Sermon by the Rev. Michael Crawford

Some years ago, Jacqueline and I, in preparation for retirement, embarked on a Royal Yachting Association training schedule. So that we might do some sailing each year we needed to brush up on our skills and so undertook a ‘Day Skipper’ Course. 5 days at sea in a 40 ft sailing boat with a training skipper in charge. We had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed the course and learned a huge amount about navigation, practical sailing and something about ourselves as well.

On the last full day the skipper, Demetrious, informed us that we were to undertake, as part of the qualification, a ‘Night Sail’ It turned out that this exercise was not to be fully at sea, that would have been too easy a trip …but … a 12 mile passage across Limassol bay. Now Limassol bay is always stuffed full of ships at anchor, moorings for oil tankers, fish farms and plenty of other ‘Hazards to Shipping.’ The skipper announced that Jacqueline was to take the helm for the whole trip, a white knuckle ride for her … and my task was to set the course from scratch, navigate along the way, making certain that we did not bump into anything.

During the day, line of sight sailing is a piece of cake, at least in the Mediterranean, you see the island ahead and you set off… but at night with the landward side of the boat all along Limassol sea front, lit up like a Christmas tree, believe me it can be quite a challenge. I worked the chart and set the course. I was relying heavily on certain shore based lights which were marked on the chart: the entrance to the Old Port, the entrance to the New Port, the Telecom tower on the hill behind the town and several others clearly charted.

When I ordered the course to sail, Demetrious, the polite, gentle skipper casually asked how I had set the course. As I explained my calculations to him, he smiled knowingly.

‘Mr Michael’ he said, pointing to my marked chart ‘The navigation Light you have used just here is actually the MacDonald’s Concession in the Lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel on Makarious Avenue. Can you please plot another course?’ Rather sheepishly I returned to the chart table to have another go.

For a few moments I was lost. I had no idea where I was.

You will be glad to know that Jacqueline acquitted herself so much better than I and brought us safely to harbour in a force 6/7, mild gale, at night, with a following wind, on just a Jib Sail! Yes, a white knuckle ride indeed. The sailors amongst you will understand and no doubt wish to congratulate her at coffee

But I, for a moment simply did not know where I was .

My question for us today is ‘Do you know where you are?’

At one level the answer is easy; we are all here at Church in Mearns Road, Clarkston Post Code …G76 7ER. Did you know that we sit …latitude 55’ 78.5” North, longitude 4’27.6” West

With all the technology available to us, SAT Nav, Google maps, Global Positioning satellites, Smart phones we need never ever feel lost again. It just needs a bit of working out and we know precisely where we are. And when we know just where we are, we can then be sure about where we are going. But of course that’s all about our geographical location…

I wonder if we all know just where we are in our personal lives, where we are emotionally and perhaps most importantly of all where are we spiritually. Are we certain, absolutely certain, of our Spiritual Location? Or are we, as I was on Limassol Bay, ‘all at sea’ as it were? With all the fashions and developments in church thinking and modern debate; having been bombarded with all the issues facing Christianity today, are we certain of our own position?

The Apostle Paul’s words read to us a few minutes ago from Colossians ch. 3, could be for us almost like a ‘Spiritual GPS’ giving us not only our true position but also allowing us to plot our future course in life. As if God’s word can allow us to pinpoint just where we are and then perhaps feel more certain of our future direction.

So, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church in Colossae, to believers, to those committed to the Lord Jesus. Committed to God’s word. If you are a believer today, if you are committed to the same Lord Jesus, if you are a true Christian, then this passage applies to you and to me as it did to members of God’s church back then.

Verse 3… ‘For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ’ FOR YOU DIED

We are way past the Season of Easter in our Church Calendar but the truths of Easter hold all year round. On that first Good Friday Jesus died on a cross outside the city walls. He died in our place so that our sins might be forgiven; the wrath of God was directed away from us and placed directly onto Jesus as he suffered that most cruel death. We thank God for what he did on Calvary, we acknowledge Jesus’ death. Paul is saying here that as Jesus died we died with him. In a spiritual sense our old sinful natures were put to death on that very same cross. We died to sin. His death was our death too.

In verse 1 we note a continuation of the Easter theme. Easter day, Resurrection Day. Jesus was miraculously raised from death to life. Paul says.... ‘ since then, you have been raised with Christ’…. So we have (note the past tense here) shared in his death and resurrection.

You might recognise this concept in our Baptism rites. Many Churches, particularly in the east, practice ‘Full immersion’ Baptism where the new Christian goes down into the water as if entering a grave, fully submerged and is raised up to a new life. The image is still there in modern infant baptism. The Liturgy we use speaks of ‘from death to life’

So, Paul insists... we died and we were raised up to new life.

Continuing in v1 ‘…where Christ is seated at the right hand of God’ Coupled with v3 again ‘…for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ with God.’ Paul is saying, ‘Christian, you died with Christ, your have been raised with Christ and wonderfully you are with Christ, at the right hand of God’ I don’t know about you but I find that very exciting, more than that… amazing. To ..

Again in v. 3. we note that we are with Christ, our old natures having been put to death. We are with Christ, having been raised to a new life in Him. We are with him at the right hand of the father where he is. But in v 3 we also read that ‘…our life is now HIDDEN with Christ’ Surely this new life, in Christ is one of triumph. His triumph to be sure, but one in which we share. Why ‘hidden?’

I have been known to misplace things around the house, just now and then. The Mobile Phone Charger is a favourite of mine. My first instinct when this happens to is cry out ‘Jacqueline, where have you hidden the charger’. The word hidden is in this situation as if something is lost. When Paul uses the word hidden here he does not mean concealed or lost as such. In ancient times there were no such things as banks and |safety deposit boxes. If you had treasured possessions your only recourse was to bury it for safe keeping. For security. ‘Hidden’ in this context means safe and secure. Christian, your new life in Christ is one of security. We may, and probably do, struggle with daily life, (‘let me count the ways’) We have our doubts and spiritual uncertainties. Paul wants us to know that in Christ, all is secure. Nothing nor anybody can take that away from us. Christian, be secure in that knowledge.

So although the word ‘hidden’ refers to a life of security there does remain a sense in which the world cannot yet see it. It is as if ‘There is a present reality but not yet’ When we look round at one another, when we look in the mirror, I think it is safe to say that we don’t always see this life of triumph. We so often feel puny, in significant, small. We look at the church (present company accepted of course) and we often see an organisation which is anything but appearing to be living a triumphant life. Some churches, believe it or not, appear to be dull and lifeless! Some church members too! Don’t be surprised insists Paul, because this life is hidden with Christ… FOR NOW! Paul elsewhere speaks of looking through a glass darkly, an unclear reality, not quite yet. On that great day all will be revealed.

So where are you, where am I? This Biblical GPS is quite clear… Christian you are with Christ. For now at the right hand of God, there is no safer place… But in the words of that Irish comedian ‘There’s more!’

Consider verse 4. ‘When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in Glory’ We know, the Bible is clear, the Creed confirms it, our expectation demands it that Christ will come again in Glory. The Church will be triumphant. Any doubts the world may have will be dispelled. And we, you and I Christian, will return with him in triumph. Any doubts we may have whilst still on this earth, any feelings of inadequacy, any feelings of helplessness in the face of so much opposition to our faith in Christ, will be crushed on that great day. Our present position is secure and our future is golden.

Paul wants us to hold on to these realities, not to lose sight of our position. And so he gives two commands

V1 ‘Set your hearts on things above’

V2 set your minds on things above’

Notice these are not statements ‘as you are a Christian you have set your hearts’ but more a command ‘Set your hearts’

Paul of all people recognises that the things of this world can and often do distract us from the reality of our salvation. Although we have died to sin, we still struggle daily to live as God would have us. I used to have a bumper sticker on my study door ‘He died for me therefore I shall live for Him’ Friends we all know that is much easier said than done. Which one of us does not sin? Let me give you a picture to illustrate the point.

Imagine a Hot air balloon, Ballast is used to prevent it from going up too high and to bring it down. Our need for recognition, our comforts and lifestyle choices, our possessions, our aspirations and ambitions..even our relationships can be likened to this ballast, preventing our hearts from rising towards heaven. These might be good things in and of themselves, they may indeed be counted as gifts from God… but if they ever get in the way of our relationship with Christ, if they ever steal our hearts away from him, the danger is that we might lose sight of him and become lost again.

I’m reminded of the story of an old Bishop of the church who always wanted a Hepplewite Sideboard. He once saw one in someone’s home and was determined one day to own one. When he retired he took his savings and bought his sideboard and with great pleasure and pride placed it right in the bay window of his drawing room. He was delighted to own one after all these years of saving hard. One day he was visiting an elderly parishioner who sick. It started raining and whilst in the company of the elderly parishioner his wondered if he had shut the window in front of the sideboard. On the way home he realised what had happened; he had allowed his heart to fix on his most treasured earthly possession and when he got home he immediately put it up for sale and got rid of it. ‘Set your hearts on things above, because that is where God is’ Try not to let our earthly passions get in the way of our heavenly relationship with God.

Paul’s second command is to ‘Set you mind on things above, not on earthly things’ We often think that our minds are at rest ‘I was thinking of nothing... just musing’ But our minds are never at rest, they are every moment being bombarded with information, sights and sounds. There is so much to take in. Paul wants us to train our minds to be able to remain on spiritual matters, to somehow blot out the dross that again prevents us from concentrating on heaven. It is so dfficult… This is Paul’s idea that we try daily if we can to fill our minds with matters spiritual and try to blot out the stuff of daily life. We need still to be in the world of course… so how might it work? Here’s an idea…

Let me encourage you take up your Bibles on a daily basis. Find a time, hopefully at the beginning of each day to read some of God’s word. It could be a long piece or even a few verses. Put just one thought from what you read into your mind... But there is a caution…. If you are anything like me... I read my Bible… ‘OK good Christian, I’ve ticked the box’, then I close the bible and launch myself into the day. I should try to hold the single thought and bring myself back to it as the day progresses. Try it. Why not use v3?

What an encouraging thought to carry through the day, that no matter what happens, how boring or difficult the day is, no matter what is thrown at you… you remind yourself of the eternal truth that your life is with God! .

So Christian, where are you? What is your spiritual GPS location? What does your heavenly SAT NAV read? Be secure, be safe, be assured… your new life is with Christ, at the right hand of God and one day you will return in triumph. And until that great day when he returns let us fix our hearts and our minds on these realities and indeed live a life of triumph that his name might be glorified!