Sermon Proper 12C Colossians 2:6-19
Paul starts today’s lesson with an incredible assumption: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” He assumes that all of those to whom his words are addressed are Christians; that they have “renounced the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that they will not follow, nor be led by them.” He assumes that they “believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that they have accepted him, and desire to follow Him as Saviour and Lord.” He begins with the understanding that his readers “Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith , as contained in the Apostles’ Creed,” that they have “been baptized in this Faith,” and that they have purposed by God’s help to “obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of their lives.” It is a significant assumption, but it defines who we are expected to be, and how we are expected to live our lives.
Having established the identity of his readers, Saint Paul proceeds to encourage and admonish the believers at Colossae:
1. “Continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him“- Happy is that man or that woman whose foundation is Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith“. Bishop Berkley taught that if Christ ever stopped thinking of us, ever stopped loving us, ever stopped interceding for us for even a moment, we would cease to exist. This is the idea beyond his famous ontological proof of the existence of God, which has confused and frustrated undergraduates for centuries. Saint Paul must have had in mind those older teachings of the prophets which spoke of the day when all of the followers of God would be grafted into the tree of Jesse, that ancient ancestral stock of Israel from which was to spring forth a Messiah, who would redeem his people from their sins. Imagine the comfort God offers us by cutting us away from those roots of bitterness and addiction and pain and prejudice which have led to so much unhappiness throughout our lives, and grafting us into the pure, undefiled rootstock of grace and love which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. The prophets spoke of a day when the old hearts of stone would be taken out of us, and new hearts, tender hearts of love and purity would be put in their places and the law of God would be written on our hearts. In that day, no one of us would serve God or our neighbor because we had to, but rather we would do so because we wanted to. Our motives would be perfected, and we would find the true joy of living lives of love and compassion. That day is upon us as we draw our motivations and attitudes from Him, and we are built up into that Kingdom of our God in the here and now; and they will know we are Christians by our love.
2. The Apostle continues that we ought to be “established in the faith, just as you were taught.” But what is the faith that we have received? What is that common core of truth which has been believed by all Christians, at all places, and in all times? The skeptic might say, Surely there has never been such unity of belief. Certainly there has always been variety of practice and liberty in non-essentials, but where is there evidence of essential unity in the Early Christian community? And yet a careful study of the New testament, and of early church history shows that there is that core of faith which Bishop Lancelot Andrews said was characterized by “one Scripture, Two testaments, three Creeds, Four Ecumenical Councils, and five centuries.” There is a basic statement of our faith which we deny to the peril of our souls. We may never completely understand it, we may never fully appreciate it, but it is there, contained in the creed we repeat every Sunday and lived out in the Sacramental community of which we are a part. You see, God has revealed Himself to us in the books of nature and scripture. In nature, we see the benevolence of a loving creator who makes a world characterized by order and purpose, and says at the end of the day “behold, it is good.” The book of Scripture is the God inspired and God superintended record of the coming of the Christ into the world. In it we see clearly our need established, and God’s loving and merciful provision to meet all of our needs in Jesus Christ. Often, we are tempted to jettison the historic understanding of the people of God about how God shows his mercy to each of us, and to all of us. We imagine in our pride that our understandings and our judgments are wiser and better than those which have been shared by God’s covenant community of faith for the past 3,400 years. Such prideful arrogance is a heady liqueur which has led many to deny the faith received, imagining themselves to be some sort of new Solon or New Solomon. It is a deadly thing to do, to overthrow or ignore the wisdom of the ages, revealed in the books of Natural Science and the Revelation of Christ, and to imagine ourselves wiser than God Himself. It is the idolatry of our age, and of every age.
3. St. Paul’s next admonition perhaps provides the experiential basis for applying what we have learned today to every aspect of our lives. “abounding in thanksgiving.” Is a spirit of thankfulness evident in your life? Is you demeanor such that you are able to see God’s everyday mercies, and the evidences of his love in the midst of life’s vicissitudes and disappointments? Is your experience of God deep enough and regular enough that you sense his love in your family, your employment, and the laughter of friends? Are you able to find a sense of meaning, of purpose in your current situation and in the situations of those around you? Or are you so caught up in the negative events and attitudes of life that thanksgiving, and its companion- joy, has fled from your experience? God offers us that peace which passes all understanding. It is not the giddy false happiness of denial, but rather an abiding confidence that we are loved, and that even in the midst of a sinful and sometimes dangerous world, God is working through the bad as well as the good to perfect our character, and to make us more humane, more self-controlled, more responsible, and more heavenly. In short- he is getting us ready for heaven, and so building our character that others may know the reality of his presence among us. It is this holiness of life and outlook , this set apartness by God and for God which enables us to be thankful in the darkness as well as in the light. At its very heart is that faith which is the “substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” It is that confidence that in all things God loves us, and that he is working out his purposes for all mankind in spite of our bad decisions, and through the agency of our good decisions. And for all of these things we can be thankful.
And so we who are signed with the cross, we who are marked as Christ’s own forever, are admonished to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, the developer of our motives, and the motivator of our deeds. We are called to embrace and practice the faith we have received, not thinking more of ourselves than we ought, and not imagining ourselves to be wiser than the community of faith through the ages. And finally, we are reminded to give thanks in all things, ever remembering that the God who made us and called us loves us as his very own. Through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. AMEN
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Traditional Faith
Rector’s Rambling: August 2010
Over the past few days, I’ve been previewing the video tapes of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue held last year at Nashotah House, one of our Episcopal Seminaries. From time to time, a singular sentiment is voiced by both the Anglican and the Orthodox speakers at the conference. They point out that we in the modern west are so focused on being either liberal or conservative, when the real question for us liturgical Christians ought to be whether or not we are traditional. Political questions and issues come and go. Interpretive nuances drop in and out of style with distressing frequency. But the traditional faith received and lived on a daily basis by Christians has remained pretty constant through the ages. Do I believe that in the time of my need, God loved me so much that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin, and thereby broke into a fallen world that I (and we) might be reconciled to God Himself? Do I believe that in a great act of love, this same Jesus died to enable that reconciliation? Do I believe that after His death, he was resurrected and ascended into heaven thereby proclaiming the triumph of God’s plan of love on my behalf? Do I believe that He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father praying for me before I even know what to ask? Do I believe that God has sent the Holy Spirit, the blessed third person of the Holy Trinity, into our world and into my life that I might be able to live in obedience to His way, which I could never have done on my own? Is my community of faith constituted in such a way that our worship proclaims these truths to all the world, and inspires me to live for others even as Christ lived for me? Such a faith, and only such a faith, is properly deemed “Traditional.”
I encourage everyone at St. John’s to consider this call to traditional faith. At the heart of this challenge is the decision to take control of our own destiny by framing our own questions and blazing our own paths. The world seems to always attempt to set our agendas and define the nature of our faith journey. But what would happen if we, the people of God, simply walked away from the world’s categories and priorities and determined to live the traditional Christian faith? What would the result be if we determined to simply believe that God came to save us from ourselves because He loves us so very, very much, and then nurtured ourselves through worship as we reached out to a desperate world in acts of kindness, mercy, and predictable constancy? What would happen if the love of God flowed through us to all creation even as it flowed through Jesus when He was incarnate in this world?
Several basic steps come to mind to enable our pursuit of such a reality at St. John’s:
1. Let us commit to attend upon the word and sacrament with weekly regularity, either here or wherever we may be traveling. As we receive the bread and the wine, God gives us a direct infusion of His enabling grace for the week to come, and He draws us closer to himself and to each other.
2. Let us consider well and seriously the liturgy. Do I truly believe the attributes of God that I sing in hymns and Psalms? Do I believe that the Scripture readings and the Sermon (which ought to explain and apply those scriptures to my life) are God’s authentic Word to me, and to all of us? Do I believe the articles of the Creed to have really happened? Do I honestly believe that I need to confess my sins to God and receive His forgiveness? Do I believe that a loving God really does hear my prayers and answer them in ways that are best for me and for those I love? Is the passing of the peace just a formality, or do I see it as an opportunity to be reconciled to some member of our parish from whom I have been estranged? Do I believe that by receiving the Holy Communion, I am participating in the great foretaste of the marriage feast of the Lamb, stepping into the heavenly court, and proclaiming my unity with God’s people in every age and every land?
3. Let us examine our lives to insure that our actions and attitudes match what we profess in worship. Do we go forth from the Eucharist to remember the poor, to pray for the sick, and to be kind to one another?
I am sure there is more, but this is enough for now. Let us all commit to at least consider the keeping of that faith we have received, that Traditional Faith to which we are called. I do believe that as we do this thing, God will be pleased, and the kingdom of heaven will break forth among us in ways we could never imagine.
Faithfully,
Bill+
Over the past few days, I’ve been previewing the video tapes of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue held last year at Nashotah House, one of our Episcopal Seminaries. From time to time, a singular sentiment is voiced by both the Anglican and the Orthodox speakers at the conference. They point out that we in the modern west are so focused on being either liberal or conservative, when the real question for us liturgical Christians ought to be whether or not we are traditional. Political questions and issues come and go. Interpretive nuances drop in and out of style with distressing frequency. But the traditional faith received and lived on a daily basis by Christians has remained pretty constant through the ages. Do I believe that in the time of my need, God loved me so much that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin, and thereby broke into a fallen world that I (and we) might be reconciled to God Himself? Do I believe that in a great act of love, this same Jesus died to enable that reconciliation? Do I believe that after His death, he was resurrected and ascended into heaven thereby proclaiming the triumph of God’s plan of love on my behalf? Do I believe that He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father praying for me before I even know what to ask? Do I believe that God has sent the Holy Spirit, the blessed third person of the Holy Trinity, into our world and into my life that I might be able to live in obedience to His way, which I could never have done on my own? Is my community of faith constituted in such a way that our worship proclaims these truths to all the world, and inspires me to live for others even as Christ lived for me? Such a faith, and only such a faith, is properly deemed “Traditional.”
I encourage everyone at St. John’s to consider this call to traditional faith. At the heart of this challenge is the decision to take control of our own destiny by framing our own questions and blazing our own paths. The world seems to always attempt to set our agendas and define the nature of our faith journey. But what would happen if we, the people of God, simply walked away from the world’s categories and priorities and determined to live the traditional Christian faith? What would the result be if we determined to simply believe that God came to save us from ourselves because He loves us so very, very much, and then nurtured ourselves through worship as we reached out to a desperate world in acts of kindness, mercy, and predictable constancy? What would happen if the love of God flowed through us to all creation even as it flowed through Jesus when He was incarnate in this world?
Several basic steps come to mind to enable our pursuit of such a reality at St. John’s:
1. Let us commit to attend upon the word and sacrament with weekly regularity, either here or wherever we may be traveling. As we receive the bread and the wine, God gives us a direct infusion of His enabling grace for the week to come, and He draws us closer to himself and to each other.
2. Let us consider well and seriously the liturgy. Do I truly believe the attributes of God that I sing in hymns and Psalms? Do I believe that the Scripture readings and the Sermon (which ought to explain and apply those scriptures to my life) are God’s authentic Word to me, and to all of us? Do I believe the articles of the Creed to have really happened? Do I honestly believe that I need to confess my sins to God and receive His forgiveness? Do I believe that a loving God really does hear my prayers and answer them in ways that are best for me and for those I love? Is the passing of the peace just a formality, or do I see it as an opportunity to be reconciled to some member of our parish from whom I have been estranged? Do I believe that by receiving the Holy Communion, I am participating in the great foretaste of the marriage feast of the Lamb, stepping into the heavenly court, and proclaiming my unity with God’s people in every age and every land?
3. Let us examine our lives to insure that our actions and attitudes match what we profess in worship. Do we go forth from the Eucharist to remember the poor, to pray for the sick, and to be kind to one another?
I am sure there is more, but this is enough for now. Let us all commit to at least consider the keeping of that faith we have received, that Traditional Faith to which we are called. I do believe that as we do this thing, God will be pleased, and the kingdom of heaven will break forth among us in ways we could never imagine.
Faithfully,
Bill+
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Call to Worship
Proper 11 Year C The Sunday Closest to July 20th
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42
Today’s Gospel lesson sounds strange to our modern western ears. Jesus had come into a village to teach. Preparations were well underway to extend to him that especial hospitality which was so characteristic of the ancient Jewish community. Martha had without doubt been working hard since she heard that the Master was coming into their village and home. There was a house to clean, food to be prepared, clothes to be washed, and instructions to give to the servants. All of the preparations for a major party consumed her time and her energy. Her sister Mary had probably started out being a pretty good helper as the preparations progressed. But when Jesus finally arrived, sister Mary was nowhere to be found. Sister Martha finally found her sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening intently to the Master’s words. Martha was consternated and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Jesus did not give her the answer that she wanted, or the one she expected. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” I daresay most of us would share Martha’s consternation in a similar situation. Certainly there is time to sit and listen to Jesus…after the work is done. Mary is shirking her duty. Shame on Jesus for letting her get by with that!
We are, like the ancient Romans, a nation of doers. We are in the main hard working, diligent, well organized, and pragmatic. We are serious about our religion, but we realize that if someone doesn’t do the work, it is not going to get done. Those characteristics have established our national power, built our business acumen, and helped us to create a spectacularly high standard of living. Martha was a lot like most of us. People like Martha, and like us, are the engines which make the economy work, and which lay the groundwork for much of what we would generally call human achievement. In their place, our characteristics are all admirable qualities and good things, but- and there is that most disturbing word- our general propensity to focus on doing sometimes causes us to undervalue other important things in life.
Mary was beginning to realize some things about Jesus of Nazareth which had not yet fully dawned on her hard working sister Martha. Saint Paul eloquently stated those “things” years later in what constitutes our Epistle lesson for today. “Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of powers- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him- provided that you continue firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” This is the Christian Faith in a nutshell, and if it is true, then certainly “Mary has chosen the better part.” To sit at the feet of the master, to bask in the light of his presence, and to adore and worship him is certainly more important than anything I could do or accomplish in a thousand lifetimes. That is not to say that our good works and hard work are unimportant or that God does not expect them to flow from our faith, but it is to recognize that worship given to our Creator and Redeemer and Sustainer is infinitely more important than any work that we might be called to do.
Unfortunately, many of us only come to appreciate this truth when some great calamity or undesired situation arises in our life. For the poet John Milton, that realization came when he realized that he was going blind, and wondered how he could possibly get along without his sight. He wrote:
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent, which is death to hide,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning, chide:
“Doth God exact day labor, light denied?”
I fondly ask; but Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work, or His own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly. Thousands at His bidding speed,
And post o’er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.”
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, in his book “Frontiers in Muslim-Christian Encounter,” points out that “the ancient Churches (of the east sic), because of the restrictions on them in the past, have developed a theology of witness which emphasizes the centrality of the Eucharistic liturgy in Christian witness. This is not surprising since the liturgy was often the only way in which they could declare their faith.”
How sad it is that most of us only come to give adoration and worship of Jesus its proper significance when health, political reality, or personal tragedy remove all other options in our lives. Blessed is that woman or man who, like Mary, can see Jesus for who he is, and realizes that to worship at his feet is “the best part.”
And this brings us to the place of worship in our lives, both individually and as a parish. We are called to ask ourselves if it is indeed “the best part” in our estimation. At the risk of preaching to the choir this morning, I fear that it often is not first in our lives. There are so many other things which we value above attending every week upon the word and sacraments, which is the way that God has given us to sit at the feet of Jesus. We have all heard those who might say “I feel closer to God in the woods, or on the boat, or on the golf course on a beautiful morning than I ever do in church.” It is a noble sounding sentiment, but unfortunately, it is not an option that God gives us when He says, “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together”, and “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part of me.” Oh that all the people of God might say with the Psalmist, “I had rather be a doorman in the house of the Lord, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Over the years, I grew to appreciate the example of Fred Hatcher, who always was attendant upon the Word and Sacrament wherever he traveled in this broad world. Here in Lancaster, in Europe, Asia, or Elsewhere, he never missed Sunday Church. Might we all be blessed with a burning desire to claim “the best part” with Mary and Fred, and with the saints of God down through the ages. As we acknowledge who he truly is, and sit at His feet expectantly and regularly, surely he will meet us and transform us more perfectly into His image by the blood of the everlasting covenant and in the power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42
Today’s Gospel lesson sounds strange to our modern western ears. Jesus had come into a village to teach. Preparations were well underway to extend to him that especial hospitality which was so characteristic of the ancient Jewish community. Martha had without doubt been working hard since she heard that the Master was coming into their village and home. There was a house to clean, food to be prepared, clothes to be washed, and instructions to give to the servants. All of the preparations for a major party consumed her time and her energy. Her sister Mary had probably started out being a pretty good helper as the preparations progressed. But when Jesus finally arrived, sister Mary was nowhere to be found. Sister Martha finally found her sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening intently to the Master’s words. Martha was consternated and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Jesus did not give her the answer that she wanted, or the one she expected. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” I daresay most of us would share Martha’s consternation in a similar situation. Certainly there is time to sit and listen to Jesus…after the work is done. Mary is shirking her duty. Shame on Jesus for letting her get by with that!
We are, like the ancient Romans, a nation of doers. We are in the main hard working, diligent, well organized, and pragmatic. We are serious about our religion, but we realize that if someone doesn’t do the work, it is not going to get done. Those characteristics have established our national power, built our business acumen, and helped us to create a spectacularly high standard of living. Martha was a lot like most of us. People like Martha, and like us, are the engines which make the economy work, and which lay the groundwork for much of what we would generally call human achievement. In their place, our characteristics are all admirable qualities and good things, but- and there is that most disturbing word- our general propensity to focus on doing sometimes causes us to undervalue other important things in life.
Mary was beginning to realize some things about Jesus of Nazareth which had not yet fully dawned on her hard working sister Martha. Saint Paul eloquently stated those “things” years later in what constitutes our Epistle lesson for today. “Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of powers- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him- provided that you continue firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” This is the Christian Faith in a nutshell, and if it is true, then certainly “Mary has chosen the better part.” To sit at the feet of the master, to bask in the light of his presence, and to adore and worship him is certainly more important than anything I could do or accomplish in a thousand lifetimes. That is not to say that our good works and hard work are unimportant or that God does not expect them to flow from our faith, but it is to recognize that worship given to our Creator and Redeemer and Sustainer is infinitely more important than any work that we might be called to do.
Unfortunately, many of us only come to appreciate this truth when some great calamity or undesired situation arises in our life. For the poet John Milton, that realization came when he realized that he was going blind, and wondered how he could possibly get along without his sight. He wrote:
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent, which is death to hide,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning, chide:
“Doth God exact day labor, light denied?”
I fondly ask; but Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work, or His own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly. Thousands at His bidding speed,
And post o’er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.”
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, in his book “Frontiers in Muslim-Christian Encounter,” points out that “the ancient Churches (of the east sic), because of the restrictions on them in the past, have developed a theology of witness which emphasizes the centrality of the Eucharistic liturgy in Christian witness. This is not surprising since the liturgy was often the only way in which they could declare their faith.”
How sad it is that most of us only come to give adoration and worship of Jesus its proper significance when health, political reality, or personal tragedy remove all other options in our lives. Blessed is that woman or man who, like Mary, can see Jesus for who he is, and realizes that to worship at his feet is “the best part.”
And this brings us to the place of worship in our lives, both individually and as a parish. We are called to ask ourselves if it is indeed “the best part” in our estimation. At the risk of preaching to the choir this morning, I fear that it often is not first in our lives. There are so many other things which we value above attending every week upon the word and sacraments, which is the way that God has given us to sit at the feet of Jesus. We have all heard those who might say “I feel closer to God in the woods, or on the boat, or on the golf course on a beautiful morning than I ever do in church.” It is a noble sounding sentiment, but unfortunately, it is not an option that God gives us when He says, “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together”, and “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part of me.” Oh that all the people of God might say with the Psalmist, “I had rather be a doorman in the house of the Lord, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Over the years, I grew to appreciate the example of Fred Hatcher, who always was attendant upon the Word and Sacrament wherever he traveled in this broad world. Here in Lancaster, in Europe, Asia, or Elsewhere, he never missed Sunday Church. Might we all be blessed with a burning desire to claim “the best part” with Mary and Fred, and with the saints of God down through the ages. As we acknowledge who he truly is, and sit at His feet expectantly and regularly, surely he will meet us and transform us more perfectly into His image by the blood of the everlasting covenant and in the power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
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