Dear Friends
Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel is a challenging read: it starts with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (verses 1–13) and the Parable of the Talents (verses 14–30). And they both start gently.
Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to ten virgins …
Verses 1 and 14
For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country …
The Lord is teaching his disciples—you and me!—slowly and calmly. But the final reading, which we will hear on Sunday, does not liken anything with the Kingdom. It is stark, it is clear cut, it is laid bare.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
Verses 31–32
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
No longer “the Kingdom of Heaven is like …” but Christ coming in his glory.
For the Lord himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
First Thessalonians 4:16
And Judgement will come, according to the works of each.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Revelation 20:12–15
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Judgement is coming, according to our works. But what is it which will separate the sheep from the goats? Is it being members of the correct Church? Or having prayers memorised, holding the correct ideas about God and the world, arguing with those who have wrong beliefs? No.
Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Matthew 25:34–36
for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;
I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.’
And the righteous are shocked: “when did we do these things?” they ask of the Judge. He will reply,
Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.
v. 40
Inasmuch as we serve others we serve Christ, inasmuch as we acknowledge others we acknowledge Christ, inasmuch as we honour others—most especially the very least in our society—we honour Christ.
The Great Fast, Lent, is rapidly approaching and will be upon us, and we give up that which is good for the sake of something better. We give up eating certain types of food not that they are wrong but as a demonstration that we have control over our bodies. But if we lack love for our neighbour it will do us no good. The Lord will not ask us on the last day, “Did you keep Lent strictly?” He will, rather, ask each of us, “Did you see a man, a woman, a child, suffering and do something to alleviate that suffering? Did you serve them, help them, take their burdens on yourself? Or did you worry about the dairy content of a fasting meal?”
Judgement is upon us, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ: let us remember the command of the Lord and turn to him by service to our neighbour that we, too, may be found worthy to inherit the Kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. Let us offer ourselves, our time, our energy, our resources and our money to him and to our neighbour that we may come worthily to the joy of Pascha.
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Throughout our lives, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we make plans for the future. We want to study certain things at school, we want to get a fulfilling job, we want to have a home. And I strategise, I make preparations. I will apply to go on that course, I will get a job from that company, I will work for them because they offer a good pension, I will look for opportunities for travel, for entertainment, for self-fulfilment. And, once I am secure, I will give back and help others—feed the hungry, visit the sick and all that.
And here, surrounded by the unclean swine of this world, I eke out an existence for myself.
Beside me is another, one who like me is trying to get by in this world—making plans, working, relating to others, trading, making the best of his life. But, all of a sudden, he says to himself, “There must be more to life than this!” And he remembers, in that moment, that this is not his home, that there is the Father’s House. While I am content to stay in what I consider to be relative comfort, he gets up and goes—despite the hardship of the journey, he departs for the Father’s House.
I am sat there, and he says to me, “I go to the Father’s House; come with me.” And I am afraid—afraid of losing what I have built up, afraid of ridicule from others, afraid of the challenges of the journey, afraid of the Father’s response. But my friend will not wait forever to go, he has resolved to return to his homeland, and I must make my decision.
…
Read last Sunday’s Sermon, Return to the Father’s House.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 8th March
Discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 9th March
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout HQ, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 10th March
Matins & Divine Liturgy, 9 am
At 3rd URC Scout HQ, Chandlers Ford
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We meet at 3rd URC Scout HQ, Kings Rd, Chandlers Ford SO53 2EY. The Scout hall is behind and to the left of the URC Church. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the parish?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]