It was such a busy Sunday, that I only was able to preach a very abridged version of the this message. Here are the full notes.
June 2, 2013
June 2, 2013
Pentecost 2
Psalm 96
Luke 7:1-10
(prayer)
I love the first Sunday of
June at St. David’s. This Sunday of
celebrating learning is so rich with purpose and meaning.
You may hear the occasional
person call it Promotion Sunday. That refers to the long standing practice of this
congregation of presenting a Good News Bible to all of the grade three students
of our Sunday School. In a previous
style of Sunday children’s ministry, we had different classes for different
grade groups and moving from the grade 1-3 group to the grade 4-6 group was a
big step. That significance was
symbolized by the gift of a bible for students being promoted to the older class.
We still honour this transition, even though the environment of teaching
and learning is different now.
We don’t use the “promotion" Sunday language much anymore because today is more than the move from one grade
to another. Learning is a much wider
aspect of church life. As you have
observed it is more than just the Sunday School program. It is more than children’s ministry –
scouting, music. It is more than youth
and young adult ministries. It is more
than study groups, and movie nights and discussions and confirmation. It is all of that – today, we honoured the
sum-total of our parts: a honouring of the fact that we are ALL
Life Long Learners.
That means that ‘none of us
is done yet’. We all have new things to
discover and work into the person we have become up to this point.
//
The 96th Psalm
is based on the belief that there is always a horizon to approach. Before we get there (which is impossible,
literally and metaphorically), we will discover a new things we couldn’t see
before – things we assumed were beyond the horizon.
Sing
a new song to the LORD!
Every day is a new day and
so a renewal of our relationship with the Holy is in store.
Now, I want to be careful
that I don’t leave the impression that what we did before is now not helpful,
by definition – that the old songs have no lasting meaning.
But, I also don’t want to
leave the impression that just because a past expression of faith ‘had’ meaning
that it still does.
Of course, ‘meaning’ can be
personal, so what worked for someone in the past, might still work for them,
but it may not necessarily relate to someone else.
//
It is pretty much a
universal church truth, that no one likes everything. And nothing is perfectly relevant for
everyone. Those who expect a faith
community to be their perfect match is bound to be disappointed and frustrated.
Playing with the language
of Psalm 96, this divergent set of opinions can be seen in discussions about
church music – I can’t tell you how many pastoral oversight visit teams I have
been on for Presbytery where an issue in the church was which hymns are picked
to sing on Sundays.
It comes up all the time
because church music can be powerful and meaningful – people tend to notice
when it isn’t for them.
But, when we hear Sing a new song to the LORD, let’s not
limit it to singing. It speaks to the
broader question – how do we express our faith?
//
Some of you know that just
this past Tuesday, our congregation received it’s every three years routine
presbytery pastoral oversight visit. A
report will be coming back to us within a few weeks (the second or third week
of June is my guess).
Because I am in my 13th
year at SDUC, this was the fifth POV I have been here for (one after my first
year and every three years since). I was
thinking about how this congregation is not the same one that I was called to
in May of 2000. We have made some
physical changes (almost all of which were to improve the ease by which can
participate in church) and we have begun new programs, we have made new
policies about what we believe and how we will live out our mission, we have
grown our wider parish to include both the communities of Leduc and
Beaumont. During my tenure so far, we
have embraced a new hymn resource (More Voices) which didn’t exist in
2000. Our demoniation has continued to
evolve in theology and practice.
We are not the same group
of people. Some have passed away. Others have moved away or moved on. And we have welcomed new people, some from
birth, others who have found a faith home here.
We have to ‘sing a new
song’; we have to express our faith in new, relevant ways, because we are an
ever-renewing and evolving community of faith.
We are not who we were (as wonderful as that was), we are who we are! Some of what was is part of what is. The change is not instantaneous; it is a
progression and evolution. We progress
and evolve so that faith continues to remain relevant to the modern world.
At its best, it always has.
//
When Jesus left his life in
Nazareth to venture out on a travelling ministry, Matthew 4:13 says that Jesus
moved to the seaside town of Capernaum.
It seems to have become his home base.
Several of his first disciples were in the fishing trade; it is said
that Peter, James, Andrew and John lived in Capernaum, as did Matthew, the tax
collector. It is also fair to assume
that the synagogue in Capernaum became Jesus’ new home church (when he was in
town). Mark and Luke both share a story
of Jesus teaching and healing in that synagogue.
The Roman Empire had a
small presence in the village. As we
read today from Luke chapter seven, a roman soldier, who lived there, had a
kind affinity to the wider community. It
is said that he helped organize the building of the Hebrew synagogue in
Capernaum.
This kind of mixing of
cultures seems a bit strange compared to most of the biblical record –
especially where Roman-Jewish relations were concerned. I suspect that there were still some lines
that people did not cross.
For example going into a foreigner’s house would be a cultural no-no for Jesus. So, his agreement to go see the Centurion’s servant was already trying something outside the lines (but Jesus did that kind of thing regularly).
For example going into a foreigner’s house would be a cultural no-no for Jesus. So, his agreement to go see the Centurion’s servant was already trying something outside the lines (but Jesus did that kind of thing regularly).
What’s odd in the passage
is that it is the Centurion that felt uncomfortable in Jesus’ presence. He wouldn’t even talk to Jesus directly, he
sent messengers to talk Jesus. Jesus’
reputation was so strong or the centurion was so desperate that his servant be
made well that the message was that it was believed that Jesus could heal
without a touch, without herbs or medicine, but with the power of a word
alone. Even Jesus was astonished by this
level of faith. However it happened, the
servant quickly recovered. The Bible
implies and assumes that Jesus did... something.
The old questions of who
was worthy or unworthy took a backseat to the faith and needs of the moment.
I think that is what singing a new song to the LORD is all
about – allowing the Spirit to move in the moment – letting the faith and needs
of this point in time guide us to ways to express what we have come to believe.
//
On this day that we are
celebrating and appreciating the learning we make, there must be new songs to
sing - new expressions of a renewed and expanded faith.
//
In a few minutes we will
share in the ancient tradition of sharing a loaf and the cup, symbolic of
Jesus’ last supper. It is a grasp to a
valued past, but it is an action brought into the present because it is still
good for us to know community that sharing a common meal creates. A word for this church activity that crosses
all bounds within Christianity is “communion” – a sharing of something in
common.
We don’t all do it the
same, we don’t even hold a universal theology of what it means... but we all do
it.
Each month when we share communion, we are
intentionally remembering Jesus’ ministry of service and sharing, but we are
(at the same time) honouring the relationship we share with each in the
moment. Communion is a new song each time we come to the table.
// (end)
It may be different for
each one of us here today, but I hope that (in some way or another), each of
our faiths are fresh enough to sing a new song.
//
Let the harmony begin!
//
Let us pray:
God of wonder and
stability, be with us as we grow in our faith.
Challenge us, encourage us and sing with us. Amen.
#570VU
“Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands”
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