Whomping Willow Christians

Proclaiming the Good News without damaging the Good News

Sermon at St John The Baptist Felixstowe 

1st Sunday after Trinity  –  11 June 2023

God give you peace my Sisters and Brothers.

Imagine yourself to be in Assembly at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Everyone is silent as Severus Snape – the disciplinarian foil to Dumbledore’s gentle Headmastership – is pacing across the stage at the front of the hall.  Glowering at the cowering students he says:

Severus Snape: I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow.

Ron Weasley: That tree did more damage to us than we did to it!

Lee Jordan:  Brilliant! Inspired!  What an entrance!  Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people’ll be talking about that one for years!^[1]

So typical of Boarding School life.  Harry and Ron, having missed the Hogwarts Express, ‘borrow’ the flying Ford Anglia belonging to Ron’s dad to get to school on time only to have the car snatched out of the air by the wayward branches of the Whomping Willow.  Narrowly avoiding their own demise they end up being punished for damaging a tree.

A far-fetched tale we may say?  Well no flying car was involved but one of my classmates had his neck caught In a rope whilst ringing bells at Stutton Church and, instead of receiving sympathy for his bruises and the narrow escape he had, was given three strokes of the cane for not paying attention and bringing the name of the School into disrepute! I’m sure our Headteacher was related to Chalkie from the Giles cartoons!

Like Boarding School, the Church and even Christians can sometimes be more concerned over the welfare of the Institution – you broke some branches off a willow tree – than the well-being of those in its care – Harry, Ron & Hermione only ever seem to get a trip to the Infirmary when they are at death’s door!

This should not be so friends.

The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the Healing of the Nations not for the beating up of passers-by. 

The fruit of the Vine of Christ is God’s free gift to all and when people reach to pluck it they should not find themselves condemned.

For this reason the oft quoted Scripture verse which ask that we ‘should always be ready to give an account for the hope that Is within us’ comes with caveats.

We are to give this account ‘when asked In our defence’ – the context speaks of the persecutions which Christians have always experienced – and when we do give account of this hope we are to do it ‘with gentleness and respect’.

The Gospel has no place for Whomping Willow Christians, flailing around and attacking anyone that passes by, deciding that their self-justification is more important than the safety of God’s children who are outside the church.

When we do this we are arrogant and rude and betray the love of the One who Loves us Best and gave up His life that we may live.

How then are we to give account for this hope that is within us?

The vicar has told us frequently that shouting judgement at passers-by doesn’t help them (or us for that matter) on the journey homeward.

If we are not to follow the habits of the door knockers, the pamphlet hander outers – with which even our churches are littered – or the ‘Brother are you saved?’ Proclaimers, what are we to do?

Fruit trees, with the possible exception of the odd bramble bush, are not in the habit of fighting back when people relieve them off their fruit.

They bear fruit naturally and they give fruit willingly so that they can produce more fruit.  And Jesus expects nothing less from us. (John 15v1-17)

On the night before He dies, knowing that He is going to give his life away in a bloody crucifixion the next day, Jesus tells his disciples, tells us what to do.

This is His final command to them.  This is what it all boils down to.

‘…I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.’   (John 15.16b-17)

Yes we have a story to tell and a Gospel to proclaim and we must be prepared, when asked and with gentleness and respect, to tell the Old Old Story of Jesus and His love.

Firstly, take a piece of paper and write down something of your journey with God that helped make your faith deeper.  It doesn’t have to be a Damascus Road experience.  It could be a simple encounter with a fellow Christian or a time when a particular verse of the Bible or a hymn came to life for you.  Or even a holy coincidence when the right thing, happens at the right time and you know God’s hand has guided you.  (Just this week I was with one of our Messy Church mums in St John’s and wept tears of joy with her that even in a place of fear and terror, she had known that God was with her).

Secondly, on the back of that piece of paper, make a list with the name of one person in each of the groups God wants you to love;

Then write an act of love, a concrete deed that you will aim to do, next to their name.

This will not be easy.

When we do this we will feel as if  we are having to pour ourselves out and being emptied until we have nothing left.

As we learn to give ourselves over to more and more of the love of our Beloved Saviour we will find that we have more love to give and more people will come in and find shelter under the Tree of Life instead of being chased away by Whomping Willow Christians.

This blog ‘Whomping Willow Christians’ is copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2023.  It may be reproduced free of charge on condition that the source is acknowledged.

---

^[1] The Whomping Willow was injured when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley crashed Mr Weasley‘s flying Ford Anglia into it at the beginning of their second year.[1] The following day, the Herbology Professor Pomona Sprout had to bandage some of the tree’s limbs to try and repair the damage, possibly assisted (or hindered) by then-Arts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.[3]

Potter story