My Heart’s Desire

This is in two podcasts
The first on My Hearts Desire can be listened to here:

Gate Pa – te Wiki o te Reo Māori. 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings:

Psalm                         Psalm 51:1-12                   

First Reading:               2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13                  

Second Reading:          Ephesians 4:1-16                             

Gospel:                          John 6:24-35                                        

What I want to say:

To ask what is our heart’s desire really – and look at John 6 in light of that

talk about why I use te reo Maori in our services

What I want to happen:

What is my heart’s desire

Appreciate te reo more

The Sermon

     1.      Introduction:

Few years ago someone came up to me after service and said had word of knowledge

always little sceptical

This one stuck in my head

she said God grant my heart’s desire

What is my heart’s desire?

superficial level

            Desire have enough money to do few things

            pay off children’s student debt

                        help pay studies

            pay for these tvs

            like go visit aunt England again

            really want to do course at St Georges College in Jerusalem

            like go Istanbul

            see Liverpool play Anfield

trouble is when get stuck with the “enough money” – turn that into hearts desire

are people say that is what benefit being Christian all about

            not look at what that money hopefully is really about

for me

            just nice

            children start life without burden debt         

è comes out of my desire for world to be better for my children

            to be place where they can thrive and grow

so is that my hearts desire?

            not bad one –

            many people do stop there

I think I can go even deeper

            desire is for world be place where everyone can thrive and grow

                        not just my children

                        not just my family

                        not just people like me

            want us take seriously climate change – fear future if don’t

            want governments enact policies that allow all people in all countries to have enough

            world filled with kind of communities where all  know they belong

                        significant members of that community

            Is that my hearts desire?

today – it is that world will be as I understand God intended

            place limitless generosity

            infinite love

            same kind love Jesus felt and exhibited on cross

turns out my hearts desire is pretty tricky thing to nail down

makes hard God grant it

            suspicion is that God better idea what hearts desire is than I do

trouble is

            I don’t really think about it much

            so don’t really focus on my heart’s desire

                        instead get waylaid

                        distracted by other wants and needs

                                    point to my heart’s desire

                                    but aren’t that actually desire

            I suspect all do

     2.      John’s Gospel

want to suggest that that is what is going on in our gospel readings last week and over the next few weeks

in feeding 5000 – have a story Jesus meeting need of hunger

            not ask for this to be met

            just did it

as said last week – John describes this as a sign

            sign of God’s freely given unasked for abundant generosity

            as sign what more God offering

which is same as word knowledge to me

            God meet their hearts desire

kind of got

            but didn’t

understood their desire to be rid of Rome, Herod, current high priests etc….

            so saw sign

            thought that he was one lead them to this new world

            -want to make him king – one lead them to victory

did that without ever going deeper

            caught up in the overthrow Rome

            not ask what kind of society did they long for?

è that was world

            where land restored

            where all have enough

            peace and justice

            dwell again presence of God

the kingdom of God

sounds great

            so much more than what they thought they desired

Jesus was and is offering  even more than this

            offering a vision of new communities

            built around the qualities of God he points to in his actions and teaching

God limitless generosity

            unbounded love

            created all in God’s image

imagine that world

è that is eternal life

è that is bread Jesus offers to feed us with

well removed from what those listening to him thought

even a lot hearers struggled

as we do

got lost on the way with our own desires and needs

God’s heart desire for us remains hidden.

So what is it we long for?

What is our hearts desire?

What is it we give our soul to?

And what is it God longs for us, for this place, for this world?

     3.     Te Reo Māori 

     (This can be listened to here as a sepereate podcast)

    This week is Te wiki o re reo Māori

            thought good time outline again some of the reasons I think using te reo in our services is important:

·         who we are as Anglicans in this country

o   language first Anglican church (te Haahi Mihinare)

§  language of this diocese

o   language of our tikanga partners in this land

·         enable us to worship with Tikanga Maori partners with confidence

·         welcoming for Maori speakers to hear their language

·         Te reo Maori is a gift from God, cultivated by our ancestors and bequeathed as a gift to all generations it behoves us to fill our hearts with what is good and just.

·         Lutheran work on relationship of liturgy with culture:

o   trans or beyond culture

o   contextual

o   counter cultural

o   cross cultural

In summary:

don’t use te reo Maori because

·         it is cool or because it is PC

·         I use it because it is who we are

using te reo Maori honours:

·         who is here

·         who we are as an Anglican church

·         our context in these communities

·         liturgy as a vehicle that moves us

o   out of our culture

o   helps us embrace other cultures

o   hold our culture up to the gospel