Scripture Readings: Acts 4:5–12 | Psalm 23 | 1 John 3:16–24 | John 10:11–18
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). Why did the farmer fire the shepherd? He kept on falling asleep whenever he tried counting them. Today, the fourth Sunday of the Season of Easter, is sometimes called Good Shepherd Sunday, as the Scripture readings assigned for the day invite us to reflect on how Jesus Christ the Risen Lord continues to care for and watch over His people today. As we may recall, the ancient image of the Living God acting as a shepherd of His people Israel in the Old Testament remains a powerful picture of His dedicated care and concern for them… working for their good, even when they stubbornly wander away from Him, and head towards danger. Our Psalm this morning, Psalm 23, which beautifully expands on this metaphor, is probably one of the most well known and well loved pieces of poetry ever penned. It’s author, King David, who had himself been a shepherd for a time, depicts Yahweh, the Living God, providing personal, gracious, and intimate care in his own life… and the lives of God’s people. And as we heard in our reading today from St. John’s Gospel, Jesus taps into this tradition… but with a twist. He picks up this well known imagery about God… but then He applies it to Himself. “I am the good shepherd.” He says… and in a profound way, these words identify Jesus with Yahweh, the Living God. It's easy for us English speakers to miss this connection a first glance. But to understand the force of what Jesus is saying here, it helps if we know a bit of Hebrew… and can recall a bit more of the wider story of the Bible. Way back in Exodus, when yet another lowly shepherd, Moses, was tending his father-in-law’s sheep on Mt. Sinai, he suddenly found himself face to face with the Living God, the Creator of all, speaking to him from a burning bush. And what God said changed Moses’ life for good. God told Moses that He had seen the suffering of His people in slavery, and He was determined to do something about it… and God’s way of doing something was to send Moses back to Egypt, and have him tell Pharoah to let His people go. Moses was, of course, an Israelite himself… and so it might not seem out of place for God to commission him to take part in rescuing his own people. But even so, Moses hesitated. He was afraid. And so he started coming up with all sorts of excuses. Saying anything he could to get God to change His mind, and choose to use someone else. One of the excuses he tried is important for understanding our message this morning. It’s found in Exodus 3:13-15, “But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, (or Yahweh) the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.” “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” The Living God’s Name, given here to Moses, for the first time, is I AM. Or I WILL BE. Moses is to say that The One Who Is… Who Is the very essence of existence itself… The One Who Is eternally faithful and constant… The One Who Is has sent Moses to rescue Israel, and lead them into the Promised Land… WHO WILL BE providing for them, protecting them, and prodding them towards the way of life. And as it turns out, God remains true to His name. He is completely faithful to Israel, leading them like a shepherd, caring for and providing for them… but they keep scattering this way and that, and chasing after the gods of the other nations, and completely abandoning the ways of their Saviour. Yet even when Yahweh allows His people to get themselves into trouble, He never gives up on them… but looking on them with compassion and concern, time and again He consistently reaches out His hand to save them. Now this sacred Divine Name, that God tells to Moses is hard to make sense of grammatically… especially as it came to be considered far too holy to say out loud. When it’s spoken by God Himself, it’s I AM WHO I AM. When others say it it’s THE ONE WHO IS, and this is where we get the name Yahweh from… the holy, personal name of Almighty God. Over time, in the Hebrew imagination, the phrase I AM comes to be associated with the Divine Name, and to have this sacred significance… something fitting for the Living God alone to say. And in St. John’s Gospel, written many centuries later, many scholars have noted that Jesus repeatedly refers to Himself using these loaded words “I AM” in ways that connect Him directly to the Living God’s saving work in the world. Though there are other examples, there are seven times that John quotes Jesus use this phrase to refer to Himself as the unique source of God’s provision and deliverance: John 6:35, I AM the Bread of Life… John 8:12, I AM the Light of the World… John 10:9, I AM the Gate or Door… John 11:25 I AM the Resurrection and the Life… John 15:1, I AM the True Vine… and today’s reading from John 10:14… I AM the Good Shepherd. In his masterful way, this is St. John helping us to see that in Jesus Himself we are actually seeing the Living God Himself at work. That Jesus is none other than Yahweh, the ONE WHO IS, the Eternal Son of God, having taken on human existence, and dwelling among us… to be our Saviour… our Redeemer… and our Good Shepherd. Not just back then, but today! For Jesus remains our Good Shepherd even now. While Moses had been a shepherd for a season, before he was caught up in God’s mission to lead Israel out of slavery and through the wilderness into the Promised Land. But Moses’ ministry ended. Before they entered into that good land, Moses died in the wilderness. And King David had also been a shepherd, before being chosen by the Living God to be Israel’s anointed King… but his service also came to an end. David died, and he was buried, and his descendants led Israel far from the ways of the Living God. But the Good News of Easter is that, even though Jesus our Good Shepherd, laid down His life for His sheep at the cross… dying for us all as the fulfillment of Yahweh’s universal rescue mission… Jesus was also raised again… resurrected to bring God’s New Life to the world. And according to Jesus, this was always part of the plan. John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” Having taken up His resurrected life, Jesus remains our Good Shepherd even now. He is still THE ONE WHO IS and THE ONE WHO ALWAYS WILL BE there for us… to comfort, and correct, and guide, and provide, and lead us away from danger and disaster, and into the Promised Life of God’s good Kingdom. And so, when we find ourselves feeling lost… or frightened… or stuck in a mess of our own making… we know we can turn to our Good Shepherd, and trust that He will be right there with us through it all… and He will not leave us to fend for ourselves, because we know in His great compassion and love, He’s already laid down His life for our sake, and risen again to save us… and not just us! Remember His words in John 10:16, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Words to remember whenever we’re tempted to become self-focused, and forget God’s saving love is for all. But at times we might wonder: how does Christ keep caring for His flock today? Where are we supposed to turn to experience His love in our lives? One thing we can safely say about Yahweh, the Living God, is that He’s consistent. And although there are lots of ways that God can and does directly connect with us, and care for us, one of the primary ways that He keeps choosing to do so is through the lives of other people. People like Moses… as hesitant as he was to take part in rescuing his own enslaved community. And people like David, who was dismissed as unimportant, and overlooked until the Living God raised him up to the throne. People like St. Peter and St. John, who in our reading today from Acts Chapter 4, carried on Christ’s own mission to share the Good News of God’s Kingdom through their words and their deeds. And God works through people like you and I here today, who have our own parts to play in God’s story. Turning to Acts for a moment, let’s take a quick look at what these disciples were up to. Or rather, what Jesus Himself was up to in and through them. Last week we heard how these two Apostles were approaching the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, in the days after Pentecost. By this time, the Spirit of God had been poured out upon Jesus’ followers, filling them with God’s divine life in a whole new way. At the gate to the Temple, they saw a man who could not walk, begging for alms. Like Yahweh, way back in the Exodus story, they saw this man in his sufferings, and they did something about it: they reached out, took him by the hand, and in the name of Jesus he was completely healed. This caused quite a stir, and then they began to proclaim to the crowds that it was not them, but the Living God Himself, the One who had raised Jesus from the dead, that had healed this man… boldly proclaiming in Acts 3:16 that “by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.” Faith in Jesus’ name had restored the man to health. Not faith in the disciples’ abilities. Or wisdom. Or way with words. It was Jesus the Risen Lord, the Good Shepherd, at work in their faithful actions and words, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God within them. Here we pick up the story again in Acts 4:1-12. “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand. Just like Jesus, their Good Shepherd, these two disciples were laying their lives down, suffering for the sake of the sheep… putting themselves in troubles’ way to help others come to know the Good News of the Risen Lord. Back to Acts: “The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Like Moses before Pharoah, St. Peter and St. John were drawn into God’s plan to set His people free… to share with them the Good News of God’s victory over sin and death, and the promise of New Life through Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord. Even though God’s people had been wandering, and their leaders had led them astray, God didn’t give up on them! And through these two faithful disciples, through their willingness to stand firm and bear witness to the truth, Jesus the Good Shepherd was at work gathering His flock together again to lead them into life. But this is not only true for folks like Peter and John… Jesus the Good Shepherd can and will work through all of us… all who will trust and follow Him, to carry on the good work of God’s Kingdom. How? Certainly not because of our own abilities. Or wisdom. Or special skills. He might end up using these parts of our lives, but then again, He might just as easily work through our weaknesses… our moments of fear, and our struggles… the moments we need our Good Shepherd most of all. The truth is, Jesus Christ continues to work through the lives of His people when they choose to trust Him, and walk in His ways: Simply living out our faith, helping our love to grow, and sharing our hope with those around us. This is the idea at work in our first reading today… how God’s people participate in the work of the Kingdom… and make ourselves available for Jesus to work in our lives: 1 John 3:16-18, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” And further down, in 1 John 3:23, “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” Faith and love. Trust in Jesus, and compassion for those around us. This is how Christ works through us. And Jesus our Good Shepherd is at work in our world, and among us here at St. Luke’s. We can experience His compassion and care in the arms of His children, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We can come to know His good guidance, assurance, and even life-giving corrections through one another… through the love of God at work in our hearts, and words, and actions, as we listen to His voice together, and follow Him in faith. And when we need Jesus our Good Shepherd, let us draw near together, and find His love in our midst, ready to reach out and embrace us all. And let us especially remember that Jesus wants to work through us to share His saving love with our world in truth and action. Amen.
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Scripture Readings: Acts 3:12–21 | Psalm 4 | 1 John 3:1–7 | Luke 24:36–48
“Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48). Today we continue our journey through the season of Easter… 50 days of celebrating and contemplating the beautiful reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. This Good News that Jesus lives stands at the centre of the Christian faith. It is the foundation for everything else that we believe about God’s purposes, for us, and for our world. And this morning, our Scripture readings invite us to explore the deep but often overlooked connection between the resurrection of Jesus, and the message of forgiveness. Why is forgiveness of sins such a big part of the story of Easter? The connection to Good Friday seems a bit more straightforward. After all, it was at the cross Scripture tells us, that the Living God dealt with our sins once and for all, like in our reading last Sunday from 1 John Chapter 2, which says Jesus is “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2). It was through His death that our Lord became God’s way of dealing with our world’s failures… offering Himself as the sacrifice to reconcile us to God and to one another… making atonement… at-one-ment… for us through His broken body, and blood shed on our behalf. Exploring the full meaning of the cross is a lifetime’s work. And there are multiple ways that the Bible invites us to think about and understand what Christ’s atonement actually entails. One picture or image alone can’t capture the depth of it’s significance. One way that Christ’s work on the cross is portrayed in Scripture is as God’s victory over the forces of darkness… defeating evil, disarming the powers of death, and undoing the devil’s schemes to separate us from the love of the Living God. Christ conquers our oppressors at the cross. Another biblical image is that, on the cross, Jesus offered Himself up as a sacrificial offering, that cleanses us of the stain of sin… purifying us from our own evil and guilt, so that we can be prepared to properly share in the holy life of the Living God. Christ cleanses us at the cross. Yet another well known image from the Bible is the language of redemption… a word that specifically refers to the payment of a ransom to set free those who are captives… settling all our debts, and breaking every bond so that we can be free to start a new life in God’s blessed company. Christ pays the cost for our freedom at the cross. These are just three of the most common ways that the Bible itself talks about Jesus’ death, and what it accomplished, and all these images are deeply connected to the Christian conception of forgiveness: rescue… cleansing… freedom. But if all Jesus needed to do was to die on the cross… why is it that none of the disciples were talking about the Good News of God’s forgiveness in Jesus’ name on Holy Saturday? Before Christ rose again? What changed their minds and convinced them that Christ’s death was not just another tragedy… another failure… another example of all that is wrong with our messed up, broken world? What changed their minds was the wonderful, world-changing news that Jesus didn’t stay dead… He rose again from the grave, and lives even now. And that reality changes everything! The resurrection of Jesus proved that what had happened to Him was not just some tragic event… but the Living God transforming even our worst failure into the way He would deal with all our sin once and for all. In our Gospel reading from Luke Chapter 24, the bewildered disciples see Jesus their Rabbi alive again. Eating, drinking… seemingly more alive than ever before… no longer under death’s power, but filled full with the Holy Spirit’s life. Luke 24:36-43, “While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.” The disciples took some time to put two and two together… but I don’t think we can blame them. They simply could not imagine that what they were witnessing was really true… and yet it was! Jesus had died, but He was alive again. Against all hope, He had passed through death, and come back better than before. What we humans have always feared… the grave, Jesus endured, and overcame… not just for Himself, but for us all. No wonder it took a few moments to sink in. And as they still struggled to get their heads around the Good News their Lord had risen again, Jesus starts showing them from the Scriptures that this had been God’s plan all along. That Jesus was sent to suffer and die, and be raised again to new life… as the culmination of God’s great rescue mission to restore His beloved but broken world. Luke 24:44-45, Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…” This is what the whole story of the Bible is pointing us to… Christ’s death and resurrection. The whole story hinges on what Jesus did on the cross… and on His rising again. And the resurrection of Jesus showed the first disciples, and it shows you and I today that God’s great rescue plan worked! It has all been accomplished! It’s got God’s final seal of approval. We’re not just left wondering if death and darkness will somehow still win in the end… or if we still bear the stains of our sins… or if we will ever be set free. Jesus was not abandoned to the grave, but raised in glory. All that He came to do, He has done. His atoning work to bring reconcile us to God has truly worked. In Him, we are truly reunited to the Living God, and can have peace with one another. We don’t need to doubt God’s intentions towards us, or despair that we are too far gone to be forgiven. The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that while the Good News may seem too good, it really is true! And as witnesses to this world-changing truth, Christ’s disciples… back then and here today, now had a key part to play in this story: Luke 24:46-48, “and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” The first disciples were His witnesses in their day, and we are His witnesses in ours… sharing the Good News of Jesus, the Risen Lord with everyone, and proclaiming forgiveness of sins in His name. Why? Because our world desperately needs it! Consider the unending cycles of violence and retaliation tearing families, communities, countries, and our world apart at this very moment. Think of the destruction of Gaza that Israel’s armies brought down in response to the terrorism they endured… and now the threats of retaliation and spreading conflicts within the region. Think of all the untold numbers of needless deaths and suffering, and evil that we humans have committed against each other over the centuries… conflicts driven by fear, and pride, and bitterness… and wrath... and hunger for revenge. Consider all those who are weighed down by shame, and guilt, and feelings of worthlessness… which drives so many to seek relief in self-destructive ways… trying to numb the pain for a moment at least… and cutting themselves off from the connection to those around them. Consider all those who are trapped… unable to break free from all sorts of bonds: from destructive habits… from toxic relationships… from crushing circumstances, some far beyond their control… desperately trying to make it through just one more day, and longing for some relief. The Risen Jesus sends us into this world… into our world… with the Good News of the real forgiveness that it needs more than ever. And this Good News is meant not for some, but for all nations! A truly worldwide rescue has been enacted… staring in Jerusalem, where God’s own covenant people crucified the Messiah, Jesus Christ… and where He was raised from the dead… turning even our worst failures on their heads. For it was while we humans were at our absolute worst… killing our sinless Saviour at the cross… that God was at work conquering our true foes… cleansing us of our sins by Christ’s own blood… and paying the high cost for our freedom… then raising Christ again to bring His divine new life about, turning our world upside down by this gift of forgiveness and self-giving love. This all connects in our first reading this morning in Acts Chapter 3, and St. Peter’s response to the crowds gathered at the gates of the Temple, after seeing a man healed before their eyes. Just before our reading takes place, we are told how this healing came about in the days after the Risen Lord poured out the Holy Spirit on the Church at Pentecost. Acts 3:1-10, “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” We could say so much about this passage, but one point will do for now, and that is that: faith in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord connects us with the power and life of God’s new creation. God remains at work in the lives of those who trust and follow Jesus… to carry on what Christ began. But as the crowds gathered, Peter and John take the opportunity to share the Good News that had restored this man’s legs, and brought him so much joy. Acts 3:11-16, “While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.” Again, St. Peter pulls no punches. He makes the guilt of his own people clear. But then he makes clear the way forward: Acts 3:17-21, “And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.” Repent. Turn around and trust in Jesus. Let what God’s Messiah has done wipe away your sins, so you may be forgiven… and share in God’s new life here and now, as we await Jesus’ return and God’s universal restoration. In other words, St. Peter says to start living resurrection lives now… because in Jesus, the Risen Lord, God’s new creation has already begun. This same idea is shared in our reading from the first letter from St. John, where the apostle points us to the gracious love of God that draws us into the new life of His family: 1 John 3:1-3, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” St. John says that in Christ, and what He accomplished for us at the cross, we have become the children of God… adopted into God’s family, to share in His life, and become like Him. This beautiful truth calls us into a new way of life, leaving behind our old ways, and looking ahead to our hope of being raised to be with Jesus forever. This is our destiny as believers: We will be like Him… resurrected like Him, with new bodies filled with God’s Spirit, /and no longer subject to death. We will be like Him… cleansed from all our faults and failures… and all that keeps us from having full fellowship with God and with each other. We will be like Him… set free from slavery of all sorts… to self-centredness, fear, hatred, bitterness, shame… set free to truly love, and truly live God’s way forever. The Good News of Christ’s resurrection offers us true forgiveness of sins… so that we can start the new life of God here and now, showing the world all around us the Good News of the Risen Lord in all its fulness by how we live. It means leaving our sins behind… placing them in Christ’s hands at the cross… and trusting Him to deal with them. It means letting the reality of Easter reshape our minds and our imaginations… our understanding of what God is up to, and our own part in His worldwide rescue mission. It means trusting that, even when we fail… Jesus Christ the Risen Lord remains ready to forgive us. Calling us to turn around, take His hand, and let His holy love transform us. And it means trusting that, even when others fail… and fail badly… that Jesus Christ the Risen Lord remains ready to forgive them too! That the promise of true forgiveness of sins in His name is meant for everyone. The resurrection of Jesus assures us of God’s gift of forgiveness. Jesus really did accomplish God’s atoning work for us. Jesus really did begin God’s new creation. Jesus really did open this new life up to us, and to everyone who will turn to Him and trust in His name. And because of this Good News, we His people today really do have work to do: to show the world… our friends, and family, and neighbours, and strangers, and even enemies… both by our words and especially our actions, that in Jesus’ name, forgiveness really is possible… as we await with hope Christ’s coming again in glory to restore all things. Amen. Scripture Readings: Acts 4:32–35 | Psalm 133 | 1 John 1:1–2:2 | John 20:19–31
“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.” (John 20:30-31). Last Sunday, along with Christians all around the world, we celebrated the start of the season of Easter… fifty days celebrating the victory of Jesus Christ over the grave, and everything that tries to stand between the Living God and His beloved world. And as the end of our Gospel reading this morning reminds us, the story of Easter is not just an old story from the past that we remember once a year… Easter’s about God’s New Beginning that has started right in the middle of our world’s old story… taking us by surprise, and drawing us in a whole new direction… leading us who believe into new life through faith in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. And this, St. John tells us is the whole reason why he wrote his Gospel account: so that we “may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing [we] may have life in his name.” But that might leave us wondering: What does St. John mean when he says that through believing, we may have life in Jesus’ name? What kind of new life is St. John talking about, and wanting us to share in? Well first things first: of course St. John, like the other Gospel writers, tell us the story of Jesus Christ… and in particular, they tell us about His death at the cross, and His rising again from the dead. From the start, Jesus Himself and what He’s done for us all is the absolute core of the Christian faith. And it’s through faith in Jesus Himself, St. John tells us, that we now have access to the gift of life in a whole new way. And of course, as the story of Jesus the Risen Lord is the story of God’s saving love overcoming evil, and even death itself, a big part of the new life that St. John has in mind is that believers will share in Christ’s victory over death too! Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so too those of us who are now united to Him in faith will be raised up as well. The name Christians have for this promise of hope is the resurrection of the body. But just like anything new, or mysterious, or different from our day to day experience, sometimes we can struggle to understand how the reality of resurrection fits into the bigger picture, both of our faith, and the shape of our daily existence. The Anglican Bishop and scholar, NT. Wright has studied and written a lot about what the first Christians meant by this word resurrection, which over the centuries has often been mixed up a bit with other ideas about the fate of the faithful from outside the Church. In his book, Surprised By Hope, Wright puts it like this: resurrection “wasn’t a way of talking about ‘life after death’. It was a way of talking about a new bodily life after whatever state of existence one might enter immediately upon death. It was, in other words, life after ‘life after death’.”[1] Life after life after death. I like that. The point he’s making is that the Christian Church does not simply proclaim the hope of leaving this physical world behind when we die… exchanging our bodies for the bliss of some disembodied heaven. No, the Church offers us the hope of being with God in heaven the moment we die… as we then await the fulfillment of God’s New Creation when Christ returns… and when we too will receive new, restored, and renewed resurrection bodies just like Jesus did on Easter Morning. As it did over two thousand years ago, this message still messes up all our old categories about the world we know. So much about it is still a mystery, which we can explore but not yet fully understand. But one thing at least is clear from the teachings of the Apostles: whatever happened to Jesus Himself when He rose again from the dead is the fate of all of us who are united to Him in faith. The resurrection of the body is a cornerstone of the Christian faith, and as Wright points out: “It is the element which gives shape and meaning to the rest of the story we tell about God’s ultimate purposes.”[2] And Wright is not wrong to put such a strong emphasis on the resurrection. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians makes this even more striking claim: 1 Corinthians 15:13-20, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” St. Paul goes on… and on and on in this Chapter about the reality of the resurrection… and we could easily do the same this morning. And I actually want to encourage us all to read through 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 this week, to hear St. Paul carefully help his listeners wrestle with the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus. But as important and vital as this hope of the resurrection is… it’s not the only thing that the Apostle’s meant when they thought of the new life that we receive through Christ Jesus the Risen Lord. That’s because the reality of the resurrection puts the rest of our lives here and now on a whole other track. It’s not just about what will happen at the end, it’s the grounds for an entirely new way to live every single day. And our Scripture passages this morning offer us a vision of some of the central parts of what this new life in the name of the Risen Jesus actually looks like in practice. Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 4, gives us a good glimpse of how the very first Christians lived their lives together shortly after that very first Easter: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:32-35). This picture of real people, with real problems, but with real confidence in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus gives us a crystal clear vision of God’s good intentions for humanity, and the shape of the new life in Christ: a new and caring community… where we truly love and serve one another. No room for selfishness, or exploitation of others. No needs unmet by freely offered generosity. No fear of being alone, or forgotten… with everyone embodying the love of God all because of the Risen Lord. This truly beautiful image is one that we Christians have struggled to put into practice ever since those early days… frequently failing to live up to this vision… forgetting or simply setting aside the radical self-giving love that the Living God has given us in Christ, as well as the calling to share this same self-giving love with one another. But even as we struggle to do so, God is still at work in those who believe, creating a new community of care… of love that goes beyond just feelings and words, and takes root in action. This is the kind of life that the Good News of Jesus offers to us all … and invites us to work towards. This is the shape of the new life that is possible for those who believe in the Risen Lord: a community of active love. But what’s to be done when we fall short of this ideal, as we so often do? How do we keep sharing in God’s new life when our old failures and faults come back to haunt us? Turning to our second reading, from the first letter of St. John, we find that we are being called to take part in a community of love… that is committed to living in the light… fully exposed to the truth. In this letter, St. John uses a lot of strong either/or images… clearly contrasting the basic alternatives for us to choose from. Feel the force of the message he lays out here: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7). To share God’s new life in the light, it means leaving behind all our darkness… our sin… all the things we do that keep us from loving the Lord and our neighbours… with our hands, and our heads, and our hearts. In other words, we are called to be holy… sharing in the holiness of Living God… embodied in all the choices we make every day… and made possible by the sacrifice of our Saviour. St. John goes on, emphasizing that this high calling is not at all based on our own perfection, or sinlessness, our own ability to walk in the light… but in Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord… who came to save sinners like us! 1 John 1:8-2:2, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Again, it all rests on Jesus Himself, and what He’s already done to save us sinners, and the whole world! The new life Christ gives us is deeply committed to leaving our darkness behind, and learning to walk God’s ways. This life is also committed to the truth… to integrity, and honesty, even when this means owning up to our own failures, trusting that we truly can be forgiven… turning in faith to our Risen Lord, Jesus our Saviour who gave His life at the cross to save all us sinners, and who rose again to reconcile us in God’s love forever. So to quickly recap: the life that we receive in Christ Jesus is an invitation to share in a caring community… that is committed to following God’s holy ways together… which also means being honest about our failures, so that we can find the freedom that comes with forgiveness. And this takes us at last to our Gospel reading this morning, and the story of St. Thomas. Now before we go branding Thomas as “the Doubter”, it’s important to remember his place in the story so far: the other disciples had all experienced a visit from the Risen Jesus. They saw with their eyes and believed… but Thomas missed out, and can’t bring himself to. It’s all too good to be true. And yet, despite his deep doubts, Thomas doesn’t just walk away. No, the next week he’s right there with the other disciples when Jesus again appears to them. Now would Jesus have tracked Thomas down if he hadn’t stuck around? If he had just decided to skip town instead? Maybe. Maybe not. But as St. John tells the story, he wants us to see something really important at work in Thomas’ encounter with Jesus: When we find ourselves struggling with our faith… then there’s no better place to go to experience the Risen Christ than to connect with other Christians… ones who are likely still trying to wrap their own heads around the reality of the resurrection… who don’t yet have all the answers, but who are still trying to be faithful to the Good News that Jesus is Risen. But our confidence and hope doesn’t rest on those around us, it rests on the Risen Jesus Himself who loves to show up in the gatherings… in the lives of His people, even when our eyes can’t see Him. He’s here! The new life we receive through faith in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord is not just about what happens to our bodies in eternity. It’s also about God’s new life that’s beginning right now: as we becoming a community that loves one another, that walks together in Gods holy ways, helps each other stay true, and also find forgiveness when we fail. It’s a life that rests on Jesus Himself, and all that He has done already to save us. A life that we know will have no end, as we look ahead to sharing completely in Christ’s resurrection. Amen. [1] Tom Wright, Surprised by Hope (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2007), 163. [2] Tom Wright, Surprised by Hope (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2007), 160. Scripture Readings: Exodus 12:1–14 | Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19 | 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 | John 13:1–17, 31b–35
“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.” (John 13:34-35). This is the commandment of our Lord, and it is exactly what our world needs right now: a community of people who love one another the way that Jesus loves. Of course this sounds great at first glance… but time and again we tend to shrink back when it comes down to putting His kind of love into practice. Then suddenly, love doesn’t seem quite so easy… or so appealing. That’s because, as we know, love is messy. Love is challenging. Love is vulnerable. Love means getting close to folks, not just when they’re at they’re best… but even when it’s incredibly uncomfortable. And love means letting others get close to us as well… and not just when we’re at our best… it means taking the risk that our masks might slip… that they might see through our careful defenses… a whole other level of discomfort! This kind of love looks a lot like faith… taking the risk to entrust ourselves… our real selves, warts and all, to each other. Taking the risk to try our best to be trustworthy too… to do what we can to be there for one another… to have grace and patience with one another… to challenge and forgive one another… to offer to each other all that Christ Jesus our Lord has offered to us. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Love is exactly what we need. What our neighbours need. What the world around us needs. But will we be willing to share it? Our Lord pulls no punches in His high expectations for His people. And to make it clear what this love looks like, He humbly assumes the role of a servant… a slave… and one-by-one, the High King of Heaven stoops down to clean His disciple’s disgusting feet. Imagine their discomfort… their confusion, their dismay… as their Master, the One they thought was about to bring God’s Good Kingdom to earth in triumphant glory, kneels down in front of them… wiping away the grit and grime from their road-weary toes… and arches, and heels… not just as a symbolic gesture, but as an act of deep compassion… of kindness… of attentiveness… of willingness to deal with they’re mess, right up close… reaching out in love to make them clean. This is an almost unthinkable level of care and intimacy… inviting us to let down our guards… to allow ourselves to be exposed, cared for, and cleansed… first of all, by our Lord Jesus Christ, through the cross He endured to deal with all our messes… cleansing us by His precious blood. But then Jesus empowers us to share His love with one another… to put it into action in our lives. To let His love lead the way. Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. This is what we need… as messy, and as uncomfortable, and as strange as it feels… this is what we all need: to share with one another what Jesus Christ our Lord first shared with us: God’s love. And this is exactly what our world needs today… in the face of the ongoing devastation from the brutal conflicts in Gaza… Ukraine… Haiti… Myanmar… Sudan… and more… where armies not only destroy another other, but the lives of so many civilians… regular people, all made in God’s image, swept away by waves of violence. And in the face of all the social divisions and hatred that keeps tearing our communities apart… fueling mistrust… fear… prejudice… and turning our human family against one another. In the face of our world’s indifference to the poor… to the sick… to the elderly, the vulnerable… the environment… turning our backs on our responsibility to care for one another, and all of God’s creation… content to leave it to others to do the hard work of cleaning up the messes we have all made. Our world needs us to be a people… a community who are willing to do the uncomfortable work of sharing God’s love with His messed up world. Tonight we remember that Christ Jesus our Lord stepped into the mess we have made of God’s world… and stooped down to cleans it, one foot… one life at a time… and now He calls us to follow His example. Tonight we remember that His life was broken and His blood shed to put our world back together… bound together by the forgiveness, mercy, and grace of the Living God, offered to us all in Jesus’ name. Tonight we remember His commandment: to love one another as He has first loved us. And that this is how the world will come to know God’s rescuing love… when we His people take the first step of faith, and strive to love one another. In a moment, I will offer us all an invitation in Jesus’ name to come forward and have our foot washed… as an uncomfortable, but powerful way to say yes to Christ’s gift of compassionate, cleansing love… and as a commitment to obey His command to share this love with one another… and with God’s world. Whether we come forward, or stay in our seats tonight, may the Holy Spirit of God graciously work in all our hearts and minds to cleanse us from everything that keeps us from loving one another as Christ Himself loves us. Amen. Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31–34 | Psalm 51:1–12 | Hebrews 5:5–10 | John 12:20–33
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24). Happy St. Patrick’s day! Quick question: How many of us here today have some Irish ancestry? I’ve been able to trace members of my family back to Ireland in the 1800’s, but according to one of those genetic tests that are now available, I’ve only inherited about 1% of Irish genes. The Montgomery clan after all, were Scots who arrived in Northern Ireland, before eventually moving on to settle in Canada. Even so, I appreciate and treasure these small Irish connections… especially this time of year. And I have some good news for everyone else here today who might like to be a bit more Irish than we are: we’re in pretty good company. As some of us may know, St. Patrick himself wasn’t Irish! He was born in Britain, a province of the Roman Empire, on the frontier of their vast European territory, at around the time the Roman armies were retreating from this region, around the turn of the 5th Century. So how then did Patrick become so connected to Ireland, and how did he come to be a seen as a Saint? The earliest source of information we have about St. Patrick comes from his own hand, an autobiographical account of his story called the Confession of St. Patrick. He doesn’t spend much time at all in this account discussing his upbringing, or background, but he begins with a few simple words about himself and his most recent ancestors: “My name is Patrick.” He begins, “I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest”.[1] But simply being raised in a family of Christian leaders didn’t seem to endear young Patrick to the faith. He mentions not really knowing the True God in his younger days, which is not the start many might have imagined for one of the most well-known saints of all time. But as we know, hearts and lives can change in all sorts of ways. Which leads us to how Patrick first came into contact with Ireland: as a victim of human trafficking. Along with many others, Patrick was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. He had his old life stolen from him, and was made to serve strangers, in a strange land. According to his account, it was during his time of captivity and slavery that he began to reach out to God, and found as he did so that the Lord was reaching out to him with His divine mercy and grace. This newfound faith didn’t solve all of his troubles… but it did change Patrick’s own heart, and turn around his life in ways that he could never have dreamed possible. After some time passed, Patrick recounts how the Lord eventually led him to freedom… aiding his escape across the wilds, and even providing him with a way off the island… guiding him to sailors who were willing to help this escaped slave return to Britain. All told it’s an amazing story, that we don’t have time to fully explore this morning, but I encourage you to look up St. Patrick’s Confession sometime soon, and give it a read. Keeping things brief: Patrick returned to his old life, a freed man. And that’s where his story could have ended. But something significant had changed in Patrick’s life: his new awareness of God’s grace, God’s rescuing love, which found him when he was completely helpless and hopeless, had turned Patrick’s life around… and placed him on a new path. Soon Patrick left Britain for what is now France, and prepared to become a priest, devoted to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Lord’s rescuing love with those in the world who, like his younger self, didn’t yet know the True God. And again, the Lord reached out to Patrick… not this time to bring him freedom, but to work through Patrick to bring God’s freedom to others… specifically, to his old captors. Patrick recounts how he has a vision, in which a man, representing his old Irish oppressors, begs him to return and live among them again. He took this as a call from God to go share the Good News of Jesus with the people of Ireland… asking Patrick to set aside all the plans he had made for his life, in order to share God’s rescuing love with those who he could easily had written off as enemies. And so, choosing to follow the call of His Lord, Patrick goes back, and spends the rest of his days serving in Ireland… convincing their chiefs to give their allegiance to the High King of Heaven, Jesus the Risen Lord, and planting the seeds of faith to set their whole society on the path of the One True God. Patrick would served there as a missionary and bishop, and though he faced opposition at times, he has been embraced by the people of Ireland as their patron saint for centuries… recognized as someone who followed the way of Jesus, and freely gave his life to share God’s saving love with them. Of course, St. Patrick’s life is not just a good story, or a history lesson… it’s an example of the Good News of Jesus at work in our world… a work that is still ongoing, and which we all are invited to share in as well. God’s work of transforming hearts and lives… of turning whole communities towards His holy ways… of drawing close all those who do not yet know His divine forgiveness and grace, and mercy, and rescuing love… of helping us die to ourselves, so that we can share the gift of God’s abundant and unending life in Christ. We see this work unfolding in our first reading from Jeremiah, as God addresses His unfaithful people who had repeatedly broken their covenant with the Lord, and who were now headed for disaster and the horrors of Exile. But even this hopeless situation was not going to be the end of their story, because in mercy and grace the Living God promises to transform the hearts of His stubborn people, pointing forward to a day when they would be truly turned around and find new life in Him. Jeremiah 31:33-34, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”. God promises them a new covenant… a whole new way of life with Him, not written on stone, but on their hearts… that is, transforming their very desires and understanding… realigning them inside and out by God’s own rescuing love, and setting them free by His forgiveness. This is the hope that Israel’s prophets bore witness to… a hope that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that continues to shape the lives of those who will trust and follow Him. In our Gospel reading this morning, St. John shows us something remarkable: after spending His life bearing witness to the children of Israel, now Greek Gentiles were beginning to seek out Jesus as well. Gentiles, members of the various nations all around Israel, who did not yet know the Living God… who didn’t have a covenant with Him, or follow His holy ways… the nations who had repeatedly oppressed and offended Israel, God’s chosen people… now even they were coming to Jesus, and begging for Him to meet with them. The disciples don’t quite seem to know what to do. This wasn’t really a part of their plans. But by His response, we know that Jesus knows what it will take for the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike, to meet with Him: John 12:23–28, Jesus says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” In order to bring to fulfillment His mission to rescue and reconcile the whole world to God, Jesus knew it would cost Him everything. He would have to die. To give up His life, like a seed buried in the ground, so that through His death we all might come to taste and be transformed by God’s New Life. So that our hearts might be changed for good. So that our own desires and understandings might be shaped, not by selfishness, but by God’s self-giving love… so that we too might be set free from our own slavery to sin and shame, and instead to find true forgiveness and peace… not just with God, but with one another… as Christ gave His body to be broken at the cross to put our whole human family back together again… reconciling estranged communities, and even enemies, through His blood shed for all. What Jesus accomplished at the cross, once and for all, has changed and will continue to change the world… and He’s calling you and me to take part in this… to truly be His people, now set apart to share in this new covenant, this new way of life made possible by His blood, shed not just for some, but for all the families of the earth. And as our Lord said, if we are to serve Him, we must actually follow Him… not just to our ultimate destination, sharing in the joys of His everlasting Kingdom… but also following Him to the cross… sharing in His suffering here in this life… dying to ourselves, in all sorts of ways… through transformed behaviours, through faithful choices, through selfless sacrifice… and for some, even literal suffering for the sake of Jesus… all so that God’s Holy Spirit can bear His good fruit in and through us, to bring God’s rescuing love to our world. St. Patrick’s story is one of God’s grace and mercy at work in surprising ways, bringing forgiveness, freedom, and new life to the people of Ireland centuries ago… all possible because God’s love had truly changed Patrick’s life, and God’s holy ways were now written on Patrick’s heart… and so he could follow his Master, die to his old life, and bear the fruit of faithfulness. What about our story? Each of us here have our own journey… our own path where God’s love has reached out to us, and now calls to us to take up our part in making this rescuing love known to, and in, our world. And together as a Parish family, we have a shared path to take… and important choices to make, about how to answer the call of God to share the Good News of Jesus with those in our community. We may feel ill equipped at times… or too small, too simple, too insignificant to make much of a difference. But as St. Patrick’s story reminds us, God loves to work with those who seem hopeless and helpless, to make His surprising grace, and mercy, and forgiveness known to all who will trust in Jesus… transforming even our hearts and lives to share His love with everyone. So like Patrick, may we entrust our hearts and lives to the Good News of Jesus Christ our Saviour. May we be willing to follow Him wherever He might lead us. May we be open to sharing His forgiveness and love, even with those who have hurt or wronged us. And may we die to all that keeps us from bearing the fruit that will last for God’s eternal Kingdom. Amen. [1] Confession of St. Patrick. Quote cited from the website St. Patrick’s Confessio: https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_english# Scripture Readings: Exodus 20:1–17 | Psalm 19 | 1 Corinthians 1:18–25 | John 2:13–22
“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’” (John 2:19). Love knows when to say no. Our first reading today dives right into the heart of God’s Covenant partnership with Israel, formalized at Mt. Sinai. After centuries of slavery in Egypt, with bodies, minds, and hearts shaped by unending hours of hard labour, and the cruelty of their oppressors, we meet Israel gathered in the wilderness, and on the cusp of a brand new way of life: graciously chosen by the Creator of All to be a set-apart people, dedicated to His divine ways, Israel was about to learn what it means for them to become God’s people together… to learn how they are to reflect His goodness, His character… His image in their lives, in all they say and do, so that all the earth might come to know the life-giving love of the Lord as well. And the Ten Commandments, which we read this morning, form a key component in this covenant partnership… laying down clear expectations of what it means to join God in this unique relationship. Note that these commandments don’t just fall out of the sky. They are given within the context of a story. Not the story so many of us buy into… the story of: “if you prove that you’re good enough, then I’ll accept you.” No, the Ten Commandments are a part of the story of God’s rescuing love already at work in the world… setting free the captives, lifting up the heads of the hopeless, and bringing new life into being. Long before they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God had already rescued Israel from Egypt. The Lord had already shown Himself to be their gracious Saviour, and revealed His compassion, faithfulness, and power, again and again. No, the Commandments were never about winning God’s favour. They were a gift to His beloved children. An invitation to share in God’s own life in a whole new way… a gift that the people eagerly said yes too… at least initially. These Laws were a way for God to say: “This is the way you are to live as my already rescued people in this world… this is the way you are to treat one another.” This is the way the Lord was teaching His children how to love. But why did they need to be taught how to love? Doesn’t love just come naturally? Of course, people everywhere understand affection. We experience longing for others, and some sense of loyalty to those closest to us. But even so, this doesn’t seem to stop us from setting our devotions aside to do whatever seems right to us in the moment. And what’s more, there’s also the danger of letting our sense of devotion to those closest to us distort our responsibilities to everyone else… leading to what’s known as tribalism… the whole “us vs. them” way of seeing the world… and all the deep divisions we see at work all around us today. This was all just as true back in Israel’s early days, but the LORD had other plans in mind, for them and for the world… longing to put His Good creation back on track. And so at Sinai, Israel would learn that to live God’s way it would required a commitment, not just to our own interests, or to our family and friends… but first of all, to the One Creator and Saviour of All, the Living God… and also a commitment to the wellbeing of the wider society: In other words, they were called to love God, and to love their neighbours too. What does that look like? As a place to start, we have these Ten Commandments… Laws outlining the broad vision of what life looks like when we live it God’s way. And interestingly, in order to make clear what it means to live and love God’s way, we’re basically told what we’re not to do… You shall have no other gods before Yahweh, the LORD. You shall not make idols, or bow down to worship them. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy by not doing any work on it. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not covet anything belonging to your neighbour. For something as supremely good as God’s holy laws to teach His people how to love and live together… the shape of life that He intends for His people and His world… that’s a whole lot of No’s. The only commandment in the list without a ‘No’ or ‘Not’ in it is number five: Honour your Father and Mother. But as any good Father or Mother knows… a big part of learning to love, and teaching someone else to love, means knowing when to say no… clarifying the boundaries between what is good and life-giving on the one hand, and what is destructive on the other. God’s love for Israel led Him to say No to them in very clear and intentional ways… not because He didn’t want them to enjoy life in all its fullness. Exactly the opposite! God knows that to fully enjoy the fullness of life means living in certain ways… and setting other ways aside… as individuals and as a wider community, it means being shaped first of all by His love. A love that knows how to say no to envy and self-centredness… and that preserves integrity… a love that does not seize what belongs to others… that honours the bonds of marriage… and knows how to restrain violence… a love that lifts up those who have come before us, and have raised us up… a love that sets aside sacred time for everyone, regardless of wealth or status, to rest and be restored in body, mind, and heart… a love that seeks to rightly honour the reputation of the Holy One… that refuses to give our hearts and devotion to empty objects, but only to the Source of all that is good… a love that remembers the compassion, and faithfulness, and saving power of the Living God, and that prioritizes this relationship above all else, so that all else finds its proper place. The Ten Commandments taught Israel, and teach us all, about the boundaries of love… what not to do, so that love can flourish as it’s supposed to… so that we, both as individuals and as a part of a wider community, can put God’s love into practice, and have our lives transformed as a result. Sadly, the story of Scriptures tells us that, even when given these good boundaries… these life-giving Laws of God… Israel kept on refusing to stay inside the lines. Over and over again, they broke the commandments, and stopped letting God’s love lead the way. This leads us to our Gospel reading this morning, where we witness Jesus saying No to God’s people in a clear and dramatic way. Arriving at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Passover, the sacred commemoration of God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt long ago, St. John tells us that Jesus of Nazareth, who we know to be God’s Son, does something quite shocking and unexpected: He makes a whip and begins driving away those who were doing business… selling animals to be sacrificed within the sacred Temple courts. Why does He do this? Why was Jesus so passionate and angry about people buying and selling animals in the Temple? Well, the Temple in Jerusalem was the one place in all the earth set aside for humans to approach the holy presence of the Living God. It was the one place where devotion to the LORD was most clearly expressed, where forgiveness of sins and reconciliation was pronounced over those who drew near. The place for all God’s people together to practice loving the LORD God with all their heart, and soul, and mind, and strength… to remember His holy ways, and reaffirm their commitment to the whole Covenant relationship… And they had turned it into a market. A place more devoted to profits and convenience than to the Creator and gracious Saviour of all… commercializing the sacred covenant God had invited His people to share in… turning that sacred place meant to help Israel experience God’s saving love in their lives… and to make this love known to the nations… into a business... revealing where their devotion truly rested: in merely their own interests. Has the Church gone down the same route? Sadly yes. Many times, and in many ways, we Christians have also forgotten what it means to love the LORD before all else… setting aside the things that lead us to life, and instead getting caught up in all sorts of self-centred priorities that keep us and those around us from drawing near to the Living God. Following the example of Israel before us, we too forget the good limits that God has placed on the lives of those who are devoted to Him. Where do we need to hear God tell us No again today? Back in John’s Gospel, we see Jesus is passionate, zealous for God’s ways to be embraced… for people, back then and today, to experience the truly life-giving love that God created us to share in, and share with our neighbours. And so, in the Temple, we see Him willing to stand up and say no to all that keeps us from this saving love. And much more than that… we’ll soon see that He’s willing to lay down His life to offer this love to us, and to all. In response to Jesus’ passionate display, those present in the Temple demand that Jesus give good reason for His disruption… they ask for a sign to prove that He has the authority to completely mess with their way of doing things. Essentially they say to Him: ‘What gives you the right???’ John 2:19-22, “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” The sign of Jesus’ right to say No to the self-centeredness and sin of His people… the grounds for claiming the right to reorganize their whole community’s patterns of devotion, and their lives… is the sign of the cross… the destruction of the Temple of Jesus’ body, where Heaven and Earth are truly united as One in the flesh of God’s Son… a union which cannot be overcome, even by death… rising again on the third day. With Heavenly authority, Jesus came to put God’s compassion, faithfulness, and power to work again to rescue us from ourselves… to break the power selfishness and sin held over us, and set us free to live another way… God’s way… for good. With passion for God’s house… for the sacred ways we fragile humans were invited to draw near to our Creator and Savior, Jesus knows that sometimes love means saying no… and He knows that we humans can’t seem to stop saying no to God’s ways… turning away again and again to pursue our own self-centred desires. And so Jesus, the true Son of God, who lived in complete devotion to the Father, wholeheartedly sharing His love, as the very embodiment of God’s holy Law in the flesh… He took up our place on the cross… bearing the full weight of the guilt and shame of the whole world on His shoulders… receiving our just condemnation… and dying in agony to set us free. The cross is the result of our rejection of God and God’s good ways… it’s our ultimate No to our Creator and Saviour, nailing His Son to the tree once and for all. At the same time, the cross is God’s ultimate No to all of the ways that we refuse to live by His holy love… it’s God’s utter determination not to allow our self-destructive impulses to have the last say, and instead, to end them. Not by rejecting us in return, which is what we deserve. Not by seeking to crush us, or cow us with threats, or with reminders of our unworthiness. But in self-giving love… a love that is able to say no to itself for the sake of others… Jesus offered up His life at the cross, once and for all… so that we all can receive true forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace through through His precious blood shed for us… and begin to say Yes to the New Life of God through His Spirit at work in us. In many ways, the season of Lent invites us to place our trust in Jesus, and learn to say No to ourselves… which can be a struggle. But we do so for a good reason: to learn together to live God’s way. To love God’s way. The way that Jesus our Saviour does, who laid down His life to rescue us while we were still sinners… dying to liberates us when we were still slaves to our sin and fears and self-centeredness… offering His body to be broken on our behalf… letting His blood be spilled to atone for all our failures… and rising again from the dead to share His new life with us and with our world. If we are to follow Jesus to the cross, and receive there from Him the new life that God has in store for us… what might you and I need to say No to today? Not to earn God’s favour, or to ruin our fun, but to put into practice the freedom to flourish that Jesus Christ has already won for us? These things might be easy for some of us to identify. God’s Spirit might already be prompting us to let go of some things that are keeping us from fully sharing in the freedom of God’s holy love. But if we’re not sure, a good place to spend some time in prayerful reflection might be the Ten Commandments… and also look at how Jesus Himself sheds light on their true meaning in the Sermon on the Mount, found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5-7. As Holy Week draws closer, and we reflect on all that Jesus our Saviour has accomplished for us at the cross, let us remember that God’s limits are a gift to us… helping us learn when to say No to ourselves, so that we can say Yes to the life and love of God, and share it with everyone. I’ll end now with these words from our Psalm today: The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold, sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb. By them also is your servant enlightened, and in keeping them there is great reward. Who can tell how often he offends? cleanse me from my secret faults. Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me; then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. Scripture Readings: Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16 | Psalm 22:23–31 | Romans 4:13–25 | Mark 8:31–38
NOTE: This Sunday, St. Luke's are blessed to welcome the Gondola Point Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts. _________________________ We’ve all very glad to welcome our guests from the Gondola Point Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts with us this morning, to mark the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, which took place this past Thursday, on February 22. Does anyone happen to know the year Lord Baden-Powell was born? 1857. That’s 167 years ago! That’s almost as old as St. Luke’s Church… and 10 years before Confederation, and the birth of our Country, Canada. And yet, Lord Baden-Powell’s legacy is still with us, and generations of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Ventures, have helped make a positive impact on our world. Now a long time ago, I was in Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts myself, and those groups have blessed me with many great memories with my friends… playing games, exploring nature, helping others in our community, learning new skills. Looking back now, it was all a very good experience for me. I won’t say it was always easy, of course. But even with the challenges, it was all worth it. Challenge is actually the Venture Motto, isn’t it? I never made it far enough to become a Venture, but I think it’s a great motto for young people… and for all of us. Not to just sit back and take it easy, but to push ourselves and explore what the world around us has in store. Can anyone tell me what the Beavers Motto is? Sharing Sharing Sharing. And the Cubs Motto? Do Your Best. And the Scouts Motto? Be Prepared. These are all really good mottos. Good words to help you remember some things that really do matter in life. And its good to remind yourselves of these things over and over again… because sometimes, even the most important things in life can be easy to forget. I want to share a story with you this morning about a time that I forgot the Scout motto… which is? Right: Be Prepared. And I hope this is a good story to help you to remember what not to do. I grew up in Northern Ontario, and many years after I was in Scouts… but still before most of you were born… some friends and I decided to go on a hike in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, which is on Lake Superior. Although I had lived near this Park for many years, I had never explored these trails for myself, and so I was relying on one of my friends who had gone this way before. It was Springtime, and the weather was pretty warm (at least in the sun), and so I decided to wear my favourite footwear: my hiking sandals. I thought they would be perfect for this hike… but I was wrong. It turns out, I was not at all prepared for the trails that lay ahead of us. For the first few hours, everything was great. The trails were clear, the weather was lovely, and the park itself was beautiful. But soon we noticed there was snow starting to cover the path… not much at first… so we kept on going. But the further we went, the deeper the snow got… and the colder and wetter my feet got too. Soon, I felt really uncomfortable… and more than a little embarrassed by my choice of footwear… but I tried to make the best of it. I put socks on, and then wrapped them in plastic bags to try to keep them dry, which helped a little, but it still wasn’t great. But even then, my friends and I didn’t want to turn back yet, so we just kept going. Soon, we realized that we had taken a wrong turn at some point. We weren’t completely lost, but we weren’t heading in the direction we wanted to go anymore. And still we kept going forward. And then the snow on the trail really started to get deep… and the path was getting more and more dangerous. And even though some of my friends wanted to keep going, at that point I knew it was time to make the choice to turn around and head back. Even if we all had good hiking shoes, we were not prepared for this surprisingly challenging hike. And so we turned back and went home again… disappointed, embarrassed, but a bit wiser than we were before. There are of course many challenging moments and paths that we will all have to face in life from time to time. Sometimes we will think we know the right way to go, but just end up heading towards trouble. Sometimes we will think we’re well prepared, but find ourselves facing difficulties we did not expect. Sometimes we will even have to tell our friends that it’s time to turn around, and head in another direction… even if they want to keep going on. In times like these, it’s good for us all to remember the things that matter most… the good words that can guide us forward, and the people we can turn to and trust to help us find our way. This is a special time of year for Christians… it’s the season of Lent, when we get ready for Good Friday and Easter, and remember things about the story of Jesus Christ that are sometimes easy to forget: we remember that if we want to trust and follow Jesus, it will be challenging. Living God’s way in the world… learning to love everyone… to receive and share forgiveness… to say no to things that we may want, but are not good for us, or for those around us… these are all challenging things to do. And we remember that Jesus was prepared to face all these challenges… He knew all the trouble ahead of Him… and He was ready to suffer, and even lay down His own life at the cross… all to bring God’s saving love to our hurting world. And we remember that Jesus tells everyone who wants to follow Him that if we want to live God’s way, it won’t be easy. That we will also need to be prepared for difficult times ahead… but we can also trust Jesus to help us, to keep us on the right track… and to pick us up again when we fall. In our reading today from the Gospel of Mark, we heard how Jesus tried to help his friends and followers prepare for these challenges… and to let them know that He was going to suffer and die, and rise again from the dead to save the world. But one of Jesus’ closest friends and followers, a man named Peter, didn’t think Jesus was heading in the right direction. He didn’t want to see his friend Jesus suffer. And Peter was not prepared to go down that path himself either. He had his own ideas about what the best way forward was. But Jesus knew that if He wanted to live God’s way, and to help God fix our broken world, it would mean giving up His own life, and that’s what He was prepared to do. And so, Jesus tells His friend Peter that it was actually Peter who needed to turn around… and to trust Jesus… to be prepared for a difficult, challenging road ahead… but one that would be worth it in the end… helping to share God’s rescuing love with everyone. And so, during Lent, Christians like me remember that living God’s way is wonderful, but it won’t be easy. It’s worth it, but it is also really challenging to do our best to love everyone… to forgive and be forgiven… to say no to things that are not good for us… and to trust Jesus to lead us on the right path. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus said to his friends, and also to us here today: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves… [say no to themselves] and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, [the Good News, they] will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35). I know that not all of us here today know Jesus Christ, or want to follow Him with our lives. You’re still welcome here at St. Luke’s. But all of us will have to make many choices in life about which paths we are going to take. And there are no paths that are always easy. Every path has its own challenges. So how will we all do our best to be prepared for what lies ahead of us? What are the things that you want to hold onto, and remember to help you find your way? What might you need to let go of? What might be keeping you from getting to the places you want to go? And what can you do to help those around you? What can you share with them? How can you challenge them to not just do what is easiest, but what is best… for themselves, but also for our communities, and for our world? These are some good questions for all of us to think about today. And I’ll end now with a prayer, written by others, and based on the old Scout Law: “Dear Lord, Bless all those everywhere who contribute to shape the hearts, minds and bodies of young people everywhere. Let us remember what they have taught us and apply it in our daily life. When facing deceit and dishonesty, let us be Trustworthy. If we see hypocrisy and faithlessness, let us be Loyal. Where disregard of others and mere materialism prevail, let us be Helpful. When we find people in despair, let us be Friendly. In an atmosphere of ill manner, let us be Courteous. Where some measure power in brutality and crudeness, let us be Kind. Though lawbreaking and rule-scoffing are common, let us be Obedient. While others grumble and grouch, let us be Cheerful. In an environment blighted by waste and extravagance, let us be Thrifty. When confronted with danger and temptation, let us be Brave. As we see filth and pollution everywhere, let us be Clean. While witnessing impiety, let us remember to be Reverent.” Amen. Scripture Readings: Genesis 9:8–17 | Psalm 25 | 1 Peter 3:18–22 | Mark 1:9–15
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18a). Here we are again, at the first Sunday of Lent: the season of solemn preparation for Holy Week… when Christians step back into the story of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and all that He has done for us… choosing the path of the cross, enduring suffering, shame, and death to set the world free. It's a time when Christians remember the Good News that’s at the heart of all that we say and do… and it’s a time for us to reflect on our own lives, and to take steps to have them re-aligned to the ways of God. And for those who are just starting out in their journey of faith, Lent has long been a time of preparation for baptism… a time for new believers to learn the depths of, and respond to, the Good News of Jesus Christ… turning from the old ways of selfishness and sin, and being bound to the life of our Saviour… immersed in Jesus, once and for all. And so our Scripture readings this morning invites you and I to reflect on the depths of what baptism means for the people of God: whether we were baptized sometime in the distant past, or if that sacred step might still lie before us, today we’re called to contemplate the world-changing reality that baptism invites us to share in. The roots of the reality of baptism go way back in God’s story… and our first reading today calls us to turn back to Genesis, and remember a truly ancient account of life being delivered from disaster: the story of the great Flood. Now we don’t have time this morning to read through the whole Flood story as told in the book of Genesis, but I would highly recommend reading it, or reading it again if it’s been a while. For many of us, it’s hard to see how the Flood narrative fits into the story of God’s great rescue mission. We tend not to think too much about it, or what this part of Scripture is trying to say to us… both about ourselves and the dire consequences of our choices, as individuals and as communities… and also what this story is saying about the Living God, and what He is up to in our world. But to keep things moving this morning, I’ll just make a few points that this story from Genesis wants to drive home. First off, the motivation behind the flood is not God’s anger, but His profound grief… grief at seeing what we humans were doing to His good world, and to each other… heading fast for self-destruction. And so, out of anguish, God chooses to bring an end to the extreme bloodshed and violence that had consumed His creation… drowning our infectious wickedness, as the waters of chaos and death are unleashed… while carefully preserving life through Noah and his ark. In short, it's not a story of an uncaring God venting misplaced anger on an innocent world. It’s a story of a God full of compassion and mercy… and who as a last resort, takes severe but ultimately life-saving steps to give His world a brand new beginning it could not have given itself. A new beginning based on a promise, which we read this morning in Genesis Chapter 9:9-11, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” As severe as this act of salvation was, the Living God promises that it will never take place again… not because people had changed, as it turns out… but because of God’s gracious commitment to make peace with His broken but still beloved world. And so the story goes on… through God’s partnerships with Abraham, and the people of Israel Abraham’s descendants… as the LORD keeps graciously working with sinful, self-centered people (like us!), to bring about His great rescue mission… to bring about an ultimate new beginning that will endure, and have no end. Turning now to our reading today from the Gospel of Mark, we hear the story of Jesus of Nazareth as He goes out to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Now John’s ministry was all about new beginnings for God’s people, who John said had gotten seriously off track, and now desperately needed to turn around. The act of going under the waters and out again in baptism evoked many stories from Israel’s Scriptures… stories that brought to mind the ways that the Living God had graciously saved His people in the past. Stories like Noah and the Flood. And stories like Moses leading God’s people from slavery to freedom through the Red Sea that God parted for them. Or the story of how Joshua led God’s people out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land, crossing the very same Jordan River, again on dry land, as God provided the way for them. All these stories reminded God’s people that they were called to die to these old ways of life… to wickedness, and slavery to sin… and turn to God who could bring them through the deadly waters and give them a new beginning. John’s practice of baptism was about giving God’s people a tangible way to practice repentance… to turn back to the Living God and His ways wholeheartedly, holding nothing back, and stepping into… being immersed in the stories of God’s saving mercy and love. Does this describe our experience as Christians today? Are we wholeheartedly turning our lives over to God? Or are we, like so many before us in the Scriptures and in our whole human story, more often than not turning our hearts away from the LORD, and retracing the old paths that keep leading us towards selfishness, sin, and destruction? As Christians today we too are called, again and again, to seek to be true to this new beginning we have been given. Whenever we struggle, and fall, and fail to follow God’s ways, we must turn around, repent, and believe… Believe what? Believe we can pick ourselves up? No. Believe that our mistakes are not that big of a deal? No. Believe what? Believe the Good News... the promise that our new beginning in baptism rests completely upon… We believe in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and what He has done for us, once and for all. Jesus, the beloved Son of God… the One who is always at one with His Father, in heart, purpose, and action… the One who is completely without the sin and self-centeredness that has plagued humanity since the start. This same Jesus, the Gospel writers tell us, did not seek to keep Himself at a safe distance from our wickedness… but instead, He bound Himself to us while we were still sinners… He joined God’s people, who were all in desperate need of new beginnings, at the Jordan River, and He stepped into the waters with us… immersing Himself in our broken, sin-soaked story… bearing its terrible weight on His shoulders for us… for our salvation. In wholehearted devotion to His Heavenly Father, Jesus reclaims our messed up human story… reliving it faithfully in ways we never could, and step by step, our Saviour took upon Himself all of the consequences of our failures… suffering all the rejection, condemnation, cruelty, and shame that we could muster… letting us nailed Him, the beloved Son of God to the cross… completely immersed in our rejection of God’s ways, and dying our cursed death. But the Good News is this was not the end of His story. This was instead the way the Living God brought about His glorious new beginning… for His beloved Son, and for all of creation. Jesus did not suffer and die in vain, but to undo the power that sin and death held over us… completely sharing in our death, so that we might completely share in His resurrection. This is the Good News that drove the Apostles to turn the world upside down: Jesus died, and rose again to reconcile the world to God, to bring Heaven’s peace to Earth, and turn our whole story around, once and for all. Listen again to the words of St. Peter from our second reading today: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus not only stepped into the waters of the Jordan River, He allowed the full force of death to wash over Him. And yet, God raised Him again from the dead, the firstborn of God’s New Creation. His baptism of death is the deep reality that makes all our new beginnings possible, and His resurrection is the promise the Church believes and proclaims to the world. When we are baptized in the waters, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are being completely immersed in Jesus Christ… in the reconciling reality of what He has done for us, once and for all at the cross. We have no promise of new beginnings apart form Him, but we have been promised a new resurrection life bound to Him… wholeheartedly drawn into God’s holy ways, empowered by the Holy Spirit to finally start setting sin aside for good, and to share this life-giving hope with those around us. The purpose of baptism is to connect us to God’s gift of new life offered to us in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. It’s saving work in our lives, as St. Peter puts it, comes to us “not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:21-22). The One who immersed Himself completely in our shame-filled story, now immerses us into His glorious one… and as He rose from the dead to reign forever at God’s right hand, we His people will share in the gifts of His Good Kingdom, both in this life, and for all eternity. Thinking again about Lent, and how it calls us to reflect on the core of the Christian faith, we do well to remember that baptism is a way of life: It happens once... but is meant to bind us to Jesus Christ our Saviour for all time. So, when we find ourselves thinking, or speaking, or acting in ways that are out of line with the new life Christ has given us… when we forget whose story we now share in, and the deep reality of the Good News… what will we do? May God’s Spirit give us the grace at those times, to repent… and to believe the Good News that God’s own beloved Son has truly turned our stories around, once and for all… and turning to Him, may we find ourselves embraced by the love of our Heavenly Father, and surrounded by our many sisters and brothers who have also been invited into this new beginning without end. Amen. Scripture Readings: 2 Kings 2:1–12 | Psalm 50:1–6 | 2 Corinthians 4:3–6 | Mark 9:2–9
“Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’” (Mark 9:7). Who are your heroes? Who are the people you look up to? In recent years, there has been a whole slew of Superhero movies… reflecting a certain fascination we humans have always had with those who have power and abilities far beyond our own, and especially those who use that power for good instead of evil. And setting aside Hollywood, think about those real-life heroes… people of tremendous conviction, ability, and character. Think of those people from the past who made a huge difference in their days… people who inspired positive change and all kinds of good work in the world… people that we might wish were still with us today. In our Gospel reading this morning from Mark chapter 9, we hear that three of Jesus’ disciples were surprised to meet some of their own heroes, Moses and Elijah, in a dramatic epiphany moment on top of a mountain. And yet, as wonderful as that meeting itself may have been, these disciples are then given a glimpse of something far more wonderful and world-changing… and what’s more, they’re called to take part in it too. Our Scripture readings today are not about heroes… but about helping us to see how the Living God is graciously working in our world… through His beloved Son, Jesus our Saviour… and through the lives of those who will listen to Him. Our first reading from the Second Book of Kings, tells the story of the prophet Elijah, and his disciple Elisha, and the passing on of the prophetic baton… so to speak. At this point, Elijah’s part in the story was drawing to a close. He knew the LORD planned to take him from the world, and so he repeatedly sought to bid Elisha goodbye… but to no avail. Again and again, Elisha swears that he will stick by his master’s side to the very end. Eventually, Elijah asks his faithful follower what he would like, and Elisha replies: “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” (2 Kings 2:9). Now in the Law given through Moses, the expectation was that when someone died, their firstborn son would receive a double portion of the inheritance. It was a way of setting them apart as the one who would be expected to carry on the family line, and who would be entrusted with honour and responsibility. And so when Elisha asks to inherit this double share of Elijah’s spirit, he’s asking not just for power, but to be considered his master’s successor… not just to share in Elijah’s great legacy, but to carry it forward too… to carry on the work of his master: speaking God’s word to His people, and calling them to listen to, and follow the ways of the Living God. But there was one problem with Elisha’s request. It wasn’t really Elijah’s spirit to give! Even though Elijah was one of the most dynamic characters in the Old Testament… confronting tyrants, and calling down fire from heaven in a dramatic showdown revealing God’s glory to Israel, and exposing the powerlessness of the pagan prophets Baal that the Israelites had been listening to. But as the story of Elijah as a whole makes clear, he himself was nothing special. He was just a man who had heard God’s call on his life, and obeyed. Someone with his own share of struggles, fears, and even moments of despair, when Elijah needed the Living God to turn him around again… and to help this prophet here the voice of His LORD. In the years to come, the Israelites might look to Elijah as a hero of their faith, but in everything Elijah did, it was the LORD, the Living God, who was at work, and He was their true redeemer… the source of all heavenly power, and the One who could truly save them. And so, Elijah tells his devoted disciple, the one who followed him so closely, and refused to leave his side, that if Elisha witnessed Elijah’s heavenly departure, it was a sign that this double-portion gift of the Spirit of God would be given to him… empowering him to carry on the work of his master… which was really to serve the work of God in the world. Back to St. Mark’s Gospel, we hear how three of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, James, and John, follow their Master up a high mountain, where their Rabbi is suddenly transformed… transfigured before their eyes. They receive an epiphany, a revelation of His glory beyond anything they had known before: wrapped in unearthly, dazzling light, they see Jesus in His glory. And right beside Him, they see the two great heroes of their people’s past: Moses and Elijah, present and alive… and talking with their Master. About what? The weather? How the hockey teams in Galilee were doing this season? The messy politics of the Roman Empire? Or the rumours of war rumbling all around? True to his style, St. Mark leaves out the details of this conversation, but as St. Luke recounts the same story, he includes this note: Moses and Elijah “were speaking of his departure…” literally, His Exodus… “which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31). Moses and Elijah, two heroes from Israel’s past, appear to speak with Jesus about the mission that Jesus had come to do in Jerusalem: a new exodus… not leading God’s people out of literal slavery, like Moses had centuries earlier in Egypt… but leading them out of slavery to sin, and the vicious power of death. An exodus rescue mission to be accomplished through His own suffering and death on the cross… taking on Himself all that separates the world from God, so that we might be redeemed… reconciled to God and to one another, and raised up with Him to share in His New Life. All that Moses and Elijah had done before… all of their contributions to the story of God’s great rescue mission at work in Israel and the world… all of it was leading up to this crucial moment: to what Jesus would soon do in Jerusalem: God’s own beloved Son giving up His life in love to save the world. And as these three discuss the moment when God’s great plan to save the world through Jesus will finally come about, Peter speaks up and blunders into the conversation… not really understanding what was happening… and wonderstruck, presumes to put His Master Jesus alongside the two great heroes of the Hebrew faith: “‘Rabbi,” he says, “it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.” (Mark 9:5-6). Peter was afraid, and oblivious, but he knew something great was going on, and he wanted to be a part of it. And what happens next sets him, and all us of disciples straight about how to do just that… how we too can share in God’s great mission to save the world. Suddenly, a cloud covers the mountain top, just like it did all those years ago at Mt. Sinai, when God’s presence visited Israel at the start of their covenant relationship, with Moses going up alone to meet with the LORD on behalf of His people… and just like Elijah experienced God’s presence alone in his moment of despair… hearing His divine voice in the silence that came after a stormcloud had covered the top of the mountain. And from this cloud of God’s glory, Peter, James, and John, hear the voice of God proclaim something beyond anything they had dreamed before, telling them that the Rabbi they had been following across Galilee, was not just another hero to look up to… someone to admire, and be inspired by, like Moses and Elijah on their better days. No, Jesus was God’s own beloved Son… someone completely beyond compare, and they are to listen to Him! Is this how we actually think of Jesus our Lord? As the incomparable Son of God, the One we must not just admire… but obey? In our culture today, “heroes” are often held up as great examples, or maybe sources of great wisdom and insight… but not Masters… not those with actual authority to tell us what to do, and what not to do. As those who get to reshape our lives, not as we want, but as He wants. And so for us Christians, we need to remember that Jesus is not a hero… He is our Lord… the Beloved of God, who gave His life at the cross to break the power of sin, and the hold the fear of death wields over our lives… and the One who was raised from the dead to share God’s New Life with His beloved and still very broken world… the world we still see around us today. He did not just come to be looked up to as a great example of what we humans are capable of. Or to impart some new insight, or deeper wisdom to help us get through our days a little bit easier. No, He came to save us. To rescue us by God’s own merciful grace, and to actually lead us into a new kind of life… to live now as His people… as those who share in His Good Kingdom… a community here on earth where forgiveness, freedom, holiness, compassion, peace, joy, faith, hope, and love really call the shots. And this calling is not just for the so-called heroes… for the exceptional examples of faithfulness we might be eager to look up to from a safe distance. This calling is the way of life for all of God’s people… even for you and me. And this calling to actually listen to and obey Jesus our Lord as He leads us into life, is possible, not because there’s something extra special in us that’s somehow better than anybody. It’s possible because of God’s grace… His gift… His own presence and power among us in the Holy Spirit, who is now at work in us because of Jesus, and all that He has done, once and for all. Elisha was given a share of the same Spirit that his master Elijah had himself received, and God would work through Elisha to do things he had never imagined possible. Peter, James, and John, and all the rest of the Apostles were give this same Spirit at Pentecost, empowering them to share the Good News of Jesus through their words and wonderful deeds, infused with heavenly wisdom and authority. But this power from on high was not the point of it all. God’s Spirit was not given to them to make His people into heroes to be idolized, but to help transform them into God’s own hands and feet in the world, carrying His divine work forward, bringing to light the Good News of Jesus, and His Good Kingdom through their whole lives. St. Paul says it well, in our second reading today. Speaking for the Apostles, he says “we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:5-6). The glory of God… His goodness, His justice, and mercy and love… shine for all to see in the face of Jesus. And that same life-giving light is meant to shine on the hearts and in the lives of all who listen to, and follow Him… no matter how dim our own lives may be by themselves. The Good News for us today is that the Living God gives the gift of His Holy Spirit not just to the heroes of the faith… but to all who will put their trust in Jesus, God’s Beloved Son, and listen to Him… and that includes us. The same Spirit that filled Elijah and Elisha with prophetic power… the same Spirit that Christ Jesus the Risen Lord poured out on the Church at Pentecost, empowering His Apostles to carry on His Kingdom work in the world… the same Spirit of God that has been at work in all the centuries since… and working through people from every kind of background, and class, and ability… and broken history… all to bring God’s New Creation to life… This same Spirit is working through us… Christ’s disciples gathering here in Gondola Point… even when we, like Peter on the mountain top, are terrified, and don’t really know what to say or do. Or when, like Elisha, we’re filled with grief, when those we love are taken away, and we are left to carry on. God’s life-giving Spirit is His gracious gift for all of His children, given through Jesus, the Eternal and Beloved Son of the Father, and Firstborn from the dead… who shares His Spirit with us so that we can actually share in His New Life... His Good Kingdom… and share it with His world today. With those who are weak and weary. With those who are without resources, or hope. With those who are about as far from "heroes" as we can imagine. That’s who this Good News is for too. So today, as we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus… remembering that it is only through the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we can do all that is required of His disciples: Will we listen to and obey all the words of our Risen Lord Jesus, God’s Beloved Son, our merciful Master and the Saviour of our world? Amen. Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40:21–31 | Psalm 147 | 1 Corinthians 9:16–23 | Mark 1:29–39
“Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” (Mark 1:38) What comes first? Whether we’re preparing to take a trip someplace new… or following a recipe… drafting a budget… writing a poem… planning a project… or basically anything we humans do… its always wise to take the time needed to figure out what comes first. What’s the most important part of the task before us… the part that we can’t do without… even if there might end up being lots of good things that have to be set to the side? Among other things, these weeks after Epiphany remind us of the priorities of God’s Kingdom. There are lots of good things for God’s people to do in the world… lots of ways to make a truly positive impact… and sometimes it can be hard for us to know what we are supposed to prioritize. Thankfully, Epiphany reminds us to step back and seek to know… to remember what God has revealed is most important… not just to us, but to Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, and Saviour of the World. Our Gospel reading today from Mark Chapter 1 brings this question before our eyes, helping us understand right from the start of Christ’s ministry, what He has come here to do. Our reading today is the continuation of what happened last week: when he entered the synagogue one Sabbath to teach, and all were amazed at His authority… which proved to be backed up by heavenly power as He cast out a demon, a rebellious spiritual being at odds with the Living God, from somebody in there midst. And straight away, we hear today that Jesus continues to do good and powerful things in Capernaum: first, before the Sabbath day was done, Jesus cured Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. And then, once sunset fell, everyone in the city gathered around where He was staying, bringing to Him those who were sick, or who were oppressed by demons, and His healing, rescuing power worked wonders in their lives, to the amazement of all. But when morning came, Jesus was nowhere to be found. “[W]hile it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35). Jesus made prayer a priority… the first thing that He did was to take the time to step back and reconnect with His Father in Heaven. Before all else, this relationship was what mattered most. And this key relationship with God the Father helped all else in Jesus’ life find it’s proper place as well… keeping Him from getting off track, and from forgetting what His mission was all about. I mean, He could have done a lot of great things in Capernaum if He has just stuck around, right? He could have made it a booming place of peace and prosperity… a city free from disease, and all demonic influence… a new centre for godly devotion. Think of all the people who would just love to live next door to someone with His kind of power. But instead of seizing the opportunity to build up a solid base for Himself… or even to make sure that all of Capernaum’s needs were met… Jesus knew it was time to move on… to share the Good News of God’s Kingdom… the Good News of what He Himself was up to in the world… to take this news to others… to those who have not yet come to experience it. Mark 1:36-39, “Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” All throughout the last 20 Centuries, the Church of Jesus Christ has faced that same temptation to stay put… to build up our own little corners of the world… to make sure that all of our own needs get met… and make our own kingdoms safe and secure… instead of following Christ’s example and keeping our ears open to Heaven, and our eyes on the horizon. Sometimes we have made the choice to stay true to Christ’s mission to share His Good News with all the world. Sometimes we have let our own priorities distract us from what means the most to Him. One reason that I know myself, and many others given into this temptation to stay put is because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not having our own needs met. Fear of what may happen if we let go of control. That’s why we need this season after Epiphany, and its reminders that Jesus came to be, not simply our personal Saviour… but the Saviour of the World. And as this is what He came to do, we who are His people have a key part to play in making His Good News known as best we can. In other words, as much as Jesus loves Capernaum and its people… and as much as He loves Gondola Point and all of us… we are not actually at the centre of the story of what God is up to in Jesus Christ. The top priority of Christ’s Kingdom is not to make you and I feel better, but to share God’s forgiveness, His freedom, and His New Life with us, and with all! We Christians, who have placed our faith in Jesus, are embraced, and invited now to be a part of how He shares this New Life of the Kingdom with everyone. We’re all part of this story: God’s love for our whole world. What does it look like to take this calling seriously? To have our priorities fall in line with what we know of our Saviour’s mission and heart? In our second reading today, we catch sight of one clear example of a life realigned to serve Christ’s Kingdom. In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, St. Paul spells out his new priorities, which he holds out as an example to follow. As an Apostle, and founder of Christian Church communities across the Roman Empire, St. Paul could have chosen to play it safe. He could have sought out more established positions of influence, and found ways to prioritize his own status, and security, and build for himself his own home base… his own little kingdom. But instead, again and again, St. Paul follows the example of Jesus Himself, whose priority was not His own comfort or security, but the sharing of God’s holy love and the Good News of His Kingdom with everyone. So, St. Paul refused to cling to his own personal interests and preferences… holding only lightly onto all that was not essential, in order to put first the Kingdom of God… helping as many people as possible, from every background and status, and community, to come into contact with the Good News of Jesus, and what Jesus has done to save us all. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” Now when he says he has become “all things to all people”, St. Paul was not simply playing to the crowd… taking on false personas to ingratiate himself with whoever was around… twisting himself in knots to get others to accept and support him. Not at all. It was because St. Paul was certain of what stood at the centre of his life… what must come first above all other priorities, namely the Good News of Jesus Christ the Risen Lord, and all that He has done for the world… because St. Paul had this Gospel as his key priority, he could let go of all that stood between himself, and sharing this Good News with everyone around him. So when he spoke to his fellow Jews about Jesus, he didn’t need to pick a fight about this or that matter of the Law, or rub the freedom he had found in their face, but could instead focus on all the ways the Risen Lord was reaching out in love to rescue His covenant people. And when he spoke to Gentiles, people from outside the Jewish faith, from all the nations that had not yet come to know the Living God, St. Paul would then try to meet them where they were at, and introduce them to the story of the Saviour of the whole world. And so, on it goes. Because St. Paul knew what comes first… what matters most: the Good News of Jesus, the Risen Lord… he found he could be extremely flexible about other things, all while staying true to his mission to share God’s holy love with the world through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This faithful flexibility freed St. Paul to do remarkable things for the Kingdom of God, spreading the Good News to corners of the world where it had not been known before. But it also meant leaving a lot of things behind… a lot of good things… and facing lots of uncertainty, and hardships… sacrificing much of what we take for granted for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom. And St. Paul holds up this example for other disciples of Jesus… back then and today… for you and I to learn from and follow. Inviting us to learn to truly put first things first, even when it hurts. To follow him, as he himself follows Jesus in letting God’s saving love for the world lead the way. But does this mean that God doesn’t care if we suffer loss? That our own needs, and hopes, and fears as God’s children mean nothing to our Father in Heaven? Doesn’t He care about us too, here in Gondola Point? How can you and I be sure that we won’t be forgotten if we let go and follow Jesus into the unknown? Once again, it all comes down to faith. To our connection… our trust in the Living God, whose heart of merciful love we’ve come to know in the Scriptures, and most of all in Jesus Christ. And in our first reading today, the prophet Isaiah’s words remind us of what kind of the God we believe in… the God who has far more than enough to go around, and who sees all the needs of all His children. Isaiah 40:27-31, Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. God sees and knows everything that we need. He has no intention of neglecting any of His beloved children, nor is His ability to provide limited, as if there is only so much of His blessings to go around. But to know and trust in Him means to learn to let go of our impulse to hoard Him and His love for ourselves. To trust that He will provide what we need as we follow Him, and choose to make His priorities our own. The Lord gives strength to the faint-hearted, and power to the weak who look to Him for help in time of need. Our loving Creator knows all about our circumstances, our hopes and fears, and calls us to trust Him with it all. But if we just want Him to stay by our side and meet our needs, while we forget about all of the other people all around us who don’t yet know His saving love… we’ve lost sight of what our Saviour has come to do, and the work that He has called us to take part in. Christ came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. He sought, not His own will, but the will of His Father in Heaven. Jesus completely surrendered His own life into the hands of the Living God… He gave up everything at the cross to defeat the powers of darkness once and for all, and to bring the Good News of God’s Kingdom, His New Creation to life… in the lives of those who trust and follow Him. Jesus came to be the Saviour of the world, but this meant choosing the way of sacrifice. It meant choosing to surrender His rights, and to instead entrust Himself completely to God’s saving love… dying to self-centeredness, and rising again to share God’s New Life with us all. We might not be like St. Paul, personally called to travel to new lands and plant new Church communities among the nations. But we are called like him to trust the Living God to give you and I the strength, and to provide everything that we need to take up our own part in service of Christ’s everlasting Kingdom. We too are called to prioritize, not our own comfort, or status, or preferences, but the sharing of the Good News with God’s world… with our neighbours, our families, all those that God places in our paths… through the words that we speak, and the choices we make day by day. Not to nail Him down to stay where we want Him to be, but to trust and follow Him wherever He leads us. We are those whom the Living God has entrusted the Good News of Jesus Christ to in this generation. We are the ones who have the calling to make it known today, in any way that we can. As this season after Epiphany nears an end, and the season of Lent draws closer, preparing us to walk with Jesus Christ our Lord to the cross, and find there His saving love and sustaining grace… may we truly make it our priority to know the core of our faith, and live it out ourselves. May we make it our priority to nurture God’s holy love in all we do. And may we make it our priority to share this Good News of hope with those who have not yet heard it… trusting God to give us everything we need along the way. Amen. Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15–20 | Psalm 111 | 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 | Mark 1:21–28
“Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.” (Deuteronomy 18:19). Actions speak louder than words. And actions reveal what’s at work behind our words. We are now four weeks into the season after Epiphany, a time set aside for Christians to contemplate the Good News that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world. It’s a time when we seek to better understand the huge implications of this Good News in our own lives, and for us to respond to what the story of Jesus reveals to us about the Living God’s plans for His broken but beloved creation… including overthrowing the forces of darkness, and bringing His light and New Life at last. Our Gospel reading this morning gives us a good glimpse… a good revelation of these words in action, as Jesus Christ confronts evil in a tangible way: casting out an unclean spirit, a demon, from a man in the congregation of God’s people at Capernaum. So far in St. Mark’s Gospel, here in Chapter 1, Jesus has not done much of what we might call the “miraculous”. Aside from the dramatic display during His baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus has been fairly low key: He was led by God’s Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan… but unlike the other Gospels, St. Mark doesn’t say much about that encounter. He then begins preaching about the Kingdom of God, and calling God’s people to turn around and repent… to believe in the Good News… as well as calling some fishermen to come and follow Him. But in today’s reading, St. Mark introduces the first real conflict in Christ’s mission… and St. Mark shows us that, from the start, there is absolutely no question about who will come out victorious in the end. Our reading takes place in Capernaum, a small fishing town in Galilee, with Jesus gathering for worship along with his fellow Jews in the synagogue one Sabbath. While there, Jesus began to teach, which is a common practice when God’s people gathered together. But St. Mark tells us that something stood out about the way that Jesus went about it: the people “were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22). They had heard plenty of teachers and speakers before, but not like this Jesus of Nazareth. And while his words and teachings alone might have been enough to impress… they were about to see that Christ’s words are backed up by a power well beyond what they could have imagined. As it turns out, the actions of Christ speak even louder than His words… and show them to be the truth. Mark 1:23-24, “Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’” Imagine the scene: a gathering of God’s people, come to worship and to hear the word of the Lord together… not all that unlike what we do here at St. Luke’s each week… then one of their members… someone from their small community, disrupts the scene at the impulse of a demon… a spirit at odds with the will of the Living God. But this encounter in Capernaum is clearly no contest. This unclean spirit clearly sees exactly who Jesus really is… and even acknowledges His unique and divine identity: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” And yet these true words are coming from a rebel… a spiritual being who has turned away from God’s holy purposes… and is at work undermining the New Life that Christ is bringing about. And so Jesus, the Holy One of God, sees through the cowering cries of the unclean spirit and confronts it. He orders the demon to be silent, and casts it out of the man. Actions speak louder than words, and in this case Christ’s actions confirm the truth of the words and teachings that He shared in the synagogue that day. St. Mark wants us to see that Jesus is not just a good speaker… or a wise teacher… but that He actually has the authority to back up even His boldest claims. That in Jesus, God’s good Kingdom has come near… and this King will not be defeated. The words from our first reading today from Deuteronomy Chapter 18 come to mind, where God promises that one day a prophet would come to God’s people… one like Moses himself, who stood alone before the Living God, and faithfully made God’s good will and ways known to His covenant people. A prophet with divine authority. In Deuteronomy 18:19, the LORD says: “Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.” Through the Good News that St. Mark and the other Apostles have shared, we’re invited to see Jesus in the light of this promise: to recognize God at work in all He does… and to truly heed His words. This word of warning should give us pause as Christians today, inviting us to search our hearts and ask tough questions. Like, how much are we aligned to God’s Holy One in all that we do? Are we ready to heed all that Jesus has taught us? Or are we more inclined to follow the path of spiritual darkness… saying the right sounding things perhaps, but with hearts marked by rebellion… opposed to the rule of God’s good Kingdom? We know of course that there are forces at work in our world today, and within the worldwide Christian Church, that pay no real heed to Christ’s words and teachings… who claim to be part of His community, but who reject His ways, distort and misuse His message of Good News, and who undermine His authority as the Son of God and the only Saviour of the world. Again, actions speak louder than words. And our actions will reveal the truth of what we really believe. It doesn’t matter how many good sounding things we may say, or how many followers we may gather… if we don’t actually heed the words of Jesus Christ, then we’re in for some serious trouble. And if we do believe in Jesus… that He is God’s true Son, and our Saviour and Lord, then how might this truth change our choices? How can we live the faith that we claim to believe? Our second reading today from St. Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth give us a real life example of what it looks like when God’s people take Jesus’ words seriously. Throughout this letter, St. Paul has been walking the Corinthians through a number of challenging dilemmas, as they figure out what it looks like to be faithful to the way of Jesus together. In today’s reading, St. Paul is trying to help them figure out what to do with food that’s been sacrificed to idols. In the Roman world, most of the meat sold in markets would have some connection to the local pagan temples. And for Jewish followers of the Living God, idols were a huge red flag… God had explicitly commanded Israel to make no idols, and not to worship them. God’s people were to be wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD alone… and this remained true for the early Christians, even as many Gentiles started to believe in Jesus as well. And while Gentiles may not have been bound to the Law of Moses like their fellow Jewish believers, having left their old pagan ways behind to follow Jesus, many of them would have had a hard time not feeling as though they were compromising their newfound faith if they ate meat they new had been offered up to gods that they had once served. So in Corinth, the Church was confused about if eating meat that may have been sacrificed to an idol was allowed or not. Would that be a sin against God? Or was it really no big deal? How were they supposed to act faithfully in this confusing situation… especially if they could not all agree on the answer? Jesus Himself had not specifically addressed this question. The Laws of the Torah seemed a bit more clear on the matter, but as St. Paul and others in the early Church had argued, Gentile Christians, like many of those in Corinth, were not strictly commanded to follow the terms of Israel’s covenant. Some clearly thought it would be wrong. While others clearly thought it wasn’t an issue. And so St. Paul set about, not simply to find “the right answer”, but to help them heed the words of Jesus their Lord, and follow His ways together… guided in part by these words: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1). St. Paul affirms that there really is only One Almighty God. No idol or other spiritual being can rival Him, and so they have no power over His people. From St. Paul’s perspective then, food eaten with gratitude to the Living God, regardless of its source, is ultimately not a problem… and so eating meat that had been offered up to an idol is not a sin in and of itself. But… St. Paul was convinced that what matters much more than our own liberty to eat whatever we want is that we actively love one another… especially those who don’t, or don’t yet, see things the way we do. “[T]ake care”, he says in verse 9, “that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” St. Paul goes on in verses 11-13, “So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall. Who were these weak ones? Jewish believers scandalized by pagan idols? Gentile believers worried about being drawn back into their old ways? Both? St. Paul leaves it open, because the most important point here is not who’s right and who’s wrong, but how can we all walk in God’s ways together? In other words, how are we to love God and love each other, and put that love into practice through our actions? St. Paul knew the truth, and he knew well who he served, no matter what food he ate. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, “we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists,’ and that ‘there is no God but one’. Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” And because St. Paul knew where his loyalty lay, and took care to heed the words of Jesus his Lord, he understood what God really wanted for His people. For you and I today. On the night our Lord was betrayed, Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, then and now: “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.” (John 13:33-35). If as Christians we don’t heed these words of Jesus, we know we’re on the wrong track, and headed for danger! Actions speak louder than words, and our actions confirm or contradict the truth of what we say. Jesus’ own actions speak louder than words… embracing the way of the cross… laying down His life in love for our darkened world… actions that backs up His words about God’s saving love in ways that challenge us all, again and again. His sacrificial, self-giving love for sinners is what He commands us and empowers us to put into practice together. This is the high calling of God’s people: to love as God Himself loves the world, through His Spirit at work in us. Unlike the Corinthians, our own issues today are probably not about food sacrificed to idols. But there are many questions we face that are just as challenging and even painful to sort through faithfully. Whatever these challenges may be, St. Paul reminds us that how we go about sorting through them really matters. It’s not just about being right about this or that issue… but about embodying the holy love of the Living God in all we do. If we refuse to learn to love one another… to extend God’s grace to those who are our sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ, we will not be prepared to truly share God’s love with our neighbours. So with the Holy Spirit’s help, let us learn from St. Paul how to heed the words of Jesus our Lord, and make it a priority to nurture love for our fellow believers in Christ, even when we might deeply disagree… so that all those around us might come to see, and believe in, and experience God’s love for them too… a love that’s powerful… and alive… and still at work in our world… a love which the forces of darkness can never defeat… binding us forever to the Risen King of Kings, and Saviour of the world. Amen. Come & See Our World's Saviour - Sermon for the Second Sunday After Epiphany (January 14, 2024)1/13/2024 Scripture Readings: 1 Samuel 3:1–20 | Psalm 139 | 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 | John 1:43–51
“Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” (John 1:46). Today we continue our journey through the Church Year, leaving Advent and Christmas behind… with Lent and Easter on the horizon… and entering the season after Epiphany… a time when we Christians explore the amazing implications of the Good News that has been revealed: that Jesus of Nazareth truly is God’s Son… and Saviour of the world. During these weeks, we will often reflect on the stories of people in the Scriptures who encounter Jesus, and suddenly see things that were hidden from them, about the Living God, and about themselves… and end up having the course of their lives changed forever as a result. In other words, this season invites us to reflect on the effects of God’s revelation in the world… what happens to folks when we come to know the truth of what God’s up to in our world… when we see and draw near towards His guiding, life-giving light. But another important truth, that might often go without saying, that this season and these stories highlight for us is that the Living God already knows all about our world. He sees all the good and the bad… and nothing at all goes unnoticed or unseen by Him. So, as we turn now to our Scripture readings today, and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s good word to us and to our world, let us keep in mind that the Living God knows us all completely, the good, the bad… all of it… and He still invites us to draw near in faith, and find our life in Him. Our first reading today from the first book of Samuel might seem like a simple story about a boy learning to hear and respond to the voice of God... and it is. But it is also a powerful warning about the disaster that God’s people stir up when our eyes and hearts are closed off from our LORD, and when we disregard our calling to walk in His holy ways in the world. Alongside the simple and open response of the boy Samuel, this passage tells us of the unfaithful sons of Eli the High Priest, the set-apart family charged with guiding God’s people, and serving as the LORD’s righteous representatives, ministering in His Holy Tabernacle… the portable Temple where the LORD met with His people. But Eli’s sons, Israel’s leading priests, had become corrupt… serving, not God and His people, but themselves… giving in to their own greed and lust, taking advantage of others, and making a mockery of the Living God. Unfortunately, it’s not hard to find other examples in the history of the Church, including in our own day, of leaders who have abused their positions of trust to serve their own selfish desires… acting as though the LORD does not see or care about their wickedness, while pretending to be doing His will. But again, this is all contrasted with Samuel, a small child raised by Eli to serve in the Tabernacle. And even though Samuel knew so little himself, God graciously chose to speak through this boy, and make His good will known through him: not only exposing the injustice and evil at work in Eli’s sons, but in the days to come, working through Samuel to guide God’s people, and even to prepare the way for God’s own chosen King, David. This story reminds us that nothing is hidden from God, and He will not ignore the evil that even His people do. But it also invites us to follow the example of Samuel: open and responsive to God’s voice, even when we don’t quite understand… And willing to let the LORD speak and work through our lives so that His light can shine. Turning now to our Gospel Reading, we hear how Jesus invites a man named Philip to follow Him, and in response, Philip immediately goes to find his friend Nathanael. In John 1:45, Philip says “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” And when Nathanael dismissively expresses doubt that anything good could come from a backwater town like Nazareth, Philip doesn’t have all the answers… but he simply says to Nathanael: “Come and see!” Philip invites his skeptical friend to come with him, and experience Jesus for himself… to get to know the One, who as it turns out, already knows all about him. John 1:47-48, “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you get to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ What follows is quite surprising: the prejudiced skeptic turns into an ardent believer… someone who sees Jesus as no mere rabbi, but as the Son of the Living God, and Israel’s promised King. Then Jesus goes on to say that Nathanael will see even more amazing things than this… that one day, he would see Jesus, the Son of Man, as the connecting point between the world and the Heavens… with angels ascending and descending on Him. This seems like a very odd thing to say. And it is. But it’s also a reference to a well known story from the book of Genesis when their ancestor Jacob, a scoundrel on the run from his brother after scheming to steal his inheritance, had a dream one night in the wilderness. And in that dream, Jacob saw something new about what God was up to in the world. Genesis 28:12, “And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” What seemed at times to Jacob like two completely separate realms, Heaven and Earth, were not cut off from one another: what happens here in the world, and in his own messed up life was not unknown by the Living God. When Jacob woke up, he named the place Bethel, which means ‘House of God’… which is another way to talk about a Temple. Hold onto that for a minute. We’ll come back to it later on. For now, notice what Jesus is highlighting here: that He knows all about Nathanael… his honesty, yes, but also his prejudice… the good and the bad… just like Jacob the scoundrel was known by God… and yet Jesus still wanted Nathanael to follow Him. To leave his old ways behind, and join Jesus in His holy mission to bring God’s life-giving light to the world. Remember the Good News of Epiphany: The Living God shines His light into the darkness of our world… to draw all people to Himself so that all may find new life in God’s Son: Jesus of Nazareth, the Saviour of the world. Will we, like Samuel, be open to the voice of the LORD, even if we’re not quite sure what He’s up to yet? Will we, like Nathanael, let go of our old ways of seeing things, and let Jesus open our eyes to the work of the Living God in the world around us? Will we draw nearer to Jesus, our Saviour? Or will we turn away and draw back into the shadows? This leads us to our reading from the letter to the Corinthians. Throughout this letter, St. Paul the Apostle is trying to guide this new Christian community through all sorts of challenging changes in understanding and practice, that they all needed to make if they were going to stay true to the way of Jesus. He reminds them that the freedom that they have received in Jesus Christ does not give them a license to do whatever they want… like Eli’s sons, serving their own lust and greed, all the while claiming to be faithful servants of the Living God. Instead, he reminds them and us that in Christ, we are all called to share in a whole new holy form of life… one which calls all of us to let go of our old ways of seeing and doing things, and to humbly learn what it means to be God’s people in the world… set apart for Him in spirit, mind, and in body. In Chapter 6, St. Paul has a lot to say to them and us about the importance of serving God with all that we are… knowing that all that we do is now bound to the life of our Risen Saviour, Jesus. We don’t have a private life, cut off from the life of God. 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, “The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” He then goes on to say something truly amazing about how God is at work in the lives of His people: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” We are now called the Temple of God’s Holy Spirit… the place for His divine presence and power to dwell and be made known in the world. Not as a building, or an institution, but in our bodies… our day to day lives as believers. We are not our own, but belong completely to the LORD, graciously set apart for something that our world really needs… a true taste of God’s New Creation, already begun in Jesus Christ. Remember when Jesus tells Nathanael that he would see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man… Heaven and Earth united, like in Jacob’s vision at Bethel, the House of God? This is all Temple language, pointing to the hope of reconciliation, and a full reunion between God and humanity. But so often, when we God’s people, who have been called to live in the light of His holy ways, act instead like Eli’s sons, and serve our own selfish desires, we spread darkness deepen the divisions that keep on fracturing our world. But when we were at our worst. In our moment of deepest unfaithfulness and refusal to set aside our old ways for the sake of God’s Kingdom… when we humans rejected our Saviour, and crucified the Son of God… the beautiful world-changing reality that the Temple points us to took place once and for all. Heaven and Earth were reunited… bridged by Christ Jesus when His body was raised up on the cross… the Son of Man suspended before our eyes, midway between the world and the skies… giving His sinless life to reconcile our broken world, good and bad, to the Living God through His death. And offering that saving connection to God’s New Creation to us through His own resurrection. As Christians today, we are now a Temple people… those set apart by the grace of God to follow Jesus our Saviour, and to share in His New Life. God’s Holy Spirit has been given to us, to draw us deeper and deeper into His holy love, so that the reality of what Jesus has done for our world at the cross can take shape in our day to day lives. That means as individual disciples, we are called to grow in Christlikeness, giving ourselves to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, so that we wholeheartedly in spirit, mind, and body begin to reflect the life of Jesus in every part of who we are and what we do. And this also means that as a Church… we are to be a community where God’s Spirit dwells. Where our relationships with one another reflect the life of Jesus… where we care for, and challenge, and serve one another in genuine faith, and hope, and holy love. And we do this not only to share in the blessings and joys, freedom, forgiveness that God’s Spirit brings… but to share in Christ’s mission to bring God’s rescuing light to our darkened world. So that those around us can experience… can “come and see” Christ’s new Creation already graciously at work in our lives, so they too can come to know the One who already knows all about them… the good and the bad… and still loves them enough to lay down His life and to save them by His blood. So, may the Holy Spirit of God truly dwell in us, and transform us all into a people set apart to share the life and light of Jesus, the Saviour of the world. Amen. Scripture Readings: Isaiah 60:1–6 | Psalm 72 | Ephesians 3:1–12 | Matthew 2:1–12
“In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:5-6) Have you ever had to really wrestle with a riddle? It could be one you tackle just for fun… a kind of riddle-game that humans have enjoyed for ages. I remember as a teenager, I played 20 Questions a lot with my friends; the game where you take turns thinking up a noun… a person, place, or thing… and everyone else has to to guess what it is by asking no more than 20 Questions. And I remember one time in particular when one of our friends had us totally stumped. No matter what we asked, we couldn’t get any closer to the answer at all. Eventually, we had to give up, and our friend gleefully revealed the answer: “It was a crack.” Not a specific thing itself, but a crack… which could be in anything! We were all blown away. We had never imagined the answer could be something so simple, and yet so unexpected. Riddles like this can be a lot of fun, even when they’re frustrating. But we also know that there’s lots of times when we’re forced to wrestle with puzzles and riddles for much more serious reasons. Like when we’re forced to work through a difficult problem, or navigate a confusing situation when the answers don’t seem to come so easily. I think most of us have had times like these too… struggling to make sense of truly puzzling circumstances, and how we’re supposed to handle them. It could be something we face at work, at home, with those we love, with our own hidden hopes of fears, for ourselves, our communities, or for our world. And sometimes, we can eventually work our way towards an answer. But then sometimes we get stumped. We hit a wall and can’t put two and two together. In those times, we need to have our eyes opened for us, our understanding deepened, our perspective widened… and then, sometimes quite suddenly, the picture becomes clear… the light has dawned, and we can see. That’s one way to think about an epiphany… a sudden realization of a truth that had been hidden from us. Or better yet, a sudden revelation that is given to us when someone else steps in and opens our eyes to help us see what’s really going on. Today we’re celebrating the Feast of Epiphany: a celebration of the revelation of Jesus Christ, not just as the familiar baby in the manger, but as the Son of God Almighty… as the King of all Creation… and Saviour of the World. For many of us, this is a familiar story… but we also know that familiar words can often conceal life-changing truths from our eyes. We get comfortable with them, and forget what they mean… and what they mean for our lives. Thankfully, our Scripture readings today can help to open our eyes again to the truly Good News of Epiphany, for us and for our world. First off, let’s take a moment to consider Isaiah’s Epiphany from our first reading: the revelation that despite how dark the world around us may seem, God’s life-giving light will come. Not just for the struggling people of Israel, but for everyone. Isaiah 60:1-3, Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. This passage is of course just a glimpse of the full prophetic vision and message God gave to His people Israel, to point them forward towards the hope of their restoration after the horrors of their Exile. And yet, the vision goes well beyond just hope for Israel… it begins to reveal their role in bringing new hope to the world, as the glory of the Living God… His mercy, and rescuing love… shines on and through them so that all nations can draw near to Him and encounter His new life along with them. And several centuries later, in St. Matthew epiphany we heard in our Gospel reading today, Isaiah’s message of hope is revealed to be taking on reality: God’s life-giving light for the world has come at last in Jesus Christ. The visit of the Magi is much more than a strange but interesting episode in Christ’s early life. It is a clear sign revealing the start of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: Gentiles, non-Jews from far beyond Israel’s borders have drawn near to pay homage to this newborn King of the Jews, even as the old king, Herod seeks to destroy him. Herod reminds us, after all, that we can seek out God’s light for some not-so-good reasons too. Many have used the Good News of Jesus as a cover to cloak their own ambitions, pride, and fears, and in King Herod’s case, a homicidal commitment to holding on to his own authority and power… slaying the children of Bethlehem to try to get rid of this newborn King. But we don’t need to be like King Herod for God’s life-giving and revealing light to shines on our lives… and even on any self-centered reasons we may have for seeking His Son. And the Good News is that His merciful light does not seek to condemn us, but to expose our twisted motives, so that we can let them go… so that we can draw near to Him in faith and receive His forgiveness, freedom, and grace. The Good News of Jesus is even for those of us who have been quite at home in the darkness… God’s light is for us too, drawing us out of the shadows like a moth… not to a flame, but to the life of His New Creation! And this leads us to our reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and to the Apostle’s epiphany that God’s light for the whole world has come… and it calls us to go! To be transformed by it ourselves, and take it to everyone. Like many devoted Jews in the first century, St. Paul had always imagined that God’s main concern was with His covenant people Israel. They were the chosen ones. They where the heirs of God’s promises. The Gentile nations might have a minor role to play, but they were the stars. But when St. Paul encountered the Risen Jesus, his eyes began to be opened to the truth of the Gospel… the Good News that God’s Messiah had truly come, and that despite His own chosen people’s betrayal, Christ had died and rose again for all. To reconcile, not just Israel, but all of humanity to the Living God. For the first time, St. Paul could see that God had sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world… and to change forever how we humans from all families and nations see and treat one another. Ephesians 3:5-6, “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” In other words, there was to be no first or second class citizens in God’s Good Kingdom. There was now no essential boundary between Israel and their neighbours. In line with God’s promises through people like the prophet Isaiah, and all throughout the Holy Scriptures, God’s spirit has revealed that Jesus Christ came to reunite and reconcile the whole world to God, and to each other. Fellow heirs together. One diverse but united body. Sharing in the same promise… in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thousands of years later, this may not seem like big news to us. After all, we’ve heard the story of how the Gospel has spread throughout the world many times… and the vast majority of Christians nowadays are of Gentile heritage. What was once an epiphany for people like Isaiah, St. Matthew, and St. Paul must have lost its power to surprise and unsettle us, after all this time, right? Remember: familiar words and stories can still conceal life-changing truths. What might we be missing today that the feast of Epiphany can reveal to us? Many things, to be sure. But for starters, it shows us that we all have roles to play in sharing the Good News of God’s life-giving light with the world around us. And I really do mean all of us. Just as the door is now opened for all to draw near to God in Jesus Christ, so too all are invited to make this Good News known, and let it shine through our lives. In other words, the revelation that Jesus Christ died and rose again to reconcile the whole world to God and to one another… the Good News entrusted to the Church… can’t just be something we talk about, it has to take shape in our day to day lives. It has to shine through our interactions with those around us… with our loved ones, our acquaintances, and strangers. It has to penetrate our minds and imaginations… challenging us to let go of our old ways of navigating life, and to reconsider everything in the light of the cross and resurrection of God’s Son. It has to be something that we all respond to as God in His patience and grace empowers us to do… not looking at our own real limitations and losing heart, but trusting instead in God “whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we could ask or imagine.” After all, even St. Paul was blown away by the way God graciously uses those who seem completely out of place and ill equipped to shine His light and share His Good News with the world… having experienced this pardoning and empowering grace up close in his own story. The minister and scholar Joel Kok points out how strange and wonderful it is that someone like St. Paul, born Saul of Tarsus, would be chosen to serve in the role that he did: “Amazingly, it was God’s good pleasure to choose Saul the Pharisee to bring Christ’s name “before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). As one who had violently persecuted the church and tried to destroy it… Paul saw himself as “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9) and, in this passage, “the very least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8).”[1] Yet even if he saw himself as the least of all the saints… meaning ‘the least of all God’s people in general’… St. Paul had begun to see that this would not stop God from working in and through his life in the slightest. Ephesians 3:8-10, “Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” It's God’s grace in Christ that makes the difference. Not our credentials. Not our skills, or abilities… or lack thereof. At times, we might also feel like “the least of all the saints”, but by God’s grace we too are called to share the Good News of Jesus through our whole lives, and with everyone. Like St. Paul, our hope isn’t in our own abilities, but in Christ’s own life and light at work in us… through God’s Holy Spirit, who can use our humble faithfulness and openness to Jesus to reveal the glory of His Good News, and New Life to our neighbours, and to our wider world. So no matter how dark things might get in the world around us, or how small and helpless we might feel when it comes to doing anything about it, may the familiar story of Epiphany keep our eyes open to this amazing truth: that in Jesus Christ, God’s light has already begun to dawn… that He has already given up His life at the cross to reconcile our darkened world to God, and He has already overcome the powers of darkness… rising again to bind us together in God’s own holy love. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the world has already brought God’s life-giving light, and He has called all of His people to share His light with His world. How each one of us are to do this day by day is a question we’ll all have to ask ourselves far more than 20 times… but as we draw near to our Saviour Jesus in faith, and ask Him to open our eyes, and our minds, and our hearts to what He has in store… trusting in His Holy Spirit to work in and through us… He will be faithful and show us the way. Amen. [1] Joel E. Kok, “Epiphany of the Lord, Years A, B, C,” in The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Texts, Volume Two, ed. Roger E. Van Harn (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 320. Adopted Into God's One Family - A Sermon for the First Sunday After Christmas (December 31, 2023)12/30/2023 Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:10–62:3 | Psalm 148 | Galatians 4:4–7 | Luke 2:22–40
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” (Galatians 4:4-7). What comes to mind when you hear the word: “family”? Maybe you think of the images of your own relatives… partners, children, parents, siblings, and so on? And the joy-filled memories of times you felt surrounded by love and fellowship? Maybe you think of the pain that comes from feeling cut off from others… especially those you were once close to? Or maybe, like many people today, the idea of “family” feels like a mix of all this at once: heartache and hope, longing and belonging… chaos as well as communion? The truth is, families are complicated blessings: A good gift from God to be sure, but one which brings along with it all sorts of challenges… and which requires all involved to grow into, and to nurture, to bear good fruit. Now we know there are many reasons this time of year for us to be thinking about family. But we do so today especially because the first Sunday after Christmas is when the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family: a day commemorating the shared life of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, which began in Bethlehem all those long years ago. We remember that our Saviour didn’t just drop down from heaven, but was lovingly cared for and raised in a humble human community… with all it’s joys and challenges. We remember that the Word of God who spoke the whole Universe into being also listened and learned… was protected and provided for… was comforted and embraced by the trembling hands of a first-time mother, and an adopted father. Today we remember and rejoice that Jesus, the Lord of Glory chose a completely unlikely… far-from ideal family to share in… in order to adopt all of us messy families into His own… that is, the Church: the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic community of Jesus. Church communities are often called a family. And sometimes this can be meant quite literally! I myself grew up in a rural Church, surrounded by four living generations of relatives, and which had been founded by my ancestors going even further back. Many Churches still have these kind of deep roots, arising from tight-knit neighbourhoods. But on the other hand, with many Churches that’s not the case at all: communities of people who have had no real connection before. The early Christian communities were of course a mix of both. Many churches began when a family, or household would receive the Gospel, and commit themselves to Jesus. And in time, when they would then share the Good News with their neighbours, some of them would believe as well, and begin to worship with them. Especially in small towns, these were all probably people they already knew quite well. But there was another astonishing trend that took place even in the earliest days of the Church: people from completely different backgrounds… classes, cultures, and social spheres, who would NEVER have had anything to do with each other before, began to believe the Good News of Jesus… and to worship the Living God together, and even be baptized together into God’s new family. This may not seem all that strange to us today, but it would prove to be a wonderful, world-changing scandal for the Church: slaves and their masters, women and men, Jews, and Greeks, and others from all over the world were starting to be treated as equals… as brothers and sisters before God. Not just rubbing shoulders, but learning to actually share their lives, and to love each other. Of course, it wasn’t easy. And it went against so many of their natural and cultural inclinations. But it did become reality: humans like us learning to live as God’s family, not just in heaven, but right here on earth. But even this gift of the new Christian family was a complicated blessing. Many found joy in the Good News of Jesus, and brought their old friends and family with them into the Church. Many others would find themselves rejected by their loved ones because of their faith in Jesus… and would have to endure great pain and heartache, as Christ Himself experienced, and warned us would be the case. But this new community wouldn’t be dependent on our natural human bonds… our shared bloodlines, our social classes, our ethnicity, culture, traditions, or interests. Across all these barriers, we are bound together now by the Good News of Jesus Christ, and what He has done! And all of humanity can now be embraced and adopted into God’s family. Right before our second reading today from the letter to the Galatians, St. Paul makes this startling claim that reminds us all of what it means to be in God’s family: Galatians 3:26-29, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. In Christ. Trusting in Christ. Baptized into Christ. Clothed with Christ. One in Christ. Belonging to Christ. Nothing else can get us in, or keep us out, of God’s family. And St. Paul goes on: Chapter 4:4-7, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” Because of Christ Jesus, and what He has done, we can be adopted into God’s family… as full members, as heirs along with Jesus our Lord of God’s eternal kingdom. No matter where we come from, no matter how many mistakes we have made, or how hurt we have been by our world, because of Jesus Christ we can become true children of God, filled with His Holy Spirit, and sharing in the everlasting love of His Heavenly Father. This is what it means to be a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church… this strange, messy, and complicated, but still blessed community of Jesus Christ here on earth. But as we know, the Living God doesn’t deal with ideals… but with our broken realities… in His mercy and love, making all things new. After all, the original Holy Family itself was far from ideal: Mary was a nobody, graciously chosen to receive a miracle… to conceive and give birth to God’s Son… but that blessed gift would bring all sorts of unlooked for complications with it. And Joseph would have walked away, were it not for a visit from the angel Gabriel in a dream… convincing him to put aside his suspicions and fears, and keep their family together. And Jesus Christ Himself set aside His eternal glory to take on our humble humanity, all in order to reconcile sinners like us to God. The Holy Family was complicated… but the Living God brought them together to bring about through them far more than Mary and Joseph could have imagined. And from the three of them would come the one worldwide family of God. We catch a glimpse of this along with them in our Gospel reading from Luke Chapter 2, when out of the blue they are given the prophecies of Simeon and Anna in the Temple… blessed and challenged by two elders led by God to embrace this young family, and share the Lord’s word with them: In Luke 2:29–32, holding the baby Jesus, Simeon says “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” In Christ, Simeon saw God’s salvation… for Israel, and all the nations… fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham, that through his descendant, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3). And over the centuries since, God’s family has changed a lot. This little family… Mary, Joseph, and God’s Son, Jesus, would grow to become a truly worldwide community. Stretching not only across the Roman Empire, but across the whole earth. Sometimes we have done a good job of staying true to our calling, and our beginnings… of growing together as a community bound to each other by God’s holy love, offered to absolutely everyone through Jesus Christ His Son. And sometimes, we have failed pretty badly: becoming caught up in the old ways of the world… turning our hearts away from those who are not like us, cutting off those who come from a different class, a different culture… or who have different politics… forgetting that the Church, the family of God is so much bigger than we are, based on the Good News of Jesus, God’s Son, and what He Himself has done to adopted us all. And so today, with a new year on the horizon, one question I’d like to challenge us to reflect on is this: how can we here in Gondola Point better embody God’s One, Holy Family? How can we be Living Faith, Growing Love, and Sharing Hope here together in ways that stay true to the Good News of our adoption by God in Jesus Christ? Maybe we’re being called to nurture and grow in our existing relationships inside our Parish community… gathering together as brothers and sisters for worship, fellowship, and service? Maybe we also need to reach out beyond our own circles to embrace those we don’t really know yet: welcoming visitors… building connections with our Christian brothers and sisters from other Churches… including those from our neighbouring Anglican Parishes here in the Valley? Maybe we need to reflect on, and remember that the reason we belong to the Church at all, is not because of how good we may be, or how long our ancestors have lived here, or anything other than the Good News of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us… helping us start to see and treat everyone around us as those that the Living God longs to adopt as well. In Christ, God has opened the door for everyone to become our adopted siblings… to share in the complicated but world-changing blessings that come with being the children of God. And by His grace, may we grow into and nurture the gift of God’s Family for all here in Gondola Point. Amen. Scripture Readings: Isaiah 52:7–10 | Psalm 98 | Hebrews 1:1–12 | John 1:1–14
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). Today we celebrate the truth of the story of Christmas… a message we have likely heard many times before: the story of the Living God taking on our humanity… born of the Virgin Mary… welcomed into the world, not by the high and mighty, in some imperial palace, but by humble farm hands… lowly shepherds huddled in a stable. We know this story, which stirs up in us many memories of Christmases past. It’s a story wrapped up with hope, peace, joy, and love… and which holds a special place in our hearts, which is one of the reasons why we keep returning to it year after year. But we know many other stories too… stories that the world around us is eager to tell. Stories of anxiety and despair. Stories of bitter divisions and war. Stories of sorrow, and drudgery. Stories of hatred and fear. These are the stories so many are living by. The stories we’re all too often drawn into ourselves. These are the words on so many tongues, used to describe our world’s story… where we are headed. But we know that there is another Word that will have the final say… a Word full of grace and truth. The Almighty Word that spoke all Creation into being… causing the cosmos to become a place of light and life, where once was only darkness. The Divine Word that has always been, and will endure always, without end. The Glorious Word that shines out, and even if no one sees or receives it… this Word’s brilliance will never fade. The Word of God that took on flesh to dwell with us: our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is born. And He faced our frailty, our dangers, our sufferings… giving us hope. He is born. And He laid down His life for us at the cross… giving us peace. He is born. And He rose again from the dead… giving us joy. He is born. And He has bound us to the Living God forever… giving us love. He is born. Today, Christ Jesus the Word of God gives us the gift of Himself. And may this Word dwell with us always… filling our hearts and minds, despite the dark words still echoing all around us… filling our lives with the hope, and peace, and joy, and love that only He can give… and may this Word take on our flesh, speaking in our words and acting in our deeds… and making His grace and truth known through all that we do… turning us His people into His gift to bring God’s New Life to the world. May the Word of God, Jesus Christ, dwell with us this Christmas, and always. And may we receive Him, and believing in Him, become God’s true children, full of His grace and truth… always. Merry Christmas, in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Rev. RObRev. Rob serves as the Priest-in-Charge at St. Luke's Gondola Point, and as the School Chaplain at Rothesay Netherwood School Archives
March 2024
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