Sermon 7 September 2011

A dangerous crossing
Exodus 12.1-14 Matthew 28.16-20

When the good citizens of Inverness, were told a few centuries ago, that ships would soon sail over them, they imagined some great catastrophe. Because they could not foresee - as the Brandon seer did the building of the Caledonian canal in the hill high above the city. So too if we had said back then that people could one day walk dry shod to France, there would have been panic about a new ice age. Few would have predicted the channel tunnel. It is all a matter of perspective then or where you are looking from. Maybe even what we are expecting to see. Well, if you will allow me the pun. Today is all about the sea the seeing of the sea even. For the Israelites were fleeing the pursuing Egyptians and were faced with a barrier. Was it a piece of open water like our own mouth of the Tay? Or was it the reedy shallows of the bitter lakes. In some sense, it doesnt really matter. For the Israelites were between the impossibility of the crossing and the certainty of annihilation by the army behind. They appealed to God. God in turn seemed rather miffed that they would think he had forgotten them. For he then turned the impossible into the possible and the certainty into non-entity. Put directly, only their fears were now groundless and not their journey. Well, today, we continue to look at our congregation as a community. Since last week we prepared ourselves as a group to move, to travel and to journey. Yet we also had to

Sermon 7 September 2011

admit our personal anxieties. Now we must also give voice to our communal fears. Since we live, more and more, in a culture that has no time for organised religion. We see church closures and reducing attendances. Moreover, we see disrespect of what we hold dear both theologically and morally. In fact, even in the last few weeks, we here have seen abuse of church buildings and grounds. And, as a result, we become dispirited. In truth like the Israelites we cry out dear God - why are you leading us up a blind alley. Why is there no foreseeable escape for the nation of Christ. It is then that we hear the spirit saying - not without a little annoyance - do not be afraid - the barriers ahead are illusions - the safe crossing with Christ is assured. The only problem is - just at this moment - you dont see it! So how do we subdue our worries about our Christian community? How indeed do we conquer our fears for our church family? Well it is a matter of following the commands given to the Israelites facing their own fear-filled situation. And those commands were first to stand firm and then to move on. Therefore, we must stand our ground on the sure ground of what we believe. There are many through word and deed would like to push us onto quick sands. Yet we if truly believe that Christ is with us to the end of the age - if we truly believe that we are each a beloved child of God - if we truly believe that Jesus is our trusted saviour - then where is the problem? Since if we do not individually and collectively believe those simple tenets then we do believe in nothing at all. But if we hold onto these beliefs, then we are well place to follow the next command and that is to move on. Of course, we are likely to be in the same position as the Israelites in seeing no way out. But if we do step out in faith the way will

Sermon 7 September 2011

open the sea will part - the unforeseeable will be seen by all and in a new way. And to give you an idea what I am thinking, I want to take a parallel from the world of entertainment. For in Roy Hattersleys book - Borrowed Time - on the inter-war years, he traced the history of film. Because around the First World War, cinemas were grabby halls hired for the occasion. They were indeed the original flea pits. But in the years between the wars, movies became glamorous and so did picturehouses. The architecture of mock Egyptian temples and Spanish haciendas extended the world portrayed on the screen into millions humdrum lives. No wonder in 1938, nearly 1 billion cinema tickets were sold in Britain alone. More recently film-going has declined, yet the basic product of moving images has exploded beyond what could be predicted. So much so, we see films everywhere via out TVs, laptops and even our telephones. The church that was the product of those first disciples following the great commission was very ad hoc affair. In fact, we can imagine a wife complaining to her husband on the way to the early house churches about her always ending up sitting amongst the smelly slaves. As the church moved on however it became symbolised by great buildings as tasters of the glories of what is beyond. Huge houses of worship that never feared for their box-office. In time there would be, like cinemas, churches in every village and city all taking their weekly turn by serving vast numbers of lives. Yet we ask - what of today? Will tomorrow, Christs followers be again as ubiquitous as pictures that move. Will our faith again be as much part of British life as the goggle-box has become. Will Gods people

Sermon 7 September 2011

again permeate every strand of living as images on screens do today? Yes of course! All we need do is stand firm in belief. All we need do is move forward again with God. All we need do is walk in novel ways that even a few years ago were unseen and un-imagined. Indeed all we need do is retell of that mountain top blockbuster which has brought us all home and dry. Amen HYMN...................