2nd Sunday before Advent – 15th November 2020
Thank you for joining our online worship including our Holy Communion and a short sermon. Below them are links to a selection of music (traditional, more modern and kids). Thanks once again to Stephanie Woollam for prayerfully choosing such a broad range of inspiring sacred music.
Please continue to share your views on the services.
God bless,
Nigel.
A Holy Communion for The Second Sunday before Advent, let by The Revd. Sue Auckland
A Sermon for The Second Sunday before Advent, from John Taylor
Music links for Trinity 19 (just click on the titles below to be taken to the music hosted by YouTube).
More Traditional:
More Modern:
Virtual Sermon November 15th 2020
At first sight the parable of the worthless slave may seem difficult and out of place. Taking away what little someone has whilst adding to the wealth of those who are already rich might be said to be against everything which Jesus stands for. So what is actually going on here? I would like to suggest one theme of the parable is; Who are we thinking about?
Our starting point is to realise that when Jesus first told this storey his listeners would have quickly recognised the master who gave instructions and then departs as being God and the slaves who are to use what he has given them as teachers and leaders.
Jesus is drawing a distinction between those in authority who think of others, who do as God wishes them to and those who do not.
The wicked and lazy slave who has everything taken away from him and is then thrown out represents those teachers who do not use Gods words, laws and instructions to build people up, to encourage them to grow and prosper but use them to put and keep people down. The only people they are really thinking about are themselves.
The slaves who used Gods gifts to bring about growth and prosperity are those teachers and leaders who do look after the people, who do care for and nurture them. They are really thinking about others
It is perhaps overly simplistic to classify the wicked slave as the Pharisees and the good slaves as Jesus’ own followers. Nicodemus, a pharisee, was shown to have been a good man. He genuinely wanted to discuss Jesus’ teachings with him and he told the Jewish high council that they should not condemn Jesus out of hand but listen to him first and finally he supplied the spices and helped Joseph of Arimathea in caring for the dead body of Jesus. That last act would have been expensive and must have taken a very considerable degree of courage. A corpse would have rendered any Jew unclean let alone a pharisee and to be seen caring for the cadaver of an executed blasphemer, well imagine the outcry.
On the other hand not all of Jesus’ followers were beyond reproach. Apart from the obvious example of Judas two early Christians, Ananias and Sapphira died not because they had stolen from the church but because they had not given everything to the church. They had simply kept some of their own for themselves and they suffered for it.
The point of the parable rather than being obscure as we might think is very simple and clear. As Christians we do have a duty to use our talents, our gifts and our skills for the benefit of everyone. We do have to teach, encourage and help all those we come into contact with. It is similar to another parable in that we should not hide our lights under a bushel. We have to get out there and do what we can to help others.
In uncertain times such as where we find ourselves now it can be difficult to know what we can and can’t do. Helping others might come at a potential cost, there may well be risks involved. We do not have to be foolish or reckless. We do have to be sensible and prudent but we do have to make the effort.
At the very least we need to be praying for each other and doing what we can to let people know we are thinking of them and not just about ourselves.
Amen
KungFuPreacherMan 