Sermon: Sunday before Lent

Preacher:

Date:

Sunday 2nd March 2014

Service:

Mattins

Readings:

Exodus 34:29-end

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Listen:

Download Recording (MP3, 19.8M)

The God who said 'let light shine out of darkness' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 

Today's readings are full of light and glory;  we catch glimpses of the intense, illuminating and transformative presence of God.

That which is invisible is disclosed to us: in commandment, obedience and the Word made flesh.

The light and glory of the divine is communicated in a variety of ways: it is entrusted into human hands, is proclaimed in human speech, it shines forth in human faces and made manifest in human hearts.

Moses had ascended Mount Sinai, and spoke with God, alone. He descends, carrying in his hands the tablet of the covenant.  His face shone. He was radiant.

We can tell when someone has good news to share; delight and joy spreads across every feature of their face.

To have been in close proximity to God was transforming; truly awesome.  The people were afraid to draw near to one who had been so changed by nearness to God.

Moses calls out to them; the people return; and Moses speaks to them. A process of transformation begins.

Moses gives them the gift that he has received from God on their behalf; commandments spoken by God. A gift received to transform their community; calling them away from idolatry and covetousness;

The people of Israel are to be holy: to put God at the centre of their lives, and for all their thinking, speaking and acting to echo his love.

The light and glory of God is made visible in its effect on us, our values, priorities and interactions. The invisible is discerned in creativity, it is proclaimed in changed lives.

Paul picks up the language and imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures to express the reality of the gospel.  It is the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Yet the things of this world can direct our attention away from this illuminating and transforming reality. 

We are drawn away from this light by social and economic pressures; by the desire to acquire or possess goods for ourselves; by the relentless pressure to compete for status, capital, resources; by expectations about our image, how we are perceived, being on the right side of the argument; the frustration and disappointment  when we and others fall short.

Very often it is not human words that call our attention back to the mystery of God. Reflecting on Cathedral choirs, Giles Fraser says, if religion exists to make raids into what is unsayable, musicians penetrate further than most.  Music encapsulates our cries of longing and hope, justice and grief; all these feelings are translated; we hear them in a new register. 

Art and music are means of human expression, interpretation and deep attentiveness to the world.  The complexity and beauty, the agony and the wonder are reconfigured. 

It was the painter Paul Klee who said: Art does not reproduce the visible; rather it makes it visible. In the midst of the upheaval of political turmoil which cost him his teaching position, financial insecurity, the devastation of war and poor health, he continued to make visible the intensity of human experience..

He gave vivid innovative expression to the fullness of all that we are, and might me.  Dark tones and pastel shades reveal dazzling darkness in shape, colour and lines. He invites us into a different space which is exhilarating, terrifying and contemplative. Grace breaks in.

Yet the fullness of our lives have the capacity to give expression to the truth of God: our pleas for justice and compassion, our attempts to make sense, to engage with others.  The source of all speech and light communicates with us and transforms us. Demonstrating such love demands as much time and commitment as the practice of art and music: learning disciplines of patience, kindness and self-control.

The God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness' has shone in our hearts.

Seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Has shone; continues to shine.

God gives the light of the knowledge of his glory to us.

Over recent weeks we have been invited to pay attention to texts about and images of Mary.  We have been invited to give imaginative space to the stories and the gaps: in prayer, dialogue, art and worship.

We have contemplated the mystery of the incarnation; of God with us, alongside us.

He knows the cries of our hearts: the joys, the disappointments and our deepest longings.

On the cusp of Lent, we prepare contemplate the mystery of our redemption; our Lord's passion.

He knows the cries of our hearts: the temptations, the aspirations and our deepest pain.

For the light and glory of God radiates our world; we catch glimpses of that light in a word of assurance, a musical theme, a night sky, a touch of compassion, in the grace of word and sacrament.

We are called to participate in the movement of redemption by imitating the self-giving love of Christ.  Moses received the commandments once, but was caught up in a life long conversation with God and God's people as they sought to live them out.  Paul knew the Corinthian's love of power, wealth and status; yet he commends himself to them as a servant, proclaiming Jesus Christ in service.

Light and glory is revealed in our hearts and faces; it is carried in our hands; it is demonstrated in love.

There is a cost to such generosity.  Power, ambition, identity is taken up on the cross; the mark of weakness and vulnerability.  The place of loss is the place of reconciliation.

God said let there be light: and there was light.

The Spirit overshadowed Mary as she said be it until be according to your word.

On the cross the Son cried: it is accomplished.

This is the movement of self-offering of God's Kingdom; we are called to participate in it. Let us commit ourselves anew to to the fulfilment of God's purposes through us, proclaiming not ourselves, but Christ.

Let us pray:

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; to do with me what you will.  Whatever you may do, I thank you.

I am ready for all, I accept all.  Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.  I wish no more than this, O Lord.

 Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

 

Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity; in the habitations of thy glory and dominion world without end.  Amen.