11 Pentecost, Cp13,July, 31, 2016
Lectionary Link
Ecclesiastes 1:2,12-14;2:18-23 Psalm 107:1-9,43
Col. 3:1-11 Luke 12:13-21
Lectionary Link
Chike: In the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Amen. You may be seated.
(Catherine has her iPhone and is looking at it)
Chike: Catherine, I hate to interrupt your texting, but we have sermon to deliver. I don't think that you have the phone numbers of everyone here so that you can just text the sermon to them.
Catherine: Hold on! I am in the midst of Pokémon Go and my phone started to vibrate just a minute ago so I know one of the critters is near. Which Pokémon is it? Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wortortle, Blastoise, Caterpie, Metapie, Butterfree.
Andrew: Okay, okay, we don't want the whole list! I'm a bit concerned that you might know these Pokémon better than the twelve Apostles. Now you might like augmented reality, but we have to get back to the real and actual time of this sermon.
Catherine: But can't we use Pokémon as a metaphor for our Bible reading themes?
Chike: Are you sure that we want to augment the reality of the Bible in this way. Maybe Father Phil will turn over to the heresy police and we will be in trouble.
Andrew: When in Rome do as the Romans do; when in Pokémon Go do as trainers do and so we will perhaps find that St. John the Divine is a Pokestop today.
Catherine: Precisely! One of the main tasks of the game is to become adept trainers and throw Pokeballs at the various critters to defeat them, to capture them, and to retrain them. I think St. Paul wrote about some critters.
Chike: What kind of critters?
Catherine: Fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive language, and lying.
Andrew: Indeed those are some powerful monster. How do we defeat these monsters?
Chike: St. Paul said we could put these things do death.
Catherine: I don't think that we can just swipe the screens of our phones and throw Pokeballs at them.
Andrew: St. Paul said we could put these things to death by using the power of the death of Jesus. Jesus, a perfect person, was wrongly put to death upon the cross. And since pure Goodness cannot stay dead, God brought Jesus back to life.
Chike: So St. Paul used the power that comes from the life, death and resurrection as a spiritually augmented reality.
Catherine: Wow – that’s cooler than the augmented reality of Pokémon!
Andrew: Why is that?
Catherine: Because Pokémon is just a game; the Spiritual power to change our lives and make them better is much greater than a game!
Chike: But how do we change our lives and get them free from the monster of greed?
Andrew: How do we stop wanting things, people, and situations? From the time we were babies, don't we always just keep wanting things?
Catherine: St. Paul said that there is desire and evil desire? Greed is evil desire runaway like a wild fire and make us think that only having lots of money and things in life will make us happy.
Chike: And when we want to have everything, then we compete and we lie and we abuse other people who get in our way.
Andrew: The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “Vanities of Vanity - all is vanity.”
Catherine: The writer must have been a woman, because only women have vanity tables to primp in front of…
Andrew: No, the writer was not talking about furniture, though that was a good pun. The writer was talking about the futility of living one's life just to gain wealth, power, and position. A person is not able to live forever like God, so we have to leave all of our wealth to other people who did not work for it - and who may not know how to take care of it.
Chike: Jesus said that Greed was a real problem. Greed, according St. Paul, is making idols out of things. Idols are what make desire evil.
Catherine: So what is the answer to the problem desire? Can we just stop desiring? How do we tame desire?
Andrew: Should we go to a Pokémon gym and get help from our fellow trainers?
(Catherine has her iPhone and is looking at it)
Chike: Catherine, I hate to interrupt your texting, but we have sermon to deliver. I don't think that you have the phone numbers of everyone here so that you can just text the sermon to them.
Catherine: Hold on! I am in the midst of Pokémon Go and my phone started to vibrate just a minute ago so I know one of the critters is near. Which Pokémon is it? Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wortortle, Blastoise, Caterpie, Metapie, Butterfree.
Andrew: Okay, okay, we don't want the whole list! I'm a bit concerned that you might know these Pokémon better than the twelve Apostles. Now you might like augmented reality, but we have to get back to the real and actual time of this sermon.
Catherine: But can't we use Pokémon as a metaphor for our Bible reading themes?
Chike: Are you sure that we want to augment the reality of the Bible in this way. Maybe Father Phil will turn over to the heresy police and we will be in trouble.
Andrew: When in Rome do as the Romans do; when in Pokémon Go do as trainers do and so we will perhaps find that St. John the Divine is a Pokestop today.
Catherine: Precisely! One of the main tasks of the game is to become adept trainers and throw Pokeballs at the various critters to defeat them, to capture them, and to retrain them. I think St. Paul wrote about some critters.
Chike: What kind of critters?
Catherine: Fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive language, and lying.
Andrew: Indeed those are some powerful monster. How do we defeat these monsters?
Chike: St. Paul said we could put these things do death.
Catherine: I don't think that we can just swipe the screens of our phones and throw Pokeballs at them.
Andrew: St. Paul said we could put these things to death by using the power of the death of Jesus. Jesus, a perfect person, was wrongly put to death upon the cross. And since pure Goodness cannot stay dead, God brought Jesus back to life.
Chike: So St. Paul used the power that comes from the life, death and resurrection as a spiritually augmented reality.
Catherine: Wow – that’s cooler than the augmented reality of Pokémon!
Andrew: Why is that?
Catherine: Because Pokémon is just a game; the Spiritual power to change our lives and make them better is much greater than a game!
Chike: But how do we change our lives and get them free from the monster of greed?
Andrew: How do we stop wanting things, people, and situations? From the time we were babies, don't we always just keep wanting things?
Catherine: St. Paul said that there is desire and evil desire? Greed is evil desire runaway like a wild fire and make us think that only having lots of money and things in life will make us happy.
Chike: And when we want to have everything, then we compete and we lie and we abuse other people who get in our way.
Andrew: The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “Vanities of Vanity - all is vanity.”
Catherine: The writer must have been a woman, because only women have vanity tables to primp in front of…
Andrew: No, the writer was not talking about furniture, though that was a good pun. The writer was talking about the futility of living one's life just to gain wealth, power, and position. A person is not able to live forever like God, so we have to leave all of our wealth to other people who did not work for it - and who may not know how to take care of it.
Chike: Jesus said that Greed was a real problem. Greed, according St. Paul, is making idols out of things. Idols are what make desire evil.
Catherine: So what is the answer to the problem desire? Can we just stop desiring? How do we tame desire?
Andrew: Should we go to a Pokémon gym and get help from our fellow trainers?
Chike: O, I think that you mean, should we go to
church and get help from our fellow Christians in learning how defeat evil
desire?
Catherine: Yes, we should but still the question is: How can we tame desire without denying desire? How can we make evil desire into good and beneficial desire?
Andrew: I think the secret of magical transformation of desire involves aiming our desire at the right target.
Chike: What do you mean?
Andrew: Our desire has to be aimed at the greatest target of all: God. The first commandment is to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength. The Love of God is Good Desire.
Catherine: Bingo! That's it. God is the only one worthy enough to be the greatest Idol of all!
Chike: So we have freedom to desire God as much as we want.
Andrew: Yes, and when we learn to desire God the most, then we won't let money or things or people or fame become idols which addict with destructive behavior.
Catherine: Wow! If this were Pokémon Go, I would say that we've arrived at Level 100.
Chike: So, let us be Greedy for God alone. God is our best treasure of all.
Andrew: And if we know God to be our best treasure we will learn to enjoy all of the good things and people in our lives without making them into idols.
Catherine: Okay, we've solved that. Can I get back to Pokémon Go?
Chike: Say, amen, Catherine!
Catherine: Amen.
Andrew: People, be Greedy for God! Can you say Amen?
Amen.
Catherine: Yes, we should but still the question is: How can we tame desire without denying desire? How can we make evil desire into good and beneficial desire?
Andrew: I think the secret of magical transformation of desire involves aiming our desire at the right target.
Chike: What do you mean?
Andrew: Our desire has to be aimed at the greatest target of all: God. The first commandment is to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength. The Love of God is Good Desire.
Catherine: Bingo! That's it. God is the only one worthy enough to be the greatest Idol of all!
Chike: So we have freedom to desire God as much as we want.
Andrew: Yes, and when we learn to desire God the most, then we won't let money or things or people or fame become idols which addict with destructive behavior.
Catherine: Wow! If this were Pokémon Go, I would say that we've arrived at Level 100.
Chike: So, let us be Greedy for God alone. God is our best treasure of all.
Andrew: And if we know God to be our best treasure we will learn to enjoy all of the good things and people in our lives without making them into idols.
Catherine: Okay, we've solved that. Can I get back to Pokémon Go?
Chike: Say, amen, Catherine!
Catherine: Amen.
Andrew: People, be Greedy for God! Can you say Amen?
Amen.
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