Who are God’s Chosen People?



 Gate Pa – 27th October 2013
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture:     Joel 2:23-32                
Psalm:                         Psalm: 65                   
Psalm Response: Glory to God – Creator, Word and Spirit         
As God always was, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Epistle:                        2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18          
Gospel:                        Luke 18:1-8    

What I want to say:
We are God’s Chosen People
All are God’s chosen people
We have done and can do nothing to earn that we are all invited to “see” and to respond to that by loving God
To love God we are to love neighbour rather than obey rules and laws.
we do that by praying unceasingly for justice for all God’s people

What I want to happen:
People to pray for justice for all people in a way that God might change them into people of insight and compassion.

The Sermon

      1.      Introduction:

ask - who are God’s chosen people?
-          how would you define or describe them?

      2.      Pharisees

We meet several groups people in Gospels answer that question differently
Sadducees for example say – Hebrew people,
-          in particular those adhered to and practice the Temple rituals
Pharisees – radical group looking renew Jewish life
-          like Sadducees – Hebrew people
-          unlike Sadducees say all those loved God every moment by adhering to Mosaic law
lets note what they and pretty much every religious group do
define selves as people God
            carries with it sense well-being and pride
clear about who that involves and what involves
certainty God will bless, honour, reward and protect them
and everyone who no fit that description is by definition not people God
certainty God will not bless, honour, reward and protect them
            and those who are invariably end up looking down on them with pity, or worse
see that throughout much Christian history
see it in today’s Gospel reading

      3.      Jesus

ask - who did Jesus say were God’s Chosen People?
-          what does one have to do to become GCP?
simple answer is
everyone
            particularly poor, hungry, mourning
            people on edge, looked down on, despised
nothing – already are
Jesus like Pharisees was leading a reform movt.
big difference between the two movements
Pharisees loved God through keeping law
Jesus loved God by……? ask
ð  (loving neighbour as yourself)
For Jesus that is point of law
help us realise that loving neighbour is way love God
because all are God’s chosen people.

       4.      Today’s Story

tax collector not been listed in either Pharisees or Sadducees list of GCP
            nothing going for them
Jesus talks about as GCP
unlikely hero of story
important to read story carefully
does nothing to become God’s
already is, always was
prayer is not one of confession to earn God’s forgiveness
it is simply a prayer of recognition
“Have mercy on me. I am that sinner the Pharisee is talking about.”
Jesus says “One of these will go home right with God?
wonder where we are in this story?

      5.      I wonder

we are GCP not because of anything we do
simply because God chooses us
            and chooses all humanity
invited to recognise that and respond
first reading from Joel
            hear promise of hope that all years hardship during exile, and after as they slowly restore life in Judea as GCP
            have amazing passage usually hear Pentecost
“your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,”
we understand prophesy to be about foretelling future
not really what about
about present
seeing and speaking about God’s nearness
about seeing world through God’s eyes
this way seeing reserved for chosen few called “prophets”
in this reading given to all
            male and female
            young and old
            slave and free
what Paul talks about in Galatians
In Gospels Jesus is inviting us to see as Joel promised
to see world through God’s eyes
            like tax collector does
to see all people through God’s eyes
sadly, like tax collector we keep forgetting
forgetting to look
forgetting to pray
forgetting that we cannot earn title GCP
forgotten not build fences
            not see others with pity, sadness and worse
forgetting to love neighbour as ourselves
forgetting to even pray “Have mercy on me. I am that sinner the Pharisee is talking about.”
last week Jesus invited us to pray unceasingly for justice for GCP
I wonder if we did that what would happen
I suspect we would learn to love our neighbour
learn compassion
if we did we would learn to see as God sees
we would learn how to truly love God with our soul and mind, our body and strength





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