16/06/2026
Sermon preached by Fr Andrew Kesiak on Sunday 14 June, 2026 (Music Sunday)
Romans 5. 1-8, Matthew 9. 35 – 10.
One day a traveller was walking through a beautiful, remote animal park when he came across a remarkable sight: a lion and a lamb lying peacefully side by side under a tree.
The traveller stopped in his tracks, amazed. It looked like a living picture of perfect peace. Moved by what he saw, he approached the zookeeper standing nearby and said:
"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! A lion and a lamb living together in harmony. Tell me, how do you manage to keep such incredible peace in this valley?"
The zookeeper took a puff on his pipe, shrugged his shoulders, and replied:
"Oh, it's quite simple really. We just put a new lamb in there every day."
Metaphorically speaking, I felt like that lamb every day when I arrived in the UK from Poland over twenty years ago. Now you know where my accent comes from.
That feeling of being eaten by a lion was connected to the language barrier. I thought I knew English, but I quickly discovered that I didn't. It is a terrible feeling when you cannot communicate properly with the people around you. You feel inferior, helpless, frustrated, and isolated. You feel as if life is constantly chewing you up and spitting you out.
My English is still far from perfect, but at least nowadays I can express myself. And having experienced such a warm welcome from Father Neil and the community of St Laurence's last Sunday, I sincerely hope that I may be of some use here, even with my foreign accent and the occasional difficulty people have understanding me.
And so, remembering the story of the lion and the lamb, and remembering that peace is never as easy as it looks, we come to today's readings.
Several themes run through today's readings, but both the Epistle and the Gospel speak about peace.
First, St Paul tells us:
"Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Then, in the Gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Before they go, he tells them:
"As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."
The peace spoken of by both Jesus and Paul is not some abstract reality floating somewhere above ordinary life.
Sometimes, when life becomes overwhelming, we start dreaming about a quiet life somewhere far away from all our problems. We think to ourselves: "If only I could get away from all of this."
Far away from a workplace where I am treated badly.
Far away from a partner who constantly irritates me.
Far away from friends who have disappointed me.
Far away from a country that seems to be going in the wrong direction.
Far away from a Church that often appears broken and imperfect.
But that is the wrong direction.
Peace does not exist in some perfect place where everything is finally sorted out. Peace is found in the middle of chaos and uncertainty. It is found in the midst of suffering, disappointment, betrayal, and imperfection.
Jesus never says that we must escape the world in order to find peace. Quite the opposite. He offers us peace precisely in the middle of the mess we are already living in.
So if there are circumstances in your life that you cannot change - perhaps the family you belong to, the grief that follows the loss of someone you love, or the deep wounds caused by someone else's actions - remember this: Christ brings his peace right there. He is present right there. That is why he became human. He entered our reality so that he could be with us exactly where we are.
Peace is not simply a pleasant addition to life. It is one of the most important things human beings need. People are prepared to pay an enormous price for peace.
The opposite of peace is anxiety, fear, despair, and depression. And these are among the greatest challenges facing our society today.
That is why people come to churches and communities of faith. They come hoping that perhaps they will find something there that the world has been unable to give them.
They cannot find peace in a world increasingly marked by conflict and division. They cannot find it in political parties, ideologies, charismatic leaders, or technology.
And this brings us to Music Sunday. And this is because, people, when they come to churches, they encounter (or perhaps fail to encounter) sacred music.
Music often communicates spiritual truths far more effectively than our words and sermons.
Did you know that while church attendance has been declining in many places, church music has often remained remarkably strong? Over the last few decades, attendance at Choral Evensong services, particularly in cathedrals with excellent choirs and strong musical traditions, has often increased even while regular congregations have become smaller.
It is a fascinating phenomenon.
Music seems to be a powerful vehicle for spirituality.
I have witnessed this myself.
A few years ago, while serving as a Pioneer Minister, I founded a Schola Cantorum, a group dedicated to singing Gregorian chant.
We had to learn a great deal before we could begin, but eventually we started offering regular chant services. To my surprise, people kept coming who had no connection with the Church whatsoever.
What attracted them was the sense of peace, sacredness, and mystery they encountered in the music.
Gregorian chant has no regular beat. You cannot tap your foot along to it. Yet it touches people deeply, including many who would never normally cross the threshold of a church.
I think it is worth saying that St Laurence's is blessed in this regard.
We have an excellent organist and an excellent choir. We are also blessed with a very musical rector who has become the driving force behind many musical initiatives in the parish.
Most recently he has successfully brought together a group of musicians who lead music at the All Age Service. Their contribution has already enriched the worshipping life of this church.
Who knows? Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the success of this parish.
Many of you know people from other churches and are aware that some congregations around us struggle with declining numbers and empty pews.
Yet here, people continue to come.
Perhaps one reason is that through worship, and especially through music, people encounter something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern world.
They encounter peace.
Let us pray that through everything we are doing here - with our music, worship, kitchen, wellbeing centre, and so much more - that the people who meet us, whether here or anywhere else we go, will truly find peace.
