Sermon by Fr Peter Wolton, United Benefice of Holland Park, Trinity 7, Sunday 30th July 2017
One August Sunday
over 30 years ago, on monsoon Mumbai morning, I attended morning communion. I
entered the church and out of the gloom a priest appeared and asked me if I
would read the first lesson.
And the lesson I
read was the one we heard this morning, how the newly crowned Solomon has a
dream in which God promises to give him whatever he asks for. Solomon, who (and
this is in the previous chapter so we haven’t read it this morning) has just
overseen the killing of three potential rivals to establish his kingdom, and
also has married a daughter of Pharaoh, thus making an allegiance with the arch
enemy)
Well Solomon perhaps
surprisingly displays great humility and asks God to “Give your servant
therefore an understanding mind (or as the New International Version (NIV)
Bible translates it “an understanding heart”) to govern your people, able to
discern between good and evil.”
And God was
pleased with Solomon. And it seemed to me at the time, and still does such a
wonderful request, to ask for an understanding heart.
We will come back
to Solomon in a minute and what we might learn from his example. But before we
do, I want you to know that the readings at the church in Bombay this morning,
are the same today as we have had here at St. Georges/St. John’s today. And are
the same in all the Anglican churches, and not just Anglican churches but also
for our brothers and sisters in Roman churches and other protestant churches
too. And this is because we all follow the lectionary. The Roman Catholic Mass
Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary of the Protestant churches have
the same lectionary or set of readings. So when people say, how you know what
to preach about, the task is actually made much easier because the readings are
set. Fr. James and I do not have to choose them.
The lectionary is
a gift to our faith from God, and I would like us to give thanks to God for it,
that from New Zealand to Nova Scotia, from Norway to Natal, to lift words from
a famous hymn “The day thou gavest Lord is ended”:
“We thank Thee that
Thy Church unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night
As o'er each
continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away” and with our Christian brothers and sisters we share together and are enlightened by the same readings on the same day, all the word over.
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away” and with our Christian brothers and sisters we share together and are enlightened by the same readings on the same day, all the word over.
Now to return to Solomon, and his request.
His father David
had taught Solomon about God – In his dying words to his son David commanded
him “to keep the charge of the Lord your
God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his
ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses.” The
point to be made here is that Solomon as a young man was imbued with a sense of
the divine. Some of us here today were brought up in Christian families – and
some will have found our way to faith and church by other means. What is so
important is that the gift of knowledge of a loving God is made available.
In this age what
might Solomon’s request for an understanding heart mean for our leaders and
those who hold power? And what might we take from it to sustain and strengthen
of our faith and the bringing about of the Kingdom.
For leaders and
those who hold power, we pray that the leaders across the globe may have
understanding hearts.
If I look back to
that Sunday in 1983 when I read the lesson in Mumbai, I wonder what prayers I
might have been making about leaders. I might have been praying for the leaders
of South Africa, or those ruling the countries behind the Iron curtain. I might
have prayed for President Reagan and President Gorbachev. Or nearer to home at
that time, for the leaders of the IRA.
And if we think
about subsequent events, I think you will agree that prayer is vital.
So we pray for
those who are the leaders of nations or organisations now may have an
understanding heart.
Today it seems
there is no shortage of situations where leaders need understanding hearts.
Autocrats, kleptocrats, demagogues. Nations that are lead such people.
We also bring
before God the negotiations between the EU and UK –that leaders on both sides
may display understanding hearts.
And more locally,
here in our Royal Borough – that the issues and tragedy of Grenfell, the anger
and harrowing experiences of residents and neighbours and those tasked with
restoring life to this part of our community, that all concerned may have
understanding hearts.
But what about us
and our hearts? The story of Solomon is one of a flawed individual. We too are flawed and sometimes need to be
more understanding of ourselves and definitely of others. Let us be kind to
others but let us not forget to be kind to ourselves.
An understanding
heart is one of the keys to the Kingdom.
God promised to
give Solomon whatever he asked for.
Over the coming
week, let us reflect on what we might ask for, if God promised to grant us our
request. Let us pray for those who lead us and not be afraid to ask God in
prayer.
And let us build
the Kingdom by displaying understanding hearts.