Standing for the Gospel
Gate Pa –Epiphany 3 2016
Readings:
Psalm Psalm: 19
First
Reading:
Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,8-10
Second Reading: 1 Cor
12:12-31
Gospel:
Luke
4:14-21
What I want to say:
I
want to explore why we might stand for the gospel
What I want to happen:
So that people might be more thoughtful about how they do it,
rather than just do it because that is what we do
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Few years ago at meeting about something
young women working in Anglican church there –
not Anglican
briefly touched on standing for gospel
which she dismissed as unnecessary.
All bible readings are important – not single
out gospel
that
put me in my place
opposite that
Bonnie and I went Anglican church in Orthodox tradition in San Francisco
not only stand for gospel reading
but
after read then processed around church for people touch and kiss
What is going on here?
Why do we stand for gospel – talk neighbour
for moment
2. Why I stand – because that is what we do
responses from people
want to offer some
thoughts about why I stand and let you think about why you stand
3. irreverence for scripture
standing has something to do with how see and
hear scripture as a whole
fact is that bible is
not always seen as a good thing by Christians
left a lot people
thinking that Bible is not great thing
led some want to leave
it alone.
are some not great
stories and passages in there.
colleague – told not need preach from
scripture readings
moved
on from that.
some ways surprising things
some ways understandable
too many people put off the bible by how some
groups use it.
conservative/
fundamentalist Christians
simplistically
might say
given
by God – can’t challenge any of it
treated
as collections sayings use back up conservative stand
way that it has been used by groups justify
slavery
treatment
women as second class citizens at best
treatment
Africans less human - USA and South Africa name two places
appalling
treatment gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people
still
used today justify recriminalisation of GLBT in parts Africa
rules need follow getting into heaven
others - bunch old stories and archaic rules
not seem to have much to do with life today
all of that is in sharp contrast to what we heard this
morning in Nehemiah and our Psalm
4. The Word of God
Bible often described as Word of God
think is problematic
dictated
by God
can't
question it
John
talks about The Word, the Logos being Crucified and Risen Christ
what is Bible if not Word of God?
Bible is record our encounters with eternal word
our
grappling with big questions
who
is God
who
are we
what
is life all about
We meet
as The Word in these pages-
that Word leads us inot God
into life
into who we are in God
quote Howard Wallace
in pew sheet “is
about the life-giving, renewing, releasing, freeing, sight-giving nature of
God’s word, the joy that it can engender, and the joy of wanting to hear
it.”
How often do we use words like that to describe
what he heard when we hear and read from Bible
that is attitude we
are invited to bring to scripture
5. Why stand for Gospel
because in Gospel
reading we meet crucified and risen Christ
The Word of God
in stories of life,
teaching, death and rising again we meet the Word in the flesh
hearing the stories
we are invited to allow our lives to be shaped
by those stories
One
things St. Francis offered church
Bible
not words needed to be learnt and explained
needed
to be lived out
first
rules wrote for Brothers simply collections of Gospel texts
essentially
said they were to live the
6. So
for
me
I
stand for gospel
reverence
that in these words meet Word of God
remind
myself that in these words join ongoing struggle know God, know myself
some
of you might seen cross myself
head
mouth
heart
sense
saying - may these words be written on my mind and mouth and heart
or
to put it another way
these words will shape my thoughts
revealed in my words
be the basis for how I live my life.
so
why do you stand for gospel
-
re read gospel, standing of course
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