No easy summer reading for us this week. The prophet, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:23-29), and Jesus, (Luke 12:49-56), both promise us fire and division. This is not Christ, the bringer of peace, that we are used to. This feels like a much more Old Testament Christ, sending down the fire of punishment. The conflict that Jesus warns of is not, however, a punishment; he is merely describing the reality of a world in which some have power and prosperity and some do not. In such a world crisis (the baptism of fire which Jesus speaks of) reveals already existing divisions. Sadly, it often takes the fire of race riots to reveal the divisions of racism. It takes the crisis of refugees risking their lives on small boats and washing up on our shores to reveal the injustice of our immigration policies. The fire offered in this morning’s readings is a fire that reveals injustice, that offers us a chance to burn down existing inequalities. Yes, it is fire that destroys but also a fire that transforms.

Is enough ever enough?

In this week’s texts Abraham has been promised everything (Genesis 15:1-6), and Jesus’ followers have been promised the kingdom (Luke 12:32-40). But still they are behaving as if they do not have enough.They are acting out of a fear of scarcity.

In the midst of a cost of living crisis it is easy to do the same. But the advice given by God is “stop counting, start living”. The image of the thief in the night may seem like scaremongering, but it is really the opposite. Like the parable of the rich fool in last week’s gospel, its message is that all we need is right here before us.

Fear makes us look inward. To look outward we require both hope and trust.

Do we believe that life is about more than mere security? Can we risk behaving as if a different life is possible?

My word, how miserable are the characters in both our readings today! They are both successful, wealthy men, yet one, Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23, bemoans the fact that others will benefit from his prosperity, and the other, Luke 12:13-21, the man who has been obsessed with hoarding his bounty, drops dead before enjoying any of it (exactly what the character in Ecclesiastes is afraid of!). The readings are NOT peddling the line that “money is the root of all evil”, but rather asking us what the point of plenty is. What is money for? Are our riches, talents and resources a source of anxiety or are they the way of bringing blessing and life to ourselves and others?

This week’s readings are both about prayer, or more accurately, our relationship with God. In Genesis 18:20-32 Abraham has an extraordinary exchange in which he argues with God about the nature of God’s justice; surely God would not punish the innocent for the actions of the guilty? Whereas in Luke 11:1-13 Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. It is striking that in both passages the purpose of prayer is seen as advocacy on behalf of others: Abraham negotiating for the life of the inhabitants of Sodom, and in Luke the example of the ideal prayer of someone petitioning a neighbour for help in fulfilling the needs of a visitor. In neither case is the prayer a list of demands or requests. Prayer at heart is a relationship of trust. A relationship which changes us rather than God. If our prayers shape and form us into the likeness of Christ they will change us into a people whose deepest desire is the well-being of those in need.

Today’s readings both concern the role of those who serve, those whose unseen and unsung labours keep the world turning.

Our Old Testament reading, Genesis 18:1-10, is known as the “hospitality of Abraham”, but Abraham does precious little to provide for his guests. It is his elderly wife and unnamed servants who do all the work whilst Abraham is served with his guests. Sarah does not eat or sit with the guests; she does not even enter the tent. In contrast, in Luke 10:38-42, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet alongside the male disciples. What is also significant is that Martha, unlike Sarah, is given a voice. She can raise her concerns about the injustice of her role. 

In our lives we are provoked to ponder who is listening to the voices of those whose essential work is often unseen and unsung? Who is inviting them into the conversation to make decisions about how our world and our future could be shaped?    

I am guessing that we can all remember at least one sermon on the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. Maybe it was a school assembly teaching us to be kind, maybe it was Margaret Thatcher’s famous take on how the Samaritan had amassed wealth under a free market economy, which allowed him to be generous with his charity, or even Martin Luther King’s reflection that whilst the Priest and the Levite had thought about what would happen to them if they stopped to help the man in need, only the Samaritan thought about what would happen to the man if he didn’t stop to help him. In my humble opinion all of them missed the point that Jesus is trying to make. The scholar asks Jesus a question: who is my neighbour? He put himself in the story as the subject and the neighbour as the object. Jesus replies: who was a neighbour to the man in need? He makes the scholar the object not the subject. We are the ones in need of a neighbour. We are the ones in danger. This story that Jesus tells is like the parable of the lost sheep: if we are the 99 who do not go in search of the lost sheep, we are the ones who are in fact lost. Our first reading also switches the point of view, Amos 7:7-17: Amos is an Israelite, he is supposed (according to those in power) to prophesy for Israel and against Israel’s enemies: what if, Amos asks, Israel is its own enemy? As ever, both scriptures criticize us for judging and for assuming that we are the ones who have the right to decide who is worthy of inclusion and who is not. It’s a hard lesson but still, as Jesus says: go and do likewise.

It’s a busy day today: we are welcoming a new member of our church family, Harry, who is being baptised today, we are saying farewell to our beloved Nathan as he takes up his new job in Scotland AND we are celebrating Pride. Our reading for today tells the story of the healing of Naaman by the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 5:1-14.  This is an extraordinary story of a man who had great power, wealth and status who risked becoming a social outcast when he developed leprosy.  Naaman is offered healing but is on the brink of refusing it because it involves wading into the river Jordan; a river which was used by everyone for everything.  Something which offended his dignity. The wonderful thing about becoming part of God’s family is that everyone is included, everyone is invited.  The appalling thing about God’s family is that … everyone is included, everyone is invited!  Sadly, the Church of England still doesn’t reflect the inclusive and all embracing nature of God’s love.  Thankfully this didn’t stop Nathan joining us and working with us to try and reflect that inclusivity here in Clapham, we shall miss him greatly.  Naaman finally accepted the free gift that he was offered and was healed.  Today we commit ourselves to accepting that gift: the gift of a love that values and embraces all God’s people, this is the family into which we welcome Harry with joy.