We Are God’s Works of Art

This sermon can be heard here

 Gate Pa – Year B - Lent 4 2021

Readings:
Hebrew Scripture:      Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm:                         107:1-3,17-22
Epistle:                        Ephesians 2: 1-10
Gospel:                        John 3:14-21
What I want to say:
Lent is a time to reflect on “We are God’s work of art.” (Ephesians – New Jerusalem Bible)
Explore John 3: 14-21 using Augustine – in Christ we are reminded of and invited to contemplate the Divine image within.
As we prepare for our AGM we need to hear the lesson of Numbers and not want to go home. What is the new thing God is inviting us to? 
What I want to happen:
In what ways have we lived as God’s beloved children over the last year
In what ways are we being invited to live as Beloved Children of God by by treating all others as the children of God and all creation as God’s gift.

The Sermon

1.     Introduction:

As I have been saying this Lent
Lent is inspired by the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness wrestling with and being tested in his identity that was confirmed at his baptism.
-         What did “beloved son of God” mean for him?
-         How would he live that out?
-         What would he trade it in for? 
Lent was time preparation for those to be baptised as they prepared take on new identity as beloved children of God
Today, it is our time to ask what it means for us to be beloved children of God.
-         How does that shape our identity?
-         What helps us know that and live that out?
-         What gets in the way of knowing that and living that out?
-         How do this Sunday’s readings help us in this work?

2.     Works of Art

-         Struck by this Quote from Ephesians (New Jerusalem Bible)
-         “Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, not by anything of your own but by a gift from God, not by anything you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s works of art, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life” (Eph 2: 8+9)
-         We are beloved children of God
-         We are also God’s works of art – amazing image
o   Really believe it?
o   Do we live as beloved children?
o   Do we live as works of art?
-         Reminds me of St. Augustine of Hippos “On the Trinity”
o   Described humanity being made in image of God to live blessed and righteous life, dwelling in the being of God
o   Another gripping image
-         Use all that quickly look at gospel reading

3.     Jesus is about now

Contains one of most famous verses of Bible
Magically appears at all kinds of events
John 3:16 - God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.
Feels kind of like good news
Also a lot people hear it as quite judgemental.
-         Believe or its eternal damnation for you!
How we read this depends on image of God we bring to this reading
What we think Jesus was on about
If God is righteous God who condemns the world as sinful, and sends Jesus to die in our place so that some might abide eternally with God
-         Then this is a hard passage
BUT
John repeatedly says that God is love
Theology of his time (and for first 1,000 years of Christianity) is that this world is condemned by powers of darkness that ensnare and trap all in creation
Jesus comes in God’s compassion and love to break those powers and open our way back to abide in love as Jesus abides in love
The cross defeats the powers that enslave
The resurrection affirms the way of love found in Jesus and defeats powers of death
In the ascension Jesus the human one returns to the Godhead making a way for us to abide in God’s compassion and love
To trust and live in this love.
Johns gospel is much less about eternal damnation
And more about living in God’s love and compassion now.

4.     Jesus and the Brazen Serpent

This story is set within bigger conversation with Nicodemus
Had to be born from above
Or had to embrace a new identity – new way seeing and describing himself
Not about his whakapapa, family, own good deeds
But started with God’s love and compassion
Which is really what Lent is about.
Jesus uses story of brazen serpent
People of God tired wandering and want to return to what they knew
-         Slavery
-         Where children killed
-         Starved
-         Overworked
Consequence of which was snakes
And in looking at image of snake – brazen serpent
Reminded of their foolishness
Offered healing
Interesting image for us today
These are hard times for mainline churches
Look around
Aging
Not many young people
Worry
Long to return to the good old days of 1960’s and 70’s
-         20% population went church – maybe
-         Big Sunday schools and youth groups
o   As aside – very few still part of church
o   Many now put “no religion” on census
Like the Hebrew people in desert, we can’t go back
Look back over 30 years ordained ministry
Overriding question has been how to get back to those days
leads us astray
Whether church survives or not is not really the issue
Issue is living God’s compassion and love
Do we trust God’s compassion and love and make that the starting point
-         In what ways have we lived as God’s beloved children over the last year
-         In what ways are we being invited to live as Beloved Children of God by treating all others as the children of God and all creation as God’s gift.

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