Imagine that some more



Gate Pa – Pentecost 12
(22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year A)
Readings:
Psalm:                         Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26,45c                               
Psalm Response:  Glory to God – Creator, Word and Spirit
As God always was, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

First Reading:            Exodus 3:1-15                                                            
Second Reading:        Romans 12:9-21                                              
Gospel:                       Matthew 16:21-28                                                    

What I want to say:
Use the three readings to explore the big question – who are we. From there I want to ask 3 questions – what seismic shifts are we invited into ourselves? What is our vocation in this place? What is my role in that vocation?

What I want to happen:
People to reflect on these questions and begin to live it out.

The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

Dominant images in media last few weeks
            election – all which coloured by nicky hagars book –“dirty politics”
                        ongoing revelations and ramifications.
                        significant proportion
                                    take little interest – just vote as have last couple elections
                                    not vote at all – just encourages them
            international stage what happening Syria and Iraq –
                        James Foley – beheaded
            and ISIS crusade (use that word deliberately – mirrors Christian crusade 8-900 years ago)
                        targeting all those do not conform their idea what one believe or how behave
how to make sense of all this?
so hard
face of all that we have these three readings

      2.     Moses

foundational story Jewish people
“our people were slave in Egypt
Lord God heard our cry
rescued us and brought us through wilderness into promised land”
story recited every Passover for last 3000 years, and many occasions in between
here is beginning
Moses
grown up in Egyptian court
now shepherd far away
happy with life with wife’s family
life good
sorted
stumbles across burning bush
in that bush meets God ancestors
life turned upside down
everything took granted changed
given his vocation
free Hebrew people
see God, world and himself differently
God cares and will rescue Hebrew people
Moses would be vehicle of that
seismic shift

      3.     Gospel

not only time God invites God’s people make such seismic shift
exile another such time
most important – Jesus
one purposes of gospels help struggling churches grasp this shift and to live it out
disciples still not really get what Jesus on about
like most people – hopes future shaped desire for long life, safety, health,
                        maybe - wealth, power,
looking for world as it had been with them at top
Jesus not offering that
offering kingdom God, kingdom heaven
radically inclusive world
fuelled God’s infinite compassion and love for all humanity
kingdom not built on obedience to rules and law
not motivated by maintaining rigid boundaries
not motivated by long life, safety, health, wealth, power,
instead - life lived response to God;s love
God’s welcome and embrace
lived such way I and all people filled God’s life and love
all treated and live and sons and daughter living God
only way to that world is through the cross
Christ breaks power darkness
we in turn shed deep desires good life for ourselves.
ð Paul’s Letter Romans hear his radical drawing that life
o   in passage from heard today
passage motivated astounding story what happened her at Gate Pa 150 years ago
            acts deep courage and compassion

      4.     Two themes - vocation

two themes for me all this
first – we too, like Moses,
            like early disciples
            given vocation
one troubling things about being ordained
often asked when called to “the ministry”
answer – when baptised
all of us have God given vocation
given through baptism
mine just got marked out little more clearly
your vocation not less important
not less vital than mine
like Moses – not always easy understand it
but it is who we are


      5.     second theme – living it out our legacy

second theme – shaped story how Heni Kiri Te Karamu and Henare Taratoa and maybe others
acted out reading Romans
under great duress
putting own lives at risk
treated invading British soldiers as brothers in Christ
gave them water
how then do we live out that legacy?

      6.     Isis and elections

easy just take granted what others say
being flowers of the way involves digging deeper
have preconceptions broken open
work not have own prejudices reinforced
join God creating kingdom
what happening in Syria and Iraq is horrific
            for people involved
            for Muslims and Christians around world
sadly mirrors exactly what western Christians have done too often
in name Jesus Christ
How then do we engage and respond as people of the way?



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