Sermon for 9 July 2000, Parish Communion, St Mary Magdalen, Sheet, published on www.trikeshed.com

Bible reading: Mark 6:1-13

A couple of weeks ago I watched a very moving dramatisation of the voyage of Earnest Shackleton. This was about 1914. Shackleton and his team were trying to cross the Antarctic continent on foot. The ship taking them there, the Endurance, got trapped in the ice and they were stuck for ten months, but then the Endurance broke up and they spent another five months living on ice floes, eventually getting to Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others had to get help and they undertook the most incredible 800-mile voyage in a little boat through 200-mph winds and 60-foot waves, got to South Georgia, but the wrong side of the island, so he and two others scaled unclimbed mountains to get to the whaling station on the other side. Eventually after four attempts he managed to get back to his stranded men, and the miracle is that he saved every single one of them.

Why do I tell this story? For two reasons.

First, today is Sea Sunday, when we remember all whose life and livelihood takes place on the sea, and we particularly celebrate and support the work of what was the Missions to Seamen, but which has quite rightly been renamed the Mission to Seafarers. I have to admit that the apex of my "seamanship" has been to take a narrowboat through a flight of locks in the Midlands. Some of you I know are accomplished seafarers, but I’m sure both landlubbers and sea-salts have the deepest respect for men and women who endure and master the wind and waves of the open sea.

Second, it illustrates a little about the theme of our Gospel reading. What was it that kept those men from losing hope, so that they were still alive when Shackleton came back? Was it luck or providence? Was it their faith in God? Or particularly in this case was it also their faith in the man they called the Boss? It is said that they never lost hope that he would return – and as it happens, they were right, though of course Shackleton was only a man, and they could easily have been tragically wrong.

In our reading there was a very interesting contrast between two scenes. In the first scene, Jesus tries to teach in his home town of Nazareth, and fails to do any miracles (except lay his hands on a few people and heal them, which is a wonderful piece of irony). The people can’t believe that this man whose ordinariness they are so aware of could possibly be so special. It’s very easy to picture this, I think – surely we would be the same. Maybe it didn’t work for Jesus because he was surrounded by his brothers and sisters, the comforts of home – did he relax a bit too much? Was that the reason? We’ll come back to that in a moment.

Then in the second half it seems the tables are turned. The disciples are sent out and it is a complete contrast. Absolutely no home comforts allowed. No spare clothes, no money, no bag even to beg for money. And they were successful. They preached, and they drove out many demons, anointed many sick people and healed them. Maybe it did work for them because they were leaner and keener and fitter. No chance to put their feet up in front of the telly. Living on their wits.

It’s tempting to make the connection, isn’t it? Jesus, at home – failure. Disciples, away from home – success. But I don’t think it’s quite as simple as that. Yes of course, we are supposed to be strangers here on earth – in a sense, as Christians we are not in our home town. The model of Christian mission and ministry is dynamic, not static. In our hearts we are called to go out and not to stay at home. But in a practical sense, in terms of where we actually are, the kingdom of God needs both. It needs a base camp and it needs explorers.

Let me give you an example. Sarah [our Vicar] and many of our brothers and sisters in this church are at the moment in Oberammergau, to witness the world-famous Passion Play which takes place every ten years. It seems to me that there are two elements that make this play so special. One is that it is truly a world event, attended by people who travel, who uproot themselves, if only for a few days – people who go on pilgrimage. But the other element is that it is a play performed by the people of Oberammergau itself. And has been virtually every decade since 1634. This means that it is an expression of the soul of the village, which really means that some people at least have to belong – they have to stay put.

So we still haven’t found the real answer to why Jesus on this occasion didn’t get on so well and why his disciples did. If it isn’t to do with being at home or striking out – what is the reason? If we look again at the Gospel reading, what is Jesus’ reaction to the situation? He was amazed at their lack of faith. Matthew, writing about the same thing, is more explicit: He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Then when Jesus sends out the Twelve, when he briefs them he sets great store by the response they get from their hosts: If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them. So something very important is the attitude of people to the Good News, their willingness to hear it, their faith. In the same way that one of the reasons behind the miracle of Shackleton’s rescue of his men was the faith of those who were waiting, left behind, giving them strength to endure, as well as Shackleton’s amazing heroism in risking all, making the most perilous journey to help them.

What does this mean for our work in furthering the Kingdom of God here and now? It means that we cannot usually just go out and zap people with the Gospel. The world around us has to be made ready, receptive, and I think the great work of doing that belongs to those of us who stay and commit ourselves in love to the community, just as the work of bringing in the harvest is for those who are in some sense "sent out". A couple of things to say about this:

First we’re not stuck with being one sort or the other for the rest of our lives. It may be that we’ll have periods of stability – of being at home, and other times when we have to step out into the unknown.

And second, if we are one of the stayers-behind, this is not a recipe for being complacent, because I believe that in spirit we really do need to be like the Twelve, travelling light and relying on God for all. But in practical terms it means that the good news comes to those who are ready for it, and a great part of our work is to nurture that spark of faith in everyone we meet. Which we can do in our home town. Even if (as Jesus found) our own people can be a frustrating bunch sometimes.

Closing prayer:

Heavenly Father, give us the spirit of seafarers, and the spirit of the twelve disciples who travelled light and gave everything to share your Good News in love – wherever it is, near to home or far away, that you need us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

© Mike Knee, 2000

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