Reuben's Theme: "The Meaning of Life"

(Lent 1) - EVENSONG 1830hrs. at Saint George's - Cullercoats.
Sunday, 12th. March 2006 Anno Domini.
Morning Mass: Genesis: 17.1-7, 15-16 Ps: 22.23-end Romans: 4.13-end Mark: 8.31-end.
Evensong: Psalm: 135. Genesis: 12.1-9 Hebrews: 11.1-3, 8-16

March 12, 2006 Cycle B Lent 2.

COLLECT

Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness:
grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Morning Mass:

FIRST READING
Genesis 17.1­7, 15­16

A reading from the book of Genesis.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.
And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.'
Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,
'As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.'
God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.'

PSALM
Psalm 22.22­30

R All the ends of the earth shall turn to you, O Lord.

22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory.
23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; but when they cry to him he hears them. R
24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: 'May your heart live for ever!' R
26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules over the nations. R
28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.
30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn the saving deeds that he has done. R

SECOND READING
Romans 4.13­25

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, 'I have made you the father of many nations') ­ Abraham believed in the presence of the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become 'the father of many nations,' according to what was said, 'So numerous shall your descendants be.'
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Therefore his faith 'was reckoned to him as righteousness.'
Now the words, 'it was reckoned to him,' were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

GOSPEL
Mark 8.31­38

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.'
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'

POST COMMUNION

Almighty God,
you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves:
keep us both outwardly in our bodies,
and inwardly in our souls;
that we may be defended from all adversities
which may happen to the body,
and from all evil thoughts
which may assault and hurt the soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Evensong:

Psalm 135

1. O praise the Lord, laud ye the Name of the Lord : praise it O ye servants of the Lord;
2. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord : in the courts of the house of our God.
3. O praise the Lord for the Lord is gracious : O sing praises unto his Name for it is lovely.
4. For why? the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself : and Israel for his own possession.
5. (2nd Part) For I know that the Lord is great : and that our Lord is above all gods.
6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth : and in the sea and in all deep places.
7. He bringeth forth the clouds from the ends of the world : and sendeth forth lightnings with the rain, bringing the winds out of his treasures.
8. He smote the first-born of Egypt : both of man and beast.
9. He hath sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O thou land of Egypt : upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10. He smote divers nations : and slew mighty kings;
11. Sehon king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Basan : and all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12. (2nd Part) And gave their land to be an heritage : even an heritage unto Israel his people.
13. Thy Name O Lord endureth forever : so doth thy memorial O Lord, from one generation to another.
14. For the Lord will avenge his people : and be gracious unto his servants.
15. As for the images of the heathen, they are but silver and gold : the work of men's hands.
16. They have mouths and speak not : eyes have they but they see not.
17. They have ears and yet they hear not : neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18. They that make them are like unto them : and so are all they that put their trust in them.
19. Praise the Lord ye house of Israel : praise the Lord ye house of Aaron.
20. Praise the Lord ye house of Levi : ye that fear the Lord praise the Lord.
21. (2nd Part) Praised be the Lord out of Sion : who dwelleth at Jerusalem.

Genesis 12:1-9

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the LORD.
And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

Hebrews: 11.1-3, 8-16

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old--and Sarah herself was barren - because he considered him faithful who had promised.
Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Hymns: (NEH)

60 (office hymn)

O kind Creator, bow Thine ear

75 (hymn directly before the sermon)

O Thou who dost accord us

70 (hymn directly after the sermon)

Lord Jesus, think on me,

Reuben's Theme: "The Meaning Of Life"

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

In our first reading this morning we heard God's fifth affirmation of his covenant with Abram.
Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah and circumcision becomes the physical sign of God's people.

In our second reading this morning, Paul explains that God's promise to Abraham did not come to him, or his descendants, through the law, but through and because of his faith.

In our Gospel reading this morning Jesus explains to the disciples, and the crowd, that all earthly things are not only useless, but a burden, if we are to save our lives.

God's promise to his people.
Which was not made because of obedience to the law, but was made because of his people's faith.
The promise of salvation will be granted upon our rejection of the importance of material wealth and our ability to follow Jesus.
There you go. A two minute sermon...
...but you don't get off that easy.

What did we hear this evening?
Well in our first reading we went back to God's initial call to Abram, and Abram's journey to Canaan.
God's call, and God's promise - to one man...
...and that man's obedient response.
An obedient response to God, from one man...
...that would spread throughout the whole world.
The beginning...
...the foundation on which the Jewish religion was built...
...the foundation on which God would choose to continue to build, through Jesus Christ - the promised Messiah.

Abram obeyed God, having left a prosperous, secure and high standard of living, and set off on the second stage of his journey.
God's promise to one man.
Given to one man who rejected his earthly wealth and security.
Given because of that one man's faith.

And it's faith that our second reading tonight is all about.
To have faith is to be certain - not of the tangible things here in the present - but of things future, the unseen realities.
Looking forward to the time when God will fulfil his promises...
...to save and perfect every one of his people through Jesus Christ.

So, a quick recap of the main points from all five readings.

God's call and God's promise to all his people.
God's covenant with Abram is the Foundation.
Chosen by God because of faith - not because of the law - we must follow Jesus.
True faith in God is all important.
Earthly, material wealth is pointless. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for Jesus sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

So there we have it.
We are all called by God...
...and God's promise is to all his people...
...from Abram, at the beginning - to us, here and now.
We must put faith first and wealth last.
As Jesus told us, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?"

What is the meaning of "Life"?

You know, I never thought I'd find myself posing that question and answering it in a sermon.

What is the meaning of Life?

We all tend to be very single minded and set in our ways in the way we think.
Jesus was trying to rattle the brain cells of the disciples and all who would listen.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Instinctively, the life we all try to save is our physical life...
...the physical life that comes with sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, emotions, happiness, sadness, love, hate...
...our very being... ...here on earth...
...that which we know for certain.
Our physical life is very precious.
We are judged by how we treat and care for all human, physical life.

There is another life that we all try to save... ...our lifestyle...
...our possessions, that come with belongings, money, wealth, and luxuries from unnecessary foods as chocolate and sweets or (more probable in my case gin and tonic or possibly Bacardi and coke).

Then, of course, there is yet another life... ...the one that many people don't often think about...
The life that is our soul, our very being, our very essence, the bit that says, "I am me."

Three meanings of "life"...
...but Jesus tells us we must lose one...
...and might even lose another...
...if we are to save the one that Jesus wants to save.

The material life, our life-style, is obvious.
We can easily say good-bye to luxuries. possessions and wealth.

Our physical life is most, most precious...
...to God, to our friends, our families and loved ones...
...and ourselves.
But even if, or when, we must say good-bye to a physical existence,
there is nothing to fear.
In fact Jesus tells us that those who lose their life for His sake, and for the sake of the gospel...
those who lose their physical life on this earth for His sake, and for the sake of the gospel...
...will save...
...yes, we have a guarantee here from Jesus himself here...
if we lose our physical life for Jesus and His message we will save...
our lives - the third definition - our soul, our very being, our very essence, the bit that says, "I am me."

That is the life we must cling to.
The life that can continue throughout all eternity.

And this is what Lent is all about...
...what we remind ourselves about as we abstain from luxuries in this penetential season...

If we give up our material life for Jesus.
Dedicate our physical life to Jesus.
Jesus will save our lives that count - our souls.

And that is God's promise... ...to us... ...today.

I guarantee it.

Trust me... ...I know.

I have faith in God... ...and I have faith in YOU!

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.