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Reuben's Sermon for
the 1st. Sunday after Trinity:
Proper 6:
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Reuben's Theme: "Sin and Forgiveness"
(Trinity 1) - MORNING MASS
0800hrs. and 0930hrs at Saint George's Parish Church - Cullercoats.
Sunday, 17th. June 2001 Anno Domini.
Morning Mass: Kings: 21.1b-21a Ps: 5 vv1-8 Galatians: 2.1521
Luke: 7.36 8.3
June 17, 2001 Cycle C Trinity 1 (Pentecost 2).
COLLECT FOR THE DAY
O God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you,
mercifully accept our prayers
and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace,
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Morning Masses:
FIRST READING (morning Mass)
1 Kings 21.1b10, (1114), 1521a
A reading from the first book of Kings.
1 Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside
the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
2 And Ahab said to Naboth, 'Give me your vineyard, so that I
may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house;
I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good
to you, I will give you its value in money.'
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, 'The LORD forbid that I should give
you my ancestral inheritance.'
4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth
the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, 'I will not
give you my ancestral inheritance.' He lay down on his bed, turned
away his face, and would not eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, 'Why are you so depressed
that you will not eat?'
6 He said to her, 'Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and
said to him, "Give me your vineyard for money; or else,
if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it";
but he answered, "I will not give you my vineyard."'
7 His wife Jezebel said to him, 'Do you now govern Israel? Get
up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite.'
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his
seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived
with Naboth in his city.
9 She wrote in the letters, 'Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth
at the head of the assembly;
10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge
against him, saying, "You have cursed God and the king."
Then take him out, and stone him to death.'
[11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived
in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it
was written in the letters that she had sent to them,
12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the
assembly.
13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels
brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people,
saying, 'Naboth cursed God and the king.' So they took him outside
the city, and stoned him to death.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, 'Naboth has been stoned;
he is dead.' ]
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was
dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, 'Go, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money;
for Naboth is not alive, but dead.'
16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to
go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession
of it.
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria;
he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take
possession.
19 You shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Have you killed,
and also taken possession?' You shall say to him, 'Thus says
the LORD: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
dogs will also lick up your blood.'
20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' He answered,
'I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what
is evil in the sight of the LORD,
21 I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will
cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.'
PSALM Psalm 5.18
R R You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness.
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my meditation.
2 Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I make
my prayer to you. R R
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; early in the morning
I make my appeal and watch for you.
4 For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness and
evil cannot dwell with you. R R
5 Braggarts cannot stand in your sight; you hate all those
who work wickedness.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the bloodthirsty and deceitful,
O Lord, you abhor. R R
7 But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy, I will
go into your house; I will bow down towards your holy temple
in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of those who
lie in wait for me; make your way straight before me. R R
SECOND READING (morning Mass)
Galatians 2.1521
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
16 yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of
the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to
believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith
in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no
one will be justified by the works of the law.
17 But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves
have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?
Certainly not!
18 But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down,
then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor.
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live
to God. I have been crucified with Christ;
20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives
in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes
through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
GOSPEL (morning Mass)
Luke 7.36 8.3
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he
went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.
37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned
that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster
jar of ointment.
38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe
his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she
continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said
to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would have known
who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him
that she is a sinner.'
40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, 'Simon, I have something to
say to you.' 'Teacher,' he replied, 'Speak.'
41 'A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of
them. Now which of them will love him more?'
43 Simon answered, 'I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the
greater debt.' And Jesus said to him, 'You have judged rightly.'
44 Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, 'Do you
see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for
my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried
them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not
stopped kissing my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed
my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been
forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom
little is forgiven, loves little.'
48 Then he said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'
49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among
themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'
50 And he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.'
1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming
and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve
were with him,
2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and
infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had
gone out,
3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna,
and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
POST COMMUNION
Eternal Father,
we thank you for nourishing us
with these heavenly gifts:
may our communion strengthen us in faith,
build us up in hope,
and make us grow in love;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reuben's Theme: "Sin and Forgiveness"
+ In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
I love psalms... ...Psalms are grand.
They tell it as it is.... ...They pull no punches.
Today's psalm is a prayer in the morning:
Beset by men who lie and flatter, while they plot his downfall,
the psalmist appeals to God.... God who loathes every semblance
of evil.... God the defence and rewarder of the good.
This is the God he will worship and serve.
This is the God we worship and serve.
Our God....
The creator of all things (and the judge of all man).
So, what has our psalm to do with today's
readings?
Back in the "Old Testament" days,
seizure, or compulsory purchase of land, was illegal in Israel.
Not so for the persecuted Palestinians today... but back in those
times any man's heritage had to be handed on to the next generation
of his family.
But other people's rights do not bother Jezebel.
Ahab offers Naboth a very good deal for his vineyard, but Naboth
rejects it.
So, while her husband, Ahab, sulks like a spoilt child, Jezebel
quietly arranges for Naboth's liquidation.
She only has to contrive a blasphemy charge...
backed, of course, by the statutory number of witnesses...
and Naboth's lands are forfeit.
Elijah, the old prophet of doom, is the only fly in the ointment....
...But Elijah speaks the truth!
When Ahab finally meets his end... he is buried... his blood
stained chariot washed... the dogs lick up his blood... and the
prostitutes wash themselves in it.
Jezebel meets her end by being is thrown to her death.
Her blood being spattered on the wall...
and the horses which trample on her.
By the time they bothered to get round to burying her, there
was nothing left but her skull.
Evil and wickedness are rewarded with death.
But not just death...
Not even, as Commander Worf out of "Star Trek" would
say, "Death without honour."
But...
Death with no sadness...
Death with no mourners...
Death with no memorial.
The Jews don't believe in Hell... but I think
you couldn't get any closer.
In today's Gospel we have a different incident from the one recorded
in the other Gospels.
Simon shows Jesus no special courtesy.
But a woman who was a sinner, to whom Jesus has opened up the
possibility of forgiveness... pours out her gratitude in lavish
love... not caring what anyone thinks.
Her love does not earn forgiveness... it follows
it.
Only Luke tells us the part the women played
in Jesus' mission.
Here, in the beginning of chapter 8, three
are described:
Susanna: who is not mentioned again.
Mary Magdalene: Mary is not the woman
in today's Gospel narrative (that was someone else)... but there
was a real battle in Mary's heart before she became
a disciple. Mary stood watching at the crucifixion.
Joanna the wife of Herod's steward Chuza:
Joanna was with Mary at the tomb on the resurrection morning.
Their love, and that of many other women who followed Jesus from
Galilee, never wavered.
In our New Testament reading today, Peter
and Paul both knew that it was hopeless for anyone to try to
earn acceptance with God.
Having once gained their freedom through faith
in Jesus Christ, how could they put their heads back in the noose
of the law?
If good deeds had been enough to save man, Christ need never
have died.
Paul is saying that the real sin lies not
in breaking Jewish food-laws, but in turning back to the law
for salvation.
Jesus shows us that God's forgiveness is big enough to deal with
any amount of human sin.
Does this mean that Christians have an insurance
policy, allowing them to sin and be forgiven?
No!
Being a Christian means identifying ourselves
with Christ - being one with Him - and so sharing in His death
and resurrection.
So, in our first reading, Ahab and Jezebel's
doom is foretold by Elijah and later, they die ignominiously,
receiving no forgiveness.
In today's letter from Paul, we are told that
through Jesus, ALL sin CAN be forgiven!
In our Gospel reading, a woman who was a sinner
receives forgiveness from Jesus... and Jesus shows us all that...
the greater the sin... the greater the repentance.
The greater the repentance... the greater
the forgiveness!
So, in the words of our psalm...
"Give ear
to my words, O Lord;
consider my meditation.
Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I make my prayer to you.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you.
For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness
and evil cannot dwell with you.
Braggarts cannot stand in your sight;
you hate all those who work wickedness.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful, O Lord, you abhor.
But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy,
I will go into your house;
I will bow down towards your holy temple in awe of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of those who
lie in wait for me; make your way straight before me."
But as Jesus said, concerning the woman who was a sinner...
"I tell
you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven;
hence she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven... ...loves little."
+ In the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
© Reuben Condie 17/06/2001
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