Lent, Liturgy, Identity

 The sermon can be listened to here

Gate Pa – Year B  1st  Sunday of Lent 2021
Readings:
Psalm                          Psalm 25:1-10                                                            
First Reading:              Genesis 9:8-17              
Second Reading:        1 Peter 3:18-22       
Gospel:                        Mark 1:9-15                           
What I want to say:
Lent is a time to take stock of what shapes our identity. It was time of being shaped in a new identity before baptism. In it we remember that in the wilderness Jesus’ identity was based on being “the beloved Son”. That echoes Israel’s wilderness experience where their identity was shaped by living in presence of God who, in an outrageous act of love, had liberated them from slavery. What shapes our identity as people of God, and what tempts or tests us away?
Then explore how our communal worship is primary means (within Anglicanism) we are shaped and moulded as people of God
What I want to happen:
People to more intentionally engage with the sandpapering of Sunday
 

Mark 1:9-15

Common English Bible
9 About that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. 11 And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
12 At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.
14 After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news, 15 saying, “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!”

The Sermon

       1.     Introduction –

Who are you?
Turn neighbour and ask and answer that question maybe 3 times
-         plenary
lots of ways to answer that
each shapes how see ourselves
e.g I might answer
-         husband
-         father
-         son
-         Franciscan priest
-         Anglican
All these shape how I see myself in world
shape to some degree how I live
Preparing for Ash Wednesday
-         Burning palm crosses to make ash
-         Preparing liturgy – from dust you come and to dust you shall return
-         Reminded that this world is made of dust – comes from stars
-         We are made of star dust
-         God took this star dust and moulded humanity
o   Profound love breathed life into the star dust
o   We are made of star dust that God lovingly breathed life into
From dust you come and to dust you shall return
Star dust
Moulded in love and with life breathed into it
That blows my mind a little bit
It invites me see myself in a really different way
If someone asks – who am I
-         I am star dust into which God breathed life.
-         Just let that sit for a moment.
“Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Let that blow your minds and change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” 
 

       2.     Lent with Mark

First Sunday in Lent
Been here 9 years
Like all good first Sundays in Lent we hear story of Jesus in wilderness
-         Being tempted or tested
Bare bones story in Mark
Jesus is baptised and has his identity affirmed.
-         “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
Then thrown into wilderness by Spirit to have that identity sorely tested
Not a lot of details
No fasting
What does it mean to be the beloved son?
How does Jesus understand that?
How does Jesus live that out?
His identity and all that shapes it is being sorely tested
After 40 days, and after John arrested Jesus comes into Galilee announcing
“Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Let that blow your minds and change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” 
 

      3.     Lent old school

In many ways that is where lent comes from
Origins lent  - early church time where candidates to be baptised at Easter
Led through own wilderness experience
-         Not learn about Christianity
o   important
-         Not learn about what we do at church
o   Important
-         Immersed into a new way seeing themselves in world
o   New identity
o   Beloved children of God
-         When went into water baptism old self would die
-         All old ways describing themselves.
o   Family
o   Trade
o   Place in empire
-         Replaced with beloved child of God
-         Who with their brothers and sister in God’s community – church
-         living way of God found in Jesus life and death and resurrection.
-         Bringing hope and healing to their world
-         Helping God’s work of creating world all thrive and flourish
“Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Let that blow your minds and change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” 
But the old identities crept back in
As we read in Paul’s letters
To his frustration.
We are all sorely tested and tempted to let go of our identity in God as beloved children
Unlike Jesus
-         We slide back into less life giving ways of seeing our selves and of living
Lent is time to stop
Take stock
Ask what shapes our identity
Our sense of who we are
Which of those do we need to pay more attention to
And which do we need to let go of?
 

       4.     Being shaped as people of God - AAW

 

       5.     Being shaped as people of God – Worship

Within Anglicanism one major means of shaping our identity
-         Our world view
-         Where see God at work in world
Worship
our Anglican Liturgical tradition has been and continues to be one most significant ways we are formed in our identity as followers of Christ
This Anglican Liturgical Tradition is what lies behind our prayer book
Prayer Book Commission described our prayer book as
 “a pattern of worship which derives from a heritage and tradition and scriptural interpretation that embodies the heart of what Anglicans believe and commonly understand.
It is a taonga (treasure) in every sense and has a ‘tikanga' of its own.
Our doctrine is found in our liturgy.” 
Want to spend some time in Lent exploring our liturgy
In part so that we can be aware of how it works and its importance
In part so we can engage with it more intentionally
In part so might encourage some of you take on new roles
 

       6.     Anglican Liturgical Tradition

Few introductory comments
The Anglican liturgical tradition is based on an understanding of corporate worship that is much more than singing praise songs to God.
It is an encounter between the Living God and God’s church, which changes and shapes those who participate as individuals and as the Church.
In worship we are invited by God into the life of the Trinity
 
7.     conversation

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