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St Paul's
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Our parish is a community that seeks God and the fullness of creation by finding ourselves in relation to others. Our giving to the common, to the other, our sharing of ourselves is our commitment to this endeavour. |
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Amos 7:7-17; Psalm 82; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37 Proper 10 (15) Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Proper 10C / Ordinary 15C / Pentecost 7 In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen In today’s gospel we hear the familiar story of “The Good Samaritan”; it is a story many of us know quite well and it has a fairly obvious message. However, we might question if it has lost its truth. Is it too simple in our complex world? Does it still have a meaningful relevance for us today? The question that sparks the telling of the story is quite significant - "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" This is not a common question in today’s society or culture. It’s not talked about much on the buses, very few share a beer when they ponder this question. But there was a time – not long ago – when this question was very important. It was also a significant reference point in shaping the orientation of our culture. Heaven and Hell, and a future orientation toward the ‘eternal’ were significant perceptions, beliefs that shaped life in the times that they were believed. We no longer see the world through those same eyes, nor with similar perceptions – we have come to a new understanding of the world, in many ways a richer understanding. With scientific discoveries we have more ‘knowing’ than at any other time in history; however, our delight in what we have discovered has dulled our perception of the unseen that also gives us an orientation and a reference point for living and being. There is a void created in the wake of our newly discovered universe, and that void has almost swallowed up the ‘religious’, or mystical shaping of our culture in favour of a more materialistic, scientific and proven worldview. Most of us today are not concerned with ‘eternal life’, but some people are. In Pakistan, outside Islamabad, there is a refugee camp called I-12. “The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are 2.9 million” people there, people awaiting life and it is an eternal wait, because some have been there for 30 years. One in four of all the world’s refugees are there in Pakistan - 1.7 million Afghan refugees registered by the Pakistan Government, and at least another 1 million Afghans in Iran. If we were in I-12 I’m sure we would want something more – we would be seeking life. But here in suburban Perth we’ve got just about everything we need, and yet we too have wants - digital TV’s, the placing of our team on the AFL ladder, our retirement investments - all call for our attention. Here in our comfort zones, eternal life has become a ‘church thing’ that we’re no longer really concerned about. But, maybe we should think again! Eternal Life should not be confused with ‘life after death’. That’s the church’s spin, and it is an almost, almost out-of-date spin. The church sought to create a future fear in order to control and orchestrate the lives of the laity in the present. Eternal Life is not about life after death, it’s about wholeness, sustainable wholeness and a fullness of life that is whole, reflecting an inclusive abundance for all. In the words of St Irenaeus, ‘The glory of God is in humanity being fully alive, and to be fully alive is to Glorify God.’ (St Irenaeus - from the fourth book of the Adversus Haerese)s When we retired ‘eternal life’ in favour of instant coffee, so we also changed our orientation as human beings. We turned away from sustainable wholeness in favour of a marketing delusion that sold us on the idea that we can have whatever we want, whenever we want it, and we quickly rushed down that path. You will have noticed that ‘interest-free terms’ are getting longer; it used be 30 days interest free, then six months and recently I saw an advert with ‘nothing to pay for 50 months’. Delusion has to be constantly magnified in order to maintain an attractive appearance. Australian politics, reflecting our Australian culture, reflecting the modern age, is fully NOT committed to a sustainable future. We have lost a reference for tomorrow that was hidden in the mystery of eternal life. The lack of commitment at the Copenhagen conference, the bi-partisan back-flip on debating reductions in carbon emissions reflect a modern path that has no reference to the fullness and wholeness of ‘eternal life’. Eternal Life is not about the ‘hereafter’, it is about the ‘eternal’ – the ever and all present. The moment, each and every moment of creation is in the eternal. When the lawyer stood up to test Jesus with the question; “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” he is seeking a real reference point to align life with God’s law. When Jesus asks him “what is written in the law?”, he knows the answer, he knows the law – where is my life reference in relation to it? And Jesus, in confirming the law says “do this, and you will live.” The Priest and the Levite both know the Law and their lives are lived within that law, but they are not enlivened by that same law. They have an orientation that confines them and so are not alive to the relational inclusiveness of divine life. In the figure of the Samaritan – one who is detested by those of Jewish faith – the world of the law is turned upside down. It’s an amazingly significant parable when you appreciate that Samaritans were so hated by the Jews, at the end of the parable, the lawyer can’t even utter the name ‘Samaritan’; he can’t actually say ‘It was the Samaritan’, but refers to ‘the one who showed mercy. It is a turning upside down of the Law. This is not a Rudd-Gillard back flip, this a back-flip that is worthy of us all. Suddenly the lawyer (and we the hearers of the story) see with the eyes of Amos. In v. 7-9: when Israel is tested like a “wall” with a “plumb line”, she doesn’t measure up. And when we look at ourselves in relation to camp I-12 outside Islamabad, we do not measure up, not by any stretch of the plumb line. Yesterday there was an iconic event held, a very symbolic and Australian event - the burial of Yagan’s head in the sand of the Upper Swan. It’s a fitting ceremony for an Australian hero, for his head is now buried in the sand, just like we – his fellow Australians - bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the orientation of eternal life. The Greek philosopher Diogenes said, “Bury me on my head, for very soon this world will be turned upside down”. We have heard that same voice again in today’s gospel, and rather than bury ourselves in delusion, we might just hear a Divine call to change our orientation. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” Our neighbour is not the person next door, it is humanity, and humanity calls to us to bring about a change in life orientation, to Give of ourselves so that all might find an abundance together. The Lord be with you.
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