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Ordinary Sunday 12, Year A
South Sydney Uniting Church
June 25, 2017
Psalm 69; Matthew 10:24-39
‘Spiritual formation’
Jesus continues with instruction for the Twelve. Last week we learned their names, and we learned that apostle means one who is sent. We noted that Jesus instructs apostles to travel light. In a certain poverty and vulnerability, in the absence of what may be regarded tools of verification, control or prediction, they will encounter in others a hospitality on which they must rely, as well as discovering their own capacities for hospitable thought and action. They will learn as they go. Today's lesson is tougher. They are to expect opposition and division, even persecution. God be with you ...
Spiritual formation (as depicted in our whimsical artwork for today) will entail Christ-
June 22 marked the 40th anniversary of the Uniting Church. The ecumenical and liturgical renewal movements which provided the impetus for union arose much earlier, in generations prior to 1977. God only knows the number of disagreements along the way – as people of faith questioned denominationalism, colonial power and cultural arrogance, patriarchy, doctrinal purity, the legacy of a Reformation/Schism that turned "a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, in-
Are we uniting – affirming wisdom, acknowledging injustice and hurt, seeking unity of purpose, opportunities for partnership and friendship? We will learn as we go.
It's hard enough simply rereading and rewriting common and cherished traditions. Miriam and I were recently involved in a discussion on reverence for the sacrament. I learned there are sinks in Catholic churches so that leftover communion wine may be disposed of reverently and channelled to the consecrated ground. I learned that the practice of feeding leftover communion bread to chickens on the same ground would likely cause offence. The discussion raised difficult questions about the holiness of the earth and its creatures (worms as well as chickens), the consecration and blood of the land, the interplay between fruits of the earth and human labour (including language and ritual), reverent as opposed to irreverent or careless attitudes and imagination, respectful communication across historical/ecclesiological divides.
Shall we break bread together with our God? We will learn as we go.
In a not unrelated conversation last week, I learned that vegetarian believers question the veracity of claims that Jesus fed the hungry crowds with fish. Not so, say the critics, who, risking derision and exclusion, point to other referents for the Greek word ichthus (acrostic sign meaning Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour), including fish weed (nutritious, plentiful and popular among middle eastern peoples). It's not so fantastic a reading given that early Christian commentaries refer consistently to the miracle of the loaves (not fish), that the gospels mention 12 baskets of leftover bread (not fish), that Jesus called Galilean disciples to cease fishing, that the cross symbolises the sacrifice to end all blood sacrifices, that the Eucharist is a plant-
What (else) would Jesus eat (or not eat) today? We will learn as we go.
An emailed letter from the Australian Conservation Foundation reads: "Deep under the Galilee Basin [in western Queensland], where Adani wants to build its polluting mega-
"The scale of this is unfathomable. That is why this is our biggest campaign in ACF history. This is the line in the sand. Enough is enough. No more coal ..."
Miriam's editorial in the current issue of the SSH implores us to support Micah Australia's community climate petition, which reminds the House of Representatives that Australia's greenhouse emissions are the highest per person among wealthy nations while our emissions reduction targets are among the weakest. It asks the House to commit to more urgent emission reductions; develop a plan to ensure Australia achieves zero net emissions well before 2050, and support families and communities affected by the transition; and provide additional assistance to help our poorest neighbours adapt to the harmful impacts of climate change (www.micahaustralia.org/climate-
How might we most faithfully bear good news for the oppressed (of the) earth? How might we yet proclaim peace – equity, ingenuity, sustainability, community? We will learn as we go.
At the heart of apostolic instruction is an assurance of divine love – preceding us, interceding for us in our self-
Last week I attended three funerals and witnessed families quietly overcoming divisions in the power of grief and love. Mourners acknowledged disappointments and hurts, while affirming hope, asking forgiveness (even of the dearly deceased), offering comfort to those most distressed. Is this weak or strong evidence of an underlying love, an underlying divinity? We are learning as we go.
May we travel lightly and may we go boldly – seeking God (truth, beauty, goodness), welcoming questions as deeper ways to understanding; respecting and expecting difference of opinion/perspective; practising conflict resolution (grounded in humility and genuine regard for opponents); keeping faith in/with a Teacher who knows well the (sometimes wicked) ways of the world – and the needs of the world, too – and who deems us worthy of wisdom and blessing.
What lesson in spiritual formation do you value most? ... Amen.