Hi everyone, I like the theme of being on a walk as to a pilgrimage and wanted to share a sermon transcipt that I listened to today on walking in God's light and the transcript is below.
This sermon is based on (John 14 -1-31) and (1 Peter 2: 1-25) and is below-
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart to sing the praises of God, who has called you out of darkness into his own wonderful light.
Do you believe this?
A few weeks ago, we celebrated the gospel story of the two disciples traveling to Emmaus. They were dejected. They were saddened. They were hurt, disappointed.
They had thought that the Jesus, the Christ, would be the one who would set them free from the slavery of the masters who had invaded and taken over their country. On their journey, they meet a stranger and the stranger allows them to tell the story of their disappointment, the story of their lives.
The stranger makes to go on, but they invite him to stay with them. And in the breaking of the bread, we're told their eyes were opened and they realised the stranger walking with them was Jesus.
But they didn't go on to Emmaus. They returned to Jerusalem because it is in Jerusalem that they would meet with the apostles who themselves would have told them, "Simon has seen the risen Lord. He is risen indeed."
We are on our own life's journeys. and in a way we are not going to Emmaus but we are going to the new heavenly Jerusalem because Jesus is with us and we realise that he is with us our eyes are opened and so in realising that Jesus is with us we journey to eternal life.
In our journey in this life different things happen. There's disappointment, there's hurt, there's anger, there's uncertainty. We're not quite sure sometimes where we're going or what is happening. In this journey on our lives, we find joy and wonder and greatness and great love. So, where are you on your journey to eternal life? Where are you on your journey to the new Jerusalem? Where am I on my journey to the new Jerusalem?
Last week, Wednesday, my family and I went to Nottingham because it was two years since the death of our nephew, my brother's son. His parents are still hurting very deeply and grieving over the loss of their son. And as an uncle with my family, I realise that it is just as painful two years later as it was two years ago. And that is a pain that we live with in our journey. How do we allow it to strengthen our faith in God and our hope that God is with us?
That we are indeed a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart to sing the praises of God. Reflecting on that incident in our lives, the passing of our nephew, you also have your own stories of pain and hurt and anger and disappointment.
And how do you deal with your pain, your hurt, your anger, your disappointment? Yesterday I was invited to celebrate with a couple celebrating 50 years of marriage. I've known them for many years. I was their parish priest many many years ago and they keep in touch with me. They asked me to come and celebrate with them. It was a great joy.
It was a time where love was experienced and it was a great honor to be with them in that great celebration. So you see within our life's journeys things happen that brings love and joy in the same way that we find things that brings hurt and disappointment.
Jesus realised that his disciples would go through something similar in their lives. And so we hear in the gospel today, Jesus saying to them, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust, trust in God still and trust in me." And that is what is important for us people of God on our journey. our trust in God, our hope in God, that in spite of all that is happening, God is walking with us. That we are not alone.
That even though we are afraid and wonder about the future, God is with us and gives us that sense of strength to go through this walk, this journey of life.
Phillip questions Jesus, show us the father. The father who is very much there in their presence in the person of Jesus they couldn't see. Thomas questioned we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?
And Jesus gives them that strength, that understanding of who he is for each and every one of them as who he is for each and every one of us. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. If anyone wants to come to the father, they come through me. This is the invitation, my dear people of God, that has been given to us as we continue our journey to eternal life.
There is sadness, but there's joy. There are things that happen that we would rather not. But those things happen and we live with them and we deal with them because of our faith in God because of our trust in God who has called us out of darkness into his own wonderful life. Are we willing to continue this journey?
This journey with the Lord Jesus who promised us that he would not leave us orphan, that he would send the advocate, the Holy Spirit to guide us onto the end of time. That must give us hope. That must give us a sense of belonging, a sense of understanding. And it is our responsibility to each and everyone to care for each other and to be with each other on life's journey.
So listen again to who you are, to who I am. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy people set apart to sing the praises of God. who called us out of darkness into his own wonderful light.
