Dangerous Love
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year C 4th Sunday in Advent 2018
Readings:
Psalm The Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First
Reading:
Micah
5:2-5
Second
Reading:
Hebrews
10:5-10
Gospel:
Luke
1:39-45
What I want to say:
How doe Marys song help us understand and live out
God’s love
What I want to happen:
Live God's dangerous love
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
here
we are – 4th week of Advent
keep
saying
-
Christmas is important but not the
point
-
Advent we prepare for Christ of
history, mystery and majesty
we
have lit the candles for peace, hope joy and now love
so
what is love?
what
is it
where
do you experience God’s love
2. Micah
this
week help us explore this theme we don’t have 1 Corinthians 13 or anything easy
like that
we
have 3 prophets
speak
in power spirit
invite
us into God’s love
first
Micah
famous
in our circles
we
read this like this only way understanding messiah
not
not
dominant thread
but
gospel writers used it to make sense of what happened
prophet
preaching just as Assyrians have rolled into town
by
rolled into town, I mean they have swept across and down through Samaria – destroying
that kingdom and tribes for all time
stomped
all over Judah, crushing 30soemthing strongholds
including Bethlehem
now
surrounding Jerusalem
strangle all hope and life
force them surrender and or die.
in
face of this very bleak situation
we have this outrageous prophecy
that
from this place overrun with Assyrians
true
king of line of David – both genealogically and in nature
will come
statement
of God’s faithful love
despite
the evidence
è all
is lost
-
God remains faithful
-
Judah will be restored
makes
no sense in face of what happening outside walls Jerusalem
king
inside wall ambivalent about it too
love
is found in faithful love
3. Mary and Elizabeth
Luke
that offers us this beautiful story of Mary and Elizabeth
picture
of these two women
story with no men at all
2
strong women
like
Micah
in
Spirit are able to prophecy
and
theologise and make sense of all that is happening
-
ponder isn’t just thinking about
-
creating new insights from experiences
and thoughts
Elizabeth
superior
give
way Mary
speaks
astounding ways about Mary and her child
Mary
in response
offers
us extraordinary summary of prophetic tradition
dangerous
song of praise and protest
like
Micah
in
spite evidence
in
face evidence
statement
God’s faithful love
4. God’s love is dangerous
if
we take Mary’s song seriously
sing
it from position of powerless
only
see that God’s love is dangerous
not
easy
not
warm and fuzzy
promises
absolute social upheaval and reversal
she
is setting scene for her son
she
will teach her son this song and all it promises
get
him killed
5. How does this dangerous love come to be in world now
how
does this dangerous love come to be in world now
+
look Christ in history
small
moments
-
two women embracing
-
Jesus sitting down eat with despised
-
honouring those with no honour
è actions
restore people and communities
+
through Christ mystery
-
invited join living our Mary’s song
-
despite evidence
-
living truth that reign of God is coming
o
creation renewed
o
humanity restored
6. What might we say about love?
What
might we say about love?
God
is God of faithful love
unshakeable
faithfulness
theme
at heart of Paul’s writings
invited
into it
we
should note
comes
with health warning
say
Magnificat
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