Let me first, though, pray for us. O gracious
God, may the words of my mouth and may the thoughts
of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight.
Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Well,
thank you, James, for your invitation to come
back and to be with you. It's a few years ago
since I was last here at Oak Hill. And I imagine
that apart from staff that this completely new
student body and look forward to meeting some
of you over lunch and waiting for your questions
after this service. The very first occasion I
actually came to Oak Hill was 19, I think was
1981. which when I was just 13, and I mentioned
my mother earlier, as you'll realize a few years
on from the time I spoke about when my... Faith
became very personal and very real and alive.
My mother responded to the need that we saw in
front of us, sensing God's call to serve in some
capacity, some way in an ordained ministry. At
that time, women were able to be ordained deaconess.
So my mother offered herself for ministry as
a deaconess in the Church of England. And she
refused to attend, resisted all attempts to move
her on to training programs. in the southwest
where we were living at that time. She insisted
she wanted to train at Oak Hill and felt that
would give her the best grounding that she would
need for ministry. And so she brought us along.
She trained on the part -time course that Oak
Hill itself ran at that time, its staff taught
on. And so she brought myself and my siblings
at various times along to share in weekends.
So my very first experience of kind of... challenging
theology. I can vividly remember the place I
was. I can even remember where I was in the room
as the principal taught on hermeneutics, which
for a 13 -year -old, there were some big words
there. I was quite excited about the big words.
I had very little idea quite what they might
mean, but I knew it was good, and I'm sure it
continues to be good, and that you are being
strengthened and equipped for lifelong ministry
as she was, and for which I personally am also
very grateful. So it's good to be back a few
years on and to share again with you at this
very critical moment for the church in our nation,
not just the Church of England. And I know many
of you are not part of specifically the Church
of England, but have a care for the Church of
England. But I do believe that before us... This
time, there are challenges, unique challenges
that we face as we face into the culture in which
we are seeking to proclaim the gospel. But we
also have unique opportunities. And I hope you'll
get a sense of that as I try to bring something
of a kind of personal perspective as well that
I hope will be reflected as we look and explore
Ephesians 3 together. My text for this sermon
is Ephesians 3, verse 20, and in particular,
where Paul writes now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
And my question is this. How do we nurture in
ourselves and in others a healthy confidence
in this truth? I think we need to examine it
carefully if we're to avoid it simply being a
favorite verse for the perennial optimists among
us. People who can easily be given over to. the
possibility of exaggeration while seeking to
raise the expectation levels around them that
might at times frustrate them. But sometimes
we can find ourselves tipping over into trying
to enlist people into our good cause or plan.
Like an anxious senior minister, I've been one
of those who, having set out the vision and the
strategic priorities for the church over the
next three years, concludes with a rallying prayer
based on this verse. As if and hoping. that it
might in some way eliminate or diminish the deflating
effects of those who you fear are poised to jump
in and ask the probing question or to offer their
critical analysis that might push the well -worked
plan off course. And so we say, remember, he
who is able to do immeasurably more. We hope
it will kind of somehow close off some of the
debate. Well, there is an equally damaging risk.
to the well -being of the church and it's not
only in that sort of exaggeration the lack of
reality that sometimes can impinge upon the anxiety
of those who minister the gospel but also those
who've been knocked back in Christian life and
ministry managing a series of disappointments
a sense of failure who may read this verse as
containing truth that applies to others who are
more blessed than us, or at least where the gospel
is received more readily. Now, in my experience,
the church really does need more people of bold
faith and courage and imagination. And I would
far rather have those than people who have learned
to reduce or downsize their hopeful enthusiasm.
Don't let that happen to you. I don't know how
long you keep Christmas cards up in your home.
Most people keep them up just perhaps to turn
the corner into the new year. I received a Christmas
card in Christmas, coming up to Christmas 2022.
And it is still on the mantelpiece of our home
as a kind of centerpiece. And it has on it just
a simple etching of the nativity. There are shepherds
gazing down upon the Christ child. And the words
on the card are simply this. Nothing seems impossible
anymore. Nothing seems impossible anymore. It
arrived on a day and in a week when I was dealing
with a complex set of issues, of conflicts, of
setbacks in just about every sphere of life and
work. I was longing for some respite from the
challenges I was facing, but the encouragement
I needed in the end didn't come from immediate
resolutions to everything, but in the centering
of my attention once again on the reason for
the hope that we have and the confidence that
we have in the God who has called us. Because
of Jesus and his coming into the mess of our
world as Savior and Lord to conquer the greatest
enemy of sin and death, nothing should seem impossible
anymore. For this is the head of the church,
Christ Jesus himself. So I am very grateful to
Mark Green at LICC for his Christmas card that
year. It still has a special place. As followers
of Jesus, as part of his church, we are meant
to be a community filled with God's living hope.
We should be the most creative and the most bold
and hopeful organization on earth. But that is
not easy when we also face the daily reality
of a spiritual battle that never goes on pause.
And the apostle will come on to that later in
Ephesians. So how do we retain hopeful confidence
in Christ while remaining vigilant in the battle
for salt? Now, the substance of our confidence,
I believe, is held out for us within this prayer
of Paul. It's the centerpiece of his great epistle
to the Ephesians. With some obvious qualifications,
the first three chapters, as you may know, focus
on doctrine and the last three on practical Christian
living, the implications of that doctrine. Verses
14 to 21 form the vital connection or the meeting
point between the two parts. Now, in one of the
older Bible commentaries by Bishop Handley Mool,
published, in fact, 125 years ago, but as fresh
as ever, he includes a very moving chapter in
the center of his commentary. He sort of steps
back from the detail of the commentary to reflect
on this moment in the epistle. And he writes
this. He says, we have, as it were, in this prayer,
reached the top. of a mountain road. The place
invites us to rest and also retrospect. We shall
soon move on towards the plains and the cities.
Let us sit still for a time under the quiet sky.
and contemplate the everlasting hills among which
we have ascended as they lift their heads heavenwards
and pour their waters down the paths at our feet
towards the scenes of human life and on he goes
Sounds like Keswick James, actually, when I read
that again. I mean, how do we nurture such confident,
hopeful faith in God as his people and as his
church? Well, the answer is simply this prayer.
Simply this prayer. But here is the primary source
of our confidence in expecting God to move him
in power. This prayer is earnest and it's humble
and it's far reaching in the scope of its vision.
Paul begins, for this reason, I kneel before
the father from whom every family in heaven and
on earth derives its name. As you may know, bowing
the knee is a sign not only of prayer, but specifically
of reverence, of surrender, of humility before
God. So here is where I let go of my need to
prove myself as a bishop, as a minister of the
gospel, as a husband, as a father, as a friend,
as a follower of Christ. Here is where I no longer
try to exert pressure on God to enlist him into
my cause. This prayer... is about a response
of the soul to all that Christ has done for us.
That's the journey that Paul has been traveling
through the landscape, the mountaintops of the
gospel, the reality of our salvation. And so
what could he do but kneel in humility and surrender
before God and to plead with God on behalf of
the church in prayer? So this prayer is about
a response of the soul to all that Christ has
done for us, seeking him above everything before
the journey back down into the valley. You see,
on the other side of this prayer is Paul begins
to descend then towards the plains and the cities
of practical Christian living. He says, I urge
you to live a life worthy of the calling that
you've received. Be completely humble and gentle.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit
and the bond of peace. We often finish at verse
21. I think it's helpful in understanding the
positioning of this prayer if we begin the journey
then down that mountain into the valley of practical
Christian living. Paul doesn't think it is going
to be easy for the Ephesians. That's why he prays
so intensely for them. And he does not believe
that his prayer for them is going to keep them
out of trouble. In fact, he reminds them in the
very beginning of this journey back down the
mountain that he is a prisoner for the Lord.
Just remember what it has already cost me. So
what sort of prayer will the summit of our salvation
inspire in us when we take those moments as we
do in this communion to look out and survey again?
The reality, the wondrous reality of the gospel.
Well, three things Paul prays for the Ephesians,
which we should pray for ourselves consistently
and above all, pray for others earnestly and
with humility. For inner strength, for inner
love and for inner growth transformation. So
first of all, inner strength. Paul says, I pray
that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen
you with power through his spirit in your inner
being. so that Christ may dwell in your heart
through faith. Now, of course, they'd already
received the Holy Spirit, but this is about seeking
the continual indwelling of the Spirit of God.
John Stott puts it like this. He said what Paul
asks for here, for his readers, is that they
may be fortified, braced, invigorated, that they
may know the strength of the Spirit's inner reinforcement
and may lay hold ever more firmly by faith of
this divine strength this divine indwelling i
love that phrase this the spirit's inner reinforcement
i tend to find that if i try and put my own reinforcement
in place it makes my heart heart impenetrable
And we need to protect ourselves at times. And
we will do that at times in a way that creates
almost a sort of a concrete -like protection
around our souls, our hearts, in a way that can
make us difficult to connect with. And that includes
connecting with God, pouring out our heart or
soul to him in prayer, as Paul does here. So
what Paul is praying for here is that the Spirit
would bring that inner reinforcement. that we
will know our protection inwardly to come through
the Spirit that keeps our hearts soft towards
one another. We're able to be completely humble,
gentle, patient, bearing with one another in
love. I certainly, I know I need that as I face
the challenges of ministry day by day. Now, of
course, this doesn't happen overnight. It is
the inner resilience that the Holy Spirit brings,
especially as we daily... seek to be filled and
refilled with the strength of God through his
spirit the reality that Christ is dwelling in
us the word Paul uses here is not the the word
dwell is not the word for someone stopping over
as a temporary guest he could have used that
word that's the word that's used most frequently
in the new testament for dwelling what Paul is
using here is a word that talks about a permanent
residence because Christ dwells in you by faith.
This is where our resilience comes from. Now,
secondly, not only is Paul praying for inward
strength, but also for inner love. He says, and
I pray that you being rooted and established
in love may have power together with all the
Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long
and high and deep is the love of Christ. Paul.
deliberately mixes his metaphors here um one
botanical the other architectural um and and
he does that i think purposefully perhaps there's
a you will know there's a rich theological seam
in both these images of being rooted um and established
in love and they run right through scripture
these foundations these roots are given to us
they're a gift from god and they're given to
us notice first of all not primarily to prepare
us for the work that god has has prepared in
advance for us they're given to us for the purpose
for which we were redeemed that we may know more
and more of the love of god that we may know
christ better as paul says in in ephesians 1.
that we might live to his praise and his glory.
And of course, then our work, our ministry flows
out of that knowledge of his love, that feeding
on and dwelling in and soaking in his love. And
in the process, we become more loving people
as we learn to receive God's love as a consistent
part of our daily Walk with him. We need to soak
in this ocean that the picture almost certainly
that Paul has in mind here as he considers the
expanse of God's love. We are meant to soak in
that love and to allow it to go on transforming
us, renewing our vision, our vision of Christ,
but also renewing our commitment to then walk
in his ways as we... daily go down that valley
into the towns and the villages and the cities
where we live out our faith. Which leads to a
third prayer of Paul, and that is for inner transformation.
He prays that we may know this love that surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God. Verse 19. Now Paul
surely has in view here our final state of perfection.
When one day God will complete the work he has
begun in us, that glorious day that we look towards.
But his promise here is also that God will continue
now what he has started. He says elsewhere in
2 Corinthians that though outwardly we're wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by
day. As we're being transformed into his image
with ever increasing glory, which comes from
the Lord, who is the spirit. You see, God is
always building. God is always at work. Jesus
reminded his disciples about in our gospel reading.
My father is always. And God is always continuing
his work in our lives and in his church. And
he is building in the ruins. We often can be
overwhelmed by the sight of the ruins around
us, sometimes the ruins within the life or the
ministry of the church, or the ruins in our society,
our culture, but we're also maybe conscious of
the ruins in our own lives as well. The things
that we would dearly like to sort out or fix
as though somehow once those ruins are sorted,
we can then begin to move on. We have been as
a family in Nottinghamshire for 10 years. We
live in a house that was built in the ruins of
a medieval palace. And it's a thousand year old
ruin. And about a quarter of it has been restored
into a modern, well, a hundred year old house,
modern by Episcopal terms anyway. And but I look
out. It struck me very early on as I start set
out on the ministry as a bishop in Nottinghamshire
with all the challenges around both in the church
and the wider culture that I look out every morning
as I begin the day on ruins. But actually noticing
that those ruins didn't prevent a rebuilding
work. And that is always how God works. In fact,
we heard that described, the restoration work
of God that was foreseen by the prophet Isaiah.
God begins every day as we arise. God is continuing
that work in us and in his church. And so sometimes
we have to be reminded of that. This prayer reminds
us of that when we may be overwhelmed by the
ruins. And of course, that includes sometimes
the things that fill us with despair when we
see some of the ruins within our own lives. I
think C .S. Lewis captures this brilliantly with
an analogy that I'm sure some of you have heard
from mere Christianity, where he says, imagine
yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild
that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand
what he's doing. He's getting the drains right
and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on.
You knew that those jobs needed doing, and so
you are not surprised. But presently, he starts
knocking the house about in a way that hurts
abominably and does not seem to make any sense.
What on earth is he up to? The explanation is
that he is building quite a different house from
the one you thought of. Throwing out a new wing
here, putting on an extra floor there, running
up towers, making courtyards. You thought you
were being made into a decent little cottage.
But he is building a palace. He intends to come
and live in it himself. Christ dwelling in us.
So we should not be overwhelmed by the ruins
that we may see, whatever form they take around
us and even within us, because God is always
working. And so Paul, in this prayer, pouring
himself out to God earnestly, pleading with God
on his knees before God, prays for inner strength,
inner love and inner transformation. And I wonder,
do you know any follower of Christ who would
not want more of these things in their lives?
The answer is no. We long for that inner strength,
that inner love, the love that flows out of a
heart that is being overwhelmed by the love of
Christ and that continued transformation. And
it's in answer to these prayers that we receive
the confidence to go on boldly trusting God for
more, for more than we could imagine. And so
that's why I would urge you to give yourselves.
to bolder prayers, so that you are able to engage
with the vision and the purposes that God has
for you and for his whole church. Whatever that
may mean for each one of you in the days to come,
and whatever that may cost. It's why John Wesley
famously said, prayer is where the action is.
Prayer is where the action is. The prayers of
the New Testament and particularly the context
in which this prayer sits within the narrative
of Ephesians, I would encourage you, are prayers
to take on, to soak in, even to learn by heart.
Prayer is where the action is. The Diocese of
Sutherland and Nottingham has a reputation that
it's built up over time of being... one of the
most strategic dioceses in the Church of England
in terms of its planning and its focus on implementing
a clear plan for the development of gospel ministry.
I'm always quite pleased when I hear people reflecting
on that, sometimes not with entirely flattering
terms, but it depends who you're listening to.
It's something of the reputation that we have
gained. Partly on the back of the development
of that, we had the encouragement only four months
ago now, the further investment in those plans
of £33 million of church commissioners' funding,
which is entirely for the revitalisation and
renewal of the church, with a vision of discipleship
at the centre of it. And I was thrilled that
the Church of England, the church commissioners
wanted to release that funding that will just
help us to go on accelerating and trusting God
for more. But the reality is that I don't believe
that the most strategic thing that we are engaged
with as a diocese, the thing that I'm thankful
for is the plan and the alignment around that.
Now, the thing that I know is most strategic.
to the health and well -being of the diocese
going forward of every church within it is our
commitment to earnest humble dependent prayer
upon god and that is why the meetings for prayer
are the most significant in the life of the diocese
and certainly for me as a bishop every monday
morning at eight o 'clock when we gather as a
senior team to pray and to worship. That is all
we do. And we try not to go straight into simply
praying for the things that we hope will get
fixed this week, or at least won't completely
fall apart, but to focus our prayers with praise
and adoration and thanksgiving. And I know that's
really important to the health and the well -being
spiritually of the team that I lead, but also
the life of the diocese. And then the most significant,
the diocesan day of prayer, which we have every
month. And it's the one day which I won't allow
other things, whatever form they take, national
responsibilities, even some quite important commitments
that I might be asked to respond to. It is that
opportunity to give ourselves in a way that expresses
the orientation of the diocese in its dependence
on God, not on having a plan. that has been developed,
I hope, in alignment with the gospel, but in
depending upon God to pour out his power to continue
to move because prayer is where the action is.
And the health of the church at this time, not
only the local church or the diocese, but the
health of the church in our nation and around
the world. We face extraordinary challenges,
but also unique opportunities. I do believe,
and some of you may have kind of have a sense
of this as well, there is a shift in the spiritual
culture. There is an openness that we are certainly
encountering on the ground in local churches
across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. People
just bringing themselves into church for no reason
apart from, I knew I needed to come here into
this building today. Now, we're always encouraged
when that happens. I think for a year or so,
I thought, well, maybe we're just noticing what
God has already been doing. But I'm clear now
that this is a shift. And we're simply going
to trust God for more. But not simply that people
might be filling up our churches. That cannot
be our strategy. But that people might not only
come to a commitment in Christ, but... We're
sharing a vision for lifelong discipleship. We
can't keep people, as it were, suspended up there
on that mountaintop. But we need that mountaintop
vision that we might live out the life of faith
in our world today as faithful disciples. D .L.
Moody once said, if God is your partner, then
make your plans big. If God is your partner,
then make your plans big. But I believe that
as we pray the scriptures into our lives daily
and into the life of the church, we can avoid
the danger that our plans are about making ourselves
feel big, or at least better. But they're a reflection
of the God who is calling us and who has a gospel
that is salvation and good news for all who will
respond. Now, of course, that big is not always
big in the way that others see it. In God's eternal
plan and purposes, some of the things that may
seem small to us at the time are for greater
purposes than we could ever possibly imagine
and might ever know in this life. But we continue
to give ourselves in surrender to the Lord. And
so I simply want to urge you today, and as we
come to the Lord's table in a moment, I urge
you, do not lose heart. Anyone who may have woken
up this morning feeling somewhat more despondent
by the things that are before you, maybe the
ruins around you, do not lose heart. And especially
when the battle is raging fiercely. And when
your body and your mind and your soul grow weary
in the face of that. Let us make sure that we
pause, as it were, with Handley Moll. We take
that time to step back, to take in the view from
the summit of all that Christ has done for us,
and then to renew our confidence again in him,
in Christ alone, who is able to do immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us. To him be
glory, in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations forever. And forever. Amen.