A simple service for Lent 5 - Passion Sunday

You may wish to light a candle at the start of this time of worship.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Theme Prayer
Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Confession
Have mercy on us, Lord, when our selfishness betrays you, and when we are afraid to be known as yours. Have mercy on us when we choose the easy way, and turn aside from the way of the cross. Bring us back to you, Lord, and by your mercy and grace restore us in your service.  Amen.

Through the cross of Christ may God have mercy upon us; may he pardon us and set us free. May we know we are forgiven, may we be at peace, and may God strengthen us in goodness and keep us in life eternal.  Amen.

God’s Word - Verses from John’s Gospel, chapter 11 :-

There was a man named Lazarus who had fallen ill (. . . .)*  His home was at Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. On his arrival there Jesus found that Lazarus had already been four days in the tomb. Bethany was just under two miles from Jerusalem, and many of the Jews had come from the city to visit Martha and Mary and condole with them about their brother. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was on his way, she went to meet him, and left Mary sitting at home.
Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. Even now I know that God will grant you whatever you ask of him.’  Jesus said, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  ‘I know that he will rise again’, said Martha, ‘at the resurrection on the last day.’  Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever has faith in me shall live, even though he dies; and no one who lives and has faith in me shall ever die. Do you believe this?’ ‘I do, Lord,’ she answered; ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who was to come into the world.’  (. . . .)*

Jesus, again deeply moved, went to the tomb. It was a cave, with a stone placed against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, ‘Sir, by now there will be a stench; he has been there four days.’  Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you have faith you will see the glory of God?’ Then they removed the stone.

Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but I have spoken for the sake of the people standing round, that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ Then he raised his voice in a great cry: ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen bandages, his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said, ‘Loose him; let him go.’

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

*NB There is space here only for selected verses. The full reading is John chapter 11, vv 1-45.

A Reflection on the Reading

Three brief comments on this reading: firstly, throughout the story there’s a focus on believing in Jesus, and on a faith that is personal and trusting, rather than abstract or formulaic. “I am the resurrection and the life,” says Jesus. Ours is a faith formed not through ideas of God but relationship with God.

Secondly, John shows us the grief of Jesus, especially in the short verse not included in the selection above, that simply tells us, “Jesus wept.” We see a man like us, sharing the pain of his friends, disturbed by their distress.

And thirdly, see how Lazarus, brought from the tomb, still wears his grave clothes (compare this with John’s report of the empty tomb on Easter Day). Lazarus is still mortal. Jesus shows he has power even over death, yet  even this greatest of miracles merely foreshadows the forever victory of Easter.

Statement of Faith
We have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.
The life we live in the body
we live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved us and gave himself for us.  Amen.   From Galatians

Anthem   
1    Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy:  ♦
we look to you to save and help us.

2    By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free:  ♦
we look to you to save and help us.

3    When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples:  ♦
we look to you to come to our help.

4    In the greatness of your mercy, loose us from our chains,  ♦
forgive the sins of all your people.

5    Make yourself known as our Saviour and mighty deliverer;  ♦
save and help us that we may praise you.

6    Come now and dwell with us, Lord Christ Jesus:  ♦
hear our prayer and be with us always.

7    And when you come in your glory:  ♦
make us to be one with you and to share the life of your kingdom.   

Prayers

Pray for the needs of the world: for all in places of leadership and authority, that they may love justice, act with mercy and strive for peace. Pray for a concerted response to the challenges of today, and for strength and unity of purpose as nations share and work together.

Pray for the Church of God: for our witness under the sign of the cross, and that we may boldly enter into the places of suffering and need and pain, with Christ’s message of healing and reconciling love.
Pray for those in need today: for those who are sad and grieving, for those who are worried and anxious, and for those who are alone or afraid. Pray for all who are ill, and especially for those who have been infected by Covid-19. Give thanks for all who tend and care for those who are ill, and that carers may be kept free themselves from harm and infection.

Pray for the community around us, and that we may do our best to adhere to the instructions being given for our own protection and the protection of others. Help us to look out for one another, and to be ready to respond to our neighbour in need. Pray too for those whose incomes, homes and settled lives are put at risk by the Coronavirus outbreak and the shutdown of so much of our community life.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.



A Prayer for today
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do also for you: give us the will to be the servant of others as you were the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us, but are alive and reign, now and for ever. Amen.

Help us, Lord, to bear your saving cross into the world’s dark places.    
Where hatred damages lives, let your love break through.                       
Where justice is denied, let your righteousness rule.                                  
Where the truth is twisted and denied, let the struggle of faith continue. 
And where people are paralysed by fear, let your forgiveness restore them. Amen.

May Christ crucified draw us to himself, to find in him
a sure ground for faith, a firm support for love,
and the assurance of sins forgiven.
And may almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.   Amen.

A simple service for Lent 4 - Mothering Sunday

You may wish to light a candle at the start of this time of worship.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God says,  'As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.'  May the peace of the Lord be with us always.

Theme Prayer

Lord, on this Mothering Sunday we think of mothers and of all who care and nurture others - their skill, their patience, their kindness and compassion. We especially thank you for all who are looking out for others and finding ways to help during this time of stress and anxiety with Coronavirus.

Praise God who loves us and cares.

And we thank you, Lord, for those who care quietly, selflessly and without thinking of themselves.  Please hold all mothers and carers in the light of your presence. Bless and encourage them in all that they do. 

Praise God who loves us and cares. Amen.

Confession

Loving Father, we are sorry for the times when we fail to care as we should, or are thoughtless or unkind;  teach us to care as you do, forgive our mistakes, and restore us to friendship and peace with you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Give thanks to the God of love. Today he is calling us back to himself: today he washes away our sin and shame, and he grants us forgiveness in his redeeming love, revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God’s Word - Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12 to 17 :-

Put on garments that suit God’s chosen and beloved people: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgiving, if any of you has cause for complaint: you must forgive as the Lord forgave you. Finally, to bind everything together and complete the whole, there must be love. Let Christ’s peace be arbiter in your decisions, the peace to which you were called as members of a single body. Always be thankful.  Let the gospel of Christ dwell among you in all its richness; teach and instruct one another with all the wisdom it gives you. With psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing from the heart in gratitude to God. Let every word and action, everything you do, be in the name of the Lord Jesus, and give thanks through him to God the Father.

Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.

A Reflection on the Reading

In this excerpt from his letter, Paul wants to make very clear to the Colossian Christians that following Jesus requires of the believer a radical transformation.  Their old way of life is put to death, nailed to the cross of Christ, and they have entered the new life of their risen Lord.  “Put on garments,” writes Paul - but in reality he is talking about something that is much more, and much deeper than any superficial change or fashion accessory. This isn’t just about looking different, it’s about being different.

The present situation has seen some of the bad and uncaring traits in human life make headlines: empty shelves, the refusal to share even with those who are obviously in need. But it’s also seen huge numbers of people offering just to be there to help when vulnerable people self-isolate, quite apart from the sheer selflessness of health workers doing extra shifts and accepting an element of risk because there’s a job to be done.

So if sin is naturally part of what it is to be human, so too are the “garments” of which Paul writes. This isn’t something foreign to ourselves, this is how we were made to be, how God wants us to be. Care and compassion for others, humility that puts others first, and forbearance that sorts things out when there’s an argument - and love that holds all of this in place. These are the things that prove Christ’s Lordship of our lives.

For Paul, everything always depends on Christ: his example inspires us to forgive, his peace helps us resolve our conflicts, his word is there to guide our thinking and inspire our joy, and his name makes us and all we do holy.  And this is all good practical stuff: Paul’s writing about the serious business of living together. These garments aren’t best clothes,  they are our workwear.

Statement of Faith

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.          

We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. 

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.  

We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Anthem 

   

Response [R]:  Gather your little ones to you, O God,
as a hen gathers her brood to protect them.

Jesus, like a mother you gather your people to you;
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.

Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement. [R]

You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
in sickness you nurse us, and with pure milk you feed us.

Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life;
by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy. [R]

Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.

Your warmth gives life to the dead,
your touch makes sinners righteous. [R]

Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us;
in your love and tenderness remake us.

In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness,
for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us. [R]    

Prayers

Pray for the needs of the world: for all in places of leadership and authority, that they may love justice, act with mercy and strive for peace. Pray for those with difficult economic and social decisions to make, in these uncertain and unsettled times.

Pray for the Church of God: for its witness and mission to be marked by compassion and love, and for gentleness and courage as we live and share the Gospel message. Pray for Bishop Richard as he begins his work in our diocese, and for his wife Deborah as they settle in among us.

Pray for those in need today: for those who are sad and grieving, for those who are worried and anxious, and for those who are alone or afraid. Pray for all who are ill, and especially for those who have been infected by Covid-19. Give thanks for all who tend them and care for them, and that they may kept free from harm and infection themselves.

Pray for the community around us: for mothers and for all who care for children, and for our own families and those who live around us. Pray too for those who jobs, homes and settled lives are put at risk by the Coronavirus outbreak and the shutdown of so much of our community life.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

A Prayer for Mothers

Praise God who loves us:                 Praise God who cares.

For the care of mothers:                 Thanks be to God.

For their patience when tested: Thanks be to God.

For their love when tired:                 Thanks be to God.

For their hope when despairing: Thanks be to God.

For their service without limit:         Thanks be to God. Amen.

May God the Father, who gave birth to all creation, bless us. 

May God the Son, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless us. 

May God the Holy Spirit, who broods as a mother over her children, bless us. 

May almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.   Amen.

Nicodemus

A sermon on the "first service" readings for Lent 2, 8th March :-

John, chapter 3, verse 16, from our Gospel today: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” We hear these words a lot, and very often they are the first words spoken by the minister as he or she leads a funeral procession into the Church. They’re words we’ll often see on church notice boards, bookmarks, badges, bumper stickers. Martin Luther called this verse “the Gospel in a nutshell” - and he was right, I think.

It’s such a well-known quote that maybe we forget the story that surrounds it, and that those words were spoken in the course of a conversation, to a particular person, Nicodemus. It’s worth reflecting for a moment on who Nicodemus was, and why he and Jesus were speaking together.

Nicodemus was a leading scholar within the Jewish hierarchy of his day. In public, he was a loyal member of the Jewish establishment, who looked with suspicion and concern on the ministry of Jesus, which seemed to challenge much of what they stood for. In private, though, it would seem that Nicodemus had his doubts. He needed to speak to Jesus, but he didn’t dare to do so until after dark.

And right at the beginning of his visit to Jesus, we see the dilemma that faced Nicodemus. Those around him were condemning Jesus as a disruptive influence, but Nicodemus realises, as he says to Jesus, “We know that no-one could do what you are doing unless God were with him.” I imagine, by the way, that Nicodemus was therefore coming on behalf of maybe a small group within the Pharisees who just wanted to know more about Jesus, and were impressed by what he was doing. That “we” surely can’t be all the Pharisees - many of them were appalled by Jesus - but it suggests that there were others who shared a more positive approach.

Jesus responds to that with a very challenging statement: “You cannot see the kingdom of God without being born again.” Or you could translate it as born anew, or as the Greek words “genethe anothen” literally mean, “born from above”.

I say that because the phrase “born again” has a particular resonance these days, and comes across as the possession of a particular part of the Christian Church, whereas a phrase like “born anew” or “born from above” perhaps get closer to what Jesus was actually saying to Nicodemus, which is essentially this - that believing certain things or worshipping in a particular way, even being zealous and careful in your keeping of God’s Law: these aren’t enough on their own - to be part of God’s kingdom requires a movement of the soul, such a complete change or heart and mindset that it’s like completely starting over.

Now John’s Gospel is full of instances where Jesus says something spiritually challenging, which is then misunderstood by the person he’s speaking to. And so it is here. Nicodemus isn’t thinking in spiritual terms at all when he says, “How can someone be born after they’ve grown old? Can they enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

That’s the cue for Jesus to tell Nicodemus, and to tell us too, that this isn’t about literally being born again, it’s about a change of heart and a fresh start, as God’s person. Elsewhere Paul talks about our being adopted as God’s children. To comprehend the kingdom of God, we have to be part of his family, giving our whole selves over to an entirely different way of being. To be “born from above” means to be in a new relationship with the God we can dare to call “Our Father”.

We don’t exactly learn how Nicodemus responded to all this. “How can this be?” he says again. But Jesus is saying there can be no half measures where the kingdom is concerned. Those born from above must begin a new life, a new way of being. But we like there to be limits. We don’t want to have to help and serve everyone, just those we feel deserve it, or might be properly grateful. We don’t want to have to forgive everyone, only those we believe to be properly sorry. We don’t want to have to give everything, just a measured amount that leaves us in control of the rest of it.

I suppose, though, that Jesus is saying: to be in the kingdom, you must strive to be as I am. Just as elsewhere he says to the disciples, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” - I guess he means by that, don’t set your sights anywhere less than that. And of course, he also says “The greatest among you must be the servant of all.”

Maybe it’s no surprise that Nicodemus returns to his position within the Jewish establishment. We don’t hear much more of him. In John chapter 7, he briefly intervenes to defend Jesus at a meeting of the Pharisees, but he’s quickly talked down. “Prophets don’t come from Galilee,” he’s told. But had something taken root in him, even if it was slow growing? In John’s account of the crucifixion Nicodemus appears again, helping Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body of Jesus, and prepare it to be laid in the tomb. He may still not have been convinced, especially now Jesus had died, but he could still see that this was a good and godly man.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” I wonder how Nicodemus considered those words as he left the company of Jesus? I wonder how those words resonated in him as he stood - we may assume - somewhere near the cross and watched this man die? Some among his fellows were jeering at Jesus and making fun of him; but I imagine Nicodemus standing silently and sadly; he may even have been wondering whether his own lack of involvement had contributed to the tragedy of a good man who spoke the words of God hanging there to die.

The last verse of our Gospel has Jesus saying, “God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” And maybe Nicodemus was thinking, “How can that happen now?” as he watched Jesus die. It’s frustrating not to know the end of the story. There’s no mention of Nicodemus in the accounts of Easter and of the beginnings of the Church. Was he part of it? Or did he never break away from his past?

My hope is that somewhere within him the forever change Jesus had wanted for him had happened, that change we may call being born again, born anew, born from above. By which I mean, I hope that little by little his heart was broken open, and a new light came to his eyes, so that he could begin to find his way through the doubt and the darkness to the cross, to see it not as a sign of defeat and death but the triumphant throne of love, the place where all that separates us from God is cast aside. For, as Jesus went on to say to Nicodemus when he came to him by night, “the one who does what is true will come to the light.”

Lift high the cross

A sermon on the "second service" readings for Sunday 8th March, Lent 2

Numbers 21.4-9 -

From Mount Hor they left by way of the Red Sea to march round the flank of Edom. But on the way the people grew impatient  and spoke against God and Moses. ‘Why have you brought us up from Egypt’, they said, ‘to die in the desert where there is neither food nor water? We are heartily sick of this miserable fare.’ Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them, and they bit the Israelites so that many of them died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and you. Plead with the LORD to rid us of the snakes.’ Moses interceded for the people,  and the LORD told him to make a serpent and erect it as a standard, so that anyone who had been bitten could look at it and recover. So Moses made a bronze serpent and erected it as a standard, in order that anyone bitten by a snake could look at the bronze serpent and recover.

Luke 14.27-33 -

Jesus said, ‘No one who does not carry his cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine. Would any of you think of building a tower without first sitting down and calculating the cost, to see whether he could afford to finish it? Otherwise, if he has laid its foundation and then is unable to complete it, everyone who sees it will laugh at him. “There goes the man”, they will say, “who started to build and could not finish.” Or what king will march to battle against another king, without first sitting down to consider whether with ten thousand men he can face an enemy coming to meet him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, long before the enemy approaches, he sends envoys and asks for terms. So also, if you are not prepared to leave all your possessions behind, you cannot be my disciples.’

Our first reading tonight - from the Book of Numbers - gives us one possible origin of the snake around a staff symbol you often see at pharmacies, although the snake as a sign of healing also has an origin within the pagan religion of the Greeks. You may think it strange that a snake should be a symbol of healing, when you consider that in Genesis chapter 3 the snake is declared to be humankind’s mortal enemy. Anyway, in the Book of Numbers God sends snakes to punish the people for their rebellious moaning; and then he relents, and the snake becomes a symbol that ensures their recovery from the venomous bites they’ve received.

Now if I’m honest, I don’t very often read the Book of Numbers. In fact, one of my bibles has most of this book printed in very small type, almost as if the editors expected it wouldn’t be much used. But tonight’s little reading, and the idea that something as harmful as a snake should become instead a symbol of hope and healing and recovery - well, this does connect I think with the New Testament reading that came next.

And so it should, since these are set readings for today in the Common Lectionary. You see, the cross was also a fearful sign, a disgraceful sign, people shrank away from the very idea of the cross; and now Jesus in Luke chapter 14 is telling us we must accept the cross and take it up if we’re to follow him.

The very earliest Christian meeting places didn’t display the cross as a sign. Christians mostly had to meet in secret, as their faith was not one of the permitted religions of the Roman Empire; so they used signs to guide those who could understand them to the place, probably an ordinary house, where the Christian people of a town or city met for worship. The fish was the best known of those signs, not just because of the fishermen that Jesus first called to be his disciples, but because the Greek word for fish, Ichthus, was made up of the initial letters of the words that in Greek spelled out “Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour”.

Most people would walk by a sign like that chalked on a wall as just so much graffiti; but those in the know would recognise it for what it was. Whereas the cross would be too much a mark of disgrace to be used in such a way. Crucifixion was much used by the Romans, a very public and quite horrific form of punishment, and one way of demonstrating to the rebellious element among the people that the might of Rome would always win.

One other sign, though, that’s been found in Roman ruins in several places, including Silchester in Hampshire, is a simple acrostic, of five words each of five letters, which reads ROTAS OPERA TENET AREPO SATOR. It’s quite clever: those five read the same across left to right from the top, or across right to left from the bottom, or down starting at the top left, or up starting at the bottom right. The words themselves don’t mean anything very sensible, but someone discovered that if you unpack the letters and form them instead into a cross, you get A PATERNOSTER O reading across, the arms of the cross, and the same A PATERNOSTER O reading down, the upright of the cross. That’s Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Green alphabet and a symbol of the almighty and eternal God, and “Our Father”, the first words of the Lord’s Prayer.

So that was another secret Christian sign, but this one needed to be turned into a cross in order to be understood; and that was perhaps the first use of the cross as a symbol by the early Christian church.

Paul in several places, for example Philippians chapter 3, writes about the ways in which he is sharing in the sufferings of Jesus. Peter in chapter 4 of his First Letter tells his readers that they should “rejoice in so far as you share in the sufferings of Christ.” And in our reading from Luke 14 Jesus is clearly saying, “There will be a cost, if you’re serious about following me. It won’t be an easy ride.”

There were many people who didn’t get that. The twelve disciples themselves often didn’t get that. Look at that time when James and John pestered Jesus to have the best thrones, one on his right and the other on his left. Victory was assured, they thought. But what was to happen in Jerusalem wasn’t going to look like victory to any of them, not at that time. It would involve a cross - and    no-one could imagine the Messiah hanging and dying on a cross.

Those who follow me must leave all their possessions behind, says Jesus. But how could any of us do that? Well, I suppose some people do, to become monks or nuns. Here’s a story I was told long ago. A thief down on his luck begged a room for the night in a monastery. Snooping round, he found in the cell of one of the monks that man’s only possession, an old and finely bound bible. Hoping to get some money for it, he stole it; and the next day, having made his way to a nearby town, he took it to a buyer of old books to see what he could get. The bookseller examined the book, suggested a figure, but added “Before I pay for it I’ll ask a friend, an expert on books like this, for a second opinion.”

The thief reluctantly left the bible with him, and came back the next day as arranged, to complete the trade. He entered the shop to find to his horror that the expert the bookseller had called in was none other than the monk from which he’d stolen the book. But to his amazement, the monk looked at him and smiled, and assured the bookseller that the bible was worth every penny of the price he’d offered. Stunned and confused, the thief told the bookseller he’d changed his mind, and wasn’t selling after all.

He waited near the shop until the monk came out on the street, then followed him a short way, caught up with him, and tearfully offered him the book. “Keep it, my son,” said the monk. “But don’t sell it, read it.” The thief did so, and in due course entered the same monastery as a brother. Even the one possession the monk had kept he regarded as really not his own, but the Lord’s.

We get weighed down by our possessions. Each one of them has the potential to become a mini-god, an idol that distracts from where we should be. Yet Jesus hasn’t I think called me and you to be monks or nuns; or to leave our homes and our loved ones; or to dispense altogether with our possessions. What he does call us to do is to place all we are and all we have at his disposal. Like the monk with his bible.

That phrase “Take up your cross and follow me,” says to us that our way to life involves complete surrender - all we are, all we have, given to God. Paul writes of himself as a runner or a boxer in strict training, and like him we should be aiming as high as we can. But we’re not doing that to persuade God to favour is, or to earn ourselves a place in heaven: we’re doing it as a thank offering - because Jesus has already done what we never could: he has completely surrendered, laying down even his life itself.

And that’s what turns the cross from being a sign of the ultimate victory of tyranny over freedom, of dark over light, of the forces of this world driving their tanks and war machines over the flowers of peace and hope into what it now is. The cross which spoke only of terror and pain and waste and confusion and the end of all that is good has become instead a signpost to point the way, the throne on which love is acclaimed and honoured, a symbol to treasure as our promise of life.

With typical bluntness, Jesus tells us that it’s not worth our starting the journey unless we’re prepared to go all the way. We may stray, lose the path, get things wrong, mess things up, like the pilgrim in John Bunyan’s great “Pilgrim’s Progress” - but we mustn’t turn back; that’s not an option. The cross is marked on us when we are baptized, but it only becomes visible when we start to live what it stands for. Under the sign of the cross, we share the same Great Commission as the first apostles who met with the risen Christ on a mountain top in Galilee: “Go into all the world, and make disciples of every nation.”

And we do this in both actions and words, and we do it in love, and we do it because we have been claimed by grace, which is the word we use for a saving love that’s simply there for us without preconditions. As Paul wrote in Romans chapter 5 verse 8, “God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” So the cross, which was such a wretched sign that early Christians kept it hidden, has been turned into a symbol of grace; and, set free ourselves, we must share the good news of our freedom with all the world.

I can see now that the bronze snake made by Moses was also a symbol of grace. For though the people of Israel had deserved all they got from the snakes, God is a forgiving God. Despite their wrong-headed stubbornness, his favour still rested on his people. So grace touched them as well; but now grace is offered to all the world, and the cross is a sign for everyone. No-one is excluded from the love of God, no-one is beyond its reach. And, for those parts of our Christian lives when it’s a struggle, those parts when we do maybe think we’ve taken on more than we can manage, the cross is a sign that the ultimate victory is already won. As a verse in our last hymn tonight reminds us, “Days of darkness still come o’er me; sorrow’s paths I often tread; but the Saviour still is with me, by his hand I’m safely led.” Amen.