Sermon: Sunday 7 September 2025
Texts: Luke 14.25-35
Theme: Start of the ‘Season of Creation 2025’ – Peace with Nature
O Saviour Christ, in whose way of love lies the secret of life and the hope of all people. We pray for quiet courage to match this hour; we did not choose to be born or to live in such an age but let its problems challenge us; its discoveries exhilarate us, its injustices anger us; its possibilities inspire us; and its vigour renew us. For your kingdom’s sake. Amen.
I start by thanking Father Paul for the invitation to preach today at St John’s. In fact, it is a return and sort of homecoming for me, because thirty years ago in 1995, in my last year of theological training at St Francis College – I was assigned as a theological student to this very parish and have always since that year carried a soft spot in my heart for this beautiful church and its great congregation. In short – it is good to be back.
Most of you will not know that in Lent last year I was diagnosed with incurable stage 4 prostate cancer. I am happy to state that I’m responding well to good treatment, and the cancer is on hold, but the side effects of the medication have meant I couldn’t continue as a Rector, and I stepped down from full-time ministry last December. Today, in fact, is the first time I have preached since my retirement, and I told Father Paul that I could very well be very, very rusty. I suppose only time will tell, and I apologise in advance if what follows is a jumbled mess. I’m certainly praying hard that God’s voice can be heard in my words.
Last Monday was the 1st of September, the start of the Season of Creation. A season in the Church’s liturgical calendar which the Universal Church has recently set aside for reflecting upon the majesty of the Created Order – the natural world around us. The season lasts just over a month running from the 1st of September until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on the 4th of October. Father Paul has asked that I particularly refer to the start of this season in my sermon, to set up the remaining Sundays in the season. I’m really happy to do so and will come back to this theme in a moment – but I want to first ask a question for your silent reflection as the Gospel passage this morning contains harsh words uttered from the mouth of Jesus and it begs, for me at least, the following: Do we want to follow the EASY Jesus or the HARD Jesus?
We all know the EASY Jesus – the one who in Matthew’s Gospel says, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ This is the Jesus we follow when life is shite, and we are at the end of our rope. Jesus is with us in our mess and says follow me and I will lead you home. I know of late, from personal experience that that’s exactly where I have been and maybe for some of you here this morning that’s the Jesus you need to heed and follow.
But what about our Gospel from Luke this morning where we hear Jesus say, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.’ For sure, this is the HARD Jesus, the no compromising, no ifs and buts, if you want to be my follower than it’s all or nothing Jesus. And really, is that what we want this morning, not least considering that it’s Father’s Day. And it’s ironic that we seem to be given license to put aside the fifth commandment about honouring our parents in order to hate them in order to follow our Lord. Do we really want the HARD Jesus? Sometimes, if I’m completely honest, the answer to that question is a big NO – give me EASY Jesus any day.
But what do we do with HARD Jesus! A couple of things really. The first is to note that EVERY commentator and scholar that I have read on these words of Jesus says that this is comparison language and not absolute language. It’s not that we have to hate everything including our very lives in order to follow Jesus but that we need to put Jesus number one – above everything else – including the safety of our lives, in order to follow Jesus, to be people of the Way! The second thing follows and that is for us to note the context of Jesus’ words. Large crowds were following. Many had been excited by the miracles of Jesus and the hope of a new life free from Roman occupation, but Jesus was making sure that people truly understood what it meant then and now to be a disciple of the Way. And it is interesting to note how few were left at the end.
The life of faith should be no different than other ventures; discipleship is not a weekend hobby or a vacation destination. It’s a full soul, full body, full mind endeavour that requires renunciation. And surrender. And a reordering of our identities, our priorities, and our proclivities.
As my good friend Australian theologian Andrew McGowan writes in his recent commentary on this passage:
An implication of Jesus’ address to the crowds is that not all of them (or us) will decide they really can build this tower or fight this battle. Jesus thus refuses the possibility that he or his message can be something just incremental, a form of “spirituality” that can be added to enhance a life that remains bent on other priorities, whether personal, familial, or national. Jesus will not be harnessed to any agenda to make us more efficient consumers, or leaders, or even family members, independently of him. Following him means giving all that up.
Sometimes I understand fully that my life is very comfortable thank you, in spite of my cancer diagnosis, and it really is the HARD Jesus way that I need to be reminded of. By dint of our baptism, we are all members of the body of Christ, we believe in God, and I hope that we trust that following in the Way of Jesus is the only life worth living. At times it is the EASY Jesus we hear and at times it is like today, the HARD Jesus. But, regardless of which Jesus we choose, both require us to follow.
So, let’s finally get to the Season of Creation. At last, some of you are thinking. But let me state that we need to be reminded all the time that our faith is not abstract but something we live as followers of our Lord and Saviour. Father Paul reminded you last week, for those here, that we Anglicans have adopted five marks of Mission. I think he described them as pillars and that’s good. They are five markers that describe our individual and collective action as followers of the WAY!
To remind you they are: To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, To teach, baptise and nurture new believers, To respond to human need by loving service, To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation, and To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. They are not in ranked order – they comprise a whole unit with five focuses. In the Season of Creation, we narrow in on number five – to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Each year there is a particular theme associated with the Season and this year the theme is ‘Peace with Creation.’ I take that to mean how do we live in peace and harmony with the Creation around us. How do we live in balance with God’s creation. In the material prepared there is the following: Creation is God’s sacred gift, entrusted to our care. Christians are called to protect and nurture Creation in peace, working in partnership with others and passing this responsibility on to future generations. Its deep interconnectedness makes peace both essential and fragile.
May I be bold and radical and state our starting point for this is prayer. When you go home today, cut out the prayer for the Season of Creation. Pin it to your fridge or other place where you will see it every day and make a declaration that you will sincerely pray this prayer everyday until the 4th of October. If this prayer bores you and you want variety, ask Father Paul. We have hundreds of prayers that could be used for this season. But don’t leave it there!
Remember what St Augustine once said, ‘Pray as if everything depends upon God, but act as if everything depends upon you.’ If you want a simple act or action, download the Anglican Board of Mission Australia Season of Creation App – Weaving a Stronger Spell. It is a daily reading with quotes and questions and visuals that are simply stunning and more importantly thought-provoking.
If you want a four-part online bible study of this theme, then look for Anglican Overseas Aid’s ‘Climate Justice series: The Role of the Church in protecting and restoring God’s Creation.’ Each study is no more than 15 minutes long and inspiring and they are worth our time. If you want to get your hands dirty then just say, “More trees – less plastic” Since the 2022 Lambeth Conference – the initiative of the Anglican Communion Forest is gaining traction. Father Paul would have access to more information here, but may I suggest as a starting point, that this parish decides to plant one tree for each parishioner in this season of creation.
The amount of plastic waste in our world is an evil and wicked problem, and I’m not naïve enough to suggest that St John’s can solve the problem in thirty days, BUT that doesn’t mean we don’t do our very best in reducing the amount of single-use plastic that enters our households. Can we go home – make a small list of plastics we encounter regularly and decide at least for September that we are going to go without that item covered in plastic that ends up in our oceans and landfill, food chains and in our very bodies.
I’m going to finish by making two requests of Parish Council on your behalf. If you want collective action by St John’s Anglican Parish Bulimba, may I suggest you look at the Sustainability Roadmap developed by this very Diocese at least two years ago and the five-leaf eco awards that have been in existence for at least a decade. Father Paul I am sure can find these initiatives and include them on the Parish Council agenda.
Whether it’s the EASY Jesus or the HARD Jesus we are called to follow may we follow our Lord and Saviour to work and act for the integrity of creation and may we help sustain and renew the life of the earth.
The Lord be with you.
A Space for Grace 