God of the Small Things



 Gate Pa – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 18th 2012

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:4-20
Psalm: 1 Samuel 2: 1-10
Epistle: Hebrews 10:11-25
Gospel: Mark 13: 1-8

What I want to say:

·         who does God work though to bring about reign of God
o   What are signs of that reign?
·         God is at work through those we least expect.
·         Pay attention to the small things
·         keep an eye on the poor and marginalised because that is where God is to be found·       

What I want to happen:

·         use St. David’s “persevere with the little things to reflect on where God is to be seen in our times

The Sermon

     1.    Introduction:

*    where do we look for inspiration, for hope, for clues how to live?
o   for signs of God’s activity and our salvation?
o   for God’s reign of justice and peace?
*    story Kate in America
o   woke up find result and Facebooked “good choosing America”
o   republican depression
not just republicans
number people disappointed by Barak Obama – promised so much but had delivered so little
looking for something radically different terms foreign policy + military action, economic policy, health care,  environmental policy
looking for him to be the harbinger of very different America
simply not happened
sense for some of them, hoped he would be God’s agent bringing in much more just America,
both in terms how those live in America treated
and attitude and treatment rest world,
especially Muslim world
while has been change, not enough
in a way today’s readings are about
           ð who are people that bring us hope?
          ð who does God work though to bring about reign of God?
           ð what are signs of that reign?

      2.    Story of Hannah

explore the story of Hannah
Humiliation not fulfilling her role in family
-         have sons
-         God’s decision and punishment (clear in story)
-         other wife (Penniniah) mocks her for it
-         when go up to sacrifice at Shiloh can’t take it any more
-         bereft she and goes to pray
-         Eli mistakes her very unusual silent prayer (all prayer like all reading would have been out loud)
-         despite evidence – assures her God has heard prayer
what is interesting is that Hannah in not the first significant women who started off being barren
-         spot the deliberate mistake in theme for today?
o   Sarah  (and Abraham)
o   Rebekah (Isaac) also described barren before had Esau and Jacob
o   Rachel (Jacob) barren – used her slave women as surrogate (as did sister for a while) before she herself conceived had Joseph and Benjamin
o   later have Elizabeth – mother John Baptist
-         all these stories God uses women who everyone else saw as failures
o   because they could not conceive they were of less worth, less importance, failures
§  not kind people God might use at all
§  yet story God hinges on these women and their struggle
§  without them there is no Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, or John.

       3.    Song of Hannah

her response is found in Psalm recited this morning
            prayer she prayed after left son with Eli live as Nazarite
-         does that prayer fit with the story?
o   vote?
-         like found prayer liked and added it for artistic touch
-         not uncommon practice add poems to stories
o   sometimes they were first version story – Ex 15 (song Miriam) and Judges 5 (song of Deborah) which added prose story around it
o   sometimes added for theological perspective it adds to story
o   which is what is at play here
o   this prayer is giving theological perspective
§  that this story is about much more than barren humiliated woman from small family out in sticks
§  story of national and theological significance
§  Samuel is more than greatly loved and cherished small boy
·        play key role in story God
o   last judge
o   priest and prophet
o   one who will oversee coming together of the 12 independent tribes
o   create whole new political system
o   one who will anoint first king
o   who will anoint David as King
§  who will as much as possible unify 12 independent tribes into one nation
§  who will be template all king was to be
§  will represent all that is longed for well into future
§  all this rests on this little boys shoulders
o   and prayer insists that this is all the  work God
§  God who raises poor from dust
§  lifts needy from the ash heap
o   offered view of  Hannah who senses significance of her boy, and on behalf of whole nation gives thanks to God
-         question for us
o   is Hannah kind of person you would look to to be mother of someone as significant as Samuel?
§  vote
§  I’d be looking for someone like Michelle Obama
o   presented image of God as one who ignores and overcomes all our expectations and assumptions,
§  about our place in world,
·        what gives strength, security, (all of which can be lost in a flash)
§  about God and God’s actions (unexpected and trustworthy)

       4.    Advent

in 2 weeks we are into advent
prepare retelling Christmas story
prepare encounter incarnate God in our world in fresh ways
remember story birth of the Christ,
story of omnipotent God most high bending down in love and becoming one of us in Jesus
what kind of woman would you look for to be the mother of that child?
be mother of God?
fair to say unexpected choice find it is unmarried young women, poor small village not so great part Palestine
think process that just used choose next ABC had been used, she wouldn’t have made the top 3 list.
I think in part that is what Mark is about today
all things that represented what people expect God work though
temple
big events like wars, famines, earthquakes, eclipses – freaky as they are
none of those represent God’s normal means operating
Message from today’s readings is that God continues to use some very unlikely people to give birth to God’s reign of justice and peace
return to my first question
-          where do we look for inspiration, for hope, for salvation, for signs of God’s activity?
o   powerful
o   important
o   influential
o   or????
St. David of Wales
            died reported to have commended his disciples to persevere in the small things
suggest that one way read all these stories is not look famous and inspirational for work of God
Look to those in our communities persevere with little things, bring knowingly and unknowingly brings about God’s reign
be inspired by them
find God’s salvation in them

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