Come and See
Readings: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
Invitations come in many shapes and sizes. They may come in the mail, or by email. They may come by telephone or by word of mouth. They even come on street corners, or in unexpected ways. Some are personal, almost intimate. That first date kind of invitation! Whatever the form, invitations always ask the same question, “Why don’t you come and see?”
“Come and see,” is almost the first thing that Jesus says in John’s gospel. He says it to two of John’s disciples. They had gone out into the desert to see John the Baptist, to hear him preach, to be baptised by him. He had announced the Messiah to them. “Look! The lamb of God!” he had said of Jesus.
And so they went looking for Jesus. “What are you looking for?” Jesus asked them.
“Where are you staying?” was their response.
And then the relationship really begins. For that is when Jesus issues the invitation. “Come and see!” Isn’t that a wonderful way to begin a relationship? With an invitation? Isn’t that the way a truly good relationship unfolds? “Leave behind whatever you have to leave behind,” Jesus is saying. There is always something that needs to be abandoned. “Come, leave your nets and boat,” Jesus said to James and John. “Leave your counting table and ledgers,” he said to the tax collector, Matthew. “Leave everything you have and follow me,” he said to a young wealthy man. “Leave your past. Leave your home, your friends, your enemies, and come and follow me. Come and see what lies ahead.”
Why do we come? What are we seeking? What are we willing to leave behind? ‘Come and see’ is an invitation that is offered to each of us over and over in our lives. Come and see what lies ahead. Leave your work, leave school, leave retirement. Leave your old self behind, because the fact is, you cannot take any of it with you. What’s more, you probably won’t need it when you get to where you are going. Abandon your accustomed world of IPhones, computers and coffee cups.
“Come and see” invites us into an alternative world, a place we have never been. And after all, you cannot have one foot in Leamington and the other in some far away, exotic South Sea Island. You cannot begin the journey without leaving. That is why “come and see” is such an amazing invitation.
I consider the times that I have accepted that invitation to come and see. As a young teacher it took me up to James Bay where I taught for Indian Affairs in a Residential School. What a journey that was! I look back on that first experience of teaching and realize that God was in it, preparing me for a lifetime of listening and responding to God’s call. I had so many new experiences. I got a wider perspective of the diversity of our country. I was able to use my gifts and talents as I responded in faith.
But it was not an easy place to be. It was a lonely experience for a teenager away from home for the first time. I often went weeks at a time without hearing from family or friends. I was teaching children who were lonely, far away from their homes, grieving their loss of language and culture. Later on as we began to hear of the abuses of the residential school system and the history of our First Nations People began to be told, it became a source of great pain to me that I had been a part of that abuse. That too, led to a new invitation to come and see. During the Truth and Reconciliation process I became an Ambassador for the Anglican Church of Canada. I learned so much in that process about the history of our First Nations People, about all that they suffered. I began to do workshops and to do what I could to right the wrongs of the past. I was able through listening to their stories to find a place of reconciliation for myself.
My call to ordained ministry was certainly a call to come and see. I left behind many facets of my life – my teaching, a good salary, music, my home down on the lake in Etobicoke. I took up the uncertainty of becoming a student once again. There was even the uncertainty of whether or not I would ever be ordained. It is a long and involved process of discernment. I knew that it was not just something that I thought should happen, that I wanted to do. It was something that needed to be discerned by the wider church. But I had a sense of trust that whatever God was calling me to come and see was a part of the journey that I needed to experience. Indeed, perhaps the most important thing I learned was to be the best Ann I could be.
We need to learn and discern about out call. Yet there is another, perhaps even more important aspect to the invitation. It is an invitation that we as Christians need to offer to others. Jesus says ‘come and see’ through us. A simple invitation can be life changing. Come and see … That invitation can come in so many ways. It might be in a letter, or a look, or a simple act of unselfish love. When we invite others to faith, we invite them to encounter Christ, to join us on our faith journey.
“Come and see the Lord,” we are saying. “He will show us new ways of loving. He will show us new ways of living. He will give us a new identity as a Christian. He will show us the way to God. Come and see …”
How have you influenced others to become Christ-like? Have you extended them acts of love? Have you invited them to join you at church? Have you offered to pick them up and bring them to church? Have you invited them to stay for coffee and meet others in the congregation? Have you shared your own faith journey?
The story begins as it did for the disciples who wanted to meet Jesus. “Come and see,” Jesus said to them. And they followed him.
This whole congregation needs to be alert to the needs of those who come to see, those who are seeking Christ. That is our job as Christians. Is this a welcoming community of faith? Have you made an honest assessment of how welcoming you are? Our churches can be so inaccessible to people. There are many barriers to overcome. I was speaking to someone some time ago and I invited her to come to church with me. She told me she wouldn’t know what to wear. What keeps people from coming here?
What about once someone enters an Anglican church? How user friendly is our service? First of all there are the acronyms that we use so freely. The BAS, the BCP, PWRDF, the ACW. It must be very confusing for someone who comes to church for the first time. Then we flip pages. And as if that is not enough we have not one, but two books to handle. Are you attentive to those who are visiting or who are checking the church out? Do you make sure they know their way around the service?
What about where you sit? Do you always sit in the same seat? What if you happen to come in and someone is sitting in your place? What do you do? A little story about one of the churches that I served in. It was a tiny church in a village that was growing rapidly. The church also was experiencing great growth, especially young families with children. A long-time member of the church came in, looked around, and then searched me out. “There are people sitting in my pew,” she said to me. I turned to the sidespeople and asked them to find her a place to sit. I continued to get ready for the service. When I entered the church, I was flabbergasted to see that she was sitting in her pew by herself, while the family were on chairs at the back. That is a pretty extreme example, but does it happen here? What if you were to sit in different places just to get to know other parishioners? Would it give you a new perspective?
How do you make coffee hour more welcoming to newcomers? There is an excitement in this congregation as you chat with one another. It is wonderful. There is no doubt that it is a friendly place. But that can be intimidating to someone new. It can feel like a club. I challenge you to talk to someone each week that you have never spoken to before.
God uses us, each one of us, to communicate the faith. Every day of our lives, that welcoming message needs to come across loud and clear. “Come and see! Come and see where God is leading you. Come and see what wonderful things God has in store for your life. Come and see Jesus. Come and get to know him. Come and see…”
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Saturday, January 11, 2020
The Baptism of the Lord, Year A
Marked By Baptism
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
When I left my teaching position to study Theology, my good friend and colleague gave me a lovely gift, a glass swan on a mirror. She called it a marker, something to mark a significant event in my life as I made the transition from teaching to ordained ministry. I still have her gift. I consider it to be a treasure. But on reflection I realized that I already had a marker in my life. Through the sacrament of baptism I became a child of God, God’s beloved. “I sign you with the sign of the cross and mark you as Christ’s own for ever,” we say as we make the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead. I have that marker in my life.
John foretells the imminent arrival of the Coming One. Then Jesus, that very one, appears at the Jordan River to be baptized by him. John objects. “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
Jesus’ response may seem at first glance to be strange. “It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness,” he says to John. And John then consents to the baptism. By his baptism, Jesus identifies himself with humankind in all of our sinfulness. Yet if anyone is fulfilling righteousness already it is Jesus. What Jesus is saying, I think, is that God’s work, putting things right, is coming together in this baptism at this time. It is for Jesus the beginning of his earthly ministry. He is making a public declaration about where he stands in terms of God’s justice. His ministry is about righting the wrongs and lifting the burdens from the oppressed. He is being called by God to shine the light of God’s truth into all the dark places of the world.
And isn’t that exactly what Jesus did? Of course, the world responded as it always does by trying to stifle the goodness and light that Jesus brought. Humankind does not take kindly to criticism or to having one’s deeds exposed. And so Jesus was labelled a criminal and executed. That means that we who have been baptised sharing in Jesus’ baptism cannot stand by and approve of what happens in the world. It means we must strive to fulfill righteousness. We too must go about doing God’s work of justice, of putting things right, of shining the light of God’s truth into the dark places of the world.
And yet as I reflect on justice, I realize that our version of justice has often simply spread the darkness further through the world. Too often justice is brought about through vengeance, through force, through hostility, rather than through compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. How do we let the light of the gospel shine through us into the darkness around us?
All of that is reflected in our Baptismal Covenant which we will renew this morning in place of the usual affirmation of our faith. What did baptism mean to you? After all, for most of us here this morning it was likely a rite undertaken on our behalf when we were babies. That is the norm for an Anglican. How then does baptism become meaningful in our lives?
My baptism was as an infant. It was on May 24th, a Sunday afternoon. I was a few weeks old, so I don’t remember the day. But I can recount it to you, because my parents and sponsors made certain that I heard the story. They told me about the service. They gathered in the little church in Byng, my father’s first parish, on a beautiful sunny day. There were my older siblings, my parents and sponsors, my aunt and uncle and a good friend of the family, Aunt Alice Francis. My father performed the baptism. I was sprinkled with water. My brother was immersed and my mother put her foot down about the rest of us. She wasn’t going to have us drowned. A party followed the baptism and, since it was the long weekend, there were fireworks down by the river. I have pictures that were taken that day in the little church. I have my baptismal certificate and the tiny silver cross that my Godmother gave me. More than that, I have the recognition that something momentous happened in my life that day. That is because my parents brought me up in the faith. As I came to understand God’s significance in my life, I assumed the responsibility for my own spiritual life. I began to take my baptismal covenant seriously. In effect, I entered into ministry. Not ordained ministry – that came much later – but ministry nevertheless.
Grace is given at baptism. That has great significance. But as we grow into adulthood, we need to take responsibility for our spiritual lives. Baptism is something to be lived every day. When we were baptised God said over us as God said over Jesus, “This is my beloved.” We need to live every day knowing that by baptism we are beloved of God.
Being beloved of God carries with it an enormous responsibility. It is in the Scripture readings today. It is in the Baptismal Covenant that we will renew later in the service.
"Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?" I will say, and hopefully you will all answer, “We will with God’s help.” We get our spiritual nurturing by meeting as a community for fellowship and prayer. We hear the Word spoken and preached. We share bread and wine as we remember God's great gift to us.
"Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin repent and return to the Lord?" We will continue. A friend of mine has argued with me over the years about the need to confess our sins and to seek absolution. "You confess your sins every Sunday and then you go out and sin again," he said to me. "It just gives you permission to be a sinner. All those 'good' Christians coming sanctimoniously to church, getting down on their knees and repenting, and then going out of church with permission to do the same thing over again! What is the sense of all that!”
I reminded him that confession is good for the soul. It is part and parcel of our human nature to need reminders that we fall short of the grace that God so freely bestows on us. We need to know that no matter how many times we fail, God is there reaching out to us. But we need to know that it is our responsibility to live the Christian life. We can't simply say 'the devil made me do it'. And above all, if we are to be forgiving we need to know that we are forgiven.
I will ask you, "Will you continue by word and example the good news of God in Christ?" Most of us are not good at 'wearing' our faith. It is ‘unanglican’. It is not something we talk about too freely. Truly talking is not the most important evangelistic tool that we have. It is by living the Christian life that we share the good news. “Preach the gospel,” says St. Francis. “Use words if necessary.”
"Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?" We are redeemed and reconciled by the Spirit. We are called to follow Jesus. We have the task Isaiah put before the people of Israel and that we see fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. We are called to be light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of bondage, and to feed and clothe the poor and hungry. It is our call as part of the human race. It is our responsibility as Christians.
"Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?" How inclusive are we as a community? Are we advocates for the poor and those in need? The vocation of the Christian life and witness is to shed light on issues of justice. It is the great commandment once again. It is about our call to love God and to love neighbour.
And finally, one that is not in the BAS, but has been wisely added in recent years by General Synod. “Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?” In light of the ecological problems the world faces – wild fires, floods, drought, famine – that may be our most important call as Christians. What do we do personally to change our footprint, to use less of the world’s resources in a country blessed with so much? How do we become environmental advocates and activists when so many of our politicians and world leaders deny climate change? Do we simply give up thinking that we can do nothing, or do we demand the change that is needed and do something about it in our own lives?
If we take our Baptismal Covenant seriously – and I hope and pray that we do – then God’s justice must be our justice. The heart of the Christian faith is that by baptism each of us is brought into intimate relationship with a loving God. The simple fact is that I am God’s beloved daughter. You are God’s beloved son or daughter. It is for each of us to claim it and to live in the joy and confidence of it. The consequence of our baptism is that we emulate Christ, through witness in word and deed, and through communicating the love of God to all of humankind. There is a marker in your life. You are marked with the sign of the cross. Go out and be God’s light in a world of darkness. Amen.
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
When I left my teaching position to study Theology, my good friend and colleague gave me a lovely gift, a glass swan on a mirror. She called it a marker, something to mark a significant event in my life as I made the transition from teaching to ordained ministry. I still have her gift. I consider it to be a treasure. But on reflection I realized that I already had a marker in my life. Through the sacrament of baptism I became a child of God, God’s beloved. “I sign you with the sign of the cross and mark you as Christ’s own for ever,” we say as we make the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead. I have that marker in my life.
John foretells the imminent arrival of the Coming One. Then Jesus, that very one, appears at the Jordan River to be baptized by him. John objects. “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
Jesus’ response may seem at first glance to be strange. “It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness,” he says to John. And John then consents to the baptism. By his baptism, Jesus identifies himself with humankind in all of our sinfulness. Yet if anyone is fulfilling righteousness already it is Jesus. What Jesus is saying, I think, is that God’s work, putting things right, is coming together in this baptism at this time. It is for Jesus the beginning of his earthly ministry. He is making a public declaration about where he stands in terms of God’s justice. His ministry is about righting the wrongs and lifting the burdens from the oppressed. He is being called by God to shine the light of God’s truth into all the dark places of the world.
And isn’t that exactly what Jesus did? Of course, the world responded as it always does by trying to stifle the goodness and light that Jesus brought. Humankind does not take kindly to criticism or to having one’s deeds exposed. And so Jesus was labelled a criminal and executed. That means that we who have been baptised sharing in Jesus’ baptism cannot stand by and approve of what happens in the world. It means we must strive to fulfill righteousness. We too must go about doing God’s work of justice, of putting things right, of shining the light of God’s truth into the dark places of the world.
And yet as I reflect on justice, I realize that our version of justice has often simply spread the darkness further through the world. Too often justice is brought about through vengeance, through force, through hostility, rather than through compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. How do we let the light of the gospel shine through us into the darkness around us?
All of that is reflected in our Baptismal Covenant which we will renew this morning in place of the usual affirmation of our faith. What did baptism mean to you? After all, for most of us here this morning it was likely a rite undertaken on our behalf when we were babies. That is the norm for an Anglican. How then does baptism become meaningful in our lives?
My baptism was as an infant. It was on May 24th, a Sunday afternoon. I was a few weeks old, so I don’t remember the day. But I can recount it to you, because my parents and sponsors made certain that I heard the story. They told me about the service. They gathered in the little church in Byng, my father’s first parish, on a beautiful sunny day. There were my older siblings, my parents and sponsors, my aunt and uncle and a good friend of the family, Aunt Alice Francis. My father performed the baptism. I was sprinkled with water. My brother was immersed and my mother put her foot down about the rest of us. She wasn’t going to have us drowned. A party followed the baptism and, since it was the long weekend, there were fireworks down by the river. I have pictures that were taken that day in the little church. I have my baptismal certificate and the tiny silver cross that my Godmother gave me. More than that, I have the recognition that something momentous happened in my life that day. That is because my parents brought me up in the faith. As I came to understand God’s significance in my life, I assumed the responsibility for my own spiritual life. I began to take my baptismal covenant seriously. In effect, I entered into ministry. Not ordained ministry – that came much later – but ministry nevertheless.
Grace is given at baptism. That has great significance. But as we grow into adulthood, we need to take responsibility for our spiritual lives. Baptism is something to be lived every day. When we were baptised God said over us as God said over Jesus, “This is my beloved.” We need to live every day knowing that by baptism we are beloved of God.
Being beloved of God carries with it an enormous responsibility. It is in the Scripture readings today. It is in the Baptismal Covenant that we will renew later in the service.
"Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?" I will say, and hopefully you will all answer, “We will with God’s help.” We get our spiritual nurturing by meeting as a community for fellowship and prayer. We hear the Word spoken and preached. We share bread and wine as we remember God's great gift to us.
"Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin repent and return to the Lord?" We will continue. A friend of mine has argued with me over the years about the need to confess our sins and to seek absolution. "You confess your sins every Sunday and then you go out and sin again," he said to me. "It just gives you permission to be a sinner. All those 'good' Christians coming sanctimoniously to church, getting down on their knees and repenting, and then going out of church with permission to do the same thing over again! What is the sense of all that!”
I reminded him that confession is good for the soul. It is part and parcel of our human nature to need reminders that we fall short of the grace that God so freely bestows on us. We need to know that no matter how many times we fail, God is there reaching out to us. But we need to know that it is our responsibility to live the Christian life. We can't simply say 'the devil made me do it'. And above all, if we are to be forgiving we need to know that we are forgiven.
I will ask you, "Will you continue by word and example the good news of God in Christ?" Most of us are not good at 'wearing' our faith. It is ‘unanglican’. It is not something we talk about too freely. Truly talking is not the most important evangelistic tool that we have. It is by living the Christian life that we share the good news. “Preach the gospel,” says St. Francis. “Use words if necessary.”
"Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?" We are redeemed and reconciled by the Spirit. We are called to follow Jesus. We have the task Isaiah put before the people of Israel and that we see fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. We are called to be light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of bondage, and to feed and clothe the poor and hungry. It is our call as part of the human race. It is our responsibility as Christians.
"Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?" How inclusive are we as a community? Are we advocates for the poor and those in need? The vocation of the Christian life and witness is to shed light on issues of justice. It is the great commandment once again. It is about our call to love God and to love neighbour.
And finally, one that is not in the BAS, but has been wisely added in recent years by General Synod. “Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?” In light of the ecological problems the world faces – wild fires, floods, drought, famine – that may be our most important call as Christians. What do we do personally to change our footprint, to use less of the world’s resources in a country blessed with so much? How do we become environmental advocates and activists when so many of our politicians and world leaders deny climate change? Do we simply give up thinking that we can do nothing, or do we demand the change that is needed and do something about it in our own lives?
If we take our Baptismal Covenant seriously – and I hope and pray that we do – then God’s justice must be our justice. The heart of the Christian faith is that by baptism each of us is brought into intimate relationship with a loving God. The simple fact is that I am God’s beloved daughter. You are God’s beloved son or daughter. It is for each of us to claim it and to live in the joy and confidence of it. The consequence of our baptism is that we emulate Christ, through witness in word and deed, and through communicating the love of God to all of humankind. There is a marker in your life. You are marked with the sign of the cross. Go out and be God’s light in a world of darkness. Amen.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
All Saints, Year c
I Have a Dream
Propers Daniel 7:1-3,15-18 Psalm 149 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:26-36
Martin Luther King had a dream. His dream was put into the most memorable speech in American history during the March on Washington in 1963. It was a dream for an end to the mistreatment and exploitation of people of colour. It was a dream that his children would live in a country that was free of racist bias. It was a dream that informed people, not only of his time, but of the generations to follow.
Daniel had a dream. It was the kind of dream that stays with you when you awaken. You know somehow that it is about more than simply the things that are going on in your life. He knew that his dream was coming at an crucial time in the history of his people. It was a time of crisis for the Hebrew people. They were living in exile in Babylon. His dream was a prophetic vision about earthly kingdoms that had arisen from the sea to terrorize the community of faith. It showed him that the present crisis would not last forever. It gave him great hope during a particularly difficult period of time.
There is about All Saints Day that kind of dream-like quality. It is a celebration that pushes us beyond our immediate struggles and joys. It puts them into a framework that includes God’s struggle against evil. It takes us beyond the present crisis and gives us a way forward. It gives us a glimpse of the heavenly scene. It helps us to realize that we are part of that great communion of saints.
Paul had a dream. His dream was that we are all saints of God. He talks about how that dream becomes reality. Paul understands that sainthood, sanctity, holiness, is our call as Christians. Most of us don’t think in those terms. When we think of the saints of God we think of those who stand as giants of spirituality in a past age, the ones we see depicted in stained glass windows. Or we mean someone who embodies for us what we think it is to be Christ like. We forget that we are all in that process of becoming sanctified, of becoming holy. We forget that we are all called to be saints.
Paul addressed his letters to the saints. He wrote of the inheritance that awaited them as saints. He called them to hope for the fulfillment of the promise. He had heard of the fruit being brought about by their witness, and he wrote to affirm their witness. Paul knew that sainthood begins with allowing ourselves to be enlightened by the Spirit of God so that the dream becomes a reality.
Jesus had a dream. His dream was a world of shalom, of peace. His dream is expressed over and over in scripture, but perhaps nowhere as clearly as in the Beatitudes. If we look at it in earthly terms it is an impossible dream.
"Happy are the poor," Jesus says. And the world responds, "You know what makes you happy. Look at the beautiful home you have. Look how you live. Look at all your things. Don't you have everything you want?"
"Happy are the hungry," Jesus says. And the world replies, "You need so much more to be happy. Go out and buy some more things. Then you'll be really happy!"
Jesus says, "Happy are you who weep now, for you will laugh." And the world says, "Enjoy what you have. Life is so short. Live the good life. Live it to the full. Live it now. You can have it all!"
Jesus says, "Happy are you when people say nasty things about you, when they exclude you, when they put you down, when they abuse you." And the world replies, "Put them down before they put you down. That will surely make you happy."
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus does not offer a cure for human ills. His sermon does not offer something to be attained or accomplished; it is the goal of Christian living. As saints of God we strive to live within its guidelines. It does not lead to salvation; that is ours by grace. It leads to authentically living out our Christian faith. It is the portrait of a saint that results in the kind of life that communicates God's healing power to the lives of sick, lonely, oppressed, broken and unhappy people in our world and community. It is a way of life that helps us to grow as members of God's family.
The point, then, of this All Saints Day celebration is that God is much more generous than we would ever imagine. Where we would put up barriers to keep people out God breaks down every barrier. Where we would include only the select few to be saved, those who are most like us, God wills that all of humanity might turn to God. Where we would cut back the numbers to acceptable proportions, God expands them to people of every language, race, creed and way of life.
And sometimes we catch glimpses of Jesus’ dream becoming reality. It is affirming to encounter people who stand up against the mores of society, the saints of our age. Such people are not necessarily well known. They are just people like you and like me. They may have gone through difficult times themselves. They may simply want to make a difference. They have a dream that they want to turn into reality.
I have a dream. I have a dream that no child should go to bed hungry, that no person should be living on the streets.
I have a dream that our country will embrace our First Nations People and right the wrongs of the past. It is a dream that reconciliation will really take place, that each of us will come to terms with our responsibility as a nation and as individuals.
I have a dream that racism will no longer exist in our country, that people of every race and religion will find a home here.
I have a dream that we will so care for the earth that the ravages of climate change will be reversed and our world will be a clean and safe place for all generations to come.
So what is your dream? Because the dream becomes reality in each of us. The issue is not whether we are saints; it is what kind of saints we are. I was here a few weeks ago for a baptism. At that service we all renewed our baptismal covenant. It was a reminder of the promises that were made for us at the time of our baptism, and which we now keep for ourselves. More than that it was a reminder of our call to be the saints of God.
Our baptismal covenant calls us to communal worship, to come together and break bread and to pray together. It reminds us of our sinfulness, and of our need to be forgiven and in turn to be forgiving. It reminds us of our obligation to share the good news of the gospel, to be witnesses to what God has done in our lives through our deeds and through our actions. It calls us to live out the great commandment to love God and to love neighbour. It calls us to act as the saints of God, to be advocates for the voiceless, to seek justice for the poor and those in need, to respect the dignity of others.
The title saint belongs to each of us. The readings remind us of the faithful ones who have preceded us on life's journey. They remind us of the community of joy that awaits all of God's people. We owe a debt to those who have passed the faith on to us through hardship and trial. We recognize our responsibility in continuing this heritage for those who follow us.
So take a look around you at the saints of God. We come at all stages of spiritual life. We may not even be ready to recognize the sanctity, the holiness in our own lives. Who has helped make the dream a reality in your life? Have you influenced someone on their spiritual journey? We are the saints of God, all sorts of saints. May we live our lives open to God's grace at work in our lives. May we be worthy of our calling. May we continue to make the dream a reality. Amen.
Propers Daniel 7:1-3,15-18 Psalm 149 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:26-36
Martin Luther King had a dream. His dream was put into the most memorable speech in American history during the March on Washington in 1963. It was a dream for an end to the mistreatment and exploitation of people of colour. It was a dream that his children would live in a country that was free of racist bias. It was a dream that informed people, not only of his time, but of the generations to follow.
Daniel had a dream. It was the kind of dream that stays with you when you awaken. You know somehow that it is about more than simply the things that are going on in your life. He knew that his dream was coming at an crucial time in the history of his people. It was a time of crisis for the Hebrew people. They were living in exile in Babylon. His dream was a prophetic vision about earthly kingdoms that had arisen from the sea to terrorize the community of faith. It showed him that the present crisis would not last forever. It gave him great hope during a particularly difficult period of time.
There is about All Saints Day that kind of dream-like quality. It is a celebration that pushes us beyond our immediate struggles and joys. It puts them into a framework that includes God’s struggle against evil. It takes us beyond the present crisis and gives us a way forward. It gives us a glimpse of the heavenly scene. It helps us to realize that we are part of that great communion of saints.
Paul had a dream. His dream was that we are all saints of God. He talks about how that dream becomes reality. Paul understands that sainthood, sanctity, holiness, is our call as Christians. Most of us don’t think in those terms. When we think of the saints of God we think of those who stand as giants of spirituality in a past age, the ones we see depicted in stained glass windows. Or we mean someone who embodies for us what we think it is to be Christ like. We forget that we are all in that process of becoming sanctified, of becoming holy. We forget that we are all called to be saints.
Paul addressed his letters to the saints. He wrote of the inheritance that awaited them as saints. He called them to hope for the fulfillment of the promise. He had heard of the fruit being brought about by their witness, and he wrote to affirm their witness. Paul knew that sainthood begins with allowing ourselves to be enlightened by the Spirit of God so that the dream becomes a reality.
Jesus had a dream. His dream was a world of shalom, of peace. His dream is expressed over and over in scripture, but perhaps nowhere as clearly as in the Beatitudes. If we look at it in earthly terms it is an impossible dream.
"Happy are the poor," Jesus says. And the world responds, "You know what makes you happy. Look at the beautiful home you have. Look how you live. Look at all your things. Don't you have everything you want?"
"Happy are the hungry," Jesus says. And the world replies, "You need so much more to be happy. Go out and buy some more things. Then you'll be really happy!"
Jesus says, "Happy are you who weep now, for you will laugh." And the world says, "Enjoy what you have. Life is so short. Live the good life. Live it to the full. Live it now. You can have it all!"
Jesus says, "Happy are you when people say nasty things about you, when they exclude you, when they put you down, when they abuse you." And the world replies, "Put them down before they put you down. That will surely make you happy."
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus does not offer a cure for human ills. His sermon does not offer something to be attained or accomplished; it is the goal of Christian living. As saints of God we strive to live within its guidelines. It does not lead to salvation; that is ours by grace. It leads to authentically living out our Christian faith. It is the portrait of a saint that results in the kind of life that communicates God's healing power to the lives of sick, lonely, oppressed, broken and unhappy people in our world and community. It is a way of life that helps us to grow as members of God's family.
The point, then, of this All Saints Day celebration is that God is much more generous than we would ever imagine. Where we would put up barriers to keep people out God breaks down every barrier. Where we would include only the select few to be saved, those who are most like us, God wills that all of humanity might turn to God. Where we would cut back the numbers to acceptable proportions, God expands them to people of every language, race, creed and way of life.
And sometimes we catch glimpses of Jesus’ dream becoming reality. It is affirming to encounter people who stand up against the mores of society, the saints of our age. Such people are not necessarily well known. They are just people like you and like me. They may have gone through difficult times themselves. They may simply want to make a difference. They have a dream that they want to turn into reality.
I have a dream. I have a dream that no child should go to bed hungry, that no person should be living on the streets.
I have a dream that our country will embrace our First Nations People and right the wrongs of the past. It is a dream that reconciliation will really take place, that each of us will come to terms with our responsibility as a nation and as individuals.
I have a dream that racism will no longer exist in our country, that people of every race and religion will find a home here.
I have a dream that we will so care for the earth that the ravages of climate change will be reversed and our world will be a clean and safe place for all generations to come.
So what is your dream? Because the dream becomes reality in each of us. The issue is not whether we are saints; it is what kind of saints we are. I was here a few weeks ago for a baptism. At that service we all renewed our baptismal covenant. It was a reminder of the promises that were made for us at the time of our baptism, and which we now keep for ourselves. More than that it was a reminder of our call to be the saints of God.
Our baptismal covenant calls us to communal worship, to come together and break bread and to pray together. It reminds us of our sinfulness, and of our need to be forgiven and in turn to be forgiving. It reminds us of our obligation to share the good news of the gospel, to be witnesses to what God has done in our lives through our deeds and through our actions. It calls us to live out the great commandment to love God and to love neighbour. It calls us to act as the saints of God, to be advocates for the voiceless, to seek justice for the poor and those in need, to respect the dignity of others.
The title saint belongs to each of us. The readings remind us of the faithful ones who have preceded us on life's journey. They remind us of the community of joy that awaits all of God's people. We owe a debt to those who have passed the faith on to us through hardship and trial. We recognize our responsibility in continuing this heritage for those who follow us.
So take a look around you at the saints of God. We come at all stages of spiritual life. We may not even be ready to recognize the sanctity, the holiness in our own lives. Who has helped make the dream a reality in your life? Have you influenced someone on their spiritual journey? We are the saints of God, all sorts of saints. May we live our lives open to God's grace at work in our lives. May we be worthy of our calling. May we continue to make the dream a reality. Amen.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
20th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 30, Year C
The King of the Castle
Readings: Jeremiah 14:1-22; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
Today’s Gospel reading always reminds me of a childhood game we played at school. It is one of those universal games, but I suspect it got played out in different ways depending on the venue. Our schoolyard had a slope up to the fence along one side, and we children would scramble to be first to the top at which point we would shout as loudly as we could, “I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal.”
There are two characters in the story, one a Pharisee, and the other the dreaded tax collector.
The Pharisee is one of the pillars of the Jewish community. He gives generously. He prays and keeps religious observances well beyond what the law requires. You get the impression from his prayer that he is a one-person admiration society. There he is standing at the front of the synagogue where everyone can see him. "How good and pious I am," he thinks to himself. He is wearing long robes. They make him feel very holy. They attract lots of attention. Then he begins his prayer. "God, I thank you that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of humanity," he almost shouts it. Then he catches sight of that loathsome tax collector who has just sneaked as quietly and unobtrusively as possible into the back of the synagogue.
“I thank you especially that I am not like that tax collector over there. I mean, what is he even doing here?” He is confessing everyone else’s sins for them. His prayer is an exercise in unrealized self-congratulation. You get the picture, don't you? Here is a person who is totally satisfied with himself. Truly he does live a good life – upright, moral, pious. And what's more, he knows it. He is the king of the castle, the kid shouting at the top of the hill. Decent, law abiding, self confident, religious! A total success – at least in his own eyes!
Now I do not want to imply that he is not righteous. He deserves to be confident of his relationship with God. But he is confident for all the wrong reasons. “I fast twice a week,” he says. “I give a tenth of my income.” His achievements are not really that notable. Religious Jews paid the temple tax. They went to the temple to pray every day. It was also common for religious Jews to fast twice a week. Fasting is good for the soul. We should all try it more often. It can help clear one’s mind and body. It can help take away what stands between God and us. But it is not something to brag about. It is meant to further one’s spiritual life. The Pharisee has missed out on the true nature of his blessing. He trusts in himself rather than in God.
Then there is the tax collector. On the one hand, he knows that he has done nothing of merit. On the other hand, he has done much to offend the law of Israel. He is a shady character, to put it mildly! He makes his living in a rather underhanded way. He takes a little more than he should. He is grasping and unjust. He is the dirty rascal at the bottom of the hill. The loser. But you know, he has no false illusions. He sees himself pretty much as he is. He knows his failures, his flaws. He sneaks into the synagogue, way at the back where no one will see him. He does nothing to bring attention to himself. He simply cries out to God, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
And surprise! We are told that it is the tax collector, the sinner, the shady character, who went home justified. You see, he came to God in humility and found access to God’s grace. He faced the truth about himself and put his dependence on God’s compassionate mercy.
The Pharisee trusted in his own righteousness and religious achievement. He did all the right things, but he went about it in all the wrong ways. I suspect he was the kind of person who got all hot and bothered about silly little rules, about dotting i’s and crossing t’s. Instead of looking inward to see himself as God saw him, he spent his time tearing others apart. He forgot that his prayer should focus on God. His piety, the very thing that should have brought him closer to God, became for him an insurmountable barrier.
The outcome of the story is that God loved the dirty rascal at the bottom of the hill. God accepted the villain and rejected the saint. God saw the humility of the tax collector and accepted it; God rejected the pride of the Pharisee.
But what about us? About you and me? Do we have a bit of each in us? At the same time we stand with the Pharisee at the front of the temple bragging about our righteousness we stand with the tax collector at the back recognizing our guilt. Who really wants to identify with a self-righteous prig like the Pharisee? But he is faithful and pious. It is just that his way of approaching God is wrong. He lacks humility. But who wants to identify with the tax collector? He is commended for his prayer, but he is so lacking in self-esteem. And Jesus! Jesus stands there and laughs at our sense of ambiguity. Most of us accept that we are sinners, albeit forgiven sinners. We accept that forgiveness is a gift from God, a gift of grace, not earned or deserved, but simply accepted. What we often do not recognize is the cost of that grace.
Finding yourself blessed in life is a matter for gratitude, not for pride. But it is human nature to feel a sense of pride in what we do. We like to think that we have accomplished something in life. Perhaps the balance lies in honing our awareness that we are limited creatures, dependent on the life-sustaining nature of our world, dependent upon one another, above all, dependent upon our creator. That is the kind of attitude that is needed to bring about reform and renewal within the Church. It is the kind of attitude that is needed to bring about the renewal of all of God’s creation.
We live in difficult times. Our indigenous people are hurting. They blame us. Especially the Church! And we are to blame. I must admit that I felt a great deal of ambiguity about my culpability. You see, I taught in a Residential School back in the sixties. I grew up with a rather romantic notion about helping our First Nations people. Each Lent we children would fill our Lent box with its picture of cute little pigtailed “Indian” children with pennies and feel self-righteous about how much good we were doing. I went to Teachers’ College and the romantic notion stayed with me. I applied to Indian Affairs and went to teach in Fort George, Quebec, on the James Bay Coast. The experience remains bitter sweet. I loved the children. I did my best to teach them with limited resources. It was a difficult place for a young, inexperienced teacher. When many years later it began to come out about everything that had gone on in the schools – my principal was charged with sexual abuse from another school – I had to come to terms with the fact that no matter how well intentioned I was, I along with every Canadian bear the blame. I have become an Ambassador for the National Church and continue in the reconciliation process that we all need to undergo if wrongs are to be righted.
Then I think about Greta Thunberg and her mission to change the world. What she says about climate change is humbling. As she blamed adults for what the world faces through climate change, I found myself saying, but ... You know, but I recycle. But I am not wasteful. But I walk instead of driving. But I use reusable bags instead of plastic. As long as any of us says “but”, nothing changes. We continue in our self-righteous protestations, and the problem continues.
I don’t want to be the king of the castle. I don’t want to be the dirty rascal. What is the answer? It lies in the good news that God loves us. Our creator God looks down on us and calls us into right relationship with God and creation. I can only believe that the answer lies in that right relationship, in reaching out to God in prayer; in praying for a world that is crying out in pain; in praying that we will be people who strive for justice; in changing our attitudes and acting without saying but; in doing what God is calling us to do. Amen.
Readings: Jeremiah 14:1-22; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
Today’s Gospel reading always reminds me of a childhood game we played at school. It is one of those universal games, but I suspect it got played out in different ways depending on the venue. Our schoolyard had a slope up to the fence along one side, and we children would scramble to be first to the top at which point we would shout as loudly as we could, “I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal.”
There are two characters in the story, one a Pharisee, and the other the dreaded tax collector.
The Pharisee is one of the pillars of the Jewish community. He gives generously. He prays and keeps religious observances well beyond what the law requires. You get the impression from his prayer that he is a one-person admiration society. There he is standing at the front of the synagogue where everyone can see him. "How good and pious I am," he thinks to himself. He is wearing long robes. They make him feel very holy. They attract lots of attention. Then he begins his prayer. "God, I thank you that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of humanity," he almost shouts it. Then he catches sight of that loathsome tax collector who has just sneaked as quietly and unobtrusively as possible into the back of the synagogue.
“I thank you especially that I am not like that tax collector over there. I mean, what is he even doing here?” He is confessing everyone else’s sins for them. His prayer is an exercise in unrealized self-congratulation. You get the picture, don't you? Here is a person who is totally satisfied with himself. Truly he does live a good life – upright, moral, pious. And what's more, he knows it. He is the king of the castle, the kid shouting at the top of the hill. Decent, law abiding, self confident, religious! A total success – at least in his own eyes!
Now I do not want to imply that he is not righteous. He deserves to be confident of his relationship with God. But he is confident for all the wrong reasons. “I fast twice a week,” he says. “I give a tenth of my income.” His achievements are not really that notable. Religious Jews paid the temple tax. They went to the temple to pray every day. It was also common for religious Jews to fast twice a week. Fasting is good for the soul. We should all try it more often. It can help clear one’s mind and body. It can help take away what stands between God and us. But it is not something to brag about. It is meant to further one’s spiritual life. The Pharisee has missed out on the true nature of his blessing. He trusts in himself rather than in God.
Then there is the tax collector. On the one hand, he knows that he has done nothing of merit. On the other hand, he has done much to offend the law of Israel. He is a shady character, to put it mildly! He makes his living in a rather underhanded way. He takes a little more than he should. He is grasping and unjust. He is the dirty rascal at the bottom of the hill. The loser. But you know, he has no false illusions. He sees himself pretty much as he is. He knows his failures, his flaws. He sneaks into the synagogue, way at the back where no one will see him. He does nothing to bring attention to himself. He simply cries out to God, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
And surprise! We are told that it is the tax collector, the sinner, the shady character, who went home justified. You see, he came to God in humility and found access to God’s grace. He faced the truth about himself and put his dependence on God’s compassionate mercy.
The Pharisee trusted in his own righteousness and religious achievement. He did all the right things, but he went about it in all the wrong ways. I suspect he was the kind of person who got all hot and bothered about silly little rules, about dotting i’s and crossing t’s. Instead of looking inward to see himself as God saw him, he spent his time tearing others apart. He forgot that his prayer should focus on God. His piety, the very thing that should have brought him closer to God, became for him an insurmountable barrier.
The outcome of the story is that God loved the dirty rascal at the bottom of the hill. God accepted the villain and rejected the saint. God saw the humility of the tax collector and accepted it; God rejected the pride of the Pharisee.
But what about us? About you and me? Do we have a bit of each in us? At the same time we stand with the Pharisee at the front of the temple bragging about our righteousness we stand with the tax collector at the back recognizing our guilt. Who really wants to identify with a self-righteous prig like the Pharisee? But he is faithful and pious. It is just that his way of approaching God is wrong. He lacks humility. But who wants to identify with the tax collector? He is commended for his prayer, but he is so lacking in self-esteem. And Jesus! Jesus stands there and laughs at our sense of ambiguity. Most of us accept that we are sinners, albeit forgiven sinners. We accept that forgiveness is a gift from God, a gift of grace, not earned or deserved, but simply accepted. What we often do not recognize is the cost of that grace.
Finding yourself blessed in life is a matter for gratitude, not for pride. But it is human nature to feel a sense of pride in what we do. We like to think that we have accomplished something in life. Perhaps the balance lies in honing our awareness that we are limited creatures, dependent on the life-sustaining nature of our world, dependent upon one another, above all, dependent upon our creator. That is the kind of attitude that is needed to bring about reform and renewal within the Church. It is the kind of attitude that is needed to bring about the renewal of all of God’s creation.
We live in difficult times. Our indigenous people are hurting. They blame us. Especially the Church! And we are to blame. I must admit that I felt a great deal of ambiguity about my culpability. You see, I taught in a Residential School back in the sixties. I grew up with a rather romantic notion about helping our First Nations people. Each Lent we children would fill our Lent box with its picture of cute little pigtailed “Indian” children with pennies and feel self-righteous about how much good we were doing. I went to Teachers’ College and the romantic notion stayed with me. I applied to Indian Affairs and went to teach in Fort George, Quebec, on the James Bay Coast. The experience remains bitter sweet. I loved the children. I did my best to teach them with limited resources. It was a difficult place for a young, inexperienced teacher. When many years later it began to come out about everything that had gone on in the schools – my principal was charged with sexual abuse from another school – I had to come to terms with the fact that no matter how well intentioned I was, I along with every Canadian bear the blame. I have become an Ambassador for the National Church and continue in the reconciliation process that we all need to undergo if wrongs are to be righted.
Then I think about Greta Thunberg and her mission to change the world. What she says about climate change is humbling. As she blamed adults for what the world faces through climate change, I found myself saying, but ... You know, but I recycle. But I am not wasteful. But I walk instead of driving. But I use reusable bags instead of plastic. As long as any of us says “but”, nothing changes. We continue in our self-righteous protestations, and the problem continues.
I don’t want to be the king of the castle. I don’t want to be the dirty rascal. What is the answer? It lies in the good news that God loves us. Our creator God looks down on us and calls us into right relationship with God and creation. I can only believe that the answer lies in that right relationship, in reaching out to God in prayer; in praying for a world that is crying out in pain; in praying that we will be people who strive for justice; in changing our attitudes and acting without saying but; in doing what God is calling us to do. Amen.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
The Second Sunday of Easter, Year C
Opening Locked Doors
Readings: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 2; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
It is evening on the first day of the week. The disciples are huddled behind locked doors. After the death of their beloved leader they are naturally fearful. Jesus’ death had changed everything. Their hopes and dreams had been shattered. They feared for their lives. They had seen their leader cruelly executed. They lived in fear of the consequences of being a follower of Jesus. And so they locked the doors.
Are there doors that we lock for fear? Are there issues that are simply too painful for the Church to look at? Do we close our minds to change because we fear what it will mean in our lives? Does fear keep us from being totally committed to the message of the Gospel? We do not live in a perfect world. We are faced every day with inequities. There are problems we cannot solve. There are situations that seem insurmountable. There are injustices. There are tragedies that cry out for an explanation. There are conflicts that we cannot handle. Sometimes it seems easier and more prudent to huddle behind locked doors.
The disciples did not remain frozen in their fear. They unlocked the doors. They went back out into that same world. They faced those same authorities. They went out preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name. They did it with fervour and commitment. Even jail could not hold them back. “We must obey God rather than humanity,” they declared to the same people in fear of whom they had locked the doors.
What empowered them to unlock the doors, to open themselves up to persecution, to ridicule? What made them willing to live dangerously for their faith? It had to be more than the hope of winning some nebulous crown in another dimension. Their whole outlook changed. Your whole perspective does not shift without a momentous reason. For them to joyfully risk their lives, to endure beatings and imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, something unimaginable had to have taken place. They were committed. They were totally and utterly convinced of their cause, and equally convinced of the blindness of those around them.
There is only one possible answer to the change. Nothing, not a lock on a door, not the grave, not their betrayal of him, could keep Jesus from coming. He came and stood amongst them, offering peace, offering hope. And it changed them.
“We have seen the Lord,” they said to Thomas. When you have seen the One you thought you was gone forever, standing before you in all of his risen glory, when you are convinced that the power of death is overcome, then everything changes.
Notice that it didn’t change for Thomas, at least not right away! “If I could see, I would believe!” he tells them. He just cannot see the signs of resurrection. In his deep pain and anguish he cannot see that he has missed something. Something has changed. The disciples have been empowered. He cannot see through his sorrow to the hope in their words. He cannot experience the peace that Jesus has brought.
How like Thomas we are! If only I could see, then I would believe. Prove to me that God is alive. Where can I see resurrection in this world in which I live? I see only death.
Think back to your childhood. Consider what you believed. As children we were able to believe the impossible. That ability disappeared as we were taught that the world of imagination is not true. Faith requires that we will ourselves not to disbelieve, that we naively recapture the sense of wonder that we had as children.
Perhaps it is easier to do if we consider some words of Aristotle. “That which is impossible and probable is better than that which is possible and improbable.”
Magic is possible, but it is certainly improbable. We have all watched with amazement as a skilful magician works his magic. Our eyes tell us to believe. We want to believe. We know that it is a trick. We try to figure out how it is done, but underneath it all we just want to believe in the magic. We know that things are not as they appear to be.
We live in an age where impossible things become reality every day. Growing up, Saturday afternoon meant a trip to the movies. When the feature was over we would sit mesmerized by a serial. Each week, they would show a new segment of a science fiction film about space travel. It seemed far beyond the realm of possibility. Rocket ships! Moon landings! Visiting other planets! Yet not many years later, sitting in a campsite my sister and I listened on the car radio as the first people walked on the surface of the moon.
Resurrection on the other hand is impossible; but in the light of the reaction of the disciples it is also probable. If we are a people of the resurrection, then we must live as an Easter people. That may mean a change in direction. It may mean unlocking the doors that keep us trapped in fear. It may mean advocating for justice. It may mean taking a committed stand against society.
It is a standing joke about the Miss World Beauty Pageant as every contestant is asked what their hope is and all make the same reply, “World peace!” But I suspect that if I asked each of you this morning what you hope for that at least somewhere in your first few responses, world peace would appear.
We long for peace and harmony in our world. We hear on the news of terrorist acts in Sri Lanka and we long for peace. We hear of North Korea arming itself and we long for peace. We hear of young people being shot on our city streets and we long for peace. We hear of family violence and we long for peace. We deal with conflict in our personal lives and we long for peace.
And there is Jesus in the midst of us, wounded hands extended, offering peace. In that gesture, offered to us in the same way it was offered to the first disciples of Christ, we recognize and accept God’s love for us. We accept in faith the teaching of the apostles and their proclamation that they “have seen the risen Lord.” Then we allow God’s gracious Spirit, the peace he came to bring, to fill, energize and propel us toward a committal of all we are and have. Then we will know and experience the power of the resurrected Lord in our lives. We too will proclaim, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
Readings: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 2; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
It is evening on the first day of the week. The disciples are huddled behind locked doors. After the death of their beloved leader they are naturally fearful. Jesus’ death had changed everything. Their hopes and dreams had been shattered. They feared for their lives. They had seen their leader cruelly executed. They lived in fear of the consequences of being a follower of Jesus. And so they locked the doors.
Are there doors that we lock for fear? Are there issues that are simply too painful for the Church to look at? Do we close our minds to change because we fear what it will mean in our lives? Does fear keep us from being totally committed to the message of the Gospel? We do not live in a perfect world. We are faced every day with inequities. There are problems we cannot solve. There are situations that seem insurmountable. There are injustices. There are tragedies that cry out for an explanation. There are conflicts that we cannot handle. Sometimes it seems easier and more prudent to huddle behind locked doors.
The disciples did not remain frozen in their fear. They unlocked the doors. They went back out into that same world. They faced those same authorities. They went out preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name. They did it with fervour and commitment. Even jail could not hold them back. “We must obey God rather than humanity,” they declared to the same people in fear of whom they had locked the doors.
What empowered them to unlock the doors, to open themselves up to persecution, to ridicule? What made them willing to live dangerously for their faith? It had to be more than the hope of winning some nebulous crown in another dimension. Their whole outlook changed. Your whole perspective does not shift without a momentous reason. For them to joyfully risk their lives, to endure beatings and imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, something unimaginable had to have taken place. They were committed. They were totally and utterly convinced of their cause, and equally convinced of the blindness of those around them.
There is only one possible answer to the change. Nothing, not a lock on a door, not the grave, not their betrayal of him, could keep Jesus from coming. He came and stood amongst them, offering peace, offering hope. And it changed them.
“We have seen the Lord,” they said to Thomas. When you have seen the One you thought you was gone forever, standing before you in all of his risen glory, when you are convinced that the power of death is overcome, then everything changes.
Notice that it didn’t change for Thomas, at least not right away! “If I could see, I would believe!” he tells them. He just cannot see the signs of resurrection. In his deep pain and anguish he cannot see that he has missed something. Something has changed. The disciples have been empowered. He cannot see through his sorrow to the hope in their words. He cannot experience the peace that Jesus has brought.
How like Thomas we are! If only I could see, then I would believe. Prove to me that God is alive. Where can I see resurrection in this world in which I live? I see only death.
Think back to your childhood. Consider what you believed. As children we were able to believe the impossible. That ability disappeared as we were taught that the world of imagination is not true. Faith requires that we will ourselves not to disbelieve, that we naively recapture the sense of wonder that we had as children.
Perhaps it is easier to do if we consider some words of Aristotle. “That which is impossible and probable is better than that which is possible and improbable.”
Magic is possible, but it is certainly improbable. We have all watched with amazement as a skilful magician works his magic. Our eyes tell us to believe. We want to believe. We know that it is a trick. We try to figure out how it is done, but underneath it all we just want to believe in the magic. We know that things are not as they appear to be.
We live in an age where impossible things become reality every day. Growing up, Saturday afternoon meant a trip to the movies. When the feature was over we would sit mesmerized by a serial. Each week, they would show a new segment of a science fiction film about space travel. It seemed far beyond the realm of possibility. Rocket ships! Moon landings! Visiting other planets! Yet not many years later, sitting in a campsite my sister and I listened on the car radio as the first people walked on the surface of the moon.
Resurrection on the other hand is impossible; but in the light of the reaction of the disciples it is also probable. If we are a people of the resurrection, then we must live as an Easter people. That may mean a change in direction. It may mean unlocking the doors that keep us trapped in fear. It may mean advocating for justice. It may mean taking a committed stand against society.
It is a standing joke about the Miss World Beauty Pageant as every contestant is asked what their hope is and all make the same reply, “World peace!” But I suspect that if I asked each of you this morning what you hope for that at least somewhere in your first few responses, world peace would appear.
We long for peace and harmony in our world. We hear on the news of terrorist acts in Sri Lanka and we long for peace. We hear of North Korea arming itself and we long for peace. We hear of young people being shot on our city streets and we long for peace. We hear of family violence and we long for peace. We deal with conflict in our personal lives and we long for peace.
And there is Jesus in the midst of us, wounded hands extended, offering peace. In that gesture, offered to us in the same way it was offered to the first disciples of Christ, we recognize and accept God’s love for us. We accept in faith the teaching of the apostles and their proclamation that they “have seen the risen Lord.” Then we allow God’s gracious Spirit, the peace he came to bring, to fill, energize and propel us toward a committal of all we are and have. Then we will know and experience the power of the resurrected Lord in our lives. We too will proclaim, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
Saturday, March 16, 2019
The Second Sunday of Lent (Transfiguration)
Transforming Moments
Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36, 37-43
The Scripture readings today focus on transfiguration experiences. The first is the account of Moses returning from the mountain. He is changed as he returns from his encounter with God. His face shines from the experience. Of course his face shone. He had seen God. In fact it shines so much that it causes fear in Aaron and the Israelites. In further encounters with God he finds it necessary to mask himself when he returns. The story reinforces the importance of Moses as the one called by God to act as mediator and convey to the Hebrew people the ongoing messages from God. The message coming from Moses is alive. It brings life and light to the people if they are willing to hear it.
Paul too finds that his encounter with the risen Christ transforms all who experience it. He finds himself unmasked when he turns to Jesus. There is a new relationship. There is a new freedom. He sees Christ in all of his risen glory. Paul knows that the more you look at the divine glow in Jesus the more your life carries that same glow. He sees it not in terms of ecstatic experiences but in terms of love and compassion.
And on the mountain of transfiguration, not only is our Lord changed, but also the disciples who share the experience. It radically changes their relationship with him. In that mountaintop experience they catch a glimpse of the glory to come. They experience a moment of rapture. They hear the voice of God calling Jesus “my chosen Son”. Reflected in that same glory they begin to know themselves. They see all that they are meant to be. They are transformed into God’s own likeness. It is for them a call to action, a call to change, a call to be.
There are times in our Christian journey when we ascend the mountain with Jesus. There on the mountaintop we come to know him in his glory. Reflected in that glory we begin to know ourselves, to know all that we are meant to be. We too are called to the heights, to greatness. We are called to be transformed into God's own likeness. We are called to know the glory of God and to see it in our lives. Jesus Christ lived human life in such a way as to show that it was capable of transformation. In the same way God will bring about such a transformation in the whole of creation. The guarantee of our faith is that it will be worth it despite all of the difficult and painful things that happen in our life journey.
The problem is we often fail to see the glory that surrounds us. And if we do, we don’t allow it to transform the dreariness of our lives, because to allow that transformation to take place would mean to change our perspective. All too easily we allow the problems in our lives, the fears, to take hold.
We live in troubling times. Our world is crying out for transformation. That is obvious when we consider how many of the world’s leaders can simply ignore climate change. It is even more obvious when we consider the terrible event that took place in Christchurch two days ago. What a tragedy it is when people of faith cannot worship God without facing hatred from those who do not agree with them!
It is in these troubling times that we most need to step aside for a while, to find a quiet space in which we can pour out our hearts to God, in which we can climb the mountain of transfiguration and know God's presence as we pray and listen.
It is at such times that we need to allow the ordinary bread and wine of our existence to be held up before God to be transformed by his love into the body and blood of Christ. It is the time to allow word and table to transform our hearts. It is the time to experience the glory of God that Jesus and the disciples experienced on the Mountain of Transfiguration. For we too are invited to climb the mountain, to experience the light of God shining in our lives and then to carry it out into the world where others may see it as well. We all have those experiences in our lives, times when we are transformed by the greatness of God.
There are such times scattered throughout my life. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I saw a double rainbow stretching across the sky. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I watched the northern lights dance, when I saw the world transformed by a fresh snowfall, when I viewed the glitter of the stars piercing through a dark wintry night. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I stood on a lookout in the Rockies surveying God's wonderful creation from the top of the world. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I sat in the sunshine at the lighthouse in Finisterre looking out over the Atlantic Ocean after completing the first part of my Camino.
I was transformed by the greatness of God at a moment of conversion when I realized the utter reality of God, through answered prayer, on the wonderful day when I was ordained.
I was transformed by the greatness of God when Alice shared her last moments of life with me, giving me a glimpse of the kingdom; when an elderly woman said, “Get out my brown shoes; I'm going dancing tonight”; when a child who was not expected to live past her first birthday came running up to the altar for a blessing; when an elderly man told me his childhood memories of his mother's words to him many years before as she lay dying, words that comforted him in his last moments of life.
I am transformed by the greatness of God when I listen to great music, when I hear the sweet voices of a children's choir, when I hear a great organ being played.
I am transformed by the greatness of God each time I offer bread and wine, inviting people to the table. I am transformed by the greatness of God when we all join together to pray, “Glory to God...” I am amazed because they are transformative moments in my life. They are glimpses of the glory of God, moments in my day in which the world is transfigured. They are moments when I know that God is reaching out to me.
Grace comes into our lives in so many unexpected ways. Our relationships with other people can be transformative experiences that break down the barriers between God and humankind. There are times of disclosure and vulnerability when we allow others to really see who we are. Those are the moments that most clearly shape our lives. Without such moments others would never really come to know who we are. We would never really come to know them. And we would miss out on great insights into the nature and essence of the God we worship.
There is a purpose to the Transfiguration event. It gives a glimpse of the glory of God, something that we humans find impossible to fully comprehend. It was a great and grand event, the mountaintop experience. In sharing in it, although we find ourselves back in the valley again, we do so holding on to the memory of the transfigured and resurrected Christ. That is a memory that transforms our lives and allows us to share the light of Christ with others on the journey.
Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36, 37-43
The Scripture readings today focus on transfiguration experiences. The first is the account of Moses returning from the mountain. He is changed as he returns from his encounter with God. His face shines from the experience. Of course his face shone. He had seen God. In fact it shines so much that it causes fear in Aaron and the Israelites. In further encounters with God he finds it necessary to mask himself when he returns. The story reinforces the importance of Moses as the one called by God to act as mediator and convey to the Hebrew people the ongoing messages from God. The message coming from Moses is alive. It brings life and light to the people if they are willing to hear it.
Paul too finds that his encounter with the risen Christ transforms all who experience it. He finds himself unmasked when he turns to Jesus. There is a new relationship. There is a new freedom. He sees Christ in all of his risen glory. Paul knows that the more you look at the divine glow in Jesus the more your life carries that same glow. He sees it not in terms of ecstatic experiences but in terms of love and compassion.
And on the mountain of transfiguration, not only is our Lord changed, but also the disciples who share the experience. It radically changes their relationship with him. In that mountaintop experience they catch a glimpse of the glory to come. They experience a moment of rapture. They hear the voice of God calling Jesus “my chosen Son”. Reflected in that same glory they begin to know themselves. They see all that they are meant to be. They are transformed into God’s own likeness. It is for them a call to action, a call to change, a call to be.
There are times in our Christian journey when we ascend the mountain with Jesus. There on the mountaintop we come to know him in his glory. Reflected in that glory we begin to know ourselves, to know all that we are meant to be. We too are called to the heights, to greatness. We are called to be transformed into God's own likeness. We are called to know the glory of God and to see it in our lives. Jesus Christ lived human life in such a way as to show that it was capable of transformation. In the same way God will bring about such a transformation in the whole of creation. The guarantee of our faith is that it will be worth it despite all of the difficult and painful things that happen in our life journey.
The problem is we often fail to see the glory that surrounds us. And if we do, we don’t allow it to transform the dreariness of our lives, because to allow that transformation to take place would mean to change our perspective. All too easily we allow the problems in our lives, the fears, to take hold.
We live in troubling times. Our world is crying out for transformation. That is obvious when we consider how many of the world’s leaders can simply ignore climate change. It is even more obvious when we consider the terrible event that took place in Christchurch two days ago. What a tragedy it is when people of faith cannot worship God without facing hatred from those who do not agree with them!
It is in these troubling times that we most need to step aside for a while, to find a quiet space in which we can pour out our hearts to God, in which we can climb the mountain of transfiguration and know God's presence as we pray and listen.
It is at such times that we need to allow the ordinary bread and wine of our existence to be held up before God to be transformed by his love into the body and blood of Christ. It is the time to allow word and table to transform our hearts. It is the time to experience the glory of God that Jesus and the disciples experienced on the Mountain of Transfiguration. For we too are invited to climb the mountain, to experience the light of God shining in our lives and then to carry it out into the world where others may see it as well. We all have those experiences in our lives, times when we are transformed by the greatness of God.
There are such times scattered throughout my life. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I saw a double rainbow stretching across the sky. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I watched the northern lights dance, when I saw the world transformed by a fresh snowfall, when I viewed the glitter of the stars piercing through a dark wintry night. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I stood on a lookout in the Rockies surveying God's wonderful creation from the top of the world. I was transformed by the greatness of God when I sat in the sunshine at the lighthouse in Finisterre looking out over the Atlantic Ocean after completing the first part of my Camino.
I was transformed by the greatness of God at a moment of conversion when I realized the utter reality of God, through answered prayer, on the wonderful day when I was ordained.
I was transformed by the greatness of God when Alice shared her last moments of life with me, giving me a glimpse of the kingdom; when an elderly woman said, “Get out my brown shoes; I'm going dancing tonight”; when a child who was not expected to live past her first birthday came running up to the altar for a blessing; when an elderly man told me his childhood memories of his mother's words to him many years before as she lay dying, words that comforted him in his last moments of life.
I am transformed by the greatness of God when I listen to great music, when I hear the sweet voices of a children's choir, when I hear a great organ being played.
I am transformed by the greatness of God each time I offer bread and wine, inviting people to the table. I am transformed by the greatness of God when we all join together to pray, “Glory to God...” I am amazed because they are transformative moments in my life. They are glimpses of the glory of God, moments in my day in which the world is transfigured. They are moments when I know that God is reaching out to me.
Grace comes into our lives in so many unexpected ways. Our relationships with other people can be transformative experiences that break down the barriers between God and humankind. There are times of disclosure and vulnerability when we allow others to really see who we are. Those are the moments that most clearly shape our lives. Without such moments others would never really come to know who we are. We would never really come to know them. And we would miss out on great insights into the nature and essence of the God we worship.
There is a purpose to the Transfiguration event. It gives a glimpse of the glory of God, something that we humans find impossible to fully comprehend. It was a great and grand event, the mountaintop experience. In sharing in it, although we find ourselves back in the valley again, we do so holding on to the memory of the transfigured and resurrected Christ. That is a memory that transforms our lives and allows us to share the light of Christ with others on the journey.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Epiphany, Year C
Epiphany
From Darkness to Light
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany. The central image for the season is light. The light of God blazes and draws people to it. Light transforms the world into a society of peace and justice. It brings joy in the midst of despair. It gives hope in a world that knows darkness all too well. Epiphany is a joyous celebration that recognizes that God’s light shines out for the whole of humanity.
What comfort it is to see even the smallest flicker of light when you are wandering in darkness. How terrifying it is to live in darkness, whatever the reason for it! When you wander, lost and alone in the darkness, you long for the least glimmer of light. Light brings hope and alleviates fear.
The darkest time I ever remember experiencing was the blackout of the Eastern seaboard back in November of 1965. No one knew why we were experiencing such widespread power failure. There were speculations of course. Some people were certain that there had been a nuclear attack. Others suspected an invasion from another world. People feared some terrible natural disaster. But the most terrifying aspect of the whole ordeal for me was simply finding myself alone in the blackness unable to distinguish anything.
I was in the library at Trinity College studying as I often did back in the stacks. Now the library at Trinity was at that time in the basement of the old building. Even on the brightest day, it was totally dependent on electricity. In the stacks there were not even any windows. So when I say that it became dark, the darkness was total. The library went strangely silent. I waited at my desk for some time thinking that the lights would come back on or that my eyes would get used to it. But nothing changed. Finally I gathered my things together and tried to get my bearings so that I could grope my way to the door.
By this time although I still could see nothing, I could hear the murmuring of other people. I made my way towards the sounds. Then someone thrust out a hand. I took it. I remember how wonderful it felt to be linked to another person. How it gave me courage! How it gave me hope! “Reach out for someone else,” he said. And I reached out in the darkness and another hand grasped mine. We became a human chain, snaking our way towards the door.
But the best sight was yet to come. Before we got to the doorway, we could see a pin prick of light. By the time we reached the staircase, a soft glow was spreading through the building. Some of the students had thought to go into the chapel to find candles to light our way. Fear quickly gave way to laughter as we recognized friends in those gathered there. A prayer was sent up. Peace was restored.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of people being drawn to the light. Isaiah was a trailblazer. “Take heart,” Isaiah says, “for God comes like light in the midst of darkness and transforms the world.” What hope that brought to people who had long been exiled from their homeland! The Israel they had returned to was poor and shabby, a pale shadow of its former greatness. But God, Isaiah assured them, had not abandoned them. New blessings would transform Israel. Isaiah saw his nation possessing such light that others could not help but be drawn to it.
The story of the Magi is just such a story – a story of being drawn towards the light. The Magi are seekers. They did not just happen to follow the star. They must have been searching for something, for someone. You do not scan the sky night after night unless you are searching. Perhaps they were dissatisfied with their old ways. Perhaps they were hoping for something new. They packed their luggage, saddled their camels, and followed without any hesitation. They blazed a trail toward a new and inclusive society, a trail that lead in new directions, in new ways of relating to God, in new ways of being God's people.
They are searching for Christ without the exact directions. They follow a pinpoint of light in the dark sky. Their story is a struggle – a long journey, a tedious search, manipulation by a power-hungry king. Like the people of Israel they can take heart. For their struggle is rewarded. They find a child filled with possibilities. They offer their finest gifts truly giving of themselves. In true wisdom they allow God to direct their journey as they return home another way.
We too can take heart. We hear the words of the prophet Isaiah in the context of the salvation God offers us in the birth of Christ. We hear clearly the message of the magi as the best of the world’s wisdom acknowledges Christ. When we follow the light to the place where Jesus was born, when we kneel there in adoration, we place ourselves in the story. The story becomes our story. It becomes the story of the people of Bethlehem. It becomes the story of the children for whom Rachael weeps. It becomes the story of refugees who must flee for their lives. It becomes the story of rulers who are anxious and fear change. It becomes the story of the wise and educated, who willingly bring their gifts and talents and offer them to God. In these stories, we hear the pleas of the disadvantaged for a more equitable share of things and are reminded of the darkness in our lives. We are reminded of how we are people who stumble for so many reasons. We come to understand our need for God to illuminate the darkness of our lives.
We come to realize how our churches would be transformed if we became witnesses to the light of Christ. God’s grace has brought us light, has brought us truth. Is it obvious to the community here in Port Hope that God lives in the midst of our congregation? Are we part of the story? Are we reaching out with the light of Christ into our community? Are we an open and caring community that invites people in to share faith?
Our world would be transformed if we Christians recognized ourselves as witnesses to the light of Christ. For we would be following the star through the streets of our towns and cities, into our work places, parks and malls. We would see the star as it stopped over the homeless, the refugee, the First Nations person fighting for dignity, the drug addict, and the mentally ill. It would lead us to look after a world that cries out in distress, ravaged by Global warming.
And it would not stop there. For we would be opening our treasures and offering our finest gifts. We would be giving of ourselves to God and to others, because the Christ child would be born in us, not just at Christmas, but every day of our lives. The best of who we are, body, mind and soul, would be offered to God. The best of the world’s wisdom would acknowledge the Christ seen in one another.
As we enter this holy season, this time of renewing our relationship with God, this time of setting out resolutions to take us through the year, may we allow the light of Christ to illuminate the darkness of our lives. Amen.
From Darkness to Light
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany. The central image for the season is light. The light of God blazes and draws people to it. Light transforms the world into a society of peace and justice. It brings joy in the midst of despair. It gives hope in a world that knows darkness all too well. Epiphany is a joyous celebration that recognizes that God’s light shines out for the whole of humanity.
What comfort it is to see even the smallest flicker of light when you are wandering in darkness. How terrifying it is to live in darkness, whatever the reason for it! When you wander, lost and alone in the darkness, you long for the least glimmer of light. Light brings hope and alleviates fear.
The darkest time I ever remember experiencing was the blackout of the Eastern seaboard back in November of 1965. No one knew why we were experiencing such widespread power failure. There were speculations of course. Some people were certain that there had been a nuclear attack. Others suspected an invasion from another world. People feared some terrible natural disaster. But the most terrifying aspect of the whole ordeal for me was simply finding myself alone in the blackness unable to distinguish anything.
I was in the library at Trinity College studying as I often did back in the stacks. Now the library at Trinity was at that time in the basement of the old building. Even on the brightest day, it was totally dependent on electricity. In the stacks there were not even any windows. So when I say that it became dark, the darkness was total. The library went strangely silent. I waited at my desk for some time thinking that the lights would come back on or that my eyes would get used to it. But nothing changed. Finally I gathered my things together and tried to get my bearings so that I could grope my way to the door.
By this time although I still could see nothing, I could hear the murmuring of other people. I made my way towards the sounds. Then someone thrust out a hand. I took it. I remember how wonderful it felt to be linked to another person. How it gave me courage! How it gave me hope! “Reach out for someone else,” he said. And I reached out in the darkness and another hand grasped mine. We became a human chain, snaking our way towards the door.
But the best sight was yet to come. Before we got to the doorway, we could see a pin prick of light. By the time we reached the staircase, a soft glow was spreading through the building. Some of the students had thought to go into the chapel to find candles to light our way. Fear quickly gave way to laughter as we recognized friends in those gathered there. A prayer was sent up. Peace was restored.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of people being drawn to the light. Isaiah was a trailblazer. “Take heart,” Isaiah says, “for God comes like light in the midst of darkness and transforms the world.” What hope that brought to people who had long been exiled from their homeland! The Israel they had returned to was poor and shabby, a pale shadow of its former greatness. But God, Isaiah assured them, had not abandoned them. New blessings would transform Israel. Isaiah saw his nation possessing such light that others could not help but be drawn to it.
The story of the Magi is just such a story – a story of being drawn towards the light. The Magi are seekers. They did not just happen to follow the star. They must have been searching for something, for someone. You do not scan the sky night after night unless you are searching. Perhaps they were dissatisfied with their old ways. Perhaps they were hoping for something new. They packed their luggage, saddled their camels, and followed without any hesitation. They blazed a trail toward a new and inclusive society, a trail that lead in new directions, in new ways of relating to God, in new ways of being God's people.
They are searching for Christ without the exact directions. They follow a pinpoint of light in the dark sky. Their story is a struggle – a long journey, a tedious search, manipulation by a power-hungry king. Like the people of Israel they can take heart. For their struggle is rewarded. They find a child filled with possibilities. They offer their finest gifts truly giving of themselves. In true wisdom they allow God to direct their journey as they return home another way.
We too can take heart. We hear the words of the prophet Isaiah in the context of the salvation God offers us in the birth of Christ. We hear clearly the message of the magi as the best of the world’s wisdom acknowledges Christ. When we follow the light to the place where Jesus was born, when we kneel there in adoration, we place ourselves in the story. The story becomes our story. It becomes the story of the people of Bethlehem. It becomes the story of the children for whom Rachael weeps. It becomes the story of refugees who must flee for their lives. It becomes the story of rulers who are anxious and fear change. It becomes the story of the wise and educated, who willingly bring their gifts and talents and offer them to God. In these stories, we hear the pleas of the disadvantaged for a more equitable share of things and are reminded of the darkness in our lives. We are reminded of how we are people who stumble for so many reasons. We come to understand our need for God to illuminate the darkness of our lives.
We come to realize how our churches would be transformed if we became witnesses to the light of Christ. God’s grace has brought us light, has brought us truth. Is it obvious to the community here in Port Hope that God lives in the midst of our congregation? Are we part of the story? Are we reaching out with the light of Christ into our community? Are we an open and caring community that invites people in to share faith?
Our world would be transformed if we Christians recognized ourselves as witnesses to the light of Christ. For we would be following the star through the streets of our towns and cities, into our work places, parks and malls. We would see the star as it stopped over the homeless, the refugee, the First Nations person fighting for dignity, the drug addict, and the mentally ill. It would lead us to look after a world that cries out in distress, ravaged by Global warming.
And it would not stop there. For we would be opening our treasures and offering our finest gifts. We would be giving of ourselves to God and to others, because the Christ child would be born in us, not just at Christmas, but every day of our lives. The best of who we are, body, mind and soul, would be offered to God. The best of the world’s wisdom would acknowledge the Christ seen in one another.
As we enter this holy season, this time of renewing our relationship with God, this time of setting out resolutions to take us through the year, may we allow the light of Christ to illuminate the darkness of our lives. Amen.
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