Zechariah Benedictus

 For 9 months or so, Zechariah has not been able to speak, when he can speak Luke records it was to praise God.

I have lost my voice a number of times, one time I could not speak at all for about 2 weeks and was not allowed to preach for 3 weeks. Every time I wanted to say something, I had to write it down. Going shopping was a whole new experience, even a trip to the doctor meant writing a note for the receptionist.

When I was finally allowed to speak, I don’t remember singing about how wonderful God had been to me.  😊

Last week I told you about a time I was singing about how wonderful God was. Maybe it is to do with the presence of the Holy Spirit, rather than not being able to talk for a period of time.

Can you think of a time when praise just flowed out of you?

How did you feel?

Was it out of the blue, or in response to an event or situation?

..

Looking ahead to the second birth story in today’s reading, the birth of Jesus. Luke includes lots of details about what is happening in that time frame. Early church tradition placed Jesus birth during the reign of Herod, and the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem.^[i]  If you read the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, he has Mary and Joseph already in Bethlehem, no mention of the census or travel.

During the ministry of Jesus, from about age 30, it was apparent he was someone special. After the resurrection the gospel writers started putting together the stories they had heard from the disciples. Only two of the four gospels in our Bible include a birth narrative, and each is different in emphasis and details.

The important point in the birth narrative is that Jesus is born into the family of David, in the town of David, important markers of the coming Messiah.

Next Sunday we will consider the response to the birth of Jesus.

Today I want us to think about the song of Zechariah.

Notice Zechariah sings:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

He has come to save his people.

Our God has given us a mighty Saviour

from the family of David his servant.

Our God has given us a mighty Saviour – that seems to refer to Jesus who is not yet born. But like Mary singing the future into being, Zechariah sings of the Messiah who is not yet born, as if he is already there.

A sign of trust in the providence of God. God will save the people of Israel. For Luke this is not about an uprising against the Roman empire. Here the messiah has come to save people from their sins. Liberation is religious, not political in Luke’s gospel.

Zechariah knows his son is not the one who save Israel, but his son, John, is the one who will prepare the way, to call people to repentance. ^[ii]

The hymn that Zechariah sings connects the early Christians with the ongoing story of Israel. The history of Israel included liberation, exodus, a new beginning and exile. Israel was never without hope, because

they know that God's promises are true.^[iii]

The song of Zechariah also sees the birth of John and Jesus as part of a larger story, the ongoing story of the connection between God and Israel.

“Zechariah doesn't just sing about God's ancient faithfulness; he also sings of the new thing God is about to do, raising up "a mighty saviour" from the house of David. In fact, he sings as if God has already done this great thing.” ^[iv]

I wonder do you see your life as part of the grand sweeping story of God’s connection with people. Is God doing a new thing through you?

…

The final part of Zechariah’s hymn is

God’s love and kindness will shine upon us
like the sun that rises in the sky.
On us who live in the dark shadow of death
this light will shine to guide us into a life of peace.

What might the life of peace look like for you?

If we wait for there to be no wars, we will never be able to walk in the ways of peace.  What does it mean to walk in the way of peace?

” … the end of Zechariah's song … draws a picture of "a time of wholeness, well-being, security, happiness, and contentment that will extend to all people"^[v]

Maybe that is part of living in the way of peace.

“Zechariah sings of a salvation that is healing for the damage the world does because of sin and brokenness, because of greed and hatred and violence; he sings of a restoration of things to what they ought to be. When Zechariah sings of God's forgiveness, he isn't describing a legalistic transaction, a reward we earn by our deeds, but a movement of the heart, God's heart, toward us, even in our weakness and humanity. But he also sees in his son
the beauty of hope
and the promise of God's tender mercy,
and, most of all,
the promise of peace. “ ^[vi]

What can we do about living in the way of peace?

What we are doing today, gathering together, remembering and acknowledging that we too are children of God, children of the promise and God has not forgotten about us. we gather together as people of God hearing the story of God’s love, God’s presence, God’s constant yearning for the people of Israel, and for all humanity.

And we give thanks for those signs of the kingdom in our midst.

“ …we listen for the story again, we wait in the darkness together, we gather our strength, renew our courage, and feast upon the mercy of God so that we can go back out into the world and be light and love for those who, like us, long to find the way to the path of peace.”^[vii]

Your life is part of the great narrative of God’s story; our stories are intertwined with each other and with God. in each of our lives God is at work transforming, redeeming and blessing us, to be blessings for the world.

May you know, deep within you,

that you are God’s beloved child,
that you matter,
and that God desires your life to be filled
with hope
and peace
and joy.

we listen in the quiet, open to the Holy Spirit in our midst.

---

[i] Sacra Pagina, page 52

[ii] Sacra Pagina, page 48

[iii] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[iv] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[v] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[vi] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

[vii] https://www.ucc.org/weekly_seeds_prophets_of_peace

God moments

The passage we heard from Luke’s gospel this morning is one we usually hear close to Christmas. Some traditions also hear this passage on the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrated in late March or early April.[i]

During August, we will be hearing some readings from the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel. This means we get to ponder aspects of these stories without the wrapping of Christmas.

It is thought that the Gospel of Luke was probably written by a Gentile, educated in Greek, and a companion of Paul. He wrote predominately for a Gentile audience and he explains some of the Jewish practices of his day.

Luke is one of two gospels that include stories around the time of the birth of Jesus. The other one is Matthew. The passage we heard this morning does not appear in Matthew’s gospel, only in Luke.

The first two chapters of Luke includes some beautiful poetry, expressing the presence of God in the lives of the faithful of Israel.

Each of the next 4 weeks we will hear one of the following songs of praise to God:

•       The Magnificat of Mary (1:46-55)

•       The Benedictus of Zechariah (1:67-79)

•       The Gloria of the Angels (2:14)

•       The Nunc Dimittus of Simeon (2:29-32)[ii]

The song of Mary is beautiful, but it is also full of meaning. Mary sings of a world changed,

·         a world where people are not poor,

·         a world where people are not oppressed,

·         a world where God’s mercy is evident.

Mary sings of a God she knows -

I wonder if that changes the way Mary responds to the Angel. She knows God as one who can be trusted,

one who has acted in the history of her people,

one who calls people others consider unsuitable.

Mary didn't only sing about God’s mercy and the world being turned upside down, she willingly embraced and entered into God’s action in her life and the world.

…

Earlier this morning I asked you to think about God moments, times when you were especially aware of God’s presence.

Times when God

spoke to you

Touched your life

Guided you

Healed you or

freed you

in chapter one of Luke we hear of two God moments.

Zachariah is from a priestly family; an angel, that is a messenger of God, speaks to Zachariah while he is in the holy place; this was a place where only priests could enter, and then one at a time. Tradition is that the priest wore a garment with bells on the hem, and a rope around his waist; that way if God struck him dead, he could be pulled out from behind the curtain.

Zachariah is aware of the Angel’s presence, confused by the message that the prayers of him and his wife will be answered, and Elizabeth will bear a son, John. Not just any boy, one who will get people ready for the Lord.

Then we hear how one month later the angel appeared to Mary, a young woman who is engaged.

‘Mary reminds us of what it looks like and what it sounds like when God shows up in your life -- unannounced, unexpected, and unplanned.’ [iii]

It is easy when we know the end of the story to make this encounter sweet and charming. Mary had a lot to lose, including her life, though Luke does not mention this danger.

Luke records that Mary’s response, after how can this happen? Was  

 “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.”

This doesn’t sound like a reluctant teenager saying ‘whatever’, I have nothing better to do, or I know you will get your way. This isn’t submissive acquiescence. Mary’s response of Yes, is consenting to be part of God’s work in the world.  I think that takes a lot of courage.

How did you go, have you thought of a time when you a God moment?

I remember being on retreat about twenty years ago. I send God’s presence a few times in those few days. There were lots of times of silence, including overnight and during breakfast. The first full day was pretty rough for me, emotionally.

The next morning i woke up to overcast skies and an aware that God was present. I knew the sun was there in spite of the clouds, and in the same way God was there; I wanted to sing, my heart was full of joy, everything had changed. My life was exactly the same as it had been, but the awareness of God’s presence, even when God seemed silent, was life changing.

Other God moments have encouraged me, comforted me and challenged me.

During our reflection time this morning we have a song by Geoff Bullock. Geoff wrote many songs during his time at Hillsong.  He has rewritten some of his songs.

Here is part of an interview with him:

In the middle of this sad and broken time I became aware, ever so gently, that grace was embracing me. I started to realise that I hadn’t fallen from grace, I had fallen into it. I was no less righteous; I had simply lost my sense of self-righteousness.
…..

So I changed that song to a confession of what God has done. It’s not “hold me close” but “you hold me close”. No matter how dry and disappointed I am, to be able to say to myself, “It’s okay, he’s holding you.”[iv]

Power of your love II

 please remain seated. Join in if you wish.

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[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation

[ii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=187

[iii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=5024

[iv] https://christianfaith.com/resources/geoff-bullock-opens-up

Law and love

I admit to struggling with Paul’s writing style, especially in the letter to the Romans. The writing we have from Paul are letters mainly written to churches, or groups of churches. Generally, they are written to churches that Paul started or had visited.

Romans is different, as far as we know, Paul had not visited Rome when he wrote this letter.  

While this is the first of Paul’s letters in the Bible, they are in order of length, not when they were written. Romans is first in the list, because it is the longest.

A couple of things that stand out for me in this letter.

One – this passage is written in the plural.[i] 
We know,
our sin,
God has accepted us, …..
Often we talk of faith as being personal, so it is my faith, or faith God has given to me. Paul doesn’t write of his faith, or even your faith, he writes of our faith.

How does this change the way we think about this passage?

………….

Two - the Law will not save us!

I have had people tell me they have kept the ten commandments – well usually they tell me how someone else is sinful because that someone else has broken one of the commandments and imply that they have not.  

Here Paul reminds us that the Law points out our sin,
the law does not save us,
the law tells us we need saving,
we need a new way of living.

And that new way of living comes through Jesus.

…………

Some of you will be more familiar with:  Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 5:1 KJV], here it is translated as ‘By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.’ and a wonderful Aussie paraphrase: It was our faith that put us back in the good books with God.[ii]

Grace and love are not something we earn, but something we receive. some places have entry requirements, prior learning, or a dress code. I keep thinking i will get a bit fitter before i start paying gym fees 😊

In the same way i have heard people say they need to clean up their life before God will want to have anything to do with them.

Paul tells us, “While we were still showing no signs of ever offering God anything but contempt, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us.” [iii]

Does that sound like we need to have our lives sorted before will have anything to do with us?

…

One thing that I find comforting is that God didn’t wait for me to get my act together, God didn’t wait until I could explain all about Christianity, God didn’t wait until I knew some memory verses.

As we say in the Baptism service – we love because God first loved us.

………..

As a teenager it seemed that coming to faith, to an awareness of the love of God and responding to God’s love and grace, was the end of the story. After that it was about telling others, so they to would come to that awareness.

“It is very clear that Paul does not think that having been justified is the end of the story but the beginning. It is a beginning that offers entrance into a radically different way of living.”[iv]

“Faith is not simply a matter of a one-off response to the gospel message. It places our entire life on new ground.” [v]

I wonder what this new way of living looks like?

………..

One aspect of this passage I particularly struggle with is about suffering and endurance and character and hope.  This was written in a time when Christians were persecuted including imprisonment and stoning.  Paul is not telling us that God causes suffering, or that all suffering produces endurance. I wonder if one reason I struggle with this is because we are not persecuted as a community.

We don’t see news reports claiming all Christians are terrorists; Christians, as a group, are not subject to imprisonment if we refuse to worship the Government.

For me suffering is the flu, or panful knees, blocked sinuses, all of which are a pest, but do not compare to the suffering of the early church.

Paul continually reminds us that whatever is happening in our lives, good or bad or indifferent, God is with us, loving us, freeing us sin and guilt.

……………….

This week I noticed a sign that said: What is it that unites us?[vi]

I wonder:

Is it our language?

Is it the food we eat, the clothes we wear?

What is it that unites us?

Is it doctrine or denomination or law?

I would say, what unites is a story.
A story that tells us we are loved, forgiven, set free.

A story of God, God who loved people,
who despaired at their separation from God and each other,
God who acted through people,
God who came and lived and died and rose.

What unites us, or can unite us, is a story;

a story of love
a story that says you are valuable
a story that says you are more than your worst moments or days or years
a story that says you matter.

Do you want to know how much you matter? - Christ’s death is evidence of God’s love.[vii]

…….

I find Paul’s style of writing complex, big words and big ideas.

In all of this, may we know that we are loved, forgiven and set free,
to be the people we are,
people of hope,
people living in peace with God
each other,
and ourselves.

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[i] http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2016/05/suffering-together.html

[ii] ©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net 

[iii] ©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net 

[iv] http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3881&fbclid=IwAR3sWWrMr_cSgcAhoS0e-tnhk_4x-mP7Yk77xytcANamVoIajnEabWyJ8D0

[v] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2440&fbclid=IwAR0j8cDq6aHWDy4AgtyEu8vrmjF_UOReNzjalAPC2gKqG3_aJLl3EEwRqZU

[vi] https://www.facebook.com/brenebrown/photos/a.194293500585767/2655018884513204/?type=3&theater

[vii] http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3881&fbclid=IwAR3sWWrMr_cSgcAhoS0e-tnhk_4x-mP7Yk77xytcANamVoIajnEabWyJ8D0

Paul, Barnabas and us

We could look at geography and the places that Paul visited, they would be interesting, but I am not sure that it helps with the question: what is God saying to us this morning?

In preparing sermons I think about what was happening at the time the passage was written, what it might have meant to the people hearing it the first time, then what might be wanting to say to us now.

First thing I noticed is that Barnabas and Paul travel together. Still today people travelling to new cultures, in another place or across the street, work with a travelling companion or an agency. It may be someone physically with them or a prayer partner or support person.

We live in a time when we are told to stand on our own two feet. We are told it is dangerous to be vulnerable, so be careful how much you say, it may come back to haunt you.  

I meet each month with a Spiritual Director, who challenges and encourages me, who asks questions that help me think through what I say believe about God and explores with me if this is consistent with what I say about myself and the way I act.

Have you ever had a friend or been part of a small group where each person is:

·         supported in faith,

·         able to ask questions,

·         be aware of God,

·         be encouraged to act on the leading of the Holy Spirit.   

What difference did it make to your life to be in that kind of relationship?

 ………………

The first paragraph of this reading reminded me of something I rarely see in the life of Congregations I have been part of. People together, praying and fasting, aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit and acting on that.

Can you remember a time that you were in a group that was aware of the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Did you act on that leading?

I have been aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit in meetings at times, especially at Synod and Assembly. We will be in the middle of something complex and messy, then there has been a moment of clarity throughout the room. It has been amazing to be present when that has happened.

……

In the passages this morning we hear of two ‘miracles’, a person who is stopping people from hearing the gospel is made blind, then a person who cannot walk is able to walk. The response to both situations is recorded, in the first instance a person comes to faith.

In the second, ….

Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for Greek Gods, people bow at their feet, and bring offerings to them.

We are not Gods!

We are ordinary people!

Turn to the living God.

Then we hear of the community turning against Paul, stoned him and left him for dead outside the city.

Another Minister wrote on Facebook this week, that when she writes her memoir it will be called Ministry isn’t for Sissies. I would say Christianity isn’t for Sissies.

You can be led by God to move at any time, to speak or help, to be generous with time or money or talent. And just because God is leading you in a task, doesn’t mean it will be successful or that you will not be attacked, verbally or physically. You may be misunderstood.

Paul’s travels are not just about Paul, they are about God.[i] The book of Acts shows the importance of the Holy Spirit in the spread of the Christin message.

I wonder when we are aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit and the action of the Holy Spirit in the world around us and in our own lives. When was the last time we, as a community of faith, followed a prompt from the Holy Spirit?

….

A big question for me is why do we do what we do?

As a Parish we teach Scripture in School, offer playgroup, school mentors, worship; we collect food and presents for local organisations; we support Frontier Services and Overseas Mission; we pray, we study the Bible, we care for each other.

Why do we do all this?

because we people transformed by God

it makes us feel valued

God demands this life from us

To get more people to church on Sunday morning

Why do we do all this?

In the Book of Acts, we read of people responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit; people speaking about Jesus in ways people can connect with; people putting their lives on the line for their faith.  

If another chapter or two were being added today, what would you include, what would you expect to see there?

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[i]https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2420&fbclid=IwAR1WwkotvbIxL9Q9S8XzYCfZBvbdMORzuIb81N4OQX5ayA9hkVyPkWN-cRo

Exclude or Include?

This week and next we read from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.  This book tells the story of the early church, the spread of the gospel, the movement of the Spirit and the travels of Paul.

There are two main characters in this story, Peter and Cornelius.

Peter was one of the twelve who had travelled with Jesus. The twelve are known as the disciples when they were travelling with Jesus - disciples means learner or follower. But after the ascension, they are apostles – which means a messenger, one who is sent on a mission. So, they moved from being fellow travellers to being messengers.

Peter was one of the people who travelled with Jesus, and one who was commissioned to go and spread the gospel or good news.

Cornelius was a Roman Centurion, which means he would have been despised by Jews. While Cornelius worshipped God, he was not a Jew. Rome was the occupying force, associating with them would make a religious Jew unclean and therefore unable to participate in religious ritual.

Two men who worshipped God,

two men from very different backgrounds

two men who experience God.

In this passage we hear how an apostle and a Captain in the Roman occupying force are both moved by the Holy Spirit.

As a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these two men, Cornelius and his household hear the good news of Jesus and are baptised.

Last week we heard the commission and promise from Jesus:

Jesus came to them and said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Here we see Peter doing just that, telling the good news and baptising.

In the first Century, tradition was important. Jews followed the food laws and purity laws form the Torah, mainly Leviticus. Here we read about Peter being challenged to accept a challenge from God that went against the exclusiveness of Jewish people.

The people with Peter were shocked that the Holy Spirit was given to non-Jews, the same as they had been touched by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

When are we shocked at who Jesus includes?

Who would you exclude from faith, from church?

This is a confronting passage for me.

Do I act on what I sense to be the presence and challenge of the Spirit in my life when it disagrees with tradition?

What if I get it wrong?

How do we respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our community?

With enthusiasm?

Or suspicion?

Or denial?

As the message of Jesus spread, the early church had to work out how to be the church of Jesus Christ, not only a part of Judaism. The question of circumcision, of what foods to eat, questions about the place of non-Jews within the church all needed to be addressed.

Today our questions are different, we no longer query if people are Christian based on racial background, but it is not that long ago that many churches were suspicious of anyone who was divorced, or a single parent or worked in a pub. There are still churches where a woman preaching is considered to be outside of the Biblical witness.

I have heard people query if someone is really a Christian when the person has different beliefs or tattoos or gambles or ….

The Uniting Church, as well as other churches, are looking at what are called Fresh Expressions, these are new ways of telling the story of Jesus, of helping people connect with the spirit in their lives, and they are rarely on a Sunday morning and often not in a church building.

As Christianity spread beyond the confines of the Jewish community, Christianity is spreading beyond the established church.

A few days ago was Holocaust Memorial Day and tonight is the beginning of Ramadan.  We live in a time when violence against people of faith is increasing, how do we respond? Can we take it from Peter’s experience and accept all people are acceptable to God?

Peter had his horizons broadened, to include gentiles as well as Jews.

Where do we need to expand our view?

Who do we exclude?

What would it take for you to include them?