The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Our Gospel reading today features one of the greatest songs of worship ever known. It is a beautiful, and heartfelt response by Mary to all that God was going to do for the world through her, and a powerful reminder that the Lord truly is with us and how he fulfils his promises. Mary demonstrates a living, vibrant and genuine faith, and her words, known as the Magnificat, continue to be an inspiration to all believers’ centuries later.

To set this amazing song in context, we should remember it comes soon after the birth of Jesus is foretold by the angel Gabriel.  Mary and Elizabeth have very different stories to tell.  Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist took away the shame of her infertility.  Whereas Mary’s pregnancy potentially brought shame on her since she was out of wedlock. But how does she respond to that encounter with one of God’s messengers and with her subsequent encounter with Elizabeth? Trusting completely in God, she takes everything that has been said in faith and gives all the glory back to Him.  She’s praising God because he has “looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.”  With Mary it is never a case of me, me, me…it is a case of him, him, him.  Listen again to what she says (and this version taken from the Message Bible translation):

And Mary said, “I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.”

I love how Mary almost seems to explode with joy.  She goes on to point out all of God’s good deeds.  She gets it…she knows her Scriptures.  It is her ‘Emmaus Road’ moment when everything she has ever heard in Scripture makes sense.  Isn’t it incredible that this simple young woman could speak such insightful and inspiring words? Mary’s words are words from the heart, as her spirit rejoiced in adoration and worship of an almighty God. Mary had had opportunity to reflect on everything that the angel Gabriel had told her, and her joy overflowed. There is no pride or vanity in her words; she acknowledges the poverty of her heart and spirit; “he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.” Pride comes through our refusing to accept our dependence on God and refusing to accept His gifts. Humility is gratefully accepting those gifts and using them to bring glory to God. The insight with which Mary speaks demonstrates a depth of understanding that could only have come from the Holy Spirit being at work within her and the inspiration that He brought. God was at work, equipping her for the charge that she had been given. All through the salvation history of God’s people, he has chosen the least likely…not because they were great or powerful or gifted or talented, but quite simply because he loved them.  He loves us too, just as he loved Mary.

We are reminded of this in 1 Corinthians which tells us “not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

I know so many people who don’t think that they are good enough.  People who think that they are inferior or unworthy or underserving.  But this morning think about Mary, the disciples and so many other people who God chose.  God chooses people who are like that.  If you sometimes feel that you aren’t good enough, know that God chooses people just like you. I pray this morning that just like Mary, you might also have that ‘Emmaus Road’ kind of moment when the extent of God’s love and grace really connects with you.  When your soul might also magnify the Lord and your spirit rejoice in God your saviour – a God who is with you to the end of the age. I am truly inspired by Mary’s words. If you get time, revisit this passage often. Meditate on her words. Allow Mary’s words to inspire you and strengthen your faith – faith in a God who wills to act in sinful world, to save it, and to redeem it. In your quiet time, as you still yourself and come into God’s presence, what song of worship would you want to proclaim from your heart? How might the Holy Spirit at work in your life inspire you? If you have chance, as you try reading this passage again why not try to write your own declaration of truth, your words of worship and gratitude, your love letter to God. Amen

Come Holy Spirit

It is interesting to consider why God sent the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Holy Spirit, that third person in the Trinity, fulfils three major roles in the work of salvation:

• Firstly, the Holy Spirit is the empowering presence of the living God. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. As part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is God himself acting in his world and in our lives. He draws us by his grace to our Heavenly Father. He intercedes with us and within us, helping us to pray. The Holy Spirit teaches and admonishes us when we read Scripture. He applies and nurtures the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control). The Holy Spirit assures us of our forgiveness and our adoption as the children of God, and brings comfort, hope, and healing. In short, the Holy Spirit mediates the presence of God in our lives and in the church.
• Secondly, the Holy Spirit empowers the church for effective service, witness, and global mission. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to send us the Holy Spirit who would empower us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). It is the Holy Spirit who enables the church to serve sacrificially and to be an effective witness unto Christ and the gospel. It is the Holy Spirit who blesses us with the gifts of the Spirit for the common good. It is the Holy Spirit who brings unity and helps shape and form the Body of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who makes sure that the gospel is proclaimed to the ends of the earth through the empowered witness of the church. It is the Holy Spirit who brings about transformation in our lives by the renewing of our minds so that we might conform to the pattern of Christ and be clothed in his truth.
• Finally, the Holy Spirit is the One who continues to manifest redemptive signs of God’s kingdom breaking into the world. The good news of God’s powerful work in this world did not stop at the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Christ’s first coming and in the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s Kingdom began to break through and is still breaking through into the world bringing a foretaste of the future realities of heaven (healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, hope, deliverance from evil, etc.) The Holy Spirit applies all the future realities of the New Creation into the present. This process will not be fully complete until Jesus returns, but if we look around we can see that God is still at work by his Spirit, reconciling the world to himself.

I don’t know about you, but I want more of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have a deep thirst and yearning to drink from the water that Christ offers just as he said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Through Christ and in the power of Holy Spirit those rivers of living water might flow from within us. Isn’t that incredible? In conclusion, if we wholeheartedly give our lives to Christ and pray for an anointing of the Holy Spirit, we may begin to live our lives as authentic disciples of Christ. We might see the Holy Spirit at work in us, blessing us with gifts of the Spirit leading to an abundance of the Fruit of the Spirit. We might begin to see those rivers of living water flow from within us by the effect and impact we have on those around us who have ears to hear, hearts to receive, a mind to understand and accept Jesus as their Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer. Amen

Wise as a serpent, and innocent as a dove

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about the characteristics of Jesus’ earthly ministry. If we consider today’s Gospel reading, it seems evident his ministry featured three main characteristics:

1. He taught, so that people might have understanding;
2. He proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom so that those who received the truth might come to a place of commitment;
3. He healed every disease and sickness, reflecting his compassion and concern for those broken in mind, body or spirit and that they might be made whole. You see that in his reaction to seeing the crowds, “he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” They were scattered, divided and distressed.

These characteristics both challenge and inspire me. Yes, I might delight in the opportunity to teach and proclaim the Good News; I yearn for people to have those light bulb moments and for them to come to a place of repentance, forgiveness, grace, nurture, freedom, transformation, and understanding. I seek at all times in the teaching that I bring to be faithful to Christ and God’s Holy Word mindful of how the Bible tells us, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). I cling to Christ, and I rejoice when people receive the message that I believe God has laid on my heart and lament when people don’t.

I love it when people who hear the Good News ask the questions, ‘what can I do?’, or ‘how can I help?’ I love seeing the Body of Christ functioning as it is called to, in unity with grace, humility, servanthood, honesty, and integrity in which all seek to live lives worthy of our calling and spiritual inheritance. I know all too well the sentiment behind Jesus’ words when he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” I have often said we can only work with the people that we have. I would rejoice if the Lord placed on people’s hearts a call to step up and serve as a second Church Warden here at Church if they believe it was something they could do with encouragement and equipping. It is all about discernment and interdependency. I would rejoice if the Lord placed on people’s hearts a call to serve as a member of the Church Council. I frequently pray that “the Lord of the harvest, might send out workers into his harvest field.” You can play a part in that by sharing your faith, inviting friends, family, and neighbours to Church events and services, and seek to be an ambassador for Christ and the Body of Christ which is His Church. I frequently pray that God might build up, equip, and release people to exercise Christ-centred accountable ministry with passion and integrity in whom we see the Holy Spirit at work, bringing glory to God. It is a ministry that we should never seek to exercise in and of ourselves. At all times we hold Christ before us and we serve him as the Head of the Church, and never ourselves.

As followers of Christ, we have such a privilege of being part of God’s family and part of the Body of Christ. It is a privilege that we should never take for granted. Through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit we can exercise ministry in His name and by His authority. In our ministry we should seek out the lost, we should seek out the person of peace who is receptive to the Good News of Christ. And in that encounter, if they are receptive then we should let our peace rest with them. If they are not receptive and refuse to listen to our words, then we have no choice but to give them to God, pray for His mercy with them, and shake the dust off our feet.

We should be in no doubt, we are being sent out “like sheep among wolves.” We are called to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves”, we are called to be on our guard. Sometimes we may even find we have to deal with wolves in sheep’s clothing in the flock where people bring disunity, and division and do not manifest the gifts of the Spirit or the fruit of the Spirit. These are people who engage in malicious gossip and slander. Sometimes we may encounter people who have hard, stubborn, and unrepentant hearts who are very negative and unreceptive to the Good News of Christ. But in all of this and at all times, we are called not to worry about what to say to such people or how to say it because “at that time we will be given what to say, for it will not be us speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” All we are called to do is to be faithful in sowing the seeds. It is up to God what happens to that seed and if it subsequently bears fruit in abundance.

In our reading from Ezekiel, we see something of the heart of God who gathers together his people and restores them. We see how he brings healing and transformation and yearns to give his people “an undivided heart and puts a new spirit in them. He will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

It is clear that there are those who are for the Lord and those who aren’t. Do we have a heart of stone? Do we have a divided heart? Or do we have a heart of flesh in which we seek to put Christ first in all things and follow him to the glory of God? So may you be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove. May you be clear about your calling and ministry and have a gentle heart bringing glory to God in thought, word, and deed. Amen

Discipleship and prayer

Jesus knew full well that he had to be prepared “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He knew that from the very beginning, and he knew as he prayed the prayer in our gospel reading today that his hour had come. His heart’s desire was that in doing the right thing and “becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8), he would be glorified but only so that his heavenly Father would be glorified. In all things and at all times Jesus brought glory to God and finished the work, the tasks appointed to him by his Heavenly Father. And here in this prayer it would work in this way…If the Father would glorify the Son in and through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the Son could, in turn, give eternal life to the believers and so glorify the Father. Jesus was asking the Father to restore to him the full rights and power as Son of God that he had laid aside because Jesus who had existed from all eternity with the Father laid aside his glory and rights to become incarnated, fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:5–11).

Not surprisingly there is an intrinsic link between knowing God and receiving eternal life. Eternal life is a gift we receive when we enter into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. We cannot know God unless we have eternal life; and at the core of eternal life is intimate knowledge of God.

There are some aspects of discipleship which become apparent from this passage, Disciples:

• Obey God’s word (John 17:6)
• Know that everything God gave Jesus in his earthly ministry was from God himself (John 17:7)
• Accept the words of Jesus and seek to apply his teaching and instruction in their life (John 17:8)
• Believe that God sent Jesus (John 17:8)
• Are to be one as Jesus is one with his Heavenly Father (John 17:11)

It is sometimes said that when we pray it can be helpful to think if we are prepared to be an answer to our own prayer. Jesus knew that following him would be costly. Jesus knew that his followers couldn’t establish the Church in their own strength. So in praying for his disciples, he also knew that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them; and they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

We must always remember that Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. It was never about his life, his earthly ministry, and his death alone. The story does not end there. It was also about his resurrection, ascension and exaltation and the rightful authority he has as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, God himself.

These truths were too much for the disciples to take on board at first. That’s why they asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). At first, they were dazed, overwhelmed and confused and in reality, pretty clueless. They had to journey with these truths and live it, and they had to embrace the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. A significant aspect of that journey was prayer. We are told, “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14). That’s why I have often said a praying Church is a healthy Church. That’s why I invite you to be constant and faithful in prayer. That’s why it can be so powerful and effective to come together in fellowship to pray together. It is significant. It is transformative. It is integral to us going deeper with God and getting to know him. So, if you want to get to know God the Father, get to know God the Son, Jesus. Get to know Jesus through prayer, and through reading his Holy word, and we seek to do this in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a gift, the Bible is a gift. These are gifts that we should not squander.

And we should be mindful that one glorious day, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from us into heaven, will come back in the same way we have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11) Amen

Thoughts on the Ascension

It can be so easy to gloss over the events immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s almost as if we get stuck at the point of Jesus’ death and forget or lose sight of his glorious ascension and exaltation and the period between his resurrection and his ascension. I think it is important we remember that before he “ascended to heaven,” the resurrected Christ taught his disciples for a period of forty days. In that short period, he gave those “chosen apostles” the instruction that would radically change their lives and, through them, the world. We are told that Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.””

Jesus laid down a firm foundation for the Church, the body of Christ, which was unshakeable. The fact that the apostles had been chosen and appointed by Christ (Luke 6:12–16) is an extremely important point. With that choosing, came Apostolic authority to preach, teach, direct the church, and preserve the record of his life and teaching. God always equips those He chooses, calls, and appoints. Take a moment to reflect on God’s calling on your life. All of us as believers are blessed with time, talents or gifts, and resources. All of us have a role to play in the Body of Christ. God will equip you and bless you as you draw close to him.

In addition to this, we should also remember that Jesus presented himself to his followers and gave many convincing ‘proofs’ that he was alive. The Bible makes it clear that in this forty-day period, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people. The Greek word here translated as “proofs” is ‘tekmeriois’. This is a word that refers specifically to demonstrated, decisive, incontrovertible evidence. Jesus’ resurrection had not been sleight of hand or illusion, with Jesus being merely a ghostly presence. Instead, these were solid, visible, and undeniable proofs of the fact that Jesus was alive. These proofs would form the heart and soul of the forthcoming witness of the church. It has been said that “The early Christians did not believe in the resurrection of Christ because they could not find his dead body; they believed because they did find a living Christ.” Among all world religions, Jesus Christ is unique. The transformation that was wrought in the early followers of Christ following the resurrection appearances of Christ and the subsequent empowering of the Holy Spirit was nothing short of remarkable. Jesus’ last words before his ascension were, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus’ bodily resurrection is of huge significance for the following reasons:

• It powerfully demonstrated that what Jesus had predicted about his being resurrected was true (Mark 8:31; 9:9, 31; 10:34; John 2:19).
• It proves without any doubt that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, fully God and fully man (Romans 1:4) because only God could accomplish something so incredible and wondrous.
• It testifies to the success of Christ’s mission of salvation (Romans 4:25). If Christ was not bodily resurrected, then the efficacy of salvation itself would be called into question.
• It entitled Jesus to a position of glory (1 Peter 1:11).
• It proclaims that Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36).

In this precious time with his followers, Jesus spoke of His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. The ushering in of that Kingdom began with Jesus’ incarnation and continued in the hearts of his followers. Through Jesus, God’s Kingdom had come. When Christ returned to heaven, God’s Kingdom remained in the hearts of all believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit and continued to break through. God promised, however, that he would ultimately reign over all and bring about the end of all death and disease. The ultimate culmination of the Kingdom of God will not be fully realized until Jesus Christ comes again to rule, defeat his enemies, and consummate the Kingdom. Then God’s Kingdom will have fully come.

We need to invest time in getting to know Jesus, and through His word and in the power of the Holy Spirit allow him to teach and instruct us about his Kingdom so that we too might be bold and courageous for God, bearing witness and testifying to all that God has done and will do. We need to be followers of Christ and serve him unconditionally and unreservedly.

We must remember that Christ was resurrected, ascended and exalted, and that his Heavenly Father “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Imagine if the Church of today actually behaved and acted as if it believed that. So, I invite you to pray. Pray that the Holy Spirit might open your mind so that you might both understand and apply the Scriptures in your life. Pray that you might be transformed by the renewing of your mind and be a witness to Christ, honouring God in thought, word and deed as a member of his Kingdom.  Amen

Rogation Sunday

The Rogation Days (from the Latin rogare, ‘to ask’) are the three weekdays before Ascension Day. However, in practice, many churches have observed Rogation on the preceding Sunday (the Sixth Sunday of Easter in Common Worship), as we are doing today.

Originally, the Christian observance of Rogation was taken over from Graeco-Roman religion, where an annual procession invoked divine favour to protect crops against mildew. The tradition grew of using processional litanies, often around the parish boundaries, for the blessing of the land. These processions concluded with a mass. You will be pleased to know I won’t be asking you to process around the parish boundary declaring a processional litany, but this day does give us an opportunity to pause, reflect and pray. We too might ask the Lord to bless all who labour on the land and, as in more recent times, to bring petition for the world of work and for accountable stewardship, and to pray for local communities, whether rural or urban.

For the history buffs amongst you, the Rogation procession was suppressed at the Reformation, but it was restored in 1559. The poet George Herbert interpreted the procession as a means of asking for God’s blessing on the land, of preserving boundaries, of encouraging fellowship between neighbours with the reconciling of differences, and of charitable giving to the poor. I like that interpretation.  This sometimes involved a ‘beating the bounds’ of the parish a- a practice which has been preserved in some communities.

One of my clergy colleagues in our Deanery recently organised a prayer walk which effectively involved beating the ‘bounds of the parish’. He let neighbouring parishes know he was doing this and some folks joined him on the way. It is always a good thing to pray for our parishes as we walk around. We can think of the community and all who are part of it; the private homes, the businesses and all who travel through.

Much of the practices and disciplines of Rogation is bound up with the need to provide food to sustain human life, and the accompanying sense of a proper humility before God as source of all things, gratitude for his goodness, and responsibility in stewarding the resources of the earth. We see that in our Psalm where land and sea, night and day, land creatures and sea creatures might all know order and wonder through the Lord’s wisdom. All should acknowledge that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”, and all life depends upon his gracious provision.

We then turn to our gospel reading in which St Paul is seeking to speak into and address specific issues being faced by the early Church in Thessalonica, namely that of those who are lazy and meddlesome. Paul spoke about such an issue in his first letter to the Thessalonians. That he makes mention of it again here indicates it was a serious and sustained issue. While everyone else was working and serving, there were some who would not. Some were using the excuse of waiting for Christ to return. They may have considered work too menial or unspiritual, equivalent to laying up treasures on earth rather than in heaven. They may have been creating a problem by expecting wealthier people in the church to support them. But Paul was firm that these believers were not honouring their faith. Paul himself modelled his own words by working part-time as well as exercising the ministry that he was called to and so it isn’t surprising that he imposed a rule for the Church to follow – “Anyone who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. There may be a whole multitude of reasons why someone may not be able to sustain work. I believe passionately in community and we are called to work together for the common good in whatever ways we might be able. If we are able, we have a duty and responsibility both to God and to others.

In this second letter Paul goes a step further in his command. No longer are believers told to “warn” these lazy people; they are told to stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness, and who doesn’t follow the tradition of hard work that Paul gave them, those who fail by choice to uphold their duty and responsibility. This doesn’t mean that people were to be excommunicated from the church but that the faithful Christians were to withdraw intimate fellowship from them. By refusing to associate with these people, the Christians were rebuking them, hoping to get them to change their conduct. Basically, Paul was saying, “Cut off their support!” These lazy people were “refusing to work and … meddling in other people’s business”. In the spirit of love, the best way to deal with these meddlers is to not talk to them, not to pay heed to their disruption and unsettling attitude, and thus not give them anything to meddle in! When they find themselves with nothing to do and no hearing for their meddling, they will hopefully find a more constructive use for their time. We might sometimes experience that if people stand on the sidelines being critical rather than stepping forward and stepping up and being willing to be part of the solution.

Through the consequences of the fall in Genesis God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17–19) However, through Christ’s redemptive act and in the power of the Holy Spirit we might know a blessing and see the fruit of our labours as we exercise good stewardship and are diligent in serving the Lord and one another. I tend to say Grace before a meal. I want to acknowledge God’s gracious provision. I also pray about work – not just my work, but for all who labour in our local communities. I pray that people might realise the difference they can make in any community. We see that so often through those who volunteer. In this I pray that God might bless and provide and that all might know order and wonder of God through his wisdom. Amen

Abide

Our Gospel reading today makes use of an important word that features multiple times in this Gospel. That word, here translated as ‘remain’, is ‘abide’.

As believers, we are called to ‘remain’ or ‘abide’:

• In Jesus (15:4),
• In his words (15:7), and
• In his love.

That is the safest place in which we can be. It is a place of comfort, a place of safety, a place of nurture, and a place that leads to life, wholeness, and fulfilment. It is a place where we might know ‘shalom’ in all its fullness. And what creates that environment is love. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” Well, God loves perfectly, and since Jesus is fully God and fully man, he loves us perfectly too.

But what does Jesus instruct us to do? He says, “Now remain in my love.” The thing is, we have to work at remaining in that place. It’s easy to wander away from it and get distracted by the worries and concerns of life. It’s like when clouds obscure the sun.

But then Jesus goes on to make a conditional statement, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” Jesus’ commands are instructions that bring life and blessing, instructions that help us to remain in that place of security and that place of love. Of course, conversely, if we choose not to keep his commands, if we think that we know better, then we shouldn’t be surprised when we find that we are not in that place of peace. We are to respond to Jesus with total dedication, commitment, and obedience. It is when we are in that place that we see the gifts of the Spirit emerging and the fruit of the Spirit in abundance.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:16-23)

The Bible gives us clear warnings about false prophets, false disciples, or false teachers. These are people who cause the faithful to struggle to remain or abide in Jesus. These are all people who do not remain or abide in Jesus themselves, who do not seek to obey his commands or follow his words and who do not manifest his love. These are people who bring disunity, and division, who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. These are people who might be recognised by their bad fruit; these are people who do not spur others on “toward love and good deeds”, as we are reminded of so powerfully by St Paul:

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:23-27)

I’ve encountered false prophets, false disciples, and false teachers on my walk of faith. I’ve observed that they often interweave snippets of truth (which are often grossly distorted) with falsehood to further their own agenda and purposes. Their words and deeds point at themselves and not at God. It is as if they offer a beautifully presented sandwich for us to eat which looks nourishing and wholesome and good – but the problem is, it is laced with poison.

Today’s Gospel reading ends with Jesus’ words, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I like joy. I am sure you do!  And I am sure that we would all rejoice when our joy is made complete. So let us together truly seek to be faithful – to God and to one another. Let us truly seek to live self-sacrificial lives in which we spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let those of us who are mature in faith encourage and nurture those who aren’t that they might abide in Jesus, in his words, and in his love by obeying his commands. Amen.