Seeing into the Heart of Things
This can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year B 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Readings:
Psalm Psalm
45:1-2, 6-9
First
Reading:
Song of Solomon
2:8-13
Second Reading:
James
1:17-27
Gospel:
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15,
21-23
What I want
to say:
Use Mark 7 to introduce the daily examen
What I want to happen:
People to use the examen
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Last week Bonnie
talked about the line between living faithfully and not living faithfully
one ways we
inform ourselves about living faithfully is scripture
common phrase
hear a lot is
“God helps those
who help themselves”
-
from
scripture
-
not
from scripture?
è not
does it hold Christian
values anyway?
-
yes
-
no
è no
Grace is offered
to all people whether or not they help themselves.
all of which
brings us to this weeks Gospel reading (and to James in a sideways kind of way)
2. Mark 7.
spent last 5
weeks with John who has slowly reflected on and circled around the theme of Jesus – the living bread from heaven
-
approaching
from different angles
-
going
deeper
this week back to
Mark – fast paced
direct
keeping it short
and simple
(MAP) – been Nazareth
-
sent
out 12
-
contrasting
Herod’s depraved meal where John beheaded and Jesus feeding 5000
-
then
disciples sent off in boat to go to other side near Bethsaida
-
Jesus
walks past them on water and gets into the boat
-
end
up at Gennesaret – ends up curing a lot of people
-
while
all this happening some leading Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem turn up
check out what is happening
-
none
too happy about some of disciples not washing before eating
o their view broke some pretty important rules
about being ritually clean
(aside – this is
not about personal hygiene or about washing hands before meals – all which is
good)
rules established
by pious well to do who had time and water resources wash up to elbows before
ate and at many other times
these not be
found in Torah
like saying
started with
become accepted practice
over time as the way in which Torah was to be observed
-established
their righteousness
- allowed them separate
themselves off from vast majority who did not have time or resources to wash in
this way
-> we are cool
with God and you are not
we as Christians
still do that today
-
with
all things need to happen before you are getting into heaven
-
so
lets not get too down on Pharisees and scribes
-
we
are just as bad
-
goes
back to what Bonnie was talking about last week
-
what
Jesus talking about in reading heard this morning
3. Themes
Mark uses this
address a few really important themes
-
function
of the law
-
how
are we to read scripture
Mark – writing to
non-Jewish audience – ditching the law
seem for Jesus –
law not to be read means keeping self pure – morally or ritually
-
not
means elevating self above others
o what going on here
-
law
read in terms how helps people of God be gift they are to be all other people
o -> or as Jesus describes it – Love the lord
you God with all your heart and soul and mind, by/and loving your neighbour as
yourself
-
Mark
would say that is how all scripture is to be read
-
bringing
healing and health in communities – not as means of division and harm, and I’m
better than and more worthy than you
4. The Heart
Jesus
uses this approach to offer an alternative focus of attention
instead
concerned about behaviour
-
living in a way
that keeps the precepts of law
-
Jesus says pay
attention to what is going on in our hearts
o
our motivations
and desires, our longings and hopes
o
these are acted
out
o
first and foremost
– it is who we are that counts most
-
Bonnie reminded us
last week
-
all of us have
root causes of that list Jesus gives within in
-
those desires
come from within us
-
we need to pay
attention ot what is within if we are to avoid bevaing in ways that hurt and
damage people
è one of ways understand law is not
è prevent us having those
behaviours within us, but reducing harm of those behaviours
5. Cassian
reminded me of
writing of early dessert fathers and mothers
lived in desserts
of Egypt and Syria in 300’s
thoughts brought
to the west by people like John Cassian
offered
description of our inner lives
how all of us are
capable of great good and great evil
how if we are not
careful our own self-interest pull us to doing harmful things
-
that
line Bonnie talked about last week
So Cassian and
others offered ways can pay attention to that inner life
allow our hearts
to be shaped by heart of God
might become shaped
in image of God’s compassion, generosity, justice
shaped in divine
love
6. Daily Examen
One way people
found really helpful in paying attention is daily examen
spending time each day asking – when
have I been drawn to God
-
when
have I been drawn away
not need to be
big thing
helpful way to
learn to see
to see who we truly are
people invited into
God’s love
people who at times
reject that invitation
to learn to see God at work in us
and in our world
invite you to ask
yourself at end of each day
what am I most
thankful for?
how have I experienced God this day?
what am I least
thankful for?
how have I been led astray?
might want record
your reflections
might want pray
about what you see as a way of ending your day.
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