Sermon for Proper 8 C RCL: II Kings 2:1-14:

Sermon: Proper 8 C- II Kings 2:1-14
To be preached at St. John's Lancaster 30 June, 2013

Today’s first lesson is all about Elijah being taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot, and along the way dropping his mantle on his disciple Elisha. Before anyone asks, I believe it happened just the way the Bible says it did. I once heard a Ufologist on the History Channel who was an “expert” on ancient space alien contacts with earth give a very different account of the story. I think I understand why he does not teach at a reputable university. He is I think the same guy who says the masons pull the strings behind world powers. I hope that is not true, because I am a mason, and I know from personal experience that we can’t decide whether to serve perch or cod at the fish fry. I would hate to think that we ruled the world. If we did it really would be a mess! I once heard another man who said it couldn’t have happened the way the Bible said it did because there is no evidence that it could happen that way. It must be a metaphor. He did teach at a reputable university, but what a sad, sad life he must have if he cannot believe what he has not experienced and cannot imagine what he cannot replicate in a lab. But back to Elijah and Elisha. Today’s lesson makes it clear that it was very important to Elijah that he receive the mantle, which represents the authority and closeness to God of his mentor. He went to great lengths to insure that he might also have the kind of experience with God that the old man had. By doing so, he gives us a grand example of how we might receive and experience this faith from those who have gone before us in Christ, and how we might know the power of God in our everyday lives.

Think with me today of someone who modeled for you at some time what it means to be a Christian- someone upon whom the power and love and authority of God rested in a remarkable and unmistakable way. I’m not talking about someone who just did some good things for society or for other people. Remember that Mussolini did make the trains run on time, and even a broken clock is right twice a day. I’m not talking about the sorts of folks that we sometimes honor in our church commemorations such as “Holy Women, Holy Men,” people who were the first this or who were great social reformers or historical figures. Things like the first left handed Cherokee Indian to be the rector at St. John’s, or the priest who served his country so well by writing the religious services annex for the US Army’s avian flu epidemic response plan. I can make fun of those people because they are me, and neither of those things make me a saint, or a hero, or memorable in any way whatsoever. I once knew a real hero, who received the Navy Cross. He was a good man, but he is not what I am talking about. I once knew a man who marched with Dr. King and another who provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in free medical care to children. They did good things, but they are not the sort of people I am talking about either. I am talking about someone like Elijah, upon whom the Spirit and fire, the holy Shekhinah of God rested in such a way that to be in their presence is to be in the very throne room of God. I was privileged to have such a man as my pastor when I was growing up. While I was in the Army, his detractors managed to sack him because he was old, and not exciting, and didn’t plan great programs for the parish. But he was kind and decent, and humble, and preached the Bible faithfully and truthfully and with a quiet passion which came from years of belief and obedience. He never looked down on anyone, and was always there for the faithful and for others. After he died, his widow wrote me and told me about the secret of his closeness to God. She said that his knees were calloused heavily from the hours spent kneeling in prayer. In his demeanor and in his spirit, I sensed the very presence of God, and he changed the course of my life. I wish I had received more of his mantle, but unlike Elisha, I was young and vain and seduced by new ideas and modern methods, and pride. Oh that I had persevered and received the mantle of Wesley Bullis. I have known other such men: Dennis Kinlaw, the president of the college I attended and who seemed to me in both scholarship and piety as a modern day apostle, Loren Helm, a sort of Quaker-Methodist cross who taught me to “wait on God,” and Lowell Roberts, another Quaker, who taught me that true scholarship must be accompanied by hard work, honesty, humility and submission to the Spirit of God. I cannot claim to have received the mantle of any of these men, because as I said, I was young and vain and seduced by new ideas and modern methods, and pride.

Who are the people in your life in whom you have sensed the power and Spirit of God? Chances are they are not well known or properly appreciated. They may even be scorned and mistreated by the people around them. But like the prophets and martyrs of old, when you look upon them, you see not merely a man or a woman, or a hero or a good person. You sense the very purity and humility and fire and love of God. Sometimes it seems as if they can see inside your conscience and you grieve because you sense not their disapproval, but their heartbreak and their never ending love and concern for you. They are the ones you go to with really serious prayer requests, because you know that they pray often, and believe that God must know their voice even as they know his. On the days that you find the faith to believe in miracles, you can see in your heart how God might over ride the forces and laws of nature and time through such a person. And perhaps on those special days when by grace you are able to set aside the presuppositions and skepticism of this secular world, you can admit that you were there when God worked a miracle through this person you know. You were there when the cancer was cured in spite of every reasonable prognosis, or when the funds became available when there was no hope of deliverance. You saw the axe head float and the army of Sennacherib perish before the assault of God’s angels. In your heart you know it was true, because on an honest day you cannot doubt what you have seen.

But now return with me to the story of the translation of Elijah, and Elisha’s reception of the mantle of his teacher. When you think of that man or woman who showed you the power of God in such a memorable way; when you close your eyes and hear their voice, and see their face, and reconstruct in your mind the events that characterized their relationship with you; can you isolate those attributes of their life, those habits of their daily routine, those attitudes that set them apart from others; and can you yearn for them to be reproduced in your own life? Are you willing to be God’s man or woman as they were? Are you willing to be to others as they were to you?

God reveals himself to us in science, which the ancients and schoolmen called the book of nature. He made this revelation specific and inescapable when he came to us as Jesus of Nazareth, the Second Person of the Holy and Blessed Trinity. His life, and the Spirit inspired and superintended record of that life which is the Holy Bible, constitutes the Book of Revelation, which is his second volume given to us that we might know him. Unfortunately, many people are too lazy to fully appreciate the book of science, and too self absorbed to fully appreciate the book of revelation. And so God sends people like Elijah, and Wesley Bullis, and Dennis Kinlaw, and Loren Helm, and Lowell Roberts, and like the people who are remembered in your minds today, to give us a glimpse of the reality of his holiness, and his love, and his grace, and his truth, and his judgment, and his mercy. And then in the fullness of time he calls them home, and he calls us to take their place, to “receive their mantle” if you will.

This may well be something you have not thought too much about, and so I’ll not ask you to make commitments or decisions today about what you should do. But I do ask you as we come together to this Holy Communion, where we offer ourselves anew to God, to think about the example of Elijah and Elisha. I ask you to think about your relationship with that person or those people in whom you saw the very Shekhinah, the holy fire of God. As they go on to their heavenly reward, is God calling you to claim a portion of their mantle, and to follow them in a life of holy service to God, which will show his wonderful holiness and grace and mercy and power and love to some other person just as it was shown to you in the life of one of his saints? It is worth thinking about, and I commend those thoughts to you today as we stand and confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed, found on page 327/358 of the Book of Common Prayer.

Receiving God's Word From Others

A good magazine: a sure sign of idleness
and a precursor to hearing God's voice

One of the real advantages of having a Deacon assigned to St. John's is that I get to hear someone else preach on a regular basis.  It is easy to go online and hear a sermon, but doing that does not give me the opportunity to hear the preacher on a regular basis, so I don't get to experience the fullness of his theology, nor do I get to develop a real relationship with the preacher.  We are particularly blessed at St. John's now, because Deacon Don Eager is a regular who preaches the fourth Sunday of each month, with a few adjustments for major holy days and vacations.  We also have a licensed lay preacher, Nick England, who is a student at the deacon's school, and knows more of the Bible than many priests I know.  Every time they preach, my soul is fed, and I am drawn closer to God.

Having other preachers at St. John's also gives me the opportunity to set aside the quest for creativity and to walk away from being a scholar on such a regular basis.  In short, the situation here lets me rest my brain- and that is more welcome than many people may realize.  Last night, with no sermon to prepare, I went to Easton Towne Center with Rebecca where she made a teddy bear for her upcoming picnic with our grand-daughters.  Then we ate at a great Italian place, walked down to look at the marvelous toy train layout, and watched kids playing in the fountains.  We wrapped up the trip with a stroll through the book store where I bought the latest edition of "Fieldsports."

This morning I got up a bit before six and took all four dogs on a run through the woods before letting out the birds and feeding Ashley's Thoroughbred, Little Princess.  By a quarter to seven, I was clearing brush, a rather mindless but very physical activity for an old fat guy who works mostly with his brain and emotions these days.  Rebecca and I had coffee at 9 or so, and then it was back to work until the heat just played me out.  The rest of the day was spent in similar activity, and as darkness falls, I feel very rested, and I can't wait to go to church tomorrow and hear a great sermon.  I know God has something he is going to tell me.

Admonition to Our Graduates 2013

This Sunday at 10:30, we will honor our graduates at St. John's.  The message will be extemporaneous, and will be customized to the occasion and the individuals present.  Each of the high school graduates will be given a copy of Machiavelli's The Prince, not to teach them how to act, but rather that they might know what to expect from others as they enter the academic and working world.  They will each receive a vintage book that I personally selected for them to match their personality and immediate plans (this year the volumes include Cicero and Henry Van Dyke.)  They will be admonished to take the study Bibles that they received at confirmation to school with them.  And they will be asked to kneel that their families, friends, and elders of the church might lay hands on them and commission them as they go forth into the world to make their mark.  The bulk of the message will be centered around a catechetical worksheet I have prepared, and with which they will be provided.  It's purpose is to help them be sure of what their faith actually is, so that they might avoid the caricatures and mischaracterizations of faith that they will encounter at university- and that they might hold boldly to the faith once received.  Here is that catechetical document for any who would care to read it:

The Christian’s Basic Knowledge

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

 

 

The Way of Salvation 
*That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

*If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

*And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:2-4
  
*Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

*Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:54

The General Confession: An Act of Contrition
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

*I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

*And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

*I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: And the Life everlasting. Amen.

　

The Summary of the Law
THOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like unto
it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

The Decalogue.
GOD spake these words, and said:

I. I am the Lord thy God; Thou shalt have none
other gods but me.

II. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor
the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the
earth beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt
not bow down to them, nor worship them;

III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in
vain;

IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day.

V. Honour thy father and thy mother;

VI. Thou shalt do no murder.

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VIII, Thou shalt not steal.

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

X. Thou shalt not covet

The Comfy Words
Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith
unto all who truly turn to him.
COME unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden,
and I will refresh you. St. Matt. xi. 28.
So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten
Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. St. John iii. 16.

Hear also what Saint Paul saith.
This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received,
That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
1 Tim. i. 15.

Hear also what Saint John saith.
If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for
our sins. 1 St. John ii. 1, 2.

　
May God bless our 2013 graduates as they enter the next phase of their lives.  And may they so live in this life that in the world to come, they may have life everlasting. AMEN.
　 

Why Did God Put Us Here? With a Caveat on The Proper and Improper Use of Firearms

It is 86 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 o'clock, the hygrometer is at 75%, and the water is half way up the storm glass, indicating severe low pressure.  In a word, we are waiting for a promised summer storm of significant intensity.  Such barometric eccentricities often bring the woods and lakes to life, and tonight is no exception.  I was on the back porch reading when I heard the most horrible ruckus from the secret garden.  Upon investigation, I found that all four dogs had closed on three raccoons, and the fight was on.  Each terrier had engaged a coon directly and violently, and the hound and spaniel were holding the third at the top of a rather largish boxwood.  I left the terriers to their business and snagged Nike (Tristan would never understand or accept a stray gunshot wound or significant lacerations from a fight) and Oscar (who is not yet broken to gunshots), and hurried them into the house, where I retrieved my revolver.  By the time I returned, both coons on the ground were breathing their last and the third was treed, while the terriers were casting in search of more prey.  I dispatched all three vermin and called the dogs in to reward them for their work. 

It may seem gruesome to some, but vermin control is a necessary part of country living, as the depredations on my laying flock last week so amply illustrate.  And it is good to see a creature do what it is bred and kept to do.  The dogs all responded instinctively to the roles to which they were born, and it is a good thing to see creatures fulfill their purpose.  I have often wondered if we humans would be a bit more well intentioned toward each other if we lived in a culture or a society which encouraged us to be the creatures and to do the jobs we were created to do, that is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves; and to tend this garden that God has given us.  While I am a hopeless romantic, I am not so naive as to believe that humans in agrarian societies are any more humane or well behaved than those who live in cities.  History proves otherwise.  But it does cause me to ponder what our jobs really are, what we are born to be and to do.   I'm not so sure we have done a good job of discerning the answer to that question, and I know we have not lived into the answer as a species.

I believe that we homo-sapiens often believe we have found the answer to the above question, and our answers are generally involved with what some would call finding-one's-self, or being true to one's feelings.  I would call such nonsense selfishness of the highest order.  I recall being in a rather low grade theological discussion some years back where one of the participants suggested that since he was obviously pre-disposed to a certain type of behavior which the Bible said is sinful, that it made perfect sense to him that he could best glorify God and find fulfillment by being the best practitioner of those predispositions that God had given him.  I remember thinking at the time what self-centered nonsense that was, and wondering if he would feel the same if his activity of choice was murder or bank robbery, instead of sexual license.  He had in effect rejected the idea of eternal moral imperatives which are self-evident in nature and distilled in Sacred Scripture, in favor of justifying his own predilections in relationship to prevailing cultural norms.  The sad thing was that most of the people there agreed with him.  Better than half of them were ordained.

I suppose it is my experience with the mental constructions of my fellow humans which makes me value so highly my time with working dogs and horses.  They seldom overthink an issue.  They may be willfully disobedient, but when it comes to the rat killing or the chase, their instincts kick in and they do what they were born to do without excuse or cowardice.  I suppose even the raccoons are only doing what they were bred to do when they eat my chickens and quail.  They are worthy opponents who at the end of the day are true to their nature and fight the good fight.  O that we humans might so live and die..."facing fearful odds, for the ashes of our fathers, and the temples of our gods."  Perhaps then I would want to spend more time with people, and yearn less for the company of good dogs, faithful horses, and the thrill of field sport.  Saint Hubert pray for me, a sinner.

A Caveat: Let the Buyer Beware!

     While I was cleaning my weapon tonight, I got to thinking.  I grew up with Hoppe's #9 Gun Cleaning Solvent.  It has a sweet, and far from unpleasant odor, and it has always gotten me to think about things.  It is a sort of mental trigger to the mind of a small town Indiana boy.  Tonight it got me thinking about the kills that made the cleaning necessary.  I shot the raccoons in question with .357 Magnum caliber rounds tipped with 140 grain Barnes expander bullets.  They are self defense rounds made to stop a human, or a coyote, or even a deer.  (It may sound like a lot of gun for a raccoon, but when only a single weapon is maintained for emergencies, it must be prepared for every possible scenario, not just for raccoons.) The shots were well placed from a distance of three or four feet.  Sensation may have stopped instantaneously, but I doubt it.  I have killed a lot of game, and there is almost always a lot of thrashing around, gasping, muscle contractions, and the most horrid sounds.  It was like that tonight with both of the coons I had to dispatch with a shot.  They died clean and quickly, but not instantaneously.

I point this out specifically to dissuade any reader who thinks that killing anything or anyone with firearms or any other weapon is clean, or quick, or without emotion.  Movies and TV have made many think that you pull a trigger and the target falls lifeless and that is that.  Death is a horrible thing, and killing is a terrible responsibility never to be taken lightly.  What is usually portrayed on the screen is a lie, and I hope that anyone reading this who plans to use a firearm for any reason will seek out proper training from qualified personnel, and consider what you are doing.  I would suggest that you spend a couple of seasons hunting, so that you can experience the consequences of the thing that you do when you discharge a firearm with the intent to kill.  Hunting is a noble pursuit which puts us in closer contact with our food chain and helps us to appreciate what we consume.  Lawful defense of family and country are in my opinion the sacred responsibilities of every person.  But frivolous and unknowing use of firearms is a curse that has brought too much tragedy into the world.  Consider the consequences of your actions, and know the capabilities of the tools you use.  I write this as a lifelong hunter and fisherman, a retired soldier, and as a life member of the National Rifle Association.

Sermon for Proper 5C Revised Common Lectionary

Jesus brings us from death to life!
Luke 7:11-17

To be preached at St. John’s Lancaster on The Third Sunday After Pentecost MMXIII

I Kings 17:17-24
Psalm 30
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

The belief that God has the power to bring the dead to life stands at the center of our Christian faith. When we say, “I believe in the resurrection of the body,” we are talking about Jesus’ return to life, but we are also talking about our own. You see, resurrection is not just some vague idea about spooks popping up into heaven or the memory of good people living on in the hearts and minds of those who knew them. Resurrection means that as all of creation is redeemed, we will take our rightful place alongside of Jesus as his brothers and sisters, adopted by the Father through the blood of Jesus, by means of the everlasting covenant, in the power of the Holy Spirit. In this redemption, we shall be like him, possessing bodies like the body he exhibited in his post-resurrection appearances to over five hundred people. They touched him and handled him. They ate with him and walked with him. And they bore witness to a definite recognizable physicality that was transformed into what our Lord called his “spiritual body.”

Today’s lessons give us insights into what our resurrection will be like. When Elijah raised the widow’s son and Jesus raised that other widow’s son, the promise is renewed to all of us that we will live forever because of the power of God. In our second lesson, when St. Paul speaks of his transformation from Saul the persecutor into Paul the apostle, we see a raising to life no less real. I find it very interesting that in all three of these instances of “resurrection,” the witnesses give glory to God for what they experienced. Of Elijah it was said, “Now I know you are a man of God and the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth itself.” Of Jesus it was said, “A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.” Paul reports on the response to his transformation, his resurrection by the people of the churches. “…the one time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy. And they gave glory to God for me.” Don’t you find it interesting that in all three instances, when God does his miracle of resurrection, the people present give him the glory?

And now, that brings us to a much more personal question. All of us gathered here today to receive the body and blood of Jesus have been washed in the waters of baptism. We have “gone down with him and been raised anew.” Our old life of sin and selfishness and negativity and suspicion and has been forgiven and washed away in the waters of baptism. We are signed with the cross and marked as Christ’s own forever. The old man has died and we are now new creatures, waiting in hope that the promise of our transformation might be made perfect at his second coming to receive us as his own. The question is this: “Is there enough of transformation showing in your life that people give glory to God for the miracle that he has done?” When Elijah stretched himself three times on the body of the lad, everyone knew that God had performed a miracle. When Jesus walked up to the funeral procession and touched the man, everyone knew that God had done a miracle. When people considered what Saul had been, and what Paul had become, everyone knew that God had done a miracle.

When people look at how you treat others, at your daily attitudes at work or at home, at the consistency of your character, at how your belief in God impacts your politics, your business practices, your relationships, your willingness to follow the ten commandments, how you spend your money, and what you do with your time; do they know beyond any shadow of doubt that God has done a miracle in your life- that he has raised you from the dead and given you new life in Jesus Christ?

Words are cheap in our culture. The prevailing philosophies of our age excuse half-truths and encourage creative redefinition and agenda driven parsing of the language. Verbal religious witness of any kind, Christian or otherwise, has been made suspicious through the antics of those who employ the language of faith to take advantage of other people and to solidify their own power over others. That leaves the witness of the miracle of God’s grace in our lives as the most reliable witness to the truth of our faith. Our attitudes and actions, if they are consistent with the attitudes and actions of Jesus, if they are consistent with the clear teachings of the Bible, set the stage for people to accept the truth of our words. And that brings us back to the question, “Is there enough of transformation showing in your life that people give glory to God for the miracle that he has done?” In all probability, our friends and neighbors and co-workers will only open their hearts to the draw of God’s love in their own lives as they see the evidence of the change from death to life in our lives. In all probability, it is only as our competitors and enemies see the evidence of the change from death to life in our lives that they will be drawn to open their hearts to God’s love in their own lives.

Let us all on this day, as we approach this Holy Communion, seriously ask ourselves if people are able to see the miracle of God’s resurrection in our individual lives. As we identify our shortcomings and consider their consequences, might we come in faith, trusting God to transform us from death to life, and committing ourselves to follow those personal disciplines which will enable other people to see that we have been transformed into the image of Jesus. This is the path of faithful obedience. This is the way of true evangelism. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Domestic Counterinsurgency- Briarwood Style

They came like the Vikings, at dusk and completely without warning.  They employed every trick in the book and showed no respect whatsoever for the customs or restraints which characterize Christian civilization.  They killed indiscriminately and without mercy nor regard to age, sex, or station.  In the last week they have cost me five of my beautiful Speckled Sussex hens.  We are used to the depredations of Raccoons and the odd Hawk, but Weasels are different.  They kill for the sheer joy of killing and leave the foulest mess.  For four nights running they have been in the area, and they show no sign of leaving voluntarily.  How I miss faithful Pat the white hound in situations like this, but he is gone, and it is time to take action if my laying flock is to survive.

As I considered how to deploy my resources to meet this latest invasion, my thoughts naturally turned to the wisdom of the past.  When I was at the Military Academy many years ago, we studied both the British response to the insurgency in Malaysia and the French and American response to the situation in Vietnam.  And then there were all of those graduate studies in early English history from the late Roman period through the Wessex monarchy under Alfred.  Could it be that finally, I had found real use for my studies?  And so I employed my vast lack of experience and my moderately undisciplined reading habits as an undergraduate and graduate student to solve the problem of what to do with my furry marauders.  I was amazed at how much applied.  We will see if the steps involved work.

1. Establish Hamlets to control your population in safe havens with a minimum of economic disruption.  There will be no more free ranging for the time being, and everyone stays in the chicken run during the day and in the secure chicken house at night.

2. Defoliate the enemy's hiding place to make him vulnerable to direct attack and to limit his ability to conceal his operations.  Defoliant (Roundup TM)has been applied to all foliage around the chicken run.

3. Force the enemy into daylight operations whenever possible.  All chickens must be in the secure chicken house by 5:30 each day.  No night-time strolls for the girls for quite a while.  No exceptions.

4. Employ the advantages of overwhelming technology with ruthless efficiency whenever possible.  That essentially translates to hav-a-hart live traps properly baited and the immediate use of firearms when possible.

5. Regular foot patrols, with dogs of course.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about hearts and minds types of programs, politically motivated rules of engagement (except for my own self-imposed one of not using poison on animals), and the press is not a problem.  Hopefully, the offenders will be neutralized soon, and my girls and I, along with Chanticleer the rooster, will be able to order replacement chicks and return to the blessings of peace on the farm.

This is my first attempt at such an operation without Pat, so wish me luck.  We have not had Weasel problems here since they decimated a pen of Bobwhite Quail about three years ago,  But like the Vikings and the Saxons (my own ancestors) before them, they just keep coming back!

Sermon Proper 4C- Cafeteria Religion

Sermon: Proper 4C
To be preached at St. John's, Lancaster 2 Jun 2013

Elijah at Mount Carmel

I Kings18:20-40
Psalm96
Galatians 1:1-12
Luke 7:1-10

The Roman Army has always impressed me. I remember in my fifth grade history book in Mrs. Rarrick’s room, there was a picture of Roman soldiers on the Danube frontier. I thought it was really cool. As I grew older and began to amass knowledge which was very interesting, and even formative, but would never get me a job, I read more and more about these men: how they fought, how they were organized, what they thought, what motivated them, and the amazing tales of their heroism found in Livy and Tacitus and Plutarch. In a very real way, they became the men I sought to emulate. Rebecca and I passed the stories on to our children. It was said of Washington and Jefferson that they grew up with the distinct feeling that they were not far removed in time or space from the great men of Rome. It was so in our family. When he was younger, I really think Tristan believed that Scipio Africanus and Cincinnatus helped Little Grandpa and Uncle Jake defeat the combined armies and navies of Imperial Japan. After he came home a wounded warrior, Tristan told me that when he realized that he had been shot, it was a story from the legions of Republican Rome which filled his mind and dictated his actions.

And so it comes as no surprise to me that a Roman Centurion, sort of a cross between a company commander and a sergeant major, is singled out by our Lord as an example of great faith. As a seasoned warrior, he knew that if he told a soldier to complete a mission, that the soldier would do it, or die trying. It made perfect sense to him that if Jesus gave an order, it would be carried out with equal efficiency. His profession pre-disposed him to faith in the Lord. He is an easy man to like, and to respect. He really is a great example of the kind of faith we all might do well to emulate.

But inspiring stories are just that if we don’t act on them in our lives. The Centurion believed that Jesus had the authority and power of God, and he acted in accordance with that knowledge. Do you have such belief today? Is Jesus Christ your Liege Lord, your God and King, the Captain of your salvation? Or is he just another good man and a memorable teacher from whom you can hope to learn a few things and find some vague comfort in difficult times? We are taught by the Faith received from Apostles and Prophets and from our Lord Himself that the Bible is the Holy Spirit inspired and superintended account of who Jesus is and what he did. We are taught that the Bible contains all things necessary to our salvation, and that no belief is to be required unless it is clearly based on the warrant of Scripture. We are taught by the Bible itself that the accounts and teachings of the Bible are given to us that we might learn from the experiences of those who came before us. It is in the Bible that we come face to face with God and his Son Jesus.

The first lesson today speaks of a time much like our own. The faith of many had been severely watered down because many people mixed the teachings of non-Jewish faith groups with the true worship commanded by God in his dealings with Moses. A significant number of people who claimed to be good children of Israel had become what we might call “Cafeteria Believers.” After all, there was much to be learned from the emphasis on life cycles and the natural studies of the pagan followers of Baal, a local fertility deity. And if their sexual mores and their concept of family was different than that of the Jews, well, it was their culture, and they were for the most part pretty good neighbors. And to boot, many Jews had intermarried with the families of these foreigners, and being pig headed about one’s faith made for real problems at family get togethers. Better all around to just live and let live. Religion after all was such a personal thing. Enter Elijah the prophet of God, “that troubler of Israel.” Elijah said to the people, “If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him.” The Bible continues, “The people did not answer him a word.” Then followed that incredible and terrible contest between the prophet of God and the prophets of Baal. As our first lesson today makes abundantly clear, God acted on that day to declare his sovereign power to all and to call his people to repentance. And then, in the portion of the text omitted by the folks who crafted the current lectionary, “Elijah said into them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” I’ve been to that place at the north end of the valley of Armageddon and seen the statue of Elijah, flaming sword in hand, which stands before the little Franciscan Church. It is a sobering place to be. Because it still reminds believers that following God faithfully is a life and death matter. It determines how we live in this world, and where we will spend eternity in the next. There is no more allowance made for cafeteria religion today than there was in the reign of King Ahab. The faith of the Centurion, the faith of the Church, may grow weak and falter from time to time, but its object and teachings can never be willfully changed for any reason without exciting the ire of a loving and jealous God.

But how are we to know? What is right and what is wrong? Or as Pontius Pilate asked the Master, “What is truth?” St. Paul in today’s second lesson answers that question unequivocally. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” He continues, “Even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed.” Paul states the Gospel clearly in the Bible, as does Moses, and Isaiah, and Hosea, and Peter, and John, and a host of others, including Jesus. We have no right to change it or what it teaches. The Articles of Religion are clear that neither the church nor anyone in it has the authority to proclaim any message contrary to Holy Scripture. “As Paul says in our second lesson, “If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed.” Cafeteria religion is still a life and death matter, because it takes our eyes off of God and substitutes what we in any given culture might like to believe, what seems fair or helpful to us, for the truth that God the Father has revealed in his Son Jesus the Christ.

And so if a bishop says to you that a person who the Bible says was demon possessed was merely practicing another spiritual path, honor them for the position they fill, but reject their teaching. If a priest tells you that even though they cannot find any allowance in Scripture for the decision they have made, but that their experience convinces them that it is the right thing to do, respect the orders they bear, but reject their teaching and their example. If a spirit, or a feeling, or an angel should appear to you as you consider God’s will in your life, and suggests that you do something contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible, let that spirit be accursed. There are those today who in Paul’s words “are confusing you and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ.” “God is the same yesterday, today and forever.” What he revealed to us in the Bible and in the historic teachings of our Holy Mother the Church remains unchanged. The Centurion knew this, and he trusted Jesus because his studies of the Jewish faith had led him to the conclusion that Jesus bore the authority of the Father. We know Jesus primarily as he comes to us in the Scriptures. We understand the Scriptures as we encounter them in worship, that is within the preaching and sacramental ministry of the Church.

At the end of the day, we must all realize that we are responsible to know what the Bible says as it is received by the Church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. No one person or denomination can run ahead of the entire church and proclaim private revelations as truth. We are not given that authority. Rather we are called to proclaim the faith received, not a different gospel. And so today, let us resist the seductive call of “cafeteria religion.” It is as deadly today as it was nearly three thousand years ago. We can not make things up as we go, or we will one day find ourselves among those who are accursed. Rather let us follow that righteous Roman Centurion of whom it was said, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” It was he of whom Jesus said “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” None of us will ever understand everything about the Bible, and my experience has been that at every reading God shows me some new thing and calls me to act upon it in my life. But there is a huge difference between that person who honestly seeks to know the will of God as revealed in the Bible, which is that Gospel of which Paul speaks, and that person who makes their religion up as they go based on their own notions of culture and their own feelings. There is such a thing as objective truth, and to say that “One truth is as true or as good as another” is contrary to the faith of Jesus Christ.

St Paul said, “If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We cannot have it both ways. There is freedom of religion in our country, and that is a good thing. But I cannot make up my own religion and call it Christianity. God does not give us that option. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy ghost. AMEN.