Found by Love - again

 Gate Pa – Passion Sunday 2013

Readings:

Hebrew Scripture:     Isa 43: 16-21   

Psalm:                         126     

Epistle:                        Philippians 3: 4b-14 

Gospel:                        John 12: 1-8

What I want to say:

      when we are truly found by love then our only response it to repent (not other way around)

      when that happens we are radically changed, and invited to live out of that love rather than our own effort

What I want to happen:

People to reflect on/pray about – do I live in response to being found by love, or struggle to earn that love?

The Sermon

      1.      Introduction:

do a recap on last week

we listened to and explored the unfinished story Two Lost Sons

story told because Pharisees and scribes getting antsy about how Jesus seemed to be accepting and honouring tax collectors and sinners by eating with them.

I talked about how younger son found by Fathers love

            at that moment he was found

                        he realised who truly was – beloved son

                        repented of all that stopped him knowing that or living that out

We left other son still locked into seeing self as servant

Unable embrace that he too was beloved son

unable to know that or live that out

      2.      Process of Repentance:

There is an important thing about this story we need to remember

often miss altogether

Both sons were forgiven

            younger realised that and repented,

but only after he realised he was forgiven

            was a beloved son.

            nothing he had done

            as bad and outrageous as that was

                        had changed that

older one – although forgiven – couldn’t even see he had problem

            no response

            continues to behave in his outrageous fashion

so in this story

            father forgives

            son repents

not how usually describe process

            usually we repent, then forgiven

            that’s how confession works week after week in our Sunday services

è all about God responding to our initiative

but in this story sons found by love/forgiven first

            then in face of that – younger repented

To be found by love, - that is all God’s initiative

God finds us

God forgives us, always

whether we respond or not

God invites us to remember who we are and to respond to being found. 

      3.      Paul

want to apply that to two of our readings this morning.

Paul had been someone who worked very hard to obey the law and earn his place

            worked hard to be forgiven

Like older son

            servant

            desperate earn his place

            a servant of God

On the Road Damascus

met resurrected Christ

Found by love

he was found just as younger son was found

no longer needed to earn God’s forgiveness through own zeal

no longer needed to be Pharisee

simply needed to respond to that love

repent (as heard today) of his zeal and passionate adherence to law

            led him to persecute fledgling church

became changed man

thought and behaved in ways well outside expected norms of his time

            became radical

            many struggled with him from that point on

                        as we can see from today's reading.

always interests me that Paul get used to justify legalistic attitudes and desperation to maintain to status quo.

            old Paul

            new Paul

                        one found by love

                        who lived in response to that love

                        Paul we meet in his letters was neither legalistic nor conservative. 

       4.      Mary

Gospel story this morning is also about someone found by love

            extraordinary story.

this story appears in some form in all 4 gospels

not many that do that

Luke most different from others

            has own Mary and Martha story

            Martha fulfils her obligations while Mary sits and listens

in Luke this version story near beginning gospel

at Pharisees house

a woman comes -> is sinner – prostitute

she weeps on feet and then dries them with hair

then anoints with oil

            Effectively washing feet as host should have done

issue is sinful woman is touching feet

Pharisee not say anything

            but Jesus knows what thinking

            tells story about 2 people in debt

            and rebukes Pharisee lack hospitality

Matthew and Mark – Bethany before last supper

at house Simon skin disease and is Pharisee

unnamed woman - moral status not mentioned

pours expensive oil over his – head

-                      anoint king

-                      prepare burial

some disciples have issue is cost

                        money used for poor

John’s story is mix all these

before Palm Sunday,

            part important role in setting scene for Jesus’s arrest and execution

house of Lazarus – treats him as honoured guest

            clearly part of Judean elite

sister Mary anoints feet with very expensive oil

            wipes with her hair

lets note a few very strange things about this story

while normal custom of hospitality in elite homes for the host to have his slaves wash the feet of guests -

First, Mary performs the action herself – very unusual.

Second, normally a woman would never touch a man except her husband and children - and then only in private.

Third, a woman would never allow anyone other than her immediate family to see her hair.

Fourth, the cleaning of the feet was not done with perfume - especially with the amount mentioned here which would cost a year's wages for a peasant labourer.

Fifth, this not the anointing of the head as was done for installation of a new priest, prophet or king; nor of the whole body as was done for the dead. What does this signify? Malina and Rohrbaugh comment (Page 205, see footnote below):

Jesus is about to do something of singular significance. As a rather wealthy mistress of the house, Mary of Bethany takes it upon herself to acknowledge and affirm Jesus' forthcoming significant action.

all about preparation for burial

                        those crucified often left on cross on public display

                        kill off the ideas of those crucified and end movements

                        birds left consume bodies

                                    thrown into rubbish

                        no burial rights performed on these

issue John is that Judas worried about cost and poor

            John deals with that by describing Judas as thief

                        only interested in own gain

Jesus responds

“Jesus said, "Leave her alone. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." 

so what is going on here? 

5.      Being found by love

Mary was found by Love

            but being found by love is dangerous thing

Mary responds to that love by breaking a whole lot of social taboos

            offering that love back to the one who found her.

Act of deep compassion which Jesus recognises.

when we are found by love we are no longer in control

we don’t take the initiative

            God does

            we respond to God

When we are found by love

            we invited to remember who we are

                        that we are God’s beloved

and invited to consider all that prevents us knowing that we are beloved

all that prevent us living that out

leads us inevitably to let go whole lot predetermined ideas about

            who is God

            who we are in God

            what means live Godly life

            at most extreme – become like Paul and Mary

people who shed religious and social constrictions

instead embrace loving freedom comes being Beloved.

stop trying to do everything in own strength

stop needing to have all answers

stop needing to be in control

become willing to simply respond to God

            look for God at work

            join in work reminding all that they are beloved

become people of hope

and as Jim Wallis reminds us hope means believing in spite of the evidence and then watching the evidence change.

6.      Lent

As we approach Holy Week and Easter,

            this is a time to ask whose are we,

                                    who are we,

                                    and what is ours to do?

Invite you to make space to be found by Love,

            to be reminded that we are beloved,

to ask yourself “do I live in response to being found by love?”

what do I need to let go of that stops me knowing that or living that out

So we are now going to confession

we will begin with absolution to remind us that we are already found by love

     we are already forgiven

     we repent because we are forgiven of all that stops us living that out.