In April, The Guardian reported the findings of a Gallup survey, which showed that the UK is among the least religious countries in the world. In a global ranking of 65 countries, the UK came six places from last, with 30% of the population calling themselves religious. While 53% of people said they were not religious, 13% are convinced atheists. This compares with 94% of people in Thailand who said they were religious and 93% of people in Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia and Morocco. At the bottom of the list was China where only 6% of people are religious and 61% said they are convinced atheists. The other countries below Britain are Japan, where just 13% of people are religious, Sweden with 19%, Czech Republic with 23%, and the Netherlands with 26%.

At Carnival Capers last month we conducted our own survey of religious opinion. Gallup questioned 63,898 people – about 1,000 from each country. Our sample by comparison was far too small to be statistically significant. However, the results do provide an insight into local views. To the question, “What do you think is the greatest need in this area?”  Loneliness 50%; Stress 40%. When we asked the question “The most important thing to me in life right now is…” Family 80%; Good relationships 40%; God or spirituality 20%. Incidentally… No one mentioned work. We asked people about meaning in life: Fulfilled 40%; Still searching 30%; Confused 20%; Disappointed 10%. So the majority are still searching for meaning in life. And when we asked, “If you could know God personally would you be interested?” Yes 70%. No one said ‘No’. What do the findings reveal? Most people see loneliness and stress as the biggest issues in life, think family and good relationships are most important to them. The majority have “tried” Christianity, do believe Jesus is the Son of God, rarely or never attend a church now, but are searching and would like to know God personally if it were possible. I suspect those results could easily be replicated almost anywhere in the world. And had we undertaken the survey in Nehemiah’s day, I am sure we would have found similar results. Human nature has not evolved or changed over time.

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The then Bishop of Durham, Dr. Brooke Foss Wescott, was making a train journey. In those days carriages contained separate compartments for six people and he sought out an empty compartment then settled down for a read. Just as the train was about to depart, the door opened, and a young girl in Salvation Army uniform jumped in. After she had settled herself into her corner she realized she was sharing the compartment. With his purple clerical shirt,  white collar and oversized silver cross, she was sharing the compartment with a real live bishop. She hadn’t long been a Christian, and was keen to win others for Christ.  Presently she leaned across to the bishop, who was reading, and said very abruptly, “Excuse me, are you saved?”

This short, but unexpected question caught Dr. Wescott by surprise, and he said in his kindly way, “Pardon me, but what did you say?” She thought, “There, he doesn’t even know what I’m talking about!” and so explained, “I simply asked if you were saved.” The bishop’s face disappeared behind his book and his eyes twinkled merrily for a moment; then, leaning toward her he asked her, “Excuse me, my dear, but do you mean sotheis or sezosmenos or sozomenos?” The girl’s face went blank, then puzzled, then startled. Finally she blurted out, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I simply asked you — were you saved.” “Yes, my dear,” replied Dr. Westcott, “I asked you which ‘saved’ you mean. Did you mean ‘I was saved’ or ‘I will be saved’ or ‘I am being saved’?” And for the rest of the journey this Greek scholar explained to this young believer the wonder and immensity of God’s salvation — past, future and present.

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What makes you angry? I mean really angry? For me it has to child abuse, closely followed by domestic abuse. Apparently, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience abuse in their lifetime. If that’s you and you’ve never talked about it, lets do so. But for me the third form of abuse, I utterly detest, alongside drug dealers, is that perpetrated by “pay-day lenders”. I mean the ones that sponsor football teams. The ones that make flashy TV adverts promising quick, easy, short term loans, but charge interest rates of 5,853% APR. One firm’s conduct, and you know who I mean, prompted the government watchdog to clamp down on payday lending practices. It capped the amount of interest firms can charge to only, 1,500% APR, as if that were somehow acceptable.

In something of an understatement, the Archbishop of Canterbury described their practices as “morally wrong”. A day later it was admitted the Church of England had pension funds invested in the company.[1] I think I prefer the description used by Unite, Britain’s largest trade union, who described it as “vulture capitalism”.[2] No wonder they want to change their name.

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Whatever happens… whatever happens… “Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)

What does it mean to live as citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of the gospel?

Just twenty years ago, in 1988 a young Irish physician found himself in the infamous Luwera Triangle, witnessing the devastation of two civil wars, surrounded by evidence of genocide and the despair of people robbed of the means of rebuilding their lives. The land was rich in fertility but the people poor and weak. Challenged by what he had seen, Dr. Ian Clarke resigned from his medical practice near Belfast and returned to Uganda to become the only doctor to tens of thousands of people in an area the size of greater London. He began with a clinic under a tree – but the seed was soon to grow and gradually, with the help of Christian friends from Northern Ireland, a modern hospital took shape and with it a whole community recovered hope and the means of survival. Regular outreach clinics are held, including an AIDS support programme in the community.

Whatever happens… “Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27).

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And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

The singing of William Blake’s poem, immortalised by Sir Hubert Parry’s music, has become a national institution. It is sung every year by tens of thousands of people on the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and simultaneously in the Proms in the Park venues around the country. Since 2004, it has also been the anthem of the England cricket team. And after the Commonwealth Games in 2010, Team England chose it as their victory anthem too. The Commonwealth Games Council conducted a poll to choose an anthem. The three options were “God Save The Queen”, “Jerusalem” and “Land of Hope and Glory”. Jerusalem was the clear winner with 52% of the vote. It has become the English national hymn.

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A small farming village was threatened with drought because the rains had failed to arrive. On a hot and dry Sunday, the pastor told his congregation, “There isn’t anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain.” The people returned to church the following Sunday. As they sat down the Pastor gently rebuked them. “We can’t worship today because you do not yet believe,” he said. “But we prayed” they protested, “and we do believe.” “Believe?” he responded. “Then where are your umbrellas?”

Faith is made visible by our actions. So let me ask you this morning “Where are your umbrellas?” Do you have umbrella faith? Please turn with me to Mark 4:26-34. Our gospel lesson this morning speaks about developing umbrella faith. Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of God and how that kingdom grows. It grows with an unwavering faith, a faith that we cannot see or understand but a faith demonstrated by results.

To illustrate the growth of the kingdom of God, Jesus tells two little stories, two parables, one about growing seed, the other about a mustard seed.

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