Made for Mission

Good morning, everyone. So this is a sermon about the Great Commission, Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations.

! And I think it's a particularly relevant, a great opportunity for me as I begin here as your vicar, because mission is central to what I've come here to help facilitate amongst us.

It really is at the heart of our church, all churches' existence. Just over three weeks ago, when I was instituted, inducted and installed, a bit like a dishwasher, I think, I committed myself before God, together with you, to, and I quote, proclaim the faith afresh to each generation.

I love that phrase. And as the Diocese of Bath and Wales' strapline goes, we are to live and tell the story of Jesus.

So why am I sometimes so bad at it? Okay. Take last weekend, for example. I'm at a rugby festival with my eldest son, and I get talking to this other dad who works, look at that timing, who works in advertising.

I have already revealed that I'm a vicar, so there's a slightly awkward look on his face.

But the conversation turns, as it often does these days, to American Christianity and those born-again types.

But I'm thinking, here you are, Simon. Here's the open door for a conversation about Jesus. Let's go through it.

There's plenty of options available to me. Option A, I ask him, are you born again? Now, I'll grant you that's a pretty direct approach, but I tell you, it gets a quite good reaction either way.

That's my first option. So B, so is faith important, something that's important to you? Great question, by the way.

Open discussion, you know, whether they're religious or not, it's a great opening.

Or C, mumble something about, I'm not a great fan of Christian nationalism anyway, what's the weather like these days?

Which option do you think I took? Yes, it was C, folks. Yes, it was me.

Why did I do that? Why did I do that? It's not that I'm not quick on my feet, or I don't have knowledge about the subject matter.

Something else was going on that hindered me in that moment to talk about the very thing that I thought was central in my life.

And of course, in a different setting, in this setting, I could talk for hours about, but don't worry, I'm not going to do that today.

I wonder if anyone else here sometimes struggles to share their faith.

Or even that, another question is, who here struggles to live out their faith?

By which I mean, you know, you know that habit, which you know in God's sight is wrong or unhelpful, but you just can't stop doing it.

Or that response you give when someone annoys you or upsets you, and you know it's not very godly, yet you can't seem to change it.

Living and telling the story of Jesus is more difficult than we'd like it to be, isn't it?

And if we collectively, as a church, are seeking to share Jesus across Clevedon, as we've already been praying about this morning,

if we struggle like that as individuals, then we have a problem.

We have a problem.

Now, there are plenty of resources and tips I could share with you about faith sharing, and I will, in good time, hopefully share those with you.

But as my own failings showed, it's really a lack of knowledge that makes people poor at sharing their faith.

Nor is it a shortage of knowledge or even willpower that prevents us from living the good Christian life.

The problem in all these things, I think, lies at a slightly deeper level.

And as I've meditated on this famous passage that Marilyn read from the end of Matthew's Gospel,

it's really crystallised something for me.

And it's really helped me know what is going on here.

And I hope it will help you too.

Because actually, at the heart of it, we all have an authority problem.

It's an issue of one of authority.

What do I mean by that?

Well, let's start with a definition of authority.

And I'll just take a simple dictionary definition.

Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce them.

Okay, that's your general definition of authority.

So let's examine what or who has authority in our lives.

What do you think of when I say the word authority?

Maybe some of you are thinking about government.

You've just been praying about the recent elections.

If you're of a younger generation, you might be thinking about teachers,

because I'm sure we all used to obey our teachers.

People in power, we often think, don't we, about authority.

But if you think a little bit further about it, as I have been,

there are other things that also have authority in our lives.

Just think about how our culture has an authority in our lives,

how it influences what we think, what we say, and even what we wear.

It's really dictated by how things are done around here in 2026.

Consciously and unconsciously, we follow what others are doing.

We're being told what to do, and our behavior is being enforced.

Who delivers those orders?

I mean, we don't get it, you know, do we know?

Well, all sorts of ways, through the media that we consume,

through the people that we hang around with.

It orders our lives for good and for bad.

So my first question for you this morning,

are you aware of those authorities coming from around you?

If you are, that's a good start.

That's a good start.

But we have to go, again, I think, deeper

to a more powerful authority in your life and in mine.

And it's not an external kind of out there authority,

but one that actually comes from within.

What do I mean?

Well, you and I have been receiving messages

about how to survive and how to stay safe,

basically since we were in the womb.

I'm told that by the age of five,

90% of our brain growth has already happened.

So the messages and responses we learn at that time

basically form the foundations of our messaging for life

and how we get what we need.

So our parents and our early carers

are huge authorities in our lives.

They're setting the pattern for decision-making

and behaviour throughout our lives.

And of course, when this is done well,

with love and good attachment

and all the jargon words that I begin to get to learn,

this sets us up really well

for healthy responses through life.

We know where we're at.

We've got a good sense of self.

It's well balanced.

And our relationship boundaries are usually healthy.

But when we experience trauma

or some kind of rupture

at an early stage of life,

and indeed any stage of life,

this leaves us with different messaging,

which unchecked can dictate our response

to other situations throughout our lives.

Let me give you an example.

Just this last Tuesday morning,

we were meeting to pray as we do,

quarter past nine on Tuesday,

and we were hearing from Heather,

who together with Jim and Sophie

have been leading this course

called The Bereavement Journey.

And what an amazing ministry

that sounds like it is.

And Heather briefly shared with us

what they covered in the last week's section.

And it so struck me,

I thought, wow,

I'd actually quite like to share that

with the wider congregation.

So each week they have a video

and discussion about a certain topic.

And this last week was about loss in general.

And what Heather was describing

was that this process

of how early responses to loss,

whether that's the loss of a teddy bear

or a loss of a person,

lay the foundations for responding

to other losses later on in their lives.

So if someone, for example,

was inhibited from being able to grieve as a child,

maybe they were never allowed to cry

or no one got alongside them,

that grief would simply get stuck

and carried with them.

So when they face other losses

later in life,

that would just kind of compound,

condense the grief they already had.

And of course, this, in many cases,

results in all sorts of dysfunctional

and destructive coping behaviours,

such as addictions or avoidance,

which in turn impacts relationships

and all of life really.

So do you see how, in this case, loss,

it can have an authority

over someone's lives?

Yeah?

It's like it's giving silent orders

and enforcing decision-making,

actually not so much decisions,

but actually reactions

through to other situations.

And it's often driven by deep fears

and hurts.

And if you're sitting there wondering,

well, how do I know

if I have that kind of authority?

That sounds pretty serious, Simon.

Well, I just encourage you

to look out for moments

when you behave in a way

that you think,

well, that's not like me,

or I wouldn't normally do that.

Perhaps you might fly off the handle

at something that seems trivial

to most people

or you're deeply distressed

by a particular interaction

by someone.

That's just a little flag

just to go,

ooh, there's a deeper authority

at work going on there.

And these are like wounds.

And if we don't check out those wounds,

don't get them tended to,

it can cause us to react

rather than respond.

So to go back to my failure

to share faith

with the dad at the rugby match,

even though I have the ability

and the training to do so,

what was going on?

Well, the fact is,

and without a lot of time

to go into it,

a lot of my strong early messaging

was that to get love

and appreciation

that I deep down desire,

I often feel the need

to get people on the side.

And that sometimes means

I feel the need

to conform

to what I think

their expectations of me will be.

I'm a complex being.

And it means

when I get to those situations

where someone might think

I'm a bit of a weirdo

or that I might be pushing them

out of their comfort zone,

I find that hard.

And so I duck out of it,

I divert it,

or I diffuse it.

And in the case of last Saturday,

all three.

But do you see

how there is

an authority from within

which is holding power

for me

in particular circumstances?

And I'm sharing that with you

because I'm on a journey

with all this.

And it's one of those

kind of two-step-forward,

one-step-back

kind of journeys.

But I know that the first step

that I took,

with help,

I should say,

was to get in touch

with these wounds

and be curious

about what was going on for me.

I wonder if you're in touch

with yours.

So,

if we've got these external

and internal authorities

influencing our lives,

quite often in a way

that leads us away

from living

and sharing

the story of Jesus,

what do we do?

What do we do about that?

If we've got a problem,

what do we do about that?

Well,

let's turn to the Bible.

Finally,

Vicar,

come on.

Let's turn to Matthew's Gospel.

If you've got it,

if you've got a Bible there,

it's going to come up

on the screen as well.

It will help you to know,

just to set the scene,

that Matthew

wrote his Gospel

with a particular

readership in mind.

He was a Jew

writing for

a Jewish audience.

So,

as he gathered

his materials

and arranged

these stories together,

he did so in a way

that would actually

make most impact

on his Jewish

readership.

And so,

if you read

through Matthew's Gospel,

you'll see

there are lots

of Hebrew Bible,

Old Testament

references,

there's prophecies

being fulfilled

all over the place,

but even in the way

that he's formed

his Gospel,

it's actually

made to read

a bit like

a book of the Pentateuch,

that is,

the first five

books of the Bible,

which are the

foundations

for the Jewish

faith.

And if you've got

time to read

those and Matthew's

Gospel,

you'll see what I

mean.

Because in the

Old Testament,

what do you see

in those first

five books

of the Bible?

You see the

forming of the

people of God,

the twelve

tribes of Israel,

and their journey

from slavery,

preparing them

for life

in the

promised land,

led by

Moses.

And you'll

also find

throughout the

Pentateuch

and the Old

Testament,

God often

meets them

on mountaintops,

does he not?

Gives the law

on Sinai,

et cetera,

et cetera.

And you've

got this pattern

of the people

of God

either obeying

those commands

that are given

or disobeying

them.

And in the

final chapter

of the final

book of the

Pentateuch,

Deuteronomy,

we find Moses

blessing

11 tribes

of the

people of

God.

That's 11,

yes,

there's one

missing.

And then

he ascends

to a

mountainside

overlooking

the promised

land for

which the

tribes are

to claim

as God

promised

that they

would.

And there

Moses dies,

failing himself

to enter the

promised land

because of

his own

disobedience.

Actually,

Mike touched

on this last

week,

if you were

here.

Fast forward,

the final

chapter of

Matthew's

gospel,

what do we

have?

You see on

the screen

there,

Jesus

gathers

11 disciples

representing

the people

of God.

He goes

onto a

mountain,

he gathers

them to a

mountain,

and what

does he say

to them?

He says

to them,

all authority

in heaven

and on

earth has

been given

to me,

therefore

go and

make disciples

of all

nations.

So can

you see

how,

if you've

got that

kind of

reading

background,

you see

that Matthew

is trying

to emphasize

here,

this is

the beginning

of a

new,

renewed

people of

God.

These

11

disciples

chosen

as

representatives

for all

God's

people,

and they're

not just

going to

go out

and claim

the

promised

land,

but they're

going to

bring all

nations

into the

life of

the Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit.

But unlike

Moses,

careful

readers would

observe,

this great

revered leader

as he was,

Jesus will

go with

them.

He never

disobeyed.

Jesus,

if you like,

is the

greater

Moses.

And Jesus,

in fact,

is the

greater

Joshua,

who,

if you

remember,

led the

people into

the promised

land.

And I'm

sure you

know this,

but Joshua,

the Hebrew

word is

Yeshua.

which is

exactly the

same name

as Jesus

was known

as.

He will

lead them

into an

even better

promised

land.

In fact,

he is

Emmanuel,

God with

us.

And by

his spirit

he continues

to be

until the

end of

the age

when he

will return

to renew

all of

creation,

uniting

heaven

with

earth.

That makes

my heart

beat a

little bit

faster.

God

will

be

together.

Let's

look a

little bit

closer

at these

verses.

It's

really

encouraging,

isn't it?

He gathers

them.

Can we

just go

back one,

Pauline?

That would

be great.

He gathers

those

disciples.

Now,

were they

perfect?

Absolutely

not.

They saw

him,

they worshipped

him,

but some

doubted.

Now,

I hope that's

encouraging

for you.

It's okay

to have

questions and

not be

sure and

not get it

right all

the time,

but what

Jesus says

to each

and every

one of

them and

to us,

and this

is the

critical

bit,

all

authority

in heaven

and on

earth has

been given

to me,

Jesus

says.

Jesus

is the

name above

all names.

It says

in the book

of Colossians,

for in him

all things

were created,

things in

heaven and

on earth,

visible and

invisible,

whether thrones

or powers

or rulers

or authorities,

all things

have been

created

through him

and for

him.

He is

before all

things and

in all

things hold

together.

So he

is greater,

Jesus that

is,

than any

ruler,

any

government,

any

cultural

trend,

any

societal

trend.

He is

greater than

any authority

that might

rule within

you and

within me,

any past

power,

any present

power,

any future

power.

And his

is a rule

of peace,

joy,

and love.

Sounds good,

doesn't it?

Sounds good,

but it also

says,

how's it

actually going

to help me

overcome those

other voices

of authority

in my life

that seem to

have such a

sway on

how I

behave?

How can I,

as it were,

transfer his

authority

into an

authority

that's in

my life?

That's the

question I'm

asking myself.

Well,

let's read

on.

The answer

is in

the scriptures.

He says,

therefore go

and make

disciples of

all nations,

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and of the

Son of the

Holy Spirit

and teaching

them to

obey

everything I

have commanded

you.

The key

for transferring

the authority

of Jesus

into our

lives is

discipleship.

Discipleship.

Now, what does

that word mean?

It's a word we

use in church

a lot.

I think one

of the most

helpful descriptions

I've heard of

what being a

disciple of

Jesus means

is that we

become and

make apprentices

of Jesus.

Now, when you

become an

apprentice in

whatever trade,

let's say you're

an apprentice

furniture maker,

you, obviously,

you watch and

you observe

your master

doing what

they do,

what they're

skilled and

experienced in.

But if you're

an apprentice,

you don't watch

what your master

makes to sort

of take it

home with

you.

Oh, that's a

nice sofa,

boss.

Oh, that's

really nice how

you've made

that.

Let me just

take it home

and I'll go

and sit on

it.

Is that how

it works?

Is that how

an apprenticeship

works?

If you've

been an

apprentice and

that's how

it's worked,

I'm wondering,

probably not.

No, an

apprentice watches

learn and

does until

she or he

is also

able to make

sofas, for

example, for

others.

And in

fact, is

then in a

very good

position to

teach others

to make

sofas.

Are you

following me?

Sofa so

good?

Oh,

terrible.

You see,

becoming a

disciple is

about,

well, it's not

just about

receiving the

benefits of

what Jesus

has done

for us,

although we

do do that.

We receive

the benefits

of what he

did for us,

dying on

the cross to

release us

from our

sins, where

he defeated

the evil

authorities that

lie behind all

other authorities

that enslave us.

Yes, he did

that, but it's

not about us

taking that and

just going

home and

sitting on

them.

No, it's

about becoming

skilled,

confident, and

prepared to

continually apply

what Jesus

has done and

does in our

lives and

into the

lives of

others.

So if we

want to

transfer the

loving authority

of Jesus into

our lives in a

way that will

speak more

powerfully than

any other voice

that is telling

us what to do,

there are two

things Jesus

says here that

we are to do.

And again, it's

right here in the

passage.

Verse 19,

we are to

baptize them in

the name of

the Father and

the Son of the

Holy Spirit and

teach them to

obey everything I

have commanded

you.

Now, to be

baptized is not

just about getting

wet one day and

then ticking a

box.

No, it means to

be immersed,

doesn't it?

Think about what

a baptism is.

It means to be

immersed into the

life of the

Trinity.

Through faith,

baptism is the

gateway into the

life of God.

We become united

to the Father

through the Son

and the power of

the Holy Spirit.

Nothing can

separate us.

We are connected,

we are bonded,

we are wedded to

God.

That is the

invitation Jesus

is giving to

his people.

And just as

each member of

the Trinity,

Father, Son, and

Holy Spirit,

does anything

for the glory and

pleasure of other

members of the

Trinity, they're

constantly laying

themselves down in

love for one

another, in

community.

So we too will

also desire to

do that.

Our lives become

all about God,

not about me.

So that's the

first step, is to

be immersed in

God.

That's what's

going to be the

start of transferring

that authority of

Jesus into our

lives.

Next step, as I

said, it's all

there.

How do we do

that?

How do we get

immersed into

God?

We are to be

taught how to

obey everything

Jesus has

commanded.

A disciple, an

apprentice, knows

how to hear from

God, they know his

commands, but more

importantly they know

how to obey those

commands, to put them

into practice.

And that, of course,

includes the command

to make disciples.

A well-made disciple,

as it were, a well-trained

apprentice, knows what

to do, they know why

they do it, and they

can navigate the

unknowns when they

come to them.

They're skilled, they're

confident, they're

prepared apprentices of

Jesus.

And this isn't just for

the elite, this is for

the worshippers and the

doubters, this isn't

just for the people with

dog collars and

degrees, oh no, this

is for everyone,

everyone here, and

everyone around us.

Again, here's another

definition of

discipleship, I wonder

if this makes your

heart sing a bit.

Making disciples

introduces people to

a God who loves them

and understands them.

He helps them

understand who they

are and what they

can be, and helps

them apply his

transforming truths

and releases them as

prepared, confident,

and skilled to live

the best life ever on

earth.

Does that sound

good?

Yes.

Does that sound

good?

Folks, if we want

to experience that, if

you want to experience

this in our own lives

and in the lives of our

community, this is going

to take more than just

pitching up to a sermon

every other week.

If you want to see that

transfer of Jesus'

authority into your

life to bring freedom

from all those other

authorities, then you

need to be immersed and

you need to listen to and

obey Jesus.

this.

In my previous setting

in Harrow, I was part

of a journey of making

disciples.

We did a lot of learning

and experimenting and

we landed on following

a kind of simple,

quite intentional,

quite kind of

counterintuitive method

of apprenticing people to

Jesus.

And over just a year, I

saw a dad who was in my

group overcome barriers to

loving his kids.

I saw wives learn to serve

their non-believing

husbands in such a way that

husbands were like, ooh, I'd

like a little bit of that.

I saw people overcome

anxieties and habits that

they'd been stuck in for

years.

What Jesus is saying

here, if we really pursue

discipleship, it is and it

can make that kind of

difference.

And it all flows from this

great commission.

The making of disciples

immersed, obedient.

Now, I'm out of time, but if

that begins to put a bit of

fire in your belly, as it

were, if that's something

that you're, oh, yeah, I'd

like that, some of that

in my life, and I know my

family, my friends would

like to see, well, more of

that in me, but also in

them.

Then, well, first of all,

don't stop nagging me until

we get something like this

going in Christchurch over

the months, okay?

That's a sort of pledge from

me.

Discipleship is going to

become a really key and

important aspect of our

life.

Now, I know that that goes

on, absolutely.

I don't, I recognise God's

absolutely at work, and

many of you live

transformed, and Jesus

led lives, but we know

we could all do with

more.

And so that is something

that's a priority for me.

That's a sort of long-term

thing, but even this

morning, if to be a

prepared, skilled,

confident apprentice of

Jesus is something that

you want to do, then we

just need to start by

asking.

We ask.

He already has you here

this morning for a

reason.

And it's a first step to

accept his invitation to

follow him and to learn

from him.

Now, many of you have been

doing that for years.

Some of you are fresh to

this.

But as we look at the

Great Commission, and we'll

just have a moment in a

moment to recommission

ourselves in the Great

Commission, but it begins

with us.

Where are we at in our

apprenticeship to Jesus?

It's going to leave some

space.

Think it through.

Feel in your heart.

Maybe you're feeling like

you're miles away at the

moment.

Maybe this is kind of a new

idea that we can apprentice

ourselves to the Master, and

that that is the thing that

will bring freedom and life

to its fullness.

And I also wonder whether,

just as I started, just to

literally lift the lid on

this idea of those inner

voices, those inner

authorities that come from

places of hurt and fear, I

wonder if the Holy Spirit's

just beginning to help you

shine a gentle light on

something for you.

And if so, just allow him.

The Spirit is gentle.

And where we're willing, he

will just help us.

He wants to bring healing,

hope to those places, and

to release us from things

that have become authorities

in our lives that he is a

much better authority on.

So again, just leave some

space, just trusting that the

Holy Spirit is already at

work.

We need to bring healing to

those wounds.

And even with those wounds,

God, or perhaps particularly

those with those wounds, he

wants to invite each of us to

be those who live and share the

story of Jesus, who takes part in

this life-fulfilling mission.

And before I sort of invite

whoever those who want to to be

sort of recommissioned in that,

each of us, every single one of

us, may have an opportunity this

week to either share the story of

God's love or show it.

And I just invite you, together with

the Holy Spirit, just to maybe

highlight that.

Maybe just think ahead in the week

who you're going to be meeting.

Maybe you're anticipating a rather

tricky conversation or encounter.

Maybe it's back in with family.

And family can be sometimes the

hardest people to talk to about

faith.

So if you would like the Holy

Spirit's help in that situation,

and in the rest of your life, and

for the weeks and months ahead, and

for the years ahead, to be

apprentices to Jesus, making

disciples of ourselves and others,

can I invite those who would just

like to receive some help for that?

To stand?

Or if you're not able to stand, you

might just want to raise your hand,

or in some way indicate that you

would like to be filled with the

Spirit of God, to afresh, make

disciples of all nations.

Just put your hands out, hands up,

stand up, whatever.

God takes us in all shapes and

sizes.

Let's just hear those words again.

And just imagine that there's Jesus

saying to you,

all authority in heaven and earth

has been given to me.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all

nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit, and teaching them to obey

everything I have commanded.

Behold, I am with you to the very end of

the age.

Holy Spirit, come and fill your people

afresh for the work and the life of

mission that you have given us.

Not a place that's just contained in here,

but our everyday lives where you have

called us to be light and salt, to be

beacons of hope.

And Lord, even, and perhaps especially in

those areas of our lives in which we feel

so wounded that there seems to be a sort

of authoritative grip, Lord, I know that

even the things that the enemy means for

evil, he's working for our good.

They might especially be the places where

God wants to use you to share his love

with others.

So wherever we're at on that journey, Lord,

we ask for your Holy Spirit to fill us up,

send us out in your power to live and work

to the praise of your glory.

Amen.

Amen.

I invite the band to come.