Sermon 15th September 2024 – 17th Sunday after Pentecost Text: Mark 8:27-38 – Who do YOU say that I am?

 Sermon 15^th September 2024 – 17^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Mark 8:27-38 – Who do YOU say that I am?

 

Fairly soon VCE students are going to prepare for their final exams.  It will be a stressful time knowing that their year’s work, and in fact the past 12 years work comes to a head. Likewise, the disciples are about to begin an intensive examination on discipleship.  It was time to study up for the final exam. Perhaps Jesus feels a sense of urgency running out of time before he hands over the reins to the twelve disciples.  The students will become the teachers.

 

But before that happens he needs to know what they understood and what they didn’t. Were they able to see what was hidden in the signs that he had performed to see the deeper, richer message?  When he healed the physically blind did they realize he was also healing spiritual blindness?  Did they understand that they are sometimes blind – as we will seen in Peter’s later response to Jesus?  Jesus began by asking a fairly passive question.  “Who do people say that I am?” They answered that some are still a bit confused – their eyes are not quite opened from their spiritual blindness. Some thought he was John the Baptist; others, that he was Elijah. Others thought that he was one of the other prophets of old.

 

But now the examination gets personal. And there are no multiple-choice answers“ Which of these do you think I am – a,b or c. No. It was personal. Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter answered as he has in the past on their behalf - that Jesus is the Messiah. Interestingly Jesus then ordered them to tell no one. Maybe because they would not be able to understand while they were still spiritually immature.

 

Now Jesus takes them to the next level of their learning. Jesus first asks “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered correctly. But what Peter didn’t understand was what being the Messiah of God really meant. He held the common belief that the Messiah would be king over Israel and lead a revolt against their oppressors. But Jesus talked of a whole different understanding of what would be the Messiah’s life and ministry when he spoke of suffering and being killed, and after three days rising from the dead. And this is when Peter’s spiritual blindness crept back in. He took Jesus aside and tried to re-educate Jesus.  But Peter’s mind was not on divine things, heavenly things, kingdom things;  He was instead looking at the meaning of Messiah from a purely human point of view.  Peter meant well. He didn’t want his beloved teacher to suffer and die.  But Peter was putting his own feelings and fears ahead of the mission of God.

 

And this is where Satan enters – which is why Jesus’ rebuke names Satan. Satan was focusing Peter’s mind on the suffering and death and tempting him to divert his thinking away from Jesus – like when he walked on the water and panicked causing him to sink.Satan tried the same temptation on Jesus – focus on your hunger and turn rocks into bread. That’s why Paul says in Colossians 3 – keep your mind focused on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God and not on earthly things. Peter missed the heavenly things – rising on the 3rd day - while focusing on the earthly things – arrested, suffered, died.And now it’s time to educate all the disciples and the crowds following him about what it exactly means to confess Jesus Christ as Lord – as YOUR Lord.

 

Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And this is also OUR education: These are hard and challenging words for us to hear. Deny yourself.  Take up your cross. To save your life you must lose it.  And if we are ashamed of him and of his words Jesus will be ashamed of us when he returns. I can see the look on the faces of the disciples and the crowd. And the look is probably not much different to our own.

 

Those wanting to continue following Jesus had some decisions to make.  The people in the crowd had to ask themselves if continuing to follow Jesus was worth it and if they were willing to sacrifice it all to continue on this path. As we heard a few weeks ago, some did find it difficult and made the decision to stop following him.

When the 12 disciples were given the option to leave too, Peter, again, spoke on their behalf. Lord to whom shall we go – you have the words of eternal life. You have heard the words of Jesus just like the disciples and the crowd did. We too are daily faced with that decision – to keep following Jesus or to give up. Satan will tempt us to look at the state of world and question whether God really loves the world – whether God really can save the world. Satan will have you think of yourself – like he did with Peter – like he did with Adam and Eve. But ask yourself, what are you giving up. Jesus is NOT John the Baptist – Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the Prophets. He is the Messiah, the son of the living God.

 

And what does that mean? Well, it’s that last part of his educating that we must take serious: When he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And when Christ is revealed in his glory so too will you. Jesus himself says that following him is not an easy journey but the reward makes the journey worth it. To be there when Jesus returns and have him proud to bring us home and not ashamed of us. So the question Jesus asked his disciples is the question Jesus continues to ask us today: Who do you say that I am. And the reason he asks that is because that is the question that will be asked of us when Jesus returns in his glory. Who do you say that I am. You are our Lord Jesus – and all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

 

Sermon 8th September 2024 – 16th Sunday after Pentecost Text: James 2:1-17 – Caring for creation through Hope

 Sermon 8^th September 2024 – 16^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: James 2:1-17 – Caring for creation through Hope

 

The theme of our Creation Sunday service is to hope and to act. Hope is an interesting word depending on the context that we use it. We hope our footy team is going to win the Grand Final. We hope that the weather is going to be fine this weekend. We hope that interest rates will come down soon. In this context Hope is uncertain. It may or may not happen.

 

In the Christian context Hope is different. St Paul talks about hope many times – Christian Hope – and in particular he says: We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Christian hope, as Paul says, will not disappoint us. And that’s because Christian hope is not uncertain.

 

Yet we live in a world where many look to the first type of hope. We hope that if we do things we will achieve a certain outcome but we can never be sure if it will work. When we act without God, in anything we do, hope becomes uncertain. As we focus on Creation today we see this uncertain hope at play in the world. If we reduce our carbon footprint – if we reduce our pollution – if we cease fossil fuels and switch to renewables – we hope that by a certain year in the future we will reduce our temperature and repair our climate. But we have no assurance of that – we hope to be able to achieve that. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do things to reduce pollution such as recycling as much as we can and reducing waste. But we should not think we don’t need hope in God to achieve our care for the world.

 

So, as Christians, we also include our love and care for the planet in our prayers as we pray to the one whom the wind and the waves must obey. The one who was able to end famine with his Word. But God also ended famine in practical ways when he had Joseph acted by storing food for 7 years to provide for 7 years of famine in Egypt.

So there are practical things we can do with God’s help and guidance. And our motivation is not because we believe WE can save the planet but because of our love for one another. God is the creator so we must always look to him.

The world without hope says there are only certain amount of years left because of humans.

But, remember what Jesus says about the end of the world- no one knows the day nor the hour – it will come as a thief in the night. So our motivation is our love for our neighbour and our hope in God. We see that in James today: If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So, we don’t just hope that our neighbour is able to find the necessities of life but we act. And we know – if we feed him that will attend to his hunger.

 

What James describes is how we see a lot of our world responding to the problems in God’s creation. We see people rallying – they hold up traffic – they disrupt businesses – they vandalise property that they disagree with.

They sit at home on their phones or computer and use social media to attack others. Many of the things they are fighting for – world hunger – homelessness – pollution – could be solved if we could act by loving another as James asks us to. You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.

 

Change in the world does not come by pointing out what others are doing wrong but by setting an example of loving one another. As Jesus once said in a parable: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. And this action came so naturally that the people being thanked had no idea they were doing it.

 

When we love one another it’s not a chore. We will act out of faith as care for one another. The righteous answered, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 

At present, to many people, the future of our creation looks hopeless. The comforting thing about Christian hope is that it thrives on hopelessness. Remember what Paul said – we rejoice in our suffering which produces hope. Or look at the woman in our Gospel reading. Her situation seemed hopeless. Her daughter was in a terrible situation and the one that she had hoped would be able to heal her said “NO”. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she never gave up hope: She answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

 

Or the man in the next miracle story whose plight seemed hopeless: They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; They were astounded beyond measure, saying about Jesus,  “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.

 

Or when Jesus opened the eyes of a blind man. The blind man says to Jesus’ critics:   Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. Jesus brought hope where there was no hope. So where will we put our hope for the future of Creation? In the hands of humans or in the Creator? God purposely created us in his image so we could care for his creation as his representative and he has called on us to act as his representative:

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” And let us remember that ruling means caring – not dominating. Subduing means protecting not oppressing.

 

God loves this world so much that he sent Jesus – not to condemn the but to save the world through him. And it is this act love of God and neighbour that will protect God’s beautiful creation.

Sermon 1st September 2024 – 15th Sunday after Penecost Text James 1:17-27 – Bridle the tonge

 Sermon 1^st September 2024 – 15^th Sunday after Penecost

Text James 1:17-27 – Bridle the tonge

 There is the old saying – God gave us 2 eyes, 2 ears but only one mouth – which should teach us what is really important in communication – to look – to listen – and be hesitant in what we say. James seems to be saying something similar in our reading today: You must understand this: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. To listen to the needs of people and if we need to respond then be “doers of the word”. Be slow to speak – be slow to anger. Which is interesting that James connects anger with speaking. He will go on to say how dangerous the tongue can be.

He says: the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

And his particular concern about the misuse of the tongue and our words is

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. And today he says that the “unbridled” tongue can make our faith worthless, or as he calls it – our religion.

Jesus faces the same issue today with the Pharisees where their “religion” was made worthless because they argued over man-made traditions: The Pharisees noticed that some of Jesus’ disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.

So the Pharisees asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

Jesus said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

So, according to Jesus, what came out of their lips was inconsistent with their hearts. And remember the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength – and your neighbour as yourself. And he says that what comes out of the mouth is a true indication of what is truly on one’s heart. And he explains: There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.

A few weeks ago Paul warned about the devil’s use of our anger: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Like James and Jesus, Paul recognizes that our hearts hold our true feelings about things and that anger can make those feelings come out in a very unhealthy way. They can result in bitterness – in hurtful words and actions, including to those we love dearly. And all the good that we do in the name of Jesus can be undone in an instant as James points out by a single word: If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

So James makes a distinction between religion and faith in much the same way that Jesus makes a distinction between traditions and faith. Traditions are important but not if they divert us away from love for others. Jesus took exception to the scribes and Pharisees because they placed tradition above love. In very much how Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The Pharisees missed the importance of that inner transformation that flows into words and works to help other and show love.  The tradition of the elders that the Pharisees had intended to preserve by their traditions, had become a barrier keeping them from getting close to God and one another. As Christians we are always under the watchful eye of the world waiting to call us out as hypocrites in much the same way that Jesus called out the pharisees as hypocrites. So we need to be always mindful of what image we are giving.

Holiness is NOT about our outward display but our hearts. As Jesus once said, when quoting Hosea in the Old Testament. I desire mercy not sacrifice.

How we treat one another is on full display to the world. The Pharisees were more concerned with outward appearances and following the letter of the law, rather than truly living out the spirit of the law with love, compassion, and humility.

It is easy for us to point fingers at the Pharisees and condemn them for their hypocrisy, but let us take a moment to reflect on our own lives.  How often do we act in ways that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus when no one is watching?  How often do we judge others while overlooking our own faults and shortcomings?  How often do we say one thing and do another?

Jesus' words are a powerful reminder for us to examine our hearts and our actions. He calls us to live out our faith in a way that is genuine and true, not just for show. Because that’s what a hypocrite was in Jesus’ time – an actor on show. They had a outward show that they would put on before others – washing their hands – washing their utensils – but inside that no one could see was their true self.

Let us heed Jesus' warning and strive to be like him in all we do.  Let us not be like the Pharisees, who were more concerned about how they appeared in public. Let us be humble, compassionate, and loving, following the example of Jesus himself even if no one sees or acknowledges. Let us take to heart the words of Jesus and strive to live a life of integrity and righteousness, both in words and in deeds. May we be true disciples of Christ, shining his light in the world and bringing glory to his name

Sermon 25th August 2024 – 14th Sunday after Pentecost Text: John 6:56-69 – When the going gets tough

 Sermon 25^th August 2024 – 14^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: John 6:56-69 – When the going gets tough

 

There is the saying – when the going gets tough the tough get going. In today’s Gospel reading we see 2 examples of “when the going gets tough the tough get going” The first example: Many of Jesus’ disciples said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. The going got tough – and many got going away from Jesus. The second example – Peter and the Apostles: Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” The going got tough and Jesus’ apostles got going – continuing to follow Jesus. The difference?  Faith. Jesus had the words of eternal life.

 

It’s not such an easy task to follow Jesus at times. That’s why Jesus said – pick up your “cross” and follow me. That’s why Peter, when told about what following Jesus meant – arrest, humiliation, death – he said – never Lord, this will never happen to you. To which Jesus said – get behind me Satan. The Israelites in the Old Testament are another example of the people falling away from following the Lord when the going got tough. Israel had a series of prophets who were constantly calling the people back to the way of the Lord when they would stray. Even before they got to the Promised Land they continued to grumble and begged to go back to Egypt – hard labour was easier than trusting and following the Lord. As Joshua was about to lead them into the Promised Land he warned them that following the Lord, though the right thing to do, would be difficult at times: He said to them:  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

 

I’m often intrigued as to why the teaching of the Christian faith is so difficult for people to accept. The Christian faith offers what humanity is truly seeking. It offers eternal life in heaven. People today want to live longer. They exercise – eat healthy – the market for alternative remedies is booming. We push carbon neutral to save the planet even though God sent Jesus to save the world. People try to look younger with cosmetic surgery. But none of these offer what Jesus offers. As Jesus said - This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

 

Jesus offers relief from suffering – a new heaven and new earth where there will be no more suffering. People look for all sorts of remedies – traditional and alternative. Jesus offers an answer to death – I am the resurrection and the life – whoever believes in me will never die. There is talk of AI (artificial intelligence) that will allow us to live forever consciously in the cloud as opposed to the one who ascended to and will return with the clouds. As Peter said – where are we going to go – only you have the words of eternal life

 

So what is it that causes the rejection and often hostility when a person tried to witness to someone. Why do we find it so difficult at times to witness to other people? I believe it has to do with the reality of what is being offered. If this was just another marketing gimmick or one of those TV shopping miracle products then it wouldn’t be so hard. As the saying goes – a fool and his money are soon parted. But the reality is that this is a spiritual battle we enter whenever we enter the front line and follow Jesus. And therefore our enemy is spiritual – or as we often call it – spiritual warfare. If you can remember the parable of the sower that Jesus once told: He begins that parable by saying:

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. And so we see the work of the evil one whenever we or anyone follows Jesus – he is right there behind us to battle against what we are doing.

 

Likewise in the Parable of the wheat and the weeds: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went his way.

 

So Paul encourages us – in fact urges us to put on the armour of God because he knows exactly the battle we enter when we choose to follow Jesus Christ. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Let us remember, Jesus and Paul are speaking to the church here. Satan’s front line is in the church.

 

We often think that Satan is working in the likes of Kings Cross and other seedy places. No, that’s just human nature at work. Satan’s work is to attack Christians – God’s children as seen with Adam and Eve and Jesus with the temptations. He has ‘flaming arrows’ that can hit with precision which is why Paul say put on the “FULL” armour of God. If there’s a weakness he will find it. And we all have a weakness he targets – our anger – our jealousy – our addictions – our false idols – anything that gives him a foothold. And so we have seen people, like the first group, who have left Jesus – either their faith or the church while retaining their faith. And it’s quite often because of a mis-spoken word – a disagreement. Often it’s complacency or other demands on our time – work and sport.

 

So our task, as Paul says - keep alert and always persevere in prayer for all the saints. St Peter in his letter also told us to keep alert – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But Paul also asks for a prayer for himself: Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. So please pray for me and also Pastors and Bishops of our church as we put the shoes for our feet that will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

 

Friends, the cross gets mighty heavy at times and at times we might feel like giving up – but as Peter reminds us – where will we go – only Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life. And what beautiful words they are as Isaiah the prophet says:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say “Your God reigns!”

Sermon 18th August 2024 – 13th Sunday after Pentecost Text: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – Discerning good and evil

 Sermon 18^th August 2024 – 13^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – Discerning good and evil

 

There is an old saying of the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is actually a fruit – But wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.

 

Wisdom is a big topic in the bible with King Solomon renowned for his gift of wisdom given to him. The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you. Imagine what Solomon could have asked for.

He could have been selfish, like a person granted 3 wishes using the first wish to ask for more wishes. Solomon could have asked for personal gain - long life or riches, or success over his enemies. But instead he asked for an understanding mind to govern God’s people, able to discern between good and evil; Solomon will go on to become the King known for his wisdom that will astound the world and will even have the queen of Sheba visit him to see if his wisdom was as great as the rumours that had reached her.

 

Knowledge of God and wisdom of God are also 2 different things. Knowledge is knowing ABOUT God – wisdom is having faith in God as James talks about in his letter where he says: You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder without faith. We see that in the Gospel readings when Jesus approaches demon possessed men. Their initial response- we KNOW who you are. They KNOW who Jesus is but they have no faith in him. As a result they fear his judgment – don’t send us into the abyss – send us into those pigs.

 

What Solomon asked for was a heart for God and as a result received the things he could have asked for but didn’t. In much the same way that Jesus speaks about in the Sermon on the Mount where he says: Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So wisdom is about faith in God which is also what St Paul talks about in our 2nd reading: He says: Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

 

Knowing the will of the Lord is where wisdom comes in. So here Paul makes a distinction between wise and foolish: And our Psalms tell us what is the difference between wise and foolish: King David, Solomon’s father, writes in Psalm 14 - The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. So as Christians, knowing God is different to trusting God. Trusting God is living a life where we look to God to guide us even if it goes against the ways of the world. We trust God even if it goes against our will – as Jesus said – not MY will be don’t but YOURS.

 

The church is regularly challenged to fit in with the ways of the world so that the world will accept us. That leads us to very shaky ground because we have nothing to stand firm on as Jesus says in his parable when he compares a wise and foolish builder: A wise man built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  A foolish man built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” So Jesus is saying that wise and foolish people will face the same challenges in life – the wind and the storms. The difference is the foundation. The wise had his foundation in his faith in God’s Word. He built his house on the rock – and Jesus has built his church on a rock and therefore not even the gates of hell can overcome it. The foolish built his foundation on sand.

 

So the question is – what is your foundation built on? Is it built on an earthly foundation like your possessions, your career and so forth. Or is it built on faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord? Solomon could have asked for a secure earthly foundation – military power, long life, riches. Instead he asked for wisdom in knowing good from evil. This is necessary because of sin that entered into our world when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit – the knowledge of Good and Evil. Because of sin we know Good and Evil.

Faith in Jesus enables us to DISCERN between Good and Evil. Solomon seeks to be able to discern between Good and Evil in a world that calls evil good, and good evil. As Paul speaks about in our 2nd reading  Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  Our world no longer discerns between good and evil but between what brings me pleasure or not..It’s the old, what was known as – the epicurean lifestyle – eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you shall die. Paul says “NO”. That’s is the wrong foundation:

 

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The epicurean lifestyle – eat, drink, be merry has its foundation on “because tomorrow you shall die”. So it doesn’t matter what I do – just enjoy. Wisdom – faith in Jesus Christ – has a different foundation, as we hear in our Gospel reading:

 

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever and never die. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” Jesus had made a distinction between the manna that came down from heaven when the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness and the bread of life that he has come to bring that brings eternal life. What is the difference? The difference the foundation we build on – death or eternal life.

 

The manna came to feed them for their physical journey to the Promised Land and they still died. Jesus’ bread of life has come to feed us for our spiritual journey to eternal life in heaven. It is the difference between knowing Jesus and having faith in Jesus. Knowing Jesus with head knowledge and knowing Jesus with heart knowledge. Which is the difference between the demons who proclaimed “we know who you are” to Peter’s proclamation of faith – you are the Christ, the son of the living God.

 

Sermon 11th August 2024 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost Text – Psalm 130 – The theology of the Cross

 Sermon 11^th August 2024 – 12^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text – Psalm 130 – The theology of the Cross

We know that Martin Luther reformed the church when he objected to what was happening in the church of his day. Basically his church was using the fear of the people to extract money from them in a system known as indulgences. Indulgences were a monetary payment which, supposedly, absolved a person of past sins to release them or family members who had died from purgatory after death. The catchphrase – saved by grace, through faith, for Christ’s sake became the symbol of the reformation of the church.

But Luther also discovered an extremely deep revelation about his relationship with God which did not flow through to all of the churches that evolved out of the Reformation. That discovery came to be known as a “theology of the cross” as opposed to a theology of glory. Luther said - a theologian is one who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. And he uses the revelation of God’s glory to Moses who allows him to see his glory but only as he passes.

God said to Moses “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

For Luther, suffering was not an indication of something being wrong in a person’s relationship with God but something to be explored in much the same way St Paul discovered when he wrote – when I am weak, then I am strong – and will boast about my suffering”. It can be really difficult to understand and we are more likely to be convinced by encouragement such as – if you have enough faith then God can heal you. Or, as we see in many TV evangelists – if you give money to God’s ministry then God will reward you.

Luther's theology of the cross sees the cross not as a symbol of power and triumph, but rather a symbol of weakness and suffering.  We live in a world that values success, strength, and glory.

You only have to see the focus on success in the recent Olympics. Second place often experiences regrets for missing out by less than a second. 4th place seems like losing because there is no medal or podium for being 4th best in the world.

Luther's theology of the cross serves as a powerful reminder that God's ways are not our ways. The cross stands as a stark contrast to the world's expectations, challenging us to reevaluate our understanding of power and success especially in our relationship with God.

Many times in the New Testament Jesus is closer to people when they don’t recognize him being there with feelings of sadness. Like Mary at the tomb weeping and speaking with “the gardener” who is in fact Jesus. Or the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus with their faces downcast speaking with this “stranger” who is the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t seem to know about the hopelessness of losing their saviour. And then when Jesus does reveal himself to them and they rejoice – he disappears from their sight.

Luther also had a term for this calling God the “Deus absconditus” which is Latin for "hidden God" which is also what Isaiah discovered in chapter 45 – Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself, the God and Savior of Israel. Or Paul in Colossians 3 where he says – our lives are hidden with Christ and will be revealed when he is revealed in glory

King David wrote about this God present in times of seeming absence in our Psalm today when he writes: Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. The same God that Jesus cried out to when in the depths of hell and suffering on the cross cries out – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

In his theology of the cross Luther discovered a God in Christ who is not found in the conventional ways which became known as the “God of the opposites”. His royal birth is found in a royal palace but where there is no room in the inn and born in a barn in a feeding trough. His revealing is to lowly shepherds and foreigners from the East. His acceptance and audience is not by the elite but by the outcasts. His victory comes through death on a humiliating cross.

Jesus world couldn’t understand or accept this revelation as we see in today’s Gospel reading: The Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

St Paul also reveals this in 1 Corinthians where he reveals Christ to this new church: Tthe message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  As we see in today’s Gospel, Paul highlights: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

And for us, who may question sometimes because of the way the world treats Christians: Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

God’s strength is not through ways that the world evaluates strength – like winning a Gold Medal and being high above everyone else on that podium. No, King David shows where God’s strength is: For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared. And that is where we show God’s strength.

Forgiveness is where God’s strength is found and also where WE show God’s strength - as David also discovered. As Luther discovered that God's love is not dependent on our worthiness or merit. Instead, God's love is unconditional and freely given to all who believe in Him. The cross is the ultimate expression of God's love for humanity, as Jesus willingly endured suffering and death to save us from sin and death.

In this act of selfless love, we see the true strength of God and His unending grace.

And what the world sees as weakness and deficiency, David, Paul and others, discovered as a hidden mystery of grace and blessing. In particular the mystery of suffering as a part of the Christian life.  Just as Jesus embraced the cross, we too are called to take up our own crosses and follow Him.

Rather than seeking to avoid suffering, we are challenged to see it as an opportunity for growth and transformation.  Through our experiences of suffering, we are drawn closer to God and become more like Christ. And, as the book of Hebrews says -  he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

As much as we do not like suffering, especially living in a world that often seeks to avoid or minimize suffering, Luther's theology of the cross calls us to embrace the reality of suffering and find hope and meaning in the midst of it as we are reminded of the depth of God's love for us and reflect on Jesus’ example of self-sacrificial love. The cross, called a symbol of shame in the Old Testament where anyone hung on a tree is cursed. But for us the cross is a symbol of hope and redemption as we trust in God's unfailing love and mercy.

So, like David, when you are in the depths, let us cry out to the Lord for his mercy for with Jesus our soul waits for the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy.

 

 

Sermon 4th August 2024 – 11th Sunday after Pentecost Text Ephesians 4:1-16 – One Baptism

 Sermon 4^th August 2024 – 11^th Sunday after Pentecost

Text Ephesians 4:1-16 – One Baptism

 

As we read the Book of Acts – the book that follows the beginnings of the new Church gathering around Jesus Christ, it’s interesting to note the peoples response to hearing the preaching of the apostles. In the very first sermon preached on Pentecost Sunday by Peter, the people respond: What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you”. When Phillip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, after having Phillip explain the Scriptures he was reading – As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? He was immediately Baptised. When the jailer was witnessed to by Paul and Silas in prison he took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. There was no delay – no waiting until they were mature or old enough to make a decision for Christ. There were no bible classes or examinations. No, the immediacy of Baptism came once they realized their broken relationship with God through sin and the desire to have God heal that brokenness and unite them back into full relationship with him.

 

Last week we heard about David and Bathsheba and how David tried to fix his brokenness with God by adhering to the commandments. If he had Uriah duped into thinking Bathsheba’s child was his own then problem solved. When that didn’t work he thought – if Uriah was killed, I could marry Bathsheba – problem solved. But that would not solve the broken relationship with God. And through that realization he wrote Psalm 51 and realized the brokenness began much earlier than his adultery with Bathsheba. He writes: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. But we hear, don’t we, how can a baby have faith to believe and be baptized. Doesn’t Mark 16;16 say – whoever believes and is baptized will be saved?  David also addresses that when he continues: You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 

Paul in our 2nd reading also talks about the healing that is brought about by Baptism when he writes: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Baptism brings to us the gift of the Holy Spirit who unites us with God and one another. Whilst there are many divisions in the Christian Church whether it be by denomination – Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Uniting and so forth – Or whether it be through doctrine within denominations – ordination, creation, evolution, marriage. Paul address that when he wrote to a very divided Corinthian Church: He says to them: Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

 

Sadly there are times when a division is necessary and can be beneficial. I think having denominations can be a healthy way of expressing our Christian faith so we focus on mission and ministry rather than conflict and differences. Hence Paul and Barnabas got to that situation when they could not agree on the inclusion of John Mark in their missionary journey. Barnabas wanted to take him but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,  but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.  The believers weren’t made to choose sides or determine who was right and who was wrong. Paul went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. They didn’t let their disagreement become the focus and argue back and forth to work out who was right and who was wrong. They parted company but remained together in their missionary ventures and actually therefore covered more ground. But they remained united by their common baptism.

 

Likewise we remained united with other denominations who share our understanding of Baptism even though we may differ on other matters - as we confess in the Creed. I believe in ONE holy Christian church. Interestingly Paul and Barnabas were later reconciled when Paul writes to Timothy - Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. Baptism is God’s gift to the church. That’s why we only baptize once because a promise of God is just that – a promise.

Even when there has been a separation or when someone comes to faith later in life but had been baptized as an infant (like myself), because we believe Baptism is God’s work, not ours, we acknowledge that God’s gifts and promises are irrevocable, even by ourselves. As Paul says in Romans 11 when speaking about the covenant God made with Israel which also relates to the new covenant he makes with us in Baptism For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call. As Jeremiah discovered - I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations. Or as Paul says earlier in Ephesians – we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do the good works God has planned for us long ago.

 

God is a God of unity. It is enshrined in the first commandment – you shall have no other Gods. God enshrined it in what the Jews call “the shema”  A special prayer that Israel was taught to pray: Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Jesus too was concerned about unity when he taught: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Likewise, Paul was concerned about a lack of unity when he said: Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

 

These are challenging times at present for our church but as King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Divisions have been a mark of the church since its creation but in Christ, and through Baptism, we are and remain one. So may you continue to look to your Baptism when you are struggling to make sense of the world around you whether it’s in the church or in the world we live.

Because God made a very special promise in your Baptism when Christ ascended on high. He said – I am with you always till the end of the age.

 

You may ask – how can mere water do such great things. Well, in the words of Martin Luther: It is not water that does these things but God’s Word with the water and our trust in this word which is a life giving water which by grace gives new birth by the Holy Spirit.