5th July, 2020.
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My dear friends,

A few days ago I had quite a long conversation with the St John chaplain for Lincolnshire, Canon Andy Hawes. Lincolnshire has a smaller population than Essex, but geographically it is a larger county. Andy was saying that attending a St John event in parts the county can sometimes involve people in a car trip there and back of four hours. As he described St John activities in Lincolnshire, his words immediately sounded very familiar: much the same goes on in Essex.

            When one joins St John, one quite quickly comes to realise that one has sort-of joined another family, the family of St John, with members in every town and county of England and indeed across the world. One also meets many members whose own parents and grandparents were members of St John before them.

                We also belong to an international and ecumenical family. As you will have gathered from previous messages, I am interested in the work of the Order of Malta and of the Johanniter Orders in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Together, our five Orders make up the ‘Alliance’ Orders of St John – and together we follow in the footsteps of the original Hospitallers of St John in Jerusalem, serving ‘Our Lords the Sick’.

                 St John is a family to which I feel both proud and privileged to belong.

With continued prayers and kindest regards,

The Rev. Dr ROBERT BEAKEN, County Chaplain
TRINITY 4 – 5th JULY 2020.
 
Gospel: St Matthew, chapter 11, verses 16-19, 25 – end
There is an old proverb: ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.’ Or another one, which makes much the same point: ‘There are none so blind as those who don’t want to see.’ These proverbs seem to me to sum up much of what Jesus is saying in this morning’s Gospel.

            Jesus has begun his three years of public ministry. The crowds have started gathering to see and hear him, often for a mixture of motives. Some are genuinely interested or seeking after God. Some are merely curious. Some of the Pharisees and Saducees have ulterior motives and seek to trick Jesus into saying something that will damage his reputation.

Not surprisingly, there is a lot of gossip and speculation about Jesus. Is he, or isn’t he, the Messiah? Even St John the Baptist, in prison and fast approaching his execution, sends a message to Jesus: “Are you he who is to come, or are we to look for another?” Jesus replies that he is fulfilling all the expectations of the Messiah, and tells John to make up his own mind.

When he notices so many people gossiping, and realises they haven’t even listened to John the Baptist, Jesus makes a pungent comment:
 
But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market place and calling to their playmates: ‘We piped to you, and you would not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
 
Jesus is, in effect, holding up a big mirror for some of the people to see themselves. They are like petulant children, stamping their feet and becoming angry. They are annoyed with their little friends, who won’t join in their games. We have all seen stroppy children in the streets or supermarkets, causing havoc and embarrassment for their poor parents. I am not sure we adults should like to be told that we were just like that. Yet, this is Jesus’ message. Many of the people in the crowds are like terrible, tantrumy toddlers. They will listen neither to John the Baptist, nor to Jesus. John the Baptist came – an ascetic and a man of prayer – and they said he was possessed by the Devil. Jesus came – meeting people, going into their houses, sharing food and drink with them, to get alongside them and win their confidence – and they accuse him of being a glutton and a drunkard. These people are simply inventing excuses, in order to avoid having to do anything, change anything, or commit themselves.

Sadly, not much has changed. Men and women are much the same today as in Jesus’ time. I have lost track of the number of people who have told me that they would come to church on Sundays, if only we would conduct the service differently: more traditional, less traditional, Solemn High Mass with incense, Prayer Book Choral Mattins with an anthem, an informal non-eucharistic ‘hymn sandwich’ with choruses accompanied by a music group, and so on. The list is endless.
Traditionally, Christianity has a broad range of spirituality and of forms of worship (though, I would point out that historically-speaking – whatever the mode of its celebration – the Holy Eucharist is normative worship for Christians) and we should remember that Christians are all at different stages of their spiritual journey; and so from time to time we all make adjustments to our church services to try to help and encourage each other. Changes to the form of service, however, may sometimes help the already-existing congregation, but they never seems to attract those who have promised ‘I will come to church on Sundays if only you will do X’. Well, they may be too nervous to step through the church door (We don’t eat people, I assure you!), but I suspect that in many instances, they are looking for excuses not to bother, or they are in fact saying that they will only come to church if the worship amuses them, if it tickles their fancy. They are not coming to church on Sundays because they have fallen in love with Jesus Christ and realise they can’t live without him. As I have said in previous sermons, there is a temptation for Christians of all traditions and churchmanships to regard churchgoing as spiritual entertainment, and that is unhealthy.

            The crucial thing for each of us is to get our personal relationship with Jesus Christ right. To feel Christ’s love, and to return it. To try to love those around us, even the awkward ones (some people, of course, may find us awkward). To forgive others, as we hope God will forgive us. To take whatever is the next step of faith. To be nourished by Jesus in Holy Communion and by the words of the Bible. Then everything else – including churchgoing – drops into its rightful place.

This is the message of Jesus’ final words today, when he talks about a yoke.
 
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
 
When we picture a yoke, we are often picture an old fashioned milkmaid and her yoke: a big piece of wood across her shoulders, helping her to carry two heavy pails of milk. We might do better to think of the yoke which would have been used to yoke together two oxen for ploughing. The ox is a great lumbering beast. I once saw a pair of white oxen being used to plough a field in Lombardy in northern Italy. It was a scene straight out of antiquity. Left to his own devices, the ox could lumber off and create a trail of havoc. The yoke stops him doing so. It yokes him to his ploughing mate. The yoke guides him in the right direction, so he can usefully plough a field ready for sowing. Lastly, the yoke supports the ox. If he stumbles, he will not fall, for the other ox will support him.

            Similarly, men and women, left to our own devices, can lumber through life, creating a trail of havoc wherever we go. Jesus stops us. He guides us in the right direction, and helps us to lead useful, creative lives here on earth. When we are about to fall, he supports and strengthens us.

            It is only an image, and it breaks down if we push it too far, but nonetheless it says something very powerful about Jesus. Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are quite startling. They challenge us over again. Which would we rather be? Like a petulant toddler, making a fuss over nothing, refusing to commit ourselves to Jesus Christ? Or men and women of faith, yoked to Jesus Christ, allowing him to guide our lives and support us?