Loving God
Gate Pa
(Pentecost 20,
30th Sunday in Ordinary time)
Readings:
Psalm:
: Psalm 90:1-6,
13-17
First
Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Second
Reading: 1 Thess
2:1-8
Gospel: Matthew 22:
34-46
What I want to say:
The
yoke of Jesus changes how we understand the Torah – from rules to obey to earn
God’s love and forgiveness, to the way we respond to God and love God with all
our heart and mind and soul.
What
we also often miss is that these two commandments work together. We love God by
loving our neighbour.
Love
is not emotion; it is not "liking,"
"getting along with," "desiring," or "feeling warm
about." The "love" Jesus is talking about here is trust,
loyalty, enduring devotion, being attached to. You may actually hate your
neighbour, but you will still love them in the Biblical sense if you
continue to act for their well-being, don't tell lies about
them, and refuse to cut off your relationship with them.
What I want to happen:
People to grow in love, of God by
growing in commitment, loyalty, working for the wellbeing of their neighbour.
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
what was the first half gospel reading today –
'You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'
well known
so familiar not think about it too often
some believe that this heart of Jesus yoke
his
understanding of and teaching about the Torah
if
you want to know what the good news is, this is it.
if it is heart of his yoke, - then do need pay
attention to it.
2. Radical
trouble for us
really
familiar
just
seems to make sense
not a lot need think about really.
because of that
miss just how radical reading of Torah – of 10
commandments in particular
how is it radical
seen radical in two ways
3. Radical One
how was and still is read by many
Loving God and loving neighbour 2 separate statements
reading
Loving God all important
loving
neighbour came down line importance
big question certainly those confronting Jesus
how do we love God
obedience
to law - some focus of that all about Temple rites,
observing temple rituals and sacrifices
Pharisees
– especially those away Jerusalem – daily living out all laws
not about earning God’s pleasure and love –
becoming worthy
responding to God who chose Israel to be God’s
people
gave
them this land
when fulfil obligations as set out in Torah
when obedient to law
were
rightly loving God
primary importance
everything else secondary to that
first
radical elevation of loving neighbour as ourselves to equally important.
4. Question
others suggest even more radical teaching than
that
suggest
that Jesus went even further
question for them– read them as two statements
or one?
not only elevated loving neighbour as self to
being equal to loving God
became means by which we love God?
not two equal statements
but one – love God by loving neighbour
rest Torah became means by which we are
reminded how to love God by loving neighbour, and we are helped to become
people who love God by loving neighbour – don’t have to think about it, just
live that way.
5. What is love?
Love is not emotion; it is not
"liking," "getting along with," "desiring," or
"feeling warm about."
The "love" Jesus is talking about
here is trust, loyalty, enduring devotion, being committed to.
we will love in the Biblical sense if we act for
our neighbours well-being,
not
gossiping or tell lies about them,
and
refuse to cut off your relationship with them
continue
to work for their wellbeing ahead of our own.
6. That is hard
sounds so easy
loving God by loving neighbour a lot harder
than Jesus response suggests
while very early church renowned support and
ministry among least in their society: slaves, poor, widows, orphans, and
dispossessed, sick
once church become arm of state under emperor
Constantine
two statements separated
increasingly church taught loving God meant
adherence teaching Church
attending
church services
giving
to church
being
good and loyal citizen
loving neighbour increasingly separated
once
again became lesser importance –
worse
church taught needed earn God’s love and
forgiveness through all sorts of activities including penitential rites, giving
alms, giving to church and to things church deemed right, like crusades.
7. Reformation Day
today churches, especially Lutheran churches
remember how on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
this time religious, social and political revolution
gave rise protestant reformation
reformed family churches – Lutheran and Presbyterian
bibles and services common language people
through translation bible into German
created common German language among Germanic peoples
and states
led creation modern Germany some 300 year later
give thanks Luther, Calvin, Knox, Zwingli and
other reformers
time us reflect
how well we hold these statements together
wonder do we love God by other means than
loving neighbour
how do we need to be reformed
Wendy and religious life.
Comments