Hovering over Luke 6

It’s been hard work trying to prepare this week’s talk. Over the summer, in my times with God I felt that God might be saying: “you need a good rest for what is to come.” And this week I felt like saying “Really God? I’m tired already.”

So for some reason (possibly something to do with perhaps maybe having moved house and being under the weather) I came to this text and felt weighed down by it. I felt tired by its demands and tired of what it was saying about what leadership was. I felt worried about the places and spaces in my life where I thought I might be blind, or not bearing good fruit, or placing my trust in something other than God as foundation. In summary, this last bit of the chapter seems to be all about character – and my character, like each of us, is lacking. I was finding it hard to rest in a God of grace.

So…I went back to the whole chapter to see the bird’s eye view. This invitation to ‘hover’ over the was also one of God’s invitations for Richard and I as we began here at Newlands. So let’s do this now – hover over the whole chapter for that bird’s eye view. What is Jesus doing?

He’s gathering food and eating with his friends.

Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. (6:1)

He’s challenging the rules that are held for their own sake, which say things need to be done in a certain way.

“I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (6:9)

He’s spending time with God his Father, confirming his identity as God’s loved child and hearing God’s plans

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God (6:12)

He’s choosing his team; those who are to do this journey with him.

When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles (6:13)

He’s responding to the needs of those around him; healing in body, mind and spirit.

…the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (6:19)

He’s challenging and encouraging his friends, his team – giving them his captain’s pep talk.

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (6:20)

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (6:27-28)

He’s telling jokes and using stories which help his disciples follow him, and give hope to others.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (6:41)

Finally, he’s reminding him that he is the solid rock on which they stand.

“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.” (6:47-48)

So what do these things tell us?

· Jesus liked gathering kai and hanging out with his mates. That’s you too. Jesus cared for his body; he made sure people had enough to eat. He had fun with others.

· Jesus wants us to be free of the things that bind us unnecessarily; that hold us back from living a fulfilled kingdom life. The same is true at a societal or cultural level.

· Jesus introverted. He needed quiet times. When he had an important decision to make, he took the time out he needed to hear from God – he didn’t rush into a decision.

· Jesus responded to the needs of those around him in love and care.

· Jesus encourages us with a real time hope that the things around us and within us that are unjust don’t have to be that way through the upside nature of being part of God’s family.

· Jesus loved to have a laugh.

· Jesus asks us to build our foundation on him; to make our home resting on him.

Which one of those resonated most with you today? Take notice of this. When something comes to our attention it’s often an invitation from God to explore this further with him.

Make a note of this now and come back to it in your quiet times this week. You’ll find some paper and pencil in the pews or on your chair this week. We’ll spend some time quietly now asking the Spirit to speak to us and bring the point that we most need to hear today to mind.

So, I wonder whether you felt an invitation this week to share in hospitality? Maybe you need to spend time asking God to release you, or our society, from any restrictions that are binding your life? To spend time quietly in prayer over a big decision? To check in with someone who is unwell or alone, or to pray for healing for someone? Maybe you are feeling called to help someone grow in their faith, or build a team to begin an awesome kingdom dream. Maybe you just need to sit and invite Jesus to watch a funny movie with you?

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This week, mine was to take that invitation to spend time resting in prayer. I didn’t have any hard decisions to make, unlike Jesus, but my mind was a whirlwind of new places and people, responsibilities to juggle, feelings of ‘ought to’ and ‘should have’.

As I wrote in this week’s news sheet, this week I’ve been taking part in the Diocese’s Take 10 invitation. If you haven’t caught up with it, our Diocesan Movement has extended the invitation across our whanau to take 10 minutes each day, at either 10am or 10pm, for 10 days from last Monday. We’re invited not to spend time in heavy intercession, but just to relax in God’s presence; casting our cares onto the Lord, because the Lord cares for us.

I’m not the greatest at disciplines, but after a false start on the Monday I remembered to put a reminder in my phone. I’m glad that I did. I have been humbled by the effect that this simple time with God has had.

On the first day or two I garbled out a list of worries and placed them in Jesus’ hands, sometimes feeling overwhelmed; but as time went on I felt less like I needed to do this, or try so hard. Instead, what I did feel like God was saying was “I am not a weak God. I am powerful. I am reliable. I already have the victory.” And so I’ve been able now to approach these times just resting in that knowledge that God has ‘already got this’.

In our Isaiah reading today, we hear repeated the same message as Jesus’ final story from today about the wise man who builds his house on the rock. Look at the distinction between what God does, and what we are asked to do:

So is myword that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

God goes first. God does the hard work behind the scenes. Not us. We are invited into his great missio dei, the mission of God’s great love in every time and place. Responding to this invitation requires courage and challenge, but it also always an invitation that meets us where we are at and invites us to take a step further.

Isn’t that a great encouragement as we as a parish during Lent step into studying what it means to be people who feel equipped to share our faith with others? That it’s God who is already doing the work – all we have to do is show up in faith.

I’ll finish today with an invitation around Lent Studies. If there’s nothing else you feel you can do at the moment, nothing else you can give – just do Lent Studies for this season. Just 6 weeks. If you’re serving already in some way and you feel like another thing is just too much - here is my permission – let me know, and let us hold the fort for you. Let’s just make it work so that you feel able to take part and do this journey together. Let’s take up the invitation to respond to Lent – this season of examination and growth – and dare to pray that we will see the mountain and hills around us burst into song before the presence of God.

Let us pray.