One of the most important things we’re called to do as Christians is to show Jesus in our lives. I’m sure we all know what that means. To show Jesus in our lives is to do in our lives what Jesus did in his earthly life, and to do in our lives the things he taught us to do. As we also all know, that’s often easier said than done, but one of the ways we can be better able to show Jesus in our lives is by being able to see him in our lives. In other words, to be able to see a situation through Christ’s eyes and then act in the way he would have acted in the same or a similar situation. So these two very important aspects of Christian life go hand in hand; being able to see Jesus in our lives so that we can show Jesus in our lives, and I was reminded of this just a few days ago.

On Thursday mornings during school terms, I go into St Gabriel’s school to lead worship time (that’s what most of us, I’m sure, would know and call an assembly). As I walked into school last Thursday, I saw a display of paper decorations in the shape of pumpkin lanterns. That wasn’t surprising given the time of year, but in front of them was a card saying, “Being a Christian is just like being a pumpkin.” And mingled amongst the decorations were cards saying how being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. One, for example, said that “God scoops out the seeds of badness and leaves behind what’s good.” But the one I thought gave the best explanation of why being a Christian is like being a pumpkin said, “Jesus puts a light inside us that shines out for the whole world to see.”  And I thought that was the best explanation because it brought together these two aspects of Christian life; being able to see Jesus in all things, in this case, a pumpkin lantern, and showing Jesus in our lives.

Actually, I was quite pleased when I saw this display in school because I’d decided to speak in assembly about being able to see Jesus and showing Jesus in our lives anyway, and so I was able to use the display and a few of the cards from it, something the children would already be familiar with, to lead into what I’d planned to use as an example of seeing Jesus and showing Jesus, which was this morning’s Gospel, the story of blind Bartimaeus. 

This is a story all about being able to see, isn’t it? Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, hears that Jesus is going to pass his way and so he calls out, asking Jesus for pity, for mercy. And he won’t be put off; the more people tell him to be quiet, the louder he shouts until, in the end, Jesus calls him over and grants Bartimaeus what he wants, which is to be able to see again. So, on the surface, this is a Gospel story of a healing miracle but, as with so many stories about Jesus, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Bartimaeus is blind, he can’t see and so he has to beg for a living. But, in another sense, Bartimaeus sees more than many other people can even though his eyes are blind. He calls on Jesus as the “Son of David”, which is a title of the Messiah, and he clearly believes that Jesus can cure him. So Bartimaeus can already see in one way because he can see Jesus through the eyes of faith. We’re not told how Bartimaeus had come to know about Jesus, but he clearly had, and although he was blind in a physical sense, what he knew about Jesus through the eyes of faith had enabled him to see God in Jesus, and to see who Jesus really was.

And through his faith, Bartimaeus would have allowed other people present that day to see Jesus too. Not in a physical sense, they could already do that, but in the sense of seeing with their minds and hearts, of seeing by understanding who Jesus was and coming to faith themselves. We know that one of the things prophesied of the Messiah was that he would bring sight to the blind. So Bartimaeus’ faith allowed people to see God in Jesus, and that allowed them to really see Jesus. Not to simply see Jesus with their eyes but to see him with their minds and hearts and perhaps for the first time to see something that blind Bartimaeus had already seen, who Jesus really was.

We don’t know what happened to Bartimaeus after Jesus restored his sight, except that, as we read this morning, he followed Jesus. That’s often a kind of Gospel code for saying that someone became a disciple. Bartimaeus is also named, which again is thought to indicate a disciple, someone who is known to the Church. So these things suggest that after Jesus restored his sight, Bartimaeus did indeed become a disciple of Jesus and so he probably went on to show Jesus in his life many more times. Perhaps he did that by recounting the story of his own healing, and it would be very surprising if he didn’t retell that story, and no doubt he also showed Jesus in his life by doing the things that Jesus taught his disciples to do.

I think the story of blind Bartimaeus can teach us so much about what it means to be a Christian because in many ways, we’re all like Bartimaeus. We might not be blind in the physical sense that he was, but like him, we can’t see Jesus with our eyes and so we have to see Jesus in other ways. We have to see him with our minds and hearts so that we can come to faith and understanding. That’s something we’ve all done; we wouldn’t be members of the church if we hadn’t. Just like Bartimaeus, we’ve all heard about Jesus and what we’ve heard has allowed us to see who Jesus really is even though we’ve never seen him with our eyes. Just like Bartimaeus, we’ve all called to Jesus, and still do in prayer and worship. And in answer, Jesus has called us to him. We wouldn’t be members of the church if he hadn’t. And having come to Jesus, we’ve all experienced the change he’s made in our lives and to our lives, not least in having our eyes, the eyes of our faith and understanding opened. We probably wouldn’t remain as members of the church if that wasn’t the case.

So we’ve all shared some of the experience of Jesus that Bartimaeus had and as a result of that, like him, we’ve become disciples of Jesus too. And as disciples, we’re called to share that experience with others. We’re called to show Jesus to others so that they can see him and come to know him for who he really is. We can do that through our words, by telling others what we know about Jesus and what the Scriptures say about him. But we can also do that by sharing our own experiences of seeing Jesus and the change seeing him has made to us and our lives. And we can let people see Jesus in us by what we do in our lives. But we’ll be better able to do that if we can see Jesus in our lives ourselves. If we can see each situation through his eyes and see what it is he would do in each situation.

So, for example, when it seems that everyone is pointing the finger of blame or accusation at someone, do we go with the flow and join in with the clamour of the crowd? Or do we take time to stop and think, to consider what more there might be to the situation, and then ask what that might be before we rush into judgement on people? We know what Jesus did when he was confronted with a crowd of people shouting for a woman to be stoned to death; so we know what we should do in those situations.

If we find ourselves in a position of authority, do we allow that to go to our heads and use it as an excuse to throw our weight around, perhaps even to settle a few scores? Or do we remember what Jesus said about ‘Lording it over people’, about true greatness, about humility and forgiveness, and act according to his teaching and example?

It’s said that we all enjoy a bit of gossip and scandal and perhaps that’s true; but should we? When we hear a hint of gossip or scandal, do we encourage it because we’re hungry for more? Are we gossips and scandal mongers ourselves? Or, when we hear gossip and scandal and are tempted to join in with it ourselves, do we take the time to stop and think before we speak? Do we take the time to consider the harm our careless words might cause to those we’re talking about? Do we give ourselves the time to recall Jesus’ warning that we will have to give an account of what we say and that our words will either justify or condemn us?

If we want to show Jesus in our lives, we have to act in the way that Jesus did and said that we should. If our words and actions are contrary to Jesus’ teaching and example, how can we possibly show him in our lives?  The answer is that we can’t and don’t. And so if we want to show Jesus in our lives, we have to see Jesus in each and every situation we find ourselves in. We have to try to see what Jesus would do in that situation and then do what he would do. It’s not easy, but that’s what we have to try to do, always. That is what it means to see Jesus in our lives and to show Jesus in our lives. It’s what it means to be a light in the world, and I suppose it’s why being a Christian is like being a pumpkin lantern.

Amen.

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The Propers for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time can be viewed here.

Entrance Antiphon
I call upon you, God, for you will answer me; bend your ear and hear my prayer.
Guard me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shade of your wings.

The Collect
God, the giver of life,
whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church:
by the Spirit’s gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ and make us eager to do your will,
that we may share with the whole creation the joys of eternal life;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

The Readings
Missal (St Mark’s)         Isaiah 53:10-11
                                    Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
                                    Hebrews 4:14-16
                                    Mark 10:35-45

RCL (St Gabriel’s)          Isaiah 53:4-12
                                    Psalm 91:9-16
                                    Hebrews 5:1-10
                                    Mark 10:35-45

One of the most important parts of our worship in church is the Liturgy of the Word, in other words, if you’ll pardon the pun, the readings. I think the importance of our Scripture readings to our worship and in our worship really should go without saying because when we come to church to worship the Lord we say, do we not, that we come to meet the Lord in word and sacrament. But, if we ever are in any doubt about the importance of the readings to and in our worship, the responses that we make to the readings should tell us how important they are. Just think of what we say. To the words “This is the word of the Lord” at the end of the first and second reading, we respond by saying “Thanks be to God.” When the Gospel is announced we say, “Glory to Christ our Saviour” or “Glory to you, O Lord.” And at the end of the Gospel we say, “Praise to Christ our Lord” or “Praise to you, O Christ.” So in response to the readings we hear during our worship we declare that we thank God for his word, we acclaim Christ as our Lord and Saviour and say that we glorify and praise him for his word and example as revealed to us in our readings.

Those responses should tell us something of the importance of the words we’ve just heard but do our response actually mean anything or are they mere words? We say we thank God for his word, but do we? Do we really thank God for his word and show our thanks by using his word in our lives, or do we just say we thank him because it’s what we’re supposed to say at that point in the service? We say that we glorify Christ as our Lord and Saviour in response to his words, but do we? Do we glorify Christ by allowing his words to tell us something about him and about the Father, or do we say this simply because that’s what our service books tell us to say when the Gospel is announced? We say we praise Christ as our Lord after the Gospel, but do we? Do we really praise Christ as our Lord by making him the Lord of our lives and living as he commanded us to, or again, do we say this simply because our service books tell us it’s what we’re supposed to say at this point in our worship?

To be honest, I think that the importance of the Liturgy of the Word to and in our worship would be emphasised more if we changed the order of our services. As we all know, in our worship, the Liturgy of the Word, the readings, comes after what the Church of England used to call the Preparation and now calls the Gathering. That’s the part of the service where we have the Penitential Rite, when we make our confession and receive absolution. But I think it would be much better if we reversed that order and had a brief introduction to the service and had the Liturgy of the Word before the Penitential Rite. I think if we heard the readings and the sermon before we were asked to call to mind and confess our sins, we’d probably all be able to call to mind our sins much more easily and so confess to and receive absolution for more of them. How many times, for example, have we all heard sermons when we’ve thought the preacher was speaking to us, personally? Then imagine that happening before we’re asked to call to mind and confess our sins and I’m sure you’ll get the idea behind my thinking.

The purpose of a sermon though is, or should be, to highlight and explain some point or theme in the readings that we’ve heard just before the sermon is preached. A preacher might make a general point, or they might say something more particular to the congregation they’re preaching to, but whichever it is, the sermon should be based on and revolve around the readings. We can see an example of that in St Paul’s letters. St Paul uses the Scriptures in a more general sense in his letters of course because he wasn’t delivering a sermon in person on a particular day, but if we read his letters, we can find general points that apply to all Christians, and we can also find very specific points that apply to particular Churches or congregations. But what St Paul says is always rooted in God’s word; in the Scriptures and in the teaching, the words, and example of Christ. So the Scriptures, God’s word, is extremely important to us and the Liturgy of the Word, the readings we hear in church, are an extremely important part of our worship. And it’s important that we treat them in that way. It’s important both in our worship and in our daily lives as Christians.

In our reading from the Letter to the Hebrews this morning we read that,

‘… the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit … discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’

That emphasises just how important God’s word is to us as Christians. Whether it’s God’s word as written in Scripture or God’s word made flesh, Jesus Christ, we can’t hide from God’s word. It cuts right to the very heart of who and what we are and exposes everything we do. However much we might want to hide or try to hide from God’s word, we can’t because, in the end, it’s by the standard of God’s word that we will all be judged. And we see that in the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man in this morning’s Gospel.

Just as we all do, this young man wanted to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. But as we read on, his question seems to be somewhat qualified by a sense of self-righteousness. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, but the young man said he was doing that already. So what was the point of his question? Perhaps he wanted to know if there was anything more he needed to do? Or perhaps he was just seeking some kind of reassurance or confirmation from Jesus that he was doing enough already? But Jesus, God’s word made flesh, cut right to the very heart of who and what this young man was. He might very well have been obeying God word in keeping the commandments, but he was ignoring those words of God that meant he would have to give up, or at least share, his great wealth with the poor and needy. That was what he needed to do to inherit eternal life but that was the very thing he didn’t want to do. What was holding him back was his attachment to his earthly wealth. God’s word in the Scriptures could and would have told him that, and Jesus, God’s word made flesh, did tell him, but he didn’t want to listen to these words of God because they were too difficult for him to hear.

And what about us? How important is God’s word to us? How well do we hear his word? We heard this morning that God’s word will cut right to the very heart of who and what we are, but how well do we listen? If we really do listen to God’s word, it will cut us, it will cut us very deeply and painfully at times because it will expose who and what we really are, and everything we do. But if we want to inherit eternal life, we have to listen to what God’s word is saying to us about ourselves and we have to allow God’s word to change us so that we become more like the people God’s word says we should be and need to be. But are we prepared to do that or are we like the rich young man in this morning’s Gospel? Are we people who listen to God’s word only insofar as God’s word confirms us in who and what we are already, and who then turn a deaf ear to those words of God that cut us and hurt us because they expose our faults and failings, our sins?

I said a little earlier that I think the order of our service is wrong; that it would be better to hear the readings and sermon before we were asked to call to mind and confess our sins. I don’t have the authority to make such drastic changes to the Church’s liturgy but what I can do is ask you to engage in a spiritual exercise along those lines.

Many of you either have your own books with the readings for the day in them and most of you receive the readings now by email and you all have bibles so you should all be able to read the Scripture readings for Sunday before you come to church. I know some of you do that already, but I’d like you all to do that. Read God’s word and then try to reflect on how well you’ve lived out and lived up to his word in your own lives over the past week. Be honest; don’t be afraid to let God’s word cut you and hurt you because that’s simply a sign that his word is becoming something alive and active in your lives. Make a note of where you’ve kept God’s word well, but don’t be afraid to make a note, even a mental note, of where you haven’t done that so well. And bring those things with you when you come to church so that you’ll be able to call them to mind and confess them when you’re asked to. We always need to remember that we’re not forgiven for sins that, for whatever reason, we don’t or choose not to confess, so more we can call to mind and confess, the more we can be forgiven for.

Don’t forget too, to make some time during our worship to give thanks to God for the times that you have kept his word well. And, as you give thanks to God for his word and glorify and praise Christ, and acclaim him as our Lord and Saviour, make those words mean something more than simply responses that our service books tell us we should say. Make God’s word, all his words, something alive and active in your lives because that is what we must all do to inherit eternal life.

Amen.

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The Propers for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Trinity 19) can be viewed here.