St Hugh's Church, Lincoln

HOMILY FOR THE 26TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (26th September 2021)

As we continue in our theme for the Season of Creation, today’s second reading from the letter of St James reminds us about our responsibilities for those around us. When we consider the impacts of our actions on the environment and the world around us we need to be mindful of the implications of our lifestyles both here and now, but more-so into the future.

It is now over 6 years since Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato Si – on care of our common home, where he examined issues of consumerism and irresponsible development, as well as lamenting the impact that society has had on the environment and of global warming and urged all people of the world to take swift and global action.

Pope Francis reportedly has said that the encyclical was not really an environmental document at all. The warming of the planet is a symptom of a greater problem: the developed world's indifference to the destruction of the planet as they pursue short-term economic gains. This has resulted in a “throwaway culture” in which unwanted items and unwanted people, are discarded as waste.

The real problem he said lies in the fact that humans no longer see God as the Creator.

Thus we see "other living beings as mere objects subjected to arbitrary human domination" and do not realize that "the ultimate purpose of other creatures is not found in us."The Pope says that instead of viewing humanity as having "dominion" over the earth, we must see that everything is interconnected and that all of creation is a "kind of universal family".Nature cannot be seen as something apart from humanity, or merely the place where we live.

So as we consider our responsibilities for taking care of God’s creation, maybe this is an opportune moment to reconsider how we in our own homes and lives can and will protect God’s gift to us. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental campaigner is now probably best known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action on climate change, but before her rise to fame, her activism started at home by persuading her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced their own families carbon footprint.

We recognise that to do nothing now is not an option. As St James puts it, if we continue to live a life of comfort and luxury we will be responsible for condemning those around us and for generations to come. And like Greta this change has to start close to home.

In the Church we often use symbols as a focus for an event or something which is taking place, This Season of Creation, it has been suggested that one such symbol should be a tent, representing “Abraham’s tent”. A tent represents a sign of hospitality for all beings who are excluded, and could maybe be a focus to remind us to pray with and for the vulnerable and the homeless. The tent could also be a symbol of our goal to create a home for all, regardless of race, creed, colour or social status. This is particularly pertinent as we seek to support refugee’s fleeing from Afghanistan and other areas of conflict. We often see tented villages and towns springing up after natural disasters have occurred and more so when we now see more extreme weather events fuelled by global warming, so the tent also represents survival, and meets the basic human need for shelter.

The tent is also a sign of simplicity. Particularly among young people, the tent and the backpack symbolize what is essential, sufficiency, living within our means, and travelling lightly upon the Earth.

As you will see, we have pitched our tent here in the church as a symbol of the Season of Creation and I would encourage as you bring along items which may be used to help those less fortunate than yourself and place them in our tent, but more than that, as you look at it, to consider and pray for what it means to you.

In our scripture readings today, we heard about the two men, Eldad and Medad who remained in the “camp” prophesying in the power of God’s Spirit. Then in the gospel, we equally hear about men outside the group of Christ’s disciples preaching and casting out demons both in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ. In both cases we see the zealous and envious disciples getting afraid and worried.

They were afraid that these men outside of the ‘chosen group’ were threats to their mission and position. So, instead of seeing them as fellow workers in God’s mission, they became jealous and despised them. They thought that God’s spirit and mission solely belonged to them. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

Moses and Jesus refused to accept their fears, jealousy and request of their disciples to stop them. Being filled with the spirit of God themselves, Moses and Jesus wisely discerned and knew that these men were genuine. Their mission was in line with the will of God; That all men should receive His spirit and preach the good news.

Hence, Moses responded: “…If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets and, the Lord gave his Spirit to them all.” While Jesus told his disciples: “You must not stop him; No one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me.” So, for Moses and Jesus, it was a good development and they were against the spirit of envy and oppression.

There are several lessons for us from these two readings;

· First, God can and does choose and use anyone He wishes for His mission.

· Second, He gives his Spirit freely for the continued growth and development of his church on earth.

· Third, nothing can stop whoever God truly anoints for his mission.

· Fourth we must not be jealous or envious of the gift of others. Rather, we should see one another as companions in God’s mission.

With this in mind, our response to todays readings in our lives today would be to be mindful about how we view and respond to people who we view as different, maybe by the way they look or speak or by what they represent or because they belong to different faith and belief groups. Much can be learnt from all people who have been charged with taking forward God’s mission and care must be taken not to consider a singular religious or world view. Likewise we need to be open to considering different points of view and challenging our perceptions and responsibilities for the common good of all God’s people.

Deacon David Knight