0930 St Edmund’s Southwold

Sunday 8 February 2025

Revd Philip Tarris

Psalm 136 & Matthew 6: 25-34

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

I just want to take a few moments this morning to speak to the situation that we find ourselves in

and which is probably at the top of all our minds.

So, we are two weeks on from Russ, our Rector, resigning in circumstances that we have struggled to

understand, in an announcement constrained by legality. Many people have greatly valued Russ’s

ministry and we have a deep sadness. Russ sent a form of explanation to some people, which you

may have seen, but we are told that it was not the full story which has perhaps added to the

uncertainty. And now we are coming to realise that we are likely to be without both our full time

priests until much later in the year. So, it is not surprising if people are feeling somewhat dislocated

and destabilised.

How do we manage these feelings and where, not to put too fine a point on it, where is God in all

this?

The first thing I want to do is to come back to Lin’s reading of Psalm 136. Here is the psalmist telling

us a truth about God and using a wonderful word to describe it - “his steadfast love endures for

ever”. That wonderful word ‘steadfast’. Look up its meaning and you will find descriptors like

unwavering, resolute, faithful, constant. Here, I would suggest, is our starting point.

At the end of our 10.00 service on Thursday, I was having a brief conversation with someone about

our situation and she said – “it really raises questions around trust.” And sadly, I wasn’t quick

enough to say but there is someone you can trust, and that is the one who is unwavering, faithful

and constant in his love for you – whose steadfast love endures for ever, despite everything. I am

sure she knew that – I just wish that I had said it!

Also, we need to remember that this steadfast love God offers us is unconditional, nothing stands in

its way – it puts its arms around our human frailties and vulnerabilities. And we must try and show

the same unconditional love at this current time. If we put conditions on our love, we run the risk of

saying “I will care – but not too much. I will forgive but I won’t forget.” Unconditional love takes

courage, but it is where we need to be. It takes courage to forgive when we might be hurt again.

Courage to trust when we have been disappointed before. Courage to remain tender when

circumstances seem against us. Love always risks pain but it also creates the space where grace can

enter – and I would want to think that as a community of Christ in this place we would all now want

to create a space where grace can enter.

Secondly, I have talked to you before about how we manage our circumstances of life and I just want

to revisit that. Sometimes we pray so hard about difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, and

we just want to be relieved of them - but nothing appears to happen. Perhaps God doesn’t appear

to be listening. But when we think about it, we realise that we are praying for God to change those

circumstances – which might be a pretty unfair thing to ask him to do. What I suggest we should be

doing is praying for his help in how we react to those circumstances. And our current situation is

probably a very good example of that. The circumstances are there, things have happened over

which we have no control. But we can control, with God’s help, our reactions. We can control our

approach to all this and our support for each other. We can resist rumour and the blight of social

media. We can be measured and compassionate. We can pray for Russ and his family and for one

another. And then together we can create new circumstances for two new priests who will be

appointed during the year.

And thinking about the coming year, neatly brings me to today’s pretty appropriate gospel reading

which I am sure won’t have escaped your attention. “Do not worry,” says Jesus. Although he also

says “Today’s trouble is enough for today;” to which we might respond – too right it is – who says

Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humour?

Tom Wright in his commentary on this passage says – has it ever struck you what a basically happy

person Jesus was? Yes - we know he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but those are

the dark patches painted on a bright background. He watched the birds just enjoying being alive; he

held his breath at the fragile beauty of the flowers and plants; he had a keen sense of the glorious

God-given beauty of things and of the goodness of his father. And he had the skill of living totally in

the present, giving attention totally to the present task and celebrating the goodness of God in the

here and now. What a lesson that can be for us now.

Worrying about what has happened and what might happen is counter-productive. Instead, the

right thing to do, says Jesus, is to strive first for the kingdom of God. Talking to God and seeking to

do his will, will drive out worry from our lives. Alix gave me a wonderful quote – I am not sure from

where, which said “If we prayed as much as we worried, we would have a lot less to worry about.”

Which brings us last, but absolutely not least, to the importance of prayer. Prayer is staying aligned

with the heart of God. When life feels unfair or we feel alone, prayer draws us into God’s presence.

When we feel powerless, prayer reminds us of his strength. It is in prayer that our perspective

changes, our faith grows, and our hearts find peace.

And even if those life circumstances we have talked about don’t appear to change, we are still

changing in prayer. So don’t let our current circumstances silence our prayers. Let our prayers be

deepened by our circumstances.

Amen

0930 St Edmund’s Southwold

Sunday 8 February 2025

Revd Philip Tarris

Psalm 136 & Matthew 6: 25-34

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