Pentecost 1 year C 07 Sermon Godzone Religion
Can you believe how Christian’s have been right up there in the news this week?
First we saw a grieving Christian boy… singing God songs on the TV news…singing for his mother…
who died… after the power was cut off… to her oxygen machine.
And then a Destiny Church protest…
outside an interfaith conference… hit the headlines…
and we heard Brian Tamaki demanding … Christianity should be New Zealand’s official religion.
In relation to poor Mrs Muliaga’s ... I’d be surprised... if anyone here today... thinks it was Ok for her electricity to be cut off- no matter what facts may emerge...in the weeks to come. I guess we’d be together on that one.
But I’d be astounded... if we all agree with Brian Tamaki when he said... and I quote: ‘it’s time to cement New Zealand's Christian identity...
in such a way that it can’t be tampered with
by future Governments’.
I don’t know about you... but the idea of Christianity as our officially recognised state religion... got me asking some questions. [pause]
Like for example...‘if future governments aren’t able to tamper with our Christian identity – could future Christians make any changes?’
And I’m also wondering...who’d get to decide what our Christian identity actually looks like?
And what it means.
And then I started speculating and dreaming...
if Christianity were our official religion...
would everyone in the land of the long white cloud... be expected to live the way Jesus taught us to live?
I mean... it is Jesus...isn’t it...and his life and teaching... and his interpretation of scripture...
and his revelation of God...it is Jesus who gives us our Christian identity... isn’t it? [pause]
So if our way of life were based on Jesus’ teachings and actions...would businesses like Mercury Energy... be required to show mercy to the poor and the sick...
Would those who now mourn be comforted.
Would we all have to commit...to being... peacemakers... in our families...our schools...at work and in the church?
Would our leaders be poor in spirit... would we always showing humility... in public and in private.
Would people involved in every enterprise...
be motivated by pure hearts... rather than by profit?
If Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount were
the benchmark for our culture...
that’s how it’d be wouldn’t it?
And while we’re at our dreaming... wouldn’t our understanding of God’s justice and judgment... be shaped by grace and forgiveness after Jesus outright rejection of Moses’ teaching… which reads:
‘You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.’
And since Jesus rejected the Deuteronomy definition of justice that says for every wrong committed...there has to be an equal punishment and since teaches instead…from the book of Leviticus
'Don’t seek revenge or bear a grudge, but love your neighbor as yourself.’
And since…in the very same Sermon on the Mount… Jesus builds forgiveness and grace into the very fabric of our prayers…
‘forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.’
If Christianity were official...then our understanding of the limits of forgiveness... would be the limits set by Jesus... wouldn’t they. [pause] When even at the point of death... Jesus cries out:
‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’
Jesus didn’t get angry on the cross, he didn’t call down curses or lightening bolts on his enemies... he didn’t retaliate... that wasn’t his way... his truth...
nor his life. His way was to defeat evil with love.
Jesus died to defeat evil with love.
But then maybe that’s why Christianity has never been official [pause]
O but make no mistake...Jesus did judge...he judged the keepers of the sacred texts whose interpretation of those texts was a heavy yoke indeed. He judged those who tried to keep people out...the gentiles and the unclean and the tax collectors...rather than include them in the family of God...
I could go on and on...[pause]
I’ve said before, it’s dangerous to use the word Christian...as an adjective... to describe something... like Christian music... or a Christian book...or a Christian nation...
One of my favourite church leaders... Rob Bell ... reminds us... the word Christian...is a noun...
a word that names us...has named us for 2000 thousand years. A Christian is a person...a person who’s chosen to follow the way of Jesus. A person who takes seriously how Jesus prayed to his father and takes seriously Jesus promise not to leave us alone...and his warning...that yet more would always be revealed. His caution that we don’t have all the answers already.’
Remember our reading today...
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.’
My prayer is that we’re still open to the guidance of the Spirit... as we learn more about the complexity and vastness of God’s creation...
So how are we to live?
Well all the official pronouncements ... in the world will make no difference at all to New Zealand...if we don’t live out what we say we believe...what we say we have faith in.
Faith that God has come among us in Jesus Christ and shown us how to live. Faith that God hasn’t left us alone. Faith that the same Spirit promised by Jesus is still with us today guiding us, showing us...how to live in God’s own country today.
That in a nutshell is the doctrine of the Trinity...we celebrate today.
Yes we do have a rich Christian heritage in New Zealand but the future will depend on how we live the faith we proclaim.
So I ask you to each listen for a few minutes for what the Spirit may be saying to you right now as you face the week ahead... about how you might better live the faith you profess.
Can you believe how Christian’s have been right up there in the news this week?
First we saw a grieving Christian boy… singing God songs on the TV news…singing for his mother…
who died… after the power was cut off… to her oxygen machine.
And then a Destiny Church protest…
outside an interfaith conference… hit the headlines…
and we heard Brian Tamaki demanding … Christianity should be New Zealand’s official religion.
In relation to poor Mrs Muliaga’s ... I’d be surprised... if anyone here today... thinks it was Ok for her electricity to be cut off- no matter what facts may emerge...in the weeks to come. I guess we’d be together on that one.
But I’d be astounded... if we all agree with Brian Tamaki when he said... and I quote: ‘it’s time to cement New Zealand's Christian identity...
in such a way that it can’t be tampered with
by future Governments’.
I don’t know about you... but the idea of Christianity as our officially recognised state religion... got me asking some questions. [pause]
Like for example...‘if future governments aren’t able to tamper with our Christian identity – could future Christians make any changes?’
And I’m also wondering...who’d get to decide what our Christian identity actually looks like?
And what it means.
And then I started speculating and dreaming...
if Christianity were our official religion...
would everyone in the land of the long white cloud... be expected to live the way Jesus taught us to live?
I mean... it is Jesus...isn’t it...and his life and teaching... and his interpretation of scripture...
and his revelation of God...it is Jesus who gives us our Christian identity... isn’t it? [pause]
So if our way of life were based on Jesus’ teachings and actions...would businesses like Mercury Energy... be required to show mercy to the poor and the sick...
Would those who now mourn be comforted.
Would we all have to commit...to being... peacemakers... in our families...our schools...at work and in the church?
Would our leaders be poor in spirit... would we always showing humility... in public and in private.
Would people involved in every enterprise...
be motivated by pure hearts... rather than by profit?
If Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount were
the benchmark for our culture...
that’s how it’d be wouldn’t it?
And while we’re at our dreaming... wouldn’t our understanding of God’s justice and judgment... be shaped by grace and forgiveness after Jesus outright rejection of Moses’ teaching… which reads:
‘You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.’
And since Jesus rejected the Deuteronomy definition of justice that says for every wrong committed...there has to be an equal punishment and since teaches instead…from the book of Leviticus
'Don’t seek revenge or bear a grudge, but love your neighbor as yourself.’
And since…in the very same Sermon on the Mount… Jesus builds forgiveness and grace into the very fabric of our prayers…
‘forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.’
If Christianity were official...then our understanding of the limits of forgiveness... would be the limits set by Jesus... wouldn’t they. [pause] When even at the point of death... Jesus cries out:
‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’
Jesus didn’t get angry on the cross, he didn’t call down curses or lightening bolts on his enemies... he didn’t retaliate... that wasn’t his way... his truth...
nor his life. His way was to defeat evil with love.
Jesus died to defeat evil with love.
But then maybe that’s why Christianity has never been official [pause]
O but make no mistake...Jesus did judge...he judged the keepers of the sacred texts whose interpretation of those texts was a heavy yoke indeed. He judged those who tried to keep people out...the gentiles and the unclean and the tax collectors...rather than include them in the family of God...
I could go on and on...[pause]
I’ve said before, it’s dangerous to use the word Christian...as an adjective... to describe something... like Christian music... or a Christian book...or a Christian nation...
One of my favourite church leaders... Rob Bell ... reminds us... the word Christian...is a noun...
a word that names us...has named us for 2000 thousand years. A Christian is a person...a person who’s chosen to follow the way of Jesus. A person who takes seriously how Jesus prayed to his father and takes seriously Jesus promise not to leave us alone...and his warning...that yet more would always be revealed. His caution that we don’t have all the answers already.’
Remember our reading today...
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.’
My prayer is that we’re still open to the guidance of the Spirit... as we learn more about the complexity and vastness of God’s creation...
So how are we to live?
Well all the official pronouncements ... in the world will make no difference at all to New Zealand...if we don’t live out what we say we believe...what we say we have faith in.
Faith that God has come among us in Jesus Christ and shown us how to live. Faith that God hasn’t left us alone. Faith that the same Spirit promised by Jesus is still with us today guiding us, showing us...how to live in God’s own country today.
That in a nutshell is the doctrine of the Trinity...we celebrate today.
Yes we do have a rich Christian heritage in New Zealand but the future will depend on how we live the faith we proclaim.
So I ask you to each listen for a few minutes for what the Spirit may be saying to you right now as you face the week ahead... about how you might better live the faith you profess.
