Jesus is probably not the reason for the season | First We Take Manhattan

Thanks Graham for this informative piece. Like him I would have started with Jesus. it is interesting to read that maybe we need to start somewhere else. I can live with that, as long as we end up with Jesus I guess.

Being rooted in Hope

his week we confirm three members of our Parish. For a long time confirmation was seen as a completion of baptism. As todays gospel reading describes the elements, you got the water when you were sprinkled as a child, and then the Holy Spirit when you “confirmed” the promises made on your behalf as an “adult”. Today baptism is understood as complete in and of itself. You don’t need anything else. So what is confirmation? Our church describes it as a sacramental action that offers an opportunity for a public and personal profession of faith; a commitment by individuals to a life of discipleship and ministry; and with the episcopal laying on of hands, a new reception of the Holy Spirit for this life. It also reminds us that we are part of the wider church, not just this parish.

While I was preaching about peace last Sunday, the Merivale Community was learning of the death of Lance Scullin. Lance was not a saint, but he was someone who cared deeply about his family and community, and worked hard for both. His loss is deeply felt by the whole community including the Whanau Aroha Childcare Community. They are a community in shock and grief. As part of our discipleship and ministry we hold them in our prayers

As we continue our journey through Advent, the theme for this week is hope.  Lance’s death and the grief experienced by the Merivale community reminds us this hope cannot be just a nice idea, it has to offer something to this pain.

In today’s readings we are offered some amazing images of hope, especially in Isaiah; images of both predator and prey lying together in peace. Given the events of this week this seems so distant. And yet we are called to be a people who live out of this hope despite the evidence.

In the reading from Matthew we are given the image of being re-rooted. My fruit-salad plant is in an outside pottery pot. Over the last year it has grown enormously. We discovered it had re-rooted itself out of the pot and under the house. Not great for the house, but awesome for the plant. Sadly for the plant it has been re-rooted back into the pot.

Advent is a time to ask ourselves what pots we are currently rooted in and how they help or hinder our life in God. It offers us a time to open ourselves to the possibility of being re-rooted out of those pots and into God’s peace, hope love and joy (the themes for Advent). The gospel reading we heard finishes with the images of winnowing forks, threshing floors, wheat being gathered into the granary, and the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire. This image is not about individuals being sorted out but aspects of each one of us. Within us is the capacity to be both predator and prey. Within us are roots that lead to attitudes and actions of peace, and attitudes and actions of conflict and violence. These need to be placed in the fire as chaff. Lance’s life was full of these contradictions. But he is remembered for his compassion and actions for peace. Some of his roots led him to hope big things for his family and community, and to live these hopes out despite the evidence.  Because of that his community deeply mourns. We are called to follow that example.

Like last week, I invite you to take time at the end of each day to reflect on and give thanks for ways God brought hope into your day. I also invite you to reflect on the roots in your life that allow you to respond to that hope and that leads you to live peace. How might you feed these roots? Finally I invite you to reflect on in what ways you need to be re-rooted, and to weed out the roots that cause you to lose hope and lead you to bring or add conflict in your day.

Watching and praying

 Gate Pa –  Year A - Advent 1 2013

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture:          Isaiah 2:1-5                        

Psalm:                                  Psalm: 122          

Epistle:                 Rom 13:11-14    

Gospel:                                Matt 24:36-44   

                                               

What I want to say:

Advent is time to reflect on what we wait for and how we wait and watch

Ask “what are we waiting for the Advent?

Watching for peace is more than hoping that all will be well

it is an active watching – getting involved in God’s peace -  living is such a way that we live as if God’s reign of justice and peace is now.

Isaiah offers image of instruments of war and death being turned into instruments of food production and life -  more than just beating ploughshares – about learning whole new way of being

that involved unlearning ways of war in our households, personal relationships and how we see the world and learning that ways of peace

What I want to happen:

people to spend this week reflecting on what habits and practices of conflict do they need to unlearn and what practices and habits of peace they need to learn

The Sermon

      1.       Introduction:

how many went to see film “The Butler”

find someone who went – what their reflections

some of mine include:

-          nearly all that in my lifetime

-          appalling hatred and violence against black people which was seen and normal and tolerated, even expected by good church going white Americans

o   what saddened me as I watch is that for many - their Christian faith undergirded their racism

America has come along way

like us it has long way to go

      2.       What is advent?

time of waiting

-          what are we waiting for? (ask)

certainly – looking back to Christmas and preparing for celebration Christ’s coming in 25 days

todays reading reminds us that it is also looking forward to end of time

                Christ’s second coming

Gods reign justice peace

reminded that in beginning is God

and in end there is God

and God brings accountability, justice, hope, and peace among the nations

      3.       Watching

all part Jesus final speech

                final speeches were of huge importance – stature person relied on this last speech

                                final words of wisdom and instructions,

                                also when close death thought to be in a thin space – able to see and understand more rest life

one key parts reading is command to watch

and we are told to not be so busy that we fail to watch for this reign

that is what advent is all about

taking the time to watch

in particular we invited watch for God’s peace, hope, joy and love

      4.       Reading from Isaiah

set time when Israel and Judah were either at war or preparing for war

face of that Isaiah offers this audacious image

that they were to learn ways of peace

For us that means “Watching for peace”

that  is more than hoping that all will be well

question from New Westminster about my involvement in justice issues

                talk about them

                read articles about them

                sign petition on internet about some

hunch looking for more

hunch that watching for peace is more than this as well

                it is an active watching

                getting involved in God’s peace

                living is such a way that we live as if God’s reign of justice and peace is now.

for me Butler example of that

young people who decided to live as if God’s reign of justice and peace

                they sat in diners in place knew should be able sit

                caught buses knew not allowed on

                lived as it racism and segregation did not exist.

Isaiah asking hearers to do same thing

offers image of instruments of war and death being turned into instruments of food production and life

-  more than just beating ploughshares

– about learning whole new way of being

where do we start then?

-          being honest about how we bring conflict into our everyday life and find other ways of acting

-          unlearning ways of war in our households, personal relationships and how we see the world and learning that ways of peace

this week invite you to take time end each day to

reflect on and give thanks for ways brought God’s peace into your day

reflect on in what ways you brought or added to conflict in your day, and to ask yourself and God what you need to unlearn, and what you need to learn to bring peace

Watching Out For Peace

This week marks the beginning of Advent, when we begin our journey towards Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation, and we usually understand that to be a time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Traditionally in Advent we focus our preparation on the themes of peace, hope, joy and love. Today we begin with the theme of peace.

The gospel reading this morning reminds us that this time of preparation also has a future aspect. Advent is not only about the first Christmas, it is a time of deliberate preparation for the second coming of Christ, however we understand that. It is looking forward to when the reign of Christ is fully establish and all God is working for comes to be.

This morning’s gospel also reminds us that this is not a passive activity where we sit around and wait for God. This is a time of examining how we are involved in living in such a way that we point to the coming reign of Christ. We are, as Matthew says, to watch. Biblical scholar Bill Loader[1] suggests that it is unhelpful to read this passage as “an exhortation not to misbehave in case you get 'caught with your pants down', as they say, when Jesus comes.” Instead he says “It is about developing an awareness of what the God of the future is saying and doing in the present, to take a God perspective on the issues of the day and the future and to let that happen at all levels of our reality, from our personal lives to our international community.”

Last year we set one of our parish goals to be “living incarnationally in the community”. This first Sunday in Advent is a time to ask ourselves where we see God at work bringing peace into our world and our community. More than that, we are invited into active watching, to join in that work of peace making. How do we embody the peace of God in our community? 

Advent is also the time for the Christian World Service Christmas Appeal. This draws our attention to issues facing some of the poorest and most vulnerable people and invites us to take a God perspective on the issues of the day in the international community.

This year’s theme is Share Water, Share Life

Water is one of the most powerful symbols of the Christian faith and a constant throughout the Scriptures.  It is a gift of God that sustains the whole of creation.  But the water is running low and the costs of buying it rising.  The changing climate means that farmers cannot rely on rains or the dry seasons they need to dry food for storage.  Others experience massive floods, tsunami and hurricanes that kill and destroy.  Cities draw much more deeply on underground aquifers or lakes and rivers for growing populations.  Once clear water sources are contaminated with pollution or used for manufacturing and mass food production.  Conflicts over control of water supply are intensifying.  People are dying from disease caused by polluted water or thirst. 

As we reflect on God’s peace, we are reminded that everyone has a stake in the management of the local water supply but who gets to make the decisions?  Will some continue to miss out?  What are we doing with the gift that God gives us to share?   CWS partners are working hard to share water, share life.  Please give generously to the 2013 Christmas Appeal to help them do their work.

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[1] http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/MtAdvent1.htm

Who is Christ the King?

 Gate Pa –Christ the King Sunday, 2013

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture:                 Jer 23:1-6                        

Psalm:                                     Luke 1:68-79                                       NZPB Page 39

Epistle:                                    Col 1:11-20

Gospel:                                    Luke 23:33-43

What I want to say:

We need to be really careful about how we talk about and live out “Christ the King.” It is too easy to just replicate what the rest of society expects and look no different.

One way we can do that is to approach Christmas as a time of good news for all people, and to prepare in that vein, rather than as a family time

What I want to happen:

I want people to engage in a Fairtrade animal friendly giving kind of Christmas

The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

 What images, words, phrases come to mind when hear phrase – “Christ the King”?

It is a tricky phrase

comes with a lot cultural and religious baggage

show pictures

resurrected Jesus the Christ

enthroned in heaven

all powerful

Lord of all

so why have we this reading from Luke about crucifixion?

       2.     Luke

purpose of gospels –s answer very basic questions

            who is Jesus?

from our year reading Luke – how is Luke answering that question?

for writers of our lectionary

and for Luke

crucifixion where Christ “kingship” is fully revealed

       3.     Crucifixion

most of us not so keen on whole crucifixion thing

either way too much suffering

and for many we skip past singing happy songs about how Jesus died for our sins

            whatever we mean by that

significant number of scholars and theologians suggest that this is the point of it all.

certainly for Francis – crucifixion with nativity are two pivotal points of gospels

where the one who had broken down boundaries that exclude so many people was himself declared ultimate outcast

death cross brutally painful and utterly demeaning – designed to be

            warning to not cross Rome

            declaration that all stood for was without meaning

            if you believe anything this person has told you – this is where it leads

            this way leads only to death      

            clear statement that truth and certainty was only found in Rome

through resurrection that is all turned on its head

all else is declared meaningless

life is found only in way Jesus

habit of looking to wider world for truth is declared bankrupt

pulled again back into story gospel find out who Jesus is

            and who we are

            and in doing so reminded that we are beloved of God whether we like it or not

invited to live that out

so why is it we then use images and titles from world declared bankrupt in crucifixion to understand kingship of Christ

how we see Jesus as king is some ways shapes how we live our lives

here is an example

       4.     Elizabeth of Hungary

Francis was someone who saw himself as follower of great King

troubadour

lived his life in service to great king

unlike images of king seen this morning

for him Jesus is king on cross

sought to emulate the king in his own life

            living amongst poorest as one poorest

            breaking down barriers

            honouring and blessing and making visible all he met.

Tuesday remembered one early and great Franciscan third order saints

Elizabeth of Hungary

talked about her two months ago

she is someone who was expected to live like a king with all trappings

but influenced by early Franciscans

sought to follow example of great king

sought to live simply

                       dressed simply

            gave extravagantly

            personally cared for poorest lepers and beggars

            when learnt food served came two sources

-         food grown on property

-         food extorted from poor surrounding area

ð confined eating what she knew came from own property

for her

to live in honour great king was to live in way honoured the claim of poor of the world on her

            sought to live in way – did not add to their poverty

-         alleviated consequences of that poverty

-         addressed some of cause of their poverty

-         central to all this recognising risen Christ in face poor.

       5.     Christmas

WE are about to end the church year and enter season Advent

            time preparation for Christmas

I wonder how understanding of Christ the King shapes was we are preparing for?

in light we take our images of Christ the king into that preparation

how do we prepare for Christmas in a way that does not add to the poverty of others

that does not add to the misery of animals

offers others hope?

to engage in a Fairtrade animal friendly giving kind of Christmas