the Promised Land
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year A 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time - 2020
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
First Reading:
Deuteronomy
34:1-12
Second Reading: 1 Thess
2:1-8
Gospel:
Matthew 22:
34-46
What I want to say:
I
want to use the Deuteronomy reading and MLK’s use of it in his last sermon as a
springboard to explore our vision of the “Promised Land” Where are we heading
to and hoping for? What shapes that vision and hope?
What I want to
happen:
Invite people to prayerfully reflect
on their vision of the promised land, and how we are invited to do to live that
out
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
He was assassinated the next day
He, like Moses in our first reading today
-
Had been to the
mountain top and seen the promised land
He, like Moses, was not to get there.
So what was the promised land?
2. Retreat with Justin
10 1/2 years ago, and again 9 years ago
Attended retreat with Justin Duckworth (now bishop)
Life change
When went deeply despondent about church
30 years parish, regional, diocesan,
provincial, and international youth ministry involvement
-
Watched our
church fail give young people space
-
Failed help young
people feel belong
-
Failed give young
people voice in life church
-
Failed offer any
resources we have as church life faith
ð Result we left aging and growing increasingly
tired
Went feeling tired and despondent
Justin offered hope
Used story listening to last few weeks from
Exodus to Deuteronomy
Story exodus out Egypt, through wilderness,
into promised land
Help us explore what is happening for us as
church at moment
3. Journey to promised land
We had been in Egypt
-
Felt good place
-
Also dangerous
place
o
Become too
comfortable
o
Too complacent
o
Too reliant on
own services and programmes
o
Thought all about
getting people to come to church
Like freed slaves who became Hebrew people
-
Israel
-
People of God
We have been freed from Egypt
-
Although mostly
we don’t see it as freed
-
Like Hebrew
people in Exodus story
-
Too often long to
go back
-
Now we are in
wilderness
-
Uncomfortable
place
-
Hard place
Also a gift
Like Hebrew people who spent a generation
being shaped in wilderness
-
Learning
character God who had rescued them
o
Who is faithful
and steadfast
o
Who leads and
accompanies them
o
Feeds them with
manna and quail
o
Who teaches them
through Law, Torah
o
How to live in
response to God’s generosity and compassion
o
To God’s
steadfastness
o
with God’s
ongoing presence in their midst.
Same for us
This time is for us to be reminded again
-
That God is
steadfast and faithful
-
That God leads
and accompanies us
-
That God continues
to feed and sustain us.
-
Reminded again as
people of God
o
How to live in
response to God’s generosity and compassion
o
To God’s
steadfastness
o
To God’s ongoing
presence in ours midst.
-
Whose are we?
-
Who are we?
-
What is ours to
do?
Retreat finished with us standing on the
mountain top
With Moses
With Martin Luther King
Looking over into the promised land
So what does the promised land look like for
us?
What do we look for?
-
Be careful not to
look back to Egypt
-
Look forward
-
To promised land
Talk neighbours
Plenary
4. Jesus and the Promised Land
Justin also got us to think about resources we
bring on this journey
One resources is scripture
Especially story of Jesus
For Jesus promised land is kingdom of Heaven –
reign of God
He describes in Beatitudes and Sermon on Mount
-
Lives out in his
life and ministry
-
a world where the
most important people are:
o the poor in spirit,
o those who mourn,
o the meek,
o those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice,
o the pure in heart,
o the merciful,
o the peacemakers,
o those who are persecuted for the sake of God’s justice,
-
a world where all flourish
-
Where the common
good is held as paramount
-
A world where the
needs of the poor are placed first
-
Where ALL are
treated with honour and respect
-
And given what they
need to thrive
5. Today’s gospel reading
We can see this in todays story of Jesus doing
verbal battle with some Pharisees
Last of verbal battles
Began after came into Jerusalem on donkey
Overturned money changers tables
Then returned next day teach
Chief priests and Jerusalem elite come trip
him up
Discredit him
Strip him of honour and influence
For chief priests - Love God meant to observe temple cult
Both groups – love God meant ensure survival
Jewish nation in threat from Rome
-
Meant keeping Rome
happy
Then some Pharisees and Herodians come
Very unlikely
Polar opposites
Herodian
-
Were not so much
interested in Loving God
o
More into love of
all things Greek
o
People attended
Herod Antipas’s party – where John Baptist beheaded
Pharisees longed end of Rome and Greek culture
-
Love God through adherence
and obedience to their interpretation of Torah
Sadducees come – loving God was through adherence
to temple cult
Lastly some Pharisees
è All seeking to belittle Jesus in front of
crowd
è End his influence over crowd
è Restore their own position
Jesus had bested them each time
Showing up their own lack of authority
Even if some of them held all power
6. The Last Question
Last questions is which is greatest
commandment
Jesus gives bog standard answer
With a twist
Twist we often miss
Love Lord your God with all your heart and
soul and mind
Part of the Shema is taken from the Torah :
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) –
Most important prayer in Judaism
Follows it with Leviticus 19:18
Love your neighbour as your self
Often see as separate
All groups who came to Jesus to discredit him
saw as secondary
But Jesus in beatitudes and Sermon on Mount
Love God by loving our neighbours
All your neighbours
Especially
o the poor in spirit,
o those who mourn,
o the meek,
o those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice,
o the pure in heart,
o the merciful,
o the peacemakers,
o those who are persecuted for the sake of God’s justice,
Promised land for Jesus
Is Kingdom of Heaven
When all live to love God by loving all our
neighbours
7. Conclusion
Invite you to reflect on
-
whose we are –
who is this God who journeys with us in our wilderness
-
Who we are – as
people of God in our wilderness as we journey to promised land
Also reflect on
-
your understanding
or vision of the promised land,
-
in light of that
– how we are invited to do to live that out
o
what is ours to
do
Video - MLK I have a dream
Comments