Epiphany 3 | Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

Epiphany 3 | Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

When last did you make a big decision?

Not the should I have Peanut Butter or Jam kind of decision – bigger than that.

The kind of decision that sends you on an entirely different journey to the one you had anticipated.

* * *

Perhaps it was a positive kind of decision – deciding to take a new job. Deciding to move to a new house…

Buy a new car.

Adopt a child…

* * *

Perhaps you made a negative decision. And by that I don't mean a bad decision – I mean a decision not to do something:

The decision not to take revenge when somebody wronged you.

Not to take a new job.

Not to move to a new house.

Not to buy a new car…

* * *

All of these decisions – even the smallest decisions you made will eventually make a difference in the world.

I don't know if you've seen the Back to the Future films… in them Michael J Fox changes small events in the past that make big differences to his present.

The little decisions we make today – make a world of difference to our future.

Decisions like those of government in 1998 that leave us without electricity today… Decisions that leave us wishing we could travel back in time.

* * *

In the gospel passage Matthew records the decision of some disciples who choose to follow Jesus – Simon – called Peter (whom we will just call Peter), Andrew, James and John.

* * *

Peter and Andrew are casting their nets into the water, James and John are mending theirs, but Jesus calls and they follow him; and they do.

The scene calls to mind the apocalypse which Matthew talks about in chapter 24 –

"Two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left… Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."

As Jesus comes and calls them – in the middle of whatever they are doing – they drop everything and follow him, some are left behind.

* * *

Matthew conveys the cost of becoming a disciple of Jesus by illustration… For Peter and Andrew it is the loss of their nets… For James and John discipleship means leaving their boat – and their family…

All of this to become what Jesus calls: "A fisherman of people."

"Follow me," he says, "and I will make you fish for people."

* * *

I doubt very much whether Peter, Andrew, James and John's decisions were spur of the moment decisions; Jesus didn't encourage discipleship that didn't count the cost.

John's gospel in fact tells us a very different story about how Jesus calls the disciples – compare Matthew's account with John's in John 1:35-42, in John's story the disciples have some knowledge of Jesus before they decide to follow him; advised in part it seems by John the Baptist.

When people wanted to follow Jesus without thinking about it he asked them difficult questions – gave them difficult tasks:

Are you willing to take up your cross?

Are you willing to sell all you have and give the money to the poor?

Are you willing to be homeless?

* * *

Imagine we did that when people wanted to join the Methodist Church – It's fine, you can join us – but would you mind taking up your cross, giving up your money and going homeless if that's what it takes?

* * *

When we make decisions – it's foolish if we don't pause to count the cost. But sometimes we have to risk the cost even though we're not sure how we're going to meet it – because the reward for making the right decision is so great.

And that reward is not just personal – the reward for making the right decisions ricochets through to the world around us. As the decisions we make today – radically influence the future.

* * *

Jesus' early followers decide to follow him – not because he promises them heaven or something like that.

They don't necessarily follow him because they believe he is the Son of God – they're quite slow to figure out who Jesus is, and only seem to do so when he gives them a bit of a push. Remember – they were surprised when Jesus rose again.

The only promise Jesus makes to his disciples is that if they follow him – they will become fishers of people.

* * *

Fishing for people doesn't sound that great… it's a metaphor that's difficult for us to understand today.

The Old Testament speaks about God going fishing – fishing for unrighteous and evil people in order to punish them.

But in this situation fishing for people seems to be a god thing.

Matthew has just quoted from Isaiah - and I promise it's not sponsored in any way by Eskom:

Isaiah 9:2 / Matthew 4:16

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them - light has shined."

* * *

For most primitive peoples water was a scary and mysterious thing… scary but necessary.

I don't know about you but when I swim in a deep lake – or out at sea my imagination starts to wonder about just what might be down there – lurking far beneath me – or maybe quite close; ready to snatch me and eat me.

I have the benefit of science – but still I feel a little afraid of what might be down there in the deep.

For primitive peoples there was talk of sea monsters, mysterious creatures that made people disappear out on the water.

* * *

For the disciples and for Jesus, the idea of fishing for people is about bringing them out of darkness and chaos and up into the light. The light of hope promised by God.

* * *

And the idea of being able to do that – with Jesus as their guide is motivation enough for the disciples to follow Jesus.

* * *

In South Africa today – many people, figuratively and quite literally are being overwhelmed by darkness... Just when we had begun to think that we would see some light…

Forget Eskom – but what about things like the Selebi case.

Scandal around the scorpions.

A potential future president who's moral compass seems to point a little skew of North.

All these things in our own country (And that's just the stuff the media makes a fuss about.)

What about rampant immorality in the private sector – as people work for low wages and the rich so often cheat the poor.

Outside of our own country we hear about Zimbabwe, Kenya, Iraq, America – and we shake our heads and wonder…

* * *

Yet, the Bible tells us, the people living in darkness –have seen a great light.

* * *

To fish people out of the darkness – all that the disciples need to do – is follow Jesus.

The words used for following Jesus involve learning from him learning to think his way, deciding to live as he lives. By imitating Jesus we naturally become fishers of people – with the potential to pull them up out of the darkness.

* * *

The Peter, Andrew, James and John know that fishing is hard work. It involves early mornings, late nights and heavy loads… sometimes fishing is life threatening.

Fishing is not philosophical – it is practical. Immediately after calling the disciples Jesus goes fishing himself… healing the sick – encountering all those who were trapped in great darkness themselves – and fishing them up into the light.

* * *

Are we, as God's church in the world today because of the way we follow Jesus fishing people out of darkness and bringing them into the light?

Are we doing something to challenge corruption in government, in business, and even in education?

Are we lifting the poor out of poverty? The drug addict out of addiction?

* * *

As we decide to follow Jesus – we need to keep in mind the goal to which we aspire – that of fishing people out of the darkness they're in, and into the light God created for them.

I believe that when we decide to follow Jesus – we will fish people into God's kingdom vision for the world – and we will see the Kingdom of God in this place.

AMEN

Stewardship Sermon | Genesis 14:17-24; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; Matthew 19:16-22

When I first arrived in the Cape I went looking for a church to belong to. 

At one of the churches I visited – having sung a lot of songs the preacher began to preach his sermon (or so I thought)… after about 15 minutes collection baskets were passed around and people poured their cash into them.

Having heard the sermon I felt a little bit bad and even put some of my own in.

After this we carried on singing and then another person got up to preach.  I realised that this was now the main sermon – the first was just to get us to put cash in the plate.

*  *  *

Richard Foster wrote quite a helpful book, Money, Sex & Power (1985:5):

"The contemporary lust for "more, more, more" is clearly psychotic; it has completely lost touch with reality.  The chasm between Third World poverty and First World affluence is accelerating at an alarming rate.  And many earnest believers are at a loss to know what to do in the midst of these perplexing realities."

At the moment the vast majority of people in the world are suffering because of the injustice caused by greed… People – Christian and non-Christian are becoming more and more aware of economic evils.

They say money makes the world go round... that's true – but the love of money – I think, makes it go a bit pear shaped.  The apostle Paul calls love of money "the root of all evil."

*  *  *

So what is our relationship to money?

*  *  *

One problem with money is that it's just so easy to love….  It fulfils so many needs in a very real way; to us it is a lot like god…

When you're sick – money can buy you healing.

When your soul is troubled – money can buy you counselling.

When there's little rain – money can even buy you water…

Money can buy you so many of the things that you need for life that it is quite easy to allow it to become a sort of mini God.

Money does miracles.

(With enough money and a cell phone, I could make a pizza appear here in about 30 minutes – and if it was cold, it would be free.)

*  *  *

In the Bible, because money is so 'god like' it is made personal – Jesus gives it a personal name: Mammon.  He speaks of it as if it was a rival God - a master to be served: "You can not serve two masters" is Jesus challenge to us who find ourselves a little too attached to our cash.

*  *  *

Because money is so important to us, and a little bit intimate to us in the way it creeps into our hearts we can easily identify with the rich young man who walks away grieving when Jesus says to him:

"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

*  *  *

I don't think the call of Jesus to the rich young man is for everyone – Jewish law forbade the giving to charity of more than 20% of one's possessions out of concern for people becoming a burden on others themselves… If we all gave all of our money away we might eventually do more harm than good.

But I do think it is a call for everyone to consider; a chance for us to identify the nature of our relationship to money…

*  *  *

How would we respond if Jesus asked us to give it all up?  Who would we choose – Mammon, or Jesus?

Sometimes Mammon, money, the power and security that it promises seems to us like a better bet…

*  *  *

Money is personal – it isn't neutral, it has a hold on us and it can so easily creep into our hearts and become our one true love.

Richard Foster writes:

Money has power, spiritual power to win our hearts.

It's quite a scary idea… but from experience, we know that this idea is in a sense quite true for us.

*  *  *

So how do we go about changing our unhealthy relationship with money, beginning a movement that might start to transform the world and help us to see the Kingdom of God in this place?

*  *  *

Feelings

Foster suggests that we should try to understand our own emotional response to money.  Are we fearful, insecure, do we feel guilty about having money?  Are we threatened by money?

Some of our feelings about money were formed a long time ago… some stem from being wealthy, some stem from being poor – experiencing very difficult and embarrassing times… when we get in touch with these feelings we can begin to move towards having a proper 'biblical' relationship with money.

Honesty

We need to be realistic about how wealthy we are, people have a tendency to only compare themselves with those more wealthy than they are – and then claim poverty… 

We are wealthy enough to have eaten something this morning – and are pretty sure we will be eating lunch later on.  If you have a house to live in you are in the top 5% of the worlds wealthy… If your car has a house, that puts you up in the top 1%.

When we begin to be honest about our wealth we can start to honestly use it for God's good purposes.

Fellowship

We need to find people we can partner with in fighting our addiction to wealth, someone we can talk to who will understand our obsession with money.  A friend perhaps – if you're married talk to each other as a couple about the value of money in your lives… be accountable to each other.

Encounter

Having money, especially in this country makes it very easy to avoid the poor.  We don't have to drive through squatter camps very often – and if we do they are usually surrounded by fences that hide their reality.

Avoid the fantasy world that we see on programmes like Top Billing… big houses and fancy weddings like those are for people with loads of cash; they do not reflect how the other half live, they represent the other 1/1000^th of a percentile.

Steward

Change your attitude to the things you claim to own – in your imagination stamp on them a sign that says:  God's property, not mine.  God's bank account, God's car, God's house… and ask yourself how best would God have you use these things, that ultimately belong to him… in your imaginations tack that line from Psalm 24:1 onto everything you pretend to own: 

"The Earth is the Lord's and Everything that is in it."

A steward is someone who looks after someone else's property… in the ways in which we manage our money and possessions we need to constantly acknowledge God's ownership…

When we buy and when we sell we need to learn to keep God in mind, asking does the way I am doing this honour God?

A difficult way to live – in some ways, but it seems like the way God would have it… are we up to the challenge?

Give

A final challenge to us is the challenge to give.  In Genesis we read the first account of someone offering a tithe… Abraham, having rescued his nephew from captivity and taking some spoils in battle gives Melchizidek – the priest of God Most High, one tenth of everything.

Abraham – who existed before the law, gives freely of his wealth as a sign of his indebtedness to God.

The practise of tithing becomes part of Old Testament law – tithes are offered to celebrate God's abundance and generosity, portions are given to the Levitical priests who have no land and hence no means of income, and portions are used for celebrations.  In Deuteronomy 14:26 the author writes about the tithe:

"Spend the money for whatever you wish—oxen, sheep, wine, strong drink, or whatever you desire. And you shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your household rejoicing together."

Every third year however, the tithes were stored and used to provide for widows, orphans and the poor.

*  *  *

By becoming a nation who give freely of what they have, the Israelites develop a system in God's honour that ensures that no one would become helplessly poor.

They ensure that everyone has a chance to celebrate God's abundant generosity.

*  *  *

Christians are no longer subject to the law. 

"For freedom, Christ has set us free."

Paul writes in Galatians 5:1.  We give of our selves, of our resources freely to God because we are free to do so, and because we love God.  We don't give in order to receive, but simply because we have received… we give because we were created to be generous.

I invite us all to practise giving, no matter how little or how much we have… Abraham's example was a tithe – but there's no reason we should not give more.

When we learn to free ourselves from money's power over us – and live a life unattached to our physical possessions – then I believe we will begin to see the Kingdom of God in this place.

Epiphany 1 - Baptism of our Lord | Psalm 29; Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 3:13-17

There are two kinds of people in this world… those who build puzzles.  And those who don't.

I'm not into doing fiddly things

So I guess I am one of those who don't build puzzles.

But when other people have built puzzles… and I've taken one or two minutes to help them.

I have always been amazed at how a picture begins to emerge as the pieces, usually sorted and catalogued by colour by the more careful puzzle builders are placed in their proper places…

A picture emerges.

And finally when they recover the one piece that I hid away from them – the picture is complete.

*  *  *

Because we believe that Jesus is a true picture of what God is like; 'an exact imprint of his very being' as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews puts it, so when we gather to worship God it makes sense that we read about Jesus in the gospels…

As we read about him in the gospels the pieces of the puzzle come together… we begin to get a clearer picture of who God is – what God is like.

So we thank God for the gospel writers who collected together the sayings and writings about Jesus into documents which we can understand. 

When we read the gospels, we hear the voices of those first communities of Christ followers who gathered together and told each other the stories about Jesus… and wondered at what God had done for them, at how God was made known to them.

*  *  *

We read from Matthew's gospel chapter 3:13-17 the account of the baptism of Jesus according to Matthew.

*  *  *

The Baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry.

Matthew's gospel is a gospel that teaches people about discipleship – how to follow Jesus.  It was probably used to prepare new Christians for Baptism into the community of Jesus' disciples.

In it Jesus' ministry begins with Baptism, but it also ends with Jesus' instruction to the disciples to Go; To go and teach people from all nations to obey all that he has taught them – and to baptise them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

*  *  *

Matthew's gospel prepares people to become disciples of Jesus by giving a careful account of the things that Jesus did – his actions.  Interspersed with long sections of his teachings.

In Matthew's gospel there are five distinct sections in which Jesus gives long sermons… one of these is his most famous of all – "The Sermon on the Mount."

Disciples were charged with the task of imitating their teacher in the manner of his actions.

They were also expected to memorise his teachings, to discuss them and to pass them on by teaching them to others.

As we see action in Matthew's gospel we are challenged by Jesus example… as we read the wisdom of Jesus' teaching in Matthew we are challenged to put that sort of wisdom into practice.

*  *  *

All of Matthew's gospel helps us to put pieces of the puzzle into the picture of who Jesus is and what he is like…

Jesus' actions – the events of Jesus' life form the frame that cement for us who he is (the event that we look at today is his baptism).  But the body of the picture is made up in his teaching… in Jesus teaching we gain a fuller insight into who he is and what is expected of us as his followers.

*  *  *

In the Baptism of Jesus a few startling things happen.

The first difficulty is the fact that Jesus gets baptised at all – how could the one who is sinless need to have his sins washed away?  Scripture tells us that John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.

The second difficulty is that by submitting to John's baptism Jesus is in fact making himself out to be somehow lower than John – John is aware of this and tells Jesus that he's the one who should be baptising him.

*  *  *

Why does Jesus get baptised?

Jesus' response to John when John asks him this is that it is better to fulfil all righteousness.

Although Jesus is sinless – he shares in the sin of the world just by being among us… Sin – as much as we would like it to be private, is never actually private.  Sin involves a whole community of people – a whole nation, a whole world.  Our sin makes us less able to be a blessing to those around us and thus effects them.

*  *  *

Even if one of us was to remain absolutely pure of any evil thought or action – we would still be tainted by sin.

By living among us, being part of our community on earth – Jesus takes up our sins and our sinfulness.

In being baptised he fulfils all righteousness, identifying with us completely.

*  *  *

The fact that Jesus was baptised by John probably led to a bit of trouble for the early Christians… even after Jesus death and resurrection there were still disciples of John the Baptist around. 

John the Baptist's preaching spoke of a baptism of fire that was to come… It seems that he had a different sort of Messiah in mind.  Later on when John is in prison he will send his disciples to ask Jesus:  Are you the one who is to come?

Jesus will point to the healing that he is bringing that subtly works away at the structures of evil as proof that he really is the one who was to come.

*  *  *

Jesus baptism is an unexpected baptism of submission and obedience.  Submission to God in doing what God required – 'fulfilling all righteousness.'   Jesus submission shows us a picture of a God who is a humble King… Identifying with the people's sin and their need for forgiveness – by being baptised with them.

By receiving baptism from John he shows himself to be a servant King and not a conquering warrior kind of King… although it is in his weakness that his true power is made known.

*  *  *

Jesus is baptised by John – and as he comes up out of the water the writer of the gospel tells us that:

"The heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him."
"And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

This gracious servant King image is affirmed according to Matthew's gospel by a voice from heaven… a voice that echoes through translation from Hebrew into Greek the words of the prophet recorded in the scroll of Isaiah 42:1:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him;"

Matthew is carefully directing us towards the picture of Messiah suggested in the servant songs of Isaiah… songs that speak of a Messiah who will suffer for his people – and in that suffering will gain victory for them… delivering them from their sins; taking whatever punishment they deserve for their sins upon himself.

In chapter 15:15-21 of his gospel Matthew will quote the Isaiah passage more extensively, noting how Jesus fulfils Isaiah's picture of what Messiah will be.

*  *  *

The Isaiah pictures of the servant are not just about Jesus… they quite clearly refer also to the whole nation of Israel… the people through whom the nations will come to know the glory of God.

Just as Jesus identifies with our evil and our sin, taking it upon himself by being part of our community.  So too – the community identifies (as unworthy as it may be) with the goodness of Christ, becoming a light to the nations; called to bring sight to the blind and freedom to those in captivity.

*  *  *

We – as a community of Christ's disciples share in the baptism which Jesus received.  The baptism in which the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove, just as it descends on us today and gives us the power we need to do what he calls us to do.

The baptism in which we as a community of God's adopted children also hear the words – "You are my beloved child in whom I delight."  Whether or not we are worthy of this love – we still receive it because Christ made it possible – by sharing in our sin; and taking it away by his death on the cross.

*  *  *

I invite us today to remember our baptism – baptism into this nation, this family of people who seek to follow God as revealed in Christ.  I invite us to remember our new identity as God's beloved children in whom he delights…

And at the same time to remember our responsibility to be a servant people who share the message of God's love and grace with the whole world…  As we seek to be more and more faithful disciples of Christ.

 

Epiphany Year A | Psalm 72:1-14; Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12

A friend of mine's dad was a missionary.  One day he went from door to door visiting people - with the intention of telling them about Jesus.

Knocking on various doors he had received the cold shoulder – so at one house he thought he would try something new:  His opening line was, "Don't worry – I'm not a Jehovah's witness."

"Behind the door came the smart reply – I am."

*  *  *

This morning we read about a group of foreigners who come to meet Jesus at his birth…

The 'wise men' as we have come to know them.

They're an interesting crowd of people – but unfortunately we don't know much about them.

Most of what we say about them as a part of the Christmas story grows out of legends.

The idea that there were three wise men crept in in the third century – deduced from the fact that they had brought three separate gifts…

Their names are also the stuff of legend, in about the 6^th century a latin document records their names as Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazaar... although other documents in other languages give different names.

*  *  *

What we can know, from the gospel of Matthew is that they are magoi and they come from the East.

Magoi is a Greek word used to describe magicians, astrologers, scientists and priests / high ranking officials from Babylon.  

Second, they were from the East.  It thus seems most likely that they are the kind of magoi that come from Babylon, a nation with some interest in Jerusalem. 

The Babylonian exile which occurred in about 600 BC was one of Israel's most horrific and terrifying events. Parts of Isaiah were writted down before, during and after the exile in Babylon.

In Babylon Magi were high officials of the court; special advisors to the King, powerful members of Babylonian society.  The third century theologian Tertullian refers to them as 'almost kings'.

*  *  *

Whoever they were Matthew makes it quite clear that these people were outsiders – definitely foreigners who observe different customs to those with which the Jews were familiar.

He also lets us know that they are prominent, obviously powerful people –granted an audience with Herod the great… who in response to their news summons a meeting of the chief priests and scribes.

A highly unlikely, and probably very powerful crowd come to Bethlehem to honour a very special child… the one born to be King of the Jews.

The arrival of this crowd fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah…

*  *  *

In Isaiah chapter 60 the prophet speaks about the future of Israel – especially Jerusalem. 

The people of Israel had been conquered by the Babylonians and at the time in which the prophet speaks the Israelites are returning to their land.

The prophet writes about how other nations will bow down to Israel's God people will come streaming in from all over the known world to praise Yahweh.

In 60 verse 6 we see why Matthew speaks of the magi bringing gifts of Gold and Frankincense – the prophet Isaiah writes: 

"They shall bring gold and frankinsence, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD."

*  *  *

Matthew contrasts the response of these foreigners from the east, from Babylon – Israel's ancient enemy with the response of those in power in Jerusalem: 

When Herod heard the news he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.  A corrupt King caught by the arrival of a righteous King who it was prophesied would overthrow him.

Later on we read how Herod seeks to destroy Jesus by killing all the young babies in the region of Bethlehem.

The magi from the east respond quite differently, kneeling down, presenting gifts, a sign of submission to Jesus.

Babylon, represented by high court officials at Jesus' birth, is conquered by a baby… Conquered nations brought their treasures to the temples of conquering nations – in the story of the magi Babylon is finally conquered.

*  *  *

Matthew, like the other gospel writers is very interested in how the message of Jesus is spread out to all people all over the world.  The good news of Christ's reign.

*  *  *

In a spectacular show of God's grace Matthew indicates to us that God has now been made known to everyone – to all people, everywhere; even these strangers from the East.

*  *  *

So what's that got to do with us here in this place?

*  *  *

For the magi men, the birth of a new King is made known to them in the stars – stars which lead them to Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea where they expect to find the King… 

In Jerusalem they consult the priests and teachers of the law who refer to the prophecy of Micah which indicates that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem – and so they travel ten miles to Bethlehem and there they find Jesus.

*  *  *

How did you come to know about Jesus and how god reveals himself to us through him?

Today is a day for us to give thanks for those who have shown us the way; our parents perhaps – ministers, Sunday School teachers – friends – who were kind enough, and in some cases, brave enough to share the gospel of Christ with us.

*  *  *

At the same time, today is a day for us to be challenged.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just for us, but it is also for those around us –

The Magi from the east would have been considered very strange by the people of Bethlehem – with their foreign customs and their astrology… we probably wouldn't have let them through the door here; or given them an entry visa for South Africa.  They would probably have been classed as dangerous terrorists…

*  *  *

How are we – as individuals, and we as church going to take the message of God revealed to us in Christ… the good news of God's love for all people out to the world around us and make it known?

We need to do for others what someone has done for us – tell them the good news about God revealed in Christ.

*  *  *

For many of us the word 'evangelist' has negative connotations, at worst we think of aggressive and arrogant people in expensive suits who sell Jesus in a way that's quite off putting.  Or of people who knock on our doors at inconvenient times.  Perhaps we're worried that to be people who share the good news of Christ we have to go knocking on strangers doors…

Unfortunately the word 'evangelist' has earned itself a reputation unworthy of itself.

*  *  *

The word euangelistou – what we translate as evangelist – literally means 'good news teller,' or 'gospel teller'.  The English word gospel shares the same root – coming from a combination of the words good and spel -  'spel' being the Old English word for news.

*  *  *

In the first century evangelists were town criers, if there was a victory in battle, or a new King took the throne they would be sent out to spread the news – shouting it out in public places…

*   *  *

I believe that all of us are in some way called to be evangelists… good news tellers, making known the gospel of Jesus Christ to others, as it has been made known to us.

And I don't think we have to go knocking on doors (unless that is what God calls you to do) I believe that everyone can make the good news of Jesus Christ known in much more effective ways…

Perhaps we can make the good news known by treating people a little differently:

Do we treat the check out ladies at Pick'n Pay with respect that lets them know they are also precious and loved by God?  Would the people who work for us guess that we were Christians because we treat them as people for whom Christ would even die? Do those who knock on our doors begging for food or whatever go away from our doors with some sense of being loved, if not by God, by us?

Do we show grace to our children – even when they give us a hard time?

Would someone who walked through the door of this church who was different to us (maybe Adam and Steve) receive the kind of welcome that lets them know that they too are loved by God?

*  *  *

Does everyone in Franschhoek know that at 9am on a Sunday morning – no matter who they are, or where they are in life's journey they will be welcome to come and worship the God revealed in Christ with us here in this place…

*  *  *

Matthew's gospel ends with the verse Matthew 28:19:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…"

It begins with a story about people from far off nations coming to worship Jesus… perhaps it's a call to us to be a bit more bold in making God's love known to all people.