Acts 3.12-19
Luke 24.36-48
On last Thursday the Rector dedicated (here in Longden church) the new altar kneelers for St Ruthens. He asked me to do something similar today for those in this Sunday congregation.
Lord God, we dedicate to your glory these kneelers in which we recognise the lives, loving service, and dedication of your servants Kathy and Rodney Scott. As they brought light and joy into the lives of others, may these kneelers be a constant reminder of our need to bring the light of Christ into the lives of all around us through our service to God’s kingdom.
Lord, this we pray through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Saviour. Amen.
Being asked to do this has meant much to me. Kathy and Rodney were among those who made Sandra and me feel so welcome when we moved to the area almost 15 years ago. Without wishing to sound nostalgic, it set my mind to recollecting all who have been members of the congregations of this benefice over the time we have been here. Some have moved away. Some have moved to other Christian congregations in the area. Some have moved on in glory. To experience the fullness of God’s kingdom in eternity.
In turn they have been replaced, in part, by others who have joined these congregations in more recent times. A process interrupted by Covid, which still affects people’s affinity with corporate worship. Despite destructive effects of war, violence and pandemics, congregations are constantly in a state of churn. People come and people go, not least the clergy who seem to move more frequently than once they did.
St Luke, in both his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, informs his patron, Theophilus, of the amount of churn there was in the early church. How quickly things were happening. How the disciples had to learn about the resurrection at first hand – and how scary that seemed to those locked away in the upper room. How the boldness of Peter and John got them into ‘hot water’ with the Temple authorities when they healed the lame man. Sadly, our snippet from Acts this morning gives nothing of this context in which our short reading took place. When you get home read the whole of Chapter 3 of Acts to get the full force of what it is saying.
There is a similarity between the two passages. In a way both refer to Jesus in terms of the ongoing story of faith – within the Hebrew nation and within the very young Christian church. Peter places Jesus within the context of the Jewish Patriarchs and ancestors – before he admonishes those who heard him in the Temple for what they did to Jesus. Jesus teaches the disciples, reminding them of what had been in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms. He had told them about what was going to happen to him. Now that they had seen him in risen form they had to believe in him, as he was, and be his witnesses in the future.
It is worth reminding ourselves that Luke was writing these words with at least four decades of Early Church history ‘under his belt’. He draws on the testimony of eye witnesses, many of whom were still alive but coming to the end of the time when their verbal recollections would be available to the church. Luke’s recording is not just for history. For us to read in our present. They are to inspire those who are coming to faith at the time he was writing. There is a freshness and power about them. They also give an indication of how we should use scripture. We can’t nostalgically wish for things to be as simple as they were back then. Neither can we claim the Bible has simple answers to questions which we face which were not even thought of when Luke was writing – nuclear war, cyber attacks and AI come readily to mind. I’m sure you can think of others!
What the golden threads of theology which weave in and out of the words of scripture can teach us are about the kind of people we are, and what we can do to promote God’s kingdom in our time. Themes of justice, mercy and righteousness. Themes of generosity, especially towards the needy, the refugee, the asylum-seeker. The theme of walking the second mile on behalf of others. Of caring for God’s creation as we do all we can to combat human-made climate change. Themes which put the needs of the poor ahead of those who are comfortable in their life-style.
Let’s return to the kneelers! In a tangible way they encapsulate the love and service Kathy and Rodney brought to the church in the area. They also enfold the vision, insight, and hard labour by so many over many months to ensure they have come to fruition. They contain pictures of the Christian story and journey which were so important to Kathy and Rodney.
May the kneelers continue to remind us of our need to serve Christ in our daily lives. May each of us continue to serve Christ as we seek to live out our lives in faithfulness. The Christian story has rolled on through the ages since the time in which Luke shared with his patron how the early church was beginning to organise itself. That story has been re-interpreted by each generation to answer the faith questions of their time. In each generation there has been examples of things being in a state of flux. We should expect no difference in our time. We need to pray to God in Christ Jesus that the Holy Spirit will enable us to see change in a positive light – and then face the future in hope that the Spirit will help us make this life and place, a better response to God’s love in our lives.
Revd Graham Earney