Jesus the Home Invader
You can listen to this sermon here.
Gate Pa – Year B 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time,
Te Pouhere Sunday
Readings:
Psalm Psalm 138
First Reading: 1 Samuel
8:4-11,16-20
Second Reading: 2 Cor 4:13-5:1
Gospel: Mark 3:20-35
What I want to say:
A quick look at the
assumptions we make around Trinity – hierarchical or mutual and caring and how
that impacts how we see God and the world.
Today celebrate our
constitution – Te Pouhere – a gift of God, built on theological understanding
of the Trinitarian God non-hierarchical relationship of mutuality, generosity,
compassion, completeness, and wholeness, love, shalom, and aroha.
Remind people of big themes
of Mark – looking again at Mark 1: 14-15 (“Now is the
time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this
good news!” ) – and apply
that to the image of the strong person in this reading. God’s kingdom has come
because the strong powers that have ruled this world are being tied up. So what
are some of those powers?
How
does that help us have something to offer to some conversations happening today
-
Maori
Wards
-
Greerton
What I want to
happen:
People to talk about what is
sufficient success on earth for us is?
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Last week spent some time looking at and celebrating gift of
Trinity Sunday
In discussions some said something like – not
really have to think too much about nature God
-
Mystery and leave
it at that
Many ways very true
Many ways not true
Because we are already making assumptions
about God
And that affects how live lives
e.g.
some =who consciously or unconsciously see
relationship within and between persons of Trinity as hierarchical
-
God the father in
charge
-
and sending out
God and Son and God Spirit
plays out all areas of life
è divine right of kings
è Trump loyalists
è Ex Prime Minister of Samoa
-
church leaders –
appointed by God
è like God Father are in charge
-
homes with father
being boss
2. Non-Hierarchical
all built on really bad theology
happens because lots of people never look at
their assumptions about the nature of God
it is a mystery so why bother?
Within orthodox Theology nature of
relationship within God in non-hierarchical
-
equals
as talked about in other years
Relationship within God Lover, Beloved and Love
Between is non-hierarchical
-
relationship of
mutuality, generosity, compassion, completeness, and wholeness, love, shalom,
and aroha
what then does that look like in churches
-
Quakers
In government
In family?
It is important to pay attention to our
assumptions about the nature of God
3. Te Pouhere
31 years ago General Synod met in Suva to
approve new constitution for our church
New way of being together
Up to that point assumed that pakeha way doing
things
-
Right way
-
Only real way
-
Everyone should
order their life like us
At General Synod were representatives from 7 Dioceses
in NZ, Diocese of Polynesia,
10 years earlier let Maori be at the decision
making table when Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa was acknowledged and given space as
Diocese
Very hard for concerns of Maori or Polynesia
to get much air time
We still controlled the table
Realised as met in Suva
Needed a new table to meet around
One built on good Trinitarian theology
-
relationship of
mutuality, generosity, compassion, completeness, and wholeness, love, shalom,
and aroha
Spirit of God was at work
Te Pou Here was created
Pou or Pole
To which we tie our three waka,
-
ndrua, ‘alia, kalia[1],
-
ships
Allows each to live reign of God in
way makes sense in their cultural setting
Provides place for three partners to
gather in place where meet in ways that honour tikanga of all three partners
Truly wonderful thing to be part of
One of my sadness’s is that most
church never experiences what really means to be Anglican in this part of the
world.
4. Finding Mark
This week we return to Mark after long break
-
Reminder
that whole of Mark’s gospel is an account of the ongoing story of the good news
about Jesus Christ.
-
That
story continues today with you and me.
-
That
Mark 1: 14-15 sets theme for gospel
o “Now is the time! Here comes God’s
kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!”
In todays reading from 3: 20-35
-
Jesus
family think he has gone mad and have come claim him back fearing consequences
for him and their family honour (and lives)
-
Jerusalem
religious leaders also fear consequences of this teaching from Rome and are
trying to discredit him,
o Accusing him of doing what he does by
power Beelzebub (Satan)
To which Jesus tells short parable of
home invasion
Where strong person is tied up and
house plundered
Jesus is the one tying up strong
powers that rule this world
God’s kingdom comes when those powers
loose their grip
Build our relationships not on
hierarchy and power
-
But
on relationships of mutuality,
generosity, compassion, completeness, and wholeness, love, shalom, and aroha
o We are invited to let that “change our
hearts and lives, and to trust this good news!”
What then are the ways we see the
“strong person” at work in our world today?
5. Tauranga in the news
Over last week our city has been in
national news again for all the wrong reasons
Appalling behaviour of some launch of Tauranga
Ratepayers Alliance
After very public campaign to stop
Maori Wards for local council
Opposition to creation stand alone
Maori Health Authority deal crisis in Maori health
And beginnings of campaign change name
of Greerton – got very strong backlash
I wonder what we might say to this?
What might we as Anglicans
-
Trinitarian
theology describes relationships within God as relationships
of mutuality, generosity, compassion, completeness, and wholeness, love,
shalom, and aroha
-
Bring particular understanding of treaty
Waitangi (treaty that we helped create, write, negotiate and encourage
Rangatira to sign)
o Recognised Maori ongoing
responsibility to look after own affairs
o Gave more recent immigrants –a place under
authority of Britain
In light of that decided to not only
have Maori and Pasefika at the table, but to build a new table
To not only honour story of our European
forebears
-
Honour
and tell stories of all our forebears – because all stories are important
What does our Trinitarian theology of
mutuality offer
What does our experience of Te Pouhere
offer
Where is God’s kingdom in all this?
What might we want to say about changing
name of Greerton?
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