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There has been an awful lot of speculation over the last couple of days
about what Benedict is going to say. In fact they're saying even now maybe
the enthronement mass is in full belt, I suppose. I don't know, whatever
you describe a Papal mass as. But his mass of installation is under way
in Rome and its about this time that he will be giving his first official
message in public. I don't know what he's going to say, but I would like
to ask you to think, just for a minute to compose a CV on St Josephs Ansdell,
in other words on yourselves. What would you say about yourself. I don't
want the faults or anything, that's no good, you don't put that down on
a CV do you, so were all off the hook there. What are the good things?
(pause to think)
I wonder if you found it difficult to do that. I know I sprung it on you,
but was it difficult? I wonder how many of us put top of our list the
sharing in the risen life of Jesus now, at the moment. Well whatever we
wish to say about ourselves, let me say how Peter describes you. He says
you are a Royal Priesthood, the chosen race, the consecrated nation, the
people set apart, the people called out of darkness into his wonderful
light by Our Father. Hands up, how many of you had that on you're lists?
But who am I to argue against Peter. That is how Peter describes us. The
chosen race, people called by Our Father out of darkness and into his
wonderful light, centred on, built around our life with Jesus Christ who
is the living stone, that's what Peter calls him. "The Lord is my
rock and my strength, who shall I fear", that's the psalm talking
about Yahweh. Here's Peter saying the Son of Yahweh, the Son of God. He's
the living stone. Ok, rejected by many people, but chosen by God Our Father
and precious to him. His advice is "Set yourselves close to Jesus,
so that you too the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices
which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, you may be living stones,
living Christs, making a spiritual house, Gods house". A bit flattering
for us in Ansdell but its true.
The thing I like about this time of year, when we're still celebrating
our Lords resurrection, is the way that God our father draws us closer
to Jesus, and to one another.
In the readings, in mass this morning is a good example, but at this time
of the year various Apostles are mentioned, and quoted, because they are
witnesses to the fact that Jesus isn't dead and buried, he is alive, he
is risen and he is living among us. What a great thing that is. Paul when
he's writing to the Corinthians, he talks about Jesus not as a living
stone chosen by God. He talks about Jesus as the "yes", the
positive, to honour everything that our father has promised us, the Yes
is in Christ. "There is no Yes or No, there is only Yes", says
Paul. You can't get more positive than that, everything is in Christ.
Ok you've got a hint of it in the Gospel haven't you, where Thomas says
to our Lord the night before he dies, "come on we don't know where
you're going so stop mucking about, where are you going?" And Jesus
says, "you know where I'm going, I am the way, the truth and the
life." That's what's risen, or who's risen, the way the truth and
the life. Phillip swings into the picture this morning. He spent the best
part of 3 years as one of the first disciples to follow Jesus. He says
to Jesus "Look. Just fill us in, you know, don't leave us in the
dark, show us the Father that's all we're asking". Show us the father,
a very understandable thing. You wouldn't say that after 3 years with
Jesus would you? But Phillip does, and Jesus comes out with a shattering
thing, "Look, you've seen me, you've seen the Father". Our problem
isn't seeing the Father, our problem is seeing Jesus in one another, that's
our problem. To have seen me is to have seen the Father. "Do you
not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me", says
Jesus. This is the risen Christ that's living in us. We're celebrating
the fact that he is with us, that his victory will be your victory, my
victory. As a result of that then, as Jesus says from our extract at the
start of the Gospel this morning, "There are many rooms in my fathers
house, if there were not I should have told you, but wait a minute. Its
not just our fathers house now, it's our house, that's what its going
to be. I'm now going to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone
and prepared you a place I shall return to take you with me so that where
I am you maybe too." Towards the end of our Gospel extract, Jesus
says that "you must believe me, when I say that I am in the Father,
and the Father is in me". How many times in the Gospel does Jesus
say "you must"? Not that many. Jesus says believe it on the
evidence of this work. What is this work? This work is giving himself,
his life, for you and for me. Taking it up and offering eternal life to
you and me, the same life as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
If you remember the opening passage in chapter 6, I think its John, the
one about the Eucharist. Well leading up to that the Jews say to Jesus,
"what must we do, if we are to do the works that God wants?"
Jesus replies, "this is working for God, you must believe in the
one he sends, you must believe". The whole of our life is put in
focus this time of the year by exactly that, that Jesus is in your life,
my life, the living rock. He is the way to the Father, he is the truth
of the Father, he is the life of the Father, and he invites you and I
to share already in that life, now. It's started. We don't have to wait
until the undertaker comes round. A happy day for individuals and for
me, it's a day I look forward to, it's the day I'm finally there. Not
because of me and you won't be there because of you but because of our
living stone, rejected by man but chosen by God and God has chosen you
and me in that living stone. We are invited in our way to be living stones.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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