Life Restored

Can be listened to here

Gate Pa – 5th June 2016 (10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Pentecost 3)

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm 146  

First Reading:                         1 Kings 17:8-16 

Second Reading:        Galatians 1:11-24       

Gospel:                                    Luke 7:11-17               

What I want to say:

Use the Gospel as a way of exploring Christian ethics in relation to last week’s budget and the ongoing issue around homelessness

What I want to happen:

People to explore our own complicity in some of these issues and to talk about ways forward.

The Sermon

     1.      Introduction:

last week read pew sheet for another church

-          like ours included little piece one of staff

-          rather than being about themes in scripture passages

-          about Christian ethics

o   started with recent General Synod discussions around blessing of same sex marriages,

o   It is not however the only ethical issue that we need to address as Christians  - went on discuss abortion, euthanasia and Biotechnology

somewhat surprised by this list

û  over recent weeks there has been increasing attention given by media to issue homelessness

including interviews with Merivale School principal about how homelessness is affecting some families children attending that school.

û  government released 8^th budget

            which our Archbishop was very critical of

article is in your parish magazine

describes budget as fiscal and moral document

he says this budget failed to address number of moral issues

-          of affordable warm housing for all – not just those who can afford it

-          and growing inequalities in New Zealand. More and more New Zealanders find themselves trapped in poverty because their families don’t have adequate income to live minimally decent lives.

I would suggest that are they not more pressing than those presented?

we as Christians should have something to say about these issues

     2.      Luke and Theophilus

We are in the middle of the year where we read from Luke.

The author of Luke-Acts presents to Theophilus, the lover of God, an orderly account designed to explore and answer the question, "Who then is this Jesus?"

implied – what difference does he make?

Not just for that first target audience

            all of us who read or listen

            purpose is same

"Who then is this Jesus?"

what difference does he make to our lives and to this world?

writer of Luke-Acts gave us these works to help us navigate our lives

            and to address issues like those the Archbishop identifies.

Today we are given really interesting story.

This story is last series of stories and teachings that began with Jesus reading the scroll in home synagogue

where declared his mission to be:

"to bring good news to the poor,

to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (4:18-19)

following stories show him doing just that

leads John to send disciples to Jesus to ask – are you the one we have been waiting for

to which Jesus replies

"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me!"

-          not what John was expecting

-          what Luke sees as true signs of God’s presence

which of those categories does this story come under?

clearly – dead are raised

but to just see it as that would be a mistake

     3.      Jesus and the devastated woman

Jesus entering town Nain with reasonable crowd of disciples and interested folk

his crowd collides with funeral procession

mayhem

as people push to get out

Jesus disciples pushing to get in

In midst of all that Jesus meets the mother of the man who has died.

he understands the gravity of what is going on

it seems he knows that she is a widow

            and this is her only son

ð  because of that in very real sense this is also her funeral

apart for wealthy few

life expectancy of women with no male financially care for her

            very short

his death is her death

Jesus has compassion on her

in fact Bishop Helen Anne suggests that it much stronger than that

            anger at her despair

is it too strong to suggest that it is also anger at an economic system that dooms her because of her son’s death?

economic system that imperils the poor on a daily basis

bears no resemblance to economic system laid out in mosaic law

pays so little attention to words of prophets

especially the worlds of Isaiah

Jesus so clearly uses as his starting point

his anger is at all of that

which is brought together in this man’s death

man’s death becomes a metaphor for all that is wrong with that

ð  out of compassion and anger

Jesus places his hand on funeral bier

orders young man to rise

passive imperative

not like please stand I might use here in church

command senior master used when I went boys school

            “stand”

then cuts across the patronage system that dictates that this young man is now at service of Jesus – as one who has done this great favour to him

      effectively saying – that system is not at work here

      restores him to his mother

just as importantly

restoring her to life

ð  story is so much more than a dead man being raised from the dead

ð  really story of Jesus bringing good news to the poor 

     4.      Us

What then does this story have to say to us?

For a start, might I suggest that major ethical/moral issues facing us as
Christians are not blessing same sex marriages, abortion, euthanasia or biotech companies

It is our economic system

causes homelessness

            lack unaffordable good housing

            growing inequality between wealthiest and poorest members of our society.

what ways do we support and endorse our economic system?

what ways are we proclaiming good news?

What moves us with compassion and anger?

what are we willing to do about it?