Loving God

This sermon can be heard here

Gate Pa

(Pentecost 20, 30^th Sunday in Ordinary time)

Readings:

Psalm: :                       Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17                                                               

First Reading:                          Deuteronomy 34:1-12                  

Second Reading:        1 Thess 2:1-8                                                                

Gospel:                        Matthew 22: 34-46                                                                           

What I want to say:

The yoke of Jesus changes how we understand the Torah – from rules to obey to earn God’s love and forgiveness, to the way we respond to God and love God with all our heart and mind and soul.

What we also often miss is that these two commandments work together. We love God by loving our neighbour.

Love is not emotion; it is not "liking," "getting along with," "desiring," or "feeling warm about." The "love" Jesus is talking about here is trust, loyalty, enduring devotion, being attached to. You may actually hate your neighbour, but you will still love them in the Biblical sense if you continue to act for their well-being, don't tell lies about them, and refuse to cut off your relationship with them.

What I want to happen:

People to grow in love, of God by growing in commitment, loyalty, working for the wellbeing of their neighbour.

The Sermon

     1.     Introduction:

what was the first half gospel reading today –

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'

well known

so familiar not think about it too often

some believe that this heart of Jesus yoke

            his understanding of and teaching about the Torah

            if you want to know what the good news is, this is it.

if it is heart of his yoke, - then do need pay attention to it.

     2.     Radical

trouble for us

            really familiar

            just seems to make sense

not a lot need think about really.

because of that

miss just how radical reading of Torah – of 10 commandments in particular

how is it radical

seen radical in two ways

     3.     Radical One

how was and still is read by many

Loving God and loving neighbour 2 separate statements

            reading Loving God all important

            loving neighbour came down line importance

big question certainly those confronting Jesus

how do we love God

            obedience to law - some focus of that all about Temple rites,

observing temple rituals and sacrifices

            Pharisees – especially those away Jerusalem – daily living out all laws

not about earning God’s pleasure and love – becoming worthy

responding to God who chose Israel to be God’s people

            gave them this land

when fulfil obligations as set out in Torah

when obedient to law

            were rightly loving God

primary importance

everything else secondary to that

            first radical elevation of loving neighbour as ourselves to equally important.

     4.     Question

others suggest even more radical teaching than that

            suggest that Jesus went even further

question for them– read them as two statements or one?

not only elevated loving neighbour as self to being equal to loving God

became means by which we love God?

not two equal statements

but one – love God by loving neighbour

rest Torah became means by which we are reminded how to love God by loving neighbour, and we are helped to become people who love God by loving neighbour – don’t have to think about it, just live that way.

     5.     What is love?

Love is not emotion; it is not "liking," "getting along with," "desiring," or "feeling warm about."

The "love" Jesus is talking about here is trust, loyalty, enduring devotion, being committed to.

we will love in the Biblical sense if we act for our neighbours well-being,

            not gossiping or tell lies about them, 

            and refuse to cut off your relationship with them

            continue to work for their wellbeing ahead of our own.

     6.     That is hard

sounds so easy

loving God by loving neighbour a lot harder than Jesus response suggests

while very early church renowned support and ministry among least in their society: slaves, poor, widows, orphans, and dispossessed, sick

once church become arm of state under emperor Constantine

two statements separated

increasingly church taught loving God meant adherence teaching Church

            attending church services

            giving to church

            being good and loyal citizen

loving neighbour increasingly separated

            once again became lesser importance –

worse

church taught needed earn God’s love and forgiveness through all sorts of activities including penitential rites, giving alms, giving to church and to things church deemed right, like crusades.

     7.     Reformation Day

today churches, especially Lutheran churches

remember how on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

this time religious, social and political revolution

gave rise protestant reformation

reformed family churches – Lutheran and Presbyterian

bibles and services common language people

through translation bible into German

created common German language among Germanic peoples and states

led creation modern Germany some 300 year later

give thanks Luther, Calvin, Knox, Zwingli and other reformers

time us reflect

how well we hold these statements together

wonder do we love God by other means than loving neighbour

how do we need to be reformed

Wendy and religious life.