Father Harry's Sermon – Sunday 12th December 2004

"Rejoice in the Lord always". Again, I say "rejoice".

I wonder why we find it so hard to look happy?

And yet Paul, writing to his new Christians in Philipi, the advice he gives them about being a Christian, about sharing the very life of the risen Jesus is, "I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord".
This week I came across a reference to a remark that George Bernard Shaw made about some one, though I can't remember who. He said, they were so religious that he almost felt unhappy. Well what a thing to say, if it is true. I suspect that so often it is true. I'll give an example from the readings today. We started off absolutely over the moon with joy, and we've got good reason to be. "Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, the wasteland rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy." Not talking about us, he hasn't got to us yet, to God's people. Talking about the dessert, creation, rejoice, exult, be happy. and he goes on to say why. Because "God is coming, he's coming to save you." That's the message of Advent. God is coming to save us. "Oh yeah. Another one ticked of the list, I believe God is coming to save us". No come on, be happy, I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord.

Its not always as easy as that to be happy, is it?

Our second reading good old James, He's not the apostle you go on holiday with, I certainly wouldn't anyway. He can be a pretty miserable character, most of his writings were anyway. A good man of course he was, a very good man. He was the leader of the first church in Jerusalem. He was a pretty sour old so and so. Sorry James, I really didn't mean "so and so". Anyway you've got the picture. But James, the advise he is giving to us this morning, is to hold you're horses, be patient, the Lord is coming. Look at the farmer, interesting he chooses farmers for an example isn't it, because they are not noted for their hilarity really. Or at least I think the ones I met aren't, and you're saying that God is coming. Unfortunately, he says, the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. So you're back to biting you're nails. All this gloomy stuff of apocalyptic language, the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood and all that. Well, he's right in the midst of that is good old James.
But the point he is making, is an important one, and that is that we should be patient.
There's one spot in the new testament, I think its in the first Peter letter where he says, "A day with us is like an eternity with God", making the point that time doesn't matter with God. God is outside time. We're limited by time, God isn't. And so ok, we've got the promise that God is coming, not to open the book and say, Right you, 8th Feb 1996 what were you doing? I know what you were doing. you shouldn't have, and so on through the list. No. God is our saviour that is coming. Be happy, always happy in the Lord.
You look to the gospel today, and that great, great character John the Baptist is not in the gospel, but he is if you see what I mean, he's in prison. He sends his disciples to Jesus. This is John who's announced that Jesus is the one he always promised to send, the Messiah, the anointed one, the chosen one. He's having second thoughts about this because Jesus isn't doing the sort of things that he thinks that Jesus ought to be doing. The description of John, this is a pretty wild character, he's the last and greatest of the prophets, yes he's more than a prophet he's an announcer. This is the one, on the banks of the river Jordan, that God has promised to send. He's having second thoughts. So what does Jesus say? He says, look get yourselves back to John, tell him what you've seen, what's going on. Things like the blind can see again. The lame, walk. Never heard of that before. Lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised to life. And the good news is proclaimed to the poor. That's what is going on, not what John thinks should be going on. He's in the mould of James, pretty grim. That's what's going on, and that's what our first reading Isaiah says is going to happen. When the Messiah comes.

So what's the gospel about this morning ?

It's about saying that God does care for us. And so we should celebrate being human. He cares so much he gives his only begotten son. And he gives his life for you, for me, so be happy. Celebrate being human because God loves you being human, he made you being human, lets be happy. Isaiah says in the first reading "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, the lame shall leap like a deer, tongues of dumb sing for joy; for those the Lord has ransomed shall return." God will save. Its in one word Jesus Joshua 'your way', saves, that's what his name means, and he saves you and he saves me.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

**** **** ****

After the homily Fr Harry talked to some of the children on their return from the children's liturgy:

Fr Harry: "Were getting fewer of you each Sunday, there are only three of you this morning. Have the others gone on strike?"

Child 1: "Think so, I don't know."

Fr Harry: "Well what have you been doing, while you've been out there?"

Child 1: "Today is Gaudete Sunday. It means Rejoice, because the light from the advent wreath is growing brighter as we are getting nearer to christmas."

Fr Harry: "Great. Are we getting nearer to christmas?"

Child 1: "Yes."

Fr Harry: "Good and what have you got to tell us?"

Child 2: "King Herod put John the Baptist in prison. John sent his followers to find out what Jesus was doing. He heard that Jesus was healing the sick and blind and curing the lame."

Fr Harry: "Great. Do you think it was a good idea, Jesus doing all that?"

Child 2: "Yes."

Fr Harry: "Good. Now what about you."

Child 3: "Jesus was proclaiming the good news to the poor. We pray that we will hear the good news too, and like the advent wreath has grown brighter, the light of Jesus in our lives will grow brighter too."

Fr Harry: "Good. Well what happens to make the light of Jesus grow brighter in our lives, eh? Well what happens then?"

Child 3: "Probably considered a better life for us."

Fr Harry: "Yes. Do you think you'll look miserable."

Child 3: No.

Fr Harry: "I think you'd look happy, wouldn't you?"

Child 3: Yes.

Fr Harry: "I think you'd look happy, as well. So give it a try. Give Jesus a bit of elbow room in your life. Ok. Thanks anyway."

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