7 Pentecost, C p 9, July 3, 2016
Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-10
Gal. 6:1-18 Luke 10:1-12,16-20
Lectionary Link
What if you were ask me today: Can I be American citizen? I would be rather shocked and I might have some questions for you. Like: Aren't you already an American citizen? Were you not born in the United States? Were not your parents American citizens? And how did you come to believe that you are not an American citizen? Didn't you get instructed about your identity and rights as an American citizen? Did someone not tell you that you were an American citizen? Did someone tell you that you were not good enough to be an American citizen? Why are you confused about not being an American citizen?
If you did not know about your American citizenship the I would want to teach you about your true identity as an American citizen.
When Jesus grew up in Palestine he discovered something about many people. He discovered that many people did not believe that they were children of God. Why? They did not have good knowledge about God or themselves. Why? Because many religious leaders made them feel like God was not their heavenly Father? Why? Because these religious leaders had some many special little rules which people did not and could not easily follow, and so the religious people came to tell people that only certain people were God's chosen people or children.
This angered and saddened Jesus. Why? Because when he prayed, he prayed to God as his Father and he wondered why all people could not pray to God as God's children too. Jesus knew that God created the world and that God made people in God's image, and so everyone is a child of God. And Jesus knew that God had created a world for God's children to live in. So all people live as God's children in God's world or God's kingdom.
Jesus was sad that people did not know and believe this. He was angry with people who did not preach this correct information to people.
So when Jesus began his ministry he realized that he had a big mission to accomplish. He had to correct all of the bad information that people had about themselves and about God.
Jesus trained his friends and disciples to become group of people to spread the true message about God and about how all people could accept themselves as sons and daughters of God. Jesus trained his evangelist to go to people and offer them peace and to tell them: The kingdom of God is near.
Jesus wanted all people to know that everyone lives in the kingdom of God as a citizen of God's kingdom.
When the disciples of Jesus came back from their mission, they were excited that they had defeated the devil who is the father of lies. When they brought the truth of the message of God's kingdom, they defeated the lies that had ruled peoples' life. And they were very proud of their mission.
But Jesus had an important reminder for them. No matter what we do, we need to rejoice that "our names are written in heaven." This is a poetic way of saying, "The most important truth of our lives is that we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in God's image and we are citizens of God's kingdom in our lives while we live and we will continue to be citizens of God's kingdom after we have died.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and we will celebrate the birthday of our country. We are proud of our country and we are proud to be citizens of our country. But let us remember today, that we have another larger country, we have the entire country of God's creation and so we live too as citizens in God's kingdom as God's sons and daughters.
Let us be thankful that Jesus came to remind us that we live as citizens in God's kingdom as sons and daughters of God. Amen.
What if you were ask me today: Can I be American citizen? I would be rather shocked and I might have some questions for you. Like: Aren't you already an American citizen? Were you not born in the United States? Were not your parents American citizens? And how did you come to believe that you are not an American citizen? Didn't you get instructed about your identity and rights as an American citizen? Did someone not tell you that you were an American citizen? Did someone tell you that you were not good enough to be an American citizen? Why are you confused about not being an American citizen?
If you did not know about your American citizenship the I would want to teach you about your true identity as an American citizen.
When Jesus grew up in Palestine he discovered something about many people. He discovered that many people did not believe that they were children of God. Why? They did not have good knowledge about God or themselves. Why? Because many religious leaders made them feel like God was not their heavenly Father? Why? Because these religious leaders had some many special little rules which people did not and could not easily follow, and so the religious people came to tell people that only certain people were God's chosen people or children.
This angered and saddened Jesus. Why? Because when he prayed, he prayed to God as his Father and he wondered why all people could not pray to God as God's children too. Jesus knew that God created the world and that God made people in God's image, and so everyone is a child of God. And Jesus knew that God had created a world for God's children to live in. So all people live as God's children in God's world or God's kingdom.
Jesus was sad that people did not know and believe this. He was angry with people who did not preach this correct information to people.
So when Jesus began his ministry he realized that he had a big mission to accomplish. He had to correct all of the bad information that people had about themselves and about God.
Jesus trained his friends and disciples to become group of people to spread the true message about God and about how all people could accept themselves as sons and daughters of God. Jesus trained his evangelist to go to people and offer them peace and to tell them: The kingdom of God is near.
Jesus wanted all people to know that everyone lives in the kingdom of God as a citizen of God's kingdom.
When the disciples of Jesus came back from their mission, they were excited that they had defeated the devil who is the father of lies. When they brought the truth of the message of God's kingdom, they defeated the lies that had ruled peoples' life. And they were very proud of their mission.
But Jesus had an important reminder for them. No matter what we do, we need to rejoice that "our names are written in heaven." This is a poetic way of saying, "The most important truth of our lives is that we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in God's image and we are citizens of God's kingdom in our lives while we live and we will continue to be citizens of God's kingdom after we have died.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and we will celebrate the birthday of our country. We are proud of our country and we are proud to be citizens of our country. But let us remember today, that we have another larger country, we have the entire country of God's creation and so we live too as citizens in God's kingdom as God's sons and daughters.
Let us be thankful that Jesus came to remind us that we live as citizens in God's kingdom as sons and daughters of God. Amen.
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