, perhaps even having to resign - because people piled into her on Twitter - that is just 2% of people in the country who caused that. A tiny number of people having a huge influence. (5)
Well if they can do that, so can we.
In 1785 the young MP William Wilberforce converted to Christianity. He had been brought up in a Christian family, but suddenly his faith became real to him. And to be real it had to make a practical difference. He almost immediately joined the movement for the abolition of slavery. At the time it was a totally fringe cause. Working alongside a tiny number of other people such as Thomas Clarkson, Olaudah Equiano and Ottobah Cugoano he campaigned tirelessly. After 22 years in 1807 they managed to get the first stage past the abolition not of slavery itself but of the slave trade. Still they fought on bit by bit until in 1833 - 48 years later, slavery was finally abolished.
This is the difference the yeast of a tiny number of Christians could make
Gandalf summons the little people Bilbo and Frodo on adventures, to leave comfortable lives to take a risk. At the end of the Lord of the Rings huge armies of good and evil face one another across the plains of Mordor. But it is the hobbit Frodo and his even more insignificant friend Sam Gangees who do the tiny thing that defeats evil throwing the Ring into the volcano the only thing that can end it’s power.
God calls us, the little people, on an adventure. He knows that we are mustard seeds - we are not like acorns, or what’s a really big seed? Coconuts? We are just tiny mustard seeds. And yet God calls us the little people. He calls us to leave our life of safety behind . I asked you - had you ever moved house because of your faith. You might think that is a weird thing to ask. But in what practical ways has your faith made a difference in your life to leave comfort behind and to do something for Jesus? He calls you to stop trying to settle for comfortable Christianity - to risk everything for that treasure, that Pearl of great price that relationship with Jesus .And he calls us on an adventure where, even though we are few, we are the yeast who can change the world. Amen
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(1) The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein chapter 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_cwRqXBR4Q
(2) The idea of Christianity as an adventure is inspired by Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP in his book "Alive in God"
(3) https://www.berganza.com/feature-unemployed_man_discovers_largest_hoard_of_saxon_gold_ever_found_.html
(4) This is from the full version of the song which was in early performances of Les Miserables but sadly cut from later ones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2S8nDEEyxQ
(5) on the percentage of people who post on Twitter https://www.poynter.org/tech-tools/2019/10-percent-of-twitter-users-create-80-percent-of-all-tweets-study-finds/
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