\u00c2\u00a0 July 22, 2007<\/p>\n
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time<\/p>\n
Gen 18: 1-10a; Col 1: 24-28; Luke 10: 38-42<\/p>\n
Dc. Larry Brockman<\/p>\n
Not just one mystery!\u00c2\u00a0 But three mysteries.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what we are treated to in the today’s scriptures.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Paul says his mystery was hidden through the ages.\u00c2\u00a0 But it is now revealed and is this:\u00c2\u00a0 “Christ in you, the hope for Glory”.\u00c2\u00a0 First “Christ in you”.\u00c2\u00a0 Now Paul was talking to those who had accepted Christ- those Colossians who were Christians and were living as Christians.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a mystery so close to them, yet it was not so obvious.\u00c2\u00a0 But, to know and accept Christ means that you are listening to him, that you have heard his words, and they have meaning to you.\u00c2\u00a0 If those words have meaning to you, then ever after you will act consistently with what you have been taught, with what you heard; just as you did when, as a child, you heard your parents and listened to them.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
That takes a certain kind of listening; a wholehearted acceptance without questioning.\u00c2\u00a0 So that it is second nature for your actions to reflect that acceptance and living out the word.\u00c2\u00a0 All of us have much to do to be that familiar with the word so that it is second nature to us to act consistently.\u00c2\u00a0 But, if you do that- then, and here is the second part of the mystery- the core of the mystery-\u00c2\u00a0 Then there is hope for glory- your glory.\u00c2\u00a0 And that’s what we are all after, to share in the Glory of Christ.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
A second mystery is how Sarah could bear a child after reaching the ripe old age of 90.\u00c2\u00a0 Well, Abraham shows us the kind of attention to the word that Paul was talking about.\u00c2\u00a0 Abraham had trained himself to listen for the voice of the Lord.\u00c2\u00a0 And the first reading shows us an example of when this happened.\u00c2\u00a0 What seemed like a simple act of hospitality to three visitors was really something else altogether.\u00c2\u00a0 You see, Abraham somehow sensed that there was something special in the three visitors.\u00c2\u00a0 One source indicates that the meal Abraham laid out for these men was extraordinary.\u00c2\u00a0 In terms of the customs of that time, it was a grand feast fit for a king, not just a small meal.\u00c2\u00a0 Plus, he ran to meet them in the sweltering mid-day desert heat.\u00c2\u00a0 Abraham just knew; he was aware of when the Lord was speaking to him and that trust and acceptance resulted in God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah that a child would be born- Isaac.\u00c2\u00a0 Many of you probably frowned when you hear Sarah chuckling in the background about what the visitors said.\u00c2\u00a0 But, I’ll be that our seniors more than understand how she felt.\u00c2\u00a0 Having a baby, especially after being barren up to the age of 90, that was ridiculous.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet Abraham listened, and believed in the Lord’s word.\u00c2\u00a0 This mystery is like the way God will work in our lives if we really listen and respond to His word.\u00c2\u00a0 Because things that will happen that seem to be a miracle- like unexpected blessings- a job offer, a child, a healing; or seemingly impossible expectations, will be met- a turn of heart, an unexpected windfall.\u00c2\u00a0 But, they are the blessings that God has in mind for us; not necessarily the ones we plan for.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The third mystery is the problem of Martha and Mary.\u00c2\u00a0 Last week, we heard the story of the Good Samaritan.\u00c2\u00a0 We learned that we must always be open to meet the needs of our neighbors.\u00c2\u00a0 “Love your neighbor as yourself”!\u00c2\u00a0 Isn’t that what Martha was doing?\u00c2\u00a0 The story implies that Martha was providing for a large group.\u00c2\u00a0 That was what the women were supposed to do.\u00c2\u00a0 Women were not supposed to sit at the feet of the teachers- they were supposed to be loving, serving, gracious hosts.\u00c2\u00a0 And certainly, after the lesson of the Good Samaritan, isn’t that what Martha and Mary should both do?\u00c2\u00a0 I just bet that most of the ladies out there are really puzzled by this one!\u00c2\u00a0 You can really relate to Martha- just doing the right thing.\u00c2\u00a0 So, why did Jesus rebuke Martha, even as mild as it was- another mystery?\u00c2\u00a0 Jesus says “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things, there is need of only one thing”.\u00c2\u00a0 Last weeks Gospel and this weeks Gospel are a pair.\u00c2\u00a0 The greatest commandment is to love God, and then our neighbor as ourselves.\u00c2\u00a0 Last week we heard about Loving our neighbor.\u00c2\u00a0 This week we hear about Loving God.\u00c2\u00a0 They were reversed, weren’t they?\u00c2\u00a0 Because the right priority is this: love God; and then love your neighbor.\u00c2\u00a0 That is what Mary was doing; Martha did not have that priority straight.\u00c2\u00a0 And with other stories in the Scriptures, an exaggeration is used to make a point, this special point on getting priorities straight.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
For all of you, life, and what comes next, is ultimately a mystery.\u00c2\u00a0 But the memory of this morning’s three mysteries can help.\u00c2\u00a0 Listen to the Word of God by living it; trust that if you have your priority straight, God will shower you with blessings in wonderful ways;and then, expect to share in His Glory.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0 July 22, 2007 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Gen 18: 1-10a; Col 1: 24-28; Luke 10: 38-42 Dc. Larry Brockman Not just one mystery!\u00c2\u00a0 But three mysteries.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what we are treated to in the today’s scriptures.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0Paul says his mystery was hidden through the ages.\u00c2\u00a0 But it is now revealed and is this:\u00c2\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}