Advent 1: Being Prepared, Knowing Hope

“Be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour”

The whole problem with this is that we don’t know when it will be, so how can we be ready?  When I was a teenager my friends were a little older than me, so they were driving before I was. Whenever anyone was coming to pick me up, Dad would make sure I was ready early, because you shouldn’t keep people waiting. J

It was about always being ready.

It may surprise some of you to know that I was a Girl Guide, and the motto is ‘Be Prepared’.   Going out for a walk would mean a backpack, water, food, money, first aid kit etc. you can imagine the amount of stuff that was packed for a camping trip.

Somehow I don’t think Matthew was meaning ‘be prepared’ by carrying a compass, Swiss army knife, matches, map, ……

What might it mean, in the gospel sense, to Be Prepared?

Much of life just happens, we can’t prepare for every eventuality. In the past few weeks we have heard of typhoons  and storms, and at 10.25pm pm Friday evening, Scottish time, a Police helicopter fell on a pub in Glasgow. When you go to the pub, or out for Dinner, do you plan what you will do if a police helicopter crashes into the building? Of course not, it happens so rarely.

I suspect Being Prepared is about knowing who we are in Christ, more than having a map and compass. Being prepared is living in the way of Christ.

…

Our verse in the candle song today, was ‘Hope is a light to show the way’ .

What does it mean to be a light, to offer hope?

Some of the people I meet do not have hope, and cannot imagine any future different to the one they are living in. I recently met a young man who was living on the street, a few people had befriended him, and they asked for my help in finding a place for him to live. He wouldn’t take our help, he has tried all the government departments, knows what is available and knows he can’t afford even the cheapest rents on unemployment benefits. Department of Housing has a crisis accommodation program, for people like this young man. But, it is one night at a time, and each morning you back up all your belongings, go to the office again, and get another docket for another nights accommodation – not simple when you don’t have transport, and you may not be in the same place as last night, so all your belongings go with you.

After 2-3 weeks, you may be eligible for assistance with private rental bond etc.

No-one plans to be living on the streets.

…..

In the passage from Isaiah, we hear of a different world to what people were experiencing.

This first part of Isaiah, is about God’s judgement on the people of Israel, about how the land will be desolate, the people in exile, yet interspersed, there are some passages of hope. Jerusalem was the site of many battles, and was overrun by other nations. The Israelites saw this as punishment from God. The five verses we heard today are one of these passages of hope, promises of God, hope for a future.

A future that will be different to their daily experience.

Imagine if the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, were told that their future would be one without war – how easy would it be to believe that sometime in the future, fear and violence would not be part of daily life?

….

 

Each week during Advent, I will have a symbol for you to take home. today it is a gold bauble for you to hang on your tree, or around the home somewhere:

 

I want you to think about:

What is my experience of God’s hope in the world today?

 

When you look at the bauble, I want to think about God’s hope in your life.

…

Last Saturday I went into Circular Quay, to the Give Hope gathering. There we saw the banner created from over 250 patches from around the Synod. we worshipped, we prayed and we sang.

Here is a clip of the event. [show YouTube clip 1.5 minutes  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G90wQNlaykw&feature=youtu.be ]

 

In what ways might we offer hope to those who are without hope?

Resurrection Life

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 Luke 20:27-38

Some background:

The question in this passage revolves around levirate marriage: Levirate marriage, as this system was called, was to enable children to be born to the dead husband, in order to continue the family line.  In an era where a woman would be destitute without a male – father, brother, husband or son – it meant the family of her husband would look after her. All this is theoretical, we don’t know if it actually happened. But the fact that the Sadducees use this as an example means people would have understood what they were talking about.

Some people, particularly politicians like to demand a return to traditional or Biblical family values.  

Next time someone mentions Biblical family values, think about what that might mean – a woman being handed to her brother in law when her husband dies; or the story of Leah and Rachel, and Jacob. Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel, and Laban tricked him into marrying Leah, so he gets to marry Rachel as well, and works for another 7 years.

I admit I find it difficult to see anything positive about returning to Biblical family values.  Most of what we read in the Bible has women being treated as a commodity; marriage was about family alliances and maintaining the family line.

….

Once again, Jesus is discussing Torah, or law. We see this happen quite often in Luke’s gospel. A question, like this one, set to trap Jesus. Often Jesus answers with another question, or with a parable. But this time is different. For starters Jesus is talking with Sadducees rather than Pharisees – two different religious groups. The Sadducees only recognised the first 5 books, the books of Moses, as scripture; the Pharisees included the prophets and psalms as well as the 5 books of Moses. These groups were not on friendly terms, but they united against the common enemy Jesus.

One of the theological differences is in their understanding of resurrection – the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, as it is not in the Pentateuch; the Pharisees do believe in resurrection of the dead. While the Sadducees were Jesus, some Jews and some Christians did not accept them as Jews, such was the importance of the resurrection.  

This also led to differences in understanding about justice: Sadducees, with no resurrection, thought God’s covenant would be worked out here on earth; the Pharisees thought God could, and would, enact justice and keep the covenant beyond this earthly life. During the Roman occupation the idea of justice in the afterlife was a comfort, as it is for many people living under oppression today.

Often Jesus would answer with a question, but here, not a question, or even a parable, but teaching. Teaching about the nature of resurrection life.

If I asked each of you what you thought of when I said the word resurrection, my guess is there would be a variety of answers. This is not about the resurrection of Jesus.  In the apostles creed we say:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

What do we mean by resurrection of the body, or resurrection of the dead?

Jesus covers a few areas in his response:

The first thing to note is that Jesus does not deny the validity resurrection theology,  he doesn’t say don’t be a fool, this is the only life you have. In fact his answer assumes that resurrection is real.

Secondly – resurrection life is substantially different to this life – in resurrection life relationships will be different, the systems and structures of society will not exist. Marriage will not exist, treating people as property will no longer happen. Resurrection life is nothing like our current existence. Resurrection life is completely new, it is not a continuation of our current life.

Thirdly – resurrection life is about life, not death.

“Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." [Luke 20: 38]

Jesus uses an argument from Moses, because the Sadducees only accepted the first 5 books, that is the books of Moses.  In Exodus chapter three we read of Moses’ experience of the burning bush and God speaking to Moses. Moses heard God speaking to him, and saying: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”  Notice it is not ‘was  the God of your father’  etc., but is – present tense, which infers that in some sense Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are living; therefore resurrection is real.

This leads to another topic – will we recognise family and friends in resurrection life? Jesus doesn’t deal specifically with this question, but from his quoting of Moses experience, it would seem that in resurrection life, we will be in relationship with God, and likely with each other. For me, this reading reminds me that my primary identity and relationship will be with God, this does not mean other relationships will not exist, but I like to think we will see each other as God sees us.

Resurrection is not the same as being immortal, we do actually die. There is no suggestion that we hover around like ghosts. We die, and we live with God in a new relationship.

None of us has experienced resurrection life, and while there are several passages of scripture which touch on this topic, none gives a clear and definitive answer to all our questions. If you have any questions or concerns from any of what I have said, please make a time for me to meet with you, to hear your concerns.  

“God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." [Luke 20: 38]

[thanks to Richard Swanson and David Lose of Working Preacher for many of these ideas]

being seen by Jesus

Imagine making a movie of the gospel story we have heard this morning. Who might play Jesus??? Danny de Vito could play Zaccheus,  just imagine him in long flowing robes running, and climbing a tree. [picture] a sycamore tree.

People of high status did not run,  in the story of the prodigal son, the father ran to meet the retuning younger son, here we have Zaccheus running to get  ahead of Jesus, and looking for a vantage point. Both men were acting inappropriately for their status.   Today we might suggest they act their age!

 

What would you do to see  Jesus?

There were obstacles for Zaccheus, he was not able to see Jesus because of the crowd, and the crowd was not letting him in front to see better.  

What are the obstacles that make it hard for you to see Jesus? to recognise Jesus as you go about your daily tasks? Is it workload? Responsibilities? Tiredness? Preoccupation?  Or is that you don’t expect Jesus to be part of your day?

What do you need to do to be able to see Jesus?  Zac climbed a tree. What do you need to do, to be able to see Jesus?

Zac was transformed by his time with Jesus.

This is a story about seeing and being seen. Zac was wanting to see Jesus, to catch a glimpse of the travelling teacher, and Jesus saw Zac. Jesus saw Zaccheus as a person, as a child of God.  

No matter how other people see you, or how you see yourself, Jesus sees you as precious, as lovable, Jesus wants to eat  with you, and spend time with you. whatever image you try and project to people around you, whatever mask you wear, Jesus sees you for who you are, a precious child of God.

In the passage form Ephesians, we heard  “You’ll certainly be a shining testimony to God’s glory then!” 

Friday was All Saints Day, that means remembering those who have died, it also means remembering that we are each saints, that we are joined with all of God’s people, and all of creation, past, present and future. All Saints is one of those days when I can feel really tiny, a tiny speck within time and space.

But All Saints is also a reminder that each one of us is a saint, not because of anything spectacular that we have done, but because we are part of the people of God.

“I once worked with a pastor who made it practice in worship after baptisms (infant baptism was the norm in this congregation) to walk down the aisle holding the child and introducing him or her to the people with the title “saint” before the baptized’s name. It was a little jarring to hear “saint” applied to the name of a baby but this pastor was on to something. In Paul’s understanding the title “saint” belongs to those who have been united with Christ. He routinely calls the members of his churches “saints” (Ephesians 1:1 and 1:15) because of who they are in Christ and not because of what they have accomplished.

…Our designation as saints comes from our rich inheritance of Christ’s righteousness” [Mark Tranvik working preacher]

We are saints, saint.. and .. and …. . [name some people]

We are saints, our lives a testimony of God’s grace, forgiveness and love

In what way is your life a testimony, a witness, to God’s grace, welcome, …..