Sermons
from
St
Faith's
The Pearl of Great Price
FrNeil
Kelley, July 24th, 2011
Ten million people across the
region, in particular Kenya and Ethiopia, are facing severe food
shortages. For some time now the combined effect of drought,
irregular harvests and high food prices has been causing hunger
and forcing families to migrate in search of food – and the
situation is continuing to escalate across the region.
So says recent publicity from Christian Aid enlisting the help of
churches and religious groups in their current appeal. The response
from those of us who live comfortably, to a particular crisis in the
world facing those who live uncomfortably, is always mixed. A recent
headline in the Daily Telegraph claimed that, regarding the East
Africa drought, that Africa must do more to help itself.
Some claim that charity begins at home and there may be some here
who think that if there is spare money it should go on reducing our
parish debt rather than sent elsewhere.
We can’t begin to take the Gospel of Jesus seriously unless we are
prepared to face the cost of discipleship. Some of the stories of
Jesus tell us exactly how much his wisdom is worth and what it
costs, what it costs us. Jesus tells (in today’s Gospel) of a
merchant looking for fine pearls. The meaning of the pearl might
have been obvious even to Jesus' disciples, who often got things
wrong. This parable is about the discovery of the most precious
wisdom of all, the wisdom of Jesus that leads us to God; or,
perhaps, the way of life which leads us to eternal happiness.
Now the merchant's reaction might not be at all what a real merchant
would have done: selling everything he owned to obtain this one
pearl. Would a sound business plan suggest that behaviour? Does it
make sense financially? That seems a little ridiculous, but it's the
ridiculous detail in Jesus' story that drives the point home:
Christ's wisdom is beyond the price of pearls and it is worth more
than everything you have. The merchant may seem foolish - but the
wisdom of God does appear foolish in the eyes of the world, and it
demands the greatest commitment - everything we have once and for
all for our whole lives.
But can we be comfortable with that? Such a commitment of a whole
life now – of an unknown future, leaving nothing back - complete
self-giving - is that even possible for us? A lot of life today is
short-term, not long-term, or at least that's how we have come to
find our world. We know that commitments in general no longer seem
to be the lifelong commitments they once were – people make a
commitment but then move on for one reason or another to something
else. That applies to jobs, to relationships, to voluntary work and
even, sadly, to church membership. Commitments are not for the
faint-hearted. We can easily give up when a more comfortable way of
life beckons. This attitude affects the way we see the whole of life
and indeed the life of faith suffers too from this approach. The
apathy so present in the church today puts a great big smile on the
devil’s face!
But broader than the church, our lives simply no longer seem to have
the unity and stability they perhaps once had. Even when economic
times were better than they are today, just envisioning one career
for the whole of working life had become more difficult for young
people. People seem less able to grasp their whole lives ahead of
them as having a kind of unity, as being a single continuing story
of a single life. Their perceptions can also sometimes be shaped by
an idea of the endless possibilities of continually reinventing
yourself.
At the bottom of much of this lies the modern obsession with choice,
the idea that choice somehow guarantees freedom and quality of life.
But while career changes and new directions are often liberating, to
make having choices so central to our idea of the good life is
surely a mixed blessing. Along with making freedom of choice so
central, there often goes unease about commitment, because if you
make a commitment you limit your options. Making a committed choice
seems to lessen your freedom, and sometimes people experience a
tendency to put off the key decisions and commitments that somehow
make our identities. We sometimes just like to keep our options
open.
But think of the financial commitments we make: mortgages, rent,
school fees, nursing home fees..... where does our financial
commitment to God come on the scale? Near the top or near the
bottom. I’m not talking about a specific amount, but a definite
commitment. Part of the reason that so many churches struggle
financially isn’t necessarily that people have less money than they
once did, but they often have the choice of more things to spend it
on! Surprise, surprise, churches where congregations tithe – give
10% of - what they have do not have our financial problems – nor are
they people from another planet. They just simply make a particular
choice.
So here's the crucial question: is it possible in a world like this,
even to commit oneself to following Christ as a baptised Christian?
Do we think of this commitment as opening us up to the fulfilment of
our lives, or as just another way of limiting our options? People
can be surprised at the idea that you might commit yourself once and
for all just to being in Church every Sunday for the rest of your
life. It might seem the more obvious thing to make a separate
decision whether to go to church each Sunday instead, keeping your
options open. There might be car racing or tennis on the TV or a
nice early lunch to have. It might be too cold. Or it’s raining.
Being in Church each Sunday was drummed into me during my
Confirmation Classes in the 1970’s – it was nothing to do with being
High Church – it was everything to do with being a Christian!
“Remember the Lord’s Day and keep it holy”. Has that Commandment now
dropped out of use or expired?
Giving to charity, helping your local church maintain its witness,
being at the Lord’s Table on the Lord’s Day. So many choices. So
many things to do, or not to do.
So does obsession with choice and keeping options open prevent us
from selling everything we have and obtaining the pearl? Does the
pearl cost us more in today's world than it did in the past? Though
it may be difficult, God’s strength and divine grace means
commitment is never impossible, and our human nature still makes us
need it. In reality, only Christian commitment –sacrificial
commitment - can give our lives the unity and stability they need by
making them part of God's one story. Only Christian commitment can
fully open up for us the fulfilment that truly makes us happy and
free, a heavenly happiness and freedom that last forever and can
never be lost.
But recognizing the pearl of great price is never easy, it requires
perseverance, it requires humility, and the only way to make a start
with all of that is by prayer.
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