I think that we are all aware that there are moments we remember, especially when something so important broke in on our everyday lives that we never forget it or where we were at that time.
When I started to write this sermon one of those vivid deeply imprinted memories came back to me - All Saints church - Sunday September 3rd I wrote and immediately the start of the Second World War - 1939 - came back to me vividly.
We must have been aware that something important was happening - and the service must have stopped at 11 o'clock sharp - for some of us went out of the west door into the courtyard and I can see that so clearly and into the Rectory and many went up to the big room upstairs in time to hear on the radio the declaration of war by the Prime Minister at 11.15. I can still hear the clear sad voice of Neville Chamberlain confirming our worst fears - for there was real fear - for most people in that room it was little more than 20 years since the ghastly slaughter of the first World War ended. In 1939 I was only nearly 14 but I was well aware of what a shadow that had cast over so many lives and families.
The build up to that Sunday morning declaration had awakened a growing realisation that there was no alternative once Poland was invaded - as the Prime Minister put it "we shall be fighting against brute force, bad faith and injustice, oppression and persecution and against them I am certain that right will prevail" - appeasement and diplomacy had failed - we were at war.
I think we all have moments like that which are still so clear in our memory - where we were when we heard that President Kennedy was shot or Princess Diana died, or the attack on New York on 9/11 but that is my most vivid one with such a sharp picture of this church and rectory.
I think the awareness of what might be to come was heightened by a short air raid warning and the news of the death of an RAF pilot, the husband of a friend nearby.
For the next few months, though many were called up for training in the forces while blackout precautions were made in the home, hectic defences work were being carried out on the beaches - our lives were rather on hold - nothing dramatic happened till June 1940 - but it was an anxious and testing time for everyone - even for an adolescent like me, though I am not sure that adolescents existed in those days! Certainly no pop music or shopping or travelling and with only the 'wireless' as a link to the world.
What has this sharp clear memory of that Sunday nearly 70 years ago have to say to me now that may help us to understand the present fears and problems in the world in the light of the readings we have heard and what they can show us of God's purposes and Jesus teaching of the eternal truths that it is the calling of the church to spread and interpret.
In our first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy we hear of an iconic moment in the life of the children of Israel - one that was vital to sustain them in times of oppression exile and fear.
Moses who brought them out of exile in Egypt and led them to within sight of the promised land - he had received the tablets of the law - the commandments from God on the mountain top and was preaching the law to them before they crossed over the Jordan to the promised land (led by Joshua and not by Moses.
That great law which became the basis of the monotheistic religions - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim.
It supported and inspired the Jews for centuries but by the time of Jesus and of James had become a burden and a weapon of oppression as it had been used by some priests and lawyers to maintain their power and wealth.
In Psalm 15 which has just been sung, we recognise a wonderful picture of the good follower of that law of Moses, the good neighbour, truthful, humble, honest and reliable - the 'good' man by everyone's standard - (do read it again).
In our second reading James was writing to Jewish Christian churches spread throughout the known world in a period of real danger and adversity - of fear of persecution by their fellow Jews who rejected Jesus and fear of the civil authorities of the Roman Empire - the ruthless occupiers of so many lands.
He advises them how to live in such times - 'be doers of the word and not hearers only' 'he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres being no hearer that forgets by a doer that acts - he shall be blessed in his doing'.
In the gospel reading we heard of the encounter between the Scribes and the Pharisees who had come from Jerusalem to accuse Jesus and his followers of breaking the law by not observing the finer points of ritual purity. Jesus answered them by quoting Isaiah against them 'You leave the commandment of God and hold fast the tradition of men' - again he called the people together and told them where real evil lay - not in what they ate but in what came from their hearts and minds all those 'evil things' - from fornication to foolishness' that we just heard.
A few chapters later Jesus responds to another Scribe's genuine enquiry about the great commandment - you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself' which was echoed by James 'if you really fulfil the royal law according to scriptures you shall love your neighbour as yourself - Now we face another time of uncertainly and even fear when our optimistic view of our country as an open Society formed by centuries of Christian teaching and the development of a real law of liberty which should protect to weak and save us from oppression is threatened by suicide bombers from within our own country who seek to disrupt our way of life - thankfully without great success as this letter shows from the Independent of August 29th last week.
An American visitor's praise for the civility of Britons amid chaos
Sir: On 10 August, the one place a traveller did not want to be was flying into Heathrow Airport. Yet I landed there hours after police thwarted an alleged terrorist plot. But a day that could have been a nightmare proved inspirational.
The incident wreaked havoc. Sweeping flight cancellations and the emergency security measures left masses of people stranded and nervous in the face of indefinite delays. though I braced myself to endure aggravated people, the British were shockingly civil. If the tired travellers had become agitated, cranky, and rude it would have been warranted. Huge lines of people snaked back and forth. Parents held sleeping children while struggling with baggage. Elderly people stood on shaky legs as hours extended into days.
But I did not observe rudeness or disorder. Where chaos should have ruled, a persuasive sense of calm descended.
The spirit of decency was oddly foreign to me, an impatient American. Everyone queued in tidy lines. People were polite. Passengers at the ticket counters were courteous to airline personnel. Volunteers worked tirelessly to direct the crowds. The exceptional character of the British continued to delight me when I finally stopped trying to get out of London and decided to head further into it. I took a taxi driven by a delightful old man with a thick accent and rosy cheeks. He whisked me to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big ben, westminster Abbey and a host of other sights. My guide cared for me as if I was his personal guest. He even shut off the meter.
Though my time in Britain was short the warmth of the people left a lasting impression. Seeing others endure adversity with civility inspired me. As our global community faces increasing threats, hope that we too could embody such such gracious perseverance.
Lisa Liguori,
Poway, California.
It is not more laws, religious or civil that will make us better people or a more caring community, free from fear - nor can it come from more rules or a turning back to fundamentalist attitudes - it is only the law of love for our neighbours and all God's creation that brings liberty and freedom from fear that love that Jesus calls us to - in fact commands us to show.
As Richard Rohn reminds us in a passage from his book 'Letting go'.
We must learn to move beyond ourselves, to say no to instant gratification, to set limits on our own needs and somehow to meet somebody else's needs. That's why Jesus commanded us to love. he didm't suggest it. He didn't say when you get healed, love; when you grow up, love; when you get it together and have dealt with your wounds, then start loving. No, the commandment for all of us is, Love.
Until we love, we really do not even know who we are. In fact, we can buy into all the self-discovery the world has to offer and still not know ourselves.
That's countercultural. We are supposed to keep telling people they're good and beautiful; they're great and fantastic, Jesus loves them - and eventually they'll believe it. But I haven't seen that work. I think we know the love of God within us when we ourselves can "do love" much more than when people tell us we are lovable. We can always disbelieve the second, but the first is an unexplainable power.
from Letting Go: A Spirituality of Subtraction
So as we seek to obey the great commandment to love God and our neighbours as ourselves let us hear the words Jesus used so often 'Fear not'.
Amen
Sermon by: Marie Louise Moffat