Induction: abundant life

Thank you for inviting me to be part of this service this afternoon.

It is a privilege to be here today, to celebrate with Rev Sue Scott and the Kincumber Congregation, this formal commitment to being in ministry together, even though you have been in ministry together for some time now. 

One of my favourite phrases from the New testament is in our reading this afternoon. John 10:10

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Or from the Living Bible
My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. [TLB]

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

Amidst a world of violence and theft and terror and destruction, we hear a message of abundant life.

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

If that is the purpose of Jesus, is it not also our purpose?

In the reading from John’s gospel, Jesus compares himself to the gate keeper, and the gate; both keep the sheep safe from predators and thieves.

I know the term gatekeeper tends to have a negative connotation in many churches. I hope this congregation doesn’t have those kind of gatekeepers, you know, one or two people who keep a tight hold on everything that happens, such as who has access to buildings, keys, and nothing happens without their say so, even if they are not in a formal leadership role.

Jesus wasn’t keeping people out, or locking them in. In the analogy, Jesus was the one who kept the sheep safe from thieves and bandits.

I think of Jesus as the Lollipop person at the school crossing, making sure the children, and adults, get across the road safely.

Friday mornings for me is Playgroup, and we have volunteers who open doors for people to come and go, but we keep the door closed to ensure little ones only leave with a parent or caregiver.

A different kind of gatekeeper, one who enables and welcomes, one who offers assistance that allows people to take up opportunities for friendship and support. People who welcome, hold a crying baby, or makes a cup of tea.

That is how I see Jesus the gatekeeper, not building a prison to keep some in and everyone else out, but a gatekeeper who offers us more than we can imagine.

..

When I hear about people being saved, or salvation, generally it is about salvation from sin, or guilt, or the eternal repercussions of sin. But I wonder if salvation is about more than that.

Salvation as forgiveness of sin is wonderful, but Jesus offers us more than that, much more.  Jesus doesn’t just erase our failures. In Jesus we are offered life, abundant, overflowing life.

Not survival,
not mere existence
but flourishing, thriving, joy-filled life.

I wonder what that life looks like for you?

I wonder what abundant life looks like not only for you, but for all people.

Turning to Isaiah for a few moments:

 “Come,
    let’s climb God’s Mountain,
    go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He’ll show us the way he works
    so we can live the way we’re made.” [msg]

We are made in the image of God, part of worship is reminding us that we are made in the image of God; and offering support and encouragement to live the way we are made, in God’s image, with abundant life.

But, there’s more! 😊

We aren’t offered abundant life, this amazing gift, just for ourselves. As we live out the life God has given us, we live in ways, we offer ministry in ways, that offers that life to all people.

When the people worship,

they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
    and their spears into pruning-hooks;

Or
They will turn weapons into welcome signs
    and bombs into tools and toys. [laughing bird]

In what ways does your life together break down barriers, hostilities;

In what ways does your life together change words that break people into words that build up;

In what ways does your life together offer hope and peace and joy to people in your local community?

Now I know someone will tell me that you are too old or too small a congregation or too … too something; and it is impossible for you to do anything.

If you truly believe that, if you truly believe that it is impossible for you as a congregation to offer love and grace in the local community; I ask you not to waste my friend’s time. Sue is ordained into the Ministry of Deacon, she has passion and gifts in community development, and a love for the people on the margins.

As Sue is inducted this afternoon,
I remind you that she is not your servant,
at times you will not like what she preaches,
at times you will be disappointed

Sue, as with all of you, is a servant of Jesus.

As servants of Jesus,

as people of God,

the body of Christ,

people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells,

may you always work for the coming kingdom,

where weapons become welcome signs

where words build up

where actions invite

where we live out the words of Jesus:

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

May God continue to bless this congregation and Rev Sue Scott, as together you live the abundant life, and serve in ways that enhances the lives of people in this community. 

Be Ready for Hope

“Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.”

The whole problem with this is that we don’t know when it will be, so how can we be 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, phone 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?

The disciples were waiting for the return of Jesus. They had expected that he would have returned by the time Matthew was writing this gospel, thought to be just after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD/CE. The disciples were wondering if Jesus would ever return.

“Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.”

During Advent we think about the coming of Jesus for the first time, as a baby many centuries ago, and also the time when the Jesus will return, when the kingdom of God will be completed.

When I was a young adult, there was lots of talk about the second coming of Jesus. I don’t know if that is a young adult thing, or something that was common in the late seventies and early eighties.

For a while I kept hoping the second coming would arrive before my next assignment was due or the next exam. J

We live in what has been called ‘the in-between time’. Jesus was another step in the coming of the kingdom of God. But we aren’t yet living in the fullness of the kingdom of God. The images of Old Testament prophets of the lion laying down with the lamb, of peace and health and wholeness for all people and the whole creation, are not yet reality.

We live in this in-between time, we live in the tension of knowing Jesus, but looking to a future where we more fully experience him.

We live in the tension of seeing glimpses of the kingdom of God, and the yearning for the kingdom to be fully experienced.

We live in the tension of being faithful, forgiven people and being aware of our own shortcomings and limitations.

I have a story for you:  it reminded me of the people of Israel, they needed constant reminders of what God had done in their lives, of how to live, of judgment, and images of hope in the form of the kingdom of God.

STORY : The Duck and the Darkling by Glenda Millard

This week we think about hope.

The Isaiah reading is dripping with Hope.

I wonder if we would hear this passage differently if we were living in a  war zone, or unable to feed our children.

This first 39 chapters of Isaiah are predominately about divine judgement; how the land will be desolate and 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 the passages of hope, promises of God, hope for a future.

A future that will be different to their current experience.

It can be easy to think that things will always be the way they are now, or that evil and violence and greed will become more powerful. That society will become meaner and more fractured.  But here in these wonderful verses from Isaiah, we have a picture of a future that is different, a future where we will no longer needs the means of war.

This was an agricultural society, so if you can turn your fighting implements into farming tools, life becomes about food and drink, not fear and death.

Many people have attempted to update these verses from Isaiah,

They will pound their swords
and their spears
    into rakes and shovels;

Some modern phrasing: 

 -They will turn weapons into welcome signs
........and bombs into tools and toys.
 - They'll turn their swords into shovels,
       their spears into hoes.
 - They shall turn their bombers into flying doctors,
        and their warships into food freighters;

As I was thinking about these passages I thought of the great speech by Martin Luther King Junior. [some excerpts] http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.”

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!”

“This is our hope, ..”

“With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

Advent is a time of waiting, not a time of idle waiting, but waiting with a purpose, with hope.

During advent we look for signs of hope in our midst. Where do you see signs of hope?

There are plenty of areas of concern, plenty of opportunities for despair:

• Climate change
• Political corruption
• Treatment of people with mental illness
• Terrorism
• Pollution
• Unemployment

Friday was White Ribbon Day, a national day for the prevention of violence against women. This year, White Ribbon Australia is asking men to stand up, speak out and act for the women in their lives, as violence against women is a man’s issue too.

One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by someone known to them, and on average, one woman is killed every week in Australia as a result of domestic violence. https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/2016/11/17/white-ribbon-day-2016/

We look for signs of hope, and we are also bearers of hope.

Just as the Peterboy found hope in Grandpapa’s stories, and looked for ways to brighten his grandfather’s eyes.

We too can look for signs of hope.

We too can bring hope.

There are two campaigns being run by the social justice group of the Synod at present:

·    Affordable housing campaign and

·    Give Hope campaign for people seeking asylum

          https://uniting.org/social-justice/causes-and-campaigns

Where do you see signs of hope?

Where do you bring hope?