Bits and Peaces
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time- Year A – Peace Sunday 2020
Readings:
Psalm Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b
First Reading: Gen 37:1-4, 12-28
Second Reading: Rom 10:5-15
Gospel: Matt 14:22-33
What I want to say:
I want to explore Peace Sunday from the perspective of the story of Jesus walking on the raging sea.
What I want to happen:
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Closest Sunday to 6 August when “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima
- 100 – 180,00 dead
9th August – “Fat Boy” dropped on Nagasaki
- 50 -100,00 dead
Plus thousands died in years to come
Also remember from 2 July 1966 France began nuclear testing in Pacific
- 313 tests both above and below ground
Britain also tested in Pacific
As did USA
Widespread health and environmental damage
- None willing accept responsibility for
Peace Sunday set aside as time for renewed prayer and commitment
- especially to nuclear free world
Need to pray for peace is needed as much today as ever
- Non-proliferation treaties are abandoned
- Conflict abounds too many places around world
o Causing huge humanitarian suffering
e.g. Syria - From population around 22 million
- About 5.6 million Syrians are refugees,
- and another 6.2 million people are displaced within Syria.
- Nearly 12 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance.
- At least half of the people affected by the Syrian refugee crisis are children.
Not only conflict
So much injustice
It all feels little overwhelming
2. Complicate
Saddest thing is that followers of Christ have been complicit in too much of all this
- We have seemingly too easily forgotten that the one we seek to follow.
o was the Prince of Peace
o Not a peace based on violence
o But on compassion and generosity and justice
- His reign is marked by all being fed and sick healed
We can see this in gospel story today
One way read it is that crowd
- like in John
- come out into the wilderness find Jesus to lead them against this tyrant who has killed their prophet
- outraged
- want revenge
so Jesus forces (what Greek says) disciples into boat and sends them off
- maybe so that they can not get caught up in all that
- then Jesus sends crowds away
- way of violence is not Jesus way
All that was too soon forgotten
It is remarkable how so soon after Christianly became the official religion of the Roman empire the persecuted became the persecutors
- Forcing pagans to convert under pain of death
- Leading pogroms against Jews
- Holding cross
o This symbol of Roman oppression and violence
o On which Jesus was killed
o Empty cross becoming symbol of emptiness of reliance of state sanctioned brutality
o eternal and infinite love of God for all people
- now being used standard in front of legions going into battle
- violence and war was done in Jesus name
down to today
where Christians pray for victory for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as they fight for Jesus.
We have forgotten that to be Christian was to renounce violence
- you could not be follower Christ and a soldier
- many early martyrs were soldiers executed after converting
There is so much suffering
So much injustice
It all feels little overwhelming
3. Hope
Not the only story
Down centuries those who have remembered
Stood strong for peace
- Ambrose and Theodosius
- St. Francis and Crusades
- Missionaries in this land
- Christian pacifists and consciousness objectors who refused fight in WWI and WWII
- Christian peace campaigners who so active in helping New Zealand become nuclear free.
- Christians working hard bring hope to suffering and find ways create peace
o Israel/Palestine
o Sudan
What do we do with all that?
4. Raging storms and leaving the boat – or not?
I wonder what our gospel reading for today might offer us?
Set after Jesus taught about what kingdom heaven looks like
- Wasteful farmers and seeds thrown all over, some growing, some not
- Weeds and crops growing together
- Mustard seed deliberately planted
- Yeast hidden in flour etc..
Then Jesus goes home to ice cold reception
As he leaves, he hears his friend, teacher, rabbi
- John the Baptiser,
- has been executed at one of Herod’s nasty parties for wealthy and elite
So, he goes out into wilderness to be alone
But large crowd seek him out
- bringing their own grief and anguish
Acts out parables of what kingdom heaven looks like
- And moved with compassion from his gut
- Invites disciples to join him with their little faith
- And to feed this monstrous crowd.
Then sent off
Jesus a
gain seeks time alone with his griefAnd walks across the raging sea
Which terrorises them
Not just sea storm
This is storm caused by raging spirits
Here is Jesus walking over the sea and the spirits
And Jesus responds with “Be
encouraged. It is I. Do not b
e afraid.”
Which is kind of what I need to hear.
We have the strange story of Peter asking to be commanded to get out of the boat and to come
And then starting to sink, after he has walked on the water
when he is commanded
which we tend to say – O Peter – you of little faith
but to honest I have never started to sink in water
- I just plain sink
So, I’m willing to cut Peter some slack here
He had faith the size of mustard seed
And that was enough
Again
And that is what I need
What we need.
5. Here we are
so here we are
on Peace Sunday
with so many storms raging around us
in a world in desperate need for peace
- Conflicts abound
- struggling with nuclear proliferation once again
- Christians are at work trying to being healing and hope
- Trying to being peace, justice, and reconciliation
Living in this Covid world
- With all that uncertainty
We struggle with how to be church in this new world
- Feeling older and tireder
- Struggle to find people to keep what we do going
- Struggle to engage with the need in our community
I wonder where we see ourselves in this story
Where we hear Jesus say
- “Be encouraged. It is I. Do not be afraid.”
Where is the invitation for us this week?
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