tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23502110730179729982024-02-19T15:32:54.330+11:00A funny thing happened on the way ...Reflections (at different times) on ecumenical or interfaith issues, theology, spirituality, ministry, the arts, politics, popular culture, or life in general ... occasionally, just some funny stuff.Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-30393499258746786512020-05-12T14:17:00.000+10:002020-05-12T14:17:53.028+10:00Some thoughts about what worship may look like following the COVID-19 pandemic<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As I
write these reflections in early May of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic is still
raging in many places in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
in Australia, the “curve” of new infections is beginning to flatten, while most
restrictions on physical contact and public gatherings have (intelligently) not
been significantly eased yet in most states, although a process for the gradual
easing of restrictions has been announced.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">One
area of life affected by these restrictions is the worship life of churches and
other faith communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubt if many
of us would have predicted at the beginning of this year that almost all
worship services in Australia would have moved online for a significant part of
this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event, it’s good to
see the extent to which the move of worship online was well accepted by worshippers,
compared to the reactions among some (admittedly extreme) groups in the United
States.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In
this regard, I’d like to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on worship and,
in particular, to suggest some ways in which the experiences of the pandemic
may affect our worship in the time after restrictions start to be eased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My reflection is based on my own experience
as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia, now retired, who
has served both as a minister to congregations and as an ecumenical staffer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Speaking
personally, I feel I may have had a bit more preparation for the experience of
worshipping online than many other UCA members have had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a number of years, I’ve been a member of
a Rotary club which has its regular meetings, not over a meal at a local restaurant,
pub, or golf club, but online using the “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zoom</i></b>” platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(In Rotary, such clubs are known as “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">e-clubs</i>”.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result of my Rotary e-club experience, I
feel I’ve been prepared for the experience of attending online worship and have
found it much less jarring than I may have found otherwise.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In
the time since worship moved online in late March, my online worship
participation has involved three congregations of three denominations:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">the outer-suburban UCA congregation of which we’re members,</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">an inner-suburban Anglican parish (with an Anglo-Catholic spirituality), where I’ve been a semi-regular worshipper for some years (and where I regard this involvement as an important dimension of my “self-care” in ministry), and </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">a Roman Catholic cathedral parish in a regional city interstate where we worshipped while on holidays a few years ago.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">As a
result, my experience of online worship during the time of the pandemic has not
been limited to worship in a single congregation or, indeed, in a single
denomination.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Looking
more broadly, and in the multifaith context of </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">contemporary Australia, I’d like
to suggest that the varied religious traditions of humanity can be grouped together
into two large clusters:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">On the one hand, for many of the faiths that arose in Eastern and Southern Asia, the heart of their spirituality is seen in the devotional practice of individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Hindu or a Buddhist may go to their temple to pray or to meditate, but it will most often be a private visit or a visit by a family group rather than attendance a larger gathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Group worship or group meditation does take place within these traditions, but (other than at major festivals) individual practice is far more crucial.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">O<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">n the other hand, for a large cluster of faiths which includes Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (among others), the heart of spiritual practice is found in gathering together with other people of shared faith to join in shared worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship as part of a congregation is the “bread-and-butter” of spirituality, while private devotions are the “icing on the cake”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If occasionally missing a worship service sometimes feels to some members to be more like wagging school than missing a meal, that feeling may often be a sign of being part of a dysfunctional congregation.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I
believe that one result of the COVID-19 coronavirus on faith communities, both
here in Australia and elsewhere, will be to reemphasise the value for people of
faith of gathering together with others for worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, it may even be the end of glib
comments on the part of some people in the community about “I worship God best
when bushwalking or playing golf.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">But the
question then could be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“What differences
may we find when we begin to gather together again?”</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And here I’d like to focus on the effect of
our re-gathering upon worship in the Uniting Church, although my comments may
be relevant to other denominations as well.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d like to make four suggestions about how the aftermath of the
coronavirus may positively affect the shape of our worship.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">1.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">first suggestion</b> is that
our congregations may find ourselves having <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">more frequent celebrations of Holy Communion</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In
churches such as the UCA, worshippers attend public worship for a variety of
reasons:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Some attend worship with the primary reason of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">learning some new insights about our faith</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For them, worship is primarily a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teaching-learning </i></b>experience.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Others attend worship with the primary reason of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">experiencing fellowship with our fellow-worshippers</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For them, worship is primarily a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">community-building</i></b> experience.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Yet others (including myself) attend worship with the primary reason of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">becoming more aware of the closer presence
of God</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worship for us is primarily
an experience of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">communion with the Sacred</i></b>.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For
most of us, all three motivations are present, but one or two may
predominate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are all distinctions
of emphasis, not of exclusivity.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nevertheless,
those of us for whom the motivation of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">communion with the Sacred</i></b> is an
important dimension of our worship have been finding the current situation
particularly difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response to
this, it may be a wise pastoral strategy for congregations to celebrate Holy
Communion during the weeks, months, and even years following the resumption of
public worship far more frequently than we’ve been in the habit of doing.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">2.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">second suggestion</b> is that some
congregations may find themselves offering <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">more
services of worship at different times, but with fewer people at each</b>.
particularly given: </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">a gradual easing of the numbers permitted for public gatherings (as seen in the timetables offered by federal and state governments), and </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">a continued need for physical distancing even while restrictions for public
gatherings are eased, </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For
some congregations – either for very small congregations, or for congregations of
any size gathering for worship in spacious worship centres – this will not be
an issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">For
other congregations (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">i.e.,</i> any large
congregation, or any congregation whose pre-coronavirus attendance at worship
more closely matches the capacity of their worship centre), the easing of
restrictions will necessarily mean fewer people attending any one service of
worship, but with more services being held.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With
this situation, I believe three things can follow:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The first is that these services of worship can, perhaps, be more specifically focused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than a congregation having a single service of worship in a “blended” (or, as I sometimes call it, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">blanded</i>”) style, the various services could reflect different styles and emphases.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">he second is that the long-dormant Sunday evening worship service may be revived in some congregations, but with one major difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than being offered as a “second helping” of worship for those who are already strongly-committed to the congregation’s life (as was the case for most of these services before they were dropped by most congregations), this service can be an alternative to Sunday morning worship for those within the congregation’s networks for whom Sunday morning is not the best time to gather for worship.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The third is that ministers serving congregations with multiple worship services may find themselves spending far more time and energy being the worship leaders they were called, educated, trained, and ordained/commissioned to be, rather than merely being the congregation’s “CEO” or the denomination’s local “branch
manager”.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I
see all these as highly desirable side-effects of our current situation.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">3.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">third suggestion</b> is that, with the ongoing
need for continued physical distancing, members of our congregations will get
into the habit of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">showing more respect
for each other’s personal space</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In
many congregations, some individuals have been in the habit of greeting their
fellow-worshippers during the Sharing of the Peace with an enthusiastic embrace
that frequently appears to be uncomfortably similar to a sexual grope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When calls for restraint in these embraces
are made (either on behalf of the congregation or by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gropees</i> themselves) in the name of making the worship service a
safe space, these requests (and, sometimes, demands) are frequently met with a disingenuously
stunned and offended reaction by the offenders.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As
well, other worshippers have been in the habit of greeting their
fellow-worshippers during the Peace (as well as before and after the service)
with an aggressive “Bonecrusher” handshake that can be highly painful to people
living with arthritis or with other orthopaedic conditions.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The
ongoing need to maintain physical distancing as services of worship begin to
recommence may put an end to the “Grope of Peace” and the “Liturgical
Bonecrusher” in favour of (for example) an Asian–style “Namaste” greeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be a possible reform in our
worship that many of us would welcome with enthusiasm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A more humourous alternative could be to bow
or curtsey during the Peace like characters in a Jane Austen novel.)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">4.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">fourth suggestion</b> is that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">some congregations may continue to offer online
worship</b>, alongside face-to-face worship, even after the restrictions are
fully lifted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t believe that every
congregation currently worshipping online during this pandemic needs to do
this, but it may be pastorally helpful to UCA members around Australia if some
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The
congregations I believe should particularly consider continuing to offer
worship online are those congregations reflecting a focused ethos or a
specialised emphasis that may frequently not be found among the UCA
congregations in many communities.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In
particular, I believe that UCA congregations with a consciously “liturgical”
ethos, an ethos frequently not found among UCA congregations in many
communities, should continue to offer some online opportunities for worship as
a ministry to UCA members living outside their immediate geographical area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particularly applies to congregations
with a “liturgical” ethos which are also socially and pastorally inclusive.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Thinking
ecumenically, I believe that similar opportunities regarding online worship are
also particularly present for:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Anglican parishes with a consciously Anglo-Catholic ethos, particularly those which serve as spiritual “oases” within the aridity of conservative evangelical dioceses,</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Roman Catholic parishes which seek to offer a combination of quality liturgy and a commitment to the ethos of the Second Vatican Council (as opposed to those ultra-conservative parishes which combine good liturgy with bad theology) , and</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">congregations of evangelical denominations which also affirm a strong commitment to social justice and pastoral inclusion, in contrast to the ultra-conservative social ethos found among many evangelicals.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In conclusion</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">, my observation
is that, both in the Uniting Church and in other denominations, congregations in
this part of the world have responded well and creatively to the challenges
posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
I believe we need to explore the challenges posed to the churches as the wider community
eases its way out of the pandemic.</span></span></span><div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-75021525032379832382019-06-19T14:23:00.000+10:002019-06-19T14:23:30.632+10:00“A Dalek-shaped god or a Jesus-shaped God?: The choice is yours.” (a sermon)
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
scripture lesson on which the sermon is based comes from Paul’s letter to the
Galatians, and is a combination of parts of two weeks’ readings from the
lectionary.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0abyaEDU4t37xyJH0Zj0fUaB-Y9_7OpOgaOpEWUnvP4f26BlWLA9L4eTVyc7ruXzuWtI5WD7rl7Vwttq91MC25q8Lihqpqtoe0KLfaxBMKqdan2lpLJJtdLjdTcWAPqtsL03h46enzU/s1600/thDYG23S5B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0abyaEDU4t37xyJH0Zj0fUaB-Y9_7OpOgaOpEWUnvP4f26BlWLA9L4eTVyc7ruXzuWtI5WD7rl7Vwttq91MC25q8Lihqpqtoe0KLfaxBMKqdan2lpLJJtdLjdTcWAPqtsL03h46enzU/s1600/thDYG23S5B.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">I’m not a science
fiction enthusiast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Murder mysteries are
my guilty pleasure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">While I’m not a
science fiction enthusiast, I enjoy watching the occasional episode of “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Who</i>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who’s ever watched any episodes of “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Who</i>” would know of the Daleks,
who are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Who’s</i> enemies <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">par excellence</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Daleks are creatures which are
part-living beings and part-machines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They look like vacuum cleaners on steroids, and have a large gun-like
contraption where their noses should be.</span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Daleks are not
merely out for world domination, but for universal domination, and are willing
and able to destroy anything that stands in their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever the Daleks are on the march, their
war cry is always the same:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Exterminate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exterminate!”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEFDvcypU8gDR4d9HhYrTtSXexKsP4c78N7T9DMvlMRhysjI0q3-yfiE3Isuum-9OAhdE-8y9yTHhyTXKNvX86aPnkbA8E011fqdqBEWGQILswftQyYx0ZupLP7dLnr5TrPUT1zpLPQM/s1600/Image+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEFDvcypU8gDR4d9HhYrTtSXexKsP4c78N7T9DMvlMRhysjI0q3-yfiE3Isuum-9OAhdE-8y9yTHhyTXKNvX86aPnkbA8E011fqdqBEWGQILswftQyYx0ZupLP7dLnr5TrPUT1zpLPQM/s320/Image+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Sadly, many of our
neighbours think that the God we worship as Christians is a Dalek-shaped god, a
petty little small-g god whose attitude toward most of humanity is one of
condemnation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They believe that we
worship a god with an attitude of “Exterminate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Exterminate!” toward anyone who doesn’t measure up to an impossible
standard of perfection in their behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s one of the main reasons why you wouldn’t find some of our
neighbours in Church in a pink fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who
in their right mind would want to worship that sort of god?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Sadly, there are
even some Christians who worship a Dalek-shaped god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That sort of Christian makes a lot of noise
and gets a lot of attention in the media, particularly when they’re
politicians, rugby players, or other celebrities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re the reason why many of our neighbours
think you and I worship a Dalek-shaped god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The worshippers of a Dalek-shaped god get a lot of attention in the
media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, many people in the
community think that’s the only sort of god on offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">However, there is
a real alternative to a Dalek-shaped god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The alternative to a Dalek-shaped god is a Jesus-shaped God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alternative to a god who acts like a
Dalek is a God who acts like Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
alternative to a small-g god of “Exterminate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Exterminate!” is a big-G God who is radically inclusive, radically
compassionate, and radically loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">This is the God of
whom Paul writes in the letter to the Galatians, … the God in whom our human
demographic differences become matters of enrichment and diversity rather than issues
of destructive divisiveness, … the God who calls forth a collection of generous
and inclusive virtues among his worshippers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">The alternative to
a Dalek-shaped god is the God whom you and I already worship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">We need to let our
neighbours in on this secret.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
alternative to a Dalek-shaped god is the God whom you and I already worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that won’t be easy, for three reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first reason is that many people who
worship a Dalek-shaped god are keen to bang on about their beliefs, while those
of us who worship a Jesus-shaped God are much more reserved about sharing our
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t like to bang on about
religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been taught that banging
on about religion<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is as much a sign of
poor taste as banging on about politics or sex, or (even worse) banging on
about money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">It’s a bit like the
way the purveyors of junk food and fast food advertise theirs wares constantly,
while the producers of healthy food rarely advertise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll see a lot of ads for McDonald’s on TV,
but very few ads for broccoli.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly,
the purveyors of junk religion bang on about their faith, while those of us who
embrace a healthy religion often keep it to ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second reason is that the notion that all
people in churches worship a god of “Exterminate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exterminate!” is far too ingrained in our
culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There’s the prevailing cultural
stereotype about churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It used to be
that the churches were full of wowsers and hypocrites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, we’re full of wowsers, hypocrites, and
paedophiles,) These stereotypes make it far easier for our neighbours to jump
to the comfortable conclusion that’s there’s nothing in the churches that are
relevant to their lives in any positive way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s good to undermine this notion, but it won’t be easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The third reason is, if we seek to let people
in on the secret that we don’t worship a god of “Exterminate! Exterminate!”, we
run the risk of being openly critical of those who do worship such a
godlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re all far too “nice” to be
fully comfortable in conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve
often seen our faith calling us to follow the “gentle Jesus meek and mild”, the
one who wants us (dare I say it?) to be his “sunbeams”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Many of us have
been critical of the overly argumentative Paul, even when he does come up with
some important affirmations about inclusivity, compasssion, and love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And it’s interesting to note that in the
same letter we’ve read parts of today, Galatians, with its strong affirmation
of inclusivity, is also a letter in which, at times, we find Paul at his grumpiest.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">If we let our
neighbours in on the secret that a Jesus-shaped God is a better God to worship
than a Dalek-shaped one, we’ll come across as argumentative to those who are
committed to worshipping a Dalek-shaped god.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ll cop some flak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the flak
will be worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">In the 1980s, Adrian
Plass wrote a series of screamingly funny books about a British congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the members of the church was a man
named Leonard Thynne, a sporadically recovering alcoholic who grew up as part
of a rigid Brethren-like sect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
Sunday, the congregation had a visiting preacher, a monk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leonard’s reaction to the monk’s sermon was
this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He worships a different God to
the one I grew up learning about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
God’s nice!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">May we enable our
neighbours to say the same thing about the God we worship.</span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-91856146074396582512019-05-17T10:47:00.000+10:002019-05-17T10:47:23.376+10:00“‘New!’: When is it good? When is it bad? When is it ugly?”: a sermon (Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35)
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">I mentioned this earlier in the service, but I’ll say it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of my preparation for worship this week
was completed before the polling places opened yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing in this sermon or anywhere else in
the service should be regarded as a comment on the result of yesterday’s
election.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">My sermon has the title </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“‘New!’:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When is it good?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When is it bad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When is it ugly?”</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let us pray.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be
acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">The word “new” features in both scriptures passages we’ve heard a few
minutes ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">In our lesson from the Book of Revelation, we hear of a vision of a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new </i></b>heaven
and a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b> earth, with a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b> Jerusalem descending from
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hear of the voice of God
declaring, “See, I am making all things <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b>.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">In our lesson from the Gospel of John, the setting is the Last
Supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus gives his disciples a “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b>
commandment”, to love one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oddly, Christians will argue about the meaning of this new
commandment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with some saying it’s a
command to love our fellow-Christians, others saying it’s a command to love all
people, yet others saying it’s a command to love all creation, and a few
particularly sad sorts saying you’re off the hook as long as you love those who
are the same sort of Christian as yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Personally, I think the wider the definition of “one another”, the
better, so that we don’t cause Jesus to ask us the question “What part of ‘Love
one another’ don’t you understand?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">But meanwhile, here’s a fun fact about this passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The word for commandment in Latin is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mandatum</i>, from which we get our English
word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mandate</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that this word is used in the Latin
version one of the gospel accounts of the Last Supper is why the day before
Good Friday has been called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maundy
Thursday </i>(in the English-speaking world at least) since the Middle Ages.. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">That Latin word is also relevant to the fact
that there was an election yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After elections, politicians (at least the ones who won) talk a great
deal about their “mandate” from the voters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In our passage from John, Jesus gave us all a new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mandate</i>, to love one another, with the widest definition of “one
another” which is possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">But looking at this word “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b>”
or, in Greek, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kainos</i>, we see that the
word is used in these passages to speak of something very good:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>… a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i> </b>heaven, a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>earth, … a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Jerusalem, … a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new </i></b>commandment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here the word <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new </i></b>implies being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">renewed</i>, and perhaps even (as they say
in advertisements) “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new and improved!</i></b>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, in the Bible as in our day-to-day
lives, the word <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i></b> doesn’t mean always mean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">renewed</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new </i></b>may
merely refer to a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">novelty </i>or, as Luke
called it, a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kainotoron</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Book of Acts, as Luke described Paul’s
travels, he mentioned his visit to Athens with some exasperation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Athenians were only interested in
discussing the most recent novelty, the latest thing, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kainotoron</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading Acts 17,
it’s easy to pick up that Luke was expressing Paul’s sense of both profound annoyance
and sheer boredom with the Athenians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">This brings me back to the question I asked
in this sermon’s title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When something
is new, … when is it good? … when is it bad? … when is it ugly?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">When
does “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i>” equal “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ugly</i>”? … When does “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i>” equal “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i>”? <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes a novelty can merely equal a
trivialisation, a cheapening, or even an outright trashing of our culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not all things which are new are examples of profound
ugliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But some are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">If something <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i>, for example, happens merely (or even just mostly) for shock
value, this is usually something profoundly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ugly</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, it crosses the line into something
that’s also ethically <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To give an example of an event from two years
ago, I would not call it “art” when a person cuts up a dead animal in front of
an audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the meat from the animal
is than wasted, rather than used for food, the ugliness of the act is
compounded into something that’s ethically very wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">To give another example, much of “reality
television” can involve the manipulation of vulnerable people to behave badly,
in the interest of becoming a “celebrity” (whatever that means).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frequently a group of strangers are placed in
a confined space and presented with an artificial situation, while the viewers
watch and wait for them to fight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">And, in the quest for the latest superficial
novelties, the churches are by no means immune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the name of “relevance”, “getting bottoms on seats”, being “contemporary”,
and (dare I say it) being “missional”, some churches have become as
enthusiastic as Paul’s Athenians in embracing mindless <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kainotorons</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, then, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">when does “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i>” equal “good”?
<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">That is where the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new commandment,</i> the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new
mandate</i> comes in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whenever something <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i> makes us more caring, … more merciful, … more inclusive, … more
compassionate, … more loving (as individuals, as a culture, as a nation, as a
human race), the new development is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To use words politicians like to toss around, it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">progress</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reform</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It needs to be embraced and celebrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">If it makes us less caring, … less merciful,
… less inclusive, … less compassionate, … less loving, it’s an abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get rid of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Do not pass “Go”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not collect $200.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus gave us a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new commandment,</i>
a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new mandate:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Love
one another”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>As I said earlier: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Personally, I think the
wider the definition of “one another”, the better, so that we don’t cause Jesus
to ask us the question “What part of ‘Love one another’ don’t you understand?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Thanks be to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-6220773211330323712019-05-10T19:27:00.000+10:002019-05-10T19:27:08.242+10:00A Prayer for the Sunday after an Election
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Let us pray.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">God of all
nations and peoples, we give thanks for all those who made yesterday’s election
possible:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">for all party leaders,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all candidates,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all election officials,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all campaign workers and volunteers,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all journalists and commentators,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all satirists, comedians, and cartoonists,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">all sizzlers of democracy sausages,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">and particularly for all voters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">May we all be grateful for
the generosity of those who have given freely of their time, their energy,
their talents, their intelligence, and their passion to make yesterday a
reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray for all those who
now have been given great responsibilities by the voters, as members of either
the House of Representatives or the Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We particularly pray for …., representing this electorate of ..., and
for those who will be representing this state of ... in the Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grant integrity, wisdom, humility, and
compassion to all members of both houses of Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray for those
candidates who have stood for office but lost, and for those candidates for
whom the election result is still unclear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Free each from a sense of anxiety, bitterness, self-righteousness, or
self-loathing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In
case of a clear national result:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray for …. and his team
as they prepare to form a government for the next Parliamentary term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May they lead a wise and compassionate
Government, governing in the interests of all the people, not merely in the
interests of their supporters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray also for those who
will take on the responsibility of Opposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May they undertake the tasks of keeping the Government accountable in a
robust way, but without bitterness or negativity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Without
a clear national result yet:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As the national result of
the election is still unclear, we pray for all who are coping with the
ambiguities of yesterday’s election result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Grant all involved a gracious patience, a cool head, a long fuse, an
active sense of humour, and the ability to chill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray for us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May each of
us have a clear commitment to the well-being of all with whom we share this
nation and this world, regardless of:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their race or their culture, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their faith or their philosophy, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their gender or their sexuality,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their political convictions or their political
apathy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We pray in the name of
Jesus, who gave us all the mandate to love one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-92097926710577782252019-04-18T18:11:00.000+10:002019-04-18T18:11:31.937+10:00“A Moveable Feast”: a sermon for Easter Day
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alleluia!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ is risen!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 21.6pt 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">He is risen indeed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alleluia!<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Easter
is what’s called “a moveable feast”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Easter, and the days that depend on Easter, move around a bit in the
calendar.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once,
Easter was so late that ANZAC Day was observed on Easter Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We’re close to that situation again this
year with ANZAC Day happening on the Thursday just following Easter.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">ANZAC
Day on Easter Monday that year was particularly tricky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put a great deal of effort in explaining
to veterans in the congregation (well in advance) that we’d wait until the
following week to include ANZAC Day in the service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
veteran said to me, “But we cannot forget the Honoured Dead.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
replied, “But Easter is about the Honoured Dead-and-Risen,” to which the reply
was a definite “Harrumph!” (as they say in the comic strips).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">However,
we did ANZAC Day the following Sunday and gave it a lot of attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another
time, Easter was so early that St. Patrick’s Day occurred during Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was some tension in Melbourne between
the Catholic Archdiocese and the various Irish social clubs, given that the
Archdiocese was discouraging its priests from conducting the usual St.
Patrick’s Day masses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A bit of pastoral
flexibility could have gone a long way, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the chap in the pulpit brought the themes
of Holy Week and Easter into people’s minds on St. Pat’s Day, when they were in
a good mood anyway, they could well have come back to church for a second
helping of worship on Easter.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
always a certain logic to Good Friday falling on Friday the 13<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
ecumenist in me particularly likes it in those years when the Western Churches
and the Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Easter on the same Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, the pastor in me has a real
sense of “Holy Envy” toward our neighbours in the Orthodox Churches who, in
most years, can celebrate the Resurrection without having to compete with the
distractions provided by the longest long weekend of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
the fact that Easter is at the heart of a marathon long weekend can be a
problem for the churches as we try to communicate the faith to our
communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">More
people are around on Good Friday than they are on Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">There
are a lot of people – both regular worshippers and others - who attend worship
for the more solemn service on Good Friday, but are away by the time of the
joyous services of Easter itself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
aware of a number of events here in the Hobart area in which a group of
churches co-operated on a public event communicating our faith to the wider
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were good events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I attended one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All were on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None was today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our neighbours overheard our words of
solemnity, but not our shouts of joy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could
that have confirmed some of our neighbours’ stereotypes of what practicing,
worshipping Christians are like?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Because
of the long, long weekend, there is a big gap between the Easter celebrated by the
churches and the Easter celebrated by the wider community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the past few years, comparing Easter
with Christmas, I’ve been putting it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">On
the one hand, worshipping Christians and the wider community celebrate
essentially the same Christmas as each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">On
the other hand, worshipping Christians and the wider community celebrate
radically different Easters to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
I think it’s definitely logically consistent for a Christian to seriously want
to be “into” the culture’s celebrations at Christmas, yet also for the same
Christian to want to be radically countercultural, and even borderline
monastic, during Holy Week and Easter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back
to our “moveable feast.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
terms of a wider ecumenism, I always like it when Easter and Passover coincide
neatly, as they do this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once,
there was even a year when Easter, Passover, and a major Muslim feast happened
at the same time, so three great branches of the People of God were all
celebrating major festivals of faith at the one time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last
year, two interesting things happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One was that Ash Wednesday happened on the same day as St. Valentine’s
Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This resulted in a few funny posts
on social media, focusing on what a Lenten St. Valentine’s Day card would look
like.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
other interesting thing last year was the best of all, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you remember, Easter fell on April Fools’
Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
makes particular sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways the
first Easter was also the first April Fools’ Day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Think
about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death thought it had Jesus
just where it wanted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on Easter,
Jesus looked Death straight in the eye and said “April Fool!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If people laugh</i>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Resurrection people laugh.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If people don’t laugh</i>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i> allowed to laugh at
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Resurrection people laugh.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<h4 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alleluia!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ is risen!<o:p></o:p></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 21.6pt 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">He is risen indeed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alleluia!<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-28378422882631389962019-03-30T09:43:00.000+11:002019-03-30T09:48:50.729+11:00“There was a man with two sons …”: a sermon (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32)<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today’s
gospel lesson is one of the most familiar passages in the entire Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with any familiar passage of scripture, we
can find many different things jumping out at us from this parable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the lectionary, we hear this passage on
this Sunday in the middle of Lent once every three years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked back on some of the ways I treated
this passage in sermons during my ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I first
prepared a sermon on this passage as a first-year theological student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the subject “Introduction to Preaching”,
one assignment was to write a sermon based on one of a number of passages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose this passage and wrote a sermon that
was pretty forgettable – as forgettable as most sermons prepared by first-year
theological students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I
ever preached that sermon … and just as well really.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wrote my
second sermon on this passage while I was still a theological student, at this
point a second-year student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time,
I prepared the sermon, not for a classroom assignment, but to preach in my
field education church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sermon was a
dramatic monologue, telling the story of this passage from the perspective of
the elder brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time, I
thought it was pretty good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">This sermon
became my “travelling sermon”, maybe even my “party piece”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a number of years, whenever I was invited
to preach anywhere where I hadn’t preached before, I trotted this sermon out
(regardless of the lectionary).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">The point I
made in this sermon, as I acted (overacted?) the part of the elder brother
struggling with his decision whether or not to join the party for his younger
brother was this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through God’s grace,
we are a forgiv<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>en</u></i></b> people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
also calls us to be a forgiv<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>ing</u></i></b> people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">(And, of
course, to forgive someone does <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i></b> mean that everything is
emotionally OK between yourself and the person who wronged you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It means that you seek to promote the well-being of the one who wronged
you, even if things will <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i></b> be emotionally OK.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">A few years
later, when I was considering the same passage, I had recently read the book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Poet
and Peasant</i></b> by Kenneth Bailey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bailey was involved in research in villages around the Middle East,
telling the parables of Jesus to peasant farmers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After telling the story, Bailey asked the question<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What would happen if someone in your
community did this?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bailey always
received the same reaction when he told <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this </i></b>story, whatever the religion or
the culture of the people to whom he told it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“This would never happen here.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When he asked the villagers why it would never happen, some of the
frequent responses were:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
son never asks his father to receive his inheritance early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This implies “I’m looking forward to your
death.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be unthinkable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
son would never refer to his brother as “this son of yours” when speaking to
his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That phrase would implies
“He’s your son, but I’m not.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a
parent may disown a child, a child would never disown a parent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
parent would ever beg their child to do anything, as the father did when he
tried to persuade the elder brother to join the celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Neither
would a man of high status run in public, as the father did when he saw the
younger son returning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">The point I
made in the sermon was this :<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when
people do shockingly (and scandalously) hateful things, as both sons did in the
story, God’s grace enables us to do shockingly loving (and scandalously loving)
things, as the father did a number of times in the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another
time was shortly after the death of Dr. Benjamin Spock, who wrote the classic
book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby
and Child Care</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Spock taught
generations of parents that it is better for children to love their parents
than it is to fear them, and that (as a result) it is no sign of weakness for parents
to show their love to their children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I used the
example of Dr. Spock – alongside the image of the father in Jesus’ parable - as
a jumping-off point to say that our own views of God are often dependent on our
responses to the ways our parents raised us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those
who grew up with the care of warm, loving parents often find it easy to
appreciate the loving care of the Living God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
the other hand, those who perceive their parents as having been cruel, harsh,
selfish, erratic, or merely absent, may have problems coming to terms with a
loving God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, they may find
themselves worshipping a god of wrath, … rejecting a god whom they see as
nonexistent, … or ignoring a god whom they regard as irrelevant to their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">(And, of
course, it may not be terribly helpful to use this as an excuse to play the
popular game of “My family’s weirder than your family.”)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another
time, I preached completely off the cuff, for the first – and only – time in my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on one of my visits to
Bangladesh, visiting <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christmas Bowl</i></b> projects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">One Sunday
afternoon, I attended worship in a Baptist congregation in a poor neighbourhood
of Dhaka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told by the Bangladeshi
staff person who had brought me to the service that I’d be asked to give a brief
greeting to the congregation on behalf of the churches of Australia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">The service
was in Bengali.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bangladeshi staffer
was translating parts of it for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
about half an hour or so, the staff bloke translated the minister saying, “And
now our Australian visitor will preach the sermon.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I asked
“Are you sure he said ‘… preach the sermon?’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I thought
for a moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no sermon with
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only Bibles I could see were in
Bengali.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to say something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had to be on a passage of scripture I knew
well enough to talk about off the cuff with no warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked the minister to read the fifteenth
chapter of Luke’s gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">“The whole
chapter?” asked the minister.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">While the
minister read (in Bengali) the parables of the lost sheep, and the lost coin,
and then the one about the two lost sons, I thought about what I’d do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’d retell
the story of the man with two sons and hope that the congregation found there
was sufficient vitality in the story itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So, after the minister read the passage, I started to re-tell the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Periodically, after every few
sentences, the minister would translate my English into Bengali.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That gave me sufficient time to re-gather my
thoughts to tell the next part of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, yes, in this ancient story that Jesus told, there was sufficient
vitality for the story itself to suffice for that congregation in Bangladesh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">And, today,
I still believe those things I learned on those previous occasions:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes,
our own views of God are often dependent on our responses to our parents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes,
through God’s grace, we are a forgiv<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>en</u></i></b> people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God also calls us to be a forgiv<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>ing</u></i></b>
people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes,
even when people do shockingly hateful things to us, God’s grace enables us to
do shockingly loving things in return.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes,
there are some sermons written by first-year theological students that are
better left unpreached.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
yes, in this ancient story that Jesus told, there is still great vitality in
the story itself.</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-43249452379825718922019-03-07T19:17:00.000+11:002019-03-08T08:10:56.897+11:00“We need a little Lent, right this very minute.”: a sermon (Matthew 6: 1 – 21, Luke 4: 1 – 13)<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today’s
sermon was a work in progress for the past week-and-a-half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It began to take shape in my mind around the
time when the result in a high-profile criminal trial was announced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Given the fact that there’s an appeal in
process and the matter is still <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sub
judice</i>, I won’t be commenting on the actual trial or the actual charges.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sermon has changed a bit during the past
week-and-a-half. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, the sermon
has had a number of working titles. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">It began as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Observing
Lent even in the age of Donald Trump and George Pell.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">It morphed into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Even
at a time when arrogance is treated as a civic and religious virtue, let’s do
Lent anyway.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve eventually settled on<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “We need a little Lent, right this very minute”.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let us
pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">May the
words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your
sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In your
order of worship, you’ll find a copy of a drawing by the very talented cartoonist
Jay Sidebottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scene is during a worship
service on Ash Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the
minister is about to put some ash on the forehead of a member of the congregation,
she says, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Remember that you are
dust…”, but then she adds “…but a very high quality sort of dust.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s some
real and profound theological truth to this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are dust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In contrast to the eternal God, the God who is Life
itself, we are mortal; we are finite.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In contrast to the God of Love, the God who is
Compassion itself, we struggle to reflect the love of God in any consistent way
in our own lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are
dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent reminds us we are dust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless,
we are “a very high quality sort of dust”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have been created in the image of God, with a
capacity for rational, logical thought. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have been created in the image of God, with a
capacity to appreciate beauty, both in the world of nature and in the
achievements of human art.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have been created in the image of God, with a
capacity for ethical choice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have been created in the image of God, with a
capacity to express love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have been created in the image of God, with a
capacity to worship the God in whose image we live, and move, and have our
being.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">W</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">e are “a
very high quality sort of dust”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Lent should also remind us of that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is
tremendously important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many
people for whom a warped, ultraconservative religious faith – Christian or
otherwise - has taught them a destructive sense of low self-esteem, in which
they believe that the true response of true faith is to always think, “I’m
evil; I’m evil; I’m horrible; I’m horrible!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An approach to faith – Christian or otherwise – which encourages this
low self-esteem is a sick faith.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">A healthy
faith - again, Christian or otherwise – reminds us that we <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are </i></b>“a very high quality
sort of dust”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Lent
challenges our personal arrogance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent also reminds us that we
are people living in the image of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">W</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">e are “a
very high quality sort of dust”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In both
readings from scripture we’ve used today, we see both these concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The lesson
from Matthew was the gospel reading for Ash Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is teaching his disciples about
religious practices, good and bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
practice of the faith shouldn’t call attention to ourselves and our own
piety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long-winded, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ex tempore</i> prayers are unnecessary (particularly if they’re packed
with pious jargon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t whinge or look
dismal when fasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you give to
the poor, do it in a way that advances social justice and shows respect for the
people you’re helping, not in a way that entrenches dependence or which insults
and embarrasses the person who needs help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The lesson
from Luke is the gospel reading for today, the First Sunday in Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus resisted the temptation to focus on his
own immediate needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He resisted the
temptation to go for a flashy, showbiz, special effects approach to the life of
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also resisted the temptation
to give in to despair and say “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In both of
these lessons, we are challenged, as those who seek to follow Jesus, to be “a very
high quality sort of dust”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who
remember the musical “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mame</i></b>” will remember the song “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We need a little Christmas</i>”, sung by
Dame Angela Lansbury (and, as we all know, there’s nothing like a Dame).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t remember the musical, you’ll
know the song from watching “Carols by Candlelight” on TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, I’d like to paraphrase Dame Angela’s
song by saying, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We need a little Lent, right this very minute.”</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Oh, blow it, I’ll sing it.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We need a little Lent, right this very
minute.”</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the
reason we “need a little Lent” is that Lent challenges our arrogance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent reminds us all that we are dust, even if
it is “a very high quality sort of dust”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking
at the rampant arrogance in the world around us, I believe <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We need a little Lent, right
this very minute.”</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And here, I
suppose is where the “colourful American political identity” and the “colourful
Australian religious identity” I mentioned earlier both come into the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a time in history in which
arrogance is treated as a virtue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
1980s was the decade in which people believed “greed is good”, we’re living now
at a time in which many people believe that arrogance is a civic and religious
virtue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the realm
of business, in the realm of the media, in the realm of politics, and, sadly, in
the realm of faith, some people are trying to tell us that we’re living in a “post-truth”
era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, you can talk the
worst rubbish imaginable, but if you seem sufficiently sure of yourself (arrogantly
sure), people will follow you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Sadly, it is possible for an arrogant con-man to become a senior leader either in the body politic or in the household of faith. When this happens, it undermines the credibility of all the institutions in the community.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“We need a
little Lent, right this very minute.”</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lent
challenges our arrogance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent reminds
us that we are dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>… Donald Trump is
dust. … George Pell is dust. … I’m dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>… You’re dust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“We need a
little Lent, right this very minute.”</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And, at the
end of Lent, Easter will once again remind us that we are “a very high quality
sort of dust.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be to
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-7687105115925826122019-03-03T17:13:00.000+11:002019-03-05T07:57:49.062+11:00Some (rambling) reflections on the Pell case<span style="font-size: large;">To begin with, I was not present in the courtroom during any session of this trial. I didn't hear any of the evidence first-hand. My reactions are based on second-hand information, just like those of any other consumer of the media.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Secondly, I have no vested interest in the outcome of this case. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not a survivor of child sexual abuse. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not a lawyer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not a member, lay or ordained, of the Roman Catholic Church. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">I am a retired minister of another Christian denomination (Uniting Church in Australia) that enjoys good ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church across Australia. I also spent a decade working as a staff member of an ecumenical body with active Catholic membership. In any event, I think I qualify as an "objective but informed" commentator and an "educated amateur", whatever that means.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My initial reaction, given that I wasn't in court to hear the evidence being presented, is to trust the intelligence of the jury. Occasionally, as in the case of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, juries get it wrong. More often than not, juries get it right. I'm working from the overt assumption, unless decided otherwise by the appeals court, that the jury got it right this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have some real concerns about the public reaction to this case. Much of the public comments (whether in social media, or in the traditional media, or in conversations among people in private settings) tend to fall into two disturbing patterns. Many (but not all) of those who endorse the jury's verdict have tended to express either an establishment anti-Catholicism or a bogan religiophobia in support of their views. On the other hand, many (but not all) of those who question the verdict have tended to minimise the seriousness of the impact of child sexual abuse on the survivors, victims, and their families. Both of these extreme tendencies have the effect of cheapening and coarsening our public discourse.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One fact that I find interesting about the reaction to this case is that (discounting the politicians and media people who can always be counted upon to get on the bandwagon supporting whatever happens to be the right-wing cause <em>du jour</em>), a significant number of those who have publicly questioned the Pell verdict are people who were strong and consistent critics of Cardinal Pell during his period of ascendancy in Australia's Catholic hierarchy. There are people other than Cardinal Pell's "yes-men" and "fan club" who are questioning his verdict.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Those questioning this verdict need to be aware that, in any legal case involving accusations of sexual assault (in which the only people present during the alleged assault are often the complainant and the accused, and no one else), the legal rules of evidence are (necessarily) different from other cases.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Similarly, those of us who happen to support the jury's verdict need to be aware that court cases are based on law and evidence, not on public opinion. The fact that the majority of the population happens to believe that a defendant is guilty has no relevance to the outcome of a court case. Public opinion carries no weight in the legal system.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some comments have compared the case of Cardinal Pell to that of Lindy Chamberlain. In a real sense, the early (and false) public perception of Mrs. Chamberlain's guilt was based on her own <em>naïvete </em>in assuming that the tragic disappearance of her child was an occasion for her to bear public witness to her own faith, leading to the false belief that Mrs. Chamberlain had a harsh and uncaring attitude to her child. Whatever adjectives you want to use for George Pell, <em>naïve</em> is probably not high on your list.</span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I believe a better high profile Australian case to which to compare the Pell case is one from a few decades earlier than the Chamberlain case, the case of Professor Sydney Sparkes Orr in the 1950s. Professor Orr was dismissed from his position at the University of Tasmania for seducing a student. He sued the University for unjust dismissal, with the case (and its subsequent appeals) becoming somewhat of a legal marathon. In the course of the trials and appeals, according to my reading of accounts of the case, Orr's abrasive personality and his personal arrogance were factors resulting in stiffening the resolve of his opponents and frustrating his supporters. Can this be an apt parallel <span style="font-size: large;">between the Orr and Pell cases?</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
I am personally worried that the Pell case may signal the beginning of a renewed period of anti-Catholic bigotry (never really far from the surface) here in Australia. I've seen public comment asserting the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is a sinister institution at its heart, and that individual Catholics (or, at least, those who are practicing) have no moral right to express opinions on this case. As a person whose social media profiles often list my profession as "ecumenist", I must object to this in the strongest possible terms.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In a real way, a renewal of anti-Catholic bigotry in the wider community will not hurt Cardinal Pell nor the various Pell <em>wannabees</em> in the hierarchy. Nor will it hurt the various ultraconservative Catholics whom some commentators describe as "Brideshead Catholics" (from Evelyn Waugh's novel <em>Brideshead Revisited</em>) and whom I've been known to describe as the "Scientology wing" of the R<span style="font-size: large;">oman Catholic Church. <em>(1)</em> They would just love it if the relations between C<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">atholics and the rest of the community reverted to being as bad as they were during the bad old days of the 1950s. It would increase their own influence within the Catholic Church far more than they deserve.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The people whom I fear would be most hurt by a renewed growth in anti-Catholic bigotry would be the good, solid everyday Catholics we all know in our daily lives, the people I call the "Mrs. Duffy Next Door Catholics". These are people who are regular attenders at Mass. They appreciate the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, but would like to see the reforms go just a little further, even if it's nothing all that radical. For example, the formidable "Mrs. Duffy" would like to see her divorced-and-remarried brother, her Baptist sister-in-law, and her gay son be able to receive Communion when they show up at Midnight Mass next Christmas Eve. A rise in anti-Catholic bigotry in the community would hurt "Mrs. Duffy" far more than it would hurt the "Brideshead-Scientology" crowd in the RC Church .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ultimately, we need to realise that life is more complicated than a television drama. In a murder mystery on TV, it goes without saying that the character who is portrayed as an arrogant, ultra-conservative, hyper-moralistic cleric will turn out to have a few skeletons of a sexual nature in his closet. Life is far more complicated than an episode of <em>Midsomer Murders</em>, however. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The jury has done its job. (In my own opinion, I believe they did it well, but I could be wrong.) Now it is time for the appellate court to do its job. Let's allow the legal system to continue to function.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The two things with which I want to conclude, whatever your opinions on the facts of this case, are these:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">For the sake of the survivors and victims of child sexual abuse in any context, secular or religious, <strong><em><u>do not</u></em></strong> minimise the impact of child sexual abuse on the survivors and victims.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">For the sake of the wholeness of our culture, <strong><em><u>do not</u></em></strong> add to the level of bigotry already expressed to, and experienced by, Australian Catholics.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </span></span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>(1)</em> I'm not singling out Catholics here. I've also been known to speak of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" wing of the Anglican Communion (<em>i.e.,</em> Sydney-style evangelicals) and the "Playschool wing" of the Uniting Church.</span></span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-53082499833951874562019-02-26T15:19:00.000+11:002019-02-26T15:24:41.979+11:00Down from the Mountaintop? ... Up from the Mountaintop? ... Out from the Mountaintop?: a sermon (Luke 9: 28-36)<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">For many of
us, it happened in our youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A camp or
a youth conference makes the faith dramatically real for the first time for
some young person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first stirrings
are seen of a deep personal identification and commitment with the faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can remember my own faith – and my sense of
identification with the Christian church – being deepened as a result of
participating in Methodist youth events in New Jersey in the 1960s and
1970s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Australia, here in
Tasmania, are many people whose Christian faith was deepened as a result of
their involvement in such youth events as the Uniting Church’s NCYC and the
Catholic Church’s World Youth Day.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">While this
deepening of faith as a result of a single event is often associated with
events for young people, it is not exclusively an experience of youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adults have had similar faith-deepening
experiences at a range of events. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Dr. Billy Graham’s missions in the 1950s, 1960s, and
1970s had a profound effect on many people who are still active in churches in
Australia today. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">At a very different point on the theological spectrum,
the visits to Australia of Bishop Jack Spong in more recent decades have also
challenged many people in the churches to take their faith much more seriously.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">For those who’ve had an opportunity to travel overseas,
visits to communities of Christian renewal such as Taizé or Iona have also had
such an impact. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">With the ecumenical movement, our growing opportunities
to experience the worship and spirituality of other churches have been such a
transforming experience for many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
give a personal example, my own experiences as a student of the awe and wonder
of Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox worship had a profoundly
positive effect on the development of my own faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without these experiences, I really doubt if
my Christian faith would have survived my undergraduate years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Actually, when some of my “evangelical”
friends ask me to talk about my “conversion experience” or when I was “born
again”, I tell them about a Catholic Mass I attended during my first semester as
an undergraduate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re usually more
worried about the state of my soul after I tell them this story than they were
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can live with that.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Such events
of a profound deepening of faith are often called “mountaintop
experiences”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in this phrase is a
link with today’s gospel lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-column-break-before: always;" /><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line;"><span style="font-size: large;">And now, we’ll have our readings from
scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Exodus 34: 29 - 35<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Luke 9: 28 – 36<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Down from
the Mountaintop? ... Up from the Mountaintop? ... Out from the Mountaintop?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let us
pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">May the
words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your
sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus took
the core group of his disciples: Peter, James, and John; up a mountain to
pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the experience of the
disciples, a dazzling light began to shine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They saw two great figures of Jewish history . . . Moses, the liberator
and law-giver, and Elijah, the greatest of the prophets ... appearing, and
speaking with Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A thick, almost
smoky, cloud enveloped them all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Peter was
focused on the experience: ... the light ... the smoke ... the big-time
historical heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was so impressed
by the whole experience that he wanted to make the experience a permanent
thing:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Lord, it is good for us to be
here.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had the implication of “Do we
really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> to go back home?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggested building shelters for them, so
as to encourage Moses, Elijah, and (presumably) Jesus to hang around with the
disciples up there on the mountain for ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Moses and Elijah vanished into the cloud; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">the cloud faded away;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">the lighting began to be more, well, normal; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus led the disciples off the mountain<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Peter’s
suggestion about building shelters to make the “mountaintop experience”
permanent may resonate with our own reactions to our closer experiences of
God’s reality.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">But in any
event, Jesus led the disciples down from the mountaintop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>… Or was that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">up from the mountaintop</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…
Or perhaps that could have been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">out from
the mountaintop</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Down from
the Mountaintop?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Jesus led the
three down from the mountaintop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He led
them back into the real world with all its struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ today challenges us to bring the light
of his presence into all the difficulties of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many who resist this challenge to
come down from the mountaintop:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Some resist coming “down from the mountaintop” because
they have a very mystical, otherworldly faith and they do not want the secular
world to interfere with the way they experience their faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want to keep their faith “pure” and
“uncontaminated” by worldly concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Others resist coming “down from the mountaintop” because
they don’t want their faith to interfere with the way they live their lives in
the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t want their faith
to overly influence how they behave when they earn their living ... or when
they spend their money ... or when they vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have a “firewall” between their life as a worshipper and their life
in the world of work and the wider community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s far too inconvenient, they believe, if our faith was allowed to
impact on such things as our attitudes toward race, or economics, or human
rights, or business ethics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both groups
resist the challenge to come down from the mountaintop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus still
led his disciples down from the mountaintop, bringing the fruits of their
encounter with God into the struggles of everyday life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls us to come “down from the
mountaintop” as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Up from the
Mountaintop?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The danger
also existed for the disciples, that the dramatic experience on the mountain
would become the big thing, instead of the reality of God that lay behind
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Jesus challenged the disciples to
look up from the mountaintop and to realise the main thing was:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">not the dazzling light;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">not the smoky cloud;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">not the presence of big-time historical heroes;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">but God who
lay behind it all<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus also
challenges us to look “up from the mountaintop”; away from the “special
effects” of the faith to God’s main plot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Out from
the Mountaintop?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">It could all
have been terribly in-group up there on the mountaintop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were just the six of them up there:
Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The six of them could have become a nice, tight, little ‘holy
club”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of six people was smaller
than most families were in those days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would have been cozy, very cozy … far too cozy.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">In the scriptures,
the story of faith is also the story of the expansion of God’s community from
smaller to larger circles of people:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">from a solitary individual to a family,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">from a single family to a nation,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">and, in the New Testament. from a lone nation to two
great world-wide religions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And now, I
believe, this expansion still continues:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">from two closely-related religions to all humanity and
even to all life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">We are living
in a time when many Christians - and many other people of faith - are being
challenged to come to grips with an expanded view of the scope of God’s love
and concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strongly believe that it
is God who is challenging us to this broader view.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Just as Jesus
challenged the disciples to look wider than the cozy little circle of six,
Jesus challenges us to ensure that our transforming, faith-deepening,
experiences expand, rather than contract, the scope of our concern, to reach
“out from the mountaintop”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Down from
the Mountaintop?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Up from the Mountaintop?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: right;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Out from the Mountaintop?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the
mountain, Jesus shared a moment of profound significance with his
disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have such opportunities as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with the disciples Jesus
continually challenges us: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">to come down from the mountaintop;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">to look up from the mountaintop; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">to reach out from the mountaintop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be to
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-38005216846102267312019-02-08T19:07:00.000+11:002019-02-10T14:37:12.464+11:00“What happened in church?”: a sermon (Isaiah 6:1-8)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve given my sermon the
title “What happened in church?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interestingly, one of my Princeton Seminary professors, the late Dr.
Donald Macleod, had a sermon with the title “Something happened in church”,
based on this same passage from Isaiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are two very different sermons, and I didn’t consult Dr. Macleod’s sermon in
preparing this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Actually, I don’t
even own a copy of that particular sermon.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Let us pray.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May the words of
my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord
our strength and our redeemer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">I may be about
to make a very strange – and, perhaps, dangerous - admission, particularly at
the beginning of a sermon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">But here goes anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">I often “zone
out” when I listen to a sermon in church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you talk to me on Sunday afternoon and the conversation turns to that
morning’s church services, “What was the sermon about?” is a dangerous question
to ask me <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s not because
of advancing years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you asked me this
question back when I was in my mid-twenties, I’d have been as vague on the
homiletical content of the typical service I attended then as I would be now in
my mid-sixties.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">A better
question to ask me would be “What happened in church?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could comment at length about the scripture
lessons, the hymns and other music, and the liturgy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m mentally engaged during the bulk of the
service, and always have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I freely
admit to letting my mind wander during sermons …, and during children’s talks …,
and particularly during the notices.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">I don't think I'm alone here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">A big part of
this has to do with the assumption – an assumption I consider to be a false
assumption - made by many congregations and by many worship leaders:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- regardless of
their denomination,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- regardless of
their theological emphasis,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- regardless of
their worship style,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- regardless of
their musical tastes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">This assumption
is that the average person sitting there in the congregation is there because
he or she wants to learn things about religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a result, the parts of the service in which information is conveyed
to the congregation (sermon, children’s talk, notices) are treated – in
practice, at least, if not in theory – treated as being much more important
than the rest of the service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">I think that
assumption is a rather large mistake to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I believe the typical person who shows up at a worship service, whether
a regular worshipper or an infrequent one, is there because she or he wants to
experience a relationship with the God worshipped by the congregation, not
because they want to learn information about religion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">The fact that so
many congregations and worship leaders don’t “get” this – particularly in
churches with a middle-of-the-road, teaching-learning worship style such as the
Uniting Church – is (in my opinion) one of the main reasons why churches like
ourselves have been clobbered in recent decades in areas of membership and
attendance:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a far more important reason I
believe for the emptying of the churches than questions of theology, biblical interpretation, or sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People want to experience God when they turn
up in church, rather than merely learning stuff about religion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">We need to
remember that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the typical person who
shows up at a worship service, whether a regular worshipper or an infrequent
one, is there because she or he wants to experience a relationship with the God
worshipped by the congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Thus, we need to be
aware that the “main course” of our worship is what we do when we gather around
the Lord’s Table to celebrate the presence of the risen Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The part of our worship we’re doing now is
the appetizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to make it as good
an appetizer as possible, but nevertheless the appetizer leads up to the main
course.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Looking at our
lesson from the book of Isaiah, the prophet was in the Temple, the place of public
worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spoke of his experience of worship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- He was caught up
into the cosmic praise of the Living God involving all creation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- He was
confronted with his own shortcomings, yet also heard the clear word of God’s
mercy, grace, and transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">-- He experienced
God’s call to service, and responded with a clear, “Here am I, send me!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">For Isaiah, worship
was not merely something cerebral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Nor
was it something merely emotional.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
Isaiah, something happened in worship:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>something
real, something genuine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">So may it be for
us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be to
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-46925961948836307752019-01-15T19:05:00.001+11:002019-01-15T19:05:58.742+11:00Notes on a Wine-Tasting: a sermon (John 2: 1 – 11)
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">I often enjoy visiting a vineyard: driving on the scenic
road past the rows of grapevines; arriving at the cellar door; tasting the
vineyard’s wares; and then buying a bottle or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">But one thing I can’t bring myself to do during the
tasting at the cellar door is to in any way insult the wine, even on those rare
occasions when the wine deserves to be insulted. Particularly at a smaller
vineyard, I usually assume that the person running the tasting room is most
likely related somehow to the person who makes the wine, so I’m usually very
polite about the wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even if the bouquet has the subtle undertones of old
socks, or even the not-so-subtle overtones of disinfectant, I don’t say
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to think I’m too kind to say
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fear I’m really too much of a
coward to say so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Someone who really knew how to insult a bottle of wine
was Horace Rumpole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us will
remember “Rumpole of the Bailey”, the TV series in which the late Leo McKern
played the London barrister and sleuth Horace Rumpole. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumpole was never averse to a drop of wine -
preferably red - but, by his own admission, he usually couldn’t afford the good
stuff (a bit like me, really).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumpole
often referred to the wine he drank by such uncomplimentary references as
“cooking claret”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Such was the opposite of the problem faced by the head
caterer at the wedding Jesus attended in our gospel lesson today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, he had to approach the bridegroom
and enquire why he left the really good wine for so late a point in the
reception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may have learned at
catering school that the good wine ... the vintage stuff ... the wine with the
snob labels ... the expensive stuff ... <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i>
gets served first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cheaper wine,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chateau</i> cardboard, the “cooking
claret”, the stuff that’s well on its way to becoming salad dressing:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that wine is served later, when the guests’ taste
buds have become more ... well ... tolerant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText2" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">You’ve heard the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus and his disciples were invited to
attend a wedding at a town called Cana, in Galilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary was also there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wine ran out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary asked Jesus if he could do something about the wine
situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few harsh words passed
between mother and son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(What’s a
wedding without a memorable family argument?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But eventually, Jesus being a good Jewish boy, he did what Mary
asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were these six big stone jars filled with twenty
to thirty gallons of water ... each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were there for various Jewish purification rituals ... ritual baths
for various purposes and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
told the head caterer to draw off some of the water and taste it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">The caterer tasted the wine, and he was impressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was good wine . . . <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> good wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
there, we have his comment to the confused bridegroom about serving the good
wine first and, only after the good wine is finished, does the host then break
out the “cooking claret”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both the first and the last of Jesus’ miracles are found
only in John’s gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
Cana miracle, with the water becoming wine, traditionally regarded as Jesus’
first, is only found in John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So
also is the raising of Lazarus, at Bethany, traditionally regarded as the last
of Jesus’ miracles before the crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">However historical or however otherwise you want to
regard these stories, both have an important place in John’s version of the
gospel narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
Cana miracle is seen as setting the stage for Jesus’ public life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John speaks of this event being the first of
Jesus’ public signs, which “revealed his glory”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
raising of Lazarus at Bethany is seen as setting the stage for conflict between
Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities, which then in turn led to the final,
fatal conflict between Jesus and the Roman political and military authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">As well, I believe both of these miracle stories are
important for our life of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
Bethany miracle speaks of Jesus’ triumph over death, a triumph which is later
confirmed at Easter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It communicates
God’s promise of a future resurrection life, a life which is not confined by
the boundaries set by physical death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
Cana miracle speaks of Jesus’ call to a life marked by joy, not only in the
life of the world to come, but in the life we live here and now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It communicates God’s promise of a present
resurrection life, a life which is lived joyfully and with celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">As with many of the miracles in the gospels, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
have an open mind as to whether Jesus’ miracle at Cana happened as it was
written or was essentially a metaphor for a wider truth;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
also have an open mind as to whether Jesus’ miracle at Bethany happened as it
was written or was essentially a metaphor for a wider truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">But still, in both cases, I passionately hope that both
miracles happened as recorded, much more passionately (I must admit) than I do
with many of the other miracles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">But then again, even if (as I suspect) these stories are
essentially metaphors, they speak a word of truth that goes far beyond mere
factuality (as do many other stories in the scriptures).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the Cana and Bethany miracles speak of
the life to which Jesus calls us:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">a
future life that is not confined by the boundaries of physical death;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">a
present life that is lived joyfully and with celebration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">In both cases, Christ promises us that he will be
uncorking, not the “cooking claret”, but wine of a good vintage, wine of the
best vintage possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoHeading9" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks
be to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-4199408815564241212019-01-09T09:15:00.000+11:002019-01-09T09:15:34.897+11:00“Solidarity forever”: a sermon (Matthew 3:13-17)
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Comments
before the lessons:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Today’s service has the theme of the Baptism of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We remember Jesus being baptised by John in
the River Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We give thanks that,
by participating in that public act of repentance, Jesus identified with the
human condition in all its brokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this light, my sermon today has the title “Solidarity forever.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Today’s service is a good chance for us to reflect on the
significance of Christian Baptism at a time when we don’t have an actual
baptism going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way, we can
reflect on the meaning of Baptism without the parents of the child being
presented for Baptism thinking we’re having a go at them while they’re a captive
audience. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sermon:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In our gospel lesson today, we hear of the
Baptism of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus went to the <st1:place w:st="on">Jordan River</st1:place>, where John the Baptist was baptising people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, Jesus was baptised by John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Jesus was baptised, a voice from the
heavens said: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This is my Son, the
Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In our lesson from Matthew’s gospel, there is
a brief exchange - perhaps the outline of a much longer argument - between
Jesus and John before the baptism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">John
said, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus
replied, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all
righteousness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And after that exchange (or the longer
argument which it represents), they proceeded with the baptism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The issue was over what John’s baptism was
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And let’s be clear that John’s
baptism was different to what the Christian Church does when we baptise.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
gospels spoke of John’s baptism as a sign of repentance, while, in contrast,
the Christian Church sees baptism less as an act of individual repentance and
more as an act of identification with Christ, and with the worshipping
community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
John’s baptism was associated with repentance, it was an act for adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the Christian Church baptises as an act of
entry into a community, most Churches (although not all) baptise children as
well as adults (and appropriately so).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
John’s baptism was associated with repentance, it was an act for those who had
made a radical and often counter-cultural decision about their faith and spirituality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the Christian Church baptises as an act of
entry into a community, most services of Christian baptism represent (and
appropriately so) a far less radical and less counter-cultural step of faith on
the part of the candidate or the candidate’s parents. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Christian Church baptises in the name of God as Trinity (and appropriately so),
while this language - and the ideas behind it - would have been unknown to
John.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, John’s baptism was not the same thing as
what the Christian Church does when it baptises.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">As I said, the gospels spoke of John’s
baptism as a sign of repentance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
question that would seem obvious to us may also have occurred to John:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What, if anything, would Jesus have needed
to repent of?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">For us, we have been taught in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Sunday</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Schools</st1:placetype></st1:place>
and Confirmation Classes, about the perfection and sinlessness of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the old hymn says:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A
perfect life, of perfect deeds,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>once
to the world was shown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Obviously John would not have operated from
anywhere near so highly developed a theology, but he would also have had some
expectations about the Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jesus
began to seem more and more like the one who would fit that particular bill,
John became understandably reluctant to baptise the person he felt should
baptise him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">But still, the baptism took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus, the individual least in need of
repentance, voluntarily participated in an act of profound repentance, saying
“Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In seeking John’s baptism, Jesus expressed
his solidarity - and by extension, God’s solidarity - with the whole flawed
human race:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in our
brokenness,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in our
disunity,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in our
alienation,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in our
sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">This word “solidarity” may just seem like a
bit of jargon to some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Solidarity forever!”
as the old protest song goes.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or it may
remind others of the recent history of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite its jargon-ish sound, it is a useful
word:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“solidarity”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It speaks of a person - or a group - so
completely identifying with the needs and aspirations of another person - or
another group - that it is as if the two were one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a sense, the two are “solid”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Solidarity forever!”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is an extension of the whole message of
the incarnation - of Emmanuel - of “God-with-us” - that we celebrated at
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“... [T]he Word became flesh
and lived among us ...”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the person
of Jesus of Nazareth, the one living God dwells in our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our human life is intimately known by God:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in its
joy and its pain,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in its
wholeness and its brokenness,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in its
hope and its despair,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in its
celebrations and its crises,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">in its
certainties and its paradoxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our human life is intimately known by God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Solidarity forever!”)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">By seeking John’s baptism, a baptism that
recognised the reality of our human brokenness, Jesus expressed his solidarity
- and God’s solidarity - with all our human condition:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">not just
the noble bits,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">not just
the pretty bits,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">not just
the presentable bits,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">not just
the “religious” bits,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">but the full monty, brokenness and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“Solidarity forever!”)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And Jesus, who was baptised in solidarity
with our human brokenness, calls the Church - calls us – all of us as a
community and each of us individually - to live in solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and in fellowship</u></b> with all God’s
world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Baptised Christ calls us – those of us who are comfortable and well-fed - to
live in solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and in fellowship</u></b>
with the poor, the hungry, and the homeless; with the indigenous people of this
land and with those who seek a safe home within our shores.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Baptised Christ calls us – those of us who are healthy - to live in solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and in fellowship</u></b> with the
disabled, the addicted, and those suffering from diseases, whether physical or
psychiatric, whose very names frighten us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Baptised Christ calls us - we who honestly seek to be people of ethical
integrity - to live in solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and
in fellowship</u></b> with the moral failures of our society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Baptised Christ calls us - we who seek to be people of authentic faith - to
live in solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and in fellowship</u></b>
with those who find it difficult to have faith . . . and with those who find it
difficult to put the faith they have into any meaningful level of practice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And I
also believe that the Baptised Christ calls us - we who place our faith and our
confidence in the living God who reveals Godself in Jesus - to live in
solidarity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and in fellowship</u></b>
with those who place their faith and confidence in the same living God ... but
who name that God with other names.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus
sought out John and asked him for baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In so doing, he expressed the solidarity of the divine wholeness with
our human brokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls us, as
people who have glimpsed his light, to continue to express - on his behalf -
his solidarity with the world he has so completely embraced. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">(“Solidarity
forever!”)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be
to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-31614239345121411882019-01-01T09:42:00.002+11:002019-01-01T11:09:51.855+11:00"Don't stand in the doorway; don't block up the hall.": a sermon<span style="font-size: large;">For those from a Methodist background, the annual Covenant Service, normally held early in the year, is a significant occasion of faith renewal. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://revdocbob.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-covenant-service-somewhat-tweaked.html" target="_blank">As I was preparing a Covenant Service for another congregation a few years ago, I felt it was appropriate to "tweak" the language of the service somewhat,</a> for two main reasons:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">One reason was to underscore the fact that, in the Uniting Church and in many other denominations, we have come to believe that the relationship God has had with the Jews since well before the emergence of Christianity is still an active and vital one. Our covenant with God as Christians should never be a denial of the covenant which Jews continue to enjoy with God.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The other reason was to deal with a word whose meaning has changed radically since the days when John Wesley first led a congregation in renewing their covenant.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The word was "to suffer", as in Wesley's phrase "Put me to doing; put me to suffering."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The way we use the word "suffer" now means to experience pain. Now, there are some religious people who believe that God causes us to suffer, whether as some sort of punishment, or as some sort of test, or to teach us some sort of cruel "lesson". While some people on the fringe of Christian faith believe this, and while some people in the churches believe it, no mainstream Christian church teaches this. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Many people outside the churches, in the wider community, are under the impression that we believe this, however. In fact, in my experience, it's this false impression - the notion that Christians believe God is the source of human suffering - that's one of the really, really big reasons why you'll find people who grow up as part of families of worshipping, committed Christians who then later opt to become convinced, committed, angry and aggressive atheists in adulthood. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In Wesley's time, and in earlier centuries, alongside our current meaning of "suffering" was another meaning. The word "to suffer" meant "to allow" or "to let". So, for example, the translators of the old King James Bible (about a century-and-a-half before Wesley's day) translated the Greek of the gospels so that Jesus was quoted in English saying "Suffer the little children to come unto me." What he was saying was "Allow the children to come"... "Let the kids meet me".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what I've done was to paraphrase Wesley's words "Put me to doing; put me to suffering" so that they say "Enable me to make things happen; enable me to let things happen", so as to minimise the confusion. The Richard Dawkinses and other "secular fundamentalists" of this world have enough ammunition without our adding to it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And let me say that the art of letting things happen can be a profound ministry. In both the church and the wider community, there are times when we need to allow something positive to happen even it's not our first choice (or second, or third, or fourth, or even our eighteenth choice) as a way forward. Sometimes, we need to cultivate the fine art of letting things happen. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the Christian church in our own day, the mentality of "Over my dead body!" has proved fatal for many congregations. I<span style="font-size: large;">f you remember the TV comedy "The Vicar of Dibley", the character of David Horton, played by Gary Waldhorn, was an exemplar of the "Over my dead body!" mentality: "A female vicar: over my dead body! ... Blessing animals in church: over my dead body!" In many ways, one of the main story arcs of "The Vicar of Dibley" over a number of seasons was David's transformation from an exemplar of the "Over my dead body!" mentality to something far more positive. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The singer-songwriter Bob Dylan said something similar in his song "The Times They Are a-changing":</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>"Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call,</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>Don't stand in the doorway; don't block up the hall."</em></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>"For the times, they are a-changing!"</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And now, having referenced John Wesley, Richard Dawkins, "The Vicar of Dibley", and Bob Dylan in the same sermon, I think I'll quit while I'm ahead and remind us that when, in a few minutes, we pray "Enable me to make things happen; enable me to let things happen," we're praying that God will lead us to reject the whole destructive attitude of "Over my dead body!"</span>Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-20715060505378968032018-12-27T15:42:00.000+11:002018-12-27T15:42:23.929+11:00Book review: “In His Own Strange Way” by Geoff Thompson
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Geoff
Thompson, <strong><em>“In His Own Strange Way”</em></strong><strong><em>: A Post-Christendom Sort-of Commentary on the
Basis of Union</em></strong>, 2018:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MediaCom
Education.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Bob Faser.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
need to make one admission at the outset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I was asked to review this book, my initial thought was “But hasn’t
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis
of Union</i></b> been done to death already?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">However,
by writing this book, Geoff Thompson has provided the Uniting Church with a
strong resource for ministry, for three compelling reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
first reason is that Thompson prefers to allow the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis of Union</i></b> to speak
to us on its own terms, rather than placing the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis </i></b>into any particular
doctrinal straitjacket, whether “evangelical”, “progressive”, “neo-orthodox”,
or any other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
second reason is in the description of this book as “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Post-Christendom</i>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
study takes seriously the fact that the relationship between the Christian
churches and the broader society, both in Australia and in other western
nations, has changed radically in the decades since the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis of Union</i></b> was
written and the UCA was inaugurated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The third
reason is in the fact that this study is structured in sixteen segments that
can be used for group sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
session contains a brief commentary on the relevant section of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis
of Union</i></b>, brief statements on how our “Post-Christendom” situation
relates to the particular section of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basis</i></b>, discussion questions, and
relevant passages of scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
book looks like a good starting point for reflection by a more ambitious adult
study group in a local congregation, one which wants to spend an extended time
with a single resource.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would also
work well with a group of Ministers of the Word, Deacons, Pastors, and Chaplains in a local area
wanting some sustained opportunity for group theological reflection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a group such as this exists in your
congregation or presbytery, this may be the resource for them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In either case, competent group leadership is
essential as this is not a pre-packaged small-group study.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-56320405932876326812018-12-26T10:42:00.001+11:002018-12-26T13:07:14.121+11:00On the Sunday after Christmas, the Lectionary gave to me ... forty-two blokes a-begetting, ... five feisty females, ... and a passage we ignored in Seminary: a sermon (Matthew 1:1-17)<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is
the first time in my life I’ve ever preached on today’s gospel lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally, I use the three-year Revised Common
Lectionary when I preach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s lesson,
from the Narrative Lectionary, doesn’t appear in the three-year lectionary on
any Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">The only times
I ever use the Narrative Lectionary for preaching are those occasional Sundays
when I lead worship here at Hobart North.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s the
passage that, in theological seminary, we called (using a bit of King James-ish
terminology) “the begats”. (“Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob,” and
so on and so on.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there was a whole lot
of begatting going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Or, rather,
there was “a whole lot of begetting”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was one of those irregular verbs:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>beget,
begat, begotten.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, the passages of
scripture with all the “begats” were passages I never really studied as a
theological student, and neither did most of my colleagues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, in
the midst of all these men with polysyllabic names (from Aminadad to
Zerubbabel) all begetting like crazy, it now seems (according to a growing number
of New Testament scholars today) that the real meaning of this passage is
found, not so much in the forty-two men begetting with enthusiasm, but in the
five women who are also mentioned in the passage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a
result, I gave my sermon a title which I think is best sung:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong><em>“On the Sunday after Christmas, the
lectionary gave to me: … forty-two blokes a-begetting, … five feisty females, …
and a passage we ignored in Seminary.”<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two gospels give us a genealogy of Jesus, near or at the
beginning of the gospel, Matthew and Luke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While there are a number of differences in detail between the
genealogies, there are two big differences between these two genealogies:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first difference is that Matthew’s version of the genealogy of Jesus goes back to Abraham, while Luke’s genealogy goes back to the dawning of human life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second difference is that the genealogy found in Luke is an all-male list, while Matthew’s version mentions five very significant women.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These differences can both be seen as a result of the
different cultural contexts of these gospels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Matthew wrote his gospel for a congregation with a background in Jewish
faith and culture, while Luke wrote for a congregation of Graeco-Roman gentiles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Matthew wanted to demonstrate that Jesus lived within the context of Abraham obeying the command of God to venture out into the desert with the message of God’s call to faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke wanted to put Jesus into a more universal context of the life of the whole human race.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luke’s readers, though, were Graeco-Roman sexists who were not terribly interested in the accomplishments of women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, Matthew’s readers came from a Jewish background and honoured those feisty women who, throughout the history of their people, stepped up to the plate and did God’s thing,
particularly at times when their menfolk were faltering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Increasingly, many New Testament scholars today – of a
variety of denominations, and of both genders - say that the real key to the
meaning of Matthew’s version of Jesus’s genealogy is found in these five women.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, let’s have a quick look at the “five feisty
females” mentioned by Matthew.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>Tamar</em></strong> provided an example in the scriptures of what we,
in recent months, could call a “<em>Me Too</em>” moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She had experienced incest, and it took place as part of a complicated
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She nearly was put to death
because of her irregular pregnancy, but talked her way out of it in a way that
led the man who caused her pregnancy to admit his own fault. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then there’s <strong><em>Rahab</em></strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was a prostitute, probably the “madam” of her brothel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wasn’t Jewish herself, but a citizen of
Jericho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She hid the spies sent by
Joshua to check out the land, and lied about it when the authorities came
looking for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no two ways
about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rahab served God by betraying
her country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like Rahab, <strong><em>Ruth</em></strong> was also foreign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was an immigrant, one of that great class
of people whom the less salubrious sort of politicians today, those who inhabit
the sordid underbelly of politics, like to condemn, without looking at their
solid contributions to society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
story of the romance of Ruth and Boaz (Rahab’s son, according to Matthew)
became the great “romcom” of the Old Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ruth herself became the great-grandmother of King David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of David, we then come to <strong><em>Bathsheba</em></strong>, who isn’t
mentioned here by name but is merely called “<strong><em>the wife of Uriah</em></strong>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is another “<em>Me, Too</em>” moment in the
genealogy of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rape of Bathsheba
and the murder of Uriah definitely constituted the ethical low point of David’s
reign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, morally, it was rape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What with David being a king, Bathsheba would
not have had the power to consent or not to consent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a definite “<em>Me, Too</em>” moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then we come to <strong><em>Mary</em></strong>, who is really much more interesting
than the demure young woman in the blue dress whom we see in statues,
paintings, icons, and nativity sets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When she reflected on the significance of the child whom she was to
bear, she celebrated the idea of the powerful being brought down from their
thrones and the lowly being lifted up, of the hungry being filled with good
things and the rich being sent away empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was one radical lady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
they say on the TV talk shows, “You go, girl!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the birth of Jesus took place in the context of the
lives of these “five feisty females”, just as much as it did in that of the “forty-two
blokes a-begetting”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And many scholars
today believe the “five feisty females” are the real key to understanding why
this list of polysyllabic names is found in the gospel, more than as an endurance
test for people who read lessons in worship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, what takeaways can we find from the “five feisty
females” in Jesus’s genealogy, according to today’s gospel?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We find God in the presence of those whom our society and culture
despises.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We find God in the presence of those who choose to live with courage and
compassion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ll repeat that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s important.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We find God in the presence of those whom our society
and culture despises.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We find God in the presence of those who choose to live
with courage and compassion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>“On the Sunday
after Christmas, the lectionary gave to me: … forty-two blokes a-begetting, …
five feisty females, … and a passage we ignored in Seminary.”<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-31971577281815750122018-12-21T18:42:00.001+11:002019-07-04T12:54:00.624+10:00"Baby, It's Cold Outside!": a cultural and ethical reflection<span style="font-size: large;">This month, there's been some controversy in North America over a song. A number of radio stations in the USA and Canada have been removing the song "Baby, I's Cold Outside" from their playlists over the Christmas holiday season, given concerns that the song depicts a seduction that may not be 100% consensual on the part of the woman in the encounter. The controversy over the song follows many of the concerns of the "Me Too" movement, following the revelations concerning sexual harassment and, at times, actual sexual assault by a number of high-profile figures in business, politics, entertainment, and the law.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, the song was removed from the playlists of a few radio stations, and the strident response from some political and cultural ultra-conservatives was predictable. <em>(Can one of you gentlemen please inform me which amendment protects the "right of seduction"???) </em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Part of me is actually rather surprised that the inhabitant of the Oval Office has not yet entered the fray on this one, describing (for example) "Baby, It's Cold Outside" as one of his "favourite Christmas carols" in a similar way as he once described "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" as his "favourite Bible verse".</span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's all complicated by the fact that the song, in recent years, has become associated with the Christmas holiday season, even though the song doesn't mention Christmas (or, for that matter, any other holiday). Because the song is set in the winter, when "... it's cold outside", it's become a song that's played a lot in the lead-up to Christmas, and then disappears from the airwaves even though (in North America) winter continues (and, in many areas, intensifies) during the months following Christmas. (It's even funnier here in Australia, where it's played during the lead-up to Christmas in early summer.) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Baby, It's Cold Outside" isn't alone here. Other songs with a generically winter theme which are almost exclusively associated with Christmas, even though they never mention Christmas in the actual song, include "Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! </span>Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">!", "Sleigh Ride", "Winter Wonderland", and even "Jingle Bells".</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Baby, It's Cold Outside" was never intended to be a song for the Christmas holidays. The Broadway songwriter Frank Loesser (best known for "Guys and Dolls") wrote the song in the mid-1940s as a party piece for himself and his wife, the singer Lynn Garland. In this piece, the sleaziness and sliminess of the man, and the <em>naivete </em>of the woman, were exaggerated for comic effect. One factor in the comic effect of the song as a party piece in its early years was that the people hearing this song were well-aware that the two participants in that mock seduction scene were, in fact, a married couple. A few years later, Loesser sold the song to a Hollywood studio for use in a film and it became a popular "lounge" standard, rather than merely the Loessers' party piece.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once "Baby, It's Cold Outside" entered the public zone, rather than the social zone of the Loessers and their friends at private cocktail hours and dinner parties, the potential creepiness of the song began to speak for itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Contrast <span style="font-size: large;">"Baby, It's Cold Outside" with another song from the mid-'40s with a generic winter theme, but which has also become a Christmas season standard, Sammy Cahn and Jule Stynes's "Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! </span>Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">!" The "Baby, It's Cold Outside" guy is definitely trying to manipulate the young lady into bed, while the "Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">! </span>Let it Snow<span style="font-size: large;">!" guy is far more of a gentleman, knowing that he and his girlfriend will not be spending the night together but, instead, realises that "... all the way home, I'll be warm."</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All of this points to changing moral standards within our community. In some ways, our moral standards have become more flexible since the days of my youth (and I happen to be a proud "Baby Boomer"), while in other ways, our standards have become far less flexible.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ways in which our community moral standards have become more accepting and flexible since my own "Baby Boomer" youth include:</span><br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">a greater acceptance of LGBT people, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">a greater acceptance of unmarried couples cohabiting, and of single parents,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">a greater acceptance of couples, married or otherwise, of different racial, religious, or cultural backgrounds.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">My response to these social changes is, simply: "Brilliant!"</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ways in which our community moral standards have become more demanding include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">far less tolerance regarding adults sexually preying on underage people (with this change of values reflected in a number of high-profile court cases in a number of countries, some of which are still <em>sub judice</em>, so I'll say no more), </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">far less tolerance of married men having a "bit on the side", </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">far less tolerance of men seducing women who are not completely enthusiastic re the arrangement (even when the seduction falls short of actual rape or sexual assault), as illustrated in "Baby, It's Cold Outside".</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">My response to these social changes also is, simply: "Brilliant!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I believe that both sets of changes in values are definite improvements for the well-being of our culture. The relaxation within some attitudes is very good. The tightening up within other attitudes is equally good.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not a fan of censorship, but I realise there's a significant difference between censorship and quality control. If a radio station removes "Baby, It's Cold Outside", with its tale of a clumsy, ham-fisted seduction, from its December playlist, I believe it's less of an act of censorship than it is an act of quality control.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-35311699877278915022018-12-12T08:42:00.000+11:002018-12-13T18:54:11.981+11:00Christmas with the “Caganer”<h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Being
a self-confessed “Christmas nerd”, it isn’t every day I learn a new fact about
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a new Christmas
fact a few weeks ago watching a TV panel quiz on the ABC.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
many places in Europe, public Nativity Scenes are large, involving an army of
shepherds, a huge choir of angels, many hangers-on in the Wise Men’s entourage,
multiple guests eating and drinking in the inn, and a variety of people working
on nearby farms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many areas of Spain,
there is also a figure of a man in an obscure corner of the Nativity Scene
engaged in relieving himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
figure is called a “caganer”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’d
never heard of the “caganer” until a
few weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked the facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t just trust the TV presenters, even
if the programme was initially shown on the highly salubrious and reliable BBC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consulted with that noted authority on all
things factual, Professor Google.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
checked out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t “Fake News” (<em>as the man with the funny comb-over says</em>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
many Spanish communities, the “caganer”
helps to engage the interest of children in the Nativity Scene, as they try to
find the hidden and obscure “caganer”
in a “Where’s Wally?” sort of way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Theologically,
the “caganer” has an important and
profound message for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When God chose
to come into our world as a human being, the Christ-child was born into the
midst of our real world, not in some artificial, prettied-up, Disney-style
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “caganer” attending to an urgent call of nature at the same moment
when the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us bears testimony to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Have
a Blesséd Christ-Mass, a Merry Christmas, and some Happy Holidays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Word has become Flesh, and lives in our midst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Have
a good one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></h3>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-37844524515419146382018-10-25T10:34:00.000+11:002018-10-25T10:34:06.574+11:00Good news for the boy of Timaeus’s: a sermon (Mark 10:46-52)
<span lang="EN-GB" style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: line;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">I plan to arrive at the encounter of Jesus and Bartimaeus by a
rather circuitous route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please bear
with me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Often, if I read a novel before it’s made into a movie or a TV
series, I often don’t like the screen version.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s different if I see the film or the TV series first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s often a good introduction to the book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">My introduction to Charles Dickens’ <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Christmas Carol</i></b> was via
the various film versions which I saw as a young boy well before I read the
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please don’t judge me if I tell
you that my favourite was the “Mr. Magoo” version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I was only ten or so, after all.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Similarly, my introduction to Evelyn Waugh’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brideshead Revisited</i></b>
came, as it did for many people, through the classic TV adaptation in the early
1980s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Both became favourite books of mine, which I’ve re-read frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And, you know, I even collect DVD versions
of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Christmas Carol</i></b>.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">If, on the other hand, I read the book first and it had a powerful
impact on me, I’m often reluctant to view any later film or TV version of the
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, I haven’t seen the
drama series <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Handmaid’s Tale</i></b> on SBS, even though I found Margaret
Atwood’s novel incredibly gripping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s set in a chilling version of the future, in the Republic of
Gilead, formerly the United States, in which a fanatical sect of supposedly
“Christian” religious fundamentalists (the sort of “Christians” who give
Christians a bad name) … a fanatical sect staged a coup and implemented a
series of oppressive policies including reducing all women essentially to the
status of slaves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">The main character in the book is a woman named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Offred</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two parts of her
name says it all: “Of” and “Fred”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was the sex slave – or “handmaid” – of a man named Fred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was the handmaid of Fred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All she was known as was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Offred</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">I first read <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Handmaid’s Tale</i></b> during one of my
early Tasmanian ministries in the 1980s, in a rural community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this community, many people persisted in
referring to a married woman by her husband’s first name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A married woman in that community was frequently
called Mrs. Ed Smith, even by people who knew her name was Betty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t only in formal settings where such
language could be expected, but even in some casual settings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People would say to one another, “I was
talking to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mrs. Ed</i> this morning”, as
if it was the most normal thing in the world to say … in the 1980s! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I don’t think it happens there now, thankfully.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Think of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Offred</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mrs. Ed </i>as we hear of the time when
Jesus met Bartimaeus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark tells us that
Bartimaeus was the son of Timaeus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s true. but possibly a bit redundant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bartimaeus</i>
means “Son of Timaeus”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mark refers
to “Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus”, he was literally saying the same thing
twice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">In Aramaic, “bar” in front of a name means “son of”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sort of thing goes on in other
middle-eastern languages, with “ben” in Hebrew and “ibn” in Arabic also meaning
“son of”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">This also happens in other language groups as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who have a Celtic surname such as
MacArthur, or O’Brien, or Williams, or Pendennis, your surname began in terms
of one of your ancestors being identified – somewhat like Bartimaeus was – as the
son of Arthur, or Brian, or William, or Dennis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Here in Tasmania, there was a similar language thing going on,
particularly among rural communities and working-class communities, until
fairly recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A child or a teenager
was frequently called “the boy of
Kellys” or “the girl of Smiths”, rather than Tom Kelly or Jane Smith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If an adult was still called “the boy of Kellys”
or “the girl of Smiths”, it was a sign that the community held fairly low
expectations of him or her, and was fairly open about its low expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">This sounds cruel, but anyone who’s ever lived in a country town or
a working-class suburb knows that both settings can be cruel places for those
who don’t really “fit in”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say this from
my own experience as someone who grew up in a working-class suburb and who’s
been a minister both in country towns and in working-class suburbs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, Bartimaeus was an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fact that he was still called, in effect, “the boy of Timaeus’s” may
have indicated a similar set of low expectations on the part of his
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may have merely been
because of his blindness, or it could have been for other reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Jesus met Bartimaeus on </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Bartimaeus’s
own terms, not on the terms of some stereotyped “</span><span lang="EN-GB">boy of
Timaeus’s”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He treated Bartimaeus as a
person of value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has made all the
difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus calls us, as people
who seek to follow him, to do the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">This, then, is good news, not only for the boy of Timaeus’s, but
also for the boy of Kellys, … the girl of Smiths, … Offred, … and Mrs. Ed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s good news for you and for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-33838117264086353772018-08-28T17:58:00.000+10:002018-08-28T17:58:46.798+10:00The Letter of James: the most underrated book in the New Testament (a sermon)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have
works? Can faith save you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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? <sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></sup>So
faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.</span></span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But
someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart
from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. …</span></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For
just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also
dead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(James
2: 14-18, 26, NRSV)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Today, as the
lectionary begins a series of five Sundays when one of the readings is from the
Letter of James, my talk is on the topic “the Letter of James: the most
underrated book in the New Testament”.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">There are
three important Jameses in the New Testament.</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The
first is James the son of Zebedee, and the brother of John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was one of the Twelve disciples, and part
of a group of three (along with his brother John and with Peter) whom Jesus
spent time with when he needed to relate to a smaller group of disciples than
the Twelve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This James became a martyr
early in the book of Acts.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">There’s
another James, known as James the Less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He’s the patron saint of peop<span lang="EN-US">le with low self-esteem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also one of the Twelve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Then
there is the James known as James the Brother of the Lord, or James of
Jerusalem, or James the Just.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early
Christian writers assume that this James wrote the Letter of James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the brother of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For at least part of Jesus’ public life,
James thought his brother had gone bonkers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the Book of Acts, however, James emerged as a significant leader in
the Christian Church, particularly in the congregation at Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He engaged in major theological debates with
Paul, of which we see evidence in the Book of Acts, in Paul’s letters, and in
the Letter of James.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">This letter was
often a controversial addition to the New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 16<sup>th</sup> century reformer Martin
Luther called it an “epistle of straw” and doubted that it really belonged in
the New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways, this
was because of Luther’s dependence in his own beliefs on the ideas of Paul and
Luther’s reluctance to give much credence to any ideas that seemed to be in
conflict with those of Paul, even if hey were found in the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a while there
was a theory that the Letter of James was based on a pre-Christian Jewish
document, with a little bit of Christian language added in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This theory is no longer really given wide
acceptance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">The view now is that the
Letter of James was the product of the early Jewish-Christian community in the
first century of the Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
reflects a Jewish style of spirituality and a very practical Jewish approach to
personal and social ethics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
presupposes a knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, it does not give any attention to Jewish
ritual practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this points to
an origin in a Jewish-Christian community rather than among either
non-Christian Jews or among Gentile Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">At the time it
was written, the small Jewish-Christian communities within which, and for
which, the letter was written were already very vulnerable, under pressure from
two sides.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On one side, they were under pressure from the fact
that, in the years after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, the
Jewish faith was redefining its beliefs and practices with greater precision,
so that it was able to survive and thrive without a Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, the Jewish faith was
redefining itself in a way that did not include within the faith those who
affirmed Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Similarly, following the success of the mission led
by Paul to the Gentiles of Europe, Christianity was becoming far less a
movement within Judaism and increasingly a Gentile religion appealing to the
Greek and Latin speaking communities of the <st1:place w:st="on">Roman Empire</st1:place>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There was the beginning of the parting of the ways
between the Christian and Jewish faiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, at some points, this parting of the ways was bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see this bitterness particularly in some
of the language of the Gospel of John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition to becoming a Gentile religion, Christianity was tragically
allowing an anti-Judaic perversion of its faith to develop.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The small Jewish
Christian communities by whom and for whom the Letter of James was written saw
themselves both as good Jews and as good Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did not want to participate in the
parting of the ways, but it was forced upon them from both sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the rather improbable survival
of this letter is a gift of God’s grace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">This letter
in many ways represents James’s side of the robust theological argument he had
with Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very important to note
that the same New Testament contains both sides of the argument between Paul
and James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as Christians today have
real diversity in our beliefs and our spiritualities, a similar diversity was
present among the earliest generation of Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that this diversity is found in the
New Testament itself tells us that this diversity is a good and healthy thing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">In many
ways, when Paul and James argued the toss with each other about the
relationship between faith and works, they may not have really been listening
to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event they had
very different definitions both of “faith” and of “works”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">When Paul
spoke about faith, he was referring to a bedrock trust in the love, grace, and
generosity of the Living God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James
tended to use the word “faith”, not in Paul’s terms, but in terms of a list of
beliefs, a lifeless and loveless orthodoxy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Do you believe in this … and this … and this … and this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so you’re OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It not, you’re in trouble … eternal trouble.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it made perfect sense, then, for Paul to
place greater value on faith in the life of the people of God than James did,
as he had a much more positive and healthy definition of “faith” than
James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Similarly,
though, when James spoke about works, he referred to actions in our lives which
reflected the love of God to others in a very practical way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul used the word “works” to speak of the
sort of religious “busy-work” that can be found in the life of any religious
community, including Christianity (and, yes, including the Uniting Church, and
including each of our three parent denominations).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it made perfect sense, then, for James to
place greater value on works in the life of the people of God than Paul did, as
he had a much more positive and healthy definition of “works” than Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">The problem
was that the two of them were not really listening to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">The good
news is that both James the practical Christian disciple and Paul the visionary
Christian mystic had their writings included in the same New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we had the writings of either of them, but
not both, our faith would be much poorer and much less balanced.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">But there’s
a big downside to James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He saw
Christianity essentially as a branch of Judaism and was very apprehensive about
the outreach to the Gentile world in which Paul was engaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had James’ view prevailed, both Christianty
and Judaism would have been much the poorer for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was tragic that the parting of the ways
between Judaism and Christianity was as bitter as it was (and, historically,
the vast bulk of the blame for this bitterness must be laid squarely on
Christian shoulders).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, it
was essential for the positive future of both faiths that they became
independent of each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">The
following centuries were a highly creative time for both faiths:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Christianity
developed its understanding about the nature of the Incarnate Christ, both
fully divine and fully human, and about the nature of God as Trinity.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Judaism
developed its understanding about how the community would live and worship
without a Temple or a sacrificial system; a faith with an emphasis on study, on
lifestyle, and on ethics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">These
creative tasks would have been much harder for both faiths if James had his way
and Christianity remained a branch of Judaism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Still,
James the brother of the Lord … James of Jerusalem … James the Just … is
regarded as a saint of the Christian Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This shows us the great and liberating good news that God doesn’t
require us to be right all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I believe that
the Letter of James is the most underrated book in the New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our lessons over the next few weeks, we’ll
continue to have an opportunity to hear some of James’ perspective on the
practicalities of Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometime, please take the opportunity to read all of this short letter
in one sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take you less
than half-an-hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will open your
horizons to the practicality of a significant mind within the life of the early
Christian church<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 14.15pt 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say
you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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? <sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></sup>So faith by itself, if it has no works,
is dead.</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 14.15pt 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But someone will say, “You have faith and I have
works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show
you my faith. …</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 14.15pt 6pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without works is also dead. </span></i></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"></span> </i></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-52822840804876835522018-08-07T18:30:00.002+10:002018-08-07T18:30:45.972+10:00A welcome to the 25-millionth Australian<span style="font-size: large;">On the TV news a few minutes ago, they said something about your arrival later this evening, probably around 11:00 p.m. or so. They're not sure yet if you're a newborn baby or a newly-arrived immigrant. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In any event, to use an all-purpose Australian greeting, "G'day!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're a baby, I don't know whether you're:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Tarquin or Charlotte from Toorak (or whatever happens to be your state's Toorak), or</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Will-yum or Maree-uh from Gagebrook (or whatever happens to be your state's Gagebrook).</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're an immigrant, I don't know whether you're:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Maeve from Ireland,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmed from Bangladesh,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Hosea from Tonga, or</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Mercy from South Sudan.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">But, in any event, welcome. It's great to have you around.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're new in this country, like Maeve or Mercy, let me tell you that most people in this country are pretty decent. I've lived in this country since 1980 and I'll let you know that there will be a few people who'll try to give you a hard time because of your accent, or because of the colour of your skin, or because of your religion. Don't judge the rest of us on the basis of a few idiots (even when they happen to be idiots who sit in Parliament or read the news on TV). Most of us will agree with you that these "professional bigots" are not the driest wine in the cellar, or the spiciest curry on the menu; and that they're a few elephants short of a zoo, a few salamis short of a deli, and a few tenors short of a choir. (By the way, in case you haven't realised, I've just introduced you to some useful Australian idioms.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And that goes just as well for you if, like Tarquin or Will-yum, you're not only new in this country but new in this world. Most people are pretty decent.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Having lived in this world since 1953, I'll tell you that a big part of growing up is learning which people are worthy of your trust and which ones are not. Get that one right, and the rest becomes a lot easier.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, Ahmed (or is that Maree-uh), thinking both about your life in this country and your life on this planet, may I share with you that great Australian greeting: "Have a good one."</span>Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-18577246430875360042018-07-22T13:40:00.000+10:002018-07-22T13:40:09.504+10:00Child safety talk
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><em>For the past few weeks, I was working part-time for my Presbytery, contacting some congregations on child safety-related issues while the relevant staff member was taking some leave. For those interested, here's a sample of my talk to the congregations.</em></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">***</span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for the opportunity to speak about
child safety here with your congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Earlier this year, I began serving as the
Child Safety Contact Person for the [xxx] and [xxx] congregations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More recently, I’ve been
asked to contact a number of other congregations about this
issue on behalf of the Presbytery while [xxx] is on
leave.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m sure each one of you (like me) is
horrified (and – to use language I would have used in my student days - absolutely "grossed out")
at the fact that some adults sexually abuse children and adolescents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m sure that each one of you (like me) is
offended at the fact that some of these people use churches and other faith
communities as settings where they locate and groom potential victims.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m sure that each one of you (like me) wants
to get our response to this issue right, and to get it right the first time, so
we don’t get bogged down in some of the bizarre responses to this issue by
churches we sometimes see reported in the media, particularly recently, including here
in Tasmania.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Different churches found their problems of
child abuse taking shape in different ways, according to the culture of each
denomination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And I don’t particularly
want to waste your time commenting on the problems of other denominations.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The vulnerable point for us, in our Uniting
Church setting, is found in the fact that, up until the mid-‘70s, our three
parent churches had absolutely brilliant programmes for children, adolescents, and young
adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These programmes died out for
demographic reasons outside our control (which I won’t go into now). … It’s really <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i></b>our
fault. … But most of us still feel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really, really guilty</i></b> about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, when someone comes along and says, “I
just <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i></b>
working with kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I’m <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just
a big kid myself</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll do your
children’s ministry for you, I'll do it from scratch if necessary, and I can do it by myself, without anyone else's help,”: our response has
often not been to check the dude out and see if he’s kosher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, we just say to ourselves, “Oh, isn’t
he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lovely</i>???”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">If you don't remember anything else I say this morning, remember this: </span>If someone shows a “king of the kids”
mentality when working (or seeking to work) with young people in a church, our alarm bells need to
go off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">People who try to groom potential abuse
victims are really trying to groom three groups of people:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">They’re trying to convince the child or young
person to think, “Here’s an adult who really understands me … more than my
teachers, … more than my parents, ... definitely more than that joker in the pulpit.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">They’re trying to convince the parents to
think, “Here’s someone who is on my side as I try to raise this child.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">They’re trying to convince the church or
other organisation where they’re grooming their victims that they’re really an
asset, and that anyone who’s raising uncomfortable questions about them has lost the plot
(and probably has a seriously dirty mind on top of it all).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where do we go from here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">An important first step is to adopt the Uniting Church's Code
of Conduct for child safety. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">An important next step is to appoint a
Contact Person for Child Safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">A few more things need to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Firstly, we need to make key people aware of
what needs to happen in the rare (and let me emphasise this, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>very</u></i></b>
rare) circumstance of a complaint or a potential complaint.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Secondly, we need to promote the Working With
Children cards among all those working with kids and all those who are up front
whenever children are present in worship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the subject of the Working With Children
cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">You do
have to fill out an application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can
be an involved process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But help with
the application process is available if you want help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is
a cost involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It’s cheaper for
volunteers than for people working with kids in their “day jobs”.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, you shouldn’t have to pay it
yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re reluctant to ask the
congregation to pick up the tab (and morally I believe the congregation <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i></b>
pick it up), there is some Presbytery money set aside for children’s ministry
than can cover it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There will be a training session for key
members of congregations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
session in our area is on [xxx] at [xxx].</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In all this, we have three types of
congregations:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are those with
larger numbers of kids, where the programme for them is fairly organised and formalised.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are those with fewer kids, where the
programme for them is smaller and more casual.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: left; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are those where the
only times children are present are for special occasions such as a Christmas carol service, or when a child is
visiting grandparents for the school holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In each case, though, the Uniting Church is
committed to the safety of each of these kids, however often or however rarely they
show up, and however organised or however casual the programme offered for
them.</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-76596554922662445882018-07-11T18:49:00.001+10:002018-07-11T18:49:50.103+10:00“How many are out now?”
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“How many are out now?”</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">For most of us, over the past few days, when that
simple question was asked, no further clarification was needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">“How many are out now?” referred to the twelve boys of
the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach, trapped underground in a cave near
Chiang Rai, Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">There was a loud collective gasp of relief which
seemed to be heard around the globe as the last of the Wild Boars were out of
the cave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Well done to all the Thai and international
participants in the rescue efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">There were moments of tragedy in the rescue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A volunteer diver (a former Thai Navy SEAL)
died in the process of trying to assist the boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Australian doctor who cared for the team
after they were found in the cave learned soon after getting out of the cave
about his father’s death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Nevertheless, there was a strong affirmation of our
shared humanity in this whole experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">People of widely differing faiths prayed for the same
group of kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same God heard the
various prayers, whatever the faiths of those praying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">It was a point of interest that the boys in the Wild
Boars team included some stateless refugee children from the country known as
Myanmar by its government (and as Burma still by many of its people).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an interesting idea:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giving refugee children the opportunity to
play soccer and to explore caves (even with the risks involved) sounds like a
much better idea than locking them up to demonstrate just how hairy-chested the
politicians can be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, how many are out now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">All thirteen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">You little beauty!!!</span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-6114521648157769952018-07-01T19:14:00.000+10:002018-07-01T19:18:14.121+10:00Book Review: A Genuinely Theological Church<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em>Here's a book review that I wrote for the July issue of <strong>Crosslight</strong>. Now that the paper has been distributed, here it is on my blog as well.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em></em></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">*** </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Geoff Thompson, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Genuinely Theological Church:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ministry,
theology and the Uniting Church</i></b>, Reservoir:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uniting Academic Press, 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">reviewed by Bob
Faser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I hope you didn’t
groan when you saw the title of Geoff Thompson’s book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Genuinely Theological Church</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m afraid that “theology” has become a bit
of a “dirty word” in some sections of the Uniting Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In some UCA
circles, whenever the “T-word” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theology</i>)
is mentioned, it’s common to see many people looking rather tense, as if they assume
an all-in brawl will soon follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thinking of the theological brawls our church has experienced over the
decades since Union, particularly over “the Four Bs” (Baptism, Bishops,
Biblical Interpretation, and Bedroom Ethics), this tension is understandable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">At the very least,
Dr. Thompson has given us a book with a provocative title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This book has had
its genesis in some recent changes in the education, training, and formation
for the UCA’s specified ministries (ordained and otherwise), to the extent
where some Synods are now operating according to significantly different models
of ministry formation than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
examining this situation, Dr. Thompson has broken two persistent taboos within
the UCA that have long needed to be broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
first is the taboo against admitting that the ethos of the UCA varies according
to the region of Australia in which we happen to be located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
second is the taboo against admitting that whichever of the UCA’s parent
churches with which we identify (if any) still has a profound impact on our
understanding of the UCA (and of the Christian faith more generally).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">By breaking both
of these taboos, Geoff Thompson has done us all a service.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dr. Thompson
continues with an exploration of the theological vocation of the UCA in a
cultural context he describes as “post-secular”, “post-liberal”, “post-colonial”,
and (drawing on contemporary politics) “post-truth”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He concludes with a consideration of ministry
education in a “post-Christendom” age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is a brief
book, but an important one.</span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-49869516342701796242018-06-30T18:33:00.000+10:002018-06-30T18:33:28.867+10:00“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”: a sermon (Mark 5:21-43)
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">My talk is at least partly based on a quote that’s sometimes
attributed to a former Beatle, the late John Lennon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Life is what happens when you’re busy making
other plans.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Actually, he wasn’t the
first person to say it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The quote was
around for a few years before that, but Lennon used the quote in his song “Beautiful
Boy”, celebrating the birth of one of his sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But even though someone else said it first, almost everyone now attributes
the quote to John Lennon.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, whoever said it first, it’s a good quote: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Life is what happens when you’re busy making
other plans.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll get back to it in a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Our gospel lesson tells us about a time
when Jesus was interrupted in the middle of doing something important – to do
something else which was equally important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus was asked by a man named Jairus to
see his daughter, who was ill and on the point of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus agreed and went with Jairus to his home
to see the little girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, there’s one interesting thing about
Jairus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark describes Jairus as being
either one of the “leaders of the synagogue” or one of the “rulers of the
synagogue”, depending on the translation you’re using.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the original Greek, the word used for
Jairus and his colleagues was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">archisynagogus</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">To be an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">archisynagogus</i>, didn’t mean that Jairus was a rabbi or anything
like that, but a lay member of the congregation with a lot of responsibilities
around the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">It may have been that no one else could be
bothered doing anything, so “Good ol’ Jairus’ll do it”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt 35.7pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -17.85pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Or it may have been that Jairus really
liked being the bloke in charge of things and didn’t want to share the
responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Mark doesn’t really tell us, but the tone
in which he tells the story gives the feeling that Jairus was a decent bloke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And that’s the thing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">archisynagoguses:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>ministers tend to complain and joke about
the bad ones (I know I do!), but many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">archisynagoguses</i>
are good people, like Jairus.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, from my almost 39 years of experience
in ministry, I know that one of the keys for a minister to survive in ministry
is how the minister relates to the Jairuses and the other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">archisynagoguses </i>in the congregations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, Jesus, and Jairus, and the disciples
were on their way to Jairus’s house to check out how the little girl was doing
when … something else happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman suffering
from a debilitating gynaecological ailment decides that all she needed to do
was to touch Jesus’s clothing and she’d be healthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">That’s what she did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Voila!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s what happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus has a bit of a conversation with the
lady and then it’s back on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">By the time they get to Chez Jairus, the
child had died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it’s touch-and-go
for a while, Jesus does his thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
the end of the story, the kid was alive, awake, healthy, and eating lunch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Meanwhile, the lady whom Jesus encountered
on the road was starting to get on with her life again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">And, as we’re reminded in the song, “Life
is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2350211073017972998.post-83293799859494892302018-06-22T18:46:00.001+10:002018-06-22T18:46:23.494+10:00"Is anybody there? Does anybody care?": a sermon (Mark 4:35-41)
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I don’t
know if anyone else here is familiar with the musical <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1776</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a history tragic, I particularly enjoy
it, as I’ve enjoyed it ever since I saw it on stage in New York City when I was
in high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The musical is based on
the political wheeling-and-dealing leading up to the United States Declaration
of Independence in the year 1776 (and thus the title).<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of
the great musical and dramatic moments of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1776</i></b>, is a scene at a time when all
the various political issues and all the wheeling-and-dealing are up in the
air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The musical’s central character
John Adams is alone on stage and he poses the question (to his
fellow-politicians, to his fellow-citizens, to future generations, to God, and
to anyone who would listen) “Is anybody there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does anybody care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">For any
person of faith, whatever the faith, this pair of questions is the central
religious question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Is anybody
there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody care?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the
two questions go hand-in-hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though the writer Kurt Vonnegut once had a character in one of his novels who
was the founder of a religious sect called The Church of the Utterly
Indifferent God, very few people would want to worship a god whom they believed
was “utterly indifferent”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Therefore,
in today’s Gospel lesson, when the disciples woke Jesus up, during a wild storm
on the lake while they were all in a small fishing boat, and they said,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”, they were asking Jesus the single
most profound religious question of all:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Don’t you care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Is
anybody there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In many
ways, the second part of the question is the primary question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe a god who doesn’t care is worse
than no god at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There would be very
few people wanting to sign up to become part of The Church of the Utterly
Indifferent God, … and rightly so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Is
anybody there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">At one
extreme of the faith spectrum are those who worship a god so remote as to be
totally removed from the concerns of our human life in any shape or form, a god
who is completed uninterested in the welfare of people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">At the
other extreme of the faith spectrum are those who worship a god who’s a bit of
a bully, a god who will send people off to be fuel for an eternal BBQ just for
getting their theology wrong (just as some politicians will deliberately
mistreat vulnerable people to get cheap votes from the underbelly of the
electorate).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">In each
of these images of God, is a sense of an “Utterly Indifferent” god who, when
asked “Don’t you care?”, will blithely answer “Not really.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">For
many people out there in our wider community, the prevalence of these two images
of God is a principal reason for their disbelief in any god, in any form.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Is anybody there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
major faiths worship the God who cares about human well-being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Christians in particular, we worship a
Jesus-shaped God, God who took human form to demonstrate the divine compassion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Is
anybody there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody care?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
answer of the Gospel is “Yes!</span></span></div>
Bob Faserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09121069030405858127noreply@blogger.com0