OUR GENEROUS GOD SHARING THE WORK READINGS 1 PETER

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OUR GENEROUS GOD SHARING THE WORK READINGS 1 PETER
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Sharing the work: Peter

Our Generous God

Sharing the work: Readings 1 Peter 2:9-12 and John 21: 15-19 Peter Willox


God is the creator, sustainer and redeemer of all that we see or know. With the eyes of faith we can see and experience that he is an extravagantly generous God. He creates, not a box for us to live in, but a whole universe; he gives, not just enough, but all that we need and so much more as he sustains us; and in his redemption of us he gives his whole self in Christ not just for one particular point in time but for all time and for all people. But that is not enough for our generous God because as he continues that work of creating, sustaining and redeeming he very graciously and generously allows us to share in his work.


In the creation story we read that he makes us in his image; we have been allowed to share something of his personality, his creativity and his love for his creation. As we reflect his image we imitate his character and his ability to love and care for the world around us. In the creation narrative he allows humanity to name things – the naming showing that we have a power and authority over creation akin to that of God’s own. Then even as, and possibly because, we attain the knowledge of good and evil he sends us out into the world to till the land, to manipulate and bring forth from the earth as God has done, albeit in a slightly less grand way. As we read on, we start to realise that our life out in the world is not punishment but rather a privilege and an honour, given to us by God. (Perhaps we would do well to re-look at the Genesis stories in that light occasionally). My life and all that I am able to do belongs to God and he has given all that so that I may share with him in his work.. God recognises that we can use our knowledge for his good and he graciously and generously strikes up a covenant relationship with firstly Abram and through him potentially all humanity. God has given us the ability and the permission to share in his special work: his creating, sustaining and redeeming work.


I am a co worker with God. Is that an audacious claim?... to say that we are called and enabled to share in the very work of God by God himself? It is audacious but only because it springs from an incredibly generous God who wants his children to be like him and to inherit the family business, so to speak.


So how do we share in the Creator’s work? – The way of God’s world is that we are given the capacity and the drive to create new things, even new people which is a privilege, a joy and a challenge, probably in that order! But we have also the freedom and ability to then change and manipulate the environment around us. In fact, we are so good at it, evolutionary biologists are now saying that they are worried because our ability to mould the world around us may be stopping evolution itself – we no longer need to be naturally selected by our environment because we have the ability to change our environment instead. Now, I don’t see that as problem, because that ability to use the world around us is a reflection of the image of God within us. However, this ability is given in trust and sometimes we get it wrong.. BUT God does not stop at simply and generously making us in his image. The generous offer of God is to then put that gift to work, with and for him. We are invited to share in the purposes of the kingdom of God. God could do it all on his own but… our father says “Come and work with me my child, and I will show you how to make a perfect world.”

So, that brings us to God’s offer to join with him as Sustainer. As if being creative is not enough of a privilege, we are then called to be stewards of his world, to look after the things that he has given and that, together with him, we have made. Of all his gifts, the gift of love is the most potent; a love that drives us to care for each other and particularly for that which we have made. God’s call to his children is to join him in his wider care, a care for our environment, a desire to build community, to care for his people and see them prosper. Our love helps to sustain the world. God could sustain it all on his own, but he hands to us in trust a share in that role – that is an amazing offer and privilege.


But then comes another call to share God’s work, now in redemption. It is Jesus who redeems the world through the cross and his resurrection but we are called to be his body here on earth. In many and varied ways we are generously called by God to become part of the redemption story. Christ could quite easily draw all people into his redemptive love but he shares that job with us. Through our witness, our words and our lives we are asked by him to help others see and hear the Good news of Jesus. In spiritual terms there is nothing more wonderful than knowing that I have had a part in helping someone to be born again into God’s love. There is no greater privilege and Christ shares that privilege with his church. God must feel that joy so deeply and he wants to share that feeling, that privilege with us.


In order for us to do all this, to share in the creation, sustaining and redeeming of the world, he generously gives all that we need: our money, our time, our family, our friends, our church, our diocese, our communication devices, every thing…


An interesting aside, as I have mentioned the M word, money. As we will be making our offering at gift day, it is helpful to remind ourselves that in some small way we will be helping God to bring his creating, sustaining and redeeming presence into the lives of people here in Ben Rhydding, perhaps in Manningham, perhaps in Great Horton where Roger was Vicar, perhaps in Ingleton, where Roger was Vicar, perhaps in Eldwick where I was Vicar, perhaps in Romania through the compassion of Puiu and his friends, perhaps in Matugga through Ivan’s ministry, perhaps across Africa as we give to MAF… and the list goes on. What a privilege and honour to be able to share and even enable such ministry to go on. There may be people in Bradford, the dales, or abroad who without the money we have given may not have heard about God’s love or received his word for them.


Now as if all that was not enough, of all the gifts God gives to us the most precious of all is his extravagantly generous and wonderfully gracious gift of himself, his presence, his power, his time and attention – the gift of his Holy Spirit. He pours himself out liberally and inexhaustibly to his children to guide and equip us for the task, and to give us the wisdom and inspiration to know how to use all those other things he gives us, to his greater glory.


That is the generous offer which he gives to any and all who hear his call and follow his ways – I hope that you know that you are part of that already because you have heard the call and received his gift . And that you would know and understand that it is His Spirit that binds us together with others in a covenant of his love - through the generosity of God we are not alone, it is together with others that we do this work; together we share in the work of God.


God generously invites us all wherever we are, to share together as we share his work with him. But God goes further than that; he then gets personal.


Think of it like this: If I had a box of sweets and flung them out to all and sundry I would be seen as generous but if I went up to you and gave you the whole box you would feel privileged, honoured and possibly somewhat amazed - you would feel that generosity in an acutely personal way and probably be a bit baffled and flattered that I had chosen you. That is exactly what God wants to do with each one of us. His generous heart has a unique place for each person. God’s knowledge of us is complete and there are no members of his family that can’t have a real and valuable role, and indeed we all have a unique part to play. Each person with his or her unique gifts shares together the ministry of the church. The wonder of the body of Christ is that, just as you are a part of the church’s wider ministry and you help it, the church is also there to enable your personal and unique role, it helps you. We share God’s provision so that all may have what they need to fulfil their ministry and calling under God and by doing so we enable the whole body to function as it should.


Peter was given a very particular job. He was to feed the lambs, tend the sheep and feed the sheep. What that was to look like was then between God and Peter to work out. My guess is that Peter took this to heart. The lambs would be the “new born” in the faith who needed feeding. As they grew they would need nurturing or tending and then they too were to be fed but now in a much more adult way. In other words Peter was being given a share in the sustaining of the people of God in their faith, a very particular role and one given to him by Jesus who knew him intimately.


But Peter also knew that he was not to do that in isolation. In fact as the church grew, each separate community grew its own identity and had its own patch, but was always aware that it was part of the whole body.


Peter of course went on to do his particular role in Jerusalem but he never forgot the privilege of being part of the wider and universal church. As one reads his letters we see a man with a real pastoral heart wanting to sustain and grow the faith in his brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth. He goes on to encourage us even in today’s Britain, 2000 years later, to take our part not because we have to, but because it is such an amazing privilege, born out of an amazingly generous offer, a partnership with God himself. Who was Peter but a bungling, loud mouthed fisherman? And yet as he addresses his readers he speaks to us out of the awe of his own experience.


But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,*


Just think about those again; By God you are … Chosen, royal, holy, God’s own


And you are…. A Race, A priesthood, a nation, a People.


If you do nothing else with this talk, please just go over that again and dwell on how special that is.


In his second letter, Peter encourages us to grab hold of that position, that honour, and follow that personal call, because the benefits from the generous heart of God are enormous.

2 Peter 1: 10-11 - Therefore, brothers and sisters,* be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

In other words, not only is God generously sharing his work with us, and generously giving his Spirit to us, and generously giving each one of us a role in his plans, when we accept that call he generously opens the gates of his kingdom and allows us to enter into its richness.


Why…?


Back to 1st Peter “in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”.
10

Have you ever had to write a reference for someone – it is a real honour to be asked to speak or write a commendation of someone to a third party. They are putting their trust totally in you to say good things about them (the truth hopefully) so that your words help to introduce someone else to your friend.


That is the honour of the witness, of the disciple, to be trusted to work with, and speak of, God in such a way that he will be commended to others; that they too might have the privilege of coming to know him and to become a co worker in his kingdom.


God could quite easily do all that for himself but he generously wants to share that task with us.


Peter do you love me more than these?


When he asks you that question what will he be pointing to, what is it that he thinks you might love more than you love him? But when he asks us to face that question, there is no judgement, just a gracious opportunity, for he then allows his generous grace to enter in…


After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ How can we resist such a generous offer?


OUR GENEROUS GOD SHARING THE WORK READINGS 1 PETER

All Bible passages are from the New Revised Standard Version (Anglicised Edition), copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.





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