{"id":3179,"date":"2019-07-14T14:51:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-14T14:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=3179"},"modified":"2019-07-14T15:01:44","modified_gmt":"2019-07-14T15:01:44","slug":"sermon-7th-july-2019-morning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-7th-july-2019-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 7th July 2019 – morning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermons index<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third Sunday after Trinity \u2013 morning (8 am service)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Sunday 7th July 2019 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trinity 3 – Proper 9 \u2013 morning
\nGalatians 6. 1-16
\nLuke 10. 1-11, 16-20<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Maureen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\n don\u2019t know about you, but\nwhile I love the excitement of booking and planning for my holidays\nor trips abroad, I detest the packing! Mainly because I am not very\ngood at \u201ctravelling light.\u201d I always start with the best of\nintentions \u2013 but somehow when that open suitcase is before me, I\ntry to cram every last corner of it \u2013 because, after all, I might\nneed<\/em>\nthat extra T-shirt or sparkly top or an extra pair of trousers….oh\nand what about another swimming costume! And that is before I even\nstart on the spongebag and medicaments to guard against everything\nfrom sunstroke to gastric flu! I remember laughing at one of my aunts\nwhen she came to stay with a complete holdall full of vitamin pills\nand medicines… I find I am much the same these days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo I am not sure I\u2019d be very\ngood at following Jesus\u2019 instructions to his disciples… No purse\nor bag or sandals? \u201cI couldn\u2019t possibly Lord, how would I\nmanage?! Oh no\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut it doesn\u2019t end there. On\nyour journey, Jesus continues, receive whatever hospitality you are\noffered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWhoa! Not so fast there! The\noriginal disciples might have said, \u201cBut we are Jewish and kosher;\nwe can\u2019t share a roof or a table with just anyone!.\u201d We might\nadd,\u201d but what about our allergies; we can\u2019t just eat anything!\nI\u2019ve just gone Vegan, or I\u2019m on a gluten-free diet. What if a gay\ncouple offers us hospitality? Or an Asian couple provides a really\nhot curry? Or it\u2019s a house that is, quite frankly, dirty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nYes, <\/em>says\nJesus. All share in one bread, whether you are naturally comfortable\nwith each other or not; whether you agree with each other over points\nof doctrine or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut, Lord, what if someone\ngets violent? The last person who tried to prepare the way for you\n(John the Baptist) got his head chopped off. Can\u2019t we leave it to\nthe professionals? The confident evangelists, the Twelve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nNo<\/em>,\nsays Jesus. So what if you get rejection? That is just what to expect\nif you are my followers. Deal with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe mission of those first\ndisciples, the Twelve (note the symbolic number \u2013 12 tribes of\nIsrael) was to the people of Israel. The mission we are part of now,\nfirst and twenty-first century disciples alike, has grown, and it is\nto all the nations of the world \u2013 all people of whatever creed,\ncolour or culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe point is, it is down to us\nnow. Ordinary disciples; mostly nameless, ordinary, unimportant (? \u2013\nor perhaps essential?) followers of Jesus; it depends on us. Most of\nus won\u2019t be knocking on doors or travelling from place to place,\nbut for all of us \u2013 just like it was for our first great missionary\nBishop Chad, – mission is about how we live our lives, how<\/em>\nwe radiate the kingdom wherever we go. And if people receive us, they\nreceive Jesus. If they reject us, they reject Jesus. Lambs among\nwolves (no pun intended football fans!) is dead right! Are we up for\nit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTravelling light, means\nleaving things that weigh us down. As I said, I\u2019m not good at it! \nBut I try not to be weighed down by what happened in the past, or the\nmany \u201cwhat ifs\u201d that my ever fertile imagination is good at\nconjuring up. And then there is the cultural baggage that we all of\nus carry around too…. \u201cI couldn\u2019t dream of speaking in public!\u201d\n\u2013 perhaps because some of us have horrible memories of being made\nto read aloud at school to our classmates? And yet we all have a\nvoice, an opinion\u2013 and don\u2019t you want your viewpoint to be heard\nby those around you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo what about consumerism? How\ndo we radiate kingdom freedom if we give in to the \u2018must have\u2019\nsociety and allow possessions to have power over us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd what about individualism?\nHow do we radiate kingdom community if we insist on going it alone,\npriding ourselves on our independence, doing it \u2018my\u2019 way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWhat about the blame culture?\nHow do we radiate kingdom forgiveness if we off-load blame onto\nothers \u2013 or God \u2013 all the time? (anyone watched the drama Years\nand Years? \u2013 one of the most powerful moments in that is when the\ngrandmother (Anne Reid) accuses her family and herself of their\ncomplicity in the way that corrupt politicians have come to power and\nunjust laws have been passed…. let the reader understand!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWhat about our indifference to\nworldwide need, oppression and slavery. How do we radiate kingdom\njustice if we care nothing for situations beyond ourselves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTravel light, and people will\nsee what we are<\/em>\ncarrying and want to give away \u2013 the kingdom: healing and\nwholeness, peace, freedom, forgiveness, grace, love. And as Paul\ntells us \u2013 we will reap what we sow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo what is to be our reward?\nWell, we are told those first disciples returned with joy \u2013 not\nempty but full: full of wonder, joy and excitement \u2013 when did we\nlast feel like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThere may be some priorities\nto adjust, some of the \u2018essential\u2019 baggage to throw out, but we\ncan do so with a smile on our faces. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Third Sunday after Trinity \u2013 morning (8 am service) Sunday 7th July 2019 Trinity 3 – Proper 9 \u2013 morning Galatians 6. 1-16 Luke 10. 1-11, 16-20 Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs I don\u2019t know about you, but while I love the excitement of booking and planning for my holidays or trips abroad, I detest the … <\/p>\n

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