"Thanks God, for now, even if I'd rather it was yesterday"

by Revd Bruce Waldron - 12th March 2006

Readings: Hebrews 11:1 - 12:2
12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

The church is faced with some interesting choices at the moment.
It's on the periphery of our culture, instead of at the centre.
A lot of people look back to the good old days of the huge youth groups and full churches. The Sunday schools of 200 children
When England was English, and Christian.
When marriages were forever and children didn't have computers
And people talked in the evening, instead of watching the TV.
And Billy Graham packed out the Wembley stadium.

I think that for most people though, there is also an awareness that it is now that God is asking us to respond to.
There isn't much mileage in saying to God "I don't want to be a Christian now. I want to be a Christian forty years ago." Or "I want to be a Christian later on, you know, after the revival has happened.

For the people who made the church what it was in the days when the churches were packed, God gave people the Holy Spirit to inspire them then, in ways that were appropriate to respond with the gospel in that time and place.
So, did it stop then? Or do we believe that God will also give us the Holy Spirit to inspire us today, if we are willing to be God's people, today.

I think it is the challenge of now that God is calling us to. If we think that things now are not as they should be, then thank God that we are alive, to respond to now with God's grace and compassion. Because it is clear that now is a time that needs committed, faithful, compassionate, dedicated Christian people, because now is a time when things are spiritually and morally difficult.

When I hear that things are not as they should be, that the church is not as strong as it used to be, that the Sunday Schools are not big like they used to be, that people are frequently shattered by the inability of our culture to prepare us to make lasting relationships, that damaged families abound, then I am inclined to think, thank God for these lovely faithful compassionate people who meet with me on Sunday morning and during the week for prayer and study. There was never a time that needed them more.

God, don't let me long for another place, another time. Show me where you want me to be, and how you want me to be, right now, because here is the place where you have given me life, so it is here that you want me to be your person.

God, don't let me long to be like someone else, like some hero of the past, or like the person who worships beside me who I admire so much and know that I am not as good as. Show me how to use the knowledge and learning and strengths and weaknesses I have now, because, as the apostle Paul said, so often God's strength is displayed through my weakness.

Have a good look at the great crowd of witnesses that we have heard about today. Every one of them went through ignominious times when they were a long way short of being up to scratch, and yet God worked with them, in them and through them, so there's hope for you and me.
Every one of them went through times when they thought they weren't up to the job, it was too big for them, so there's hope for you and me.
Every one of them, went through times when they looked at the world around them and thought, this is a difficult time to be alive. I wish I was somewhere or sometime different.

What every one of these heroes of faith did, was to respond to where and when they were, with what they had, and to hear, and respond, to the voice of God. And that was enough.

But also, what every one of them did was, they didn't respond as someone else had responded, in another time. They listened to the voice of God here and now, and responded to the here and now. This great cloud of witnesses that the writer of Hebrews talks about, had their eye on the ball, right now. They didn't dream of matches that had been played last season. They didn't dream of matches they might play next season. They responded to "now", with the appropriate response for their "now."

And people who watched, thought it worked well, so they institutionalised what the charismatic leader had done, and then used it until it was completely out of date and no longer effective.
Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, two very clever sociologists of last century outlined this process as normal, a pattern human beings inevitably follow.

But Christian faith should not follow this pattern. We are led by the Holy Spirit. The renewal can happen, and will happen at any moment. We can expect the unexpected to occur, and not just out there with someone else, but internally, in my life, in yours. The charismatic moment might be you or me, in the most unexpected way, small or large, at the most unexpected time, like with Jacob from last weeks scripture reading, at the spot where he stopped to have a sleep, like with John and James, about to clean their nets when Jesus showed up.

If we are alive now, then it is now that God is calling us to respond to. We mustn't look longingly at another time, another place. Rather, we say, God, I am here now. Thank you for putting me here to do your work now. I look for your guidance, now. Help me to see it, now, in this place.

Small, large, significant, insignificant, public, or very private. Now is where you call me to be a disciple. Success or failure, pleasure or difficulty, struggle or summer breeze, thank you for now. How may I serve you? Now?

And in that response, you and I too, might become another droplet in the great cloud of witnesses.
At tonight's service we are going to reflect on those moments, and how we might be ready for them.

For now, I offer you this thought from the new Emmanuel Welcome Leaflet that is available in the Emmaus Room. From Donald Hilton's book, "Called to praise."

This is the miracle of God's accepting grace -
that we bring to worship the little we have:
five small loaves and two fish, or a widow's mite.
a glimpse of faith or an awakening love,
a moment of truth or a brief sense of gratitude
a slender hope or a thirsting spirit.
And God takes what we bring,
multiplies, enriches, and increases it,
so that it becomes his gift to us.
Thanks be to God