WEBVTT - This file was automatically generated by VIMEO

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comes a rattle and  hum.

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Jacob wrestled the Angel and the angel was overcome.

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You planted demon seed you raise a flower of

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fire. See them burning crosses. See the

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Flames higher and higher.

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bullet the blue sky

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Bullet the blue sky, U2 from

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their 1987 album "The Joshua Tree"

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and live Rattle and hum concerts around the world.

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Wind blown power evoking images of

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US foreign military activity

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in places like Central America

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and a song that the band used down the decades with

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images of later conflicts different

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countries and ways in

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which we as Humanity destroy peace the environment

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and the fabric of people's lives

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in selfishness and apathy or

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anything contrary to God's hopes

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and dreams for the world.

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It draws inspiration from the way scripture tells stories.

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like the literary style of the creation myths

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to find meaning and connection in events

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beyond our imaginations or control

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and at verse 11.

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At the time it will be said to this people and to

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Jerusalem a hot wind comes from me out

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of the bare heights in the desert towards my

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poor people.

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Not to winnow or cleanse -

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a wind too strong for that.

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Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.

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This is the prophetic imagery of Jeremiah and

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what Walter Brueggeman calls a dangerous

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poem.

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portraying people without sense

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and a world in disorder and evil provoking

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God's anger.

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But read at arm's length, we won't find important

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connections to our time and place.

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Jeremiah echoes the better known creation stories

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and the strongest clue is at

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verse 23

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Waste and void in Hebrew occurs only in one

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other place.

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Genesis 1 verse 2

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here the wind or the ruach of God's spirit

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is powerfully creative.

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The writing in Jeremiah reminds us things can be

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lost.

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As each aspect of God's creation is unmade we

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hear anger.

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And it's tempting to gloss over or minimize or

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to moralise and vilify.

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Neither of which is a response of

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those following in the way of Jesus.

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Can we simply hear our part through inaction?

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in a country  for example, facing unimaginable loss

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of native fauna and flora

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detailed in successive state of the environment reports

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nationally and over a

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decade of climate wars in the face of development and

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destruction of habitat natural wonders

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extending to species of koala

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and the debacle of the Barker - Darling

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river system.

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If we're willing to give up stubborn foolishness, compromise and

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offering only the art of the possible or

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politics that it's very least attractive,

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We might comprehend how we

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have betrayed God's hope in us as custodians

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of or carers for

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or actors in The Creation.

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As we humbly ask God and one another at verse

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22.

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how to do good in God's sight?

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Jesus told stories - parables about

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lost things

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But remember if you're hearing a parable and you're

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not surprised by its meaning maybe you need

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to read it again.

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Even in titling stories "the lost sheep"

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"the lost coin",  "the lost son" -  two of

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which we've heard today. We risk steering to

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one narrow meaning

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For example, was it the prodigal extravagantly wasteful

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Sun?

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Or was it the Prodigal God?

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Inviting us not to label either son seeing people

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as who they are expanding what it

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might mean to be lost.

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I'm reminded of Sean Tan's book and oscar-winning short

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animation the Lost thing.

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It involved it evolved over time as a story full

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of questions about identity and belonging

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when a boy finds an out of

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place creature on the beach taking it first of

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all to a government department.

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In Luke at verse 15.

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now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near

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to listen to him.

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And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling saying

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"this fellow welcome sinners and eats with

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them".

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So he told them this parable.

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Stories in a context of controversy

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these stories explaining to the

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Pharisees why Jesus is so focused on people

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we've been reflecting on for weeks,

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who he seeks to restore to their community

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Grace, healing

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treating people is who they are not their label.

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Contradicting the idea once lost

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always lost.

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Is Jesus saving action limited to the cross?

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or is it a life's work embodying God's values

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lived out?

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Seeing things as found.

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Jesus works with people to name their lostness and

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to be restored to community and right

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relationship with God.

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Who is God calling us to be in this time

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and place?

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How might reexamining all these stories save us

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restore us?

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prevent all being lost?

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Amen