The problem we all have with gluttony

Our sermon series on the seven deadly sins continues this Sunday, with gluttony. We'll even give you the chance for some last-minute practical research as the monthly Breakfast at Barney's takes place from 8.30am to 9.30am.

Come and take your fill of good, traditional breakfast cuisine and then settle down for an all-age service in which we're looking at the problem we all have with gluttony.

Gluttony isn't just a matter of overeating. Our appetites, if indulged to excess, can lead us into all kinds of trouble. We'll be looking at the issues and at what the Bible teaches about a topic that affects us all.

Principal services - September and October 2008

The end of summer is traditionally a time for celebrating the harvest. Our ancestors toiled hard in these weeks to gather in the grain that would see them through the winter. With the unpredictability of the British weather, a week or two of sunshine or rain could make the difference between plenty and hunger for months to come.
In our day, the availability of food makes it easy to overlook the goodness of God in his provision. But rising food prices, climate change and the vulnerability of the world to environmental problems are slowly changing our attitudes.

What does the Bible have to say about the relationship between human behaviour and the ecology of our planet? Why aren't the hungry fed? How are thanksgiving and worship related to these issues?

We'll explore these issues and more during September.

In October, we have a series of sermons in which we'll focus on some of the fascinating questions that Jesus asked in the gospels. These are based on the book, “Do you love me?” by Victor Shepherd.

7 September 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Fields of thistles and blood
Genesis 3:14-19; 4:8-16 and Matthew 18.15-20

14 September 2008
10.00am Parade Service
Harvest Thanksgiving: The gift of Creation
Genesis 2:4b-22

21 September 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Are droughts and famines “acts of God”?
Joel 1:8-10, 17-20 and Matthew 20.1-16

28 September 2008
10.00am The Word Service on Back to Church Sunday
Life-giving water
Revelation 22:1-5 and John 4.3-30

5 October 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Jesus asked, “Do you love me?”
1 Peter 5.1-7 and John 21.15-19

12 October 2008
10.00am All Together Church
Jesus asked, “Why worry?”
Matthew 6.26-34

19 October 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Jesus asked, “What's your name?”
Genesis 11.1-9 and Mark 5.1-13

26 October 2008
10.00am The Word Service
Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”
Leviticus 15.25-31 and Luke 8.43-48

26 October 2008
6.30pm Bible Society Service

Questions Jesus asked

I've been reading Victor Shepherd's book, "Do you love me? - and other questions Jesus asks" in preparation for some training that I'm delivering soon.

It's a great idea for a book. We often think of ourselves as having all the questions, and perhaps of Jesus as having all the answers. But faith is a living relationship and our communion with God in Jesus is more of a conversation than we might at first assume.

We'll be exploring these questions during our sermon series in October, but home group leaders and church members might like to look at Victor Shepherd's book in preparation.

Amazon includes this synopsis:

Many of us have questions about Jesus, but did you know that Jesus has questions for us? Indeed, as Victor Shepherd points out in this book, Jesus spent much of his ministry on earth asking his disciples questions rather than answering the questions on their agenda. Instead, he used questions as a way of reshaping and redirecting his disciples towards the Truth. This is not to say that Jesus dismisses our questions as trite. Yet because our hearts are corrupt, we are often asking the wrong questions. In this book, Victor Shepherd reflects on twelve important questions that Jesus asked, challenging us to reflect on the significance of these questions for us today and bringing these truths to bear upon our everyday lives. A pastor for more than forty years, Victor Shepherd now serves as Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Tyndale University College & Seminary, Toronto, and professor ordinarius for the Graduate Theological Foundation, University of Oxford.

Ten things to do in a boring sermon

I love John Pritchard's book, Beginning Again. It's a great way back to Christian faith if you've lost your way and it includes lots of practical hints as well as good, solid spiritual advice.

Among its gems are these ten things to do in a boring sermon:

1. Forgive the preacher (unless he makes a habit of it). We don't know if he had a bad week, a blinding headache, or simply ran out of inspiration. In any case, not all ministers are gifted in preaching. The bottom line is: 'As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive' (Colossians 3.13)
2. Resolve not to go for any cheap shots afterwards, such as "Well, you always manage to find something to fill up the time," "It's a shame they make you preach so often," or "Did you know there are 236 panes of glass in the east window?" Rise above this temptation.
3. Pray for the preacher. It can't do any harm. But don't be too optimistic either. Remember the vicar's daughter who asked her mother why daddy said a prayer before he preached. "He asks God to help him," came the answer. Pause. "Then why doesn't God help him?" asked the little girl (on behalf of the congregation).
4. Pray for the congregation. This is actually very important because God can use almost anything to speak to people's hearts. A word, a phrase, a half-formed idea, even a misheard idea - all can take seed in a listener's mind. The proof of this divine cunning is the number of times a preacher is warmly thanked for something he is sure he never said!
5. Think of a good line to help the preacher re-examine his preaching technique. Try: "Thank you for having a go at that subject today. But what really interests me about it is this..." In other words, get him to think harder about his preaching. If you really want to put the wind up him, you might even suggest setting up a group to discuss his sermon with him regularly. (But be prepared for a small attendance).
6. Pray for yourself, for a forgiving spirit and a good lunch. Or more constructively, pray that God will give you that one pearl which makes the sludge worthwhile.
7. Think how you might preach on this same passage. What would be your main point? How would it relate to the congregation's current experience, and yours? How would you illustrate it? Can you think of a memorable phrase to sum it up so that people might go our 'humming the sermon' instead of the last hymn?
8. Put the sermon in a broader context. Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of sermons being preached all over the world this morning, and some of them are going to be barnstormers. Briefly regret the fact that this is not one of them, but praise God for those people who are being challenged and changed even now in luckier places.
9. If you are having as bad a day as the preacher, allow yourself some extra-curricular activity. A small survey in my home revealed the following favourites: count how many people nearby have dyed their hair; plan next week's menus (or next month's); find a small child and watch it for acts of spectactular freedom. Failing everything, start rattling your watch to see if it's broken.
10. Pray for the Second Coming, when all preaching will be unnecessary.

But here's one thing not to do: don't ever lower your sights in what you expect of the sermon. Here should be a divine-human exchange of the highest order. Remember the words of Thomas Carlyle: "Who, having been called to be a preacher, would stoop to be a king?" Put that on your Christmas card to the vicar.

Beginning Again is published by SPCK, at around £8.00, and I thoroughly recommend it.



Photo: Björn Rixman, on Flickr

Guest preacher - Simon Foulds

On 27 January, we'll be welcoming guest preacher Simon Foulds to our ten o'clock service. Simon is Regional Manager of Bible Society, with responsibilities for the East of England.

Simon will be speaking on Matthew 4.19, "'Come, follow me', Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men." He'll talk about our need to be fishers of people, in our local community but also around the world and the importance of the Bible in doing that, sharing stories how people have come and followed Jesus as they engage in the Bible.

The Kingdom of God's healed people and communities

Following the recent discussion about recording sermons, it seems there's an interest in starting this again. I recorded last Sunday's sermon in low-tech way (on my mobile phone) and you can hear it by playing this file: Sermon 20071118. The readings for the service were Amos 5.14-24 and Luke 7.18-23. Feel free to add your comments.

Joseph resists temptation

Following last week's sermon on temptation and integrity, the first in our Lent series on Christian Character, I've noted some interest in the painting of Joseph and Potiphar's wife that we looked at.

It's by the Bolognaise Baroque artist, Carlo Cignani (1628 - 1719) and was painted around 1680.

More paintings of Joseph and Potiphar's wife's failed seduction here.

Samson

We had some fun with the Samson story at the Family/Parade service on Sunday morning. The story stands in its own right, and it was good to get the overall sweep of the narrative, rather than picking out an idea from a handful of verses.

Samson - so strong and yet so weak. Like Israel, whom God chose to be dedicated to him for the sake of the world, but who wanted to be just like the other nations.

Lord, help me when I feel weak - and help those around me when I feel strong.

Being Anglican and being evangelical today

I'm happy to simply be known as a Christian. Full stop. In many ways, there's no need to qualify the statement with categories like 'Anglican' and 'evangelical'. Quite often, these terms are only used in a negative way, as in "The problem with Anglicans is...", or "Well, you know what evangelicals are like..."

In today's sermon, I looked rather more positively at these terms which, like them or not, help to define the inheritance and identity of St Paul's Church.

Despite much radical pruning, the sermon is one of the longest I've preached. I'm grateful to the patient congregation at St Paul's for being so attentive, and especially grateful to John, who told me after the service, "It didn't feel long at all". Such kindness!

Here's an audio version, in .mp3 format: http://www.sjharvey.org.uk/sermons/2007/20070121.mp3

and as a Word document: http://www.sjharvey.org.uk/sermons/2007/20070121.doc

The bible readings were Nehemiah 8.1-3, 5-6, 8-10 and Luke 4.14-21.

If you have any thoughts, you might like to use the 'comments' feature below and share them with us.