Sermon by Fr Peter Wolton, Easter 4, 7th May 2017, United Benefice of Holland Park
Sermon by Fr Peter
Wolton, Easter 4, 7th May 2017, United Benefice of Holland Park
Is there a time of the Church’s year you particularly love?
For me, it is probably this time – the joy of Easter and the
growth of the early church, when ordinary people try to make sense of what has
happened and then understand the gift that they and we have received.
The gift put so succinctly by St. Peter when at Pentecost he exclaims:
“This Jesus - God raised up, and of that, all of us are
witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out [the
Holy Spirit] that you both see and hear.”
There was excitement but also a joy and simplicity as the
early#’
Christians gathered
together, breaking bread and sharing their faith and material things. No wonder
the early church was so attractive and grew so rapidly.
It is from this raising up and gift of the Holy Spirit that everything
follows and in particular what we hear in today’s Gospel:
John 10:10 –“"I came that they may have life, and have
it abundantly". This morning I want to reflect on three things:
1. What it means
to have abundant life
2. Our role as
gate keepers to abundant life.
3. The challenge
set to us by the example of the earliest Christians
Abundant life.
What might that mean to us today?
Listen to this statement by an organisation.
“We are a distinctive Christian community which aims to ‘see
that of God’ in every [person]. We believe that every individual has the
capacity to make a positive contribution to the world if they engage
intelligently and recognise their God-given gifts.”
The statement ends with
“We call this the 10:10 ethic and aim to live by it day by
day.”
John 10:10 –“"I came that they may have life , and have
it abundantly". The last sentence of today’s Gospel
This statement is current It is from the prospectus of
Twyford Church of England Academies https://twyfordacademies.org.uk/ which operates two secondary schools
in West London. Emblazoned all over the school websites is John 10:10 and the
words:
"I have come that you might have life and have it to the
full"
In Twyford’s prospectus, the steps to abundant life through
education are clearly stated.
Our mission will be to create an intellectually vigorous
community in which all of our students give their best at all times and work
purposefully and joyfully towards their goal..
·
There
is unique value in community –We are to engage fully and stretch ourselves.
·
Good
gifts are to be used in service: we should know ourselves –be an agent of good
·
Don’t
stay in a bad place –accept help and understand weakness.
This outstanding school in Acton has been success in
delivering its vision, so much so that it has opened another academy William
Perkin with the blessing of Ealing Council in Greenford.
Ofsted grades both schools “Outstanding” and the new William
Perkin school is providing education to a student population described by
Ofsted as:
“ethnically diverse and drawn from different faiths and
cultures. The four largest groups include White British, other Asian, White
Eastern European and students of Indian heritage.”
The school is a gateway to abundant life. It has a practical
framework for dealing with obstacles.
Now to Gates and gate keepers.
In today’s gospel, Jesus explains that he is the gate to the
sheep fold. “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out
and find pasture.”
We look at the role of gatekeepers and their motives. Self-appointed?
The thrill of holding the key and exercising power? Or is the gatekeeper about
giving life? In our own lives, are there occasions when we exercise this role
of the gatekeeper? How do we discharge it?
William Temple in his Commentary
on St. John has a rather uncomfortable passage on the role of priests as
gatekeepers to the Christian faith. He highlights the priests’ ability to draw
people nearer to Christ – or drive them away from Christ.
Temple writes “Priests are called to be Christ’s witnesses.
But by what right do we dare to attempt the direction of a neighbour’s life or
even a child’s?
The answer is to “enter by the gate.
But what does this really mean in daily life, not just for
priests but for all of us –when we are confronted by situations and moments
that test our faith..
Archbishop Temple suggests it means three things.
1. To come to the
task, and every part of it through prayer.
2. To refer all
activities to the standard of the Mind of Christ
3. To accept what
actually happens as nearer to the Will of God. It means putting Christ in the
forefront of thought -and self, in all its forms, right out of the picture.
So when we find ourselves in the role of a gatekeeper, in
those situations where we can either assist or obstruct, Archbishop Temple’s Gate
framework might be helpful.
Emphasising prayer – the mind of Christ- Christ at the
forefront of thought and self, in all forms right out of the picture.
Finally, today we have also heard the reading from Acts 2,
which tells of the early Christians sharing material things as well as
spiritual. The early Christians distinguished between the “breaking bread” and
food for nourishment. There was a simplicity and joy to their life – “glad and
generous hearts” and no one in the community was in need with all things held
in common.
As we gather around the altar to break bread, let us give
thanks for all those who by their actions are gateways to abundant life, and as
the annual Christian Aid week approaches, let us remind ourselves of the
example of the early Christians and pray that our community might be a gateway to
“abundant life.”