Acknowledgement of country
This land is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here. We acknowledge the Dharawal people, traditional custodians of this land under God. We commit ourselves again to working for reconciliation in this land. We pay respects to the elders, past, present and emerging, acknowledging their collective wisdom passed down through generations.
Lighting the candle
We light the Christ candle to remind us that God’s love exposes and brightens the darkest places.
Christ is the light of the world and for the world.
The spirit of Wisdom brings clarity of thought and illumines the way forward.
Lighten our hearts with flames of understanding and hope.
Albert Scheitzer said
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
Call to worship Collect for purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Make music to God with all your heart, with the songs of faith and psalms.
Wherever you are, whatever the time, give thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Awe of God is the beginning of wisdom,
those who worship have a true understanding of life.
Hymn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs4_jilYgSw
Bristol Methodist (Lord of all wisdom)
Confession
Loving heavenly Father, we approach you this Sunday, aware of the times when our thoughts, speech and actions have been less than ideal. We do regret these times and humbly ask your forgiveness. We are also here as a fellowship, realising that in our community and country there are too many ways in which policies and systems lead to poverty, marginalisation, and injustice. We are guilty of being part of these, knowingly and unknowingly. Give us wisdom so that in all that we say and do, we may better serve you. Thank you that you are a God of forgiveness and new beginnings and that you never stop wanting your creatures and your creation to be whole. God of all mercy, give us grace today to make amends. Lead us forward to a new week where neither guilt, grudges nor resentment have a part.
Assurance of Forgiveness
God has opened our ears and our hearts to know God’s love and forgiveness. There is nothing we need to do other than love one another and love God, for all things come from God’s love. Go forth knowing You have been forgiven and You are restored to God. Live in the way of Christ. Amen.
Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell, http://rev-o-lution.org.
OT reading
1Kings 2 10-12, 3 3-14
A story remembered from Sunday school. How clever! The baby survives with its real mother. (Not much thought for the other female who probably needed psychiatric help and huge support because she was grieving the death of her own child). Possibly prostitutes, possibly widows, possibly the stuff of legend to make a point, so argue the scholars. An interesting story to demonstrate young Solomon’s wisdom. And what a clever prayer to God – to pray for wisdom and you not only get wisdom but everything else thrown in. Now that is really the clever bit on the part of whoever wrote this story. Justifying Solomon’s riches and fame. Any politician could not have thought of a better marketing scheme. Cunning. Politically astute. Disguise the new taxes and conscripted labour about to be brought in to build the temple, by distracting attention to wisdom. Centralise the power but convince the people it is a spiritually beneficial thing to do. Despite the book of Proverbs which contains much wisdom and common sense being attributed to Solomon it was written by many authors much later. "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10) echoed in the Psalm for today, we all know that by the end of the reign Solomon had been terribly unwise. Enter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zND23HcMx3U
0:10 to 0:23
All those wives. 700 princesses. 300 concubines. All those foreign policies to keep the peace and domination of surrounding countries. All those trade policies. And of course, all those foreign gods…. And it all fell apart as soon as Solomon was dead. The kingdom was divided and civil war ensued.
Dr Mark Brett of Whitley college, Melbourne preached this at
South Yarra Community Baptist Church, Victoria
‘What does it mean to be politically astute? These days, it seems, political wisdom implies that you can’t be entirely truthful, because that might undermine your position. You can’t be too compassionate because that might lead to policies which are not economically sustainable. But the trick is that you need to create the appearance of being truthful and compassionate, while carefully protecting your political and economic interests.
When Solomon died, and his son Rehoboam tried to succeed him, he was a chip off the old block: the northern tribes of Israel were considering their position, and they brought up the question of forced labour with Rehoboam. His reply? ‘My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions’ (1 Kgs 12.11). Big mistake. Rehoboam lost the appearance of wisdom and justice, and thus he lost power. The northern kingdom separated itself off from the south, and Rehoboam’s southern kingdom was left with only two tribes out of the twelve. And thus is illustrated an iron law of politics: always keep up appearances.
But elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible there are some other perspectives on how a king should behave. For example, Deuteronomy 17 says this: ‘The king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself, or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them… He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold’ (17.16-17). If there was one king in Israel who broke this law, it was Solomon. Clearly, the book of Kings has a slightly different set of concerns to the book of Deuteronomy: the book of Kings expresses doubts about the wisdom of keeping of many wives and many gods, but it is strangely acquiescent on the issues of wealth and military power. Deuteronomy has a broader perspective that will not let the accumulation of wealth and power off the hook. Like some of Psalms which come from Jerusalem, Deuteronomy measures regimes not according to their wealth, but according to their justice – according to their capacity to hear the cry of the needy and of the afflicted
We need another kind of wisdom – the kind that teaches us the way of peace, justice for the poor, care for creation, compassion for all of humanity. Where are we to find that kind of wisdom? According to Ps 111, the beginning of wisdom is found in reverence for God – the one who made heaven and earth, whose justice endures forever, the God who is gracious and compassionate. Any political wisdom which has lost touch with the values revealed to us in the character of God is on the road to disaster. It is not wisdom at all; it is just the mouthings of wealth and power.
I am not suggesting that we should fantasize about what the world would be like if everyone just became Christians; on the contrary, that solution has a dangerously imperial or Solomonic ring to it. The British rabbi, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who died last year, writes in his book The Dignity of Difference, urging us to think about the righteousness of God in a more gracious way. If we are to avoid the clash of fundamentalisms, he argues, we need to work towards a vision of the God of justice who stands above us all, ‘teaching us to make space for one another, to hear each other’s claims and to resolve them equitably. Only such a God would be truly transcendent… capable of being comprehended in any human language, from any single point of view’. ‘Those who are confident in their faith are not threatened but enlarged by the different faith of others’. In this time of great insecurity, we need the kind of trust and confidence which only the wisdom of a transcendent God can give. We cannot afford the kind of narrow, nationalist political wisdom which can only see the world through lens provided by national interest. We need the kind of divine wisdom than transcends national borders not through military aggression, cultural superiority or economic heartlessness, but through the grace and justice of a God who longs to liberate all of creation.’
Perhaps Solomon should have stayed as a judge in the courts of law rather than be a king intent on amassing wealth and power. Remember what Loraine taught us about his mother’s family? (Solomon was the second child of David and Bathsheba, their first son died in infancy as a punishment), Solomon’s mother’s family was obviously quite a middle-class type with education, wisdom, generally upright citizens, but Bathsheba is included in Solomon’s plotting to ensure he would inherit. The preceeding chapters are quite a horrific read as we learn how the older half-brothers were “dealt with” in order for Solomon to accede to the throne. Reminiscent of Shakespeare history of the Henry’s and Richard, or the Hunger Games. I sometimes, no, often wonder, why this book is revered so much.! Solomon proved good at organising his troops and his officials. But how is wisdom measured? What was his legacy? The Temple builder? (John spoke to us about that) Is he remembered as a wise king? Who do you consider wise today? And who would you class as a wise leader? Does a wise leader have to be a person of faith? Does having leaders who profess faith (of any kind) inspire more or less trust? Would we rather look to their actions? What does ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Ps. 111.10) actually mean? Maybe a certain type of humility? Who is remembered as a wise leader?
Let us pray to God to raise up wise leaders – in politics, church and business, in fact let us implore Him, - and use our own wisdom to vote and advocate and serve effectively.
Let us ponder those questions as we listen to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkrepBvrLI4
Hail to the lord’s anointed
Advent, looking forward to better times, true king and kingdom, David’s greater son
NT reading John 6 51-58
Now we have been looking at this part of John for four weeks now. John is inserted into the lectionary at this time as we runout the shorter Mark’s gospel. So I do not think there is anything worthwhile to be gained in trying to link the Old and New testament readings. We have heard recent sermons on this lengthy passage in John, following the feeding of the five thousand, and a talk to his disciples about the bread from heaven, manna in the wilderness that Moses gave, Jesus’ statement I am the Bread of life, then there is this discussion, even dispute as to what on earth Jesus is going on about. There is debate over the difference in the Greek words of flesh (Word made flesh) and bread. Strange because I am sure that you, like me, on hearing this automatically think of the Holy Communion service. Lord’s supper. Eucharist. Mass. And haven’t the disciples been disputing ever since about what that all means? Transubstantiation. No, in Remembrance. Mystery. Sacrament. When I came to South Australia I worshipped at a Lutheran church (or tried to, homesickness got in the way) but I was grilled by the pastor on the only home visit he gave me as to what I thought of Holy Communion. The Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ. Half-way between the Catholics and Anglicans. And only members of the church could partake. Thanks for the welcome.
It started early:
Early Christian writers referred to the Eucharistic elements as Jesus's body and the blood. The short document known as the Teachings of the Apostles which may be the earliest Christian document outside of the New Testament to speak of the Eucharist, says, "Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, unless they have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, 'Give not that which is holy to the dogs'.”
Writing to the Christians of Smyrna in AD106, Ignatius of Antioch warned them to "stand aloof from such heretics", because, among other reasons, "they abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again."
So the one meal that Jesus designed to bring his people together in a very special way has been a source of unpleasant division. Unlike the disciples on the road to Emmaus who recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread, the Church has been good at recognising pride and division. This is the way WE do it, we are right etc etc. And even more petty fighting over preferences One cup, many cups, wine or juice, every week or once a month, …
So rather than unpack this passage over which I cannot attempt to do justice to e.g. John was perhaps writing this passage to squash these early disputes as the breaking of the bread was becoming important to the early church, - this is an act which for many of us is very personal and can be intensely moving. I am sure that you, like me, can be quite emotional over some memories of sharing Commumion. So let us take a more poetic approach this morning. I have a few snippets.
I love the words that I heard first from Patty, and Tammy used as she welcomed people up to partake
Let us receive what we are;
let us become what we receive.
The body of Christ.
or
The body of Christ for the people of Christ. May we become what we receive.
The following is from writings of Robert Fulghum From Beginning to End. The Rituals of our Lives
SLOW FOOD NOT FAST FOOD: WE ARE WHAT WE EAT...
“Once upon a time, somewhere far back in ancient human history
- so far back that personal survival was the only concern -
a defining event must have taken place.
Someone didn’t eat what he found when he found it,
but decided to take it back to the cave to share with others.
There must have been a first time.
A first act of community - call it communion -
in the most elemental form” (Fulghum 1995:79).
When my first son was in kindergarten, I was a parent volunteer
who visited the school once a week to teach folk songs to the children.
Singing came between rest-time and snack-time.
Regularly I was invited to stay after singing
and join the class for milk and scones.
I gladly stayed.
Not because I was particularly hungry, but because
I enjoyed watching the children carry out this ordinary task
with such extraordinary care.
Two children set the table with serviettes and cups.
Two others arranged the chairs.
Others went to the refrigerator for cartons of milk,
while two more fetched the scones from the kitchen
and arranged them neatly on plates.
One child was responsible for placing something in the middle of the table
to talk about during the snack - a sort of ‘show and tell’.
For half the class, their job for the day was being good ‘guests’.
The other half were the ‘hosts’.
Each ‘host’ took a scone off the plate, broke it in half,
and gave it to a ‘guest’ before eating the other half.
During this snack-time, they discussed
the ‘show and tell’ object in the centre of the table.
After the scones and milk were consumed,
the children who had played ‘guests’ for the day
cleaned up and put away everything,
before they went out to play.
It was a high-point of my week. For me, it was communion.
The sacraments are often defined by the church as
‘outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace’.
Scones and milk with those children became a sacrament for me.
Grace was clearly present.
It was a ritual reminder that civilisation depends on sharing resources
in a just and humane fashion.
Jesus often talked about food.
Slow food rather than fast food, that is.
And the gospel storytellers often put words in the mouth of Jesus
to have him speak about food and eating.
Bread and wine.
Body and blood.
But Jesus was no literalist.
And religious language is primarily metaphorical or poetic.
In other words, Jesus spoke so words would be eaten.
We are what we eat,
milk and scones
at kinder snack-time is communion. Is grace enacted.
“Since the beginning of time,” Fulghum writes,
“people who trust one another, care for one another, and are deeply connected to one another have shared food as a sign of and a reaffirmation of their relationship...
“Every time we hold hands and say a blessing before a meal, every time we lift a glass and say fine words to one another, every time we eat in peace and grace together, we have celebrated the covenants that bind us together.”
But what ever the sacrament of Holy Communion is,
“it is an act that arises out of our humanity, not organized religion.”.
civilisation depends on sharing resources
in a just and humane fashion.
Some break hearts
And hammer feelings
On rails of betrayal
Some break trust
And open seals
Of ancestral closets
Some break barriers
And Germany unite
Across cultural walls
Some break through
Archimedean principle
Of happiness in grief
Some break down
Under yoke today
Scared of tomorrow
Some break up
At noon, holding
Withered roses
Some break out
In joy without a
Preceding cause
Some break bread
With strangers
That burn hearts
Wilfred Sumani South African Jesuit priest
Hymn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAN4EojeF0Y
Offering
Lord Jesus Christ, as you used the offering of the loaves and the fish, take and use our money, time and talents to your glory. May those in need be fed, may resources be shared, may your power be shown in community, may our excesses be curbed and may any left-over baskets be put to use with imagination and wisdom.
Amen.
Sending out
For your goodness and generosity
in giving us all we need,
help us to praise you O God.
In every circumstance of life,
in good times and bad,
help us to trust you, O God.
In love and faithfulness,
with all that we have and all that we are,
help us to serve you, O God.
As we speak or write or listen
to those nearby or far away,
help us to share your love, O God.
In our plans and work
for ourselves and for others,
help us to glorify you, O God.
In every thought and word and deed,
by the power of your Holy Spirit,
this week, may we live for you, O God.
Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out
in the power of your Spirit
to live and work
to your praise and glory.
Amen.
Blessing
The love of God enfold you,
The wisdom of Christ enlighten you, and the fire of the Spirit inflame you:
And may the blessing of the holy God
Rest upon us and abide in us, now and evermore.
Amen.
Depart song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppZUCwwSxI8
33:44 to 37:39