Mailout for 4 September 2022, Year C)

Dear People of God

Grace to you, and peace

Gail and I have been away at Clergy Conference for most of the week. As a result of that I am rather pressed for time in preparing this week’s material so it is rather a shortened version. As I work though the material and information presented to us at the Conference I will share some of the salient points with you over the next few weeks. Bishop Sonia gave us an outstanding series of presentations in her Bible Studies on Moses, Paul and Mary: much more to come on those as she has agreed that I can edit them for continuing study in the parish. (Thankyou Bishop Sonia!)

As I write all this in Friday I am looking out over a rather damp scene: I trust that the rain holds off until after the Market Day!

The Lord be with you

Fr George

gmainprize@bigpond.com 0410 586 119

COLLECT and Readings for the week (Pentecost 13, Trinity 12 Ordinary Sunday 23)

God of the ages, you call the Church to keep watch in the world and to discern the signs of the times: grant us the wisdom that your Spirit bestows, so that with courage we may proclaim your prophetic word and complete the work you have set before us; through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Jeremiah 18:1-11 The potter and the clay

Psalm 139:1-5, 12-18 The inescapable God

Philemon 1-25 Philemon’s love and faith

Luke 14:25-35 The cost of discipleship

SERMON (Fr George)

Embedded in the gospel passage which we have just heard is what must be one of the hardest sayings of Jesus in the Gospel: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”. Jesus is in mid-course of his earthly ministry at this point and already he is talking about the cross. Just what is going on?

There are a number of different opinions about this. That shouldn’t surprise anyone: just like politics, there are any number of people who will say “This is the right way” or “No, THIS is the right way!” Biblical and theological discourse is no different, let me assure you!

Jesus is living in Palestine, a colony of the Roman Empire at the time. The Romans were pretty savage in suppressing dissent and any sign of rebellion was quicky and brutally suppressed: no different in essence to, say, Russia, China, Myanmar, Syria and any number of other countries around the world today: just like England under the Tudors and many before and after them. Get on the wrong side of Henry Vlll and you very quickly found out just what the Tower of London and the executioner’s block look like from a very close range!

The religious authorities were essentially puppets of the Romans: a sort of “established church” of the day. To a large extent they did the bidding of the secular authorities and in return the secular authorities helped to reinforce their religious supremacy. You can see examples of this in all the times that the Temple authorities arranged to get a dissident Paul hauled up before the Romans on fabricated charges of dissent. Internal corruption on both sides often resulted in religious dissent being suppressed in a similar fashion to political dissent.

You didn’t have to be the brightest candle on the Christmas tree to see where the religious dissent which Jesus appeared to be spreading was going to wind up. It seems that Jesus had absolutely no illusions about his earthly fate: in fact he seems in many instances to be bringing it about deliberately, precipitating crises which will reinforce his message that Israel has once again turned away from God to the pursuit of worldly ends. The ordinary people of the countryside appear to be flowing him in droves: I don’t know whether the same can be said about the urban dwellers who probably made up the crowd recruited to call for the crucifixion.

Jesus is not challenging the secular authorities: he said “render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God the things that are God’s”. What Jesus is challenging is the application of the Law in ways that actually divert people’s attention from God where the application of the Law, meant to be a relationship of mutual love between God and God’s Creation, has turned to be an oppressive set of rules that are virtually impossible for ordinary people to follow or which have corrupted the ideal of the Law to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself.

The challenge to the secular authorities will result from application of the religious imperative of love. When governments, whether democratically elected or imposed by authoritarian rule, impose laws that discriminate against people on the basis of race, religion, genetic composition or even political persuasion that’s when people who are bound to God have the duty to take up the cross, to accept the challenge of appropriate resistance. It’s no different in ecclesiastical matters: the Reformation, for all its accompanying problems, came out of the same stable.

The Way of the Cross is a challenging way. Thankfully for most of us who live in a tolerant society we are not called to the point where we will be martyred, but just in these last few days we have celebrated some of the martyrs of our own age: the Martyrs of New Guinea (the commemoration was last Friday) remained faithful in the face of a hostile invasion force. We think of Janani Luwum and the Ugandan Martyrs, of Oscar Romero and Martin Luther King, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who resisted Hitler and died for it, and of the many Christians who continue to suffer and die under hostile religious and political oppression.

For all their faults, which are many, governments of all persuasions in Australia have not moved to the point of religious oppression, nor have they imposed laws that are manifestly so unjust that resistance is imperative, although there are plenty of examples of people who claim to be oppressed over things as basic to community heath over the wearing of masks in a pandemic. What would happen, I wonder, if the Australian church has resisted the murderous violence and oppression of the people who were here before the colonialists arrived? Or was it a party to it?

There is plenty for us to provide a basis for penitence. Taking up the Cross has many forms: what might it be in Beresfield and Thornton?

Amen

INTERCESSIONS (Dawn Holland)

We thank you our Father for your unconditional love and care for us. We give you thanks for the beauty and variety in this beautiful planet and ask forgiveness for the disrespect shown by people in the mistreatment of the environment, other creatures and the habitat. Lead us in the right way to live as you have wanted.

We remember today our earthly fathers whether they are still with us or have passed into your nearer presence and give thanks for their care of us. We pray too today for fathers who have been less than positive in their care of us and pray for families where domestic violence is present.

Loving Heavenly Father in your mercy Hear our prayer.

We pray for our world and our care for it. We pray for countries where there is war, natural disaster and various losses due to events beyond their control, especially for Ukraine; for Pakistan and the flooding there; Israel and Palestinian hostilities; and our fear of China’s growing influence in the Pacific. We pray for world leaders that they may be wise in their decision making, considering all levels of society. We pray for peace and harmony among nations.

Loving Heavenly Father in your mercy Hear our prayer.

We pray for your worldwide Church that they may remain faithful to the teaching of Jesus as He taught us during His time on earth. May we be attuned to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the world today. We specifically pray for our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and for the Province of Rwanda. In Australia we pray for the Bush Church Aid Society, and in our own Diocese we pray for our Bishops Peter, Charlie and Sonia. We pray for KEY Ministries and for the Parishes of Muswellbrook, Scone, and Singleton. In our own Parish we pray for Fr George and our Deacon Gail and their families. We pray for those preparing for Baptism and for our Mothers Union group and for our Sister Church the Salvation Army and for the work they do. We pray that our own church may grow in numbers, faith and spirit and that we may be worthy to be called Christian and not be afraid to care for those in need.

Loving Heavenly Father in your mercy Hear our prayer.

We pray for our Community especially this week for Colemans’ Group, Steve’s Barber Shop and for Woodberry Community Chemist. We pray that we may be a blessing to our neighbours and all who we meet being a willing listener to those in need. We especially pray for those who are sick in body or mind and especially for; for Jenny, Indi, Barbara D, Val Frazer, Lynn, Betty, Les, Mandy, Jill, Anne, Daphne, Bruce, Debbie M, Samuel, Peta S, Kylie S, John J, Tim R, Sarah S, Merv T, Jenny H, Didi, Peter McC, Susan, Elizabeth, Dawn A, Heidi, Erol G, Judith F, Mary L: We also pray for those known to ourselves and others known only to you who need our prayer. We pray also for people who are lonely, isolated, jobless and who are in financial need. May we be aware of those who we can help in their time of need.

Loving Heavenly Father in your mercy Hear our prayer.

We remember those who have died recently and for those whose anniversary of death is at this time. We remember Arthur Willis, Doug Smith, Irene Lennard, Dorothy Hamilton, Douglas Gibson, Pun Jones and Betty Winsor. Rest eternal grant to them and may light perpetual shine upon them.

Father you have promised to hear our prayers. Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by grace receive through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen