Living the Dream and Hope of God
You can listen to this sermon here
Gate Pa – Year A 6th Sunday of Easter, 2023
Readings:
Psalm Psalm: 66:8-19
First Reading:
Acts
17:22-31
Second Reading:
1 Peter
3:13-22
Gospel: John
14:15-21
What I want to say:
Tough last three years – for
many it is still tough with inflation
For church covid has really
hit many parishes – much more vulnerable than we were
-
Theme of parish planning day
As we face an uncertain
future how we are told that the gift of the Spirit is that love of God resides
in each one of us, that all may be drawn into the way of God – the way of
compassion, generosity, justice and love.
What I want to happen:
What hope does that offer us?
How might we respond to this
awesome gift, and awesome responsibility.
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
Happy Mother’s Day
Although as I have said in the past Mothers Day can be tricky
-
Not great day for many people for all
sorts of reasons
-
Even for Anna Jarvis who worked to
have this officially recognised early 20th century in USA
-
recognise and celebrate work of mothers
like her mother
o
Ann Jarvis had
been a peace activist
o
who cared for
wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War,
o
created Mother's
Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.
o
She and another
peace activist and suffragette Julia
Ward Howe had been urging for the creation of a "Mother's Day For
Peace" where mothers would ask that their husbands and sons were no longer
killed in wars.
o
Ward Howe and
Jarvis had made Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870, which
called upon mothers of all nationalities to band together to promote the
"amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general
interests of peace."[14]
-
Anna Jarvis
wanted to honour this and to set aside a day to honour all mothers because she
believed a mother is "the person who has done more for you than anyone in
the world".[15]
-
angered that if was commercialised so
quickly
We again remember our mothers, for better or for worse,
and give thanks for all that mothers have done and still do in our
society today
2.
Easter
in Season of Easter
-
50 days from Easter Sunday until
Pentecost
just as mothers day is a time to reflect on and celebrate
motherhood and mothers
Easter is time to reflect on and celebrate resurrection
-
what that means for us as we regather
and rebuild after the last three years
what it means for us to live resurrected lives
3. Resurrection
I have said a lot that too often Christians have thought that
point of Christianity is getting us into heaven
resurrection then becomes something that happens way in the future
But I have also talked about how a number of scholars and
theologians are increasingly saying
-
that the early writers of the gospels
and other New Testament books saw the point of Jesus as the means by which God
honours the eternal covenant with this world and humanity,
o
that humanity would be restored
o
creation renewed
as St. Augustine of Hippo said
we are reminded
that we are made in image of God
God’s love and
compassion resides in heart of each of us
resurrection begins when we are freed from the death of
worshipping false idols
false idols of power
wealth
security
placing ourselves
first
4. John
to help us explore all this
lectionary writers have offered us various passages from John’s
gospel
particularly passages that help us into some of the big themes of John’s
gospel
2 weeks ago we explored the big themes of life
eternal life
abundant life
ð through
Jesus the good shepherd
-
who provides and protects
last week we explored those themes as we looked at what Jesus
might have meant by
I am the way, truth and life.
Angela N. Parker - “The Way of
Jesus is the embodiment of the dream and hope of God….We must be people of the
way, being the dream and hope of God, as we participate in abundant life while
here on earth together” (https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fifth-sunday-of-easter/commentary-on-john-141-14-6)
Resurrection is living abundant life,
resurrected life now
-
being the dream and hope of God now
This week we continue to hear Jesus last words
to his disciples
continues themes first introduced in great prologue of John’s
gospel
theme of abiding
God Father abiding in Jesus
Jesus abiding in God Father
Jesus abiding in us
we abiding in Jesus
we abiding in the Father through Jesus
And to enable that he will ask the Father to send another
companion
-
Spirit of Truth
-
Holy Spirit
Jesus was the first companion.
walking with them as they learnt to live the dream and hope of God.
Spirit will be with them so that they might live the commandment
to love.
Spirit, the companion is with us as we live dream and hope of God
in the way of love.
I wonder what all this might mean for us.
5. Planning Day
Yesterday
vestry and others met to reflect on the past year
-
and to review at our planning document
-
and look ahead to the next year
We
began by naming our best experience from the last year
-
Centrepoint
-
Peace Pole planning and planting and
celebration with the other churches
-
60 bells service
-
Carols on the Lawn and being part of
the choir.
-
Good Friday services
-
Animal blessing services
-
Sunday services
We
talked about what made them work
-
values that underpinned them
-
strengths as a parish that revealed in
each of these.
Wonder
what yours might be?
We
might say that each of these were times when Sprit of Truth, the Companion has
worked through us to enable us to live the dream and hope of God for our
community.
They
are all an expression of who we are as people of God in this place
We describe ourselves as
-
Church on the Hill – Anglican Church of Gate Pa
-
On site of battle of Gate Pa
-
People connected with and by love
-
Offering all: Non-judgmental, loving, caring, everyone has a place,
-
we are welcoming, equal, inclusive, spiritual, all people are minsters.
-
A light in the community
-
growing in leadership support for ourselves and offering practical help
for our community.
-
Connecting with our community by offering Christian church services,
Interfaith Services, Local History Talks, 60 Bells Remembrance Service on our
Battle of Gate Pa, Facilities for hire, supporting food bank, offering Senior
Chef, with Whanau Aroha and Centrepoint
-
A voice on Justice issues
-
Traditional but progressive in outlook
6. We Dream to Be
An ongoing variable church community
shaped by Christ within our wider community
-
Living In Hope – can carry on
-
Deeply Caring.
-
Offering people a safety of ritual.
-
Incarnational living
-
filling the gap between “if life is not all about me what is it about?”
-
Empowering people to know their gifts and talents
-
Bringing next generation to leadership within the mission and ministry,
the services and management of church
-
engaging with children, young people and their families in meaningful
ways
We offer a spiritual and
historic home
-
A place of prayer
-
Place of Holiness.
-
A peaceful place
-
A welcoming place for all people and all faiths
Lively use of space
-
Strengthening whanaungatanga connection between parishioners
-
Community hub or central point in the community
o brings people here for
connection
§ E.g. Playgroup, SPACE
programme, youth group, pizza night, choir, Senior Chef, coffee mornings
o helping those who have lost
their way
Historical precinct- place
of reconciliation and history.
-
Reconciliation of ourselves
-
Greater activity around 60 bells service.
-
Land issues resolved with respect for all who have a stake in this
place
have a viable congregation
Known as a catalyst for
Social Issues
Engaged in Climate Change
Action
Advocating non-violence to
animals
-
Offer Funerals for Animals
How do we keep the
‘important ‘parts of our story going, while being open to change?
This is what living the
dream and hope of God looks like for us
living the way of love
7. Resurrected Life
This is all a big hope
it who we believe God’s desires
us to be
not who we are today
clearly we have work to do
began this morning by
wondering
what is resurrected life
Resurrection is living abundant life,
-
being the dream and hope of God now
today we hear Jesus say that
he will ask the Father to send another companion –
-
the spirit of Truth
-
to be with us as we live dream and
hope of God in the way of love.
I wonder what difference
that makes as we face an uncertain future
As we take a breath
an almost begin again
living the
dream and hope of God
Comments