Saint Michael’s Church
Serving God and Bishop’s Stortford since 673
Clergy Letter For September 2007
|
CLERGY LETTER FOR SEPTEMBER 2007 |
|
The Rev'd Derek Hinge writes....
|
 |
|
During the summer months and on into the autumn, each Sunday is referred to by relation to Trinity Sunday. Each Trinity Sunday is the culmination of our reflections and celebrations of the main events of Jesus’ life and ministry. During this period we try to answer the question ‘why should we follow Jesus?’, and hopefully we strengthen our trust in his word and works offered to us by grace. But after Trinity Sunday, the focus turns more on the practical outworking of the faith we have received, and the question now is ‘how should we follow Jesus?’ What sort of people should we be? What marks us as Christians? Many of you will have heard of the Rev’d Dr. John Stott, who, for many years, was the Rector of All Soul’s, Langham Place in London next door to the BBC. He has preached, expounded and taught the scriptures all over the world, written many books, and challenged the church’s thinking on many issues. A past Archbishop of Canterbury considered John Stott to be the most influential figure in the Church of England in the 20th century, and, indeed, he has been a big influence on my own understanding of the faith and its implication for daily living. Recently Dr. Stott, now at the age of 87 years, gave his final address before retiring from public ministry, to the Keswick Convention, an annual meeting of Christians, in the Lake District, aimed at deepening our understanding of the Bible and how it should be applied to Christian living. The gist of his address was that Christians needed to be more Christlike. So back to our post Trinity questions. ‘How should we follow Jesus?’ Answer, ‘by being Christlike’. Christlikeness is the will of God for the people of God. I guess most of us would agree that this is how we should be, but a question niggles, ‘what does that actually mean in practice?’ To put it in a more direct and personal way, ‘in what ways does your life display Christlikeness?’ In his address John Stott expounded five ways in which we are to be Christlike. Briefly we are to be Christlike in his: · Incarnation – expressing the humility he showed in coming to us · Service – no task is too menial or degrading for us to do for another · Love – expressing the self-giving love displayed on the Cross · Patient Endurance – Christians may suffer increasing persecution · Mission – He entered our world; we are to enter other people’s worlds. If we take these five Christlike qualities seriously, there will be many implications for all of us. But let me identify just three: First, a Christlike nature will affect our attitude to suffering. Suffering is part of God’s process of making us like Christ. Frustration, disappointment or a painful tragedy are all to be seen as working for our good, to make us more Christlike. Second, Christlikeness is the key to evangelism. Some of us may be scared by the idea of ‘evangelism’ (probably because of a wrong perception of what evangelism is), but the best evangelism is done, not primarily by the communication of words and ideas, but by the authenticity of people’s lives. A Christian, previously from the Islamic world has said, “If all Christians were Christlike there would be no more Islam today.” Thirdly, Christlikeness is only attainable in the power of the Spirit. Without the indwelling Spirit changing us from within, we cannot be God’s people. Let me conclude by quoting, as John Stott does, William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1940s: ‘It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it – I can’t. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live like that. Jesus could do it – I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like this. And if the Spirit could come into me, then I could live a life like his.’ In these days after Trinity especially, let us look out for and encourage one another in living Christlike lives. With my love and prayers. Derek Hinge. |
Office Address:
Saint Michael’s Church
Windhill
Bishops Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 2ND