At Sermon preached at St Mary's and Christ Church in the context of the Eucharist. The night before, I had seen Stomzy perform at Glastonbury - along with many others watching and commentating on social media.
Along with the pyrotechnics of the set design, there were serious points being made: naming the fear and challenging gang violence in wearing a stab-proof vest emblazoned with the union flag; sampling David Lammy’s speech about race and the criminal justice system; the gospel choir, the grainy street videos; the ballet sequence. Not only was it echoing his own commitment to sponsorship of black students and dancers, but he was challenging us about power and visibility.
Then he had Glasto singing "Blinded by your grace"....
The readings were 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62 which all resonate with moments of decision and following Jesus.
On Friday night, Stomzy became the first black British artist to headline on Glastonbury’s famous Pyramid Stage.
Beyond the controversy and expletives, his performance deconstructed binaries and asking who is powerful and powerless; who is invisible or treated differently.
Then he says: “Glasto, we’re gonna go to church right now”.
One of the UK’s biggest grime artists isn’t afraid to share his faith.
At a festival he says: “Gonna give God all the glory right now”.
And he does so by singing “Blinded by your grace”: a song about the goodness of God meeting the brokenness of our hearts, our lives, our world.
Lord, I’ve been broken,
Although I’m not worthy,
You fixed me, I’m blinded by your grace,
You came and saved me.
Brokenness met with grace.
Unworthiness met with healing.
God comes to be with us.
God saves us.
The lyrics continue: But oh my God what a God I serve.
This isn’t a kinship of blood or birth: we are God’s children.
Stormzy’s playlist isn’t without contradictions. His music reflects on his experience of life - both good and bad. Jesus has had an impact on him and as his popularity has moved him from fringe to mainstream, he is exploring that journey.
Blinded by grace: sung with 200,000 people in a field; sung on one of the world’s biggest stages.
As one Christian youth worker tweeted (@stalbansdyo): his music is ‘a significant liturgy for young people in the nation - a modern psalmody of hopes and fears’.
Today’s readings explore the journey of faith and changed lives. It’s not straightforward - the themes of rejection, decision, fruitfulness and freedom run through them.
Jesus sets his face towards Jerusalem. The road is tough; the shadow of the cross looms.
He faces rejection and not for the first time.
In his home town of Nazareth, some asked how could this local lad be God’s Messiah? So he could do no deed of power there, and he left.
For a Jew to take the direct to Jerusalem through Samaria could be dangerous. There was suspicion and mistrust; disagreements about the Temple, different views of the Messiah.
They reject a truth didn’t chime with their concerns.
James and John have been haggling about who was the greatest. Their response to rejection highlights that the disciples haven’t clocked it.
To call down fire from heaven would use divine power to destroy rather that to heal.
Jesus rebukes: he rejects violence in the face of rejection; he rejects hostility in the face of inhospitality.
Love more deeply.
Love God. Love neighbour as yourself. Love enemy.
Jesus is love divine; loving us.
Love that comes and saves.
Love raised on the cross; raised from the tomb.
Love expanded and setting us free.
Love demands our all.
Our journey of discipleship is demanding: it demands that we make choices about our priorities and relationships; how we use our influence and our time.
Jesus travels with the twelve; with men and women from Galilee. As he passes through villages, more tag along: the curious, the adventurous, and those wanting to know more.
One is starstruck, declaring with an eager devotion: ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’
Jesus walks the way of self-giving love.
His followers we’re to adopt that same pattern: to walk in the world, step by step; walking with love. Being with the brokenhearted and overjoyed; the rejected, rejecting and the peacemakers.
‘Follow me’, says Jesus.
Someone amongst the band of travellers falls under his gaze.
‘First let me go and bury my father.’
A reasonable response to an immediate need or long term responsibility.
We hesitate too. Before saying “yes” to what God is calling us to our mind flits to the domestic concerns, our loyalties, loves and life.
Jesus is reverses all that.
First, he says, follow me.
First. Follow.
Then those other concerns will be reshaped; seen differently; infused with more grace and love and life.
Time is short. Life is short.
The Kingdom is near.
Our hearts, our lives, our city, our world cry out urgently: I’ve been broken.
We our to proclaim: there is healing, there is grace.
But oh my God what a God we serve.
God comes. God saves. In Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Jesus still says: ‘Follow me’.
Again, a voice replies. ‘I will follow you, Lord’. The heart is there; the instinct is right.
But, they say; but we say: ‘let me first say farewell to those at my home.’
When Elisha is anointed by Elijah, he has time to kiss his family good bye. He slaughters his livestock so that he can prepare a feast; he offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Jesus is being more forceful.
There can be no delay: follow.
God’s love runs deeper than our ties of biological kinship.
In following, we learn that such love embraces stranger and neighbour in need.
In following, love is stirred up in us as we see the other differently.
Today, as Jesus voice says follow, that love is kindled in us.
Paul reminds the Galatians that this call to follow is a calling to freedom.
This freedom isn’t an invitation to self-indulgence or self-promotion; it’s not about self-satisfaction or even self-reliance.
Freedom to pursue our own desires leads to division in relationships and causes harm to ourselves.
This freedom is an invitation to love others and to seek their welfare.
We might not play to 200,000 young people; but we all have a place - a stage - with others where we can name brokenness and bring grace.
We gather as a people with gifts and callings: some visible and put into practice; some niggling away at us, coming to potential.
Teachers, leaders and people of prayer; people with pastoral hearts and creative spirits; there are musicians, and people gifted at welcome and service.
We are invited to follow - to lay aside our fears, our ‘but firsts’.
The Spirit is in this place: guiding, inspiring, provoking and setting us free: free to do new things; or to do the old things with renewed love.
Today, we are invited to participate ever more deeply in love poured out on the cross; and to embrace the new life bursting from the tomb.
Each Eucharist reminds us that the vocation of our flesh is to embody love.
And by the power of the Spirt at work in us, breath by breath, to see love bring forth fruit of kindness, generosity and peace.
The Spirit shapes our attitudes bit by bit, enabling us to be self-controlled and patient.
Lord, I’ve been broken,
Although I’m not worthy,
You fixed me,
The Spirit deepens our capacity to be faithful and loving.
I’m blinded by your grace,
You came and saved me.
This is the source of the Spirit’s gift of joy.
I’m blinded by your grace,
You came and saved me.
© Julie Gittoes 2019
