Sep 09 2014

Pastor Judes prædiken til d. 23- alm. søndag 2014

Helligåndskirken Frederikshavn

Pastor Judes prædiken til d. 23. alm. søndag 2014

(første undervisningssøndag)

Ev: Matt 18, 15-20

Jeg vil gerne starte med et eventyr. Eventyret handler om en kirke og lyder sådan her: ’Der var engang en kirke. Alle i menigheden elskede hinanden og spurgte man den ene hvad den syntes om den anden sagde den første: ’Han er min bedste ven’ og spurgte man dem om præsten fik man at vide, at han altid var i godt humør og man mødte ham aldrig trist eller vred. I denne kirke kendte man ikke til kritik eller fordømmelser – man var bare glade og taknemmelige for var helt blind for alle de andres fejl og mangler. Når organisten kiggede ned på menigheden fra sit orgel kunne han se at ingen i kirken hverken var stolt eller satte sig selv i scene. De levede alle lykkeligt sammen til deres dages ende’.

Ja, det var et lille eventyr, og grunden til at vi må kalde det for et eventyr er at sådan en kirke nok ikke findes. Først og fremmest har jeg i hvert fald aldrig mødt en præst der hverken var vred eller trist, og ordet ’venner’ er måske ikke det første ord i kommer i tanke om når vi maser ud af kirken efter messen.

Og hvorfor er verden sådan? Jo måske er det fordi der er en årsag til at præsten nogle gange er trist, og måske er der en grund til at vi hver i sær kæmper med de synder vi bærer på. Vi bærer på dårlig samvittighed, fjendskab, skandaler, sarkasme og egoisme. Vi bærer på alt det alene hver for sig, og alligevel skal vi forsones for at kunne være her sammen.

Det er forsoningen Jesus har fokus på i dag, og den kræver noget svært af os, for vi må mødes 2 og 2 for at forsone os. Det kan vi ikke gøre hjemme foran skærmen eller i vores drømme om natten. Vi må mødes. Vi må mødes i skolegården når der skal siges undskyld for et blødende knæ. Vi må mødes når der skal siges undskyld for sårende ord, og vi må mødes når undskyld slet ikke rækker fordi såret er blevet for dybt.

Der er en vigtig ting vi må stikke i lommen når vi mødes. Det er vores pegefinger, for er der noget vores pegefinger ikke peger på så er det forsoningen. Pegefingeren peger kun på skyld, og med skyld rettet imod sig kan ingen forsones. Hjælper forsøget på forsoning ikke må pegefingrene stadig blive i lommen, men vi kan forsøge os med et vidne eller to til at hjælpe os med at finde de rette ord.

Har synden en offentlig karakter siger Jesus at den vedrører kirken også. Men stadig må de 2 skyldfingre – pegefingrene – blive i lommen, for kirken peger på ingen – kirken leder efter Jer, leder efter sine medlemmer som da Jesus fortalte lignelsen om det forsvundne får. Hyrden leder og leder fordi glæden over at finde det forsvundne får er stort. En synd der ikke er offentlig forbliver en synd mellem Gud og menneske.

Ved hele tiden at huske forsoningen og stræbe mod at blive som det eventyr jeg fortalte om kirken, så løser vi det der skal løses på jorden for at det også er løst i Himlen. – Men forsømmer vi det og bidrager til synden vokser det sig til et stort kors på vores skuldre. Altid vil vi tage det kors med os, for hvad vi binder her på jorden skal også være bundet i Himlen.

Gå derfor ud i dag med tanken om forsoning. Gå ud og mød nogen og forson Jer, for sikkert er det at vi alle har nogen at forsone os med.

Også alle I børn som i dag er kommet for at begynde til undervisning skal lære meget mere om forsoning, og jeg er helt sikker på at I også har nogen I kan mødes med og tale med om at forsone Jer. Jeg byder Jer alle et varmt velkommen til det nye undervisningsår.

English Translation.

Father Jude’s sermon for the 23rd. Ord. Sunday 2014

(Start of the Sunday School new term 2014 – 15)

Over the Gospel according to St. Matthew, ch. 18, vv. 15-20

I would like to start with a fairy story. It’s about a church and goes like this. ‘Once upon a time there was a church. Everybody in the congregation liked each other and if you asked someone what he or she thought about someone else they would reply, ‘He or she is my best friend’. If you asked about the priest they would say that he was always in a good mood and you never saw him angry or sad. You never heard any criticism or prejudice – everyone was just glad and thankful that all were quite blind to the others’ mistakes and weaknesses. When the organist looked down at the congregation he could see that no one felt too proud or tried to show off. They all lived happily the rest of their days’.

Well, that was a little fairytale and we may call it that because such a church isn’t to be found. First of all I’ve never met a priest who was neither sad nor angry and the word ‘friend’ isn’t the first word we think of when we push our way out of the church after Mass.

Why is the world like this? Maybe there is a reason that the priest is sometimes sad and maybe there is a reason why each and everyone fights against the sins we carry around with us. We go around with a bad conscience, enmity, scandals, sarcasm and egoism. All these thing we carry around alone and yet we must be reconciled so as to be here together.

It is reconciliation Jesus focuses on today and it demands something special of us because we must meet two and two to be reconciled. We can’t do this at home in front of the TV or in our dreams at night. We have to meet. We have to meet in the playground when we have to apologize for a bloody knee. We have to meet when we say we are sorry for hurtful words and we have to meet when ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough because because the wounds are far too deep.

There is an important thing we have to put in our pockets when we meet and that’s our forefinger because if there is something a forefinger doesn’t point at then it’s reconciliation. The forefinger only points at guilt and when it points at you then there’s no reconciliation. If reconciliation doesn’t help then the forefinger stays in our pockets but we can help by witnessing or by someone helping us to find the right words.

Sin has a public appearance says Jesus and it also concerns the Church. Yet the two forefingers – the guilt-pointing fingers must still remain in our pockets because the Church points at no one. The Church is looking for you, looking for its members just like Jesus talked about in the story about the lost sheep. The shepherd looks and looks because the pleasure in finding the sheep is great. A sin that isn’t public remains a sin between God and us.

 

Sin has a public appearance says Jesus and it also concerns the Church. Yet the two forefingers – the guilt-pointing fingers must still remain in our pockets because the Church points at no one. The Church is looking for you, looking for its members just like Jesus talked about in the story about the lost sheep. The shepherd looks and looks because the pleasure in finding the sheep is great. A sin that isn’t public remains a sin between God and us.

If we, all the time, remember reconciliation and strive to become like those in the fairy story then we loosen that which must be loosened on earth and then it will be loosened in heaven. But if we neglect these things and contribute to sins becoming bigger then they end up as a huge cross on our shoulders. We will always take that cross with us because what we bind here on earth will also be bound in Heaven.

Let the thought of reconciliation be with you today. Go out and meet someone and be reconciled because it’s certain there is someone out there with whom to be reconciled.

Also all you children who have come today for religious instruction must learn something about reconciliation and I’m quite certain you all have someone you can meet, talk to and be friends again.

I welcome you all to the new Sunday School year.

Father Jude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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