God of the Small Things
Gate Pa – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 18th 2012
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:4-20Psalm: 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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