I don't often post sermons here.  Let's be honest, I don't often have proper sermon scripts that I can post!  And I certainly don't usually post sermons in advance.  But here's what I plan to say on Sunday 5th June at 10.30.  If you have friends, family of neighbours that you feel would benefit from hearing this sermon, do please invite them along.  I haven't found a way to include the artwork on this slides on this site - sorry about that.   Andy.

A sermon on 2 Samuel 22.20

1.  God brought me

That’s a long reading, and I’m only going to be preaching on one verse slide 1: it’s verse 20 -God brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The whole long reading is David’s reflection on his life.   slide 2 We’re not sure whether he wrote it in old age or middle age, but it’s been put in the Bible at pretty much the end of the David story, and it’s been given to us at the end of a series in Rolling Worship on David, so let’s look back at what God did for David. “God brought me”, he says.

slide 3 God brought him from being a shepherd to slide 4 being a court musician to slide 5 being a soldier and great military hero to slide 6 being an outlaw on the run earning a living from a protection racket – come to our evening services over the next three weeks if you want to know more about David’s Robin Hood period.  And he brought him from being an outlaw to slide 7 being a king – the king, God’s great king – and at the end of 2 Samuel he’s still king but slide 8 he’s old and his kingdom has fallen apart a bit and he’s lost his energy and he’s cold at night and the courtiers have to pack servant girls into bed with him just to raise his dangerously low body temperature.  But from David the young shepherd to David the elderly king, God brought him.  slide 9

Now I have something to say to the older members of the congregation, and a different thing to say to the younger members, and I need to distinguish between those two groups.  So, please stand.

If you made a grunting noise as you stood up, you are the older generation.  Just so that you know.  Right, everyone sit down.

Older generation, know that God brought you.  In every wedding, we pray this prayer: may you reach old age together, and in the company of friends.  For some of you, that prayer has come true in full.  For others of you, God has brought you through the heartache of bereavement or separation, or on a path of singleness that he honours in full even when the world system sometimes considers it second best.  He’s brought you.   He’s brought you through joy, he’s brought you through sorrow, slide 10 and you may think this is a self-important thing for me to say but I reckon he’s brought you right here, right now, so that you can hear this message this morning.

Younger generation: he brought you here, too, and right now you are maybe at the beginning of a long obedience in the same direction.  He’s brought you so far, and in the words of the baptism service “he promises to lead you safely through life and bring you home to heaven.”


2.  God brought me out into a spacious place

And where’s he brought you? slide 11 God brought me out into a spacious place.  My life used to be narrower, more confined than it is now, says David.  In part that’s literally true (when he was an outlaw he used to live in a cave).  But I guess he really means it as picture language.  My life was narrow and selfish and cramped and mean and rushed, says David.  I cared only for myself and my family, I was under pressure , I had tunnel vision for my own and my immediate friends’ interests, I just kept my head down.  slide 12  And now, finally, he says, God has raised my eyes and given me space and time to breath deep and see the big picture.

And for us, the model is David’s descendent Jesus: never in a hurry, never hurrying others.  Did you know that the only person Jesus ever hurried is Judas, when he said “what you have to do, do it quickly”?  Those of us not planning to betray Jesus to the authorities can take our time.  And the more time you spend with Jesus, the more his spaciousness rubs off on you: he’s always generous, always including, always open to others, always secure in who he is, always drawing circles to draw people in even if they try to draw a circle to keep him out.  He never has anything to prove, and in his company you never have anything to prove either.    There’s nothing narrow about Jesus.  There’s a wideness in Jesus like the wideness of the sea, an old hymn says.  For the love of God is broader than the scope of human mind, and the heart of the eternal is most wonderfully kind.  We make his love too narrow by false limits of our own ... If our love were but more simple we should take him at his word and our lives would be all gladness in the joy of Christ our Lord.

 
3.  He rescued me.

slide 13 He rescued me.  David’s life has been a series of rescues – slide 14 God rescued him from Goliath, and from Saul, and from various enemy armies, and from sin, and from despair, and from deep depression, especially after the death of his son. 

Older generation, if we passed round the microphone this morning you could tell the stories of how God has rescued you.  Rescue from that affair you nearly had, rescue from the power of alcohol when you were self-medicating with it, rescue from financial mismanagement, rescue from choosing the wrong partner, rescue from knife-crime, rescue from holding grudges.  Jesus is into rescuing people.  Even his name – Jesus – means “God to the rescue”.  He’s like the search and rescue pilot risking his life to winch you to safety.  Except that he didn’t just risk his life, he gave his life to rescue you.

And here’s the biggest rescue of all, whatever age you are: Jesus can rescue you from a narrow mean life today and from death in the future.  He can rescue you today, right here, right now, for a spacious, generous life before death and then a life of joy beyond death forever and ever and ever.  So at the end of this sermon slide 15 I’m going to pray this prayer:

Father, I’m in the wrong and I need  to be rescued
I trust in Jesus, who died for me and rose again, as my rescuer
Send your Spirit to live in me so that I live for you as Lord.  Amen.

If you pray that prayer or one like it for the first time today it will change your life.  It will probably make your life a lot more difficult, actually!  There’s a cost to be paid, because most of the world ISN’T living with Jesus as king and your friends and family may not like your new more spacious life.  But you won’t regret it.  It will be the start of a whole new journey.


4.  He rescued me because he delighted in me  

So here’s the last quarter of our verse: slide 16 he rescued me because he delighted in me.  Now, let’s be honest: David doesn’t always get this right.  I’ve been reading the Psalms of David for 25 years and I can tell you this: he’s often a self-righteous, arrogant prat.  Even in this chapter he starts on about how it’s because of his righteousness and it’s because he has clean hands, and you want to shake him and say “come on David, have you not read your own story?  You’re a self-obsessed misogynistic violent murderous adulterer, not to mention a rotten dad.  God’s rescues cannot possibly be because of your performance!”

But at least in this verse, David gets it right.  He rescued me because he delighted in me.  That’s it100%.  slide 17  And that’s the heart of the Christian message.  You are much worse than you think you are, your hands are far dirtier than you recognise, you aren’t right with God through your performance – but you are more loved than you ever dared hope.  slide 18

He doesn’t just forgive you...
He doesn’t just love you...
He doesn’t just like you...
He delights in you.

Every time he sees you, he can’t help smiling.  He danced for joy at your birth, he’s got happy memories of your first steps, your first day at school, your first date, your first week of retirement.  And I’m telling you, slide 19  if you pray this prayer of following Jesus, his joy will explode like popping candy across the universe.  Now, I’m going to ak you to do something scary.  If you’re going to pray this prayer for the first time, I’m going to ask you to stand.  You don’t have to, but I think it would help you, because all the people around you will be able to support you and welcome you and will you on.  Thank you.   I’m going to pray it one line at a time – and whether you’re sitting or standing, echo it in your own heart if you want to make it your own.

Father, I’m in the wrong and I need  to be rescued
I trust in Jesus, who died for me and rose again, as my rescuer
Send your Spirit to live in me so that I live for you as Lord.  Amen.

Chelmsford South Deanery stretches from Boreham and the southern half of the town of Chelmsford, all the way to South Woodham Ferrers and Ramsden Bellhouse.  It encompasses 21 churches in 18 parishes.  We have been involved for several years in creating a vision document, with the experience of Exeter Diocese being influential and with every PCC having been consulted at least twice; the four points below are the fruit of this consultation.

1.  A Vision for Every Member

*We believe that every member needs to be equipped to live in his or her neighbourhood, family, social groups and workplace as a full-time Christian, serving his or her communities and telling of God’s love. 

To equip every member to do these things, God gives his church gifted people.  Our eyes and hearts have particularly been drawn to Ephesians 4; we believe that God will provide the ministry gifts of

-                 Visionary Leaders,

-                 Prophets to speak truth to power,

-                 Evangelists to spread the good news,

-                 Pastors to care and include all, and

-                 Teachers to make sure young and old alike develop into the likeness of Christ. 

Our synod in spring 2010 showed what a range of gifted individuals we already value within the deanery, including clergy, readers, pastoral assistants and evangelists, but also those recognised by our local churches and commissioned to minister under supervision.  As part of this team of gifted people, there will be some ordained ministers; and of these, some will receive a stipend.  Generally speaking, we believe that in 2016 every group of 180-200 active Christians will need the services of a full-time priest - not to do the work of mission and ministry for them, but to equip them to do that work of serving their locality and telling of God’s love.  We are suggesting that we will need 10.5 stipendiary ministers in 2016 (down from 13.5 in 2009), and a smaller number thereafter.    Our “deanery roadshow” is rolling out across the deanery with the aim of encouraging “whole-life discipleship” and vocation in the broadest sense possible; our deanery synods also have this focus. 

*We believe that every member needs to be part of an intimate Christian group, whether a formal group or a set of friends.  Smaller parish churches already constitute this intimate group.

 

2.  A Vision for Pastoral Communities

*We believe that every member also needs to be part of a larger group in which the fullness of the ministry gifts listed above is put into practice.   We call this larger group a pastoral community, though terms such as “cluster” or “collaborative unit” would work just as well.  A pastoral community is a dynamic grouping of smaller communities; it is served by a collaborative team of ministers, paid and voluntary, clergy and lay, licensed and unlicensed.  A large parish church (no doubt made up of a network of teams, friendships and small groups, formal and informal) might be a pastoral community in its own right; a small parish church would need to join together with other churches to enjoy the fullness of the ministry gifts God gives in a pastoral community.  

Pastoral units will be of different sizes, but contain at least 180 regular members and be able to provide

·                 leadership and envisioning with all five of the “ministry gifts” of Ephesians 4 in evidence

·                 regular public worship

·                 collaborative ministry

·                 teaching, preaching, training, nurture, growth, and lifelong learning for Jesus’ adult disciples

·                 teaching, training, nurture and growth for children and young people who are disciples of Jesus

·                 evangelism in the community as a clear priority

·                 involvement in and service to the local community, with a particular care expressed for the poor, after the 
                    example of Jesus Christ

·                 effective pastoral care available to all in the community who need it

·                 being partners in mission with other groups / churches inside & outside the Diocese

·                 the provision of appropriate and realistically sustainable buildings

·                 the necessary administration to support this work

In a pastoral community, no one church and no one incumbent, be they stipendiary or self-supporting, is preeminent (though a chairperson for pastoral community meetings will be appointed).   In spring 2011, the parishes of Chelmsford South Deanery chose to group themselves into four pastoral communities:

·                 The Chelmer Crouch Group (7 parishes from Boreham to South Woodham Ferrers)

·                 The Great Baddow Team Ministry (one parish comprising three churches)

·                 The Reservoir Pastoral Community (5 parishes around the Hanningfield reservoir)

·                 Moulsham and Galleywood (3 parishes)

(One parish is still deciding which pastoral community to join).  In June, the Standing Committee will be able to recommend numbers of ministers for each of these pastoral communities into the future. 

3.  A Vision for Sovereign Parishes

*We believe that parishes should retain as much control as possible over the shape of mission and ministry in their locality.  Pastoral communities are not a replacement for parishes, they are simply a tool to help parishes help each other, and we are not looking for legal reorganisation for their creation.   No clergyperson can be compelled to follow this scheme – nor would we wish it to be entered into reluctantly.  We would ask that deanery clergy freely choose to include responsibilities to the pastoral community in their role descriptions.  Where possible, we would hope that Readers and other accredited ministers would work in a flexible way to meet needs, and they are included in the new deanery vision. 

 

4.  A Vision for the Deanery Itself

Leadership in the deanery is offered by Andy Griffiths (the Rural Dean), Christine Horton (the Lay Chair), Carol Smith (Assistant Rural Dean), Canon Harry Marsh (the Treasurer), Lee Batson (the Chapter Clerk), Richard Cecil (the Secretary) and a team of others; we try to model the kind of collaboration of people with different gifts that we are urging throughout the deanery.  In the context of God’s desire to shower us with blessing; in the context of full-time Christians, pastoral communities and sovereign parishes; and in the context of God’s love for the world, we are clear about the function of the deanery itself.  We express it in twenty words:

“We look to God for power

to equip every member

to serve South Chelmsford

and to tell of God’s love.”

 

I just thought I'd write to say THANK YOU to all those who put so much effort into making this morning work for the 12 people who were making a public step of commitment to Christ - and for all the rest of us too!  It really was a morning focussed on God and on what he's doing in our new members' lives, and not at all focussed on the bishop (which was just the way he wanted it - he wasn't going to sit in that throne!).  All the confirmed or first-communioning people, ages 9-74, will never forget their morning.

Bishop Stephen enjoyed his day too - and took time to ask me what the next radical thing we had planned is, beyond Rolling Worship!   

"During the 40 days, the following comment was left on this blog.  I didn't leave it, but I do think it expresses what I think is the "feel" of the decisions we made:

"The "bedrock principle", the "main thing", the "core idea" has to this: "Glorifying God in your ordinary life".  If this was the theme of the teaching it would be easy-listening for newcomers (as we look at different aspects of an ordinary life -    waking up, going to work, caring for a family, retiring, finding your calling, getting a good night's sleep).  Every time, the preachers would make it clear that to succeed in an ordinary life we need the power of God, and show the non-Christian how to "plug in"  to the power-station power of the Holy Spirit.  And it would always be relevant for Christians too..."

"One year in to Rolling Worship, my fear is that this focus might be lost as all the worship elements from Church on the Common (traditional hymns and robes, even in the supposedly "informal" sections, sermons on religious topics rather than on ordinary life, unwillingness to get to know the other members of the church) are quietly brought back in.  The simple fact - as I think Andy hinted at the AGM, though he was expressing himself a lot more graciously than I was feeling at the time! - is that if we hadn't changed, our numbers would have kept declining.  You ask any of the new people who've started coming to church in the last year why they're here, and I bet none of them will say "because we're so Anglican" or "because we sing old hymns!"  They'll say "because it's lively" and "because it's welcoming" and "because it isn't the way churches used to be".  Don't let anything endanger this new life."

A church member

"We read about the "Big Project" in Sunday's notice sheet and also obtained a copy of the statement of need document, and would now like to place a few comments on the church blog.

"Our concept of the Big Project was that it was a programme to provide accommodation for various groups to worship together on a Sunday morning by, for example, opening up for youth use the area behind the organ pipes.  The Statement of Need goes far beyond this.  Reference is made that at the heart of the document is the conviction, shared at a deep level by the whole church community, that St Michael's is called to be a resource for the whole community.  This suggested resource could provide for community meals, concerts, uniformed organizations, dramatic productions and exhibitions.  How has this conviction been measured?  Des the village need these facilities?  If it does, surelyu this is a Parish Council matter, which will possibly be addressed when the Galleywood Vision survey is finished.

"As a church group we have not had an opportunity to discuss the "Big Project", a term which seems to embrace both a church building programme and the introduction of Rolling Worship.  Not all sections of the church are happy with Rolling Worship; a number of church attenders only attand the first slot, and we have lost on high profile member of the church community because of the programme.  This is something that needs to be discussed by the church as a whoie.  An opportunity for such a discussion would have been the Annual General Meeting, but including that meeting in Sunday worship did not include time for this.

"We are being encouraged to pledge finance to make "Our Big Project" feasible, but before making any such commitments we think we should ensure that the whole church body is in agreement with the decisions that have been made, and that money pledged will be used wisely on things that Galleywood Church really needs."


                                                                                                                        Robin and Marlene Strudwick 

To leave a comment, just click on the brown wording on the top righthand corner of each entry.

To compose a new post, just contact Andy (01245 353922) and if you're a church member or Galleywood resident he'll gladly give you the "user name" and password!

The following people are going to be confirmed (or in Sophie's case, be admitted to Holy Communion) on Sunday.  Here's how they introduce themselves in their own words:

Joyce Renwick

I was eleven when I went down on my knees to pray for God’s help. My mother died when I was nine years old and I felt very lost and alone (I did have a very good dutiful father and sister).

Up to nine years old I attended St George’s church in Glasgow which was Church of England, but when my mother died my aunt insisted that I attend my Father’s church, the church of Scotland.

My life has been influenced by times in the WRAF, marriage, two children – Christine and Robert, and then sadly divorce in 1975. I worked in a stately home which ran art courses for the YWCA. Later I worked as a live-in carer until recently. During my life I have always believed in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to whom I have prayed to ever-since childhood. I couldn’t have managed without them all and their care.

Suzanne McAllister

I knew that I needed and wanted to be part of a Christian family. I just had to find the right one. I believe that here at St Michael’s I have found that family. I feel that another piece of my life’s jig-saw has clicked into place and I look forward to learning how God will lead me into the future he has designed for me. It is going to be exciting!

 Catherine Groom

I was born in Galleywood and baptised at St. Michael’s. Along with the rest of my family I attended family hour at the school and later enjoyed being part of the Pathfinders group. I have some great memories from some of the camping trips we went on and the club nights at the Vicarage Hall.  As I got older and left home my visits to St. Michael’s became more infrequent but near the end of 2009 decided to take the children to the church at the school.  Since then, myself and my daughter Sarah have been regulars on a Sunday morning and I have had the opportunity to renew some old friendships as well as make some new ones.  I now feel ready to affirm my faith and discover where I may help further within the church community.

Emily Broome

When I was younger I was Christened. I have been going to church with my family since. I have now decided that I want to take the step to become a Christian and get Confirmed. I had lots of advice from Stephanie, Caroline and Andy, and learnt a lot about Jesus in groups such as MEGA and Upwards.

Hannah Collin

When I was a little girl I was christened at St Michaels, 10 years ago. I have been coming to church with my family since then. When I started year 7 things were really hectic with homework and clubs so I sadly stopped going. I recently started going again and decided to get confirmed after going to MEGA, Upwards and SOLID.

Sophie Margaret Wehren

I was baptised when I was a baby. I went to church at St Michael’s school. Every year I went to holiday club. Now we are all up at the church where we cut the session into three slices. I continued to come and learn more about God.

  Annabelle Lawson

My name's Annabelle and I was born on the Isle of Wight and baptised as a baby. I currently work as a solicitor specialising in industrial disease claims. A number of my clients are terminally ill and therefore my faith has become even more important to me and I therefore wish to be confirmed. I am also marrying David Neilson in August 2011.

David Neilson

My name's David and I have recently been baptised at the age of 27. I work for a national drinks manufacturer selling soft drinks. It was my family's decision that I should choose as an adult whether I wished to be baptised and confirmed and I now wish to be confirmed to symbolise my commitment to Christ. I will be marrying Annabelle Lawson in August 2011

Katie Steele

When I was a baby I was Christened at St Michael’s church, Galleywood and haven’t regretted it since. I have been a member of Sonlight, Mega, and Upwards youth club. I enjoyed all these clubs very much and they have taught me lots about Christianity and the Bible.

Rachel Broome

When I was a baby I was Christened.  Now I have decided that I want to be a Christian.  I want to be a Christian because I have always gone to church and I got lots of advice from Stephanie and Andy and Caroline and from MEGA. I want to believe even more in Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit, so...

Claire Polley

I'm the mother of five lovely children; I was married right here in this church in 1996, and have lived in the Galleywood area since 1999.  For me, confirmation is about committing myself to be part of the Christian community, and I'm so glad to be doing it!

Jason Polley

I'm the dad of five gorgeous children and I'm a self-employed contract cleaner.  I've believed in Jesus for as long as I can remember, in the last year I've been coming to Rolling Worship, and now I feel the time is right to commit myself to follow Him - on my 41st birthday!