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 Reuben's Sermon for Remembrance
Sunday:
Reuben's Theme: "...But we MUST remember them!"
(Remembrance Sunday) - MORNING MASS
1000hrs at Saint Peter's Parish Church, Balkwell, North Shields
Sunday, 9th. November 2003 Anno Domini.
Morning Mass: Jonah: 3.1-5, 10 Ps:
62 6-14 Hebrews: 9.24-28 Mark: 1.14-20
November 9, 2003 Cycle B Remembrance Sunday.
COLLECT
Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your
belovèd Son, the king of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring
the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages
of sin, to be subject to His just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
FIRST READING
Jonah 3.1-5, 10
A reading from the book of Jonah.
The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying, 'Get up, go to Nineveh,
that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.'
So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of
the LORD.
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk
across.
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk.
And he cried out, 'Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'
And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast,
and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways,
God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would
bring upon them; and he did not do it.
PSALM
Psalm 62.6-14
RR God alone is my rock and my salvation.
6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope
is in him.
7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that
I shall not be shaken.
8 In God is my safety and my honour;
God is my strong rock and my refuge. RR
9 Put your trust in him always, O people, pour out your hearts
before him, for God is our refuge.
10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, even those
of low estate cannot be trusted.
11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, all of them
together. RR
12 Put no trust in extortion; in robbery take no empty pride;
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, that power belongs
to God.
14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, for you repay everyone according
to his deeds. RR
SECOND READING
Hebrews 9.24-28
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere
copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest
enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not
his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again
since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the
age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after
that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear
the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with
sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
GOSPEL
Mark 1.14-20
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark.
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the
good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good
news.'
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the lake - for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you fish for
people.'
And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
As He went a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and
his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.
Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee
in the boat with the hired men, and followed Him.
POST COMMUNION
God of peace, whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed the kingdom
and restored the broken to wholeness of life:
look with compassion on the anguish of the world,
and by your healing power make whole both people and nations;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We will remember them
Reuben's Theme: "...But we
MUST remember them."
+ In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Good morning!
I'm Reuben Condie.
I'm a Reader, licensed to the Diocese of Newcastle
and I come from Saint George's Church in Cullercoats.
I've been invited to preach to you on this
special Sunday, "Remembrance Sunday"
I often suspect that the readings for each Sunday in the lectionary
are selected by getting them all together, throwing them all
in the air, then picking three at random, but no!
I am assured that the Roman Catholic, Methodist and Anglican
Churches have put some thought into it all.
So, what have we heard from the Bible in our readings today?
In our first reading, given a second chance, Jonah leaps to obey
God.
Wouldn't you - after what happened the first
time when he didn't!
He goes off to tell the people of the city
of Nineveh that they are so wicked that, unless they repent,
God will destroy them.
His message produces a remarkable effect!
Not the mocking response he expected.
The whole city, from the greatest to the least,
repents and God spares them.
If only Jonah had trusted God in the first
place.
Jonah took God's message to the people of
Nineveh.
The people of Nineveh turned to God and trusted
God.
God is just. God is merciful.
Jonah spreads the message - turn to God and
trust in God.
Today's psalm is a psalm of longing and trust.
The psalmist humbly and trustingly commits
his cause to God.
Ultimate power belongs to God alone, who wields
it with love and ultimate justice.
God alone is my rock and my salvation.
We must turn to God - we must trust in God.
In the part of the letter to the Hebrews we
heard, we are told that when Christ came, everything was reformed.
Yes, God moved the goalposts.
Jesus, God in human form, offered himself
as a permanent sacrifice - a single offering for sin, valid for
all time.
Jesus has dealt with human sin once and for
all!
Removing sin completely!! Something the old
testament animal sacrifices lacked the power to do.
God is just... ...but God is merciful
We must turn to Jesus - we must trust in God.
And in Mark's Gospel we hear the story of
Jesus calling His first disciples.
John's voice has been silenced.
Jesus travels north again, and begins His
own public proclamation of God's good news.
By the Sea of Galilee He calls His first disciples
- all of them fishermen!
Jesus starts to spread the message - turn
to Him - trust in God.
So, what can any of this have to do with Remembrance
Sunday?
As we remember all those who died in the two
world wars, and several other messy conflicts.
Human beings who died for what is right and
good.
But also human beings who died for what they
thought was right and good.
Those who died bravely.
Those who died confused.
Those who died betrayed.
Those who died suddenly.
Those who died in agony.
Those who died alone.
Everyone who has died in wars and conflicts
must be remembered.
Every one of them some mother's child.
Every one of them one of God's creation.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Such bloodshed must not be allowed to happen
ever again.
Yet it does.
We must go out - like Jonah.
All Christians must go out and spread the
word.
Turn to God. TRUST in God.
Our God - the one and only true God - is a
God of Justice and a God of Mercy.
Jesus showed us the way.
A way of love.
The way of repentance and forgiveness.
We must spread that message of repentance
and forgiveness.
Remembrance Sunday is a day when we look back.
We must remember... ...and we must
forgive.
It's not easy being a Christian is it!
Jesus warned us it wouldn't be easy to follow
Him.
We must remember... ...and we must forgive.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
At the end of this service there is a prayer
that I want you to watch out for, so that when we all hear it
we can pray it will all our might!
Right near the end of this service we will
hear these words:
God of peace, whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed
the kingdom and restored the broken to wholeness of life:
look with compassion on the anguish of the world,
and by your healing power make whole both people and nations;
You see, one day everyone will turn
to God.
Let me tell you about that day.
The day when, like the people of Nineveh,
everyone will turn to God.
The day when, like in today's psalm, everyone
will trust in God who wields ultimate power with love and ultimate
justice.
The day when the all creation will turn to
God, who became a human being and died for us on the cross.
The day of the coming of the kingdom.
The prophet Micah told us of that day.
Let me read what he wrote...
It shall come to pass, in the latter days,
that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established
as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above
the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall
come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us
his ways and we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong
nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig
tree, and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD
of hosts has spoken.
For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we
will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
Until that day - the day when the
world is united in peace - we will look back on all who have
died in conflict and particularly those in the world wars.
WE MUST REMEMBER THEM
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!
+ In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
1090 words (aprox. 12 mins.)
©Reuben Condie 2003
Readings ©NRSV
Micah ©RSV
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