"Keeping One's Head"

S E R M O N CNR1064

PENTECOST 7b (15) Crows Nest, 15 July 2012, 10am

2 Sam 6:1-5, 9-10; Ps 24; Mk 6:14-29; Eph 1:3-14

1 DANCING AND SUDDEN DEATH

1.1 Returning to Crows Nest 

It’s been 31 years since I last stood in this part of Crows Nest Church 

with its long memories of my in-laws 

who were part of this people of faith for at least three generations.

This was also the first Uniting Church place of worship I attended in NSW 

and it was on my honeymoon some years before that.

1.2 Dying and Dancing before the Ark (2 Sam 6:1-5,12b-19)

I was looking through the lectionary passages.

I read through the OT passage only to find 

the story of some faithful subject of King David being struck dead 

for touching the Ark, held to be a sacred object, so I shall be very careful.

Even though it also tells the story of King David dancing before the Ark, 

I decided to leave this passage alone.

Besides, I was raised a Methodist with two left feet, 

and my knees are starting to object to too much strenuous activity.

1.3 Losing one’s head over women (Mk 6:22-25)

Surely, the Gospel reading has something different.

It has.

This time it is a young princess who is dancing before Herod very much before mature audiences only.

This time the sudden death comes after the dancing.

It is John the Baptist, and it has been told to me 

that he is the patron saint of all those men 

who have lost their head over a woman.

2 THE EXECUTION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (Mk 6:14-29)

2.1 Murder most foul

Yes, it is indeed “murder most foul”, 

those words first uttered by the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

Even as a boy, then looking for the boyish bits in the Bible stories, 

I thought it so grossly unfair that an honest prophet, 

albeit not always tactful, 

should be executed for telling someone, 

despite their being royalty, a few home truths.

2.2 Victims of self-justified murders

From this gruesome story one cannot escape the feeling 

that such self-justified murders have not only gone on in history 

but they still do so right now.

Many of us have been horrified at a woman being lynched in Afghanistan 

this past week, not just for adultery, but because she was a woman.

It may have reminded us of that passage in John chapter 8 

where Jesus was brought a woman “taken in adultery” ready for lynching.

He wrote something in the sand which I have suggested were the words, “Where’s the bloke?”

We can become so selective in our indignation 

and use our outrage as an excuse for violence.

There are countless stories of victims of others, who use any excuse, 

or even none, to commit murder. 

This is not necessarily a good topic for morning tea afterwards, 

but as we watch the nightly news, this must surely come to mind. 

2.3 Kangaroo Court to come

Even though this particular Gospel passage has Jesus only in the background not in this actual narrative, unique in Mark’s Gospel, 

one cannot escape the foreboding atmosphere 

that Jesus himself will meet a similar unfair fate.

The kangaroo court is still to come.

Out of determined spite, without logical reasoning, the writing is on the wall, written in by those who want their way at others’ cost.

3 GOOD NEWS FROM EPHESIANS (Eph 1:3-14)

3.1 Guiding us where to go from here

Which is just as well the Epistle for the day comes with good news 

out of all this ominous foreshadowing.

Many of our Epistle readings are good at taking the narratives 

we find in the Old Testament and Gospel readings 

and guide us where to go from there.

I’m sure this congregation is finding its way 

after the closure of a previous ministry as to where to go next.

3.2 Chosen for integrity (Eph 1:4)

This particular passage from Ephesians was one I remember reading 

on the first Sunday of our new millennium.

Despite its long sentences, 

the original passage in Greek said to be one long continuous sentence, 

too much for translation into English, this is where we start again.

This same Jesus, unjustly tried, unjustly convicted, and unjustly crucified 

before the most notorious kangaroo court in history, 

is the same one of whom it is now written, 

“He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, 

that we should live with integrity before him” (v4)

Jesus’ sacrifice for us has opened the door for hope.

Despite the continual uncertainties we face, either together or alone, 

this is something we hang on to and climb up from there.

3.3 Purpose for unity (Eph 1:9f)

We read in another long sentence that, 

“he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ 

as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, 

things in heaven and things on earth.” (vv9f)

Here we are still given purpose whatever has been happening about us 

to still steadfastly go on into an unknown future 

knowing that God’s ultimate plan is to unite everything together.

Yes, these long sentences are catching, but even when we reflect upon the physical fact that we are stardust before we began and after we finish, we remain part of God’s purpose to bring it all together.

So, we are not wandering around lost in space where no one can hear us scream, but we remain part of the biggest project of all time, that of God bringing all his creation into unity.

We need never forget that.

3.4 The home truths of good news (Eph 1:13-14)

Life keeps evolving around us and before our eyes.

Even this congregation is different since the last time I preached here 

a whole generation ago when Doug Cole demitted the charge.

This whole passage describes how, as the people called by Jesus Christ, 

we keep having the home truths of good news, 

with the faithful companionship of his Spirit within us and among us (v13).

Our future relationship is guaranteed with him (v14). 

That should see us over the hurdles yet to come 

within a world which we cannot similarly guarantee to be just.

Unlike John the Baptist, let’s never lose our heads but face the challenging future with the hope that Jesus Christ has passed on to us.

AMEN

Time Poor?

     I hope you have the time to read this. Almost everyone claims to be “time poor” these days. I have known the feeling at times when I’m done before the day is done before the work is done. 

     Being “time poor” has become worse in the 21st century with the proliferation of electronic devises that claim our attention 24/7. It is easy to become so attached to these sociological soldering irons, now permanently in our faces. Pedestrians and motorists have come to grief because they have been too pre-occupied with them that they lose focus on how they are travelling.

     Because of these handy implements each meant to save time, we have become busier than ever to the extent that roses have gone un-smelt, music un-heard, views un-watched, and human beings un-eyeballed.

     When the BBC interviewer David Frost was asked what it was like to have become one of the first broadcasters to have become a millionaire, he wistfully observed that he still only had 24 hours in the day. It’s the same with us, no matter what labour-saving gadgets we possess (or vice versa). The sun still rises and sets around the same time it always has. The clock at Greenwich Observatory occasionally adjusts the time by a second but by the time we’ve heard about it, we’ve wasted all that advantage.

     All this brings back to mind the story of Martha and Mary of Bethany, told in Luke 10:38-42, of the time Jesus was invited into their house. Many hackles have been raised in defence of Martha who was left to do all the work while Mary sat dreamily at Jesus’ feet, taking in what he was saying. Overworked wives and mothers, particularly have come to Martha’s defence when husbands have been watching football on TV and teenage children have their heads buried in computer games.

     Jesus shrewdly pointed out, though, that the problem was not that Martha was busy but she was busy being busy. She was not about to sit down with Jesus and Mary any time soon, no matter what had been accomplished. Martha would have seen herself as “time poor”. The more that was done the more was seen to be needed to be done. In Jesus’ words, Martha was anxious and distressed to the end of her tether. Mary was the one who was at peace.

     When you look at it, how can one be “time poor” when each of us, like David Frost, has no more or less time than anyone else? In our overly materialist world, it is so easy not only to become greedy when we keep wanting things but also to be “time-greedy” when we want more time than the 24 hours allotted to us.

     When he came to Bethany, Jesus wanted some one to talk to rather than the silver service. Luke has included this story in his Gospel because listening to Jesus becomes what is most important. What would Jesus say when we tell him we are “time-poor”?