Interrupted

Sermon Notes 11th June 2023

Geoff Vidal

The world has not yet recovered from all the things interrupted by COVID 19. Families are having their lives devastated by the many deaths from COVID which continue but are not regularly reporting in our media. Businesses succeed or fail depending on how well they deal with interruptions to the supply of material and disruptions to transport. A key element to success in any military operation is how well people of all ranks cope with interruptions. Generals in command must be able to deal with unexpected changes to the situation and, to be effective, soldiers and sailors need to show initiative and react quickly to any development in the battle. As a flying instructor I spent a lot of time training students to effectively deal with interruptions.

How do you handle the interruptions which invariably occur in everyday life? What do you do when you have just served a meal and there is an interruption? Some people let their answering machine take care of inconvenient phone calls (or wait to hear who is calling before picking up the phone).

Sadly, we don’t often have young children here with us at St Barts. When children are in church their parents are mostly anxious that the kids don’t make any noise which “interrupts” the service. And owners of mobile phones which ring during a service are embarrassed as they try to turn it off. I was very impressed by the gentle way Bishop Phillip dealt with a person who loudly interrupted an ordination service in our Cathedral.

The Genesis reading today, reminded us of the story of Abram (who later became Abraham). His life as a wealthy 75-year-old farmer was dramatically interrupted by God. We are told that the Lord said to him “go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you”. Abram went and this life-changing move was followed years later by another totally life-changing interruption to the lives of Abram and his wife Sari (now named Sarah). She became pregnant very late in life and their son Isaac was born.

I’m sure you are able to recall the stories of many other Biblical characters who found their routine, peaceful lives interrupted by God: Noah, Moses, Job, Jeremiah, Jonah, indeed all the prophets.

My thoughts on interrupted lives have been influenced by a lady named Peta Sherlock. She was one of the early women priests in the Anglican church here in Australia. Peta would probably prefer to be known as a scholar rather than a prophet.  Around 30 years ago, she would write each week some really helpful comments on the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday which were published in the Melbourne Diocese newspaper.

The 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne and is regarded as Scotland’s national poet. Biographers have described Burns as a “wilful agnostic”. In Burns poems he made it clear that he doubted the existence of God and the existence of an afterlife. He often criticized the church. One of his statements was that "Churches are built to please the priest". In Dunedin, which is in a very Scottish part of NZ, they erected a large statue of him just outside the Cathedral with his back to the church. He is responsible for the well-known quote “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”.

I wonder if Robbie Burns was aware of this passage we heard today (chapter 9 of the Gospel according to Matthew). If he had read this part of the Bible and thought about it, he would have discovered that interruptions are a part of what Jesus brings to our lives.

It’s a good idea for us to make allowance for unforeseen interruptions. It’s very wise for us to be prepared for the interruptions that Jesus can bring to the things we have planned for our lives.

In this passage Jesus was the first one to interrupt. Jesus interrupted a man who was sitting down carrying on with his very lucrative job. Jesus saw the tax-collector Matthew working away at his job and said to him “follow me”. Out of the blue, this man was given a new opportunity. He was given a supporting role in ministry supporting someone he had never met before.

The miracle is that Matthew simply got up and followed this person who brought new life. As he began this new life, Matthew invited his new leader and the other disciples to come and have dinner with him and his old workmates. The Pharisees didn’t like that. They asked the disciples “why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” It sounds more like an accusation than a question!

There’s a couple of things to note here. These Pharisees who prided themselves in their knowledge of scripture and their conformity to it openly acknowledge Jesus as a teacher. Jesus overhears them and, not very subtly (actually quite sarcastically), Jesus says to these teachers, “go and learn what this quote from the prophet Hosea means “(God says) I desire mercy, not sacrifice”.

The next thing we are told is that Jesus was interrupted at his dinner. There is an extraordinary request made for Jesus to go and heal a young girl who had died. A leader of the synagogue who had nothing else to lose thought that, if this Jesus could touch his daughter, she would live. So, he bursts into the dinner party and asks Jesus to come to lay his hand on the girl.

Then Jesus’ journey to this bereaved father’s house was interrupted by another lady in desperate need. She had been suffering for 12 years and she thought that, if she just touched Jesus’ cloak, she would be made well.  Jesus turns and sees her. He says to her, “Take heart; your faith has made you well”. We aren’t told whether this desperate woman has a big bucketful of faith or just faith the size of a mustard seed. However, she has faith and she is made well. This woman (whose name we don’t know) is able to return back into the society that had shunned her for years. Twelve years of living death is replaced by newness of life. 

Finally, at the synagogue leader’s house, when Jesus says to the crowd “Go away, the girl is not dead but sleeping” they laugh at him. But there’s yet another interruption.  The laughing crowd and the flute playing mourners are dramatically interrupted by life itself coming into their midst.

These events are all presented to those who read their Bible in a really matter-of-fact sort of way. Matthew tells this series of stories so simply and so quietly that we could easily miss the point.

Matthew got up without a word and followed. Jesus got up without a word and followed. He told the crowd making all the commotion to “Go away!”

New life comes immediately, silently, without commotion. The woman was healed by a touch. Jesus simply commended her for her faith. 

The girl was not dead, only sleeping, and once the musicians and the wailing crowd were dismissed, Jesus took her by the hand and she got up.

These proceedings are followed by a noisy telling of the story being spread throughout the district, but the events themselves were quiet.

There’s no doubt about it; no matter how well organised we are, interruptions will happen. Interruptions will spring up unexpectedly and demand our attention. Perhaps, when we are on our way to do something important, we will have something creep up on us and grab our coattails.

That’s the way of it! Our real ministry is mostly quiet! Because faith that simply gets up and follows the call is mostly quiet.

Even miraculous new life comes without fuss and commotion