Sermon: Pentecost RCL C - "The Body of Christ"

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

`In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

Martin Blank has some “issues.”  In 1984 he graduated from high school and on the night of his high school prom he stands up his date – also the love of his life – and disappears.  Turns out, he had joined the army.  Issue number one arrives in the form of an invitation to his ten year high school reunion.  He doesn’t want to go.  Issue number two is that his employer requires him to return to his hometown – Detroit – for a job.  Issue number three is that he encounters the love of his life – Debi.  All of these issues sort of crash together when Debi discovers the type of work to which Martin is employed …

He explains it to Debi by saying, “When I left, I joined the Army, and when I took the service exam, my psych profile fit a certain… “moral flexibility” would be the best to describe it.  I was loaned out to a CIA-sponsored program – it’s called “mechanical operations.”… turns out, Martin’s moral flexibility fit the profile of an assassin.  Debi’s father thinks this is actually a good thing as it is a “growth industry.” 

Anyhow… This leads back to issue number two – his employer wanting him to go back to Detroit for a “job,” which in turn leads back to issue number one of the high school reunion and not wanting to go.  As he explains to his psychiatrist – he is now somewhat conflicted on his line of work – his perceptions of his classmates and why he doesn’t want to go, “They all have husbands and wives and children and houses and dogs, and you know, they’ve all made themselves a part of something and they can talk about what they do.  What am I gonna say? ‘I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork.  How’ve you been?’”

You know I like my movies.. and I have my favorites.  If I were to list my top five, the list would be filled out with Harry Potter, so I just count that as one, which makes room for others, including Grosse Pointe Blank.  I can’t recommend this one to you because there is shooting and killing and explosions and an unfortunate incident with a dog named Budro, but I can tell you it is a riot.

Now please don’t go running off to the Bishop and telling him, “Fr. John says we all get to be assassins,” but I thought of Martin Blank in the context that there is for each of us a specific purpose.. something to be fulfilled.  For us – hopefully there are no assassins – but purposes will include those things such as father and mother, doctor and factory worker and all the rest, but first and foremost, the specific purpose we are all called to fulfill is to be a disciple of Christ.. his follower.. and combined.. His Church.  We are called to be Christ’s Church.  To proclaim His message of salvation to the world and to make disciples of all persons….

Does that sound like a big job?  An overwhelming charge?  Is it possible?  Can we happy few meet the obligations of this commissioning given by God?... The answer to that question is a resounding, “YES!”.. You have within you – as individual persons, individual churches and corporately all you need in order to accomplish what Christ has called you to...  You may say, “I am only one, what difference can I make?”  or “We are so few.. too small.. there is no way to fulfill this call.”… but that’s just the devil sowing seeds of doubt in your mind, because what God has commanded CAN be fulfilled…

Often times, when we think of the Body of Christ, we think of it in terms of all the people.. all the Christians.. all the churches as one.. as the Body of Christ, but originally, this was not Paul’s idea of the Body of Christ.  Originally he thought of each individual church as the Body of Christ, containing within its members the full outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit.

Robert Banks in his book, Paul’s Idea of Community, wrote “The ‘body’ most clearly and fully finds expression as ‘church,’ even if it is also visible when it does not assemble.  The community at Corinth [.. the church that Paul wrote his letter to..] the community at Corinth is not said to be part of a wider body of Christ or to be A ‘body of Christ’ alongside numerous others.  It is ‘THE body of Christ’ in that place.  This suggest that wherever Christians are in relationship there is the body of Christ in its entirety, for Christ is truly and wholly present there through his spirit.  [Banks concludes] This is a momentous truth.”…

Today is the day of Pentecost.. we as the St. Joan of Arc Regional Ministry – like it was on that first Day of Pentecost – are all gathered under one roof.  We are fulfilling God’s purpose.  We are proclaiming His Holy Word and here in a bit we will even be baptizing in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  This is a time for you to celebrate as the Body of Christ.. the universal church… but you must not forget that when you are gathered individually – St. James’.. St. Andrew’s.. St. Mary and St. John’s.. St. Mark’s.. when you gather as individual churches.. you have within you all that is necessary to also BE the Body of Christ.  When even two or three of you are gathered, you have within you the same gifts that were given on that first Pentecost and the same abilities as the largest churches have today….

Do you think that is true?  Are you sitting there saying to yourself, “That sounds good in theory, but try and put it into practice.”  Well.. I’ll tell you why it’s true.  Not why I THINK it’s true, but why it IS true…. You ready for this… It is true that you have all that you need in each of your individual churches to BE the Body of Christ, because it is not about you… It’s not about you… instead, it is about God.  It is about God working through you.. and God is not limited by size or numbers.  God is not limited by anything.  John the Baptist and Jesus both point to a similar idea…

Remember, with John many Jews were coming down to the river to be Baptized.  The Pharisees and Sadducees came to see what the fuss was about.  John cries out to them, “You brood of vipers, who told you to flee the wrath to come”.. in other words you must also be baptized.. and then he says, “And don’t think to say that you have Abraham as your father.”… that is, don’t think just because God made his covenant with Abraham that you can be saved outside of Jesus.   For, John declares, “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”  In other words, if God needs followers, he can raise them up out of nothing….

With Jesus the idea was the same… when Jesus was making his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  The people were crying out “Hosanna”.. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The religious leaders got all nervous.  They were afraid of the Romans coming down on them for welcoming Jesus like he was some kind of king.  So they said to Jesus, “Rebuke your followers.. make them shut up.”.. and Jesus responds, “I say to you, that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.”… If the people do not worship God, then the stones themselves will... 

God is not limited in the fulfilling of his purposes.  He can use anyone or anything, even the stones of the earth.  Therefore, you cannot say we are too small.. we are too few to be of any use to God…. You as individual congregations and as the St. Joan of Arc Regional Ministry are each the Body of Christ and your size and numbers are the perfect number to accomplish God’s purposes in this wounded and lost world… You are God’s chosen people for this time and this place and through you this world can know the love.. the truth.. the healing.. the very power of God.  As Jesus said to Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe.”…

On the Day of Pentecost, God’s church was given all the gifts required to fulfill His purposes.  You have those gifts.  They are yours.  Lay hold of them.. claim them for yourself as an individual and as a part of His Body.. and go into this world of His and make Him known so that all may know that He is the Lord their God….

So that this holy work might go on, we continue on page 301 of the BCP with the welcoming of new members into His Body.. His Church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism… “The Candidates for Holy Baptism will now be presented.”

Sermon: Easter V RCL C - "Radical Love"

John 13:31-35

At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Of all the Gospel lessons that could have been selected for today by those who put together our lectionary, this is NOT the one I would have chosen for my second to last Sunday with you… “Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'”… just seems to be a bit too contrived.. but there it is.  However.. as much as I would not have selected it.. I was also grateful, because the second half of the reading sums up everything Jesus has said to his followers and lived out... It is also sums up everything I would have you remember hearing from me…  Not my words.. not some stupid joke.. not some account of my muddlings through this world, but the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Brennan Manning was quoted as saying, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” – I believe he was on to something with that.  The greatest cause of atheism.. the biggest reason folks fail to believe the message of Jesus Christ.. that he can be their Savior is because.. we.. as a Christian people, don’t live out that message to the fullest.  We can show up on a Sunday morning.. say the correct prayers.. give the peace.. receive absolution for our sins.. take the blessed sacrament.. and then walk out those doors.. and leave it all behind.  We can say and do all those things.. and we can go out those doors.. and not love one another as Christ has loved us.

Why?  Well there is a whole host of people who would simply say that we are hypocrites.  We just want to look good.  Going to church gives us this sense of being better than others.. of being on the “right side.”  We invest in the Christian faith the same way we might invest in an insurance policy – just in case all this eternal life business happens to be true.  But the bottom line is that they see us as hypocrites, because even though we worship God, we often don’t seem to act like it.  Even Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

But you know what.. I don’t believe that’s true.  I don’t believe you can come here week after week, worshipping a God you cannot see and be a hypocrite.  It just doesn’t stand up over time.  After a while, even a hypocrite will get tired of putting on a charade.  No.. the world may think we do not love as Christ loved, because we are hypocrites, but I believe that we do not love as Christ loved, because we are afraid… We are afraid to love as Christ loved because of the implications of such a radical love.

What are we afraid of?  We are afraid of the costs.  We are afraid of what it might say about us.  We are afraid that we may have to admit that we’ve been wrong.  We are afraid of what others might think.  We are afraid that if we love as Christ loved us.. that we will have to change…. You know what?  You will… you will have to change.

You will have to set aside some of your opinions and prejudices.  You will have to face family and friends who will begin to look at you as though you had three heads and who ask, “Have you been smoking crack?”  You will have to start thinking for yourself and not believe every word that some talking head on TV has to say.  You will have to set aside what you want.. for what others need… You will have to sacrifice.

The Apostle Paul understood this change that must take place within us… He wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”  He concludes, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”  He is saying, when I was a child, I thought the world revolved around me – that it was all about me – but then I realized, it’s not about me.. it’s about loving.  He is saying, I do not know everything.. I haven’t figured it all out yet.. and I probably won’t, but this much I know is true – It is not only about acknowledging Jesus with my lips, but about acknowledging Jesus with my love as well.  For us.. that change.. that acknowledgement.. that sacrifice will not be cheap… but the cost we must pay to live such radical love.. is also NEVER too high…

Princess Alice was the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  She was deeply involved in women’s issues and nursing, being a follower of Florence Nightingale.  She died in 1878 and it fell to William Gladstone, the former Prime Minister to announce her death to the House of Commons.  In doing so, he told a touching story…  The little daughter of the Princess Alice was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the Princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her own life by breathing the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the Princess, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Momma, kiss me!" Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter.  The child died shortly afterwards, yet in that one kiss, Princess Alice contracted the same disease and some days later died herself… All for a simple kiss… all for a simple act of love for her child.  For us, the cost we must pay for changing and radically loving as Jesus loved is not cheap, and it is NEVER too high.

Last week I said to you… Fear no evil… God is with you… upholding you with his victorious right hand… This week – Do not fear to love as Jesus loves… God is with you… upholding you with his victorious right hand… As St. Josemaria Escriva prayed, “Lord: may I have due measure in everything… except in Love.”  Never be afraid to love.

Let us pray…  

God, our Father, You have promised to remain forever with those who do what is just and right.  Help us to live in Your presence.  The loving plan of Your Wisdom was made known when Jesus, your Son, became man like us.  We want to obey His commandment of love and bring Your peace and joy to others.  Keep before us the wisdom and love You have made known in Your Son.  Help us to be like Him in word and deed. 

Amen.

Sermon: Easter IV RCL C - "Fear No Evil"

Psalm 23

Dominus regit me

1

The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

2

He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3

He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

6

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Chuck Norris has taken on legendary status in his ability to conquer anything… For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said "There is nothing to fear but fear itself ... and Chuck Norris"… Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the chin. That horse’s descendants are known today as Giraffes… Chuck Norris sleeps with a nightlight ... not because he’s afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Chuck Norris… and my favorite… Chuck Norris has a grizzly bear carpet in his room. The bear isn't dead it is just afraid to move…. Now if you don’t know who Chuck Norris is then I can recommend Delta Force.. The Expendables.. or best of all Walker: Texas Ranger….. Chuck Norris – he’s not afraid of anything, but everything is afraid Chuck Norris.

I am not Chuck Norris, there are certain things I fear.  I use to love going to the beach and playing in the water.  Then when I was nine or ten I went and saw the movie Jaws..  after that.. when taking a bath I was afraid that a shark was going to come up out of the drain and get me… I’m 48 years old and I still don’t really care for the ocean.  Others may be afraid of the ocean.. spiders.. clowns.. heights.. all sorts of thing we can find to be afraid of… What is fear?  The philosopher Aristotle wrote… “Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil”… That would seem to define it nicely.  We are afraid because we anticipate some sort of evil.. some sort of harm.  Perhaps the greatest fear is “thanatophobia”.. the fear of death… Now, we may be afraid of clowns, but should we as a Christian people have a fear of death?

John states, in his first epistle, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. “…  Or Paul puts it another way in his letter to the Romans, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”… for the Christian.. there is no fear of the day of Judgment.. there is no fear of condemnation.. there is no fear of death.. for we have been made perfect in Love.. we have been made perfect through Christ…. It is only when we have not accepted.. received this love that we have cause for fear.

However, I was thinking on thanatophobia – this fear of death – because of the Psalm today.. the most popular of the Psalms.. Psalm 23, and that one line:

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

In the past, when I have considered this verse, I have always considered it in the context of a fear of death.  That is, when we die, we should not fear travelling “through” death, because we are walking a path that Jesus has walked before and one he will walk again with us, leading us to eternal life.  But considering the above – that we as a Christian people should have no fear of death – I have begun to see this verse not only dealing with life after death, but life as well…. You see.. the valley of the shadow of death is something we must walk through – not just on our last day – but every day.. it is not sin, but it is temptation..

As we walk through this world we are assaulted by an enemy who is also the enemy of God - Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour  – It is this enemy and the temptations that he presents to us as fool’s gold that we should fear.  Not a paralyzing fear, but a fear that keeps us alert and sober of mind, so that we are not ambushed or surprised.

I don’t even know if they make these anymore, but do you remember those marble and maze games?  They were generally made of wood and the maze was laid out on two rotating axes.  The object was to maneuver the board in such a way along the two axes as to move the marble through the maze.  But that wasn’t all… because throughout the maze were holes that the marble could drop through.  So not only were you attempting to get through the maze, but you were also attempting to avoid the holes as well.  The maze itself was hard enough, but should the marble drop through a hole, you had to start over…

Navigating through life is difficult enough, but we must also remain alert and sober of mind so that we don’t succumb to temptation and fall into sin.  It may at times appear as though sin is unavoidable, but it is… As Paul says to the Corinthians, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

God has given us the strength and wisdom to navigate this valley of the shadow of death so that we can avoid sin.. He has provided us with a means to avert falling into those holes.  Does that mean that you can live a sinless life?  No… It’s actually a heresy to think so… Pelagianism, which states that we can overcome sin without divine – God’s – intervention… without His grace.  We are going to fall, but that does not mean we throw up our hands and stop trying…

But.. It also means that when we do fall.. that we are not abandoned…

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Jesus says, “I am with you always, event unto the end of the age.”… So even when we fall into sin, God does not turn from us… yes, we must turn from our sin and repent.. but even when we have fallen, His grace continues to seek us out.

 

As the Psalmist declared…

Where can I go from your spirit?

    Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning

    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

 even there your hand shall lead me,

    and your right hand shall hold me fast.

 

The devil may prowl around like a lion seeking whom he may destroy, but you.. you are also continuously pursued and held close by God’s Love.… “Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil,” but you have no need to fear, because that evil cannot hold or harm you.  Hermes of Philippopolis wrote.. “Remember, never to fear the power of evil more than you trust in the power and love of God.”

 

The Valley of the Shadow of Death is the place where you encounter temptation, but you are not alone in that place of trial.  Jesus has walked it before us and walks it with us.  He has provided a way of safe passage, which is through Him.  And not only does he walk with you, but he is in you as well.  And as John states, “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”.. he has overcome the evil.

The Lord says through the Prophet Isaiah:
You whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Fear no evil… God is with you… upholding you with his victorious right hand.

Let us pray… Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

SJARM April 2013 Newsletter

Sermon: Easter III RCL C - "Prove It"

John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

St. Josemaria Escriva writes: There is a story of a soul who, on saying to our Lord in prayer, “Jesus, I love you,” heard this reply from heaven: “Love means deeds, not sweet words.”… Escriva concludes, “Think if you also could deserve this gentle reproach.”

The definition of proof from the dictionary is: The evidence or argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true…. Therefore, if you say with Simon Peter, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”… What is your proof?  Are you only offering sweet words or are there deeds, actions.. evidence to back that statement up?  Put another way… If you were to be put on trial, would there be proof to convict you of being a follower of Christ.. a Christian?

It is true what St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”… but it is also true what St. James wrote, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  … faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds…. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

So which is it?  Grace.. Faith.. love – all the same – or works?  Answer: Both.. but not in the way we commonly think.

You see.. When we consider grace and works, we often see them as two separate ideas… I hold grace in one hand.. and works in the other.  When I get to heaven, I will hand them both to God.  He will weigh them both.  Provided I have enough of each, I get in.  Simple question of math.  Correct?  No!  Our works do not assist in earning our salvation.  As Brennan Manning the author of the Ragamuffin Gospel that we studied – who, by the way, died this past Friday – wrote, “Our puny works do not entitle us to barter with God.  Everything depends upon His good pleasure.” .. Everything depends upon God’s grace.. His love.

So, grace.. faith.. love… these are between you and God… they are gifts.  The relationship is vertical – up and down.  Our works, on the other hand, are horizontal – side to side.. and they are things that are hung upon our relationship with God.  They are not the source of our relationship with God.. instead, they are the result of our relationship with God…. Grace is vertical.. Works are horizontal… God’s grace and our works are nothing less than the cross!...

Christ was lifted high upon the cross out of God’s great love for us.. and he was stretched out on that cross to complete the work of Our Father… So too are we lifted up out of sin and death by God’s great love for us.. and we are stretched out to complete the work He has given us to do… As we say in the Eucharistic Prayer, “Father, you loved the world so much that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior… To fulfill your purpose – to fulfill your work – He gave himself up to death; and, rising from the grave, destroyed death, and made the whole creation new… And that we might live not longer for ourselves, but for him who died and rose for us, he sent the Holy Spirit, his own first gift for those who believe…”  Why?... “To complete his work in the world, and to bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all.” 

God’s grace.. our faith and our works are not separate aspects of our relationship with God.  Instead, they grow one from the other.  They are like a circle, both beginning and resulting in the other.

So go back to that question of proof and Simon Peter… "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"  Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."  On the night before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied him three times.. so three times Jesus restores Peter by asking him the same question, “Do you love me?”  Peter responds in a similar fashion each time, “Yes, Lord.”… and each time Jesus gives him a command… "Feed my lambs.”…  "Tend my sheep." … "Feed my sheep.”… and finally Jesus says,  "Follow me."…

Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”… Peter responds, “Yes, Lord.”…  Jesus says to him, “Prove it.”… “Prove it.”

Jesus comes to each of us and asks, “Do you love me?”… we answer, “Yes, Lord.  You know that I love you.”… and Jesus responds, “Prove it.”

Let us pray…

Our Father, may everything we do begin with Your
Inspiration, continue with Your Help,
and reach perfection under Your Guidance.
With Your loving care guide us in our daily actions.
Help us to persevere with love and sincerity.
Teach us to judge wisely the things of earth
and to love the things of Heaven.
Keep us in Your presence
and never let us be separated from You.
Your Spirit made us Your children,
confident to call You Father.
Make Your Love the foundation of our lives.
Teach us to long for Heaven.
May its promise and hope guide our ways on earth
until we reach eternal life with You.
Amen.
 

Sermon: Easter II RCL C - "You and God"

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

I have two stories for you this morning.  One is absolute truth and the other is a complete and total lie.  Your job is to determine the truth from the lie.  Ready?

First story:  Many times, down South, when folks go fishing it is a much more relaxed adventure than what you see up here.  Here we have waders, hundreds of tied flies, leaders, various reels and rods, etc.  One simple fishing trip can cost several hundred dollars before you’ve even made the first cast.  Down South it can be completely different.  What you need is a fishing pole made of cane, about ten feet long, some fishing line tied to the end, a hook, a bobber, and something tasty for the fish to eat – that tasty morsel can be anything from a worm to chicken livers, depending on what you are fishing for.

Well, I was out one day fishing and had been having quite a bit of luck with crickets, catching crappie.  There was about an hour or so of sun light left and the fish were biting so well that I ran out of bait.  I rooted around in the undergrowth for a while looking for something to put on my hook with no luck, when I suddenly came across a water moccasin.  Now a moccasin – also known as a cottonmouth – this snake is a particularly nasty creature, but this one I knew couldn’t bite because he was having a bit of dinner.. he had a frog in his mouth.  I wasn’t about to fish with a snake, but that frog would make some fine bait.  So, while he was occupied with that frog in his mouth, I reached down right quick and snatched the snake behind the head and carefully extracted said frog.

Obviously I hadn’t thought this all the way through, because as soon as I got that frog out of the snakes mouth, said snake was furious.  I couldn’t just set it down, because no sooner would I have let him go, he would have turned and bit me.  What I do?  Well as luck would have it, I had a flask in my back pocket.  Now I won’t tell you what was in that flask because that wouldn’t be proper talk for church, so let’s just say it was a fine product from the highlands of Scotland that had been aging in an oak cask for over twelve years.  So, I took the lid off my flask and poured a few drops of that fine Scottish product down the snake’s mouth.  A few seconds later, that snake’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went as limp as noodle.  I placed him back in some shrubs so he could sleep it off and went back to my fishing.

Now here is the curious part, about half an hour later I felt this tapping on my foot so I look down to see what it might be.  It was the snake.. he was back.. This time, he had two frogs in his mouth.  I thought I was next, but he did the darndest thing.. he spit those two frogs out right beside my foot and tilted his head back – Seems he was a fan of products from the highlands of Scotland as well.

Second story:  About two-thousand years ago in the land that is now called Israel lived a man – Jesus –  who was no ordinary man.  Claimed to be the very Son of God.  He went about the countryside teaching of the things of God and performing miracles.  He demonstrated the love of God.  He gave sight to the blind.  He healed lepers.  He healed the sick and made the lame to walk.  Eventually he angered the right people and they had Him put to death.  However, he apparently did not stay dead.  A fella by the name of Peter tells us… "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him,” this Peter goes on to say, “They put Jesus to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”… This Jesus died a most violent death by being crucified on a cross.  He was buried in a tomb, but three days later he rose from the dead and appeared to many.  He ascended into heaven and is sits at the right hand of God Almighty….

Which do you believe is the truth.. and which do you believe is a lie?  The story of a Scottish water moccasin living in Louisiana.. or the one about the man who rose from the dead?....

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

Today is no different than at the time of the resurrection.  Most folks will be far more likely to believe the story of Scottish snake than they are to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.  They will tell you that to believe such a story as a man rising from the dead is not to be naïve, but to be an idiot.  As French philosopher Voltaire once said, "The first clergyman was the first rascal who met the first fool."

Trouble is.. in today’s society, it is the correct and easy thing to believe the majority, instead of believing the truth.  If CNN takes a poll and 57% of the people actually believe the sky is green instead of blue, then many others will believe that it is green, simply to be in with the majority.  That doesn’t make it true.. just popular.

The same is true with faith.  Many will not believe that a man can be raised from the dead because their so called enlightened minds have been instructed to believe the popular.. and that is.. it is simply impossible for anyone to be raised from the dead.  Yet, faith has never been about what is popular.  Your faith and your actions are not about what is popular.. about what they think… Your faith and your actions are about you and God.

In her room in Calcutta, Mother Teresa had a quote that she had come across and modified somewhat to speak to her beliefs.  It read, “People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway… If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway... If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway… If you are honest and frank, People may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway... What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway... If you find serenity and happiness, They may be jealous; Be happy anyway… The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway... Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway… You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them.. anyway.”

Our dear friend Doubting Thomas was one who didn’t at first believe.. even in the face of all his friends.  For that, Jesus slightly reprimanded him, “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’"  However.. when faced with the truth.. when faced with the Risen Lord, Thomas declared, "My Lord and my God!,” .. not because a CNN poll had shown that a majority believe it.. because it was popular… Thomas declared, “My Lord and My God!,” because He encountered the inescapable Truth.. He encountered Jesus.  You too have encountered the Risen Lord.. You know in your heart that you have….

When the Celebrant begins the service with the words, “Alleluia. Christ is Risen.”  And the people respond, “The Lord is Risen indeed.  Alleluia.”  Remember that these are not expressing conjectures or wishful thinking – those words are expressing the absolute Truth… which, in the end, tell us that not only was Christ raised from the dead, but that – on the last day – we too will be raised to new life with Him.

Let us pray…

Gracious and Holy Father,
Please give us:
intellect to understand you,
reason to discern you,
diligence to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
a spirit to know you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
ears to hear you,
eyes to see you,
a tongue to proclaim you,
a way of life pleasing to you,
patience to wait for you
and perseverance to look for you.
Grant us a perfect end,
your holy presence,
a blessed resurrection
and life everlasting.  
In the Name of Jesus, the Risen Lord, we pray.
Amen.

 

RIP: Helen Paige

The obituary for Helen can be found here.