Colourful Dreamer

This Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 10: 40-42) is all about welcoming and being welcomed. Most of us are good at welcoming people into our space. By good I mean we are good at deciding who to welcome into our space, and who not to welcome for whatever reason. We are in control and the risks are few. But there is more at work in this reading. Many of us are a lot less comfortable with being welcomed. That involves venturing out and taking risk. It means letting go and being vulnerable. It offers the possibility of rejection.  Brian McLaren in “We Make the Road by Walking” says that the way of Jesus, the way of vulnerability is “…a summons, a challenge, a life-changing invitation. Do we dare to step out and follow Jesus, to make the road by walking, to risk everything on an uprising of peace, an uprising of generosity, an uprising of forgiveness, an uprising of love? If we believe, we will make it real.” (p.150)

This can be heard here 25th June 2017 , Year A - 12 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings: Psalm:                                                 Psalm: 86:1-10, 16-17                                                               First Reading:                          Genesis 21:8-21                             Second Reading:                     Rom 6:1b-11                                   Gospel:                                     Matt 10:24-39                                What I want to say: Te explore what harvest festival is about linking it with climate change and land and water degradation, and to link all that with Jesus sense of honesty and urgency What I want to happen: People to reflect on what it is the are giving thanks for, and to be inspired to generously offer more of themselves The Sermon        1.       Introduction: So here we are again having a harvest festival             in winter             seems like there is not much

This Sunday is our harvest festival. Harvest festivals have been around for about as long as humanity has been growing food. They are important times in the life of communities as people give thanks for the harvest that will sustain them for another year. We give thanks to God for the harvest and for those who work in this land and overseas providing the food we eat. We are reminded of God’s ongoing generosity and of the invitation to be as generous with what God has provided. While not a lot is growing in my garden picknz.co.nz   tells me that April to August are the peak months for workers in the Bay of Plenty. While the harvest season for many fruit is close to finishing, there are packing roles in some facilities. It is also Matariki. In Tauranga Moana this is a time for looking ahead and preparing the soil for the next crop. There is no harvest without the earth. Harvest festivals remind us of the need to cherish and protect the land and water we need to grow the crop.