A sermon preached by the Rev’d Dr Daniel Dries Epiphany 4 Christ Church St Laurence – 29 January 2017 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight: O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen. “My Vicar told me that there are only two places to go to church in Sydney.” The other clergy of the Parish and I often hear these words at the church door on Sunday mornings. There may well be visitors in the congregation today who are here at someone else’s suggestion or perhaps even instruction. Interstate and international visitors often tell us that they have been informed that, when visiting the City of Sydney, there are only two churches where they would feel at home. One is Christ Church St Laurence, the other is that very charming brick and plaster church near David Jones’. For many years, this parish has boasted a reputation for fine liturgy and music (and perhaps even preaching), both throughout the Anglican Church of Australia and the worldwide Anglican Communion. We could give ourselves a little pat on the back, assuring ourselves that we have played our small part in maintaining this enviable tradition. Alternatively, we could be rather horrified by Paul’s criticism of the Christian community in Corinth, as he cuts them down to size; as he assures them that they have little of which to boast. Like so many Christians, even in our own time, the Corinthians have fallen victim to spiritual pride—they boast and claim victory with the risen Christ, at the cost of ignoring Christ Crucified. A deliberately brutal Paul assures the Corinthians that, even by worldly standards, they’re not really very impressive at all: Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world… In these brash statements, Paul brings the Corinthians down to earth. They are spiritually immature, and although they think themselves important, the rest of the world does not. In this parish, we treasure our history and beautiful traditions; we value our reputation throughout the wider church. None of this changes the fact that the vast majority of people in this city have no idea that we are here. It pains me to say it, but the majority of people who drive or walk past this church every day have no idea or even interest in what takes place within these ancient stone walls. In the fifth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew we read: When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…” ‘The Beatitudes’ are the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Climaxing with the Lord’s Prayer, the Sermon on the Mount contains the longest continuous passage of Christ speaking and teaching in all of Scripture. Luke’s Gospel contains the shorter ‘Sermon on the Plain’. However, it is not surprising that, in Matthew—the most Jewish of the Gospels—this all-important teaching takes place on the mountain. This crowd, or at least their forebears, have been taken to the mountain before. Page | 1
Moses was given the Law on Mount Sinai. As Jesus is introduced as the New Moses, he gives them this radical New Law. The Beatitudes are directly addressed to the disciples; to those who have already left everything to follow Jesus; to those who have relinquished the power structures of the secular world. And yet, we see again and again that these same disciples fall victim to an insatiable desire for power and influence. Like most people, they care about prestige and reputation; they yearn for stability and status. And yet, when Christ addressed what could be described as the very first Christians congregation, the first words to come out of his mouth are: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
Today is a significant day in the life of our historic parish. Today, we commission two gifted and talented people who will be responsible for the development of youth ministry, outreach and communications. Both of these new roles will focus significantly on those who are not yet here. This ministry of outreach will focus on some of the thousands of people who travel past this church every day. Today, we take a courageous step; not one that we have taken lightly. However, as we begin this new phase in our ministry, we must be very clear about our motivation. We are not beginning this journey to add to our reputation. We are not inviting others to come and experience how impressive we are. As Disciples of Christ, we have an obligation to reach out to the crowd and to teach them about the kingdom of God; something that we must never do with pride or arrogance, but with deepest humility. Without relinquishing the beautiful traditions that sustain us, we must find ways to reach out beyond ourselves. We must find ways of assuring those who are not yet here that this is a place for the poor in spirit; for those who have a need for God and others. This is a place for those who mourn; those who feel any sense of loss; those who are anxious about mistreatment and destruction in our world. This is a place for the gentle; for those who do not wish to forcefully dominate the world and who are horrified by attempts to do so. This is a place for the righteous; for those who want to use their lives to help the poor and the marginalised; those who want to be in a right relationship with God and others. This is a place for the merciful; for those who do not wish to go through life bearing grudges and resentment; those who do not want to be consumed by bitterness and revenge. This is a place for the pure in heart; for those who are honest about who they are and their place in the world. This is a place for peacemakers; for those who strive to break down barriers, rather than build them. This is our understanding of the Kingdom of God; it is based on the first lesson that Christ taught his disciples. This vision of another kingdom is greatly needed in the world at this time. This vision is greatly needed in this wonderful city. Please support and pray for those who will work hard to share this vision in our local community. It will not happen through reputation alone. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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