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A sermon preached in Salisbury Cathedral by Canon Mark Bonney, Treasurer on Sunday 25 April 2010
"QUESTIONS"
“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly” (John 10.22).
Those of you who listen to Radio 4 with John Humpheys, or to Jeremy Paxman on BBC2 late in the evening will know the sense of frustration that can arise when the person being questioned won’t give you a direct answer. With all the interviewing at the moment of political parties it’s a feast-day for the avoided and unanswered question – and at this afternoon’s meeting at St Francis Church of with our local candidates it will be fascinating what avoidance tactics are on display. Of course sometimes the questions are a little tricky – though not usually as direct as saying, “come on just answer me yes or no – have you stopped beating your wife?” On occasions the person being questioned has been well and truly cornered and their evasion is simply that –an evasion and refusal to admit something; but often we have to recognise that the situation isn’t always as straightforward as the questioner wishes to make it – and failure to give a simple direct answer is more to do with the complexity of the issue than an unwillingness of the person being questioned to answer.
Questions and requests are telling – who makes them, how they’re made and the kind of response sought says a lot about the questioner. In the gospels many questions are put to Jesus – some are sincerely put, some are there to trap him, some are honest, some are devious, some expose mistaken assumptions that make a straightforward answer difficult to give.
There are times when Jesus refuses to answer his questioners – like the case of the woman caught in adultery. You’ll remember that in answer to the question should she be stoned after a period of silence and doodling in the sand Jesus simply says, “let the one without sin throw the first stone.” There are times when the questioner is answered with a story – as in the question “and who is my neighbour?” – and we hear the story that we know as the Good Samaritan with the command to go and do likewise. Jesus is most severely questioned during his trials before the crucifixion - the gospels paint different pictures of these – in Mark’s gospel Jesus’ final silence in the face of accusations is described in terms of amazement, whilst in John’s gospel Jesus tells Pilate in no uncertain terms that Pilate has no power over him unless it had been given him from above.
The questioners in today’s gospel have reached the frustrated stage – stop beating about bush “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly.” Jesus is unable to answer plainly because his understanding of Messiahship doesn’t fall into their categories. It’s not a case of having some kind of check list – of ticking the boxes and seeing if he fits the bill – the answer is more subtle, it’s to do with being in his fold – about following him – it’s in following of him that the answer will emerge.
There are quite a lot of questions being asked in the service today as we joyfully gather to baptise Annabel and Matilda. The questions are not John Humphrey type questions – they’re not there to catch anyone out, - but they are questions that demand a seriousness in how they are answered. It’s most significant that the first question asked was to the congregation - will we as the People of God welcome these children and uphold them in their new life in Christ. With the help of God we will we replied. We all have a responsibility towards the welcoming of the newly baptised – and how respond to the presence of children in our services is a measure of the genuineness of our response to that question.
Questions are asked which parents and godparents answer on behalf of these children – more questions about making a commitment to nurturing them in the faith which I hope and pray they will take seriously knowing that the congregation here has said they will do that….. and then questions which we pray that later in life these children will answer for themselves when they are old enough that are about a commitment to Christ and the faith of the Church.
Lots and lots of questions – no trick questions, easily given answers that demand much of all of us.
Today is also Vocations Sunday in the Church of England. – I hope that it doesn’t come as a shock to anyone if I say that we all have a vocation. It’s really good to have baptisms on Vocations Sunday because it recalls us to the fact that Baptism is the primary vocation of every Christian – it’s why we have engraved around the font the words “I have called you by name and you are mine”. God has called us and thus we each have a vocation and the journey of these children, as of each one of us, is the discernment of what that calling means. And so another question - “what is God calling me to be now I am baptized?” that isn’t always so easy to answer. It’s a question that we can evade because we might be anxious what the answer might be, after all – he might even be calling you to be ordained – but whatever it is God is calling each one of us.
He calls us firstly to be faithful Christian people in whatever context we find ourselves – at home, at work, at play; he calls us to fulfil certain roles – for some that will be ordination. but there are vocations to a whole range of things – God equally calls people to be faithful teachers, accountants, doctors, nurses, secretaries, parents, - – our particular vocation will be to discern that we are where God wants us to be, doing what we he want us to do. That may be exciting, it may feel quite ordinary – that doesn’t matter – what matters is - what is God calling us to do and how are we responding? And it may well be a question that we need others to help us answer – don’t be afraid to ask. It’s this journey that Annabelle and Matilda begin today.
There’s a very moving prayer that is used in the Methodist Church at their annual covenant service – it’s very hard to pray. As I continue to discern my own vocation I have it as one of my knapsack of prayers – and it is perhaps a fitting way for me to finish:
'I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.'
Amen.
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Those of you who listen to Radio 4 with John Humpheys, or to Jeremy Paxman on BBC2 late in the evening will know the sense of frustration that can arise when the person being questioned won’t give you a direct answer. With all the interviewing at the moment of political parties it’s a feast-day for the avoided and unanswered question – and at this afternoon’s meeting at St Francis Church of with our local candidates it will be fascinating what avoidance tactics are on display. Of course sometimes the questions are a little tricky – though not usually as direct as saying, “come on just answer me yes or no – have you stopped beating your wife?” On occasions the person being questioned has been well and truly cornered and their evasion is simply that –an evasion and refusal to admit something; but often we have to recognise that the situation isn’t always as straightforward as the questioner wishes to make it – and failure to give a simple direct answer is more to do with the complexity of the issue than an unwillingness of the person being questioned to answer.
Questions and requests are telling – who makes them, how they’re made and the kind of response sought says a lot about the questioner. In the gospels many questions are put to Jesus – some are sincerely put, some are there to trap him, some are honest, some are devious, some expose mistaken assumptions that make a straightforward answer difficult to give.
There are times when Jesus refuses to answer his questioners – like the case of the woman caught in adultery. You’ll remember that in answer to the question should she be stoned after a period of silence and doodling in the sand Jesus simply says, “let the one without sin throw the first stone.” There are times when the questioner is answered with a story – as in the question “and who is my neighbour?” – and we hear the story that we know as the Good Samaritan with the command to go and do likewise. Jesus is most severely questioned during his trials before the crucifixion - the gospels paint different pictures of these – in Mark’s gospel Jesus’ final silence in the face of accusations is described in terms of amazement, whilst in John’s gospel Jesus tells Pilate in no uncertain terms that Pilate has no power over him unless it had been given him from above.
The questioners in today’s gospel have reached the frustrated stage – stop beating about bush “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly.” Jesus is unable to answer plainly because his understanding of Messiahship doesn’t fall into their categories. It’s not a case of having some kind of check list – of ticking the boxes and seeing if he fits the bill – the answer is more subtle, it’s to do with being in his fold – about following him – it’s in following of him that the answer will emerge.
There are quite a lot of questions being asked in the service today as we joyfully gather to baptise Annabel and Matilda. The questions are not John Humphrey type questions – they’re not there to catch anyone out, - but they are questions that demand a seriousness in how they are answered. It’s most significant that the first question asked was to the congregation - will we as the People of God welcome these children and uphold them in their new life in Christ. With the help of God we will we replied. We all have a responsibility towards the welcoming of the newly baptised – and how respond to the presence of children in our services is a measure of the genuineness of our response to that question.
Questions are asked which parents and godparents answer on behalf of these children – more questions about making a commitment to nurturing them in the faith which I hope and pray they will take seriously knowing that the congregation here has said they will do that….. and then questions which we pray that later in life these children will answer for themselves when they are old enough that are about a commitment to Christ and the faith of the Church.
Lots and lots of questions – no trick questions, easily given answers that demand much of all of us.
Today is also Vocations Sunday in the Church of England. – I hope that it doesn’t come as a shock to anyone if I say that we all have a vocation. It’s really good to have baptisms on Vocations Sunday because it recalls us to the fact that Baptism is the primary vocation of every Christian – it’s why we have engraved around the font the words “I have called you by name and you are mine”. God has called us and thus we each have a vocation and the journey of these children, as of each one of us, is the discernment of what that calling means. And so another question - “what is God calling me to be now I am baptized?” that isn’t always so easy to answer. It’s a question that we can evade because we might be anxious what the answer might be, after all – he might even be calling you to be ordained – but whatever it is God is calling each one of us.
He calls us firstly to be faithful Christian people in whatever context we find ourselves – at home, at work, at play; he calls us to fulfil certain roles – for some that will be ordination. but there are vocations to a whole range of things – God equally calls people to be faithful teachers, accountants, doctors, nurses, secretaries, parents, - – our particular vocation will be to discern that we are where God wants us to be, doing what we he want us to do. That may be exciting, it may feel quite ordinary – that doesn’t matter – what matters is - what is God calling us to do and how are we responding? And it may well be a question that we need others to help us answer – don’t be afraid to ask. It’s this journey that Annabelle and Matilda begin today.
There’s a very moving prayer that is used in the Methodist Church at their annual covenant service – it’s very hard to pray. As I continue to discern my own vocation I have it as one of my knapsack of prayers – and it is perhaps a fitting way for me to finish:
'I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.'
Amen.