God's Extravagant Love - Sermon

God’s Extravagant Love

25 July 2010

Good morning, my name is Debbie and I am part of the pastoral team here at Trinity. I have been attending Trinity since November last year.   I am a student at Ambrose Seminary doing my M.Div. and from this coming September I will be on internship here, which I am looking forward to. 

This is my first sermon here; and as I thought on that it reminded me of the first sermon I ever did. It was terrifying! Not because it meant getting up and talking in front of a bunch of people, I was used to that in my job. It wasn’t even because I am used to sermons that are a minimum of 40 minutes long, and they were asking me to only do 20 minutes and I was concerned I would go over time.  A bit like today; getting used to 20 minute sermons instead of 50 minute ones took some time to get used to. But of course communication experts say that our optimum attention spans are 20 -25 minutes.

However, I heard that I think it is the Jesuits who say if it’s more than 7 minutes you missed the point!

What terrified me was the fact that what I said might have eternal consequences for those listening. It was advent, Sunday before Christmas and I knew there were people coming who didn’t usually get to church. I was so scared, as I began to speak, I shook and hung onto the pulpit til my knuckles were white.  Then a strange thing happened I became aware of God’s love and the presence of Holy Spirit. Everything changed in a moment, I relaxed as I realised God was fully in charge, my Papa, our heavenly Father there; as if holding my hand. As I continued I felt Holy Spirit begin to flow through me; I didn’t need to worry, just be myself and say what He had shown me to glorify Jesus.

Today the same is true and it was good that I had remembered that first sermon as I prepared for this one, because it reminded me preaching is not about me; it is about glorifying God and allowing Him to flow through me. 

When I was reading Luke I thought how everyone who’s been to Church knows the Lord’s Prayer. However this is now not necessarily true for some of the younger generations in Church. But, throughout history it is probably the most often repeated thing people have said. Then I remembered something someone said to me “If it’s true and worth saying, then it is worth repeating.”

Certainly what we see in Luke 11:1-13 is worth repeating.  What I love is these are Jesus’ words.  His disciples have asked him to teach them how to pray, which He does.  But Luke doesn’t put the whole prayer in like Matthew does.  I am always fascinated when I see differences in the gospels.  I want to know why.  Why does this writer put it different? So I go on little explorations in my mind – if Luke was a Dr. he’d be the type of man who would focus on the main thing. Cause and effect maybe? So when Jesus teaches on praying Luke gives the essentials:

God is Father, He is holy – acknowledge it, remind yourself of this.

Jesus mission is to bring about the kingdom of God in the here and now – pray asking for this

God is your provider – remember this, it is not you but Him, so ask Him for your daily needs.

God is merciful and we mess up – ask for forgiveness.

Forgiving others is not optional, remind yourself this in front of the holy God.

Finally get God’s help with temptation.

Simple really; God loves us, shows us through his provision and help; but often we don’t get it, well I don’t. Even when I do get it I forget.  Jesus knows this so He goes on to expose the Father’s heart; He wants us to see His extravagant love.  Too often we see God only in His roles, He is creator, He is mighty, a God above all things, totally other from us.  

I think in this passage Jesus wants us to see God more intimately. But He leads us in gently he gives a situation as an example – suppose you get an unexpected guest, and you have no bread and it is midnight so you go to a friend and bang on his door and say lend me 3 loaves.

The disciples listening to Jesus would know that in that culture bread was a staple, it was served with every meal. How is it that this man has none?  He doesn’t ask for one loaf he asks for 3, yet it is only one visitor he speaks of; so it seems he is asking for enough to not only feed the visitor but also him and his wife and maybe other members of his house. So maybe there’s a sense here of reminding them that no matter how much they and we do, there are times when we cannot provide even the basic essentials for ourselves, let alone enough to be generous to others.

Then we have the friend the man has gone to; he is a friend, not just a neighbour or the local baker.  It’s midnight.  He’s in bed, the kids are asleep, the doors locked. In verse 8, one translation says that even if he won’t get up because he’s your friend he will if you stand your ground.  In another it says he’ll get up because of your persistence, but the word can also mean because of your boldness or brashness.

The disciples also know that hospitality is a major issue in their society, both of these men are in the precarious position of not being seen as hospitable; one because he lacks the essential part of a meal, the other because of his refusal to get up for a friend; these are matters of shame.

So when you see this in light of the Lord’s prayer; it’s like Jesus is saying even if God won’t answer because he is God; he will not be shamed.  He has promised to provide, He’ll do it. 

Jesus says in this parable, come boldly to God confident that that He will respond positively. Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened. God is the one who answers prayer and he will not be less dependable than our friends.

But Jesus doesn’t stop here, he’s on a journey to lead us to see that God is Father and has a father’s heart filled with love for us.

We often find this hard especially if we did not have good experiences with our own fathers.  My father was an alcoholic; a good, clever and generous man when sober. A brawler and wife beater when drunk.  He was drunk more than sober much of the time.

Jesus doesn’t avoid these realities. He hits it head on.

He asks if a child asks its father for fish will the dad give a snake? Or if the child asks for an egg will the dad give a scorpion?  The fish and eggs are nourishing; the snake and scorpion are poisonous, even deadly. No, not even bad dads will do that! I could relate to that, even if my dad was stinking drunk, if I asked him for something, like a peanut butter sandwich he would go get me one.

Jesus says, if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

Jesus is talking about food, bread, fish, eggs; our daily provision, what we need to sustain us and nourish us.  How did He get to Holy Spirit?

I have to tell you this side swiped me.  I’d never seen this before.  I was expecting the same as Matthew’s version; “how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him”

As I re-read the whole passage something began to dawn on me.

In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus begins with heaven, then bringing the reality of the heavenly kingdom to earth; then on our daily needs.  The parable changes the order.

Jesus begins with our earthly daily needs; He shows us that God is our Father; then He finishes with what we really need to bring about the heavenly kingdom on earth in the here and now.

It’s like He is saying, from God’s point of view Holy Spirit is our basic provision.

Holy Spirit is our daily spiritual bread, our sustenance.

Holy Spirit is what we need to be able to live fully in Christ.

Holy Spirit reveals the Father and Jesus to our hearts.

Holy Spirit helps us forgive others.

Holy Spirit leads us out of the temptations we face.

Holy Spirit is what we need if we are to join in Jesus mission of bringing about “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

So I am totally amazed and overwhelmed by God’s extravagant and generous love.  He is our Father who not only provides for our daily practical needs; our bread, fish and eggs, but He gives us what we need emotionally, forgiveness; what we need relationally, the help and ability to forgive others; what we need eternally; the gift of his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, so we are adopted as His children, He then give us His very Spirit so we can live fully in the here and now.