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Have you noticed the Priory logo? It is on the front of the weekly leaflet, as well as on the red cover of this year's vision statement booklet. At the centre of the logo is a cross. A cross with arrows, which point both outwards and inwards. A reminder that those who seek to follow Jesus Christ are called to be an outward looking and out-reaching people, as well as people who care for the inner life of the Body of Christ.
This evening's Gospel points us outwards. Like those first disciples the Lord sent out two by two ahead of Him, you and I are also sent out as workers into the Lord's harvest field. We are called to look out and reach out in the Name of Jesus, and in the power of the Spirit, so that others come to hear and see this life-changing message: "The Kingdom of God is near."
Here at the Priory, we are seeking to do this as a church in different ways. For example, the Summer Fete on the 28th July is an opportunity for us to welcome all and sundry to enjoy a time of fun and fellowship, and to help support two Christian mission causes : the work of St. George's Church in Baghdad, and the TG's project here in Malvern. And there's still time to get involved - lots of details on the weekly leaflet, and at the back of the Priory!
Another way in which we're seeking to reach out is by door to door visiting over the coming months. On Pentecost Sunday, a team of Priory members was commissioned to go out in pairs to visit those who live in the Priory parish area, in the centre of Great Malvern. This visiting has begun, and I know that members of the visiting team would value prayer for this mission work taking place on our doorstep.
Just two examples of how we are seeking to reach out, and to find new ways of proclaiming that "the Kingdom of God is near." Yet it is not just about special events, is it? Day by day, you and I are called to be salt and light, wherever we are, and whoever we're with. For our lives can also proclaim that "the Kingdom of God is near." That's why - at the end of this evening's service - we shall pray for God's help to enable us to do this: "Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory."
As well as the outward pointing aspect of the cross, the Priory logo also has an inward pointing aspect. If the Gospel points us outwards, then this evening's Epistle points us inwards, to focus on the inner life and health of the Body of Christ. For in the closing chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul wants us to reflect on what it means to be Christ's people in three ways: First, what it means to be Christ's burden-bearing people; second, what it means to be Christ's generous giving people; and third, what it means to be Christ's cross-shaped people.
First, Christ's burden-bearing people. In chapter six, verses one to five, Paul spells out the importance of good teamwork. For Paul, a Christian team is one where every member should care for everyone else. "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ." Note the assumption Paul makes. We all have burdens, and God does not mean us to carry them alone. Paul knew that for himself. And time and again, Paul shares through his Epistles the comfort he found through the companionship, care, and support of Christian friends.
To carry each other's burdens is to fulfil the law of Christ - the law of love - to love one another as Christ loves us. This love is not just about some heroic, spectacular deed of self-sacrifice. It usually involves the much more mundane and unspectacular ministry of burden-bearing, something that each and every one of us can do for others - and allow others to do for us. Of course, this does not let us off the hook of personal responsibility for our own actions - when Paul goes on to say that "each one should carry his own load" he reminds us that we also have a responsibility to God, and one day will be called to give an account of our life's work to Him.
Second, Christ's generous giving people. In verses six to ten, Paul underlines the importance of giving, by focussing on the principle of sowing and reaping: "A man reaps what he sows." He points out that the ministry of the church has to be resourced by the people of God. And that those who sow money wisely and generously for this cause are helping to resource something which is of lasting benefit, both to individuals and to the whole community.
You may have noticed that Paul manages to write about money without ever mentioning the word - just as he does in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Perhaps the subject was as delicate in his world as in ours! Nevertheless, the challenge to the Church is clear: sow generously in a way that pleases the Spirit, and there will be rich blessing.
Last Friday morning on the Radio 4 'Today' programme, the Thought for the Day was on the subject of money. I quote the final part of what Giles Fraser the Vicar of Putney said:
'Whether it be the finances of a country or a household, follow the money and you'll soon discover what somebody really believes. Often, money is how we show we mean it. When I was a student I heard this sermon by Rowan Williams that made a big impression on me. His question was: "For whom is your money good news". It's a great question. Is your wealth simply good news for you, simply good news for your family? Or is it good news for others as well? I guess we may resent the idea that moral inquiry reaches into our private finances. But that cannot be avoided. Morality isn't something abstract. Money is the sacrament of seriousness.'
Christ's burden-bearing people. Christ's generous giving people. And, third, Christ's cross-shaped people. In closing, Paul takes the pen from his scribe and adds his own final personal message. A message which focuses on the cross of Christ. The cross which for Paul had come to reshape his life, and which he now saw as being the turning point of history. "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world ... what counts is a new creation."
Paul knew what it was to suffer on account of the cross of Jesus Christ, to be ridiculed, rejected, and persecuted by his own people. And he knew that all those who follow Christ are called to have their lives reshaped by the grace and power of the cross.
Just as you and I can do here this evening. For as we come to share in Holy Communion, we are invited to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus Christ who was crucified for us - to take within ourselves the sacrament which "calls to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world." As we come with open hands and hearts, we allow the Living Lord to renew us by His love and to reshape us in His life-giving way. Then, having received from the Lord, He sends us out into His harvest field. To go out from this place in His Name, and to live and work to His praise and glory.
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John Barr
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