{"id":3655,"date":"2020-11-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3655"},"modified":"2023-03-06T11:35:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T00:35:37","slug":"sunday-sermon-15-11-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3655","title":{"rendered":"The best diet ever!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hymn suggestions:<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 156: Morning has broken<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 584: Just as I am, without one plea<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 585: I heard the voice of Jesus say<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 590: What a friend we have in Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 692: Sometimes a healing word is comfort<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 647: Comfort, comfort all my people<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 571: Forth in your name. O Lord, I go<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the closing of NAIDOC Week.\u00a0 <\/span>I have included a prayer from the Uniting Church, honouring our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, at the beginning of this service:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Prayer for NAIDOC 2020 \u2013 Always Was, Always Will Be<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving Creator God,<\/strong>
\nWe rejoice in the beauty of this ancient land and her waters.<\/strong>
\nWe marvel at the awesome way they have been formed.<\/strong>
\nWe give thanks for her First Nations Peoples,<\/strong>
\ntheir stories of creation sung by countless Ancestors.<\/strong>
\nIt is right, Loving Mystery that we name the dispossession, violence and bloodshed,<\/strong>
\nwhich First Peoples endured at the hands of Second Peoples.<\/strong>
\nWe ask your forgiveness, and their forgiveness, on behalf of our forebears.<\/strong>
\nWe pray for your healing of this land and her Peoples.<\/strong>
\nWe pray that love will make a new way, a harmony way, the way of Jesus.<\/strong>
\nHoly God,<\/strong>
\nToday we are grateful, and we celebrate this nation\u2019s true history,<\/strong>
\nbeginning long before time.<\/strong>
\nThe First People of this ancient land who gave them birth,<\/strong>
\nwho gives them life \u2013 Mother Earth.<\/strong>
\nWe honour them and share their joy.<\/strong>
\nYou, Wisdom, call us body, call us one,<\/strong>
\nTo walk together, people from many lands,<\/strong>
\nunder this same golden sun, together<\/strong>
\nFirst Nations Peoples and all of us who have since come.<\/strong>
\nTogether there is a new song to be sung,<\/strong>
\nas old as time.<\/strong>
\nHear the yidaki<\/i>, hear the bilma<\/i>,<\/strong>
\nthe Ancestors call.<\/strong>
\nWisdom, help us to listen, to follow, to learn, to grow.<\/strong>
\nIn the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Yidaki is the Yol\u014bu word for digeridoo as bilma is for clap stick]<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stu McMillan, National Consultant Covenanting
\n<\/i>Assembly Resourcing Unit
\nUniting Church in Australia<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God,<\/strong><\/p>\n

You are an amazing creator.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You created the mountains, the deep valleys, the rich and dense forests, a myriad of flowers, and all creatures<\/strong><\/p>\n

-mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles,<\/strong><\/p>\n

From bison, wombats, whales, sardines, ostriches, sparrows, snakes, frogs, blue-tongued lizards<\/strong><\/p>\n

-and us, flawed human beings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We thank you for the gift of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And yet, as we thank you<\/strong><\/p>\n

we are mindful that we misuse your gifts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we do not look after creation,<\/strong><\/p>\n

forgive us when we have dirtied its waters, felled its trees, polluted the habitat of many animals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we are not thankful for the precious gift of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Help us to know, to TRULY know that you created each one of us to be the way we are.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You have gifted each one of us with certain gifts and skills-for we each have a purpose, a special and unique role to play in LIFE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we feel inadequate,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Help us to believe that we are ENOUGH.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us our self-doubt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And in a time of silence we remember other things, our sins, our baggage, that we bring before you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(silence<\/i>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

God is love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through Christ our sins are forgiven<\/strong><\/p>\n

(thanks be to God)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take hold of this forgiveness and live your lives in the power of the Spirit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bible Readings:<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Psalm 55: 22<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Cast your burden on the Lord,<\/strong><\/p>\n

and he will sustain you.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew 11: 28-30<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.\u00a0 <\/span>Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.\u00a0 <\/span>For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Peter 5: 7<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sermon<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

When we pack to go away on a holiday (remember those?\u00a0 <\/span>The things we took for granted!) we would bring out the suitcase and pack.\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t know about you, but I always seemed to pack too much stuff, filling up the suitcase with unnecessary items of clothing, toiletries, a book too many, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT if we changed the wording, from \u2018suitcase\u2019 to \u2018baggage\u2019 does that make a difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

-or is that mere semantics?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-debating over a particular word or two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today I am also departing from the set lectionary readings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a reason for this.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week I chose to preach about Thanksgiving, or Harvest Festivals, and our need to be grateful and thankful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Sunday is the last Sunday of \u2018ordinary time\u2019 (if this is \u2018ordinary time\u2019 what is going to happen in the \u2018extraordinary\u2019 time? I hear you ask)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next week is Christ the King Sunday, and then the following week is the beginning of Advent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then I have left.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So\u2026I thought I would preach on something that has grabbed hold of me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If we had been operating as a church community, face-to-face, I may have suggested we look at this as a small group,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But<\/strong><\/p>\n

instead, I will look at this topic through this sermon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I want to discuss a book, a book which may challenge our thinking of God, but the more important focus is about the way we as humans operate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The book is called The Baggage Handler*<\/i>, and it is a novel, written by an Australian, David Rawlings.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the story of three people who fly to their destinations, and end up picking up the wrong suitcase from the baggage area after their plane has landed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wonder if that has ever happened to you?\u00a0 <\/span>So many black or grey suitcases-you try to make it easy to see, with a red ribbon or sticker-and it seems as if nearly everyone else has had the same idea re identifying their luggage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to the three individuals: Gillian, David, and Michael.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian, a mother of three, is flying in to attend her niece\u2019s wedding.\u00a0 <\/span>Her sister lives an opulent, lavish life style, which always makes Gillian feel that her life isn\u2019t good enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n

David, a business man, has flown in for a meeting that is required in order to save his job.\u00a0 <\/span>He has sacrificed everything, including family, for his career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And, finally, Michael, a young man who would like to study art, but is going to try to secure a scholarship, in athletics, to attend university – chasing his father\u2019s dream, not his own.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So\u2026each person finds out that they have the wrong luggage.\u00a0 <\/span>After contacting the airport, each of them then has to journey to an enormous white building in the middle of an abandoned deserted part of the city.\u00a0 <\/span>This is NOT part of the airport!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus said, \u201cCome to me all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This novel is a modern-day parable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian, David, and Michael, all carry baggage\u2026they are out to claim their suitcases, or luggage-but the parable is to do with baggage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening line of the book:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018what weighs us down is not our baggage but the decision to keep carrying it.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018what weighs us down is not our baggage but the decision to keep carrying it.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try to keep that in mind while I continue with the sermon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Baggage.\u00a0 <\/span>Like a heavy suitcase (remember when they didn\u2019t come with wheels?) we can feel weighed down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think for a moment about your own life, perhaps how you have been faring during lockdown, through the fear of the covid 19 pandemic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is in YOUR baggage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is your baggage so heavy that it warrants the services of a baggage handler?<\/strong><\/p>\n

OR<\/strong><\/p>\n

at the airport\/train station\/bus depot you wave away help with a \u201cNo thanks, I can manage!\u201d then you go off in the distance, struggling with your heavy suitcase.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The baggage handler<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is the title of the book<\/strong><\/p>\n

NOT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Baggage<\/i>, or<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your Baggage<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Not even<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wrong Suitcases<\/i>,<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Baggage Handler<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the baggage handler, the man from the airport, who greets each of them separately.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For each one of them, the entry point into the building is different.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Gillian-she found the entrance fairly quickly.\u00a0 <\/span>On a white wall, the little blue sign: Baggage Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

For David and Michael, it took much more time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who is the baggage handler?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He directs each of the three to their own room when they finally find the entrance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Strange thing for a baggage hander to do-why didn\u2019t he just give them the right suitcase and allow them to leave?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me tell you a little more about each of the individuals in this story, and the way the baggage handler deals with their situation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is more than just handing over the \u2018right\u2019 suitcase.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each of their waiting rooms is different:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s is a hotch-potch of colour and design, an affront to his artistic personality;<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian\u2019s is slick, chic.\u00a0 <\/span>How she pictures a perfect sitting room to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

David\u2019s is messy, dusty, a coffee table stained with mug rings, and a loud alarm clock.\u00a0 <\/span>A reflection of his life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They all have paper work to sign.\u00a0 <\/span>The form says: \u2018I promise to deal with my baggage before I leave this facility.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian asked: \u2018Deal with?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Baggage Handler offered a broad smile to go with his cheeky wink.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes, deal with.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an odd choice of words.\u00a0 <\/span>Don\u2019t you usually collect your baggage?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, people usually collect their baggage, but they\u2019d be better off if they dealt with it.\u00a0 <\/span>\u2018Deal with\u2019 is exactly what we mean.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian recognizes him, pointing out that he was at the airport, in the baggage claim area with a trolley.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI was helping people with their baggage.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou work here as well?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI go wherever I\u2019m needed.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

After David yells at him, saying that this mess up could cost David his career, the baggage handler says:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cActually, if you don\u2019t deal with this, it\u2019s going to cost you far more than that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gill\u00edan, who feels inadequate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael, who wants to follow his dream of pursuing his art, but is instead trying out for a career in track-what his father wants for him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

David, who cannot forgive his wife for being unfaithful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are posters on the walls:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Gillian\u2019s room: \u2018stop wishing. Start doing.\u2019 and \u2018All flowers are beautiful in their own way and that\u2019s like women, too.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Michael\u2019s: \u2018You are you. Embrace it.\u2019 and \u2018Only you know if you\u2019re up to the challenge.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

In David\u2019s: one with just \u2018forgiveness\u2019 on it.\u00a0 <\/span>Another has: \u2018To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize the prisoner was you.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The baggage handler, after having each of them sign that they will \u2018deal with their baggage\u2019, brings the correct suitcase to their rooms.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

But when they go to lift it, it is too heavy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Gillian opens her suitcase, she finds a heavy ornate mirror, which reflects images of herself and of her family-the images she carries around in her baggage every single day-of a run down house, miserable family and friends-they are NOT like that, but Gillian has chosen to see them like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She refocuses-and sees the images again-with a happy family and friends.\u00a0 <\/span>Then back to the negative images.\u00a0 <\/span>She cleans her glasses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA build up on them keeps you from seeing the world as it is.\u201d says the baggage handler.\u00a0 <\/span>When Gillian protests, saying there is nothing on her glasses he says he wasn\u2019t talking about the glasses.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m talking about envy and comparison.\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re looking at your world through distorted lenses.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s how you\u2019ve come to see life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gillian has been comparing herself, her life, with others.\u00a0 <\/span>Asking the question \u2018How am I doing?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Measuring herself against everyone else.\u00a0 <\/span>And eventually that whisper condemns her and her family, her job-everything-disappointment, not valued.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

She asks him who he is-a guardian angel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He replies:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s perhaps best if you just think of me as the Baggage Handler.\u00a0 <\/span>I help people with their baggage-those who want to be helped, anyway!\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>A sadness filled his eyes.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot everyone wants to be helped.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He goes on to explain that most people prefer to carry heavy baggage rather than deal with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He also shows her that things aren\u2019t always what they seem to be.\u00a0 <\/span>In her waiting room, the beautiful fruit is not real-they are made of wax.\u00a0 <\/span>He shows her these things, to point out to her that the things we envy, or the people we wish we could be more like-are not as perfect as they seem.\u00a0 <\/span>Gillian\u2019s house is not perfect-but it is a home, sheltering a much loved family.\u00a0 <\/span>Her sister\u2019s massive new house came with a massive mortgage, the mortgage including how to live up to other\u2019s expectations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Later, the Baggage Handler asks Gillian to lift up that ornate mirror again.\u00a0 <\/span>She sees a distorted image of herself, the image she thinks she is- comparing herself to others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Baggage Handler says comparisons ignore what makes us who we are, what makes us you-when we see everyone else as better than we are (which isn\u2019t true)- because we then ignore our own particular mix of skills, talents and personality traits that have been given to each one of us for a reason.\u00a0 <\/span>Comparison ignores what makes us who we really are-and why we are the way we are.<\/strong><\/p>\n

AND<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why we are here!<\/strong><\/p>\n

When David opens his heavy luggage, he finds a photo of his wife with his best friend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ll find your baggage has always been heavy.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s why it weighs you down.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He tells David: \u201cyour baggage is slowing you down.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has to learn to forgive-which he is unable to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Michael opens his heavy suitcase, he finds a large number of red participation ribbons and a sports trophy.\u00a0 <\/span>These are his father\u2019s-his father\u2019s dreams which were not fulfilled.\u00a0 <\/span>When Michael protests, saying that he didn\u2019t put these in his luggage, the baggage handler says:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t put them in there, but you are carrying them around.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The baggage handler wants to know about his dreams of being an artist, and asks why he isn\u2019t pursuing his dream?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why he doesn\u2019t think he will succeed\/be good enough<\/strong><\/p>\n

The book is not only a parable-it is an invitation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Baggage Handler, with a tear streaked face says:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, the problem isn\u2019t you\u2019ve been handed baggage.\u00a0 <\/span>Everyone has baggage.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s that it\u2019s difficult for you to move forward with your life\u2026you can\u2019t move quickly because this weight drags behind you\u2026but you don\u2019t need to carry this baggage.\u00a0 <\/span>You have a choice.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friends, we all carry baggage.\u00a0 <\/span>BUT we can let go.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every Good Friday we journey up the path to Calvary, weighed down by baggage-and then leave it at the foot of the cross.\u00a0 <\/span>We trust that Jesus DID and DOES deal with our baggage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We do this each time we confess.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What baggage are you carrying?\u00a0 <\/span>Hurts from childhood?\u00a0 <\/span>Slights from work colleagues?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looks of disappointment from parents, long ago?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe envy?\u00a0 <\/span>Wishing you could be more like\u2026or have a happy marriage or children like\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friends\u2026we are people of the Good News!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus said, \u201cCome to me all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you believe that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does it help to picture God as a baggage handler?\u00a0 <\/span>Isn\u2019t that sort of how we picture him when we confess our sins-when we hand them over?<\/strong><\/p>\n

OR do we keep a grip on the corner of that resentment\/that hurt\/that disappointment?\u00a0 <\/span>Let go of that baggage!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be the person God created you to be\u2026NOT someone else<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oscar Wilde said: \u2018Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the Christmas movie It\u2019s a Wonderful Life-<\/i>for it shows how each life has its own purpose-and how robbed this world is when we fail to be who God created us to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God is our potter.\u00a0 <\/span>He moulded you, he moulded me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let the Creator\u2019s fingerprints shine through your life-and may you skip with joy as you discard your baggage!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come on: hand over your baggage to the Divine baggage handler.<\/strong><\/p>\n

See-and feel: you are now so much lighter!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best diet ever!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen!<\/strong><\/p>\n

(*David Rawlings, The Baggage Handler<\/i> (Thomas Nelson: 2019))<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prayers of the People<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God, we pray for the world, and for all its inhabitants.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for all those affected by covid-19.\u00a0 <\/span>We are shocked when we read of the rising cases overseas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for the United States; for peace following the Presidential election.\u00a0 <\/span>For diplomacy, and good sense.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for the Philippines, having to cope with the latest typhoon disaster.\u00a0 <\/span>Recently they were hit with the fury of Typhoon Molave, and are now having to deal with another typhoon\u00a0 <\/span>This is disaster on top of the coronana virus; the Philippines has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in South-East Asia, with 380,729 cases, and 7,221 deaths.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for all military personnel, as we commemorated Remembrance Day last Wednesday.\u00a0 <\/span>We long for the day when there will be no more war, and all will live peacefully together, one world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, our brothers and sisters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for those within our church community who are ill, or struggling in other ways.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We pray for our families and friends, our work colleagues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And in a time of silence, we bring before you other issues that weigh heavily on our hearts<\/strong><\/p>\n

(silence)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God,<\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe that you hear our prayers, that you feel our pain, and that you dry our tears.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Help us to hand over our concerns to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the words your Son taught us, we are confident when we pray to say:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Our Father in heaven\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blessing<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

You have been created and formed by God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You are a much loved child of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You are enough!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Live out this rich blessing,<\/strong><\/p>\n

let go of your baggage<\/strong><\/p>\n

and dance with lightness of heart, with joy in your soul.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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