For the next three weeks we have long stories from John's Gospel to reflect upon. This week's reading is John 4:1-42.
The Sermon title is Thirsty?
Early Thoughts: How thirsty are you? Thirsty for what?
We NEED water. Without it we don't survive. Historically speaking, access to water is one of those things that determines where towns would develop.
But is this story just about that clear life-giving liquid?
I think not.
At the beginning of their dialogue the Samaritan woman at the well thought Jesus was talking about water. Then she seems to have realized he was talking about something else. And out of that discussion she became a witness and evangelist. Jesus, it appears, touched some deep yearning inside her, some deep thirst that she needed to have quenched in order to have life in abundance.
What deep thirst(s) do you have in your life?
Jesus comes to bring us life in abundance. Jesus comes to quench our deep thirsts. I suggest we live in a world where many are incredibly thirsty. Sometimes we know what we thirst or yearn for, sometimes we just know that something is missing but have yet to identify what that is. Where does the faith story help us find what we yearn for? Where does faith help fill an empty spot? Where does the Living Water flood in and quench our thirst with a never-ending flow?
Jesus meets a woman at a well. They have a very interesting dialogue. Her life is changed. Through her Jesus meets her neighbours. When we have our thirst quenched how can we help but invite others to that same well? Maybe they too will find what they have been looking for?
For what do you thirst? What drops of Living Water can you share with your thirsty neighbours?
All who are thirsty.....COME AND DRINK
--Gord
Showing posts with label Year A. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Year A. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2020
Monday, August 25, 2014
Looking Forward to August 31, 2014 -- 12th Sunday After Pentecost
The Scripture Reading this Sunday is Isaiah 51:1-8.
The Sermon title is Listen!
Early Thoughts: One of the more common aspects of my "discussions" with my children is some variation of "Stop what you are doing and listen for a moment". I wonder if God has the same feeling....
When you think about it what lies behind that word LISTEN. When you think about it, it is a shorthand way of saying "pay attention! this is important! you need to know/hear/do this!"
In these 8 verses we have the command to listen three times:
Past, future, and present. Listen in all tenses. Listen and learn. Listen and move towards God's vision for the world. Listen and remember and be people of hope.
Maybe we should listen a little bit more...preferably BEFORE we start to act.
--Gord
The Sermon title is Listen!
Early Thoughts: One of the more common aspects of my "discussions" with my children is some variation of "Stop what you are doing and listen for a moment". I wonder if God has the same feeling....
When you think about it what lies behind that word LISTEN. When you think about it, it is a shorthand way of saying "pay attention! this is important! you need to know/hear/do this!"
In these 8 verses we have the command to listen three times:
- "Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug." God calls us to look to our past, our heritage. Why is that important?
- "4Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. 5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope." God calls us to pay attention to the promise, to look to the future, to be people of hope. Why is that important?
- "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear the reproach of others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you." God calls us to remember who we are, where our strength lies, where we can look for support. Why is that important?
Past, future, and present. Listen in all tenses. Listen and learn. Listen and move towards God's vision for the world. Listen and remember and be people of hope.
Maybe we should listen a little bit more...preferably BEFORE we start to act.
--Gord
Monday, August 18, 2014
Looking Ahead to August 24, 2014 -- 11th Sunday After Pentecost
The Scripture Reading this week is Romans 12:1-21
The Sermon title is The Renewing of Minds and Souls
Early Thoughts: What difference does faith make? How have you been changed, transformed, by God's presence and activity in you life? Or to put it another way...how would your life be different if you were not a person of faith?
Christian faith is about being transformed. Living in faith is about striving to align our daily lives with God's hope for us as persons and the world as a whole -- or possibly not "striving" but rather letting go of our own need for control so God can move in and through us. Living in faith is about listening for God's voice and discerning God's will -- then going ahead and following the path laid out. To live in faith means, as Paul points out here, to be a living sacrifice.
A sacrifice?!? What do we have to give up????? Potentially lots. But that is not what a sacrifice is.
When you look at its Latin roots you find that the word sacrifice means to make sacred (see here). To live in faith is to make your life sacred, set apart for God's purposes. So yeah it means giving up stuff, ideas, plans. But the important part is not so much the giving up, the important part is the purpose thereof.
When we allow ourselves to be transformed by faith, to be renewed in mind and spirit by God's Word alive in our midst, we move to make our lives sacred, to set ourselves apart for God's purposes.
The mark of deep faith, of a transformed being is not in how loudly we pray. It is not in how stridently we argue that the world must follow our interpretation of God's law. It is not in how openly devout and religious we are. The mark of deep faith is in how well we live out the last half of this passage. I would suggest the only way we can live in that way is if we have been renewed, transformed, changed. I also suggest that this renewal is not a one-time thing but rather an ongoing process as we grow and learn and experience life.
May God continue to work within us as individuals and as a community, renewing our minds, our souls, our selves, so that we would be a living sacrifice, set apart for God.
--Gord
The Sermon title is The Renewing of Minds and Souls
Early Thoughts: What difference does faith make? How have you been changed, transformed, by God's presence and activity in you life? Or to put it another way...how would your life be different if you were not a person of faith?
Christian faith is about being transformed. Living in faith is about striving to align our daily lives with God's hope for us as persons and the world as a whole -- or possibly not "striving" but rather letting go of our own need for control so God can move in and through us. Living in faith is about listening for God's voice and discerning God's will -- then going ahead and following the path laid out. To live in faith means, as Paul points out here, to be a living sacrifice.
A sacrifice?!? What do we have to give up????? Potentially lots. But that is not what a sacrifice is.
When you look at its Latin roots you find that the word sacrifice means to make sacred (see here). To live in faith is to make your life sacred, set apart for God's purposes. So yeah it means giving up stuff, ideas, plans. But the important part is not so much the giving up, the important part is the purpose thereof.
When we allow ourselves to be transformed by faith, to be renewed in mind and spirit by God's Word alive in our midst, we move to make our lives sacred, to set ourselves apart for God's purposes.
The mark of deep faith, of a transformed being is not in how loudly we pray. It is not in how stridently we argue that the world must follow our interpretation of God's law. It is not in how openly devout and religious we are. The mark of deep faith is in how well we live out the last half of this passage. I would suggest the only way we can live in that way is if we have been renewed, transformed, changed. I also suggest that this renewal is not a one-time thing but rather an ongoing process as we grow and learn and experience life.
May God continue to work within us as individuals and as a community, renewing our minds, our souls, our selves, so that we would be a living sacrifice, set apart for God.
--Gord
Monday, July 7, 2014
Looking Forward to July 13, 2014 -- 5th Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 10A
The Scripture readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: Twin brothers, at odds since the womb. And it doesn't help that the younger twin appears to have a faulty moral compass.
Jacob (whose name means he takes by the heel or he supplants according to the footnote in the NRSV) is an interesting character to say the least. As the story progresses he will be renamed Israel (one who strives with God), he will have 12 sons (by 4 different women) and will become the father of a nation -- the people of Israel. But he gets there by trickery, deceit, and (almost) outright theft. He is, at best, a flawed hero. Or maybe he is a chance to reveal that God chooses to use the oddest people.
First he extorts the birthright, the inheritance of the firstborn, from his brother Esau. Yes maybe Esau shows signs of poor decision making in trading his birthright for a bowl of stew, but who does that to a hungry brother? Then with the support and urging of his mother (apparently Rebekah has a favourite son) he deceives his blind aging father to steal the blessing that was supposed to go to Esau. Is it any wonder that Esau threatens to kill Jacob?
Not that Jacob seems to learn from his fear. His relationship with his father-in-law is one of mutual distrust and deception. So much so that when Jacob leaves that household many years later (stealing the family idols at the time) his father-in-law's parting words are a threat/curse/warning [though it sounds like a blessing] "May God watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another".
The strange thing is, for all the talk in Judaism and Christianity about loving your neighbour, about brotherhood, about family, there is no family in Genesis that actually seems to get along. Brothers are constantly at odds with each other, wives are jealous of each other. Yes later Jacob and Esau reconcile, but before that happens, as Jacob is returning home, he is terrified about what his brother will do when they are once again together.
So what is there in here for us? Well we all have times when we have trouble getting along with our brothers and sisters (both the blood relatives and the metaphorical relatives). If we are honest there are times when we have not dealt properly with our siblings. There are times we have acted like rivals instead of family members. And sometimes we reconcile like Jacob and Esau do. Sometimes we don't and the family or the community is split.
How will we deal with our petty, and our not so petty, disagreements and rivalries? If we are all family (blood or metaphorical) ho will we grow the family stronger despite the times one of us acts like a jerk?
--Gord
- Genesis 25:19–34
- Genesis 27:1-41
Early Thoughts: Twin brothers, at odds since the womb. And it doesn't help that the younger twin appears to have a faulty moral compass.
Jacob (whose name means he takes by the heel or he supplants according to the footnote in the NRSV) is an interesting character to say the least. As the story progresses he will be renamed Israel (one who strives with God), he will have 12 sons (by 4 different women) and will become the father of a nation -- the people of Israel. But he gets there by trickery, deceit, and (almost) outright theft. He is, at best, a flawed hero. Or maybe he is a chance to reveal that God chooses to use the oddest people.
First he extorts the birthright, the inheritance of the firstborn, from his brother Esau. Yes maybe Esau shows signs of poor decision making in trading his birthright for a bowl of stew, but who does that to a hungry brother? Then with the support and urging of his mother (apparently Rebekah has a favourite son) he deceives his blind aging father to steal the blessing that was supposed to go to Esau. Is it any wonder that Esau threatens to kill Jacob?
Not that Jacob seems to learn from his fear. His relationship with his father-in-law is one of mutual distrust and deception. So much so that when Jacob leaves that household many years later (stealing the family idols at the time) his father-in-law's parting words are a threat/curse/warning [though it sounds like a blessing] "May God watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another".
The strange thing is, for all the talk in Judaism and Christianity about loving your neighbour, about brotherhood, about family, there is no family in Genesis that actually seems to get along. Brothers are constantly at odds with each other, wives are jealous of each other. Yes later Jacob and Esau reconcile, but before that happens, as Jacob is returning home, he is terrified about what his brother will do when they are once again together.
So what is there in here for us? Well we all have times when we have trouble getting along with our brothers and sisters (both the blood relatives and the metaphorical relatives). If we are honest there are times when we have not dealt properly with our siblings. There are times we have acted like rivals instead of family members. And sometimes we reconcile like Jacob and Esau do. Sometimes we don't and the family or the community is split.
How will we deal with our petty, and our not so petty, disagreements and rivalries? If we are all family (blood or metaphorical) ho will we grow the family stronger despite the times one of us acts like a jerk?
--Gord
Monday, June 30, 2014
Looking Ahead to July 6, 2014 -- 4th Sunday After Pentecost
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: Abraham as a model of faithfulness? Maybe. Abraham as a model of "traditional family values"? Probably not.
Abram and Sarai had been promised a son, a son who would the first of descendants who would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. But years passed and still no son. So they come up with a solution of their own. And Abram gets Hagar, the slave-girl belonging to Sarai, pregnant -- apparently with the idea that since Hagar belonged to Sarai, Hagar's child would also belong to Sarai. Strike ONE against "traditional" family values.
Then Sarai gets jealous (although the text tells us that Hagar gets uppity, the knife obviously cuts both ways) and drives Hagar, pregnant with Abram's child out into the wilderness -- with the blessing of the child's father. But God intervenes. This child is a child of Abram and will share in the promise--although God also promises/foretells that his relationship with the family and neighbours will be rather difficult.
So the child Ishmael is born. And in due course Sarai (now Sarah) becomes pregnant with the promised son of Abram (now Abraham) and Isaac is born. Half-brother of Ishmael, son of Hagar and Abram is now (depending on how one pieces together the timeline, which is not always clear in Genesis) 12 or 13. And in later Jewish tradition a boy has his Bar Mitzvah and becomes a man under Torah at age 13. So just as Ishmael reaches maturity Sarah once again gets jealous. And Abraham (with God's blessing and God's promise that Ishmael WILL share in the promise--where Sarah is trying to eliminate the sharing of the inheritance) agrees to drive Hagar and her son away again. I believe this would be strike 3 in the family values count (with strike 4 due in the next chapter with the story of the binding of Isaac)?
But God is still not bound by Sarah's jealousy or by Abraham's meekness. So God intervenes again to ensure the life of Hagar and Ishmael. And the child grows up and his descendants become a nation. Then we see Ishmael again at the death of his father. You sort of get this picture of the brothers reluctantly/uncomfortably being in each other's presence. But years ago they played together...
Tradition holds that the descendants of Ishmael become the Arabs. And the descendants of Isaac become the Jews.
I think we need to talk about Ishmael more. I think we need to remind ourselves that there is a different side to the story, that God is acting in many ways and along many paths. Not just the one we choose to follow. Even if we are part of a truly dysfunctional family.
--Gord
PS: just wait till next week when we look at another episode of dysfunction in Abraham's family--Jacob and Esau.
- Genesis 16:1-16
- Genesis 21:1-21
- Genesis 25:7-18
Early Thoughts: Abraham as a model of faithfulness? Maybe. Abraham as a model of "traditional family values"? Probably not.
Abram and Sarai had been promised a son, a son who would the first of descendants who would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. But years passed and still no son. So they come up with a solution of their own. And Abram gets Hagar, the slave-girl belonging to Sarai, pregnant -- apparently with the idea that since Hagar belonged to Sarai, Hagar's child would also belong to Sarai. Strike ONE against "traditional" family values.
Then Sarai gets jealous (although the text tells us that Hagar gets uppity, the knife obviously cuts both ways) and drives Hagar, pregnant with Abram's child out into the wilderness -- with the blessing of the child's father. But God intervenes. This child is a child of Abram and will share in the promise--although God also promises/foretells that his relationship with the family and neighbours will be rather difficult.
So the child Ishmael is born. And in due course Sarai (now Sarah) becomes pregnant with the promised son of Abram (now Abraham) and Isaac is born. Half-brother of Ishmael, son of Hagar and Abram is now (depending on how one pieces together the timeline, which is not always clear in Genesis) 12 or 13. And in later Jewish tradition a boy has his Bar Mitzvah and becomes a man under Torah at age 13. So just as Ishmael reaches maturity Sarah once again gets jealous. And Abraham (with God's blessing and God's promise that Ishmael WILL share in the promise--where Sarah is trying to eliminate the sharing of the inheritance) agrees to drive Hagar and her son away again. I believe this would be strike 3 in the family values count (with strike 4 due in the next chapter with the story of the binding of Isaac)?
But God is still not bound by Sarah's jealousy or by Abraham's meekness. So God intervenes again to ensure the life of Hagar and Ishmael. And the child grows up and his descendants become a nation. Then we see Ishmael again at the death of his father. You sort of get this picture of the brothers reluctantly/uncomfortably being in each other's presence. But years ago they played together...
Tradition holds that the descendants of Ishmael become the Arabs. And the descendants of Isaac become the Jews.
I think we need to talk about Ishmael more. I think we need to remind ourselves that there is a different side to the story, that God is acting in many ways and along many paths. Not just the one we choose to follow. Even if we are part of a truly dysfunctional family.
--Gord
PS: just wait till next week when we look at another episode of dysfunction in Abraham's family--Jacob and Esau.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Looking Forward to June 29, 2014 -- 3rd Sunday After Pentecost
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: "Father Abraham, had 7 sons, 7 sons had Father Abraham" So went an action song we sang when I was in Sunday School. Given his parenting style this is probably a good thing. Because he needed spares.
Scripturally we only hear about Abraham having 2 sons -- Ishmael and Isaac. And both of them come near death as the story is told. This week we will look at the story commonly called the "Binding of Isaac", next week we will talk about Ishmael's story.
There are stories that really make you ask "why was this one kept? why do we keep telling this story?". The Binding of Isaac, the story of Abraham taking his long-awaited son out to be offered as a burnt sacrifice is one of those. What is God trying to tell us through this story?
Is it about the willingness to put God first? A story about idolatry?
Is it about a test? And if it is a test does Abraham pass or fail?
Not sure I find either of those lines profitable..... especially if you want Abraham or God to come out looking likable.
At the same time I suspect that we sacrifice our children in big and small ways to far less grandiose, far less "noble" causes.
So I am trying to picture Sarah's reaction to Abraham's plan. And I am wondering where we need to ask ourselves similar questions....
--Gord
- Genesis 22:1-14
- Psalm 89:1-4, 13-18
Early Thoughts: "Father Abraham, had 7 sons, 7 sons had Father Abraham" So went an action song we sang when I was in Sunday School. Given his parenting style this is probably a good thing. Because he needed spares.
Scripturally we only hear about Abraham having 2 sons -- Ishmael and Isaac. And both of them come near death as the story is told. This week we will look at the story commonly called the "Binding of Isaac", next week we will talk about Ishmael's story.
There are stories that really make you ask "why was this one kept? why do we keep telling this story?". The Binding of Isaac, the story of Abraham taking his long-awaited son out to be offered as a burnt sacrifice is one of those. What is God trying to tell us through this story?
Is it about the willingness to put God first? A story about idolatry?
Is it about a test? And if it is a test does Abraham pass or fail?
Not sure I find either of those lines profitable..... especially if you want Abraham or God to come out looking likable.
At the same time I suspect that we sacrifice our children in big and small ways to far less grandiose, far less "noble" causes.
So I am trying to picture Sarah's reaction to Abraham's plan. And I am wondering where we need to ask ourselves similar questions....
--Gord
Monday, June 16, 2014
Looking Forward to June 22, 2014 -- 2nd Sunday After Pentecost
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: And God said it was good. The refrain echoes through the hymn. Everything that is created God calls good.
Everything? The mosquito? The viruses and bacteria that cause polio or smallpox or the Bubonic plague? Poison Ivy? Everything?
Yep. That is what the story says.
Do we agree? Do we believe it?
What would we do if we lived as if all things that were created were good? All the plants, all the animals, all the protozoa, all the people...all good. Not because of what they contribute, not because of what use we can make of them, just good because they exist.
I think that is what the creation hymn challenges us to do. It isn't about "is this how things were actually created" (the presence in the next chapter of a very different creation account explicitly denies that attempt to literalize Genesis 1 as science). It is about,"what does it mean to say that God is the Source?".
I think naming God as the Source, and naming that God calls creation good pushes us to rethink our attitudes towards life. For a long time the environmental movement pushed us to care for the environment out of a sense of enlightened self-interest. Care for it so we would continue to benefit. I think God calls us to a higher standard.
We'll talk more about that on Sunday.
--Gord
- Genesis 1:1-31
- Psalm 8
Early Thoughts: And God said it was good. The refrain echoes through the hymn. Everything that is created God calls good.
Everything? The mosquito? The viruses and bacteria that cause polio or smallpox or the Bubonic plague? Poison Ivy? Everything?
Yep. That is what the story says.
Do we agree? Do we believe it?
What would we do if we lived as if all things that were created were good? All the plants, all the animals, all the protozoa, all the people...all good. Not because of what they contribute, not because of what use we can make of them, just good because they exist.
I think that is what the creation hymn challenges us to do. It isn't about "is this how things were actually created" (the presence in the next chapter of a very different creation account explicitly denies that attempt to literalize Genesis 1 as science). It is about,"what does it mean to say that God is the Source?".
I think naming God as the Source, and naming that God calls creation good pushes us to rethink our attitudes towards life. For a long time the environmental movement pushed us to care for the environment out of a sense of enlightened self-interest. Care for it so we would continue to benefit. I think God calls us to a higher standard.
We'll talk more about that on Sunday.
--Gord
Monday, June 9, 2014
Looking Forward to June 15, 2014 -- Trinity Sunday
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: It is about how we understand God. And yes it makes no sense, logically speaking.
I remember many years ago reading a story about a gentleman who rarely went to church on Easter Sunday but always went on Trinity Sunday. Why? Because he knew that most preachers could do a passable job of the Resurrection but always wanted to see how the preacher could explain the totally unexplainable (or incomprehensible) doctrine of the Trinity.
How about some graphical help...
Does that sort it all out???
No??
It is my reading of history that one of , if not THE key areas of "discussion" in the church just after Constantine Christianized the empire was that of how the various aspects of God related to each other. Out of those (sometimes heated and violent) discussions came what we now know as the doctrine of the Trinity. The irony of course is that because of those heated discussions it is almost impossible to explain the Trinity without slipping into some statement or analogy that is heretical, as this video attempt to prove...
So what do we do with the Trinity?
I think it is really asking how do we experience God. That's why we have multiple ways of expressing the Trinity. That's why we struggle with the doctrine be cause in our hearts we know that any way we try to put our understanding of God into words falls short.
Which doesn't really help me know what I am going to say on Sunday....
--Gord
PS: Here is another video, which comes from a video we have (on VHS) at home. The video includes a tortured attempt to describe the Trinity as being like an egg (shell, white and yolk)
- 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
- Matthew 28:16-20
Early Thoughts: It is about how we understand God. And yes it makes no sense, logically speaking.
I remember many years ago reading a story about a gentleman who rarely went to church on Easter Sunday but always went on Trinity Sunday. Why? Because he knew that most preachers could do a passable job of the Resurrection but always wanted to see how the preacher could explain the totally unexplainable (or incomprehensible) doctrine of the Trinity.
How about some graphical help...
 |
| Got this one here |
 |
| Got this one here |
No??
It is my reading of history that one of , if not THE key areas of "discussion" in the church just after Constantine Christianized the empire was that of how the various aspects of God related to each other. Out of those (sometimes heated and violent) discussions came what we now know as the doctrine of the Trinity. The irony of course is that because of those heated discussions it is almost impossible to explain the Trinity without slipping into some statement or analogy that is heretical, as this video attempt to prove...
So what do we do with the Trinity?
I think it is really asking how do we experience God. That's why we have multiple ways of expressing the Trinity. That's why we struggle with the doctrine be cause in our hearts we know that any way we try to put our understanding of God into words falls short.
Which doesn't really help me know what I am going to say on Sunday....
--Gord
PS: Here is another video, which comes from a video we have (on VHS) at home. The video includes a tortured attempt to describe the Trinity as being like an egg (shell, white and yolk)
Monday, June 2, 2014
Looking Forward to June 8, 2014 -- Pentecost Sunday
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: The Spirit blows in, transforming people who were afraid, clustered in an upper room, wondering which one of them would be hauled away next, into evangelists who can not stop talking about the glorious things God has done. This is how a church is born.
This weekend we come to Anniversary Sunday in the United Church of Canada. On Tuesday June 10 we will be 89 years old. And there are some who wonder what we will look like in 11 years for the century. There are others who wonder if we will see the century...
I wonder if we are becoming like the original group of disciples. Clustered together, controlled by our fear (whether we admit to that control or not is another question), wondering where the next stroke will fall, wondering how we can keep going. Do we need the Spirit to blow into our locked rooms? Do we want it to? Are we ready for it? Because let us be honest. We can't control what the Spirit does -- we can only control our reactions to the Spirit's actions in our midst.
Pentecost Sunday is often called the "birthday" of the church. But the church is constantly being born, and reborn, and born anew. As the Spirit blows in and starts new fires something new is born, sometimes out of the ashes of what went before, sometimes in a whole new place or way, sometimes as an addition to the fire that is already there.
We in the church can talk about structures as a denomination. We can rethink or tweak congregational committees and councils. We can talks about rules and regulations. But maybe what we need is deeper than any of that. Maybe we need the Spirit to blow in and open the windows and doors. Maybe we need to be "clothed in power from on high" so that we can't help but go out and BE the church.
And BEing the church is the best way I can think of to the GROW the church.
--Gord
- Numbers 11:24-30
- 1 Corinthians12:3b-13
- Acts 2:1-21
Early Thoughts: The Spirit blows in, transforming people who were afraid, clustered in an upper room, wondering which one of them would be hauled away next, into evangelists who can not stop talking about the glorious things God has done. This is how a church is born.
This weekend we come to Anniversary Sunday in the United Church of Canada. On Tuesday June 10 we will be 89 years old. And there are some who wonder what we will look like in 11 years for the century. There are others who wonder if we will see the century...
I wonder if we are becoming like the original group of disciples. Clustered together, controlled by our fear (whether we admit to that control or not is another question), wondering where the next stroke will fall, wondering how we can keep going. Do we need the Spirit to blow into our locked rooms? Do we want it to? Are we ready for it? Because let us be honest. We can't control what the Spirit does -- we can only control our reactions to the Spirit's actions in our midst.
Pentecost Sunday is often called the "birthday" of the church. But the church is constantly being born, and reborn, and born anew. As the Spirit blows in and starts new fires something new is born, sometimes out of the ashes of what went before, sometimes in a whole new place or way, sometimes as an addition to the fire that is already there.
We in the church can talk about structures as a denomination. We can rethink or tweak congregational committees and councils. We can talks about rules and regulations. But maybe what we need is deeper than any of that. Maybe we need the Spirit to blow in and open the windows and doors. Maybe we need to be "clothed in power from on high" so that we can't help but go out and BE the church.
And BEing the church is the best way I can think of to the GROW the church.
--Gord
Monday, May 26, 2014
Looking Forward to June 1, 2015 -- Ascension Sunday, 7th of Easter
This being the first Sunday of the month, we will be celebrating Communion. Our next Communion service will be in September (September 7th).
The Scripture Passages this Sunday are:
Early Thoughts: Ascension. The last event in Luke's Gospel (and the first event in the book of Acts) tells of the Risen Christ Ascending into heaven. Since the same author wrote both Luke and Acts on has to wonder why he tells the same story twice--and why the stories are so markedly different--and yet still the same...
The part of the Ascension story that always jumps out at me is the end of the Acts account. In teh last couple of verses we read:
At the Easter moment we are dealing with folks who had watched him die. In the Ascension story we have folks who have just watched the Risen Christ ascend up out of sight. It makes sense that the people on both instances are looking where they are. And yet both times they are asked, as if they are doing something totally weird, why they are doing that.
Maybe we fall prey to the same thing? Maybe we look for Christ in the wrong places?
There are lots of hymns and images about Ascension. Many of them evoke power and glory. Much of the artwork has a pair of feet dangling from the top of the picture--the last glimpse of Jesus as it were. And yet one of the hymns we will sing this Sunday reminds us that Christ is also within us hidden, Christ is in the nitty-gritty of our lives.
WE are tempted to look up longingly to heaven. Maybe we are called to look down and side-to-side as well.
--Gord
The Scripture Passages this Sunday are:
- Acts 1:1-11
- Luke 24:44-53
Early Thoughts: Ascension. The last event in Luke's Gospel (and the first event in the book of Acts) tells of the Risen Christ Ascending into heaven. Since the same author wrote both Luke and Acts on has to wonder why he tells the same story twice--and why the stories are so markedly different--and yet still the same...
The part of the Ascension story that always jumps out at me is the end of the Acts account. In teh last couple of verses we read:
While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”I see some resonance with the Easter story here. At Easter the women at the tomb are asked "why do you look for the living among the dead?"
At the Easter moment we are dealing with folks who had watched him die. In the Ascension story we have folks who have just watched the Risen Christ ascend up out of sight. It makes sense that the people on both instances are looking where they are. And yet both times they are asked, as if they are doing something totally weird, why they are doing that.
Maybe we fall prey to the same thing? Maybe we look for Christ in the wrong places?
There are lots of hymns and images about Ascension. Many of them evoke power and glory. Much of the artwork has a pair of feet dangling from the top of the picture--the last glimpse of Jesus as it were. And yet one of the hymns we will sing this Sunday reminds us that Christ is also within us hidden, Christ is in the nitty-gritty of our lives.
WE are tempted to look up longingly to heaven. Maybe we are called to look down and side-to-side as well.
--Gord
Monday, May 19, 2014
Looking Forward to May 25, 2014 -- 6th Sunday of Easter
This Sunday is the Sunday School wrap-up, and so all are invited to gather downstairs for the annual "wiener boil" following the service.
The Scripture Readings for this Sunday are:
Early Thoughts: Truth. An important word. Something we value -- or at least claim to value. Because sometimes truth is elusive, or so subjective, so reliant on a particular way of seeing the world that it is hard to identify. And sometimes truth is painful, and so we would rather find some other "truth" to take its place.
Just before his death (this part of John is in the "Farewell Discourse") Jesus tells his friends that he will send the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, to be with them so that they will not be alone. And yet only those of the "right" mind or vision or understanding can see (feel? sense? comprehend?) this Spirit of Truth.
What giftedness is there in knowing the Spirit of Truth?
I think (it is hard to say because it is a pretty dense passage) that 1 Peter touches on what it means to live in community with the Spirit of Truth. The writer of this letter is trying to uplift a community who are struggling, who are being oppressed, who are not sure where they stand int the world at large. And the writer encourages, basically, some advice we hear from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Take the high road, turn the other cheek. The writer gives the same advice Polonius gives to Laertes (though I think we can take it a bit more seriously here than from Polonius who doesn't seem to follow his own words all that well)
Truth. Such an important part of living in community. And yet such an elusive thing at times. So vital to building strong relationships. And yet there are so often competing truths (one of the markers of the post-modern school of philosophy is the idea that there is no ONE TRUTH, anymore), which ones are valid?
Lots of question in my head as this sermon starts to grow...
--Gord
The Scripture Readings for this Sunday are:
- 1 Peter 3:8-16
- John 14:15-21
Early Thoughts: Truth. An important word. Something we value -- or at least claim to value. Because sometimes truth is elusive, or so subjective, so reliant on a particular way of seeing the world that it is hard to identify. And sometimes truth is painful, and so we would rather find some other "truth" to take its place.
Just before his death (this part of John is in the "Farewell Discourse") Jesus tells his friends that he will send the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, to be with them so that they will not be alone. And yet only those of the "right" mind or vision or understanding can see (feel? sense? comprehend?) this Spirit of Truth.
What giftedness is there in knowing the Spirit of Truth?
I think (it is hard to say because it is a pretty dense passage) that 1 Peter touches on what it means to live in community with the Spirit of Truth. The writer of this letter is trying to uplift a community who are struggling, who are being oppressed, who are not sure where they stand int the world at large. And the writer encourages, basically, some advice we hear from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Take the high road, turn the other cheek. The writer gives the same advice Polonius gives to Laertes (though I think we can take it a bit more seriously here than from Polonius who doesn't seem to follow his own words all that well)
to thine own self be true,So how do we live with the Spirit of Truth? How does the Spirit of Truth shape our actions? Are we always ready to hear the Truth, or is Jack Nicholson right when he says "You can't handle the truth!!!"
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Truth. Such an important part of living in community. And yet such an elusive thing at times. So vital to building strong relationships. And yet there are so often competing truths (one of the markers of the post-modern school of philosophy is the idea that there is no ONE TRUTH, anymore), which ones are valid?
Lots of question in my head as this sermon starts to grow...
--Gord
Monday, May 12, 2014
Loking Forward to May 18, 2014 -- 5th Sunday of Easter
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: On what is our community based? What is the foundation on which we stand or fall?
Christianity (like many other traditions) is largely about how we live together in community. One of the claims of scripture (both in the Gospels and in this reading from 1 Peter) is that Jesus, the Christ, is our cornerstone. How does that tie in to our understanding of community?
According to Dictionary.com, a cornerstone could be a ceremonial thing (we have one of those on our building). These ceremonial cornerstones are (or at least used to be, I am not sure how common a practice this is anymore) placed as part of a celebration for the new building. Sometimes a time capsule would be sealed in the stone as part of the ceremony. Is that what Jesus is for us? Something ceremonial?
I think not.
I think that when we look at Jesus as a cornerstone we look at other definitions:
Then there is the Acts passage. A vision of what it means to live in community (though now we would call it living communally). Now the Acts community didn't entirely work, there are other stories in the book which make that plain. But it is a vision. And I think it also speaks to something foundational. To be a Christian community is to live in a way that supports each other -- in a variety of ways. To be a Christian community meant striving to ensure there are no "have nots" among us. And I would say that these foundational principles grow out of the teachings of Jesus (and the Jewish tradition from which he came).
So what is our cornerstone? On what does our foundation rest?
--Gord
- Acts 2:39-47
- 1 Peter 2:2-10
Early Thoughts: On what is our community based? What is the foundation on which we stand or fall?
Christianity (like many other traditions) is largely about how we live together in community. One of the claims of scripture (both in the Gospels and in this reading from 1 Peter) is that Jesus, the Christ, is our cornerstone. How does that tie in to our understanding of community?
I think not.
I think that when we look at Jesus as a cornerstone we look at other definitions:
3. something that is essential, indispensable, or basic: The cornerstone of democratic government is a free press.This is what we mean when we say that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. Jesus is foundational, essential, indispensable. Without the Risen Christ as our living cornerstone Christianity crumbles. Without paying attention to the teachings of Jesus our understanding of how to live in a Christian community is unstable.
4. the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed: The cornerstone of his argument was that all people are created equal.
Then there is the Acts passage. A vision of what it means to live in community (though now we would call it living communally). Now the Acts community didn't entirely work, there are other stories in the book which make that plain. But it is a vision. And I think it also speaks to something foundational. To be a Christian community is to live in a way that supports each other -- in a variety of ways. To be a Christian community meant striving to ensure there are no "have nots" among us. And I would say that these foundational principles grow out of the teachings of Jesus (and the Jewish tradition from which he came).
So what is our cornerstone? On what does our foundation rest?
--Gord
Monday, May 5, 2014
Looking Forward to May 11, 2014 -- 4th of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday
This Sunday we will celebrate the sacrament of Communion
The Scripture Readings this Sunday are:
Early Thoughts: Do we need a shepherd? Why? Why do we sometimes chafe at that possibility?
What does a shepherd do? A shepherd guides. A shepherd leads. A shepherd protects. A shepeherd keeps the flock together. Do we need a shepherd?
Maybe the more important question is why we sometimes chafe at the suggestion that we could use a shepherd. I suggest that we don't like to be sheep (because sheep are not noted as being highly intelligent, self-sustaining animals in common discourse). I suggest we don't like to be "herded" (how many activities in life are often called "herding cats" because the participants who are too stubbornly independent?). I suggest we want to think we are in charge, that we are the herders rather than the flock, and after all, it is often frowned upon to "go with the herd".
But sometimes we need to find a balance between time as the herder and time as the herd. We need to accept guidance and leadership. We need to be reminded that someone sees the bigger picture. So yes, sometimes we need a shepherd.
This week I intend to walk through one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. We have heard Psalm 23 many times. But what does it really say? What wisdom might it have for us today?
--Gord
The Scripture Readings this Sunday are:
- Psalm 23
- John 10:1-10
Early Thoughts: Do we need a shepherd? Why? Why do we sometimes chafe at that possibility?
What does a shepherd do? A shepherd guides. A shepherd leads. A shepherd protects. A shepeherd keeps the flock together. Do we need a shepherd?
Maybe the more important question is why we sometimes chafe at the suggestion that we could use a shepherd. I suggest that we don't like to be sheep (because sheep are not noted as being highly intelligent, self-sustaining animals in common discourse). I suggest we don't like to be "herded" (how many activities in life are often called "herding cats" because the participants who are too stubbornly independent?). I suggest we want to think we are in charge, that we are the herders rather than the flock, and after all, it is often frowned upon to "go with the herd".
But sometimes we need to find a balance between time as the herder and time as the herd. We need to accept guidance and leadership. We need to be reminded that someone sees the bigger picture. So yes, sometimes we need a shepherd.
This week I intend to walk through one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. We have heard Psalm 23 many times. But what does it really say? What wisdom might it have for us today?
--Gord
Monday, April 14, 2014
Looking Forward to April 20, 2014 -- Easter Sunday
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: After the darkness comes the light. After the despair comes the hope. After the cross comes the empty tomb.
What is it like when the world is changed? What happens?
In Matthew's account of Easter morning it comes with an earthquake and a bright light, an angel and a lot of fear.
Makes sense to me.
Resurrection (as a faith event, I have not watched the new TV show by that name) is something that shatters our expectations. It is something that changes how we see and experience the world. It can feel like a burst of light that chases away shadows. It can also be terrifying. Which is probably why we have three references to fear in Matthew's story.
Where is New Life surprising you this year? Where do you expect to find death and rot, only to find an earthquake, a flash like lightning, a messenger from God and news of resurrection?
--Gord
- Psalm 118 (VU p.837 Parts 1-3)
- Matthew 28:1-10
Early Thoughts: After the darkness comes the light. After the despair comes the hope. After the cross comes the empty tomb.
What is it like when the world is changed? What happens?
In Matthew's account of Easter morning it comes with an earthquake and a bright light, an angel and a lot of fear.
Makes sense to me.
Resurrection (as a faith event, I have not watched the new TV show by that name) is something that shatters our expectations. It is something that changes how we see and experience the world. It can feel like a burst of light that chases away shadows. It can also be terrifying. Which is probably why we have three references to fear in Matthew's story.
Where is New Life surprising you this year? Where do you expect to find death and rot, only to find an earthquake, a flash like lightning, a messenger from God and news of resurrection?
--Gord
Monday, April 7, 2014
Looking Forward to April 13, 2014 -- Palm Sunday, Lord's Prayer Series Concludes.
The Scripture reading this week is Matthew 21:1-11
We will also use (as a way of reflecting on our faith story) a video clip from Jesus Christ Superstar 2000).
The sermon title is Lord, Teach Us to Pray: The Kingdom, The Power, The Glory
Early Thoughts: It is Palm Sunday. The day we celebrate the triumphal entry. We join the crowds proclaiming the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.....
Or maybe not so much.
What kind of king do we celebrate with our Palm parade? Given what follows, where is the power and the glory?
In our video clip Jesus suggests we misunderstand what power and glory is. I note that none of the Gospel accounts of the entry tell us what Jesus thinks of the display. in their book The Last Week John Crossan and Marcus Borg suggest that the triumphal entry is a deliberately staged piece of political street theater. If so it is likely along the lines of satire...
If the Kingdom and the power and the glory are wholly different than we expect, maybe we need to think about what we are praying for. And maybe (just maybe) that will help us reconsider how to be the church in a post-Christendom era????
--Gord
We will also use (as a way of reflecting on our faith story) a video clip from Jesus Christ Superstar 2000).
The sermon title is Lord, Teach Us to Pray: The Kingdom, The Power, The Glory
Early Thoughts: It is Palm Sunday. The day we celebrate the triumphal entry. We join the crowds proclaiming the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.....
Or maybe not so much.
What kind of king do we celebrate with our Palm parade? Given what follows, where is the power and the glory?
In our video clip Jesus suggests we misunderstand what power and glory is. I note that none of the Gospel accounts of the entry tell us what Jesus thinks of the display. in their book The Last Week John Crossan and Marcus Borg suggest that the triumphal entry is a deliberately staged piece of political street theater. If so it is likely along the lines of satire...
If the Kingdom and the power and the glory are wholly different than we expect, maybe we need to think about what we are praying for. And maybe (just maybe) that will help us reconsider how to be the church in a post-Christendom era????
--Gord
Monday, March 31, 2014
Looking Forward to April 6, 2014 -- Lent 5, 4th in the Lord's Prayer Series
The Scripture Readings this week are
Early Thoughts: "Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
In the end I wonder how realistic this line is. Life is a constant stream of temptation, life has times when we are confronted by "evil" in some form/to some degree or another.
So what do we mean when we pray these words????
It would be nice to think that we can be lead away from temptation--but Scripture defies that understanding. Even Jesus is tempted.
Some versions of the Lord's Prayer have "save us from the time of trial" here. Does that mean we pray that God would ensure we never have times of trial? Again that would be nice but seems more than a little simplistic.
But I remember what I think are the most important words in the United Church Creed (aka the New Creed). We are not alone.
Really that is what I hear Paul reminding us at the end of this passage from Romans.
And really I think that is what we are praying for in this section of the prayer.
We are not alone. So when temptations lies before us we are not alone as we sort out how to respond (because a temptation only works if it looks like a good choice, and there is a proverbial road paved with good intentions). So we ask God to provide leadership/wisdom/guidance as we sort out our choices. Lead us not into temptation. [Admittedly that might be a bit of a stretch in what the words actually say]
We are not alone. So when we are in the time of trial, when life is difficult, when evil things happen we don't deal with it alone or by our own strength. Deliver us from evil (or deliver us in evil/times of trial as has been suggested to me more than once.
At least I think that is where I am headed this week....
--Gord
- Luke 4:1-12
- Romans 8:26-39
Early Thoughts: "Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
In the end I wonder how realistic this line is. Life is a constant stream of temptation, life has times when we are confronted by "evil" in some form/to some degree or another.
So what do we mean when we pray these words????
It would be nice to think that we can be lead away from temptation--but Scripture defies that understanding. Even Jesus is tempted.
Some versions of the Lord's Prayer have "save us from the time of trial" here. Does that mean we pray that God would ensure we never have times of trial? Again that would be nice but seems more than a little simplistic.
But I remember what I think are the most important words in the United Church Creed (aka the New Creed). We are not alone.
Really that is what I hear Paul reminding us at the end of this passage from Romans.
And really I think that is what we are praying for in this section of the prayer.
We are not alone. So when temptations lies before us we are not alone as we sort out how to respond (because a temptation only works if it looks like a good choice, and there is a proverbial road paved with good intentions). So we ask God to provide leadership/wisdom/guidance as we sort out our choices. Lead us not into temptation. [Admittedly that might be a bit of a stretch in what the words actually say]
We are not alone. So when we are in the time of trial, when life is difficult, when evil things happen we don't deal with it alone or by our own strength. Deliver us from evil (or deliver us in evil/times of trial as has been suggested to me more than once.
At least I think that is where I am headed this week....
--Gord
Monday, March 24, 2014
Looking Forward to March 30, 2014 -- Lent 4, Lord's Prayer Series #3 -- Forgiveness
The Scripture Reading this week is Matthew 18:21-35
We will also hear a reading from page 141 of the book Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf.
The Sermon title is Lord, Teach Us to Pray: Forgive as We Forgive
Early Thoughts: "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" I have heard multiple people suggest that this is the line from the Lord's Prayer that causes them the most struggle.
Forgiveness is central to our life as Christians. Both accepting and offering forgiveness is essential to life in community. And yet forgiveness (both accepting and offering it) is often a real challenge for many of us. Dare I say for all of us?
One of the threads that is running through my mind as I begin to prepare for this Sunday is what I wrote in this column that appeared in the Daily Herald Tribune last Friday. The big question about this phrase is, as it was last week about "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done", do we really mean that? Do we really only want to be forgiven as well as we forgive? Do we really think we forgive that well?
The other thread in my thoughts this week is about a very practical exercise in forgiveness and truth-telling. At the end of this week (March 27-30) many people will gather in Edmonton for the 7th and final National Event for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In the end the TRC process is closely tied to our understanding of forgiveness. Is it possible without the truth being told, acknowledged, and known? Is it possible at all given some of the stories that have been told at past events, and will be told this weekend?
Our time for all ages this Sunday will talk about the Residential Schools (hopefully I can find the story book I want to use but have not used in many years). And then we will see how I can weave the TRC into the sermon.
Come and find out how good a job I do!!!
--Gord
We will also hear a reading from page 141 of the book Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf.
The Sermon title is Lord, Teach Us to Pray: Forgive as We Forgive
Early Thoughts: "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" I have heard multiple people suggest that this is the line from the Lord's Prayer that causes them the most struggle.
Forgiveness is central to our life as Christians. Both accepting and offering forgiveness is essential to life in community. And yet forgiveness (both accepting and offering it) is often a real challenge for many of us. Dare I say for all of us?
One of the threads that is running through my mind as I begin to prepare for this Sunday is what I wrote in this column that appeared in the Daily Herald Tribune last Friday. The big question about this phrase is, as it was last week about "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done", do we really mean that? Do we really only want to be forgiven as well as we forgive? Do we really think we forgive that well?
The other thread in my thoughts this week is about a very practical exercise in forgiveness and truth-telling. At the end of this week (March 27-30) many people will gather in Edmonton for the 7th and final National Event for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In the end the TRC process is closely tied to our understanding of forgiveness. Is it possible without the truth being told, acknowledged, and known? Is it possible at all given some of the stories that have been told at past events, and will be told this weekend?
Our time for all ages this Sunday will talk about the Residential Schools (hopefully I can find the story book I want to use but have not used in many years). And then we will see how I can weave the TRC into the sermon.
Come and find out how good a job I do!!!
--Gord
Monday, March 17, 2014
Looking Forward to March 23, 2014 -- Lent 3, Lord's Prayer Series continues
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. We say those words every week. What would happen if they were true?
The Kingdom of God is central to the ministry and message of Jesus . In Mark's Gospel the first words Jesus utters are "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news". Elsewhere Jesus responds to critiques of his work by saying that if it is by the power of God he can do these things then the kingdom is being revealed in their midst.
But what does that mean? One possibility is in the idea of daily bread.
Every culture has its base staple food. Bread is one of those. So the prayer is asking that each day we get what we need to survive. Right after we pray that God's kingdom will come, that God's will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (leaving aside for today the debate of where/what "heaven" is) we pray that we will get what we need to survive. Does that say something about the kingdom?
Certainly many scholars (often those who have a bit of a socialist bent) would say so. If the kingdom of God is here among us, if God desires that God's children have life in abundance, then yes, everybody getting what they need to survive is a sign of the kingdom. Jesus and the prophets challenged people to look at the world with different eyes and different priorities. They called their listeners (and continue to call us) to look with kingdom eyes, to look for how God would have us living together.
And so I would argue that each week when we say the Lord's Prayer we make a rather revolutionary request. Because if we are honest we know that the kingdom of God has not come in all its fullness. If we are honest we admit that in order for the kingdom to reach full bloom the world, our culture, our way of life, will need to be transformed. And yet we ask for that every week.
Do we really mean it?
--Gord
- Isaiah 11:1-10
- Jeremiah 22:1-3
- Mark 6:34-44
Early Thoughts: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. We say those words every week. What would happen if they were true?
The Kingdom of God is central to the ministry and message of Jesus . In Mark's Gospel the first words Jesus utters are "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news". Elsewhere Jesus responds to critiques of his work by saying that if it is by the power of God he can do these things then the kingdom is being revealed in their midst.
But what does that mean? One possibility is in the idea of daily bread.
Every culture has its base staple food. Bread is one of those. So the prayer is asking that each day we get what we need to survive. Right after we pray that God's kingdom will come, that God's will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (leaving aside for today the debate of where/what "heaven" is) we pray that we will get what we need to survive. Does that say something about the kingdom?
Certainly many scholars (often those who have a bit of a socialist bent) would say so. If the kingdom of God is here among us, if God desires that God's children have life in abundance, then yes, everybody getting what they need to survive is a sign of the kingdom. Jesus and the prophets challenged people to look at the world with different eyes and different priorities. They called their listeners (and continue to call us) to look with kingdom eyes, to look for how God would have us living together.
And so I would argue that each week when we say the Lord's Prayer we make a rather revolutionary request. Because if we are honest we know that the kingdom of God has not come in all its fullness. If we are honest we admit that in order for the kingdom to reach full bloom the world, our culture, our way of life, will need to be transformed. And yet we ask for that every week.
Do we really mean it?
--Gord
Monday, March 10, 2014
Looking Forward to March 16, 2014 -- Lent 2, Beginning of the Series on the Lord's Prayer
The Scripture Readings this week are:
Early Thoughts: We begin our series at the beginning of the prayer. With the first couple of lines "Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name"
And there are lots of possible tacks to take here. But I am drawn to the opening and the ending. Hallowed be Thy Name, Our Father. Who is the God we are addressing in this well known prayer? How do we image God?
We have learned that language matters. We have learned that the metaphors (and EVERY image of God is a metaphor) we choose to use to describe the Holy One shape our attitudes. If God is white, or male, what message is attached to that? How do our images of God impact our images of life? How do we respond to that awareness?
OK, so obviously that is more than one sermon. But maybe we can take a stab at starting the discussion.
And what is God's name? Art? Harold?...
--Gord
- Matthew 6:7-15
- Luke 11:1-4
Early Thoughts: We begin our series at the beginning of the prayer. With the first couple of lines "Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name"
And there are lots of possible tacks to take here. But I am drawn to the opening and the ending. Hallowed be Thy Name, Our Father. Who is the God we are addressing in this well known prayer? How do we image God?
We have learned that language matters. We have learned that the metaphors (and EVERY image of God is a metaphor) we choose to use to describe the Holy One shape our attitudes. If God is white, or male, what message is attached to that? How do our images of God impact our images of life? How do we respond to that awareness?
OK, so obviously that is more than one sermon. But maybe we can take a stab at starting the discussion.
And what is God's name? Art? Harold?...
--Gord
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Looking Forward to February 23, 2014 -- 7th Sunday After Epiphany
This Sunday we are pleased to welcome our visitors from Northern Lights Presbytery who are meeting here at St. Paul's February 21-23.
The Scripture Reading for this week is Matthew 13:31-34, 44-46
The Sermon title is Contaminate the World
Early Thoughts: Something small, tiny even, that totally changes the whole. That, according to Jesus (who is a pretty good source come to think of it), is what the Kingdom of God is like.
Two books I read in late 2013 pointed out that leaven is a contaminant. As Jewish tradition developed, one of the things the woman of the household would do in preparation for the feast of Unleavened Bread is get ALL of the leaven out of the house. And when you really think about it, many leavening agents are very similar to rot and mold. What is yeast but a fungus with dreams of grandeur? What is sourdough but partly rotting dough?
And yet Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is this contaminant mixed in with a large amount of dough to transform it. Because even if they are fungus or rot yeast and sourdough change what they are mixed into. They add air and life and bounce. A logical inference is that WE are called to be the leaven God is mixing into the dough of life. WE are meant to contaminate the world.
Or another image from the passage. A small seed that grows into a large tree...
Yes Jesus' botanical knowledge is off here. Mustard is a bush or shrub--not a tree. And it does not appear to be the smallest of all seeds. But the point remains.
The Kingdom of God, when allowed to flourish, starts small and transforms into something that gives shelter to many.
We spend a lot of time talking about the future of the church. But maybe we miss a key point. The church is not about the future, the church is about the Kingdom of God. And so being the church is about being a contaminant that transforms what it touches. We are called to contaminate and change the world around us.
Are we ready to take up that calling?
--Gord
The Scripture Reading for this week is Matthew 13:31-34, 44-46
The Sermon title is Contaminate the World
Early Thoughts: Something small, tiny even, that totally changes the whole. That, according to Jesus (who is a pretty good source come to think of it), is what the Kingdom of God is like.
Two books I read in late 2013 pointed out that leaven is a contaminant. As Jewish tradition developed, one of the things the woman of the household would do in preparation for the feast of Unleavened Bread is get ALL of the leaven out of the house. And when you really think about it, many leavening agents are very similar to rot and mold. What is yeast but a fungus with dreams of grandeur? What is sourdough but partly rotting dough?
And yet Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is this contaminant mixed in with a large amount of dough to transform it. Because even if they are fungus or rot yeast and sourdough change what they are mixed into. They add air and life and bounce. A logical inference is that WE are called to be the leaven God is mixing into the dough of life. WE are meant to contaminate the world.
Or another image from the passage. A small seed that grows into a large tree...
Yes Jesus' botanical knowledge is off here. Mustard is a bush or shrub--not a tree. And it does not appear to be the smallest of all seeds. But the point remains.
The Kingdom of God, when allowed to flourish, starts small and transforms into something that gives shelter to many.
We spend a lot of time talking about the future of the church. But maybe we miss a key point. The church is not about the future, the church is about the Kingdom of God. And so being the church is about being a contaminant that transforms what it touches. We are called to contaminate and change the world around us.
Are we ready to take up that calling?
--Gord
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