Highbury
Congregational Church
Congregational Church
A place to
share Christian friendship,
explore Christian faith and
enter into Christian mission
share Christian friendship,
explore Christian faith and
enter into Christian mission
John
A series of sermons preached between Christmas and Easter 2006 at Highbury by Richard Cleaves.
It was linked to the new visual Bible, The Gospel of John.
Matthew, Mark and Luke see Jesus as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets.
As John opens with a celebration of the creative word of God and the larger than life Son of Man we are in the world of the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures ... That is the world of the wisdom literature.
The wisdom that is explored in the books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs and elsewhere in the so-called ‘wisdom literature’ of the Old Testament has been defined as ‘the ability to cope.
That’s the theme we have taken up in our series of sermons on John’s Gospel in the Spring of 2006.
1 Jan Wisdom and the abilitiy to cope John 1
8 Jan Coping with something new - John 2
15 Jan Coping with the Big Questions of the Meaning of life John 3
22 Jan Coping with differences in the church John 4
29 Jan Coping with the question of euthanasia John 5
5th Feb Coping with Religion
19th Feb Coping with our own frailty and weakness
John 7
26th Feb Coping with feelings of oppression John 8
5th March Coping with Growing Up - a Celebration of Baptism - John 9
12th March Parade Service
19th March Coping with Pastoral Care John 10 Psychiatrist, Kate Blazey reflects on Mental Health, Mental Illness and the church’s Pastoral Care
26th March Church weekend away - a visiting preacher
2nd April Coping with bereavement John 11
9th April Palm Sunday and a look
Forward to a major new series on the BBC for Easter about the miracles with David Waters who researched the programmes.
16th April Our Celebration of Easter
It was linked to the new visual Bible, The Gospel of John.
Matthew, Mark and Luke see Jesus as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets.
As John opens with a celebration of the creative word of God and the larger than life Son of Man we are in the world of the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures ... That is the world of the wisdom literature.
The wisdom that is explored in the books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs and elsewhere in the so-
That’s the theme we have taken up in our series of sermons on John’s Gospel in the Spring of 2006.
1 Jan Wisdom and the abilitiy to cope John 1
8 Jan Coping with something new -
15 Jan Coping with the Big Questions of the Meaning of life John 3
22 Jan Coping with differences in the church John 4
29 Jan Coping with the question of euthanasia John 5
5th Feb Coping with Religion
19th Feb Coping with our own frailty and weakness
John 7
26th Feb Coping with feelings of oppression John 8
5th March Coping with Growing Up -
12th March Parade Service
19th March Coping with Pastoral Care John 10 Psychiatrist, Kate Blazey reflects on Mental Health, Mental Illness and the church’s Pastoral Care
26th March Church weekend away -
2nd April Coping with bereavement John 11
9th April Palm Sunday and a look
Forward to a major new series on the BBC for Easter about the miracles with David Waters who researched the programmes.
16th April Our Celebration of Easter
I’ve done it!
And on Good Friday!-
The ground was dug, the soil, the trenches made, the potatoes chosen, and buried in the soil …
How appropriate to bury those potatoes in the soil as Good Friday came to an end.
That was precisely the picture that had come to Jesus’ mind only days before his own death and burial. Had he known anything about potatoes, that is!
“Unless a grain of wheat (or even a potato) falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain (or even a single potato), but if it dies, it bears much fruit … or even many potatoes!”
Holy Week is always very special. It is a time to take communion into people’s homes. So it was that I found myself on Maundy Thursday sharing an Easter communion with Gwen Woods.
As we were reflecting on things, our conversation turned to the piece I had written for Highbury News. Gwen, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday next month, brought to mind the way snowdrops are the first to break through the hard soil of winter:
“It’s a miracle how the snowdrops break through the hard ground and overcome the winter.” She said.
And then with a beaming smile on her face she summed up what Easter meant to her.
“Easter is shining,” she said.
It was moving to share with her that Easter faith, for it is only a matter of months since we all shared with Gwen the sadness at the loss of her son, Peter.
“Easter is shining!” How the spring flowers bring home that message.
We aren’t the first to be captivated by such pictures from the world of nature.
Paul took to heart that image Jesus had brought to mind.
He was an enquiring mind and often found himself in discussion with people about the things that were at the heart of the faith.
Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus was fundamental to his faith. But he also recognised that for those who had not actually witnessed the resurrection it was problematic. How can you believe in resurrection? How are the dead raised? That’s a penetrating question.
Like Jesus Paul thought of that grain of wheat. He might just as well have thought of those snowdrops!
But someone will ask,
‘How are the dead raised?
With what kind of body do they come?’
Fool!
‘How are the dead raised?
With what kind of body do they come?’
Fool!
[Remember the seeds that you sow in the ground:]
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies
And as for what you sow,
you do not sow the body that is to be,
but a bare seed,
perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
But God gives it a body, as he has chosen,
And as for what you sow,
you do not sow the body that is to be,
but a bare seed,
perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
But God gives it a body, as he has chosen,
and to each kind of seed its own body.
So it is with the resurrection of the dead.
What is sown is perishable,
what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonour,
it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness,
it is raised in power.
It is sown a physical body,
what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonour,
it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness,
it is raised in power.
It is sown a physical body,
it is raised a spiritual body.
[Listen, I will tell you a mystery!
We will not all die, but we will all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable,
We will not all die, but we will all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed.
For this perishable body
must put on imperishability,
and this mortal body
must put on imperishability,
and this mortal body
must put on immortality.]
When this perishable body puts on imperishability,
and this mortal body puts on immortality,
then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
and this mortal body puts on immortality,
then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
Thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It truly is a miracle!
And one worth sharing at Easter!
