"In the name of God our Father and Mother, in the name of Jesus our brother and Saviour, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, he who comforts us and she who gives us courage."

The Genesis story of Sarah and the three men who were God's visitors leaves us wondering how much effort did it take to get post-menopausal Sarah pregnant? This story certainly tell us that there was life in the old girl yet! But it took God to communicate it to her. And the name of this divine life so communicated: Isaac, (meaning 'laughter'). God has communicated laughter to Sarah.

Hebrew scripture tells us that Hannah received her son Samuel (meaning 'God hears') through divine communication. Christians treasure the story of how God saved the world by God's own son, Jesus ('God saves'), who was communicated to us through Mary. It seems that we have at least these three stories that remind us that our God's nature is to communicate: to share the divine life, in particular situations and through particular people.

In these three stories, God communicates divine life through the fruit of the womb. In Hebrew, the word for the 'compassion' of God is a word also used for 'womb' or 'loins', with its derivative being 'having children' of 'having guts'. What we see in the Sarah, Hannah, and Mary stories of God's visitation to their wombs is the compassion of God at work for the world.
This womb/guts/compassion group of images is an idea that is important for us as we think about what 'living the gospel' really means for us today.

The 'gospel of Jesus' does not come to people in the abstract, but to particular men and women, in our particular lives. The first disciples only understood what 'gospel' meant as they finally set out to do what Jesus had told them to do. We learn what 'gospel' is, only as we too endeavour to be in ministry.
So what is ministry: how do we share God's nature, to communicate the divine life? How do we partake of the guts of God?

Matthew 9:35-37 gives us three characteristics of 'ministry':
1. religious teaching, song, bible study, story, sermons, Sunday school, RE. political proclaiming, social justice, Christian lifestyles, challenge systems people curing. pastoral care, prayer, miracles, apply God's will.

2. It arises from 'compassion', or from the 'womb' of God. It is from the womb of Mary, of Hannah, of Sarah that God provided for the world at different times. It is the compassion, the womb-love of God that causes ministry to happen in us. God sees a need, and with love, initiates ministry, in you, in me, as we share this compassion. Compassion is not 'pity'. Compassion is a deep and tender boldness to create a broad and liberating space for those in need of life.

3. It is urgent, ready to be done now. The harvest won't sit there till the labourers are ready to go out: it is ready to be harvested Now! All we are told to do is ask God to send out labourers into the harvest. This asking is a participation in ministry. So ask, when you are moved by compassion of a need in the world: ask God to get on to it, now!

Not only are we given the 3 characteristics of ministry. Matthew's gospel tells us of the way this fruit of the womb can be brought to birth.
1. Jesus summons us. Just as God summonsed Sarah, so we are called out for ministry. Called and given authority for life-giving activities in his name.

2. We aren't just commissioned and left to our own devices, but instructed by Jesus. The shape of ministry is described as
2.1 Proclaim the good news of the nearness of God's reign. This world is not under the authority of powers that oppose God's will: God is in ultimate authority here! It is now possible for us to enter that realm where things are conducted God's way. The kingdom of heaven has come near to us.
2.2 Cure the sick. Those who are out of sorts.
2.3 Raise the dead. Those who are out of life.
2.4 Cleanse lepers. Those who are our of community.
2.5 Cast out demons. Those who are out of God's Spirit.
All these are to be set straight, and given hope, that is 'reconciled to God' by us as we accept the ministry God gives us.

The basis of this ministry is nothing we can conjure up from our own resources: it comes from what we have received from God. We are in ministry only is as much as we look to God to provide for the execution of our commission.

What is that free gift?
Paul says it is the faithfulness of God. This faithfulness of God is seen in the son God gave Sarah; the Son God gave the world. In these acts, the love of God is brought to birth in human form, the compassion of God takes form among us. For Sarah, it was joyful laughter of fulfillment, not the laughter of derision and despair in the face of life's suffering.

Paul says that this suffering is what produces endurance in us. The endurance produces character, which produces hope.
Romans 5: 5 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."
It is the Holy Spirit alive in us who convinces us that ministry is possible for us all.

Our God's nature is to communicate: to share the divine life.
Are we ready to share it? Do we hope that God's love in us is doing what we cannot do alone?
Then let us pray. Let us pray for our new Parish Council as it meets to focus on the mission of ST Martin in the Fields.
May we develop and nourish a local ministry that expresses God's love to the
world.
May we celebrate the confirmation of Lyn Elwin tomorrow at 7.00 p.m. here, as we too renew and confirm our identity as compassionate people summoned by Jesus and given authority for ministry in his name.
Remember to ask God to send out labourers into the local harvest, the young families and young people who need to know the womb-love of God. This harvest will not wait: young will grow old without this knowledge of God's love, if we omit to pray for the labourers of God's harvest.
Remember that God makes provision for this ministry, and that it is based on a response to the free gift of God already received by us.

With Sarah, may we say, "God has brought laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh with me." "Who would have believed God would do it?"

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