[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Epiphany 3 - Gospel

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:
Hi friends,
ere are some thoughts towards a sermon on the Gospel from Australia for the 
oming weekend.  You need to know that we celebrate our national day on Jan 
6 - the Wednesday after Sunday.  You may like to adapt some part or other 
f these thoughts.
Howard
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* This week we celebrate our national day with Auzzie BBQs, with 
aturalisation ceremonies, with presentations for good citizenship, with 
estivals, singing and speechmaking,
 all helping us to remember with thanks that we are part of
he Commonwealth of Australia.
 Now for those of us who are also disciples of Jesus, today's
ospel is spot on to this situation.
 How do I get to that point?
 Well let me firstly draw your attention to the fact that last
eek the Church had us read a different version of the call of
esus' early disciples, today Matthew, last week John;
 and the 2 stories are rather different.
 In John's story the disciples-to-be took their time to make up
heir minds;
 they went off and had a chat with Jesus, and asked a lot of
uestions.
 But in Matthew's version the emphasis is quite different: Jesus calls
hem - they follow.
 It's almost as if John fits the story into the pattern he adopts
hroughout his gospel: think, meditate, reflect, search for
eaning.
 Whereas Matthew, today's story teller, is not so much interested in
he process, but in the outcome, so he tells the story as though
t was fast action: they simply walked off the job and left their
amilies behind;
 and when I think about that, it seems as though this version doesn't
old out much hope for ordinary folk;
 because, if being a Christian means just throwing everything
side and doing nothing but wander all over the country with
esus on a teaching, healing, preaching mission, then that's
ot everybody's cup of tea!
 So perhaps there's another way we can understand Matthew's story.
 Maybe what Matthew wants us to know is that becoming a follower of
esus does something to our order of priorities.
 He wants us to see that living God's way, living as a member of
he "kingdom of heaven" as he calls it, will encourage us to see
he whole of life from a different perspective;
 he wants us to realise that attitudes like compassion,
orgiveness, mercy and understanding are much more
orthwhile than things like just making money, getting to
he top or owning the latest piece of technology, things
hich many of our fellow Australians are keen on, good
hough such things may be in themselves.
* This brings me back to Australia Day: Matthew is telling us that Jesus 
nvites us to live for the Kingdom of heaven whilst we still live in the 
ommonwealth of Australia.
 Jesus invites us to work to overcome the evil, the distress, the
njustice, the prejudices, the hatreds, the wars in our country
nd in our world.
 He calls his disciples to leave behind false values, unhealthy
ehaviour, and instead to allow ourselves to be transformed by
he grace of God, setting an example for the rest of our fellow
ustralians, showing that it can be done.
 Jesus called people to follow him, to live the life of God's New
orld in the midst of this world, helping to transform our
onderful Commonwealth of Australia to be more like the
ingdom of Heaven;
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
he Rev'd Dr H.C. Smith
Retired Anglican Priest
Orange NSW
 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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