Social Service Sunday
Readings:
Hebrew
Scripture: Micah 6:
6-8
Psalm: 89: 20-37
Epistle: Ephesians
2: 11-22
Gospel:
Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56
What I want to say:
- Anglican Social service is not just about the professional agencies that work under Anglican Care
- Involves each and every one of us
- motivation is not about helping others less fortunate
- outworking of love live in as followers Jesus
- involves us as individuals and as missional community
- Use Urban Vision to explore this
What I want to happen:
people to engage their neighbours out
of love
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
joke – what do
you call a fake noodle
an
impasta
This week social
service Sunday
Gifted
by God: Inspired to serve
what
is that about?
(gather
responses)
lets have a look
at some readings today see what they might say to all this
2.
Gospel
two weeks
heard
story of Jesus sending out of disciples,
told them what to do
instructions about casting out demons might make us feel
uncomfortable
find hard
understand or take seriously
One things happening here Mark establishing honour and authority
Jesus and disciples
Jesus comes from poor village
not enough honour lead
not enough honour do things he was doing
one
Mark’s main purpose in Gospel is to establish Jesus’ authority/honour
Mark establishing whakapapa – Son of
God
number ways we can
understand that
filial relationship – as much as that can be applied to God
read like James and John being sons thunder
father not thunder
attributes of thunder
Jesus had attributes God
authority
over demons (higher beings)
cosmology of
his world
so
disciples too be like him
giving them his honour, his
authority
3.
They return
today
heard they return
imagine
it – full of excitement
yet tired
between sending out and return
story of John’s death
euphoria first mission coloured by that death
not just about
good times
being a follower of
Jesus is problematic
which it was for his first readers.
persecution
failure
lack growth
Mark is linking their story with story Jesus
try to get away
not
one stories use support maintaining boundaries – fails
takes
pity of them and goes to them
says interesting
thing – sheep without shepherd
–
who should shepherds be?
what is this about?
- these people landless poor peasant
(90%)
Life made miserable
heavy tax burdens of Rome and own rules - indebted
lost land absentee landowners
people should be protecting them – their leaders
part urban minority (most 10%) making all decisions
reaping all benefits
-
these are people
who should be shepherds of people – failed
-
become imposters
Society
that failing people here with Jesus
Society
bears no resemblance society talked about prophetic tradition
society
these people longed for
messianic society
4.
prophetic tradition
–
heard this morning Micah
if
I were to summarise that tradition
society in which all people belong
founded on God’s love and goodness
all could contribute and all benefit
Jesus clearly stood within prophetic tradition
through
actions creating communities based on
God’s love and goodness
beginnings
of society where all contribute and all
benefit
within
that tradition that we meet this morning
we reflect on our social services
5.
Social Service Sunday
theme - Gifted by God: Inspired to serve
-
reminded a lot of
Urban Vision “community” in Wellington
o
stand same
prophetic tradition Jesus stood in
o
work create
society that all contribute to and all benefit from
o
society based
God’s goodness and love
-
UV is new
monastic order
o
people commit live
under “rule” for at least a year
o
“rule” based three
key principles or pillars
A. Deepen our
intimacy with Christ Jesus, (very similar to own diocesan mission statement of
knowing Jesus)
§ comes out of understanding that what motivates us?
·
Obligation? Duty?
·
or love of Jesus
§ According to Charles Ringma,
·
“service is love
giving itself away.
·
It is only in
solitude that love finds itself again, springing up from within as we are
nurtured by the great Lover.”
sadly love fragile thing
easily lost
what this about is foundational need nurture love in our lives
deepening our intimacy
with Jesus
immersing ourselves in
God’s love
pause – how do you, how do we do that, what more might we need to do to
nurture this love?
B. Deep belonging
to each other
“All men will know that you are my disciples
if you love one another.” (Jn 13:35)
[Jesus came to form
communities centred round God’s love. Community is a miracle and can only be
sustained through God’s love. As with all of Jesus’ miracles, the miracle of
community points to the promise, presence and character of God, as well as
God’s activity in the world through people.]
Youth Forum and missional
community
sometimes we get so strung out by
the need to do stuff that we forget what is much more important who we are
God’s gathered community
pause – aks, what shapes our life as St. Georges, How do we ddeply belong
to each other and what more might we need to do to nurture this?
C. Giving our best for the least.
“If our church is not marked by caring for the
poor, the oppressed and the hungry, then we are guilty of heresy.” – St
Ignatius.
one of
things attracted me here, that this parish exists in place great need
community that
will give our best for the least.
pause – aks, in what ways do we give our best for the least, and what
more might we need to do?
6.
So what this social service Sunday?
invitation
this social service Sunday is to not just give thanks for and maybe give some money
to work Anglican Care
respond to
God’s invitation to be God’s Anglican people in this place
taking time grow awareness that we
are immersed in God’s love –
sustained and shaped by that
love motivates us
to service – share or give that love away.
take time deeply belong to each
other, so that how we are as St Georges is of itself missional
a testimony to God’s love and goodness
in light of those two things might
give our best for the least in communities Gate Pa, Greerton, Pyes Pa and
Merrivale
o
long term thing
o
not be easy
o
need to do if we
are to be faithful to all who have gone before us in this place
o
faithful to who
God calls us to be as God’s Anglican people.
o
truly engage in
social service and join early disciples in God’s mission
o
and not be
imposters
Comments
Kia pai tou wiki, e Pa.
na, Jo