Service 28th August 2022, Pentecost 12, Luke 14v7-14,

Song ”I shall not want”

https://youtu.be/YgqDY1whzoc

 

Song “Christ be in my waking”

https://youtu.be/X4emGI1gHPA

 

Song “God with us”

https://youtu.be/udJjT-LMnIs

 

The world belongs to God

The earth and all its people

How good and lovely it is 

To live together in unity

Love and faith come together

Justice and peace join hands

 

We say the Lords Prayer in our own language

 

Song “Psalm 139”

https://youtu.be/dIWMXiT8yrs

 

Luke 14v7-14 (See also Mathew 22 and the Wedding feast) 

 

The passage is about humility. It is one of the many attributes that those of us who follow Jesus should emulate. But the passage goes on to talk about generosity, compassion and social justice. 

 

The setting for the story is a dinner party. Earlier in the passage Jesus has healed someone who is sick so its not an ordinary dinner party! The Pharisees have criticised Jesus for healing the man on the Sabbath, the holy day. How ridiculous we might say! The religious authorities don’t care that Jesus has healed somebody but care he has broken their laws about the Sabbath. This is legalism at its best. What examples of legalism as apart from love are there around us? The next two stories are about humility which should be a characteristic we exhibit! Sadly most Jews at the time were more interested in status than humility. Are we the same? Do we just invite our friends and family to our parties? Gods way is different. 

 

So the seat of honour is next to the person who has given the party. People often use such events to benefit themselves in some way. Its similar to the way we approach God. Do we come with humility before God? Do we understand what we are dealing with? Don’t show yourself up by assuming that you are the most important guest. It could be embarrassing. Honour at that time was determined by age too! So sit where you are least noticed! If you promote yourself you will fall! And God will cause it. Whereas if you are humble, God will raise you up. So we are reminded of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5v5. “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth” and the Magnificat in Luke 1v52; “ He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and exalted the lowly”. So this is not a one off passage, it is a theme of Gods attitude and actions. 

 

It's easy to invite a friend for dinner, but not so easy to invite someone like the beggar. And the unclean man wont invite you back!  But God will repay it. Generous hospitality toward the stranger fulfils the law and secures a person's righteous standing in the sight of God. At the resurrection of the righteous (Dan.12:2-3) we will be judged like sheep and goats and receive blessing or cursing, the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous.

 

Humility is just one of the spiritual fruits of being a Christian. In the letter to the Galatians Paul writes: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (5:22, 23).

 

But how do we naturally exhibit these fruits of the Spirit? By grounding our life in three actions. Firstly by reading and absorbing the Bible, especially the gospels. Really understanding the importance of Jesus teaching, so it becomes part of us. (see Mark 1v15.) Secondly by praying, on your own or with others, out loud or in silence. Thirdly by meeting with other followers of Jesus so you can encourage and support one another in your Christian journey. Nobody said our journey would be easy or linear. Its hard especially now with corruption and destruction and unloving behaviour all around us.

 

Everyone at a gym are all united in one aim, to get fitter, and they come often and they do get fitter. In our churches and fellowships we need to have the same attitude. To be like Jesus we have to learn humility and generosity. We need to soak ourselves in Gods priorities by reading the gospels and praying for others and we need to help one another, encourage one another. We need to practice radical love not just for our family and friends but for strangers. For migrants and asylum seekers and foreigners. We are not called to be a holy huddle but to practice what Jesus taught us or our words are meaningless. This is what being a Christian is about. Amen

 

Song “Come thou fount”

https://youtu.be/EYrTqBioaZ4

 

Our Prayers for our world and those we carry in our hearts

“Spirit of the Living God”

https://youtu.be/fylsIaNsJ5o

 

The blessing of God be upon you 

On those you love and those you meet

This day and forevermore. Amen

 

Luke 14v7-14 Pentecost 12, Humility

The passage today is about humility. It is one of the many attributes that those of us who follow Jesus should emulate. But the passage goes on to talk about generosity, compassion and social justice. 

The setting for the story is a dinner party. Earlier in the passage jesus has helaed someone who is sick so its not an ordinary dinner party! The Pharisees have criticised Jesus for healing the man on the Sabbath, the holy day. How ridiculous we might say! The religious authorities don’t care that Jesus has healed somebody but care he has broken their laws about the Sabbath. This is legalism at its best. The next two stories are about humility which should be a characteristic we exhibit! Sadly most Jews at the time were more interested in status than humility. Are we the same? Do we just invite our friends and family to our parties? Gods way is different. 

So the seat of honour is next to the person who has given the party. People often use such events to benefit themselves in some way. Its similar to the way we approach God. Do we come with humility before God? Do we understand what we are dealing with? Don’t show yourself up by assuming that you are the most important guest. It could be embarrassing. Honour at that time was determined by age too! So tsit where you are least noticed! If you promote yourself you will fall! And God will cause it! Whereas if you are humble God will raise you up. So we are reminded of the beattitudes in Matthew 5v5. “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth” and the Magnificat Luke 1v52; “ He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and exalted the lowly”. So this is not a one off passage it is a theme of Gods attitude and actions. 

It's easy to invite a friend for dinner, but not so easy to invite someone like the beggar. And the unclean man wont invite you back!  But God will repay it. Generous hospitality toward the stranger fulfils the law and secures a person's righteous standing in the sight of God. At the resurrection of the righteous (Dan.12:2-3) we will be judged like sheep and goats and receive blessing or cursing, the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous.

Humility is just one of the spiritual fruits of being a Christian. In the letter to the Galatians Paul writes: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (5:22, 23).

But how do we naturally exhibit these fruits of the Spirit? By grounding our life in three actions. Firstly by reading and absorbing the Bible, especially the gospels. Really understanding the importance of Jesus teaching, so it becomes part of us. (read Mark, note the commands of Jesus: Mark 1v15.) Secondly by praying, on your own or with others, out loud or in silence. Thirdly by meeting with other followers of Jesus so you can encourage and support one another in your Christian journey. Nobody said our journey would be easy or linear. Only age is linear! Our life journey will have ups and downs and to have Gods peace we need to stand apart, to take stock, to listen to God. 

Everyone at a gym are all united in one aim, to get fitter, and they come often and they do get fitter. In our churches we need to have the same attitude. To be like Jesus we have to learn humility and generosity. We need to soak ourselves in Gods priorities by reading the gospels and praying for others and we need to help one another, encourage one another. We need to practice radical love not just for our family and friends but for strangers. This is what being a Christian is about. We are not called to be a holy huddle but to practice what Jesus taught us or our words are meaningless. 

  




Pentecost 12, August 16th 2015, John 6:47-58, The Bread of Life,

Bread is the stuff of Life. In the Hunger Games bread is very important as a theme that runs through the trilogy.

Each District had its own bread. The Capitols bread was refined and made from white flour like much bread now but during the I and II World Wars the bread here was made from wholegrain and was darker and healthier.

Panem is Latin for bread. It is used in the famous Roman political phrase panem et circenses, or "bread and circuses." The people of the Capitol were involved in a game of  "bread and circuses" hence the name the Hunger Games. Peeta is a baker like his father and it sounds like pita, a type of bread.

Barbara Glasson wrote an interesting book called “I am somewhere else”. Much of the book is about this passage and the church as a place that gives bread to the hungry, literally.

Bread making is done throughout the world as it’s a staple food.

Bethlehem of course means the house of bread. It is from the house of bread we get spiritual bread for the world. I am deeply shocked that our society is so divided that we have rich people with no financial worries with expensive cars and lifestyles, nestling near to people who have no money and depend on food banks and soup kitchens often at churches. I have never seen such division in my society in my lifetime.

When Jesus says “I am the bread of life” he using another of his “I am” statements. I am the door, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life”. Usually there is a practical illustration of the statement. Here the practical illustration is the feeding of the 5,000. You cant have spiritual statements that don’t have practical outcomes otherwise your faith, your religion is like a shell, empty, meaningless.

When we break Bread we break the One loaf and we then reassemble it as we eat together, and so we collectively become Christs body again, his people, his gathering, his church and its our task to feed on him and so to feed the world around us. You cant do one without the other. It’s a symbiosis.

This is grace, This is Gods gift to us.