Sermon for the 17th of August - Ninth Sunday after Trinity - St George's

Picture yourself in a supermarket.

 You are scanning tins on the shelf, and you find yourself reading the words:

 Out of the strong came something sweet

 What are you looking at?

 I am sure many of you will have eaten this product, from its green and gold tin.

 A dead lion with a swarm of bees emerging from its body.

 Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

 The words are from the riddle Samson set:

“Out of the eater came something to eat

  Out of the strong came something sweet”

 This morning I want us to first celebrate the pioneers of faith referred to in Hebrews, and I’ll come to the tin on the supermarket shelf later.

I also feel as followers of Christ, after a week that has commemorated VJ Day and also witnessed the meeting of Presidents Trump and Putin, we should consider how we answer Jesus’s question at the end of the Gospel:

 “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

 I wanted us to read Hebrews this morning because it is so rich in cultural allusions. It also scans the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) for examples of faith, picking out men and women, many of whom are far from perfect individuals.

 The reading ends as Christ focused, how He is the paradigm of the nature of faith, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

 The message from Hebrews is in total contrast to the anger expressed by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

 Jesus is showing his human side, exasperated that his listeners fail to read the signs of the times, or to understand who he really is.

It will take the tragedy of the Cross followed by his Resurrection before people realised that he is the Son of God.

The Hebrews reading has been termed as “the Hall of Faith”, as opposed to a Hall of Fame. In the earlier part of Hebrews Chapter 11, which we didn’t hear this morning, Hall of Faith inductees include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Moses.

 Hebrews is a reminder that we should not forget lessons from the Hebrew Bible; which brings me back to Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

 The many examples of faith among men and women in our Hebrews reading include:

conquering kingdoms, administering justice, obtaining promises, and shutting the mouths of lions.

 Subduing or managing lions could apply to Samson -hence my discourse on Golden Syrup- I feel we should always celebrate Christian allusions.

 Subduing lions could apply to David who told Saul of how he had vanquished lions and bears when recuing lambs.

 Most likely the writer may be pointing to Daniel surviving in the den of lions.

 The examples of faith in the reading demonstrate courage and acting with resolution in the face of danger.

 Jesus, termed the Great High Priest by the writer of Hebrews for his Jewish audience of Christian believers, acted with resolution and courage throughout his life. Jesus is the example and inspiration for us to follow.

 I could say Jesus is the ultimate refinement of God’s loving purposes.

 Yet I almost feel that anything I say is inadequate to describe the gift of faith that we have been given.

 Let us on this Sunday in August 2025, give thanks for the examples of those pioneers of faith who have gone before us, and for our gift of Jesus Christ.

 As flagged, I cannot finish without wondering what is required of us this weekend as the world remembers the end of the Second World War.

 I also wonder how we are to respond as the Presidents of US and Russia deliberate, following their meeting, and the leaders of Europe and Ukraine consider possible consequences.

 To help answer this, I would like to share with you the words of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, regarding Priesthood and Politics.

He wrote this:

“Some of the basic Christian principles I would describe as pre-political rather than as political. For instance, I do not think it can be said that democracy or majority rule as such, is a Christian principle; and we remember that Christ sometimes showed contempt for the views of majorities.

 What is however a Christian principle, is the equal right of every person created in God's image, to the full realisation of their powers of mind and body, and this includes full and free citizenship with democracy as a corollary. We should always distinguish carefully a non-Christian conception of the rights of people to do what they like, and a Christian conception of their right to become by God's grace their own truest selves. In this way Christianity both endorses and criticises and corrects, the ideal of democracy.”

 Perhaps this gives us the answer to Jesus’s question:

 “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

 with two questions:

 With the example of Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit in mind, does the way which a country is led enable its people to be their truest selves?

And:

What is the potential for the population to be able to fully realise their powers of mind and body?