Immersed in the Ways of God


This sermon can be listened to here

Gate Pa – 2nd Sunday in Advent- Year A = 2019 
Readings: 
Psalm -          Psalm: 72:1-7, 18-19
Reading-       Isaiah 11:1-10
Gospel -         Matthew 3:1-12                                        

What I want to say:Introduce Advent and baptism as time to be immersed into the values and practices of the way of God - living out God’s will being done on earth as in heaven. Use the video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyA5bKvClU 
What I want to happen:
·        What does God’s will look like?
·        How does Advent help us live it out?

The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

Advent
-         4 Sundays before Christmas
-         Time preparation
-         Temptation is to see it as time preparation Christmas
o   Like lent is for Good Friday and Easter
-         Much bigger
-         Time preparation for coming of the Christ
o   In history (includes Xmas but is whole Jesus thing)
o   In mystery (now)
o   In majesty (all God hopes for comes to be)
§  When God’s hope, joy, love, peace/shalom reigns

      2.     John Baptist

Being 2nd Sunday Advent we get reading about John the Baptiser
-         Each gospel writers present John in Matthews take on John has an emphasis on repentance
-         Often think repentance is about being sorry or feeling guilty
o   Like advent – a lot more to it
-         Greek for repentance - metanoeo/μετανοέω
o   Literally means “bigger mind”
o   Embracing different way of seeing world and living in that world
o   Letting go of the values and practices of the old age
o   Embracing values practices of way of God
-         What might that look like this Christmas?

      3.     Advent Conspiracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyA5bKvClU
-         How do you respond to that?

      4.     Baptism

-         Today we are baptising Charlotte Rose
-         Yvonne’s great grand daughter
-         What is baptism?
Ø Ask the question
Talk about story of our baptism symbol
As we symbolically immerse Charlotte into waters baptism
Immersing her into values and practices of God
Immersing her into Gods compassion for all
God’s generosity
God’s hospitality
God’s justice
God’s shalom/peace
-         Shālōm means: peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquillity
-         when a true state of ‘wholeness’ and ‘completeness’ exists, ‘peace’ reigns
as we baptise her
we pray that Charlotte will grow up shaped by these values
taught practices by Yvonne and others
-         that is one wonderful roles grandparents and great grandparents
joining in God’s work in bringing shalom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Get those PSA Blood Tests Done Boys!

I had a strange conversation a few months ago. I was lying back in a chair, naked from the waste down, holding a nappy over my bits while I waited for the skin under my bits to go numb enough from liquid nitrogen or some such thing, so that they could inject the local anesthetic and then punch a couple of holes through to the prostate. All in all a fun experience. And while I waited the nurse made small talk and asked what I did. "I'm retired", I replied. "Oh, what are you planning to do now you are retired? any travel?" "Turns out not" I said, "It seems I'm just keeping my dairy open for dealing with health things." And I am still keeping my dairy open and still dealing with them. This journey began last year. I was already dealing with two other things, including a lump in my parotid gland which has been slowly growing there for about 3 years. When I got back from being overseas on sabbatical my doctor called me in to talk about that an...
Read more

What a Ride! - Thankyou and Goodbye!

Image
You can listen to this sermon here   Gate Pa - Ascension Sunday and Easter 7 Year B, 2024 Readings: Palm                            Psalm 1 First Reading:             Acts 1:1-11, 15-17,21-26                     Bible Page 884 Second Reading:        1 John 5:9-13                                       Bible Page 991 Gospel:                         John 17:6-19      ...
Read more

"Just Enjoy The Coffee"

I was just sent this on Anglicans All. Being a coffee enjoyer and a Franciscan I enjoyed it. I hope you do to: Even if you are not a coffee drinker...Have a good day!!!! A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain ,plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite, telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee, the professor said: If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the simple and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just more ex...
Read more