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Sermon: The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (A) - 23rd October 2011
St Alban's Anglican Church Epping 10 am
Readings: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13; Matthew 22:34-46
I thank Fr John for his invitation for me to preach today and for his welcome.
I bring greetings from the Diocese of North Queensland. Like many dioceses the Diocese of North Queensland is very diverse in many aspects of diocesan life.
However the task of all dioceses; of all parishes; of all faith communities; of all Christians is to live into what we know as the Two Great Commandments, which is a part of the Gospel reading for today.
The Two Great Commandments are very dear to Anglicans and they form a part of our Eucharistic liturgy.
The Two Great Commandments can the found in the three Synoptic Gospels:
Matthew 22:34-40
Mark 12:28-34
Luke 10:25-28 - which is the lead in to the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The context in which Jesus gave the Two Great Commandments was amidst controversy.
The Pharisees had silenced the Sadducees.
The lawyer tried to trap Jesus.
In the midst of this controversy Jesus gives an answer of profound wisdom.
Jesus quotes from the Torah; the Law; but not from what we call the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might."
and
Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself."
There are four points I would like to make in regard to the Two Great Commandments.
i) There is a real sense in which the Two Great Commandments are inseparable, because loving God is loving our neighbour, our neighbour who is created in the image of God.
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus answers the question, "Who is my neighbour?”
A man went from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers. He was beaten and bashed and left half dead.
A Priest came upon the man and walked by on the other side.
A Levite came upon the man and walked by on the other side.
Now don’t be too hard on the Priest and Levite, they would have good excuses. But we have to remember that excuses sound impressive to others but they are inadequate in God's eyes.
Then a Samaritan came upon the man, and let us not forget that Jews and Samaritans did not get on. He saw the injured man and attended to his wounds, put him on his donkey and took him to an inn. Not only that he paid for his stay and offered to pay if more was required.
ii) While the Two Great Commandments are inseparable they do not dissolve into each other.
iii) Loving God and neighbour fulfils the law and the prophets.
iv) The Two Great Commandments are a gift to us; not a demand.
As Christians we are to live into these Two Great Commandments. It is the task of each Christian and we in North Queensland have the same challenge; but our context is different.
55 Parishes – but many do not function as parishes.
123 Clergy in the Diocese.
25 Fully stipended – including two bishops, a Ministry Development Officer and Chaplaincies.
Most Clergy are retirement age and are non stipendiary.
The Parish of Tully, which includes the centres of Tully, Cardwell, and Mission Beach, bore the brunt of Cyclone Yasi on 3 February this year.
The Church at Cardwell was blown away. The Church at Tully and the Rectory are to be demolished. This news was received about a week ago.
I have been in these communities a couple of days back. These communities have a number of challenges before them.
Repair work and building construction is being hampered because in the last few days there has been over half of a metre of rain.
Many people have left the area to live with family and friends.
Others are still waiting for insurance finalisation or builders.
There is a sense of despondency, which is natural. The wider Church has been generous. $39,000 has been given for ministry. I am hoping to use this money for pastoral ministry and support of people who are dispirited and finding the challenges of life a constant struggle.
We in North Queensland in the brief context I have outlined, constantly seek to live into the Two Great Commandments amidst our diversity and sadly at times, our tensions.
The task to live into the Two Great Commandments is constant, whether in North Queensland or here in Epping. Living into the Two Great Commandments brings its joys and blessings.
However at times we fall short in living into the Two Great Commandments, but our God is a forgiving God, a supporting, upholding and encouraging God. It is only when we place ourselves in the hands of God that we can live into the Two Great Commandments and that we are able to fulfil the petitions of the Prayer for Today.
O God,
whose Son has taught us that love is the fulfilment of your law:
stir up within us the fire of your Holy Spirit,
and pour into our hearts your greatest gift of love,
so that we may love you with our whole being,
and our neighbours as ourselves;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.