Unravelling Peace

This can be listened to here

Gate Pa – Advent 2 2015

Readings:

Psalm:                                   The Song of Zechariah        NZPB Page 85

First Reading:                       Baruch 5:1-9                                                        

Second Reading: Philippians 1:3-11                                               

Gospel:                  Luke 3:1-6                                                            

What I want to say:

Explore the idea that peace comes when we are unravelled from the threads and chords that hold us as individuals and as communities in certain ways of seeing, acting being. Peace comes when the radical change comes with repentance

What I want to happen:

People to spend the week reflecting on what might be needed for there to be a new peace in their lives this Christmas

The Sermon

     1.       Introduction:

last week – hope

invited pray with that theme, specifically around

·         How has your hope in God changed over your life?

·         In what ways might you be invited to reform your life this advent as we prepare for Christ’s coming? what new ways might you live out hope?

·         How are you being changed by love?

     2.       Peace

this week theme is peace

seems so far off

                another climate change conference is under way

                while what some regard as first climate change war continues in Syria                    spilling over in Iraq

                Britain has agreed to join bombing raids

                fighting and killing continues parts of Africa

                another mass shooting or two (or three?) in America

How can we even begin to talk about hope or peace in face of all that?

     3.       Luke and John the Baptiser

gospel

some suggested little light weight

                 bit history

                quote Isaiah

others wondered why Luke includes so much detail and immediately contrasts it with John

     4.       Paul

recently read book about St Paul

-          basic idea of which is that he was radical that church and state really weren’t that comfortable with.

one things writer emphasises is Paul’s use of Imperial titles for Christ

Lord

Son of God

Saviour of the world

all of which were originally applied to emperor before applied to Jesus

Luke

and all gospel writers

Paul

è lived in word dominated by Rome

Augustus was first emperor

became emperor by defeating other generals claiming Rome for themselves

ending long civil war

restoring peace –

                stability

                 commerce

was literally seen as saviour of world

one who brought peace world ripped apart by war

and every emperor after that welcomed with same enthusiasm

divide between human and divine in Greco-Roman world not great

                gods became human

                notable humans became gods

                gods had human children

not like us see this huge divide

so someone like Augustus who seemed to do impossible and bring peace and stability in war torn world was seen as a god among men.

è Emperor Cult became important way emperor maintain mystique and power.

none emperors quite lived up to all these hopes placed on them

each new emperor greeted with hope and enthusiasm

                same hope that this time this emperor will be one where all flourish

                                all do well from romans

                                there would be true peace

                                hopes be fulfilled

of course it never happened

                only people ever do well in empire

                                really well

                                ones in centre

                                                true of every empire including British Empire

further from edge went – less well those people did

                impoverished

                peace maintained with brutal violence

                millions died maintaining for Rome’s peace

     5.       Back to Luke

takes us back to Luke

All power centred on Emperor – Tiberius (successor to Augustus)

everyone else on that list,

including high priests

were on that list at Tiberius discretion

while they were on that list

they were among those who benefited from Roman Peace

in their interests to keep the illusion going.

People Paul mixed with and wrote to

people gospels written for

                not in centre

                on the edge

they were ones paid price of Roman peace.

to use names reserved for emperor was a way of showing

                shallowness of emperor cult

                                roman peace

Using titles of Emperor for Jesus

                way of declaring that true hope

                                real peace

                                authentic joy

not to be found in the empire

but in Jesus alone.

So, rather than simply giving us some historical details

another way reading this passage is that Luke is offering us a contrast

contrast of the way of the empire centred on Tiberius

with way God centred on humble carpenter from Nazareth.

Way of empire at best can bring a temporary end to violence

it can never bring peace

Hebrew word for peace is shalom

                shalom is more than absence of war

                                a manifestation of divine grace

is the overcoming of strife, quarrel, and social tension,

the prevention of enmity and war.

Luke (and Paul and other gospel writers) are saying that      

empire might bring very temporary absence of war

only God brings peace/shalom.

Sadly

too often we who follow the way of christ have forgotten this

Christ has been colonised by empire

chrisitnity has become a tool in empires arsenal to demand loyalty

whether that Roman, Byzantine, British, German, or American empire

        Christianty has become way encouraging people put their faith in Empire

        see rulers of that empire as only ones truly bring peace and hope to this world

     6.       some thoughts:

Advent reminds us that our first loyalty is not to the nation state

                but to way God

believe in Christ is to put all our hope and trust in Christ

                not about intellectual assent

                trusting in God to be our only real source of hope and peace

not military might allies

not in keeping borders tight

not in living in fear about our way of life

but in God’s way of compassion, mercy, generosity.

two – this way is not easy

we are ensnared, trapped by false way seeing world that puts the way of empire first

only way to find real peace in our lives

                in community

                in world is when let go those ways seeing world

                allow God to free us from all ways trapped by false hope and false sin.

that needs kind of earth works described by Isaiah and quoted by John Baptiser in Luke are significant even today

sometimes it is hard for us to comprehend magnitude of what has happened to earth when driving down SH1 for example

                both what has been involved to create that road

                how different it is to how it used to be

                                how different it is from roads of to each side.

around this time 30 years ago Bonnie nearly divorced me on cycle tour from Auckland to Wellington because I suggested we leave the main road and went along one of these side roads

                how lumpy can a road in the Hawkes Bay be?

                turns out very.

                we spent several hours going up and over very single little hillock between Napier and Waipukurau

really useful image

                first is that way empire  - false hope and peace is much easier than hillocky road of God

                secondly – kind change needed to leave behind the old assumptions in false peace was like those rood works

                                huge

                                significant

                                hard work

                                take a long time – not done overnight.

     7.       Advent

weeks of Advent invite us to take that time and more

this is about expectant waiting

willing to stop and take time needed – to at least make a start.

so:

•  what sins at you being invited to be untangled from?
• As a church, or as a country, what sins are we being untangled from?
• Where is peace this advent?