Post by Alfred Dunholm on Aug 27, 2010 22:43:07 GMT
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Colours of day dawn into the mind,
The sun has come up, the night is behind.
Go down in the city, into the street,
And let's give the message to the people we meet.
Refrain:
So light up the fire and let the flame burn,
Open the door, let Jesus return.
Take seeds of his Spirit, let the fruit grow,
Tell the people of Jesus, let his love show.
Go through the park, on into the town;
The sun still shines on, it never goes down.
The light of the world is risen again;
The people of darkness are needing our friend.
Refrain
Open your eyes, look into the sky,
The darkness has come, the sun came to die.
The evening draws on, the sun disappears,
But Jesus is living, and his Spirit is near.
Refrain
The sun has come up, the night is behind.
Go down in the city, into the street,
And let's give the message to the people we meet.
Refrain:
So light up the fire and let the flame burn,
Open the door, let Jesus return.
Take seeds of his Spirit, let the fruit grow,
Tell the people of Jesus, let his love show.
Go through the park, on into the town;
The sun still shines on, it never goes down.
The light of the world is risen again;
The people of darkness are needing our friend.
Refrain
Open your eyes, look into the sky,
The darkness has come, the sun came to die.
The evening draws on, the sun disappears,
But Jesus is living, and his Spirit is near.
Refrain
The reading today is taken from the Gospel of St Luke, Chapter Nine.
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
May I speak in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today’s service is, I’m afraid, going to take on a far more Protestant then we’re accustomed too; by which I mean much of it is going to consist of me preaching at you rather more than normal. It occurs to me that just because the Ministry here at the Holy Anglican Church of St George is entirely fictional in many ways that doesn’t mean it can’t be used to direct us in matters which affect us in our real lives.
Therefore I will be speaking today on the topic of tolerance and social tension within the society in which we live. This topic has largely been selected in response to what can only be described as an overwhelmingly low-brow and negative attitude which prevails within certain elements of the modern world. I’ll begin by drawing your attention back to the reading; we’ve just heard that Jesus rebuked two of his Apostles for enquiring as to whether those who rejected him should be destroyed; therefore it’s safe to assume that Christ would similarly rebuke us for any hostility towards non-believers we encounter in our daily lives. As followers of Christ our choice is therefore obvious and undeniable: we must respect those with whom we experience a difference of religious opinion, that much is clear.
But what of racial tensions which exist within modern society? Putting aside the obvious arguments that we’re all God’s children regardless of creed and colour I would like to address a far more fundamental set of questions. Do we really need to fear other cultures? And even if we are right to be worried, are we tackling the challenge in a positive way? I frequently hear people in modern England complaining that migrants or other faiths are sidelining English culture and announcing grandly that they’re prevented from celebrating events such as St George’s day. But have any of these people ever physically been prevented from hosting a garden party on St George’s Day? Or been told they can’t fly a flag from their house? I very much doubt it. It’s far too easy to use blaming other people as an excuse to not do anything.
Moving on from that we’re then faced with the idea that other cultures are coming to dominate our own. This could potentially be true, but that does not mean that the way to resolve the issue is by attacking other cultures. If your neighbour has a nicer house than you it’s highly unlikely that our Lord would encourage you to smash the neighbour’s house rather than working to improve your own. In the context of culture-clash this metaphor can be played out also,; if you fear that English culture is becoming subordinate to something else then the positive way to respond (if indeed you see a need to) is to redouble efforts to enhance our own cultural activities rather than complaining about everyone else’s. If it concerns you that another culture is hosting an event in your area then, rather than complaining and resenting it, simply make sure you take a greater role in English cultural activities; this is clearly the most effective way to preserve a national culture and attempting to go about it in an alternative negative fashion is lazy at best and at worst utterly bigoted. So hang a flag from your window on St George’s day, organise a May Day party, attend a church fete; do something positive and constructive rather than slipping into idle resentment. Amen.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we Thine unworthy servants do give Thee most hearty and humble thanks for all Thy goodness and loving kindness to us, and to all men. Have mercy on us, O God. According to your unfailing love, blot out our transgressions and wash away all sin within us. You Lord are the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom. May you grant us the wisdom not to fear shadows in the night, and courage should a day of danger truly dawn upon us. Amen
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thine Kingdom come, Thine will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead is not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Go out in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
