Sand Papered by Story

You can listen to this sermon here

Gate Pa – Year B 3rd Sunday in Lent, 2021

Readings:

Psalm                         Psalm 19

First Reading:               Exodus 20:1-17           

Second Reading:        1 Cor 1:18-25             

Gospel:                          John 2:13-22               

 

What I want to say:

Continue exploring our liturgical tradition and how it shapes us to be the beloved children of God. This week we explore “how we are invited to engage with and be shaped by “story”

What I want to happen:

Find some new readers. People to actively engage with whole of liturgy and the story in particular.

The Sermon

       1.     Introduction:

As I have said one or two times

Lent is season inspired by Jesus’ own season or time in wilderness.

At his baptism his identity as “The beloved son” is confirmed

Spirit casts him out into wilderness

Where the great tester tests this identity to the max.

-         What does Jesus think being the beloved son means?

-         How will he live that out?

-         What will he trade it for?

Based on that Lent is a season for us to spend time asking -

What does it mean for US to be beloved child of God?

-         How does that shape our identity?

-         What does it mean for us?

-         How will WE live that out?

-         What will we trade it in for?

Within Anglicanism one major means of knowing we are beloved children of God and helping us know how to live that out

Liturgical Tradition

Spending some time in Lent exploring our liturgy and liturgical tradition

      2.     Liturgy

When I talk about liturgical tradition

-         Talking about everything we do

-         All it involves

It is more than words on a page

Includes singing

-         Actions

-         Silence

-         Symbols

-         Colours

ð multisensory

All of which God uses to form us as people of God

ð  to transform us into missional people

-         Together acting as a foretaste of the world to come

-         Living in solidarity with those who work for the transformation of the world according to God’s justice

What we do here is important

But it is not the point

The points is what happens when we leave here.

-         Continuing to act as a foretaste of the world to come

       3.     Flow 

Our liturgical tradition has a flow and structure that includes:

-         GATHER – We gathered by and in God with each other;

-         STORY - We engage with the whole story of scripture

-         GO - We are sent out to join God in mission

       4.     Gather

Gathered by the Spirit into the worship that eternally exists within God and in fabric of creation

-         gathered by God with all who have and will join us in worship

o   especially those who use these texts,

o   and all God given texts that come from ancient liturgies of east and west

-         gathered with others as God’s community

o   acknowledging all that separates us from each other and from God.

o   aligning ourselves with values and vision of God

       5.     Story

The scriptures and story of people of God since time Jesus

Liturgical tradition places a high store on scripture

-         This is our story whether we like it or not

-         It is ours to wrestle with

First thing to note is that much of our liturgy comes from scripture

-         First liturgies were passages of scripture that were used on regular basis

-         Strung together

Spirit inspired people to slowly add prayers that came out of those passages.

       6.     Lectionary

Each week lectionary gives us large segments read out loud

So that over three years we hear from nearly every book in Bible

-         We will also hear from Apocrypha.

Invited into that whole story of creation, fall, redemption and new creation

That is important that we get the whole thing

Not just my favourite passages

That can give very distorted view of what story of scripture is about.

       7.     Readers

Key role in our services is that of reading out these passages aloud

-         All written to be read aloud in this kind of context

-         When we read them we join all those who have read these texts for thousands of years

You are people who in the way you read these passages help us hearers into what you are reading

-         Help us make sense of what we are hearing

o   History, poetry, law, letters, gospel story

-         Help us hear elements of emotion in them – anger, despair, pleading, joy, triumph

When we are reading we need to practice before hand

-         Need rehearse weird names

-         Need to know how these passages work so we can read them in a way that makes sense.

      8.     Innovation and the rest

Huge place for Innovation

Go back to Cranmer – established tradition of innovation!

How can we create space for people to engage with these stories

Allow these stories to shape our imagination

Shape how we see and live in the world

Help us know that we are beloved children of God

And to grow in how we live that out

Includes  some actions

-         Passing the peace – act out with each other what we hear

-         Eucharist

      9.     Sermons

Sermon is part of this

I am hoping to help you engage with these stories on your own

To do your own theologising

Apply it for yourselves

Role of preacher is to help our imaginations be shaped by scripture

-         That story scripture tells

Not just about us as individuals but as people of God

Part of inviting you to have a conversation is to create space where we can do that theologising together

So are the conversations I invite you to have in response

Not just what I think

What do we all hear

How might we respond