Glory through the cross

A number of people asked for a copy of the sermon I preached at St Giles during the General Assembly Week. Here's a copy of the sermon. Glory Through The Cross Introduction I'd like to take a moment to express the thanks of the General Assembly to the minister and Kirk Session of the High Kirk here in Edinburgh for allowing us the opportunity to share in worship this morning.  I know many commissioners look forward to this service in what might be hailed as the mother church of Presbyterianism This is a building that  invites  you  to look up high What a magnificent setting to consider and reflect upon the importance of  the  doctrine of the Ascension as we approach Whitsun.  I always think Ascension  is such a fantastic time to hold the  week of the General Assembly.  Next Week  sees  of course the celebration of Pentecost with  the coming season of the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. It is in buildings of this kind that we are invited to lift our eyes and our hearts, beyond what we can see to think of that which is eternal. In worship  we are to be inspired to live out the life of a Church without walls.  A church that has eternity in its heart and soul and compassion and caring and healing in her hands and feet. Those who built this Cathedral did so with the sole intention of lifting our eyes from the ground to the sky. Surely it must be in a spirit of gratitude and wonder that we seek to do so by  praising  and glorifying  Almighty God. You know that is what Jesus did, he was continually inviting men and women to look beyond the temporal  to the eternal.  ‘ lift up your eyes and look on the fields - they're white already to harvest. Then bringing them back to the immediacy of the moment - He says to Peter "Feed my sheep" The theme - the cross and the glory This morning I have chosen for the theme of the sermon the title the Cross and the Glory. Its an invitation to see the connection between struggle, pain and glory.  Once again it is a lesson from our Lord. he calls us to look beyond the present to that which has still to come.  In Hebrews 12. 2-3  "Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God"  And the writer continues  "so consider what he has done, the contradictions he endured " - let us not be weary  or faint hearted in our minds as we fulfill our callings. Perceived Struggles Many  of us within the Church of Scotland at this point in time find themselves struggling with  all sorts of issues.  Living with addiction as a family  for some is a real struggle. Caring for elderly parents,  seeing them struggle  is heart breaking.  Understanding the dynamics of a growing teenage family is never easy,  it can be further complicated if you find yourself doing most of this caring and mentoring on your own. For others the debates surrounding sexual morality have driven them to reconsider .their place and calling within the Church of Scotland.  Issues that for them have long been the settled will of the Church are now being questioned by society and others within the church.  All this is confusing and unsettling. Making it hard for some to engage in worship. I believe God has a purpose in all of these times of trial. No, not that he designs it but that he works his purposes out for our good in the end. I have decided in difficulty  situations not to dwell on the immensity of the problem but to focus my thinking on the greatness of our God. The Importance of Unity As members of the Church of Scotland all of us have a duty at this time to seek the unity and peace of the church.  The last few years have brought with them many challenges to our communities and parishes throughout Scotland. The continued economic world recession has made us all aware of our interdependency on each other as citizens of the world.  The lack of moral discipline in the banking world and the continued decline  of moral standards in public life has cause many even within and outwith  the church to begin to question the wisdom of our western liberal democracy. It is at a time like this that we the Christian church require to seek the unity we can only find in Christ Jesus our Lord. If we are to remain in Christ then we have a responsibility to each other. In John's Gospel Jesus reminds us tat it is only as we remain in the Vine that we can produce fruit. ( John 15) We are called to love each other as the signs of the kingdom. Moreover the Love of Christ for us the Church, is in itself a reason and a motivation to remain united . The power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst  binds us to Christ and to each other. The question we need to ask is how can we stay united in the face of differing views arising in the church? The answer is by remaining in Christ.  This picture of being in Christ. calls us to the place of sacrifice and humility. If we are to remain united we need a great deal more humility around the church. It was this very issue that drove the Apostle Paul to write to the Church at Philippi.   You see there were  seeds of discord and disunity beginning to fracture the church.. Philippians Chapter 2 Here in Chapter 2 of Philippians we read what must be one of the most moving chapters in the Bible about Jesus. Paul pleads with the Philippians to live in harmony with each other and he sights the life of Jesus as an example. Jesus is our cause Paul invites the Philippians to cast aside their own desire for prominence, to get what they want, instead he invites them to begin to live a life of service to others. He says let nothing be done out of self promotion. He says stop looking to your own interests and start with others. Lack of Christian charity and discipline You know over the years I've been disappointed at the language that tumbles out of the mouths of those of us who say we follow Jesus. We can be cynical, critical, and at times down right rude to each other.  We do this often because we feel we are defending or fighting for a cause. I hear Christian speak of their rights, their call, their responsibilities, their ministry, their church. When all along it is not about us its about the glory of  the work of Christ. We are in Christ. We have no future except his future. You see it was for this cause that Christ Jesus came into the world - to save sinners like you and me. Paul in these verses speaks about the self humbling of Jesus.. There are seven steps in this humbling.
  1. He didn't cling on to his identity
  2. He emptied himself
  3. Took o the form of a bondsman
  4. He became like a human being
  5. He humbled himself
  6. He became obedient to death
  7. Death on a Cross
In the midst of all our struggles for change and renewal ought we not also follow his example. Let us not cling on to the things we think are ours by right, the sins that the writer of the Hebrews says so easily entangle us.  Instead , let us be prepared to lose these things cast them aside  that we might win the prize. Indeed we are told that Jesus emptied himself of all that he was.  We will never understand the significance of such a phrase.  He became nothing that we might become something. How could God empty himself of his glory so that we might enter his glory? He who knew no sin became sin for us in order that we who are sinners might begin to live to the praise of his glory. He became as it were a slave humbling himself to all the limitations of humanity.  He even chose death. Someone once said the greatest miracle of all is not the resurrection but the idea that God died. How can God die?  And then the death was the most humiliating of all crucifixion. Martin luther in his theology of the cross invites us to consider how this twisted battered figure nailed to a cross could be God:  then he invites us to look for the glory in the midst of the shame. I think there is so much in this passage that challenges all of us . It challenges us when, we stand on our pride. It challenges us when we refuse to look rediculous. You ask me how can I give up my fight, I'm right? You ask me why should I set the cause back years? You ask me how can I sit with those who don't see things as I see things? You ask me why should I continue to suffer? And I answer ... because we believe their is truth that speaks through suffering, because we believe their is reconciliation that comes through pain, because we believe love conquers all our divisions. Humiliation as central  to a Godly life Now Paul invites us to see this form of self humiliation as being central to our fulfilled way of life now it is because of this self humiliation that:
  1. God has exalted him
  2. Given him a new name
  3. Above all other names
  4. Name of Jesus every knee will bow
  5. Every tongue confess
  6. Jesus is Lord.
Despite all our struggles this passage invites us to look to the sky. To see the end game,to see what God has achieved in Christ. Ascension Sunday reminds us that God is on the throne. He has redeemed us.   Our redeemer lives! We need to stop worrying about the death of the church but rather start living the life of Church.

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