CENTENARY CHURCH, SUVA

Transcription

1 CENTENARY CHURCH, SUVA Sermon by Rev Gregor Henderson, Immediate Past President of the Uniting Church in Australia and member of the World Council of Churches team visiting the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma 23 August 2009 Bible readings: Matthew 5:1 12, Ephesians 6:10 20 In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All of us desire the blessings of God. All of us want to be assured that God loves us, forgives us and offers the blessings of his daily presence and guidance with us. All of us seek a sense of spiritual abundance because of knowing God is present in our lives, and we look for the confidence and faith that even after death God s blessings will go on for us, into eternity. That s why we come to worship, to thank and praise God, to learn of God, and to receive God s blessings afresh. So the Beatitudes, blessings declared by Jesus at the commencement of the sermon on the mount are among our favourite Bible readings. All of us can find a place somewhere in these blessings from Jesus we can identify as poor or meek or merciful or in mourning or as persecuted or falsely accused on account of Jesus, and we find great comfort and strength in knowing we are blessed by God. I ve always loved the beatitudes, for at least two reasons: First, I love their simple direct teaching. They were delivered by Jesus probably in the second person as in the version in Luke chapter 6 Jesus probably said something like blessings on you poor, blessings on you who are meek, blessings on you who are persecuted. Every one of these blessings is addressed to people who are hurt or exploited or in need in some way, and they are beautiful good news. Second, I love that Jesus declares that the CENTENARY CHURCH, SUVA Nai Vunau nei Talatala Gregory Henderson, na Peresitedi Levu Vakacegu ni Lotu Cokovatatiko e Ositerelia kei ira na lewe ni Matabose Cokovata ni Veimatalotu e vuravura ka mai sikova na Lotu Wesele e Viti kei Rotuma 23 Okosita 2009 Lesoni: Maciu 5:1 12, Efeso 6:10 20 E na yaca ni Kalou, ko Tamada, na Luvena kei na Yalo Tabu. Eda gadreva taucoko na veivakalougatatki ni Kalou. Eda vinakata kece meda vakadeitaki ni sa lomani keda na Kalou, vosoti keda ka vakarautaka na nona veivakalougatataki vei keda ena veisiga ena nona tiko kei keda ka tuberi keda. Eda vakasaqara taucoko na nona veivakavutuniyautaki vakayalo baleta nida kila sa tiko kei keda ena noda bula na Kalou, ka da rai yani ena yalo vakanuinui kei na vakabauta ni oti na mate sa dei tu ni na sala vata kei keda na nona veivakalougatataki na Kalou me yacova sara nai vakataotioti. Oqo ga na vuna eda mai sokalou kina, meda vakavinavinaka, vakacaucautaka na Kalou, vuli mai vua na Kalou ka ciqoma vou tale na nona veivakalougatataki. Ena Vunau mai na Ulunivanua, na veivakalougatataki sa vakaraitaka ko Jisu enai tekivu ni vunau,, sa no kina na na veitikina eda dau taleitaka. Oi keda kece eda raica ena vei vosa ni veivakalougatataki oqo na tikina e tara noda bula se eda dravudravua, yalomalua, yalo malumalumu, se da lele se vakararawataki se vosa vakacacataki ena vukui Jisu, eda kunea na veivakacegui kei na veivakaukauwataki nida kila ni vakalougatataki keda tiko na Kalou. E rua na vuna au taleitaka kina na Vunau mai na Ulunivanua: Matai, au taleitaka na sala rawarawa, ka tonotonomata ni nona ivakavuvuli.a rairai a vosa yadudua ko Jisu vei ira na vakarorogo me vaka ena Luke 6, me vaka oqo ne, mo kalougata ko iko dravudravua, mo kalougata ko iko yalomalua, mo kalougata ko iko sa vakararawataki. Na veivosa kece oqo ni veivakalougatataki sa cavuti vei ira era

2 blessings of God s Kingdom are present right now. In the Aramaic language, the mother tongue of Jesus, there s no distinction between the present and future tenses, you have to work it out from the context. I believe these blessings are given for us here in the present, they re not just blessings we ll receive in the future yours is the kingdom of heaven now, you are being comforted now, you are inheriting the earth now. Now friends, these blessings are often regarded as little more than teaching for us to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be meek, peacemaking, accepting of persecution all statements of good Christian values. Now they are that, fine Christian principles for living, but they are also far more. I understand these blessings to be clear direct declarations of God s salvation, of God s unconditional grace for all who are listening to Jesus. Jesus is announcing God s good news for these powerless, Roman occupied people with an oppressive government they did not want, exploited and suffering in 1 st century Galilee. He is declaring God s favour on the weak, the humble, the poor, the downtrodden, the persecuted. Several years ago my understanding of the beatitudes was immeasurably boosted by a morning spent in the northern Palestinian village of Ibillin, not far from Nazareth. Elias Chacour, a famous Palestinian priest renowned for his steadfast opposition to the Israeli occupiers and for sacrificial devotion to his struggling people, and now a bishop in his church, told us that the root meaning in Aramaic of the word blessed is straightened up. I checked that out on my return home, and sure enough, I found a passage in the Dead Sea Scrolls, in a scroll written in Aramaic called the Wars of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness, a passage about God s blessings which says God gives firm stance to those who are weak, and upright posture to those whose backs are broken. So think of it. Jesus is saying to this downtrodden crowd Straightened up are you poor, for yours sotava na rarawa, veivakalaboci; era gadreva dina na veivukei ka ra sa rogoca nai tukutuku talei kai tukutuku vinaka. Karua, au taleitaka ni vosa ni veivakalougatatki oqo ni Matanitu ni Kalou sa yaco se sa tiko sara ga oqo. Ena vosa vaka Yarameiki [ na vosa vaka Ipiriu e vakayagataki ena veisiga] e sega ni vakaduiduitaki na ka e yaco tiko kei na veika qai yaco ni mataka. Ia mo cakacakataka ga se yaco ni kua se mataka mai na yatuvosa kei na veika e yaco tiko. Au vakabauta na veivakalougatataki sa vakaraitaka ka solia oqo ko Jisu sa yaco sara tiko ga ka sega ni veivakalougatataki ga e da na qai kunea e muri. Sa nomu na Matanitu ni Kalou, ko sa vakacegui, ko sa taukena na vuravura. Kemuni nai tokani, na veivakalougatataki oqo sa dau nanumi ga ni vakavuvuli, ko ya meda dauloloma, me yalo savasava, me yalo malua, me vakavuna na veivakaduavatataki, me ciqomi na noda vakacacani era vosa rogo vinaka ni vakarau ni bula vakarisito. Sa dina oqori era sai vakavuvuli cecere ni bula vakarisito, ia era sa cecere sara. Au kila ni vosa ni veivakalougatataki oqo sa matata sara nira sa vosa ni nona veivakabulai na Kalou, se na nona loloma sega ni vakaiyalayala na Kalou vei ira kece era vakarorogo vei Jisu. Ko Jisu sa vakaraitaka tiko nai tukutuku vinaka vei ira na mata tamata ka sega vei ira na kaukauwa, vakalolomataki ka vakarurugi tu ena veivakasaurarataki ni matanitu ko Roma. Era sotava na veika dredre, vakararawataki enai matai ni drau na yabaki mai Kalili. Sa dusia tiko ko Jisu na nona veikauwaitaki na Kalou vei ira na malumalumu, vakaloloma, dravudravua, ko ira era tabaki sobu kei ira era vakavakararawataki. Na noqu kila na Vunau mai na Ulunivanua e vakamatatataki vakalevu sara ena dua na mataka ena koro ko Ibilini volekati Nasareci. Ko Eliesa Jako e dua na bete kai Palasitaina ka kilai levu ena nona saqata na nodra veivakasaurarataki na Isireli ka sa bisovi ena gauna oqo. A kaya ni vu ni vosa na veivakalougatatki ena vosa vaka Yarameiki na vosa duri cake vakadodonu se wavu tu vakadodonu. Au mai dikeva na vosa ko ya niu lesu mai, ka raica enai vola vivigi ka kune ena veidelana ena Waitui Mate ka volai ena

3 is the kingdom of heaven. Straightened up are you who mourn, for you are being comforted. Straightened up are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you are being filled. It s spirit lifting stuff. It s extraordinary good news. Straightened up are you who are meek, for you are inheriting the earth. Straightened up are you who are persecuted for yours is the kingdom of heaven. The beatitudes declare the grace of God, here for us now, flowing abundantly to those who come and listen to Jesus. A few decades later the church in Ephesus was in trouble, facing difficulties with the Roman authorities, and partly because of those difficulties and pressures, facing a lot of internal disagreements and divisions. The Christians of Jewish background were arguing with the Christians of Gentile background. So the apostle Paul writes to them, greets them, and reminds them straightaway of the blessings of God Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ he writes, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. He goes on in chapter 1 to tell them of all the ways God has blessed them through Christ, adopting them as his children, bestowing his grace upon them, forgiving their sins, granting his Holy Spirit. Then in chapter 2 he writes of how Christ has abolished the barriers between Jews and Gentiles, of how in Christ we are one people because Christ died for all Christ is our peace he says, Christ has broken down the dividing wall, the hostility between us. So we are to live in peace with one another, under Christ, all part of the one body of Christ. Our reading today, from the final chapter of Ephesians, is shared by something like 80% of Christians throughout the world today, all who follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It tells us to stay strong in the Lord, putting on the whole armour of God and serving the gospel of peace. As shoes for your feet Paul writes, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Friends, here in the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma you are facing considerable difficulties at this time. The Interim Government s actions against the church are perplexing and deeply vosa vaka Yaramaiki enai vola Nai nodrai Valu na Luve ni Rarama vei ira na Luve ni Butobuto na tikina me baleta na Nona veivakalougatataki na Kalou e vakaoqo ne, Sa solia na Kalou mera duri cake vakadodonu ko ira na malumalumu, ka mera wavu tu vakadodonu ko ira sa vakalairoro se tavuki na dakudra. Vakasamataka mada ko ya! Sa kaya ko Jisu vei ira na tamata ka ra butuki sobu tu oqo, Dou duri tu vakadodonu koi kemudou na dravudravua, ni sa nomudou na Matanitu vakalomalagi. Dou duri vakadodonu koi kemudou sa tagi, dou sa vakacegui. Duri vakadodonu koi kemudou sa via kania ka via gunuva nai valavala dodonu ni dou sa vakamamautaki. Sa veivakayaloqaqataki dina sara. Sai tukutuku vinaka dina. Dou duri vakadodonu koi kemudou sa yalo malua ni dou na taukena sa vanua. Dou duri vakadodonu koi kemudou sa vakacacani ni sa nomudou na matanitu ni Kalou. Na Vunau mai na Ulunivanua oqo sa vakaraitaka na loloma levu ni Kalou ni kua, eke, sa drodro mai ka vuabale vei ira kecega era lako mai ka vakarogoci Jisu. Ena tini ga vakacaca na yabaki ena Lotu mai Efeso era sotava talega na leqa ena vuku ga ni nodra veiliutaki na kai Roma ka qai vakuria na duidui eso vei ira sa lotu ka vakavuna na veisei kei na duidui. E dua na veileti e tubu ena kedra maliwa na Jiu Lotu Vakarisito kei ira na kai matanitu tani Lotu Vakarisito.Sa qai volavola ko Paula nai apositolo, kidavaki ira ka vakaraitaka sara yani na nona veivakalougatataki na Kalou Me nona na veivakalougatataki na Kalou na Tamai Jisu Karisito ka sa vakalougatataki keda ena vukui Karisito ena veisolisoli vakayalo kecega. Oti sa qai tuva ena Wase I na veika eso sa vakalougatataki ira kina na Kalou ena vukui Karisito: sa okati ira me luvena, solia vei ira na nona loloma, na vakabokoci ni valavalaca, kei nai solisoli ni Yalo Tabu. Ena wase 2. Sa vakadeitaka kina ni sa voroka na bai ni veitawasei ko Karisito ka tarovi ira tu na Jiu kei na kai matanitu tani. Eda sa duavata ga ena vukui Karisito ko koya ka mate ena vukuda. Ko Karisito na nodai vakavakacegu. Ko Karisito sa voroka nai lati kei na veiqati kei na veileti ka tu ena keda maliwa. Eda sa bula vakaveilomani kei ira na wekada ka da sa tiki ni yagoi Karisito. Na noda lesoni, nai otioti ni wase ni vola ki Efeso sa ra vakaivotavota kina e rauta e 80% na tamata

4 troubling. We from the World Council of Churches commend the Methodist Church for your non confrontational response to what we regard as extraordinary provocations, for your commitment to seeking a peaceful resolution. We believe you are acting as you need to act, in consistency with the teaching of Jesus blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. As Christians we have no choice but to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means we must stand for what is right, but do so in peaceful ways even if those peaceful ways result in our suffering. Let me remind you that our commitment to being peacemakers is rooted in the love of God. In Jesus God has made peace with us, offering us his forgiveness through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And this love is offered to every human being. Christ died for all. So if God loves every human being, who are we to think we could live towards other human beings with anything less than love and peace! Friends, in our day some historic barriers, dividing walls, are being broken down through the leading of the Holy Spirit. For centuries there has been hostility between many of the great religions of the world. But in the past 30 or more years God has been leading us to more respectful and peaceful relationships between Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs etc. In Australia now when my church, the Uniting Church in Australia, meets in national Assembly, we always invite leaders of other faiths and they come, even to our opening worship service, especially Muslims and Jews, and they come, to listen to our discussions and to share in hospitality and fellowship, all of us Australians together, albeit of different religious faiths. Let me be clear that in these relationships we Christians will always bear witness to the truth of our faith, to the Lord Jesus Christ, but we do so in a manner that is respectful of their faith, that seeks for us to understand their faith better than we have in the past, and that always maintains peaceful relations between us. Inter faith lotu Vakarisito e vuravura ka da vakayagataka na Lesoni ni Wili Vola Tabu ena veisiga. Sa vakasalataki keda meda qaqa ena Turaga ko Jisu, ka vakaiyaragi enai yaragi kecega ni Kalou ka qarava nai tukutuku vinaka ni veivinakati. Oi kemuni nai tokani ena Lotu Wesele e Viti kei Rotuma ko ni sa sotava tiko e dua na gauna dredre ni bula. Nai tovo ni veiliutaki vakasaurara ni Matanitu sa vereverea ka vakatubura na leqa lelevu. Oi keitou mai na Matabose ni Lotu e Vuravura, keitou sa doka ka vakacaucautaka na nomuni sega ni veisaqasaqa kei na Matanitu ka vaqara ga nai wali me kauta mai na veilomani kei na veivinakati. Keitou sa vakabauta ni kemuni sa mua donu tiko ka vakamuria dei tiko nai vakavuvuli nei Karisito. sa kalougata ko ira sa dautataro [vakavuna na veivinakati /veivakameyautaki] ni ra na vakatokai me luve ni Kalou. Koi keda na tamata Vakarisito sa sega tale na digidigi, ia eda sa muria ga nai vakaraitaki sa mai vakaraitaka na Karisito. Sa kenai balebale oqo ni da na tutaka ga na dina kei na dodonu, ia meda vakayacora ena sala me kauta mai na vakacegu se veivinakati veitalia ga ni sala malumu oqori ena kauta mai na rarawa kei na vutugu. Meu tukuna tale yani ni noda muria na sala malumu ni kauta mai na vakacegu, sa yavutaki ena loloma ni Kalou. Ena vuku i Karisito sa solia mai na nona vakacegu, sa solia mai na nona veivosoti ena noda bula ena Nona bula, mate ka tucake tale mai na matei Jisu. Na loloma oqo eda sa vakaivotavota kece kina na tamata kecega. Ke sa dina ni lomani keda kece na tamata na Kalou oqo, o cei koi keda meda nanuma ni rawa nida bula vata kei ira na tamata ke yali kina na loloma koya. Oi kemuni nai tokani ena noda gauna oqo sa vuqa na bai sa voroki ena nona veituberi na Yalo Tabu. Ena vei yabaki drau sa oti sa tu na veimaliwai dredre vei ira na veimatalotu lelevu e vuravura. Ena loma ni 30 vakacaca na yabaki sa tuberi keda na Kalou me rawa nida veimaliwai vinaka kei ira na Musulemani, na Jiu, na Lotu Idu, na Lotu Buda na Siki kei na so tale. Na Lotu Cokovatatiko e Ositerelia ena Bose ko Ositerelia keimami dau sureti ira mai nai liuliu ni veimata lotu. Ena so na gauna era dau lako mai nai liuliu ni Lotu Jiu, Musulemani ka lotu vata kei keimami ka veiwase, ka veitalanoa ka veikilai. Ena veiwekani oqo keimami sa vakadeitaka na

5 relations are being given much higher priority than ever before by the World Council of Churches and by the Vatican, and those efforts are drawing positive responses from Hindus and Buddhists and Jews and Muslims and I reiterate that in those relationships we always bear witness to the truth of the gospel of Christ. Respect for each other, built on greater understanding and honest sharing, builds peace between us, a vital gift to the world. There is no greater calling for the Christian church than to be people who declare boldly, as Paul puts it in Ephesians chapter 6, the gospel of peace, and who live out the gospel of peace in our attitudes and actions. One Muslim visitor to our Uniting Church Assembly last month came from Ambon, in eastern Indonesia. Nine or ten years ago Ambon was torn apart by interreligious violence, with hundreds of Christians killed and hundreds of Muslims killed. We in the Uniting Church responded by inviting some of their young people, people from both religious groups, to come and join in a Young Ambassadors for Peace program, where we bring leaders of the hostile groups together for several days and seek to teach them the way of peace, to gain in their understanding of each other and each other s faith, to come to respect one another, and where we bear witness to the Christian gospel of peace. This young Muslim woman from Ambon came to thank the church for its commitment to peace, and for our working hard for peace among the people of Indonesia. We believe the Holy Spirit is blessing our peace making efforts. Straightened up are you who are peacemakers, for you are being called children of God. Straightened up are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account. People of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, as you go on in these difficult days over the next months, hold fast to the gospel of peace. Keep acting as peacemakers, and God s blessings will be with you. And know too that the world church is and will hold fast to you, for we are indeed all part of the one body of Christ. And remember always, Best of all, God is with us. Lotu Vakarisito ni keimami sa vakadinadinataka tiko ga na dina ni Vakabauta vakarisito, ia keimami saga me keimami doka nodra vakabauta ka tovolea me kila na nodra vakabauta, ka kila vakavinaka cake mai na gauna sa oti; ka tovolea talega me maroroya na veiwekani sa tauyavutaki. Na Veiwekani kei na Veimatalotu sa taura sara vakabibi na Matabose ni Lotu e Vuravura ka vakakina na Lotu Katolika. Na veiwekani oqo sa ciqomi tiko mai vei ira na Lotu Idu, Buda Jiu kei na Musulemani. meu kaya tale ena veiwekani oqo keimami sa vakadeitaka tiko na neimami vakadinadinataka nai tukutuku Vinaka i Karisito Jisu. Na noda dokai ira, ka tara cake na veikilai dina, na veiwasei vakasavasva sa tara cake na veivakaduavatataki ena keda maliwa; e dua nai solisoli yaga ka talei e vuravura. Na veisureti cecere vei keda na Lotu Vakarisito sai koya na noda vakaraitaka vakamatata na veika ka vakabibitaka ko Paula ena Efeso 6, ko ya nai tukutuku vinaka ni veivinakati, o koya ka bulataka na veivinakati. Koi keda talega meda bulataka na veivinakati ena nodai tovo, nodai valavala kei na veika eda vakaitavi kina. Ena Bose ko Ositerelia ni Lotu Cokovatatiko a sureti mai kina e dua nai liuliu ni Lotu Musulamani mai Amiboni, Idonisia. Na vanua ka tubu kina na ue kei na veivakamatematei ka ra mate kina e drau na Lotu Vakarisito kei na drau na Musulemani. Ni keimami rogoca na ka oqo ena Lotu Cokovatatiko, keimami a sureti ira eso nai taba gone mai na matalotu e rua mera mai tiko mada ena dua na vuli ni soqosoqo na Young Ambassador for Peace Program [Na Mata ni Tabagone ena sasaga ni Veivakaduavatataki se veivinakati]. Era mai tiko siga vica mera veitalanoataka na sala ni veivakaduavatataki, veivakameyautaki, veivinakati, mera tuberi mera kila na duidui ni nodraui vakabauta ka veiciqomi ka veidokadokai vakaiira. Keimami tovolea vakaukauwa me vakadinadinataka tikoga nai tukutuku vinaka ni veivakaduavatataki se veivinakati. Na gone yalewa ka sureti mai Amiboni a mai vakavinavinaka ga na veika vinaka sa yaco mai na nona vanua vakabibi na veivakaduavatataki kei na veivinakati, veilomani sa kune rawa. Keimami sa vakadinadinataka ni sa cakacaka tiko na Yalo Tabu ena gadrevi ni veivinakati. Ni duri vakadodonu koi kemuni na dau kauta

6 To the glory of God, Amen. mai na veivinakati [tataro] ni dou sa vakatokai me luve ni Kalou. Ni duri vakadodonu koi kemuni sa vakasewasewani ka vakacacani ka vosa vakacacataki vakailasu ena ka kecega vukuqu. Oi kemuni na lewe ni Lotu Wesele e Viti kei Rotuma, na nomuni lakolako ena gauna dredre oqo kei na veivula ka tarava, ni tautauri matua ki nai tukutuku vinaka ni Veivinakati.. Vakadeitaki kemuni mo ni dautataro, dau vakavuna na veivinakati, ena solia na Kalou na nona veivakalougatataki vei kemuni. Mo ni kila talega ni Lotu e vuravura raraba e ra duavata kei kemuni, ka ni ko keda kece eda tiki ni Yago i Karisito. Mo ni nanuma tiko na vosa nei Jone Wesele, Na ka talei duadua ni sa tiko vata kei keda na Kalou. Me nona na Kalou na Vakarokoroko. Emeni.