Colourful Dreamer

This week’s gospel reading ( Matt 14:13-21 ) is another well-known story. And it is one of those stories where you need to read around it – to the story before of Herod’s meal where Jesus’ teacher, mentor and friend, John, is beheaded. Jesus is trying to grieve. Instead he finds a crowd also filled with grief and anger, looking for hope. And here we so often miss the contrast offered between a birthday party full of depravity and all-consuming self-centeredness and greed, symbolic of all that is wrong with Herod, Rome and the Temple leadership;   and Jesus meeting the poor and discarded masses with generosity and compassion. In this act we are reminded of the biblical tradition that God is faithful and the hungry are fed. And in contrast to the abuse of power encountered in the Herod’s birthday bash, we are offered a reminder of God’s gracious abundance and compassion. Despite the impossibility of the story, all these people were fed. Were fed until they no longer wanted, until they

This sermon can be listened to here Gate Pa – Year A - 17 th Sunday of Ordinary Time -2020 Readings: Psalm                          Psalm: 105:1-11,45b First Reading:            Gen 29:15-28  Second Reading:         Rom 8:26-39  Gospel:                      Matt 13:31-33, 44-52    What I want to say: What is the kingdom of heaven like? A gorse bush? Yeast hidden is cast quantities of flour? What images would we use and how do we make sense of these images? What I want to happen: People to tell their own stories The Sermon 1.       Introduction: This week we hear the third set of images about the reign of God -           Jesus in Matthew calls the kingdom of heaven Clarify This is not about heaven But what it looks like when God’s will is done on earth as in heaven How would we describe that? Ask •       What is the Kingdom of Heaven? •       How would you describe the Reign of Heaven from your experience of it? •       What images or st