[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] 6th of Easter: 1 Peter 3.8-22

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:





-----Original Message-----
From: Fr HC Smith <howard.smith at anglican.org.au>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Tue, May 24, 2011 6:41 am
Subject: [propertalk.topic] 6th of Easter: 1 Peter 3.8-22


Friends,
Thanks Judy for your encouragement. (As an aside, I managed to get near your 
part of the world in 1991 when I had a great visit to the Diocese of 
Northern Michigan to study rural ministry).  This week there is a bit of 
overlap between the Australian lectionary and RCL - so here are a few 
thoughts on which to build a sermon.
Howard
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*    Today we continue learning from Peter how the Resurrection of Jesus can 
make a difference to us in the 21st century.  Today's reading from a NT 
letter in the name of Peter is thought to be the outline of a sermon for 
baptisms.
+    And one of the important things that Peter teaches us is that
    we, as baptised people, can make changes in the way we
    behave, and the way we live, because we are followers of the
    risen Lord Jesus, and share in his new life.
+    So what he tells us today is pretty important for the whole world in 
which we live:
    -    lots of people are fond of complaining about the terrible things 
that happen in our world:
    -    the awful violence and abuse people have to put up with,
    -    the injustice they feel that happens to them often,
    -    to say nothing of the terrible wars that go on between countries.
+    And people ask why doesn't someone do something about it?
    -    or even: why doesn't God do something about it?
+    Well Peter reminds us again today that God has already done
    something about it, and God has invited us to become partners
    in the whole process of making life better, more like God’s New World;
-    but sadly, too many human beings find excuses to make any effort to 
improve things.

*    Let's just have a quick look at what God says to us in Peter's letter:
+    We are told that the way forward for us, as baptised people, is:
    -    to agree with one another,
    -    to have love and concern for each other,
    -    to be kind and humble;
    -    to stop being hateful and insulting to other people especially when 
they are hateful and insult us!
+    Wow! that's quite a mouthful, and it even looks almost impossible;
    -    but I reckon that God wouldn't tell us to live like that if it
        were totally impossible; God only tells us to do things that are 
possible;
    -    mind you we probably need the help of the Holy Spirit, but it
        is still possible to get somewhere along the track.
+    So that makes me ask myself some hard questions:
    -    Why do I sometimes have to disagree with other people?
    -    Why am I sometimes unkind and proud?
    -    Why do I sometimes insult people?
+    And if I'm honest in my answers, I realise that when I behave
    like that  I'm contributing to the problems of the world, instead of 
helping God with the answers.
+    And if I can't get it right, then how can I demand that someone else 
should get it right?
+    So today Peter is inviting me, and you, to make a fresh start
    trying to find how to agree with people, how to be concerned
    for them, to love them, to be kind and to be humble, and to
    stop insulting people.
*    Perhaps this rural story might help us get the point:
*    "A farmer raised sheep, but on the farm next to him was one who raised 
wheat, children and large dogs.  The dogs were always scaring the sheep and 
sometimes even eating the baby lambs.
+    The sheep farmer didn’t know what to do.
+    He could shoot the dogs, or poison them, be nasty to his neighbour, or 
even take him to court.
+    He prayed about it.
    -    As soon as some new lambs were born, he gave one of the
        lambs to each of his neighbour’s children as a pet.
    -    They were thrilled.
+    Their father could no longer allow the dogs to run free or they
    would kill the lambs, so the dogs were tied up.
+    The two farmers became friends.
    -    Kindness and love made them winners."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Rev'd Dr H.C. Smith
Retired Anglican Priest
Orange NSW
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 



 
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