Where is our heart?
This can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year C 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time,
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 107:1-9, 43
First Reading: Hosea 11:1-11
Second Reading: Col
3:1-11
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
What I want to say:
Where
we stand affects how we read this story. Explore some different ways of reading
this story bringing it back to ‘how do we honour God’s name?”
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
This time 3 years ago I was on Savo Island
explore
what that was like
In church I was by far the wealthiest person
present
I was the rich man in the story
how do you preach this story from that
position?
Is there more than one way to understand this
story?
2. How do you read it?
few weeks ago we heard Jesus ask lawyer
“what does the law of Moses say?
how do you read it?”
lot of people who see that as the same
question
been seminars where I have been told that
there is only one correct reading of scripture
usually
how the middle class white male would read it
everyone
else is wrong
are in fact multiple ways any piece of scripture
can be read
how I read this story then will be different
from how my brothers and sisters on Savo will read it
and how it was read by Luke’s community
and how it was understood by those present
with Jesus.
no one reading is any more right than any of the
others.
3. hallowed be your name
last week you might have heard Jesus teaching
people how to pray
Lord’s prayer
includes line – Hallowed be your name
your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven
give us today our daily bread
Blog
I read as a resource notes that the “hallowed” is in passive voice – God makes
God’s name holy
How does God make God's name holy?
God makes God's name holy through "Your
kingdom come."
And what does this kingdom look like?
When we who pray this prayer are willing to
trust that God will "give us each day our daily bread,"
and
that we do not need to be anxious and strive each day
willing
to see what we are given as God's generous gift and to be thankful.
4. This story
The question asked of Jesus this morning asked
by someone who was not willing to trust
and story itself is about someone who trusted
in his own self.
God’s kingdom has not come
God’s name is not hallowed.
story itself is interesting.
Question asked of Jesus does not strike us as
too unusual.
but
it would have been extremely dishonourable question is Jesus time
family property was not divided
to
divide it would lessens viability
increases
danger need sold
leaving family destitute
threatening livelihoods all those in community
relied on that land work and food.
question is dripping with greed
individual greed
carries huge social cost
Jesus refuses to answer
tells story – as often does
story about man who has acquired land of other
families
because
debt had to sell
many those listening had suffered this fate in
last couple generations
since
romans arrived
this man’s wealth is built on their poverty
his plan to build bigger barns and retire
raises
question
does
he plan to continue farming?
or are all those dependant on these farms now destitute?
These stories are so much more than our
individual attitudes to money
are about our place in kingdom of God
these are stories about community
5. Where is my heart?
another way of looking at this is – where is
my heart?
big question
or to put it another way
what
gives meaning to my life?
when do I feel like my life has been worth something?
played my part
kingdom has come on earth as in heaven
question we all struggle with
talking to another spiritual director last
week
reflecting on how hard it is to get ministers –
like me
to think about this question beyond our
ministry
too
often our worth as ministers
as
priests
is bound up in what we do week by
week
like
that is all God is interested in.
led to many of us going seminars of developing
smart goals
out
of that having comprehensive to do lists
days ruled goals and lists
worth is measured by what achieved
while all of that is important
my worth is not measured in those things
God is not confined to those things
On Savo, on Malaita, on Makira and in Honiara
spent
a lot of time sitting around talking
being
with people
At Ngatiawa in morning prayer
people
often ask prayer that they might have good conversations
not
that list get done
not
goals achieved
they
will spend good time with each other and with those who visit.
That is now on the top of my to do list
pray
have
good conversations
because unlike brother who came to Jesus
unlike
man in Jesus story
my worth is not in what I amass
ticks
land
crops
stored
money
in bank
simply in fact that I am deeply and profoundly
loved by God
in prayer
in
good conversations
I meet God who loves me
I hope that in those I am with will meet that
God as well
And that is where my heart needs to be.
So what gives meaning to your life?
What gives you worth?
Where is your heart?
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