Rev Michael Docherty's Sermon - Sunday 1st February 2004

You go home this evening and there's a knock at the door - you're not expecting anyone, so it takes you a bit by surprise. You see a shadow at the door - who could it be. A bit nervous you put the chain on the lock and cautiously open the door. You see a face you recognise, yet it's still a face that you've never seen before. There's something about the eyes which seem to pierce into you and then you see the hands and the feet - holes are there where solid flesh should be: you recognise the man standing in front of you as the risen Lord, the Word made Flesh standing on your drive. You remove the chain quickly wondering what He wants, why is he here in Ansdell of all places. You quickly look around your house to see if it's tidy as you welcome Him in - you can't leave the second person of the Trinity standing on your doorstep. He steps across your threshold - you ask him to sit down - you're a bit nervous: what do you say to the Son of God sitting on your sofa. You tell him he's very welcome - treat the house as his own - 'stay as long a you like' you tell him. A couple of weeks later, you regret saying that; he has; things aren't going smoothly - Jesus Christ is the same today, as he was yesterday and as he will be forever: it started with other visitors, people you'd walked past on Woodlands Road, people you thought you wouldn't like them coming around to visit, the kids you saw buying booze from the Off License - and all he has to say is 'suffer the little children' - well that's all well and good but they don't have to throw their crisp packets and empty beer cans on the new carpet; he's been to Blackpool today - what will people think, those girls did look a bit odd, so much make-up, they seemed pleasant enough but they just laughed when I asked them what they did for a living. Something has to be done - it's not my house anymore. The neighbours are talking- something has to be done. So you walk past the cupboard under the stairs and an idea springs into your mind, it's a bit dusty but it'll be alright, there's the remnants from the new carpet you could put down, you could fit a comfy chair in there without any problem. You ask Jesus if he'll help you put something in there, and while he's inside, you lock the door, you put the key in a kitchen drawer, you buy some nice flowers and place them on a pedestal in front of the door and you get a candle and light it. You know he's in there, you genuflect every time you pass the cupboard under the stairs: you know where he is if you need him, but now you can get on with living your life.
It's only a story - it'll probably never happen in reality, but in the spiritual life, we do it everyday, we welcome Christ into our lives but only so far; we receive him in the sacramental form of bread and wine at every Mass, but there are a few areas in our life we'd rather he didn't know about, that he wasn't involved in - that might be our relational life, might be something else: in the spiritual life we create nice little boxes, compartments we're comfortable with.
Like the people of Nazareth in today's gospel we admire his eloquence, his prophetic ability, his ability to change lives, but sometimes when He turns that around to challenge the way we live our lives, the habits we've developed, we can't accept his message. It's sometimes just too uncomfortable - we don't want to let him in to our lives completely, we keep him in the box marked 'Church', and by doing so we keep him out of harm's way. The challenge is too great.
Alastair Campbell telling the press that the government doesn't 'Do God' is symptomatic of this attitude - God is in one box, humanity is in another - that Christ's transforming message, particularly the areas of His message that challenge us, have no part to play in society, they have no capacity to speak to society, nor the way we live our lives on a daily basis. They remain pious stories that make no impact on us - in the box marked 'Church'
How do we overcome this dualism? How can we allow Christ to enter our lives on a deeper level? Father Aidan spoke last week about the value of House Groups and today you are invited to join one. They're about encountering Christ in His word, meeting him in the circumstances in which we live, and sharing that encounter with others who are on the same journey through life. They're not about great theological discussions, but a simple meeting with Christ in His word and in each other: sharing our humble experiences of faith lived every day. They enable Christ to become a greater part of our lives, releasing him from the confines of the box marked 'Church', deepening our relationship with Him as well as with other people in this parish. Some of you might be nervous about joining one, you may think it's a waste of time, you're quite happy as you are: Sunday belongs to God, the rest of the week for living, but there is no need to be afraid - if you're on edge of deciding, take the plunge, go for it - each one of us can only benefit from this encounter, there are no down sides to this. Give it a go - what's there to lose?

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