I wonder how many of you, many decades ago, were caught out in some naughtiness and heard one of your elders saying “Woe betide you if you do that again!” Don’t worry - I’m not asking for a show of hands. That recollection came to me when I turned to today’s Gospel, in which Luke has Jesus use the word woe several times.

The next thought that struck me is that it isn’t at first clear how our three Bible readings fit together. There’s clearly a link between the curses and blessings of which Jeremiah speaks and our Gospel passage from Luke in which Jesus contrasts those who are blessed and those whom he addresses using the word woe. Today’s Epistle, that passage from the first letter to the Corinthians in which Paul asserts the truth and the significance of the Resurrection, seems at first hearing unconnected to the other two readings, yet it is the key which unlocks their importance for us and which enables us to see the contrast between them. 

That there is a contrast between Jeremiah and Jesus becomes clear when Jeremiah’s curses are contrasted with Jesus’ use of the word woe. The Hebrew word which Jeremiah uses means bitter, savage condemnation with no possibility of forgiveness. When an older relative said “Woe betide you…” in response to our juvenile misdemeanours, what they meant and what Jeremiah is saying was: “you’ll be punished!” When Jesus speaks of woe he is expressing sorrow. One might legitimately translate Luke 6, verse 24 like this:

“I sorrow for those of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Jesus isn’t threatening punishment. He’s expressing something much more subtle, he’s blending two things which we sinful humans find it difficult to hold together - judgement and empathy. Much that is wrong with our public discourse and our discussion of social issues stems from our inability to understand that judgement and empathy aren’t polar opposites, that they can and must work together. 

The judgement in Jesus’ words about the rich is clear - they have received their consolation - they have got what they wanted, but they haven’t wanted the right things. Their desire has been misdirected. The same applies to all the others about whom Jesus uses the word woe - the seekers after material comfort, entertainment and popularity. And how contemporary those desires seem. Yet the judgement is blended with compassion.

“I sorrow for those of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Jesus’ approach poses questions that we need to ask of ourselves. Am I being judgmental in a way which lacks compassion?  Am I going to the opposite extreme and allowing compassion to elbow aside moral judgement. To wrestle with such issues is part of our Christian calling. As we look forward to Lent, these questions might be a fruitful agenda for self-examination every time we watch or listen to a news bulletin or engage with social media.

And then we turn to the Beatitudes, the blessings that Jesus confers on the poor, the hungry, the sad, the marginalised and the persecuted. On one level he is radically attacking the view which prevailed in those days that wealth and happiness were signs of God’s approval - and not just in those days, for what we now call the Prosperity Gospel still finds expression in some Christian denominations. Jesus is also demonstrating solidarity with those who suffer. He has no fixed abode, no regular source of income; he experiences grief, sorrow and temptation. He knows what it means to be unpopular and he will die like a slave or a criminal on account of his actions and beliefs. 

The Beatitudes are statements of faith, not descriptions of current experience. They seem to invite a negative response from those to whom they are addressed, those whose lives are difficult, diminished, uncomfortable or imperilled - those who have reasons not to feel blessed  and yet they are also an invitation to trust in God, to have the trust of which Jeremiah speaks:

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

And that is why the compilers of the Lectionary chose today’s reading from 1 Corinthians to point us from Jeremiah to the Gospel. The Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our trust in God. Without the Resurrection there would be no Gospel to read, no Church in which it is preached and shared and the Beatitudes would, with all the teaching of Jesus, be lost to posterity. 

Those concerning whom Christ expresses woe have been captivated by the things of this world. Those whom Christ calls blessed have been distressed by the adversity they have experienced. Our calling is to have faith not in ourselves, nor in our experiences and circumstances, whether good or bad. Faith isn’t about what happens to me, it’s about what happened to Jesus Christ. Through Lent, which begins in two and half weeks, and Holy Week  and the commemoration of Christ’s passion we look forward to Easter and to the Resurrection, God’s vindication and affirmation of the blessings and promises in today’s Gospel.

Fishing and landing a catch is no picnic. By fishing I don’t mean the gentle sport of angling I mean fishing deep at sea by trawler men. Deep sea fishing is hard graft, scary at times, dangerous even perilous but it can bring rewards. A good catch of fish can bring in a good price at market, although every penny made is well earned. 

Deep sea fishermen deserve our respect, for they are ordinary people (usually but not always men) who daily leave the security of home and the land for the insecurities of the sea; braving and battling all sorts of weather and conditions. Fishing is tough but it is a challenge these men rise to almost daily. Fishing for men or people, as the modern translations have it, is not easy either. 

To be brutally honest it too is hard graft and rarely as rewarding as hauling in a great net of fish. Yet fishing, for people, is something that all of us here, are called to do. That may sound or feel rather dogmatic and pious - and you may not have expected me to have stated it so boldly but it is what I believe we are called to do. We Christians are not called to experience our faith on our own. We are called by Christ to share our experiences of him and his Gospel message of love, with EVERYBODY around us. The great commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel account charges us to do this:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations &  teaching them to obey everything that I have  commanded you.”               Matthew 28:19

Christ expects us to respond and act upon this command to mission and evangelism. But how can I do this? This is a question I often ask myself and ask of God when I pray. More often than not the answer is how can you not do this. You may ask yourselves the same question. Obviously, there is no easy answer but I think St.Paul gives us a clue today when he says:

 “For I am the least of the apostles & by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.”

Despite originally wanting to stop the spread of Christianity and to debase the Christian message Paul became one of its greatest ambassadors. He realised that Christ had chosen him for the skills he had not realised he possessed. Christ continues to do the same with us today. We are what we are. I am what I am - Flawed, imperfect and human. But, as a human being we are all blessed with God’s grace. 

A grace that has lavished upon us gifts, talents and skills to use and share in the spread of the Christian message. I am what I am and despite all that God still loves me! Pretty amazing - eh? This is what we are called to share with others, this is the bait or the net with which we are called to fish - just ourselves, as we are. It is our imperfections that can help us the most in this fishing because if we allow others to see them, they might believe that they with their imperfections have a place in God’s Kingdom and Christ’s church too. This is how we are called to mission, how we are to reach out to others -  by simply being who we are; and having the courage to tell others that despite it all God loves us and loves them too. Never be afraid of who you are. For you as you are is exactly the person Christ loves beyond measure and exactly the right person with the right skills to bring others to him to be loved unconditional too. I am what I am and what I am is no mistake. You are what you are and that is no mistake either.

The Feast of Candlemas which we are remembering this morning marks the true end of the Christmas Celebrations. Today’s Feast is the culmination of the Christmas season of celebration. It is the reason why our church remains in White or Gold until 2nd February rather than reverting to the Green of Epiphany Sundays, to which it will move next week. 40 days of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the birth of our Saviour have been celebrated. 

The 2nd February is the 40th day after Christmas Day and Christmastide like Eastertide is 40 days long. This is to emphasise the importance of the Feast of Christ’s Nativity - the birth of our Saviour. Just as we keep the 40 days of Lent and Eastertide to emphasise the self-giving and resurrection of Christ as our Saviour. I wonder, however, how many people have been giving thanks for 40 days for the wonder and mystery of the Incarnation? For some, Christmas ended on Boxing Day when they took the tree down (being fed up with it as it was put up in early November!) or for most at Twelfth Night, when on the eve of the Epiphany decorations disappeared in some homes. Well not quite in mine.

Come Twelfth Night, I remove most of the decorations and the tree but I have an Epiphany Crib that I leave out along with any Christmas cards depicting the ‘Wise Men from the East’ until Candlemas. Only after Candlemas do I fully clear ‘Christmas’ away. 

Candlemas is, I believe, an important but so often overlooked feast day. I wish it was more noticed by everyday folk and the wider Church as well. 40 days of Christmas celebration seek to remind us of the importance of Jesus’ birth, It should be something we greatly rejoice  in. For without Christ’s birth there would be no Easter Day and proof of our redemption! Although Easter is the primary celebration of our faith, Christmas comes a close second.

But, what is Candlemas or the Presentation of Christ in the Temple really all about?

St.Luke relates to us, the story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple and his Mother’s purification or ‘Churching’ after childbirth. It was the Jewish tradition to make sacrifice in thanksgiving for the birth of a son. He also goes on to tell us about the two elderly temple dwellers who have been told by God that they will live to see their Messiah. When they see the Holy Family, God alerts them to the fact that they are in the presence of the Messiah. They rejoice and give thanks knowing that their waiting is over. 

They also predict that the child will have a turbulent life but that he will save those who believe who he is. These two pensioners see the light of Christ and it shines brightly for them in their darkness.

Candle-mass, also, tells us something else and it is very important; it is that we are never too old or too young to do God’s will. Think about it. The Candlemas heroes are Jesus and two elderly people Simeon and Anna both of whom have waited years to see the Christ Child. They were in God’s eyes NOT TOO OLD to proclaim the Christ. The infant or baby Jesus is also NOT TOO YOUNG to offer God’s salvation to us. 

Candlemas is a festival celebrating not only the salvation offered by Christ but the wisdom of the elders in recognising who that baby really was. Simon and Anna also prove that we are never too old to change our minds or to see something afresh or with new eyes. 

Both ends of life are represented in this feast of Candle-mass; this feast shows us that age in God’s eyes is no barrier to proclaiming his truth and salvation. It may not suit our human logic that it is the elderly and the very young acting as prophets of God but, it suits God’s logic and shows us that God will use us as he thinks best, regardless of our age, sex or background. None of us are ever too young or too old to do God’s bidding.

Just in case any of you are worried that I might be tempted to follow Ezra’s example and read from Scripture and preach until noon, you can relax!

But I do want to tell you more about Ezra, because he and Nehemiah together are two of the Old Testament Heroes. If at times  what I am about to say will sound more like a history lesson than a sermon, please appreciate that you cannot grasp the riches of the Old Testament without knowing at least something of its history and of God’s care for his chosen people. Jesus will certainly have learned about Ezra and Nehemiah and seen them as examples of faith and courage and of devotion to the God of Israel.

So now please turn your minds back several centuries, to the year 579 BCE. The kingdom of Israel had been constantly harassed by warlike neighbours. In 579 King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria finally conquered them. He destroyed Jerusalem. He razed the Temple to the ground. He then carries off to Babylon all the Israelites of any importance whatsoever, not only the spiritual and civic leaders of the community but anyone who was literate or a competent farmer or who could be of use to him and his people He left only a poor remnant behind in Jerusalem.

Thus began the “Babylonian captivity”, but in fact it did not last very long. Fifty years later the Assyrians were in their turn conquered by the Persians. The Persian King, Hiram, heard the pleas of the captive Israelites who longed to return to their homes and to their own way of life. He agreed to let them go. Astonishingly, he agreed to defray the cost of restoring the Temple and to return the Temple treasures which Nebuchadnezzar had stolen. He did not want to offend the God of Israel.

When the captives, led by Ezra, returned to Jerusalem, they found that the poor remnant who had been left behind had done nothing to restore the Temple or the city. Still led by Ezra, they set to and restored the Temple as their first priority. This took about fifty years. During those years the Israelites were continually harassed by their warlike neighbours as before, who did not want a strong nation to grow up among them. The Israelites were not safe; the city walls were full of breaches and the gates had all been destroyed by fire.

News of this came to Nehemiah, an Israelite who had remained in Babylon. He was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, who had succeeded King Hiram. Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to go. When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, he immediately put in hand the repair of the city walls and gates, and achieved this in only fifty-two days. (Think how long we sometimes have to wait to get anything done!) The surrounding hostile tribes were amazed at the speed. They realised that this could only have been done with the help of the God of the Israelites, and they were afraid.

So now at last we come to this morning’s reading! The Temple has been restored. The city is safe against attack.    Ezra sees that it is time for the people to be brought back to their proper way of life. So he calls them all to assemble in the main square. This was a huge gathering: forty-two thousand men and women, plus slaves. The people themselves asked Ezra to bring the books of the Law, to teach them about their God.

Ezra realised that after all their years without proper instruction, many of the people would be unable to understand what they were hearing. So he brought with him twelve interpreters, whose task was to answer the questions of the people and make sure that they fully understood all that they were hearing. The returnees from Babylon would probably also need translation from the Hebrew into their native Aramaic. The people were so moved when they heard the words of the Law that they began to weep. They realised how far away they had drifted from obedience to the Law.

But Ezra and Nehemiah would not allow this to be a day of lamentation. They declared it a holy day. They told the people to celebrate, to eat foods which were normally forbidden, and to make sure that everyone was catered for. Still in Jesus’ day and still today in the Jewish calendar the first day of the seventh month is a high holy day, the first day of the Jewish New Year.

Our reading this morning ends on a joyous note, and this is what we should take from it. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” The God who brought the Israelites back from Babylon and helped them to restore the Temple and the city of Jerusalem is our God, who stands with us and helps us in need. Let us praise and thank Him for his goodness. Alleluia.

Epiphany II 22nd January 2025 

A couple of verses from 'Under the Tree' by John Mole 

Under the tree, without a sound, 

The parcels pass themselves around 

And smile inside, not unaware 

Of all the reasons they are there. 

'Smile not unaware of all the reasons they are there.'

By now your tree will have been long gone. The presents? Well almost forgotten except the unexpected one, that was what you really wanted. Last week we celebrated the Epiphany and admired the gifts the Magi brought or handed over. Gold for kingship, frankincense for priesthood and myrrh for anointing. Costly, rich gifts for the Christ child and the template for our present giving at Christmas. Yet, in the frenzy of Christmas gifting we are often apt to forget the presents that God regularly and freely bestows upon us? 

St.Paul reminds us today, that we should not be ignorant of the gifts and talents we have each been blessed with. How did you come to discover that you had them? Who helped you to this discovery? How do you use your talents? And are you using them to their best advantage? If not, I suspect that you are feeling somewhat frustrated. If this is the case, then do something about it because not to use your God given gifts is to deny God's creative force within you. You will have been given your talents for a reason; and once you find that reason your talents will flow. 

Using our gifts is vital, not only to our own well being but for the well being of our friends, families and communities. For when we use our gifts we spark the gifts of God within others and encourage them to be creative as well. In doing so we learn how to work together and encourage each other in enabling each other to reach our full potential as human beings. Listen to God s promptings over the coming weeks and months and then respond to them as you become aware of the reasons why your gifts are there and as the poem says; ‘smile’.