Sermon for the 10th of December - United Benefice Carol Service

There’s a story about the conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham, the grandson of the founder of pharmaceutical company that’s now part of Glaxo, that he composed a Christmas jingle that goes like this:

Hark! the herald angels sing!
Beecham's Pills are just the thing,
Two for a woman, one for a child…
Peace on earth and mercy mild!
If you want to go to Heaven,
you must eat at least 11
If you want to go to Hell
You must eat the box as well
Hark the herald Angels sing
Beecham’s Pills are just the thing.

Rumour has it that he denied the story and perhaps you’ll understand why he might have!

That’s hasn’t put me off having my own go at a Pulpit Product Placement jingle.

Hark! the herald angels sing!
Going to church is just the thing,
Twice weekly for grown ups, once for a child…
Peace on earth and mercy mild!
If you want to go to heaven
Volunteer to read a lesson
If want to go to Hell
Don’t turn up at all.
Hark! the herald angels sing!
Going to church is just the thing,

Going to church is just the thing! I think you may agree with this because you are here. Thank you so much for coming.
And its immediately worth saying that we don’t believe those who haven’t turned up are going to hell!

But what is it that brings us here tonight?

And a supplementary question. Thinking of Beecham’s and the benefits to health of their products, can we quantify what going to church does for our mental well-being.

What is it that brings us here?

You will all have you own reasons for being here and whatever they are, you are most welcome, regardless of faith or whether you don’t have religious faith.

There is something so joyful and comforting about the birth of a young child, the love of parents, the worship by the Shepherds and Wise men, people from both ends of the social spectrum. A beacon of light in a dark world, God taking on the form of a human being, whose teaching shows us how to live.
Jesus who shows us how to love our neighbour (think the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son)  and not to judge (think the woman accused of adultery … “let him without sin, cast the first stone”)
Who stands up for the oppressed.
Who promises us eternal life. Not just after this life but now…who said  “I have come so that you may live life in all its abundance.”

The example of Jesus is a wonderful antidote to our age of rolling news and as we contend with the impact of social media on our lives and those around us

This smartphone pandemic that can draw us away from the present. Its constant alerts and notifications buzzing in our pockets from the moment we wake up. It can be exhausting and damaging to one’s mental health.]

In contrast, to place the lens of Christ in front of our eyes makes us open to others.

Indifference shrivels.

Self-centredness diminishes. Intentionality grows.

With the lens of Christ before us, and in our hearts, we will discover that Love blossoms.

And a sense of gratitude prevails.

Just as Beechams’ pills benefitted health, so “going to church is just the thing.”

Please don’t just take my word for it.
Academic studies have found evidence of the positive impact on well-being from religious affiliation.

In 2016, the think tank Theos published a report: Religion and Well-being: Assessing the evidence.

It’s a long report and I will just pick out one sentence:

At the most generalised level, it seems that the more serious, genuinely held and practically-evidenced a religious commitment is, then the greater the positive impact it is likely to have on well-being.

We have noticed numbers attending our churches are higher than before the pandemic.

Our churches are places of gathering, where no one is judged, where you can exhale, and be present in the moment. Some find belonging is an aid to belief.

Perhaps this is what the birth of Jesus is calling us to do. To caste away the shackles of social media and the less important cares of life.

Instead, we are to nurture our faith so that we look outwards and narrow the gap between Heaven and Earth. To live with compassionate hearts, to welcoming inclusively, and to live peacefully. A peace we so desperately need at this time.

I would like to close with this prayer by the American theologian, Howard Thurman. He encourages us to think again about faith:

“May the sounds of Advent stir a longing in your people, O God.
Come again to set us free from the dullness of routine and the poverty of our imaginations. Break the patterns which bind us to small commitments and to the stale answers we have given to questions of no importance.
Let the Advent trumpet blow, let the walls of our defences crumble,
and make a place in our lives for the freshness of your love,
well-lived in the Spirit,
and still given to all who know their need and dare receive it.
Amen.”

On behalf our all of us at the United Benefice, we wish you a blessed Christmas.