Dear Friends
Our world seeks and endorses power, money and prestige. The rich, the famous, the celebrity are fêted as gossip journalists try to work out the secrets of their success: you, too, they claim, can follow a strategy, learn a technique, for growing wealth, gaining and maintaining beauty, luring the perfect partner because they have uncovered the hidden knowledge of the stars.
The Church, by contrast, reminds us to live in reality.
For the Word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
First Corinthians 1:18
And the world, when it encounters the Church, is utterly bemused: “Why live like that?” they would ask. Yet we could look at the world and equally say, “Why live like that?” Despite the promises of an “almost utopia” our world seems to be tearing itself apart, despite methods of self-improvement multiplying many are making themselves miserable, despite freedoms like never before many have become slaves—to money, to greed, to employers, to debt, to chasing after all the snares of this life.
And the Church presents to the world a message, Christ is risen! This means the defeat of idolatry that we can have a right relationship with reality and with Truth, the defeat of sin that we may be cleansed of all which defiles us, the defeat of death that no longer do we have to fear the grave as the end. And we may participate in this, join with this, by taking up our own crosses and following Christ. This is not yet another technique leading to health, wealth and happiness, this has a greater goal which remains foolishness to the world, to take up joyfully our own crosses is to allow ourselves to be transformed into true human persons.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, when faced with the trials and tribulations of this life, let us take up our crosses and follow Christ that we may be truly alive, not seeking a short-cut to temporary successes but truly present in the here and now and inherit eternal Life.
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
When the Lord heard the report of the execution of his cousin, the Forerunner, we hear in the verse immediately prior to today’s Gospel reading, “He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities.” (Matthew 14:13) We, the multitudes, go out from the towns and cities of this world into an apparently lifeless place—the wilderness—because there we see Life, we see Christ. And Christ does not leave us there to die in the desert: as he had compassion us after our exodus out of Egypt so, too, he has compassion on us now.
Would we, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, sitting in the crowd have seen the miracle? Or would we have seen simply that to be a disciple of the Lord is to take out food to feed those who hunger? But that we may know more fully what it is to be a disciple of the Lord, the evangelist records for us the miracle.
“When it was evening, the disciples came to [Christ] and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’”
The disciples noticed a problem, a challenge, a difficulty and they came up with a solution, but they did not take it upon themselves to act. Do you, do I, do the same? Or do we rush ahead with what we think before we turn to the Lord?
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Read this Sermon, How to be a disciple.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 23rd August
Discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, 8 pm.
Online only
Saturday 24th August
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm.
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 25th August
Matins and Divine Liturgy, 9 am.
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, 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]