What do people really need to hear

They say that the person who should listen most closely to a sermon is the preacher themselves. They also say that a preacher really has only one message and that they dress it up in different ways. I became all too conscious of this some years ago when preaching for about four consecutive Sundays after Easter, and even I got bored of hearing myself say, in yet another way, "What difference is knowing Jesus going to make in your life?" Of whom was I really asking that question?

In fact, the only message I believe I really have for people when I preach is that God loves them. I preach it a lot from the pulpit but it is always interesting to note that, even though I may have said it thirty or forty times, there is regularly someone who will have heard it those thirty or forty times who, on that particular thirty-first/forty-first time will hear it as if it had never been said before in their hearing. God moves in a mysterious way, thus we may all need to hear something more than once before it finds its place in our mind or our heart. Praise be to the preacher who keeps on 'banging on' about God's love to me (even if it is me, because, as I said at the start... 'They say that the person who should listen most closely to a sermon is the preacher themselves.')

I'm writing this on Christmas Eve, having only set to writing my Christmas Sermon yesterday evening. Christmas Sermons are possibly the hardest ones to write as it is to an 'audience' of people who have come a) because if they come at Midnight they won't need to go on Christmas Day and it means it will be easier to fit everything into the day, or b) because it's what they do, it's tradition and they want to keep the tradition alive, or c) because the church is on the way home from the pub and the lights are on and they remember going to church once when they were at school and it seemed like a nice thing to do back then, so why not have a look and see what they are up to now, or d) because they've seen the notices up on the board outside the church and decided this is the year to brave going inside, even if they haven't got a clue what they are meant to say or do once they get inside the door or e) they are lonely, sad, depressed and want some company or... a whole multitude of other reasons... but it is an audience of people, many of whom who will not be regular at church (more than once a year regular, that is) and who want to hear something that is warm and affirming and, perhaps, not too challenging - but that is not always the case and, to assume it is, would be to be patronising and incorrect. Regulars, irregular regulars, regular irregulars - and preachers too - we all need to hear a clear message that Christmas is about God's love for the world and that this love makes a difference. It made a difference 2,000 years ago and it continues to make a difference today.

There are those who are able to preach much more erudite sermons that me, gifted intellectuals and spirit-filled individuals whose gift when speaking from the pulpit (or other preaching point) will raise the spirits and cheer the souls of those who hear them. They will also deliver a challenge, pack a punch, or deliver a clarion call that galvanises people into action, into prayer, into a place of recognising all that God has done in their lives and that God can do through them in the lives of others. If you are somewhere where you hear such a preacher, be blessed in the words you hear and the good action you are propelled towards taking. If you are somewhere where the preaching does not move or inspire you, pray that God will lead you beyond the foibles and failings of the preacher (who will know the message they want to give - that they need to give - but will not have quite found the words to express it). Pray that God will guide you (and the preacher too) to what God wants you to hear - what God needs to you hear - and may this message be one of love, a love that leads you to life, light and holiness in whatever form of response and action it may take.

And the message of today is...

Always be ready to be surprised!

Recent days have taken in visits to Nazareth, Cana (a drive through, twice) and Tzipori. Today our visits were to Megiddo (Armageddon) and Bet She’an.

As you might imagine, visiting a site known as Armageddon (from the Hebrew Ha-Magaddon) conjures up in the mind a vast plain upon which battles will have been fought and lives lost. In the Book of Revelation, we read that the final battle between good and evil will take place here.

The site itself is one that comes under the auspices of Israel Nature and Parks Authority. In addition it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – along with the tells of Hazor and Beer Sheva. Megiddo rises 60 metres above the surrounding area, with archaeological findings to be seen that date back to the Neolithic period (seventh-sixth millennia BCE). The impressive archaeological work that has taken place here has revealed layer upon layer of building, with each succeeding community (often incomers following the defeat of the residents of the place) building on/over the existing structures. The most amazing feat of engineering at Armageddon has to be the water system. With fresh water springs that lay outside the city perimeter, the residents had to find a way of ensuring a constant water supply even if the city was under siege. To do this, a 36 metre deep shaft was dug, in addition to a 70 metre horizontal tunnel – down and along which residents would journey to collect fresh water. If under attack, the residents of the city would be completely unseen by opposing forces as the entrance to the tunnel had been covered up with stone, earth and planting so that it was ‘invisible’. Walking down the shaft and along the tunnel by virtue of both modern metal steps and a wooden walkway made one realise just how inventive and ingenious the people who lived here were. The planning and physical taken to design this essential supply was simply amazing. The first of the surprises of the day!

Following the visit to Megiddo came the visit to another Nature and Parks Authority site – Bet She’an. What an amazing place – the second surprise of the day.

None of the guidebooks make very much of Bet She’an but, I have to tell you, it seriously rivals Ephesus in terms of scale, fullness of excavation and uncovered remains – not to mention the immediate ‘wow factor’ upon passing through the entrance gate. Our plan was to take it in en route as we made our way back to Tiberius with perhaps an hour’s visit… We spent at least two and a half hours there – in glorious sunshine – taking in the vast array buildings and areas of the city that had been uncovered. A two hundred step climb took us up to the highest point of the site – overlooking the city itself, as well as the stunning mountains that could be seen in the near distance. Whilst the earliest settlements on Megiddo can be dated back to the seventh millennia BCE, Bet She’an comes in at only the fifth millennia BCE. What a stunning place to visit though – completely beyond anything we had expected. An absolute surprise!

And then on to Church this evening: St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church – right in the heart of Tiberius. The Priest who celebrated Communion welcomed us in Hebrew and English, telling us that this Church was the place where all the teachings and miracles of Jesus were remembered in this area before Capernaum and then Tabgha were discovered. The Service continued in Hebrew – which was such a strange experience for me as I have only ever read the Hebrew Bible (what many Christians call the Old Testament) in Hebrew. To hear the readings, prayers, Creed – everything – in Hebrew was really thought-provoking. (I have to confess that when I say above, “I have only read… “ this is in relation to my studying Hebrew at Theological College. I was pretty okay at reading it but my grasp of vocab and grammar was hopeless!) The warmth of welcome from the priest, the simplicity and calm of the service and the sermon, first in Hebrew and then, more briefly, in English gave a chance for a reflective close to the day with a really important message to take away to think about: Jesus is always with us, but we are not always with him. I mentioned in a previous entry the desire to be ‘tethered’ by attending Church on a Sunday. This Saturday Evening Mass was such a gift at the close of a full and busy week – and it was such a gift to be able to sit and pray and worship – even though for the most part I had no idea of what was being said… due to it all being in Hebrew! (I did recognise Baruch Adonai and Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh and Hoshanna – and a few other words – so it wasn’t all Greek to me!) And the surprise here? Following the administration of Communion a song was sung – known to very, very few of us present (I am not certain how many of the congregation were actually locals… I suspect a good number of us were visitors). The chorus of this song was repeated a number of times and then the words stopped and the gentle sound of singing in tongues began, for just a few moments and then there was stillness. It wasn’t silence, it was stillness and calm as we held the space of prayer together. It was simply lovely, and the surprise was that I didn’t know that there were Roman Catholics who sing in tongues. With all my ecumenical past from my teenage years upwards, you would think I would have encountered it before now, but no. What a delight it was to be present for this moment of a gentle outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Following the Service we went for supper at a restaurant called Big Ben. We had gone there the evening before and on this, our second evening, were welcomed like old friends. We were served far more food for the first course than we ordered and enjoyed the most delicious meal. The waiter was attentive and gracious and I got to practice my newly learned Arabic for Good Evening (except I said, Good Morning!), Thank you and You’re welcome. To find a restaurant called Big Ben in any part of the world except except London is one surprise, but to find one that was so welcoming and friendly – to the point of being remembered the following evening, given how many customers must be seen over any 24 hour period is a lovely surprise indeed.

It really was a delightful day, full of wonderful surprises.