Sermon for the 10th Sunday after Trinity: ‘A path of peace and love; preached at the Eucharist, Sherborne Abbey on Sunday, 4 August 2024 by The Reverend Rebecca McDonnell (Ephesians Ch 4: v 1 -16; John Ch 6: v 24 – 35)
I’m sure like many of you we have been glued to the Olympics over the last week, utterly in awe of the superhuman feats of athleticism, as well as the feel-good stories of competitors from all over the world. Friendships formed, healthy competition between those who are both rivals and friends, almost every nation on earth represented and living and competing together. I also think the Olympics seem to sum up the best of the human spirit, both in how they push the physical body to its greatest ability, and in how both sports people and their supporters treat each other. This sense of one-ness, despite the diversity of race and background, is the vision that St Paul was urging in the Early church. ‘With all humanity and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ We are the body of the Christ, one body and one spirit.
As Paul outlines, we all come to this body with different gifts and skills, we all have a different calling. It is together that we bring our unique spirit given specialities to complement the whole in the service of God. If there were to be an Olympic games of English parish churches (and I totally think there should be) what would our medal hopefuls be? Certainly, we’d be in line for a gold for the quality of our music and our choirs. Our flower arrangers would be in line for a podium spot. Our vergers would challenge the best with their quiet control of everything behind the scenes. And our welcomers and tour guides welcoming in guests from every corner of the world with their skills of knowledge and fact. (I’ll leave you to imagine more fanciful events like pew hurdles, crucifix javelin, hassock toss, or the verge relay.)
As brilliant and important as all these facets are to the life and worship of this Abbey, let us also not forget the spiritual and the need to keep an eye fixed on the eternal. What would be our Olympic ranking in these affairs? Would we win gold on upholding our vocation to following the call made on each of us, and making Jesus known here in Sherborne? I believe in many ways we are doing well, but we must never cease in our reaching out in love and service to those beyond the walls of our Abbey. And also inviting everyone in, to our loving embrace and accepting them just as they, as they come to us, responding to their needs and seeing them a beloved child of God. Looking beyond the constraints of our physical Earthly world to ensure we are perceiving and responding to the call of God. We all have different gifts and skills, that make us not only good at flowers or tours, but evangelists, teachers, building up the body of Christ. Not being tossed to and fro by the winds that govern our Earthly life, but emulating and walking in the footsteps of Christ, as His body. ‘Preach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words,’ as the saying goes, commonly attributed to St Francis.
In our Gospel reading Jesus is also trying to encourage the crowd to lift their eyes from Earthly things to eternal matters. Crowd mentality is an interesting thing, with many people feeding off the energy of those around them. We have seen the best and the worst of crowd mentality over this last week. The best in Paris, as they cheer and encourage all the athletes. And the worst in Stockport, in the wake of unspeakable horror that has shocked us in events that are sickening and heartbreaking. A crowd, building off an energy of hatred and division, rather than community unity, destroyed and looted. Sadly, we have seen this pattern of animosity multiply, rather than diminish, as riots and protests have broken out up and down the country this week. Turning against fellow humans, speaking words of hate, ripping apart communities. I fear there might be similar scenes today on our doorstep in Weymouth. This is the time to live out how Christ has shown us another way, a path of peace and love.
The crowd on the lakeside searching for Jesus are maybe not at either end of this scale, but they are misguided and looking for direction. They have just witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes, and they have followed Jesus and his disciples in the boat to see more signs. Jesus chastises them saying they are simply looking for more Earthly bread that will satisfy their physical hunger; ‘Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you.’ The horizon of Jesus is the horizon of eternity, his earthy ministry of breaking bread with others is the backdrop of eternal life. Those who receive Jesus fully in their hearts receive eternal life, and their deepest hungers and thirsts will be fed from something so much deeper.
Bread can be shared, whether in a physical or a metaphorical sense. We must, and are called, to share this bread with others. We’ve just had Lammas Day on August 1st, where the first loaf of harvest is taken and blessed, to give thanks to God for the way we are all fed from the land. Another bread fact: did you know the word ‘companion’ comes from the Latin ‘panis’ meaning bread, originally used to describe someone you share a meal with. As Christian’s we should be enlarging our table, not building up our walls, and breaking bread with all in our community and all we meet. Sometimes in deeds and actions, sometimes in words. It has been joyful to hear some of our Team GB athletes talk openly about their faith in relation to how they approach the games. Andrea and Louis who won bronze in the synchronised diving told interviewers how they pray together before they dive and leave it all with God. Adam Peaty, the decorated swimmer who won an individual silver medal this week, spoke emotionally about the change finding God has made in his life. Jesus says, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ We have this bread to eat, and to share, into eternity.