Prayers of intercession: Munich, Turkey, Europe, USA

Prayers of intercession, including responses to the terrorist attack in Munich, the attempted coup in Turkey, the changing European situation, and the forthcoming American elections. Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church 24/7/16

Great God of all the earth, in you are found the full riches of our human experience, and you call us to live our lives out of the richness of your self-giving in Christ.

So may our lives reflect the life that you bring to the world.

May we learn what it is to put others before ourselves.

May we learn what it means to see your image in each created human soul, however marred and distorted that image has become as a result of human sinfulness.

And so as we come to pray for our world, we do so aware of the common humanity we share with all people, and in the light of your greater call to forgiveness and reconciliation.

May our prayers shape a world where self is made less, and where generosity and grace are grown.

So we pray for victims of terrorist activity, and especially for those who just this week in Munich faced death on the streets of a peaceful European city. But even as we pray for Munich, we are aware that within the lifetime of some of us here today, it was our own country that brought death to the streets of that same city, even as their fighters brought death to ours.

And as we hear news of the attempted coup and reprisals in Turkey, and of suicide bombings in Kabul, we know that terror can turn to peace, just as peace can turn to war. So we pray for international peacemakers, for politicians and civil servants, for lawyers and judges, and doctors and medics, and all those who strive for reconciliation and healing.

We pray for our own country’s relationship with its neighbours as we begin the process of renegotiating the basis on which we will coexist within the continent of Europe. May we not lose our sense of common humanity, where each person is valued regardless of creed or ethnicity. May we, as your church, have the courage to speak out for justice for all, and for reconciliation in place of conflict.

And as our nation lifts its eyes to the wider global stage, we pray for the United States of America. We thank you for the many ways in which American culture at its best has contributed positively to the world, for their values of justice, equality, and fairness. But we also recognise those voices that would promote hatred, fear, and self-interest, and we recognise them because they echo voices we hear in our own country, and, in our darker moments, in our own hearts too. May your love and justice triumph in our lives, in our country, and in our world.

We believe that your giving of yourself in Christ on the cross was for the whole world, for Jew, Christian, Muslim, atheist, Hindu, and Buddhist. We believe that the cross offers a way to end violence as you reach out to those of all political persuasions and show a new and better way of being human – one where our lives mirror your self-giving.

And so may the revolution of love and peace begin with us. May we be those who show to the world what it means to put the other first, to see your divine image in each created soul, and to live out the truth that in you are found the full riches of our human experience.

Amen.

Sermon for the wedding of Charly & Paul

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

Saturday 23 July 2016

Ephesians 3.14-21  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.  16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,  17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,  21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

It is a truth long established 

that none of us really knows what the future will hold. 

Despite our best efforts at prediction and forecasting, 

tomorrow remains a mystery which retains the element of surprise. 

Not long ago, I had to send a ‘surprise’ email to Charly and Paul,

when we discovered that there was going to be some scaffolding up

on the outside of the church for their wedding.

If you haven’t seen it – just don’t look!

And as political events in the UK over the last few weeks have proved,

none of us really knows what the next day is going to bring.

As Benjamin Franklin famously said in 1789, 

‘in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’.

So why, we might reasonably ask, have we gathered here today 

to witness and celebrate two people 

making promises that they intend to keep for the rest of their lives? 

Surely this is just foolishness in the face of reason and probability? 

After all, we live in a world where impermanence and transience 

are the order of the day. 

Long gone are the days when people trained for a profession 

and then stayed in the same job for 40 years. 

Long gone are the days when people bought a house 

and then lived in it for the rest of their lives. 

I am now living in my fifth house since I got married, 

and have lived in three different cities, and that’s not unusual. 

And all of this uncertainty affects what we mean 

when we talk about marriage. 

A couple of generations ago, 

a wedding ceremony was perceived as the start of a life of stability. 

The process was well known: 

get married, settle down, buy a house, 

raise children, pay taxes, retire, die.

But these days, the promise to love faithfully until death us do part 

can sound a bit weird. 

It is perhaps what we might call 

a ‘counter-cultural’ act for two people to undertake. 

Surely it would be much more sensible to hedge one’s bets, 

rather than jump in for better or for worse, 

for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health? 

And yet, here we all are, 

and here are Charly and Paul, 

and they’ve only gone and done it! 

So, congratulations Mr and Mrs Bhatia. 

They, and we with them, 

dare to believe that there is something really positive 

in what Charly and Paul have just done.

They are entering into a way of living,

where two, let’s face it, highly independent humans 

commit to live together, 

putting each other first

and discovering what it is to be stronger together.

It flies in the face of individualism 

and speaks to us of generosity, grace, and giving. 

A marriage is an expression of a vision and a faith 

that for all its uncertainty, 

the future is worth striving for, worth investing in.

In our reading from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, 

he encourages them to find strength in their inner being 

through living lives which are rooted and grounded in love. 

The ancient world had its share of uncertainty, 

with conflict, sickness, and famine all very real threats to stability. 

So Paul points to something 

that farmers and gardeners will know intuitively, 

which is that if you want to grow something worthwhile, 

it takes investment and commitment. 

He tells them that they are to strive for lives 

which are rooted and grounded in love. 

There are very few quick returns to be had from the soil: 

crops need sowing, nurturing, and patient care 

before the harvest is ready. 

And some, like the olive trees and vines 

that dominate the Mediterranean landscape, 

will take a lifetime to reach their full glory.

In a world of impermanence, uncertainty, and risk, 

the way to inner strength 

is a life rooted and grounded in love. 

For St Paul, all love finds its origin and source in God. 

Like the waters that lie beneath the parched soil, 

sustaining the trees and vines through the long hot summers, 

our lives can tap into this deep love 

which will sustain us through the storms 

and scorching summers that may lie ahead.

It is this deep love which will sustain Paul and Charly 

as they learn to live in humility, 

putting each other before themselves

honouring the strengths that they each bring

and learning to cherish each other for who they are.

But a marriage has implications far beyond the couple themselves.

Those who know Charly and Paul, will know of their love for others,

their commitment to teaching, nurturing, 

and helping people grow and develop.

And from their life together, rooted and grounded in love, 

comes a blessing for the rest of us.

We too are strengthened 

by the love that comes to us through them. 

And I hold this as a mystery of grace. 

I’d love to understand it, but it surpasses knowledge 

and flies in the face of reason. 

But I do know this, 

the power of love that is at work in us 

is able to accomplish abundantly far more 

than all we can ask or imagine.

And it is to this greater love,

that I commend Charly and Paul,

as they start their new life together,

rooted and grounded in love.