Right for Christ

Grace, Favor and Our Response

2012-02-25T10:24:00.004-08:00

“Grace, Favor and Our Response”
1st Sunday in Lent 2012
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church

From the Epistle selection for the day from the Holy Communion lectionary, we read in 2 Corinthians 6:1: “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”

Permit me to read this section of Scripture to you, from 2 Corinthians 6:1-10:
“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

With this scripture in mind, what is grace? It is something all of us speak of, maybe without grasping the whole meaning of it, if that is possible. In my own case, the term came up one year at the family dinner table, as my parents debated its meaning. At the time, being young and rebellious, I thought it complete nonsense. That is, why should anyone spend valuable time discussing such a nebulous thing? Grace? What is grace?

Well, looking back on that conversation, now many, many years in the past, I am struck by my foolishness and what’s more, my sheer spiritual deadness at the time. In simple terms, I just didn’t “get it” then. In fact, my obstinacy really had the savor of death about it, rather than the sweet-smelling, life giving savor of Christ. As I look back on it, I have to say that there are some benefits of age. One of them is to marvel how much of a fool one was when young.

What then, is grace? One source gives us these definitions:
• Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
• The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
• An excellence or power granted by God.

Another source says that “Grace in this (Christian) context is something that is God-given, made possible only by Jesus Christ and none other. It is God's gift of salvation granted to sinners for their salvation”, and “The Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy that God gave to us by sending his son to die on a cross to give us eternal salvation.”

Grace is certainly all of these things. It seems that St. Paul has a particular concern that this excellence, this power, and this favor granted by God is not received in vain, or said another way, wasted. To emphasize his point, the apostle Paul paraphrases a line from the 48th chapter of Isaiah when he says,” I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” In Isaiah we actually read, Isaiah 49:8 “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;”. The concept of grace is clear in both passages, as they speak about the help, succor, and salvation of God extended to His people. Thus, we might learn from this that God has helped us, loved us and cares deeply for us. How should we respond?

We actually have two examples of our response to grace in the Holy Scriptures presented to us today. First, in the Epistle selection appointed for this Sunday, St. Paul speaks of his positive response to grace. This can be summarized in his toleration of sufferings, stripes, imprisonments, tumults, and labors. In a less violent way, he has fasted, been pure, taken knowledge by the Holy Ghost, expressed genuine love, and has spoken the word of truth. Also, he has known the power of God, has taken up the armor of righteousness, has had both honor and dishonor given to him, and has even been accused of being a deceiver. Finally, although chastened, he still lives and though he experiences sorrow, he can always rejoice. He is poor, yet he dispenses riches to many. He has nothing, yet he possesses all things.

If this is not a complete response to grace, then what is? He has seen and felt the worst the world put upon him, yet he is joyful. Paul has allowed grace to fill him completely, even to the point that he withstands all of these things.

On the other hand, we also have a negative example of the response to grace given us from the lesson written in Isaiah. Here, we may see the concern of St. Paul coming to light. Isaiah 58 clearly shows us how the favored people of God have responded to grace. Here we have the Chosen People of God, who are the very ones who received the Law and Prophets, acting in a way that does not bring them favor in the eyes of God. Isaiah speaks of a people who act as if they truly delight in knowing God and following his laws. The people act as if they want to approach God and be his people. Evidently, they work very hard at it by fasting, worshipping and sacrificing. Yet they wonder why God seems to take no notice of all their religiosity. All of their effort in looking holy seems to be for nothing.

Indeed. The prophet tells us the whole affair is a sham. They fast, not to heard by God or to be acknowledged by Him, but for contention and strife. Fasting actually gives them pleasure because they can feel holy and self-righteous while doing it. All of their religion is to look good before God, while they do what they want to do. The New American Standard translation makes this very clear as it says: “ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.” They are tough, demanding employers who ask too much of their employees. Also, keep in mind that many Israelites also prayed to pagan gods and goddesses while they were performing Temple worship.

To top it off, this is not the fast God had in mind. Outward manifestations of holiness and self-imposed physical afflictions are not what God wanted from his people. Instead, he wanted a fast from unrighteousness and from wickedness. He wanted his people to be truly righteous, fair, and just to all. They should not oppress those who work for them, nor should they deceive those with whom they do business. They should be true and generous to those who need help and should freely give to those in need. If they do these things, the Israelites would be the people in whom God delights.

On this first Sunday in Lent, we can take a lesson from both these passages. They can help shape our Lenten experience and help us determine our own response to grace. Will we have the positive response to grace like St. Paul's? Will our response to God’s call be one of joy unfeigned and of the knowledge of God’s ever-present help? Will we take this Lent to use God’s grace in a constructive and edifying manner? That is, will we be better for it after this Lenten season? Or, will we in some way emulate the ancient Jews, by engaging in outward worship while resisting real, inward change? God forbid.

God forbid that this Lent be anything else but a time of somber spiritual refreshment. Let our souls and being be flooded with our positive response to grace, so much so that we are the better people for having gone through it. Unlike the sinners of old, let us use our worship time together to build each other up, while experiencing great spiritual refreshment ourselves. There is no better time, and there certainly is no better place to do this.

In Christ, we are the new chosen people of God. Let our response to His grace be always praiseworthy to Him, and edifying to us in this blessed and holy season of Lent.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2: “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Glory be to God the Father, and to God the Son and to God the Holy Ghost, now and forever. AMEN

The greatest of these....

2012-02-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

"The greatest of these..."

Quinquagesima 2012
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

1 Cor. 13:1-3
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my distinct honor and privilege to speak to you about this passage from I Cor. 13:1-13, which is the Epistle for today, Quinquagesima. As you know, Quinquagesima is the fancy term for 45 days before Easter. When I was preparing for this homily, it took me aback a little, because we are already moving into Lent. Already, time moves on with alacrity.

We are indeed privileged to think about 1 Cor. 13:1-13 together today, because in my humble opinion, it is one of the most important passages in the epistles of St. Paul. It is certainly one of the most moving. Why and how could this preacher make such a sweeping statement? Simply because the apostle says so himself in the last verse of the epistle, when he says, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

The word “charity”, when it is understood in all its fullness actually encapsulates the entire Christian religion. That is, it should underscore everything that we do as Christians. It is the very bedrock of Christianity, because from charity springs the very root and essence of our religion.

To begin to understand this, let us retreat a bit and explore what “charity” means in the context of the epistle for the day. Instead of the modern thought of “charity”, which is usually understood as providing material sustenance, it must be that the classical sense of charity is something more. Let us not, however, downplay the importance of helping those less fortunate than us with such things such as money, or food, or clothing. There are indeed many fine charitable organizations such as the Red Cross, United Way, UNICEF, or the very worthy Salvation Army.

While these are good and worthy expressions of charity, we will submit for your consideration that giving “things” to people doesn’t do justice to what “charity” really means. The true expression of charity should extend to everything we do, say and think. It should, in fact, be a governing principle in our lives.

Let me explain. First, St. Paul wrote this passage: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” The Reformers picked up on this thought and asked in the Collect for the Day for the Holy Ghost to “pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity” They weren’t just talking about the ability to sustain people in a material way. They were realizing a universal concept and attitude of charity as being a guiding light and a way to live in harmony with other people on this earth.

When St. Paul wrote this epistle, he had in mind, I believe, the word “caritas”, which is a special kind of love, one marked with one special attribute: the ability to look favorably and kindly on everything around one. When the Reformers spoke about “charity” they were speaking about this same quality, which is the gracious means to treat other people and situations without scorn, ridicule or mockery. Charity, as they meant it, is to see the world through Christ’s eyes and bring all situations under his Lordship. That is, while Christ certainly saw the evils, foibles and sinful nature of man, he also could look beyond them and love men despite what they were.

So, permit me to say that seeing the world with charitable eyes is to bathe the world with love and kindness in spite of what it is and says and does. In financial planning, the planner is urged to see his clients with “unconditional positive regard.” It is exactly the same now that this priest is in the teaching field as my secular employment. As teachers, we must regard our students with unconditional positive regard. In a similar vein, if we are maximizing our Christian behavior, we are to be charitable in our outlook, our actions and our speech. We are to be charitable in our giving and in our receiving. We are to be charitable in our speaking and behaving. We are to be charitable in our feelings and attitudes to one another, especially with those of the house of faith. Of course, the church should be the very expression of charity in thought, word and action, but alas, that is oftentimes not very true, due to our fallen human nature. Just look how Christians have treated other Christians in history. It is very, very, bad.

Sometimes, scorn and the spirit of ridicule get hold of us, sometimes we look down on those less fortunate than ourselves, and sometimes we even allow our annoyance with people or situations to engender within us a spirit of anger or resentment. All of these do not foster the spirit of charity, but rather the reverse. In Galatians 5, St. Paul gives us one of his laundry lists of human misbehavior:
“Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Now, of course, these are the results of our fallen human nature run rampant. They all stem from the lack of charity in our souls. When charity does not rule in our hearts, we become servants of all these other fallen traits, and we lose mastery of our behavior and ourselves. This is why, I believe, St. Paul said in 1Cor 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

No doubt, you are aware that some modern translations substitute the word “love” for “charity” in this passage. While that is OK, it is not complete. Charity is certainly a form of love; but it is not the whole totality of love. It is, however, a precise application of love in our everyday lives to all around us. So, in my humble opinion, “charity” is a more precise and accurate way to say what St. Paul wanted to say.

Returning to our Epistle, St. Paul says: “Charity has patience, is kind; charity is not envious, is not vain, is not puffed up; does not behave indecently, does not seek her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. Charity does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, quietly covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity never fails.”

Thus, charity is the universal virtue. When one expresses charity in their life, one is truly living the Christian religion.

One last point about the fundamental nature of charity: earlier, we mentioned that “from charity springs the very root and essence of our religion.” How can this be? What one monumental charitable act separates Christianity from all other religions?

This should be an easy one, of course, for us Christians. The one monumental charitable act that sets Christianity apart from every other religion is God’s gift of Jesus Christ to the world. It was the most excellent, supreme act of giving ever done or that ever will be done. Despite what God the Father knows about us, and despite what we have done, and what we are, He performed the most charitable act possible by redeeming us from sin and eternal death. How? Through the most precious thing that He had, His holy and eternal Son. Beloved, if that isn’t charity, then what is?

This is why St. Paul says in 1Co 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also am fully known.” He is describing the eternal experience in Heaven, as we, who on earth now can only see only a little glimpse of God’s eternal purpose for us, but once in Heaven will be able to see the fullness and beauty and perfect-ness of salvation.

Then we won’t see God “through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.”
We shall behold the majesty and glory of the Beatific Vision in all its completeness. And, we will know God even as He knows us.

What a glorious thought!

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Sexagesima 2012

2012-02-12T05:25:00.000-08:00

Sexagesima 2012
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
February 07, 2010

2 Corinthians 11:19 " For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise."

Thus opens this particular passage from II Corinthians, as the Apostle Paul now finds himself under attack from the very congregations he planted so laboriously at Corinth. I say “congregations” because Corinth turned out to be one of St. Paul’s very successful church plantings, resulting in several congregations, actually house churches of various sizes, all over the city. Recall how that in 1st Corinthians, Paul complained that the church at Corinth was threatening to break into factions, some following Paul, others following Apollos, and others Cephas. Thus, it seemed that that the church had growth problems, which lent themselves to bickering over leadership and other issues.

Evidently, the church at Corinth had something else, too: pride. As you know from your church history, Corinth was a prosperous city with a strong economy. Its strategic location lent was the major factor for this prosperity. One source says that Corinth was located south of the Corinthian Gulf, on the Peloponnesian side of the Isthmus of Corinth. Evidently there were two harbors which accommodated the city's position of control over the isthmus between two seas. It comes as no surprise that the city derived income from its control of the isthmus, because it imposed a charge was imposed for boats or cargo hauled on a platform across the isthmus. It seems that they actually hauled boats and ships across this narrow strip of land for a fee.

It must also be noted that Paul’s Corinthian congregation was varied and diverse, including not only the middle class off Corinth, but also working men, slaves and freedmen. This diversity naturally led to a rich, but heterogeneous church congregation. The mix of peoples, occupations and incomes such as this expressed itself in many differing views and opinions, no doubt some of them very strongly felt, and many of them concerning the Apostle himself. This is the position in which he found himself when he penned the second Corinthian epistle.

As they were prospering economically, the Corinthians had another problem, pride which led to a misdirected sense of leadership. When Paul says: “For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. ”

How could this be? What situation in the early Church could have triggered such a statement? Simply, it was the fact the early Church was soon found herself dealing with a host of many false preachers and religious charlatans. These men approached the early congregations. Speaking wonderful words and projecting a holy and pious presence, these men, many of them rank heretics, appeared at many of the meeting places and sought to sway the congregations. Taking advantage of both the simplicity and generosity of the early Christians, these religious con men sought not only hospitality, but wages as well. This is in stark contrast this to Paul’s claim that he sought nothing from them but their earnest faith in God. He emphasized that he supported himself, as he told us in “I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.” Paul also states that he”robbed other churches” to help support the Corinthian mission effort. By this he obviously meant that he used general church funds to subsidize them. Contrast that with the openly avaricious itinerant preachers descending on the Corinthians.

It we examine the situation of the early Corinthians, we may see some value and even a parallel to our own lives, especially as regards to our faith.
What is being presented to us is a choice, a dichotomy, if you will. This dichotomy is the choice of two paths, ultimately. One path is the tried, true, ancient, and honorable doctrine and beliefs of traditional Christianity. The other is the lure of the new, the sensational, and the exciting “new frontiers” that mankind constantly seeks. For example, this preacher is always amazed, even in his own life, how one can ignore the counsel of those very close, and instead give credence to outside counsel more readily. The Corinthian Church chose to ignore St. Paul’s teaching and doctrines, while settling on the leadership of various other leaders who didn’t have Paul’s apostolic credentials. They thought of themselves as too wise to heed the teachings of one who had seen the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. Instead they were running after other, more spurious doctrines that have been more attractive or seemed fresher than Paul’s

It may have been because they did not have Paul’s steady hand on their theological tiller on a daily basis, or that they were simply swayed by smooth talking, charismatic heretics. They were in danger of going off into the theological weeds, so to speak. Hence, St. Paul is alarmed and even feels that he must upbraid them for their foolish behavior. Although it occurred in the Epistle to the Galatians, recall Paul’s cry of “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” One could certainly say, “O foolish Corinthians, who hath bewitched you?”

There is no doubt that the newest ideas try to take us captive, if we allow them to sway us. In modern society, perhaps we too are like the ancient Athenians of the Book of Acts, who St. Paul accused of always seeking to hear something new. Yet, new things are not always good. The one exception may be in the field of technology. Old beliefs, burnished with age, may be battered and besieged, especially by the onslaughts of the New Morality; yet they stand. The New, while claiming to be something fresh, is usually just simply the old traps laid out by Our Enemy below. Those souls, bereft of Gospel armor, are usually easy prey. We see examples of this every day, as many people seek the newest and the most advant garde, rather than those concepts that are tried and true.

Let us return to the Corinthians and draw a lesson from their situation. The Corinthians had a choice. They could continue to honor the teachings and moral example of their apostle and founder, St. Paul, or they could embrace the new, fresh, and erroneous teaching of the new voices in their midst. This is exactly why St. Paul upbraids the congregation by telling them that they must be wise, because they put up with fools. John Calvin says this: “For ye bear with fools willingly. He calls them wise -- in my opinion, ironically. He was despised by them, which could not have been, had they not been puffed up with the greatest arrogance. He says, therefore- "Since you are so wise, act the part of wise men in bearing with me, whom you treat with contempt, as you would a fool." Hence I infer, that this discourse is not addressed to all indiscriminately, but some particular persons are reproved, who conducted themselves in an unkind manner.” Thus, here they have the greatest Evangelist known to the Christian world, the one that lovingly planted this congregation and even fed them with other churches’ funds, only to be vilified and dismissed as a fool. This is, once again, a fine example of fallen human nature at work.
The extent of St. Paul’s sense of injury is so immense that he even proceeds to rehearse his qualifications for the Corinthian church. He is “compelled” to boast, as he later tells us, of his sufferings for Christ. They are immense, only to be described as incredible to anyone who had not the irresistible conversion experience that St. Paul underwent on the Damascus Road. To sum up his sufferings, he was beaten five times with the requisite 39 stripes, he was beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and suffered shipwreck three times.
He suffered hunger, thirst, privation and danger, both from the Gentiles and the Jews. He was exhausted, sometimes sleepless, and constantly harried on many fronts.
On top of these external dangers and troubles, Paul had the daily pressure of care for the churches. Sometimes, when I feel a bit stressed, I read this passage and realize that it is all very, very good. As I may have related before, the only time I personally have shed blood for our Lord was during a church cleaning session when an old sanctuary lamp shattered in my hands! I daresay there is no comparision….
What we are talking about is not a new or even novel message in any way. It is, in the words of our Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Leonard Riches, not even old-fashioned enough to please our Lord. Once, he addressed the presbyters and delegates in that fashion, saying that it could be a problem if we are not that old-fashioned.
Rather than run after the effervescent, even nebulous directives, whims and fads of a lost society, let us hold to the old, the tried, the true, and the tested. Our Lord doesn’t change; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We need to be the same.
Refresh yourselves in the old and rich. Read the Scriptures every day. At least once a year, read the Thirty-Nine Articles to get a flavor of the strong intellectual underpinnings and vibrant faith of the Anglican Fathers. Meditate on your salvation with uplifted heart and eyes. Give thanks that God has chosen you, despite your sins and failings, to enjoy life with Him forever. Never let that fade from your heart.
We Christians are a blessed people. We are fortunate beyond our deserving. We are saved without merit, forgiven beyond measure, and strengthened beyond belief for a life of love and service.
This is not a new message. It is as old as Christianity itself, and yet as fresh as the purest sunrise in the first days of spring, when all the Earth celebrates the ever-present Glory of God.
Glory be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, now and for ever. AMEN

Fairness and Grace - Septuagesima 2012

2012-02-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Septuagesima 2012
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Feb. 5, 2012

Fairness and Grace

Mat 20:1-2
"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard."

Matthew 20, from which our Gospel selection comes,is a powerful and purposeful statement about God. It tells us, in a way that is counter to our earthly mindset, how God operates. It also gives us a hint of the unspeakable glory and mercy of God. It may remind one of Isa. 55:8, when the LORD informed Israel: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” In fact, if a person does not possess the enlightening Spirit of God, it is possible that one might be tempted to judge God according to our standards, rather than the opposite.

In the parable, Christ tells us about the “the Householder” who hires workers for his vineyard. He hires some early in the morning, agreeing with them for a denariius, which was the standard daily wage in ancient times. He then returns to the marketplace and hires others until he has hired workers for the entire day, even up to the last hour of the day. Each time he hires workers, he tells them “Whatsoever is right I will give you.”

It was the custom in ancient Israel for the landowner or employer of day labor
to settle up, or pay his workers at the end of each day. If one did not to do so, this was considered a grievous offense. Even the prophets decried those who kept back the laborers due by defraud, or waited until the morning to pay their help. Recalling that most workers were living literally hand-to-mouth, this daily wage would provide funds for supper or for lodging for that day. Being unfair here was not only deceitful, but it was also cruel as an unjust employer might deprive his workers of their daily food.

Christ often used parable language to teach, as we all know. He did that so those for whom His word was designed would speak to their soul, while others, who did not have a mind for God, would simply disregard his message. I’m sure there is a message about predestination here somewhere, but that is a discussion we need not engage in at this time. Thus, as always in the parables, we need to examine the various characters in the story in order to gain the maximum understanding of it. We will also realize the genius of God’s Word and its ability to communicate with us on several levels simultaneously.

First, we recognize that the “Householder” is God, who manages his “vineyard” with great care, even seeing to its administration personally. This parable is proof text that tends to invalidate the concept of the Deist God. Recall that this idea, which was very popular in the 18th century, claimed that God created the world and then let it run, like a watch, while He gazed on it with benign indifference. We believe that this parable rather shows the opposite, as we see God intimately involved with the details of His world. Note however, that it still allows for the mysteries of free will at the same time.

Some time ago I went on a Thomas Merton reading binge. Merton, you will recall, was a prolific Anglican writer who became a Trappist monk. He wrote extensively about his own spiritual biography and the mysteries of faith. Early in his writing career, he also wrote about Mankind’s cooperation in this work of God through prayer. When he was a new monk and still very enamored with the monkish life, he wrote of the monk in his abbey supporting the world in a web of prayer. He thought that prayer works mysteriously with God’s sovereign grace in upholding the work of creation. There are many, like this preacher, who also shares a similar opinion, that somehow our prayers are caught up in the Mind of God to influence or carry out His outcome for reality. Be that as it may, our God cares about His Creation and about us. He is not some dispassionate deity, like the Buddha, but rather exhibits the kind of tender love that caused Him to give His only son as a sacrifice for our wretchedness.

We also note that the vineyard symbolizes this world. It also symbolizes, or at least encompasses, Israel. Our Lord often used the concept of vineyard allegorically to represent Israel, as in the two vineyard parables in Matthew 21. which also echo the first chapter of the prophet Isaiah. In Matthew 21, our Lord told the parable of the two sons assigned to work in the vineyard, and then He related the parable of the vineyard, created by a tenant king, who later sends his servants to receive its fruit.

The idea in presenting Israel as a vineyard was to demonstrate that it was something special and precious to the Lord, and it presented a stark contrast of Israel’s ingratitude in return. You all are aware of the great amount of work it takes to run a successful vineyard, as the grapes must be planted, pruned, tended and nurtured to maturity. After that, comes the laborious harvest and the processing of the grapes into juice. Then, the fermentation process and the long aging process which eventually produces drinkable wine. Obviously, it is very labor intensive and time intensive. Eventually, with good management and good stewardship, good wine is produced, the fruit of the vintner’s labors. Of course, we Christians see the obvious analogy to our lives. God the Great Vintner or Husbandman plants us, prunes us, and matures us over time with His Holy Spirit.

If we are “good soil”, we are expected to produce good fruit, which is expressed in not only the time, treasure and talent we return to God in His Church, but in our daily outliving of the Christian existence here on earth.

The crux of the parable occurs when the time comes to “settle up.” In this case, each worker comes for his wage and each receives a penny. From the ones hired first to the ones hired last, each receives the same amount.

Here is where the parable runs exactly counter to our expectations as humans and our preconceived notions of justice. We all can identify with the workers hired first, as they have worked all day and yet see the ones hired in the last hour paid the same as they. They feel a burning sense of injustice and thus begin to rail against the householder. In the calm, immutable way of those who are just, the householder says to them, in Mat 20:13-14: “But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.”

Here, the householder does two things: first, he confronts the workers with the just agreement that they made with him at the beginning, “didst not thou agree with me for a penny?” Next, he declares his sovereignty over the situation by saying: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” This statement declares that God will do what He wishes with His Creation. As the great Victorian wit, Lord Acton, once said, “Man proposes, God disposes.”Thus, here we have man’s ideas of fairness contrasted with God’s benevolent despotism. That is, man creates ideas of justice, while God dispenses actual justice.

Looking deeper into this parable, it goes much farther than this. This story speaks to us about the very nature of grace and salvation itself. If it were not so, those who labor in the Christian way all their life and lead blameless lives would expect more salvation than those called in old age, or even on their deathbed. We must avoid that mindset, because we know that our works do not save us, only the mediating work of Jesus Christ. God in His mercy grants to all those called in His Grace and those who hear Him eternal salvation through Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must marvel at the fact that God does not merely mete out justice, but grants us true mercy. For, if God were to treat all of us fairly, even according to our own standards, Hell would be very, very, full indeed! Instead, through the merits and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are granted mercy and forgiveness to become not only inhabitants of heaven, but even called sons and daughters of the King.

This fact is amazing, that God calls us, even us, poor, wretched workers who have worked but one hour in his vineyard, into full fellowship with Him, forever. Beloved, this fact should baffle and amaze you, while at the same time filling you with joy and peace. If it does not, perhaps it is time to take a spiritual inventory. It is the fundamental truth of Christianity that we don’t earn our salvation, but that it is a fact accomplished solely by God’s Grace. We have a God who desires, deeply, fellowship with His Creatures. He is willing to live with us for all eternity.

On this Septuagesima Sunday, we are now on the threshold of that blessed and solemn season of Lent. There is no better time to get our spiritual house in order.
We have passed through the joyous and busy times of Christmas and Epiphany, celebrating the Incarnation and Birth of our Lord and Savior. Now, it is time to reflect on the deep mysteries of Christ’s ministry of salvation for us, accomplished on the Cross. We will reflect on our own unworthiness as well, while prayerfully making progress towards the solemn days of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Thus, let us not be like the workers who, having agreed with God for a just wage murmured against Him when they saw others compensated likewise. This emotion and similar feelings of “fairness” often have the nature of sin about them. Rather, let us be like those, who having escaped a sinking ship early, now welcome other late swimmers into the lifeboat. It is not us who save ourselves, but God’s overwhelming Grace and Mercy that grants us safe passage into Paradise. There is a good reason why we Anglicans call this sanctuary a “nave”, from the Latin Natus, or ship. The Church is our helper, ordained by God, to bring us safely into the calm waters of Heaven.

As Christ Himself promised us in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Peace is this world is an illusion. Life is a struggle. Yet, in the midst of all of it, we Christians can have peace, true, deep abiding peace, because He who is greater than we has already won the battle. In Him is our confidence, our joy, our rest and our eternal salvation.

Mat 20:16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to Holy Ghost, now and for ever.

AMEN

The Beginning of the Gospel

2012-01-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Rev’d. Stephen E. Stults
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
January 15, 2012

“The Beginning of the Gospel….”

Mark 1:1-3 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.” (taken from the New American Standard Edition.)

It is very proper that we should read this particular Gospel selection for this Second Sunday after Epiphany. This is, after all, the first season in the Church year and the one that proclaims that the newly-born Messiah is here among us. Recall that we read in last week’s Gospel selection Jesus was actually manifested forth to mankind twice before, once in Bethlehem as the Magi worshipped Him, and once again in Jerusalem, as he sat among the doctors and scribes, hearing them and asking them questions.

St. Mark, in his inimitable, brisk style, launches right into Jesus’ ministry. He tells us briefly about John the Baptizer and how he baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. Recall that wonderful scene where Christ comes up out of the water: Mark 1:10-11: “And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: "Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased."

For additional emphasis, recall the same passage from St. Matthew, which occurred when Christ came to John for baptism. Matthew 3:13-15 ”Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.” Matthew then relates the same appearance of the Holy Spirit in bodily form alighting on Jesus. This is, of course, the first evidence that Christ came not to destroy the Law, but rather to fulfill it. It also highlights how utterly false the Jews’ accusations were against him, as they wanted, desperately, to see him as an enemy to Judaism.

What are we to make of this? Is it “just” another amazing theophany, similar to the one Moses saw `in the burning bush that we hear through the Word Written? It is “just” another affirmation of our faith, as we read about God the Father speaking audibly to us, as he affirms his love for the Son? Is it a proclamation of the Holy Trinity, as we see, in one scene, all three Members of the Holy Trinity highlighted in stark relief? First, we have the Son, being baptized, the Holy Spirit alighting upon him in bodily form, while God the Father speaks about His Son .Perhaps a clearer example of, and witness to the Trinity would be difficult to find.

We should make note of all these things. This passage contains all of these important items, yet with one, all-important, encompassing theme: they all point to the Christ. Just as Mark uses the prophecy of Isaiah to introduce John the Baptizer, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.” With a single-minded focus, Christ is the emphasis and center of this passage, just as He is the emphasis and focus of Epiphany. He is shown forth and He is manifested to us in this Epiphanytide. With that fact presented to us, we ask again, what are we to make of this? In short, how are we to regard Epiphany and what difference can it make it our lives?

To answer that question, we must turn and consider the very nature of God Himself and our relationship to Him. Of course, we all are familiar with the attributes of God: Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. We know that He is all-knowing, all-powerful and always present. Perhaps we could add another great “O” to the list by saying that He is Overwhelming Love as well. After all, St John tells us in 1 John 4:16: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” While this is obvious to all of us, perhaps its ramifications are not as obvious in regards to Epiphany and our attitude towards it.

When we consider the love of God, my own mind always flies back to the concept of forgiveness and its attendant virtue, restoration. True love always forgives a fault, when it is sought with sincerity and true repentance. It also provides for restoration, or the putting of one back in the place where one was before the fault. This is the most genuine and the most absolute love possible. We all know how difficult it is to have a normal relationship with someone who has wronged us in the past. Yet, this is exactly what God the Holy Trinity does, every time we sin, repent, and seek amendment of life. In a blessed community of forgiveness, The Holy Spirit facilitates our prayers, the Blessed Son intercedes for us, and the Holy Father hears our pleas.
Through the blessed mercy and overwhelming love of God, we are forgiven and we are restored.

Can we not see the Epiphany Season in the same light? That is, what is the point of Epiphany if not to point to Jesus, which in turn points to our eternal blessedness in God the Father? In this light, Epiphany becomes something not trivial, as a mere passage of time, but something more meaningful, even momentous for our lives.

We say this because Epiphany offers us something new and something fresh. That something is simply this: a new beginning in Christ. It is simply too easy when we are burdened with the various troubles and vicissitudes of this life, and with all its daily bothersome details, to remember what we ultimately are: new creatures in Christ and the Children of God.

Forgive me if this sounds too pat, too well-worn, and perhaps just said too many times. Yet, with all the integrity of the Holy Trinity and will all the truth of God behind this statement, let me proclaim it again unto you. We Christians are blessed to be the Children of God in every sense of the word. We are not the slaves of some wrathful deity, nor are we merely the lowly and subservient subjects of a great King. No, we are something different. We are children, which means we are members of the royal household and thus inheritors of our Father’s Kingdom. Parents, think of how much you love your own children and then multiply that by infinity, if you can. That is how much Our Father loves those who love Him. It is how much He loves us as his blessed children in Christ.

Putting this in context with Epiphany, it is God’s Love that we celebrate this Epiphany Season. It is God’s Love that sent us our Emmanuel, our Intercessor, our eternal Friend. It is God’s Love, through Christ, that makes possible our repeated forgiveness and restoration. It is God’s Love that makes possible our status as Children of God.

Finally, putting this in practical terms, how do we celebrate the Epiphany Season this year?
What can we do to make a new start, to put a fresh face on our faith this year?

We will submit to you that it comes down to renewing and refreshing our relationship to God. We do this by seeking God’s Face in prayer and meditation. First, we do this by engaging in daily morning and evening prayer in our respective homes. Let us bathe our homes in prayer and in reading of the Holy Scriptures day and night. Let us also ask for the recognition of God’s continual Presence in our lives, every moment of every day. Let us, as much as possible, pray without ceasing, in the words of St. Paul. Better said, let our lives be a continual prayer unto God as we seek Him through all our activities, every day. In so doing, we will indeed be a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”, from Romans 12; 1.

When we do this, we will find a greater joy and a greater sense of purpose than ever before. It is only in Christ that we find our true purpose. For a true succinct answer, let us recall this simple answer from the Catechism, found in our Book of Common Prayer:
Question. What is thy duty towards God?
Answer. My duty towards God is To believe in him, to fear him, And to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my strength: To worship him, to give him thanks: To put my whole trust in him, to call upon him: To honour his holy Name and his Word: And to serve him truly all the days of my life.

If we can fulfill this duty, we shall be a happy and productive people.

Epiphany is the beginning of this fulfillment, one that we should embrace and celebrate, every day of our earthly lives.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

The Renewing of our Minds

2012-01-08T05:28:00.001-08:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
First Sunday after the Epiphany
January 09, 2011

”The Renewing of our Minds”

“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost….”

I bid you God’s Peace on this 2012 celebration of the first Sunday after the Epiphany, also known as the Manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. That blessed event occurred on this last Friday, the 6th, and we will continue to be in the Epiphany Season until Septuagesima, or the Pre-Lenten season. It also officially ends the celebration of Christmas as we begin to move in to the church year in earnest.

Let’s consider the word epiphaneia – from the Greek, meaning “an appearance”; or the English derivative, Epiphany. It means “an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure .”

Today, let us focus just a bit on the last definition, that of an “an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.” Let us look at what that means in our lives, and more importantly, what it means to our growth in Christ.

The realization for today comes from our Epistle selection from today. St. Paul. In this illuminating instruction from St. Paul, we are told three things that are vital to our life in Christ. With your kind indulgence, we will examine them briefly in turn.

The first instruction tells us “to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” If we examine this statement, it correlates exactly with what the Prayer Book tells us to do.
Just as Bp. Grote spoke of yesterday, we no longer need the various ritual sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament. Instead, the sacrifice we are called to give is our “sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.”

That’s all well and good, but what does this exactly mean? When St. Paul says, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship”, does he mean a literal sacrifice? Are we to cast ourselves into the fire, to be a holocaust, in honor of God? Forgive me, but this is, of course, ridiculous. This is one of the glories of the New Testament. We are not called upon to sacrifice poor, hapless animals for our sins. We are not required to shed any blood in any sacrifice any more. Instead, we are to remember the “one, holy and perfect sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction”, that was offered for us. Then, in remembrance, we are to offer our own sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Again, what does mean, literally? It means that we should, without reservation, present ourselves to the Lord. Again, what this means is that we allow the light of Christ to peer into every aspect of our lives, without reservation. How easy this sounds and yet how difficult it is! That is, it is difficult if we are still holding on to something selfish, something secret, or something hidden that we don’t want God to see. Of course, how vain and how foolish this attitude is! Nothing is hid from God, despite our best efforts to convince ourselves that it is so. Many a time when younger, I heard preachers talk about this, how that we all hold our secret sins close to us, with the deluded conception that God doesn’t see. How vain, how utterly vain this is!

Yet, when we present ourselves as a sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service, something wonderful happens. Our God, our loving Fathert, sees us only as filtered through the Son. This makes our “spiritual service” worthwhile and good, despite our actual condition. This does not mean that we just sin and sin, confess, then repent and sin again, willfully. That is, we cannot test the patience of God in a willful manner, without regard to true contrition. To do so is similar to battering on the very gates of Hells itself, while praying that they don’t open. St. Paul addressed this very issue in the early church, and it was the cause of several early heresies. The point is we must be willing to let God’s light come into us and illuminate us, in spite of our sinfulness. When we do this, our desire to be godly takes on a real and almost tangible aspect.

What allows this to happen is the second instruction from St. Paul, as he tells to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” As we allow the Holy Ghost to illuminate our mind, we will be transformed in a new and wonderful way. That way is the renewing of our mind in Jesus Christ.

Once again, what does this actually mean? Simply this: we Christians have a light within us that cannot be quenched. Not misfortune, or persecution, or torture, or death can put it out. Why is this? It stems from the fact that our strength does not lie in this life. Instead, it stems from the eternal, absolute Life that is God. In short, it extends past our feeble earthly years into an existence that cannot be numbered or counted.

Yet, our light and our joy pertains to this life as well, lest one think that the benefits of Christianity are only future-based. Right now, in this life, is something that is not available to those who are not of the household of God: joy. This joy is the result of light inexpressible, irrefutable, and bright without measure, peeking around the edges of our souls. As we’ve always said, there is something different, in a good way, about a Christian. That “something” is the light that makes it way through the darkness of this world, to be seen by men. As our Lord said in Matthew 5:16: ”Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

The last point St. Paul makes our epistle is simply this: Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Seen another way, taken from the New American Standard translation, it says this: “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Does this mean that we Christians aren’t to have joy in Christ and in our redeemed state? Can’t we feel that we Christians are a called people, special to God? Yes, we freely acknowledge this, but at the same time, our special relationship to God through Christ can never be a source of pride in ourselves, but only in Him. That is, there may be a temptation to think that because we are Christians, chosen and called by God to receive His eternal inheritance, somehow we have merited this by something that we are or have done.

Beloved, nothing could be farther from the truth. We are called, not because of our deserts, but precisely the opposite of it. God, through His mercy, saved mankind form eternal darkness and death for one reason: He chose to out of love. He chose to despite the fact that we deserve nothing but the harshest condemnation, due to our fallen nature. Despite the seeming harshness of this statement, it is true. Man, left to his own devices, without the renewing effect of the Holy Ghost, will always descend into an increasing maelstrom of lust, envy, murder and violence. Man without God is a dark creature, indeed.

Yet beloved, that is not the message for today. Instead, it is the fact that all of us, without exception, can enjoy the renewing of our minds through the wonderful influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. We too, with simple desire, fervent repentance, and earnest expectation, receive new life in ourselves.

We too, through Christ, can “present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” It is this “illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure” that all of us can grasp this Epiphany season. Once we realize this, our lives will never be same, for our lives will have taken on a new measure and a new dimension in holiness. As we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. As the Psalmist says, in Psalm 73: “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”

Even so, let it be this Epiphany season this year 2012. Amen.

Obedient to the Law for Man

2011-12-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

“Obedient to the Law for Man”
Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
January 1, 2011
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church

“ALMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and
all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”

This Sunday’s lessons trace two very important events in the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Both of them have great significance for us and point to the glory of the Christmas season.

What are these two events and why are they important to note? Both are outlined in the Gospel selection from St. Luke overtly, and then referred to obliquely in the Collect for the Day and the Epistle from St. Paul. The first deals with the obedience and adoration of the shepherds. The second deals with the circumcision of Christ.

The first event involving the shepherds is important, for it foreshadows both the fame and the curiosity that would surround Jesus his entire earthly life. As St. Luke tells us in the verses immediately prior to the Gospel selection for today, the pronouncement of the birth of Jesus was extraordinary. An angel appeared to the shepherds “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” The glory of the Lord, as reflected by the angel, appeared to them, and as might be expected, they were terrified. Imagine lying peaceably on a hillside in ancient Judea, with the stars beaming brightly overhead because there was no modern light pollution. Imagine the still of the night, broken only by some quiet breeze. Then imagine a brilliant being standing before you, in blazing light and color. I think all of us would be scared out of our socks at this sudden appearance. Then, the being begins to talk! What an experience! Luckily for the shepherds, the first words were “Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” As the angelic being speaks, all fear begins to subside and the wondering shepherds listen with great anticipation. The angel then says, (Luke 2:11-12) “1For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”.

This would be astounding enough, if this was all that happened that night. But it wasn’t, as the next thing to occur was that the whole sky was filled with a multitude of angels, all singing and praising God. Can you imagine? Can any of us possibly fathom how utterly fantastic, yet completely glorious such a sight must have been?

Evidently, the shepherds were shaken to their boots, yet in a good way. The next thing they do is to agree that they must go and see this thing told them by the angel. This they do, and they dutifully find the Babe, lying with his mother, just as the angel told them. As they are impressed with this experience, in fact, they now have this happening indelibly printed in their memories, they begin to do what we all would do: tell everyone about it. In the wonderful words of the Authorized Version, “they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.” Thus begins the curiosity and the fame surrounding Jesus.

The significance to us is that we should mirror the actions of the shepherds. That is, first, we should allow our souls and consciences to be indelibly impressed by Christ. Second, we should go and see Christ. Today, we do that by reading the Holy Word and meditating upon Christ’s mighty acts, as well as regular attendance at holy worship. Third, we should “make known abroad” what we have learned and realized in our souls. We do this both verbally, as God gives us opportunity, and by a witness. How we conduct ourselves in our everyday affairs is a daily witness to Christ. By bearing the imprint of Christ in our souls and showing that forth by our conduct and our attitude, we do what the shepherds did. We make known abroad what Christ means to us.

The second event recorded in the Gospel selection deals with Christ’s compliance with the law. The collect for the day told us that God the Father “madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man.” Why would the collect expressly make a point about this? Why is it so important that Christ be “obedient” to the law? It is simply because it deals with Christ’s complete identification with man. Just as Jesus would later tell John the Baptizer on the occasion of his baptism, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”, so his parents complied with the ritual law of male circumcision. Jesus Christ had to be completely, absolutely human in all respects. In order to redeem Man, he had to be completely man. He also had to comply with all aspects of the Law in order to be the “spotless lamb” suitable for sacrifice for our sins. Thus, once again, we marvel at the wonderful, miraculous nature of Christ. Only he was the complete human being who was also completely God at the same time. This is completely mysterious and totally incomprehensible by us. Yet, just as Christ would later tell his disciples in Mathew 19:24 and Mark 10:25, regarding a camel going through the eye of a needle, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Indeed, with God, all things are possible. Looking around us today, we see the evidence of that. Not that this church home just appeared magically by divine fiat, but that God blessed us with a group of people, all of you Christians, that wanted to make this house of God happen. Through your careful stewardship, hard work, and cheerful giving, God has made this place possible through His People. Praise be to God, and again, thanks be to God!

We should also praise God for another thing. That simply is that God the Father made it possible for all of us to be here, worshipping in communion of spirit and of belief. Christ made this possible through his obedience and fulfillment of the Law. First, as we have mentioned, Christ fulfilled all righteousness by completely complying with the ritual demands of the law. Later, in Matthew 5:17, Christ would say, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

How did He do this? How did He fulfill the Law so that we Gentiles could become part of the tree of life? He simply fulfilled the part of the Jewish ritual law to which He was obedient. In the Law of Moses, Abraham was given male circumcision as an outward sign that one was in a covenantal state with God. Under the Law, if one was not circumcised, one could not be included in the covenantal family and was excluded from all the benefits of being a Jew. In short, one forfeited the special state that the Chosen People had with God. Women, of course, were considered covered by the compliance of their male family members, or male head of the household. All were included by virtue of circumcision.

Now comes Christ and gives the New Testament community two sacraments, the Lord’s Supper, and Christian baptism. The Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, fulfills the need for all of the ritual Jewish sacrifices. Only one sacrifice was needful, and that was given on Calvary. As Galatians 3:13-14 says, “ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

The other dominical sacrament, Holy Baptism, makes possible the blessing of Abraham by providing a way for us Gentiles to join the covenantal family. It does this not by the shedding of blood, as in circumcision, but rather with the washing of water. Thus, Christ fulfills male circumcision as a necessary means of salvation with Holy Baptism. We now enter the blessed state wherewith we can access the promises of God without the pain and blood of circumcision, but rather with the blessed cleansing of holy water. How wonderful and merciful this is!

This Baptism makes it possible for us to be here today and to be partakers in the blessedness of Christ. It makes possible our covenant with God and to have access to the hope of salvation. Without the sacrament of baptism, our salvation becomes at worst, impossible, or at best, problematical. Yet, through the mercies of God, all things are possible.

We are a blessed people. We are blessed because God sent a man, Jesus Christ, “to be circumcised and obedient to the law for man.” We are blessed because God the Father sent God the Son to expiate our sins. Finally, we are blessed because God loves us so much that He would do this. Humbly acknowledging this, let us enjoy and give thanks for our Christmas season. Thanks be to God! AMEN.

“…at sundry times and in divers manners…”

2011-12-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

“…at sundry times and in divers manners…”
Christmas 2011
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabus Anglican Church

Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

So begins those stirring lines from the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Originally attributed to St. Paul, it is one of the few epistles for which we have any doubt of authorship. Today, even in conservative and traditional seminaries such as our own Cranmer Theological House, it is still noted that St. Paul’s authorship is not completely acknowledged. While this is interesting, it does not diminish the message of the epistle, nor does it dim the brightness of its significance for us.

Today, we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate the penultimate moment in history of which the Old Testament prophets spoke. Just as we know to be true, the panoply of prophets all spoke of Christ, the Messiah. As we mentioned last week, as we examine the Old Testament we see that Isaiah spoke of Christ, Malachi spoke of Christ, Zechariah spoke of Christ, and John, the last prophet of all, spoke of Christ. Christ is the end and fulfillment of all prophecy and now he is here, Immanuel, God with us. Thus, while in the past, the prophets spoke to men, telling them of the coming Messiah, now Christ is here, speaking to us through His Holy word written and through the blessed Holy Spirit. Christ is also with us, spiritually, in the physical means He ordained for our bodily and spiritual sustenance. In short, Christ is here. We celebrate His presence in our midst and in our hearts today.

In the beginning verses of our Epistle selection from Hebrews, the author constructs it almost like a dialogue. The first lines speak of Jesus as “heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” Christ is also the “brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.” Christ upholds all things by the word of his power, and having purged our sins, took his place at the right hand of God.

What does this sound like to you? To me, it sounds exactly like the extolling of Christ as the Ultimate One, one superior to all others. In fact, that is exactly the purpose of Hebrews, as the author instructed the early Church on the superiority of Christ. One can sense this in the following statements: (Hebrews 1:4-5) “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 ¶ For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?” Even the mighty angelic beings do not compare with the power and glory of Christ. This is clear when we read of the throne of Christ: Hebrews 1:8 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. “ Thus, His throne is “for ever and ever”, and Christ possesses a “sceptre of righteousness.” All of these are statements that pertain to a king. In the language of the Bible, they pertain to a great Suzerain who reigns over many subject kings and nations.

Yet, there is a difference in Christ as the Great Suzerain, as opposed to the earthly wielders of temporal power. Whereas men are genuinely obsessed with power for the purposes of their own aggrandizement, Christ is concerned about something else. In Hebrews 1:9, we read: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” In other words, Christ is not concerned with power, for He is all Power. Instead, he loves righteousness and hates evil. He loves Good for Good’s own sake. Thus, God the Father has anointed Him with a spirit greater than any other being. This is especially clear when God the Father, in verse 8, addresses His own Son as God. This serves two purposes: first, it clearly shows us the unity of the Trinity, as God speaks to Himself. It also shows us the diversity of the Trinity, as One Person, God the Father, speaks to another Person, God the Son
Perhaps this, more than any other statement, shows us the superiority of Christ. No other being is spoken to in this way. No other being possesses the pre-eminence like Christ.
No other being is unchangeable, and as the epistle selection tells us, in Hebrews 1:11-12: “They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

This brings us back to our purpose for today. Today we worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, come to us in the flesh, yet possessing all power in His divinity. Inferior to the Father as regarding his manhood, yet equal to the Father as regarding his Godhood, we celebrate His first advent on the earth. We celebrate the change in history from darkness to light, in an ultimate sense. Yet we know that sin runs rampant on the earth and the witness of Christianity has been at many times less than stellar. This may cause a problem for some of those looking at Christianity from the outside, and perhaps seeking a chink in its armor.

It does not cause a problem for us, because we know that the sinfulness of man is not Christ’s fault or the fault of Christianity. He or it cannot be blamed for the failings of men and their all-too-prevalent use of Christianity as a mask for their own sinful and selfish deeds. It is rather the opposite. Men’s misuse of Christianity is simply more evidence of their need for Christ and for the need of His coming into the world. Our sinfulness and our selfishness--are they the same?—simply show us our need for Christ’s redemptive power in our lives. The wonderful Christmas hymn “In Dulci Juibilo” (Good Christian Men, rejoice) says it all in its last lines: “Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!”

Again, that is what we celebrate today. Today marks one of more joyous seasons of the year, only to be outdone in blessedness by Easter. Today we cherish the newness of Christmas once again. Today we cherish the first advent of Christ to the world, where we hold up the central moment of all time. Despite the perennial attempt to commercialize and euphemize Christmas out of existence, it remains. This is the central moment of history. This is the most wondrous co-joining of Divinity with Humanity in a way that is recognizable but not comprehensible by us.

Christians, how do you feel? If you are like most people in this country, at this time of year, you probably feel some excitement, or some general exhilaration. Our unchurched friends might chalk it up to the festive environment and the anticipation of gifts. We have to ask: what, exactly are they celebrating -- some nebulous idea of the “Holidays”? Do they hold some vague notion of Christmas without Christ? Or, do they simply like the colors red and green? Who knows?

Actually, we Christians do know. We know why we are together today. We are not like the Athenian Greeks whom St. Paul upbraided on Mars’ Hill, for having an idol to the “unknown god” in Acts 17:23. They ignorantly worshipped the works of their hands and of their own minds, being yet unenlightened by Christ. In that scene, St. Paul echoed the words of this epistle by telling them there is a God who made all things.

No, beloved in Christ, we know who He is. We know why we are here. We are glad of His coming to us today in great humility. We look for His coming again in great power and majesty. This is His day and the source of our everlasting rejoicing.

John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”

John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Who could say it better than that? Merry Christmas, Christians!
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THIS is the record of John

2011-12-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

“THIS is the record of John…”

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
December 18th, 2011
Fourth Sunday in Advent

(On the occasion of the first Holy Eucharist in the new building)
Psalm 127:1 “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. “

These are words to live by because today is a momentous day in the life of St. Barnabas Anglican Church. Today, for the very first time, we celebrate the Holy Mysteries in our own building, in our own surroundings. Today, because of God’s grace and because of your faithful stewardship, we are here. Praise be to God for all of His Blessings! Indeed, we are very blessed as we read the Holy Word of God, meditate on its applications to us today and feast on the Sacramental Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, we are aware that the Church is so much more than a mere building, but at the same time, we give thanks for our own special place, a place dedicated to praising and worshipping our Holy and Triune God. AMEN.

Considering our Gospel lesson for the 4th Sunday in Advent, we hear the words of the scribes and Pharisees when they said unto John the Baptizer, “Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

This week’s Gospel speaks again of John the Baptist, prior to his arrest by Herod. We referred to him last week, as Matthew told us of his imprisonment. Recall that John sent two of his disciples to Christ and asked if he were the one that should come, or were they to expect someone else. Christ, as we mentioned last week, pointed to his work and told all listening to heed the works that he did.

Again and again, Christ tells us in the Gospels to judge him by his works. As He told us in Matthew 7:20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them”. From Christ’s mighty works in the Gospels, we know him to be our Lord and God. Thus, He tells us in “Matthew 7:18-19 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

What, might we ask, were John’s fruits? What were the things that he did? One way to answer that is to note what is amazing about this passage. That simply is that the scribes, Levites, and Pharisees were also looking for someone or something. They knew that the Scriptures spoke of the Messiah to come, and they wondered if John the Baptizer were he. They simply weren’t sure who he was and thus they asked: “Who art thou?”

To John’s credit, “… he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ” He was a prophet, yet, in Christ’s own words, “more than a prophet.” John was the last prophet sent to mankind prior to the advent of Christ Himself. In that role, He stands alone and he is magnificent. John the blessed Apostle told us: “And he (John the Baptist) confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.” Thus, he is totally unwilling to take any credit for himself but merely says he is not worthy to unloose the sandals of the one for whom he was sent.

And they asked him, “What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.” John refused to say that he was the Christ, or “that Prophet” (Elijah). He said simply that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord”. He was simply the herald of one greater than himself, whose coming was foretold for centuries before. If we examine the Old Testament, we see that Isaiah spoke of Christ, Malachi spoke of Christ, Zechariah spoke of Christ, and now John, the last prophet of all, speaks of Christ. Christ is the end and fulfillment of all prophecy and now he is here, Immanuel, God with us.

The reason I mention all of this is simply to remind us that we are to emulate that great prophet, John the Baptizer, in that we attest to something in our lives that is greater than ourselves. Like John, we say, “Lo, there is someone greater (in my heart) than I and his name is Jesus. I am not worthy to unloose his sandals.” When we have this kind of dynamic faith and this incredible humility, the Holy Spirit will be pleased to dwell with us and we will grow in Christ.

We are now on the very edge of that blessed season of Christmas. Christmas, Christ-mass, is here again. We focus on the nativity of the Christ child, come to us again in song, in liturgy and in celebration; the most blessed event in human history. God Himself is come to be one of us, to take our human nature upon him so that He can sanctify and redeem it.

Thus, the Epistle for today from that blessed letter to the Philippians tells us to “REJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, rejoice.” St. Paul goes on to say, “The Lord is at hand.”The Apostle goes to say, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Examining this statement, we are to be anxious for nothing. Rather, we are to rely on our Lord and Savior for everything and to make our requests known to God with “prayers and supplications.” In short, our relationship with the Father through Christ is to be real and valid, alive with prayer and supplication. As I’ve often told the Lord, “Dear Lord, I ask largely only because you can give largely.” This prayer occurs when I need or want something desperately; (of course the Almighty often has other plans).

Even while we realize that God has already known every thought we have had or ever will have, nevertheless we continue in prayer, because He told us to pray and as Proverbs 3:5 says: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Thus, fellow Christians, “REJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Let your heart be filled with joy, for this is the season to celebrate. In Christian eyes, the world has gone from darkness to light, from despair to hope, from everlasting perdition to eternal glory with God.

Recall that St. Paul wrote this while awaiting execution in Rome. He knew that he was facing imminent departure from this world. Yet, he said , “REJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Today is the fourth Sunday in Advent. The Christ child is near. As the Prayer Book says, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Let us pray:

“O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let
and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end.”
Amen.

Judgment and Decision

2011-12-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
Third Sunday in Advent
December 11, 2011
St. Barnabas Anglican Church

"Judgment and Decision"

1Co 4:5
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

In today’s Epistle, we have some very difficult words to digest. St. Paul tells us “to judge nothing before the time” and “he that judgeth me is the Lord.”

When one hears these sayings, one could draw a couple of conclusions. First that these sayings are difficult, which is true, and second, that we as Christians are not to “judge” anyone, which is false.

The whole question of “judgment” in our society is one that is fraught with difficulty. We are told constantly that we are not to judge anyone or anything. We are told that we not to impose our value system on anyone. “I’m glad that works for you” is the modern mantra of our times.

Let’s “unpack” this saying in two ways: first, in terms of what our society means by it and second, what our Lord means by it. I think you’ll find, as usual, there is an obvious disconnect between the two. Also, when we do this, let’s examine exactly who is judging whom.

Backing up just a moment to put this passage into context, recall that St. Paul had spent considerable time and energy in his ministry to the Corinthian church. He had built up the church in Corinth until there was a need for several congregations. Of course, the problem with congregations is that, over time, different opinions and even different leaders spring up. Corinth, after all, was a large and wealthy community. It not only could afford several churches, but as time would tell, Corinth would begin to split into several different interpretations of St. Paul’s message. We see this plainly in the third chapter of this very same epistle when Paul complains that the congregations are beginning to split off into different groups according to different leaders: 1Co 3:4-5: “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?”

Does this sound familiar with certain Christian groups? Sadly, it does. I’m not saying that all congregational groups do this, by any means, but there is a definite danger among some groups to follow the man, rather than the role the man performs. That is, among groups who do not have ecclesiastical authority structures, a tendency exists that a charismatic leader rises up to lead the group, with few checks on his authority. On the other hand, the historic episcopal-type church, that is to say, a church governed by bishops, tends to impose more checks and balances on any one individual priest or minister. Recall the famous words of James I, when he said, (paraphrased) “No bishops, no king. While I am monarch, I intend to have bishops govern the Church.” This statement indicated James’ belief that episcopal church government and the Kingdom of Great Britain were closely tied together. If the established Church fell, so would the government, in James’ eyes.

This situation of rampant congregationalism is what St. Paul faced in Corinth. Of course, the early Church had no bishops yet, but soon St. Paul would instruct Timothy to appoint “elders” and later, he would greet congregations in the name of the “bishops and deacons” that he and Titus would later appoint. In short, St. Paul saw the need for properly exercised authority in the Church of God.

Thus, authority and judgment are clearly linked in the Kingdom of God, but how does our society regard judgment? First of all, you may agree with the concept that our society hates the idea of judgment. Let me be clear on this, however. All of those in our society, except those involved in the criminal activities themselves would have no problem passing judgment on those who commit heinous crimes. That is patently obvious as we can see how full our jails and penitentiaries are.

But, that’s not really the point here. We all know that this is not what our society means when it says, “Don’t judge me.” In our pluralistic and hedonistic society, judgment is construed as any check on whatever lascivious, historically immoral or libertine-like activities in which we choose to engage. Without any anchor of morality or clear floor of reference, the only remaining standard of good behavior is that which keeps us out of jail!

We all know that the historic frame of reference for morality, the Christian faith, is being eroded day by day. fraction by fraction, increment by increment. That certainly is no secret. But, what exactly is this historic frame of reference? Is it just preachers railing against certain activities? Perhaps. But this is not where the real battle is waged. As usual, the answer comes to us from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through his Holy Word. Consider this passage from John 7:24: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” In this case,
Christ had just healed a man on the Sabbath, making him whole in every way whole and for that the Pharisees were accusing him of breaking the Sabbath! Jesus had, in their eyes, done “work” on the Sabbath and for that, they wanted to accuse him. It was more important to uphold the Jewish ritual law than to do real good on the Sabbath, in their eyes. Thus, Christ says, “judge righteous judgment”.

Obviously, when we draw conclusions based on our own biases or prejudices without reference to the Gospel of Christ, or when we ridicule others, even in the recesses of our minds, are we not “judging unrighteous judgment?” Are we not being a bit pharisaical when we put people down because they don’t act or behave as we would have them to do? Once again, let me be perfectly clear on this. We are not to countenance blatant acts of moral perfidy, or dishonestly, or violence. This is, of course, considered “righteous” judgment. Concerning righteous judgment we are to put the”bridle of the Holy Spirit “, as John Calvin called it, on thoughts, impure impulses and ego drives that lead to drawing improper conclusions about others.

Envy and its close relative, feelings of superiority, often is the root of such judgments. Envy , of course, was a major reason that the Pharisees contended with Jesus, as they perceived him as a threat to their power base. That is why the battle for judging righteous judgment begins here, in the heart of man. Recall those stunningly true words of Christ as he says, in Mar 7:15
“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.”

So it is. We know that judgment occurs all the time. It is our job as Christians that our judgment is righteous and not that of the world. When we do this, we know that the world will never reciprocate. While giving out earnest statements as to the necessity of not judging, the world is constantly judging, evaluating, criticizing and unfortunately, hating Christians and the Gospel of Christ. It has ever been so. When we Christians stand, reflecting the light of Christ in our lives, we take away the cloak of darkness from the world’s sin, thus generating its displeasure and hatred.

One can see this plainly when discussions or debates occur between those of the Light and those of the World. After a period of discussion, when the Christian has exposed the untenability of his opponent’s position, the debate will usually degenerate into so-called ad hominem or personal attacks. Truth, properly articulated, always defeats error, but no one likes to lose, especially the powers of deception, darkness and despair.

Thus, who is judging whom? I leave that obvious conclusion up to you.

The day will come when true righteous judgment will proceed, not from the heart of man, but from the Throne of God. This will be true righteous judgment, emanating from the omniscient, yet all merciful Mind of God.

This is also a theme of the Advent season. Just as we look for the first advent of Jesus Christ on the historical occasion of His First Coming, so we must expect and look for His second coming.

Yet, there is one massive difference between us Christians and the world when this true judgment occurs. Christ tells us in: Mat 24:30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

The tribes of the earth will mourn because they know that true judgment is about to occur. They will have no cloak for their sin. They will have to bear the unvarnished wrath of God against their unmediated presence when He looks on them and says, “How much did you love me?”

This is not a call for Christian Triumphalism or spiritual pride. Far be it from us. It is instead, a humble and grateful recognition of the mercies of God through Jesus Christ. We will pass, not through the awe-ful judgment the World will have to endure, but into the blessed and loving fellowship of those who love Christ. He is the reason for our boundless joy this season. He is, after all, our Lord, Mediator, Intercessor, Savior and Friend.

“Thine O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou are exalted as head above all.”

The Scriptures, Christ, and Unity

2011-12-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

The Scriptures, Christ and Unity
2nd Sunday in Advent, 2011

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
December 4, 2011

KJV Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Today, we celebrate the Second Sunday in Advent, better known as “Holy Scriptures Sunday”, or simply, “Bible Sunday.” Recall that our Collect for the day asks us, in regards to the Scriptures, to “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.”

In other words, it is through the Scriptures that we Christians learn to hope in Christ and it is from the Scriptures that we Christians learn how to be like Christ. We learn to be Christ-like following our Lord’s example in the Gospels, and we learn the applications of these lessons in the words of the Apostles given to us in the Epistles. These lessons, when combined with the prophetic and historic underpinning of the Old Testament, give us modern-day Christians a complete picture of God’s Will for His people, the Church.

This particular Sunday, we give thanks to God for the wonderful gift of the Word Written. What a wonderful gift it is indeed! Not only do the Holy Scriptures give us a “blueprint”, if you will, for our lives in a moral and ethical sense, but they also allow us to invoke the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let me explain. We Christians study the Word for its moral and ethical content. We do this on Sunday; when we read together a Psalm, listen to an Old Testament lesson, followed by the Epistle and the Gospel selection appointed for the day. The purpose of this, of course, is to make sure that we ground our worship in Scripture. We hear the teachings of Christ and we hear the Apostles’ exposition of the same theme in the various Epistle readings. Thus, our moral and ethical path should be clear to us, illuminated by God’s Holy Word.

The Holy Bible is, however, more than just a collection of moral teachings. St. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” The actual Greek word translated as “inspiration” is qeo,pneustoj (“theoneustos”), or literally “God breathed.” Thus, being the God-breathed Word, the Scriptures are actually alive with the Spirit of God. When we study them, either corporately, or in our own private devotions, we actually have the aid of the Holy Spirit in reading, learning, marking and inwardly digesting them. In fact, in order to make any real sense of the Bible, we need the help of the Holy Spirit Himself to unlock the wisdom and the sense contained within. Thus, before one reads the Bible, a brief prayer for inspiration and revealing is appropriate.

As you all know, I really discovered the Bible, at least initially, in college. At first, I admit, it still did not have the verve or the spark that I needed to have from it. At that time, I had not really sought the aid of the Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures to me. As most of you know, that enlightenment came later, during a brief fling with Fundamentalism in my early 20’s. Ever since that time, however, the Holy Bible has become a different book to me. Now, rather than being a boring account of an ancient people, it is fascinating history, glorious prophecy, and wonderful, Spirit-led acts of God through his People. That’s why I believe that reading the Word of God and meditating on it actually invokes the power of the Holy Spirit upon us. Not in some superstitious or magical way, but rather in a rich spiritual diet that only the Holy Ghost can provide. In short, when we read the Holy Word of God, the Holy Spirit is there. The more we read and mediate and pray, the more the Holy Spirit finds us a fit dwelling-place. The more that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, the freer, the happier, and more joyful we become. As we seek God, God rewards us with the very best that He has, Himself. The result of this is that we derive more joy out of life, now and forever.

With that thought in mind, let us turn our attention to what St. Paul is telling us in today’s Epistle from the 15th chapter of Romans. First of all, he says, Romans 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Paul is saying, rightly, that we are to take comfort in God’s Holy Word and from it derive patience. Of course, this makes sense, but to what Scriptures, I must ask, is he referring?
Is he speaking of the Gospels? Possibly Paul was, but not as we know them today, although they were early manuscripts of Mark and Luke just beginning their circulation. John had not yet written, predated by Matthew. Is he referring to his own letters? Possibly, but his writings hadn’t yet achieved the wide circulation and the Undivided Church’s approbation to be called “Scripture.” More likely, he is referring, amazingly enough, to the Old Testament. He is referring to first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, and the books of the Law, called the Torah, as well as the various prophecies, especially Isaiah, from whom many of our Advent readings come.

This is certainly amazing, because these early Christians, with the help of the Apostles, saw Christ clearly in these books. Bp. Lightfoot once remarked about the total unity of the Scriptures, saying, “In the Old, the New concealed; in the New, the Old revealed.” We Anglicans have always held a view of the totality, or unity of the Scriptures, knowing that Christ is found in both the Old and New Testaments. We reject any division of the Testaments, but rather believe both Old and New are one seamless cloth, like the cloak of Christ Himself. Both Testaments bear witness to Christ.

St. Paul confirms this when he says, “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.” Christ was indeed sent unto the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” , as he once said to the Canaanite woman who sought healing for her daughter in Matt. 15:24. Christ, through the magnificent mercy and wisdom of God, was sent to Israel to fulfill all prophecy.
That generation of Jews actually saw the ancient prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus, but were unable to receive it. Yet, according to prophecy, he came.

St. Paul then links this thought with the glorious hope of our salvation when he says, Romans 15:9 “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.” Paul now quotes the Old Testament, when he says, Romans 15:10-11 “And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.” He caps this with a stirring reference to Isaiah 11:10: "And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”

Thus, St. Paul preaches Christ out of the Old Testament. He exhorts his readers thus: Romans 15:6 “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul ends this particular passage with a beautiful prayer: Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Thus, St. Paul teaches us out of the Scriptures. Without a doubt, he has illustrated the unity of the Word of God, both Old and New Testaments. He calls on his flock to be like-minded and believe wholeheartedly in the salvation that is theirs through Jesus Christ. He accomplishes all of this using the Old Testament and his own accounts of the power of Jesus Christ. How much better, or better said, how much more fortunate are we to have the entire Word of God right at our fingertips? How blessed are we to have our daily Lectionary to guide us, morning and evening, through this wonderful tapestry of history, hope and salvation? We are, indeed, immeasurably blessed.

My prayer for you this Advent season is that you take advantage of the Scriptures, morning and evening, to refresh your mind, spirit and soul. There is no better time. During this Advent, all of us have an opportunity to prepare for the Messiah.

We have two choices. We can be engulfed by the secular tide of the “Holiday” season, with its relentless emphasis on merchandizing and merrymaking. Or, we can also stand gently aloof from it, strengthened by the Word of God and the blessed Holy Spirit as we prepare a place in our heart for the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords this coming Christmas.

The choice is ours, the time is now. May we make the most of this Advent Season.
Amen.

KJV Roman 15 ”And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.”

AMEN

Covenant and Prophecy

2011-11-25T08:27:00.001-08:00

“Covenant and Prophecy…”
1st Sunday in Advent, 2011

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Nov. 27th, 2011

Happy New Year, Christians! We bid you welcome to another new church year. This is the beginning of our annual earthly re-birth, our spiritual reawakening in Christ. Last Sunday, we head of the prophecy of the Messiah, “the Righteous Branch” who will bring salvation to all mankind. Recall that Jeremiah told us of the One who would save Israel from its sins. Recall that He would be the one to lead us to righteousness and peace.

Would it be so. Would it be so that the whole Earth would blossom forth with the Spirit of God! Would it be so that the whole Earth would break forth into song of the glories of the Lord as it proclaims another year in Christ. Why? Because this is Advent… this is the time that orthodox Christians praise their King and Creator, Jesus Christ. We recognize that this is the time to celebrate the coming of "Once and Future King", to borrow a phrase from T. H. White.

Last week, we spoke of our witness to the cycle of salvation, as mirrored in the Church Year. We spoke of how the panoply of man’s deliverance from eternal death and sin is recounted year after year, from prophecy to fulfillment. And so it is. So, welcome Christians to the opening act of mankind’s drama of deliverance. Welcome to Advent 2011!

Our Old Testament Lesson for the day is, to my mind, one of more fascinating and instructive passages in Genesis, although there are many. In it, we see a clear picture of the principle of Covenant. We see both the positive and negative sides of living in covenant with Almighty God. In other words, just as Moses would later tell the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, when one lives in covenant with God, one will receive either blessings or cursings, depending on one’s behavior, actions, and attitude. All of this is contained in this little passage from Genesis that we read today.

To recount the scene, Abraham is sitting in his tent door, in the “heat of the day.” He saw three visitors coming towards his camp and he ran to meet them. As Matthew Henry says, “despite his age and gravity”, he ran and did obeisance to them. Obviously, there was something about these three “men”, or beings, that caused him to do this; yet one would like to think that a prosperous and gracious man like Abraham would have offered hospitality to any who came to him.

The Scripture, however, clearly tells us that the LORD visited Abraham that day. Three mysterious strangers suddenly showed up in his camp, and one can’t doubt there was something about them. Since the Word itself says the LORD came to Abraham, we are disposed to consider that this was a visit by the pre-incarnate Christ, accompanied by two angels. This is logical and can be supported by evidence from the text. For example, we read later in Chapter 19 that two angels came to Sodom in the evening, where they met Lot and warned him of the destruction to come. This was the same destruction of which the LORD had told Abraham, most likely earlier in the same day.

Some commentators have speculated these “three men” were actually the Holy Trinity, or a symbolic representation of it. After all, since we are told that the Lord visited Abraham and three figures appeared to him, this could be. It could also be a prefiguring of the Trinity, with Christ and the two angels representing the other two persons. Although this view is attractive to me, personally, I think the view that it was actually Christ and two angels is more likely. At any rate, of one thing we are sure: the LORD did appear unto Abraham.

Another point is that Abraham entertained the visitors courtesy and with honor. This brings to mind St Paul’s statement in Hebrews 13:2”Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” This has always been an interesting and intriguing passage for me because of the sheer mystery of it. It does remind of a road trip I took while in college. Returning to Missouri from Arkansas, where I had gone duck hunting with an old high-school friend, I found myself driving down a picturesque two-land highway. As I topped a hill, there was a young, rather pleasant looking man about my own age walking along the highway, hitchhiking. I pulled over and offered a ride. He accepted and we rode for several miles with very little conversation. He was quiet, even solemn, but in a good way.
It so happened that his stop was right along my route, so I was able to drop him close to where he needed to go. As he left the car, he turned and said, “God Bless you…” I said “Thanks” and drove off. What was curious was the atmosphere inside my car had a wonderful light “feel” to it. As I reflected on it later, I thought it was like St. Paul’s statement in 2Corinthians about Christians being “a sweet savour of Christ.” In short, it was a blessed air in the car. Later that evening, I told my mother about the experience and she said that I may very well have entertained an angel. It was a wonderful and curious experience.

The question remains, however, why did the LORD choose to visit Abraham again? After all, in Genesis 17, he had just appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him. He told Abraham that Sarah would conceive, even though she was well into menopause, and that he must circumcise all the males in his household, including himself. He also assured Abraham that his first son, Ishmael, would not be abandoned, but would become a great nation.

Abraham was faithful to God and fulfilled his side of the covenant. He circumcised every male, and was himself circumcised when he was ninety years old. He obeyed God’s word and, as a result, received favor from God. In the plains of Mamre, during the second visitation, God again reaffirms Sarah’s coming motherhood, which she overhears. Perhaps it is a natural reaction, or simply astonishment, but she laughed when she heard the words. I don’t think it was a mocking laugh, but one that only a ninety-year-old woman might give when informed that she is about to be pregnant. She is caught in the act, but the Lord merely gently reproves her and moves on to tell Abraham about the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Here, faithful Abraham has been blessed by God. His wife will conceive and bear him a child to bring him the long-awaited heir. He has also been the confidante, if you will, of God, as God tells what He is going to do regarding the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now contrast this treatment with the coming doom of those satanic places. Those cities, which were so evil, perverted and dark that the cry of them went up into Heaven, were about to suffer the curses, or the negative side of violating covenant with God. Their fate is recorded in Genesis 19, as we read about Lot’s deliverance at the hands of the two angels who hustle him and his family out of the doomed place. Soon, fire from heaven would fall upon them, destroying them utterly.

What, then, is the lesson for us today? If we remember the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 8 for the Thanksgiving service of Morning Prayer, we hear him warning the Israelites of this exact situation. After God has led them into the Promised Land, they will prosper as long as they remain true to Him. If they will praise Him, honor Him, and worship only Him, their prosperity will continue. On the other hand, if they become willful and arrogant, ascribing to themselves
their success, their situation will change. If they forget God, they will incur curses and misfortune. Much like the Sodomites, who so turned to evil that even God could not tolerate it, Israel would violate the covenant, be judged and punished, and then turn back to God for a period. As we well know, this “sin cycle” would be repeated many times until the final destruction of Israel in 70 a.d. at the hands of the Romans. By this time, Christ had already come, ministered, died and rose again to fix the problem of man’s persistent sin. The New Testament era had well begun, and the Old Testament and Intertestimonial periods had been closed. In short, since the coming of Jesus Christ, earth had a new frame of reference on sin, repentance, and eternal salvation.

This Advent, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate our covenant with God, the Holy Trinity. It is a good time to start afresh and examine how much we hold Him first in our hearts, minds and spirits. If we look into our own spiritual treasure houses, do we find them full of the richness and bounty of God’s Grace, or do we find full of our own sinful and self-centered desires and inclinations? In short, do we love God enough to merit the bounty of his grace and love, or better said, do we reciprocate His love to us? After all, in the perfect being of the Almighty, we merit nothing but the curses of the covenant. Yet, through His overwhelming love and mercy towards us, we are able to reflect a little back to Him and to our fellow man. When we do this, we are learning to live in the fullness of God’s Covenant with us.

This Advent season, let us make us a new start. Let it be so. AMEN

Grace and Peace from God

2011-11-20T04:38:00.000-08:00

Grace and peace from God
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Sunday Next before Advent, 2011

Philippians 1:2 2 ¶ Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Epistle selection for the 22nd Sunday after Trinity, St. Paul bids peace and grace to the congregation at Philippi, both in his own name and that of his traveling companion and mentee, Timotheus. This is, of course, the same Timothy to whom Paul would write two instructive epistles, called “the Pastorals.” Among orthodox Anglicans, these epistles are still used in diaconal exams to this day. As later history would unfold, this same Timothy would become the first bishop of Crete and would help spread the Gospel for years after Paul’s martyrdom in Rome.

Of interest also is mention of two of the Church’s historic orders here, as St. Paul mentions the bishops and deacons in the church at Philippi. This is interesting and as well as instructive, for it shows us clearly that these orders existed in the earliest days of the Church. Sometimes, other branches of Christ’s church yearn to return what they term as the “primitive church”; while at the same time they reject the historic orders of church as Popish or medieval. The figure in the business suit is something they prefer, rather than the historic minister in his alb and chasuble. Perhaps they are still fighting the battles of the Protestant Reformation.

Why, one might ask, is the office of the presbytery, or the priesthood, not mentioned? Simply because that at this time it did not exist. The priesthood did not come into being a little later, when the Church had grown so much that bishops simply could not handle the ministry work load. At the same time, it was not thought prudent to consecrate many, many more bishops just to baptize, celebrate the Eucharist, and to perform other duties considered beyond the diaconate, but not necessarily rising to the level of bishop. The office of priest - our church actually terms it as presbyter- was to do this work of the Church. Thus, the office of priest/presbyter was created.
The reason we mention this is twofold. First, we want to reinforce the validity of clerical orders in the Church, and by so doing, show that we orthodox Christian are striving to the utmost to preserve the Church according to its earliest model. Churches who have cast aside the offices of bishop, deacon, and the later office of priest are doing so to the weakening of their claims to be “primitive” Christians. In saying this, we do not in any way seek to un-church anyone or accuse their witness in any way. Yet, suffice it to say that those bodies that have retained the historic clerical model are actually exactly in line with Scripture. We can also say that those churches, such as the Anglican Communion, who have kept the historic lines of bishop, priest and deacon, have a very desirable and valid form of church polity.

The second reason is to emphasize the orderly nature of our God. As we have said many times, and as all of us have heard many times, we worship a God of order. He is not a God of disorder or confusion or chaos. He is never hurried, hasty, or uncertain. He simply IS. Our God, in His complete serenity, sees eternity at a glance. Better said, He IS eternity. Just as Moses heard from the burning bush, Exodus 3:14: " And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. “

With that thought in mind, let us briefly consider the prefect plan God prepared for the salvation of mankind. Consider the epistle selection from Jeremiah, taken from the lectionary for the Sunday Next before Advent. In it, God speaks through the suffering prophet, Jeremiah In it, God makes a startling statement, so very fitting for this Sunday Next before Advent: Jeremiah 23:5-6: “ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” In other words, God didn’t just “wake up” one morning and decide that Jesus Christ should leave His glory, take the form of a man, and come save mankind from his sins. Rev. 13:8 speaks of the “…lamb slain from the foundation of the world.". In other words, God had planned for the advent of Christ from the beginning of the world. Seeing eternity at one view, our God knows all things, sees all things, and in a strange and mysterious way, directs all things. This happens all at once in the reality of God.
Thus, in our limited reality, we are experiencing the Sunday Next before Advent. In the church year, we are re-living the spectacle of salvation from its prophetic beginning now to its dramatic conclusion on Easter morning. Consider these words from Jeremiah 23:7-8: “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.”

At first glance, these words may seem to have little significance for us. A closer examination shows that they have great, even monumental significance. The first part of the statement says that the people -both the Jews and the redeemed in Christ- will one day not just say that their God lives who brought them out of Egypt. In other words, God is not just the Lord of the Old Testament - the witness of the deliverance from Egypt. He is not just the God of the Law and the Prophets. In the more perfect revelation of God received by the people, they will now affirm that their God will restore them to their own land, from which He had driven them because of their sin. What this means for mankind is God is completely aware of our state of being and of our need for an eternal solution to our problem of recurrent sin. Thus, while the deliverance from our original state of bondage was wonderful, symbolized by the Jew’s deliverance from Egypt, their salvation was not complete. Much later in the Bible we see the complete fall into sin by both Israel and Judah. The Law was not enough, nor was the witness of all the prophets who were sent to warn them from their sin. Something else was needed. This complete and efficacious salvation is symbolized by the people’s worship of God as He restores them to their original land, their own land. This “land” is, of course, is more than the restoration of the Jews to Palestine; it is our eternal home with God and in God. It is that perfect country which we all seek and for which our souls ultimately long for. It is brought about by the Gospel message of the New Testament. Thus, while the first statement glorifies God in the Old Testament witness of deliverance from bondage, the second statement glorifies Him in the New Testament witness of restoration and homecoming.

This begs the question, how will this restoration and homecoming be accomplished? In God’s perfect Mind, it has already been accomplished through the King about whom Jeremiah prophesied: (Jeremiah 23:5-6): 5 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

This is clearly a prophecy of the Messiah, the one who will deliver Israel from her sins and lead her to righteousness. We, who have been “graphed in” to the Tree of Life, to reference Paul’s statement in Romans 11, will be included in the family of God by virtue of our King and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are the children of promise and the lucky recipients of God’s Grace.

This is what we are preparing for this Advent Season. Not for the family gatherings, the presents, the decorations and all the hoopla of the Christmas Season. All of these things occur because we are celebrating the fulfillment of a prophecy uttered some few thousand years ago.
It is a prophecy that came true in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is a prophecy that can come true in our hearts today as we prepare for the Advent season.

Thus, we challenge you to grasp this Advent Season with all of your spiritual strength and hold it close to you. Take from it all of the meaningful inklings of the coming Christmas Season. Discard from it all distracting and ultimately meaningless celebrations that do not honor Christ.
Let this Advent be a time of wonderful preparation and anticipation for the fulfilling of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

If you do that, it will be more than just preparation for another Christmas. It will be a preparation for an eternal Advent, shining forever in our hearts.

Jeremiah 23:6 “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Truth Faileth

2011-11-13T04:41:00.000-08:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Twenty First Sunday After Trinity
November 13, 2011

“Truth Faileth”

KJV Isaiah 59:15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

From our Old Testament lesson for the day, the prophet bewails the situation of the times in which he lived. It is both a complete condemnation of the society of Isaiah’s time and a dark portrait of unredeemed human condition. First, the prophet says, “truth fails.” What a concept! Truth FAILS! That is, it had no application or efficacy for the society in which Isaiah lived. This is astounding. Sin had so permeated society that truth was an alien concept. Deception, falsehood and shades of meaning were the norm. Thus, truth failed. The second astounding statement the prophet made was that he who departed from evil in Isaiah’s time made himself a target, a prey for who delighted in so doing. This is a dark picture, indeed.

Considering how our society treats so-called “whistleblowers”, those who point out graft, corruption, or gross ineptitude in high places, this may sound familiar. As you know, for the most part, these people are often destroyed or discredited, because they bring to light evil deeds. Evil, after all, prefers to stay in the dark, where it can do the most damage and enjoy the greatest camouflage.

This ringing condemnation of Isaiah’s society is even more apparent when one considers this passage, which follows immediately afterwards: Isa 59:15-16: (NAS) “Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. 16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;”
The prophet is saying that there was no one who would intercede for righteousness and true religion. At this time in history, Israel and Judah were both corrupt, giving themselves over to the various fertility religions of the Canaanites and to their immoral behaviors. Recall that the Canaanites were the very people that the Lord had declared anathema because of their abominations. Now the Jews were gladly embracing their earth religions and forsaking the Lord who had brought them out of bondage in Egypt. Please note that these base and profane religions considered drinking copious amounts of wine and engaging in immoral acts with temple prostitutes “worship” and pious behavior! This is a very dark picture of fallen human nature.

If this were the end of the story for mankind, it would indeed be a very dark picture. For both Israel and Judah, it would turn out to be tragic. First, the mighty Assyrian Empire consumed Israel and scattered its ten tribes into different parts of its vast territory; this accounted for the so-called “ten lost tribes”. Later, Judah succumbed to the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar following the dreadful siege and near-total destruction of Jerusalem. As prophesied by Jeremiah, the end did come for Jerusalem and the best of the population, those who survived the siege. As related in the Book of Daniel, they were carried off captive to Babylon for 70 years.

Yet, even in judgment, the Lord had mercy on Judah. Mighty Babylon would eventually fall to the Medes under Darius and later, under the edict of Cyrus, the Jewish remnant would rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, as recounted in the book of Ezra.

In Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord himself will bring this salvation to Judah, as he says,
Isa 59:17 “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

Thus, the Lord will rouse Himself to fight for Judah and bring justice to His people.

The prophet says: (Isa 59:18): “According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. 19 So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD drives. 20 "A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the LORD.”

As is common in Biblical prophecy, we see in the passage both the near future and the far future. Isaiah’s prophetic vision takes in both, as he foretells the near-term deliverance of Judah from Babylon and the coming of the Messiah in the longer term.

The Lord’s mercy is so evident here, as he promises deliverance for Israel, which occurred via the edict of Cyrus and provides for the salvation of the human race by the foretold gift of his only Son.

Our epistle from Eph. 6:10-20 echoes this passage from Isaiah as St. Paul tells us:

“13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul evidently had Isaiah in mind as he penned this wonderful passage for the church in Ephesus. It is not only one of my personal favorites, but is one of the more useful and instructive passages in the N.T. It is not mere spiritual “pie in the sky”, but has real constructive value for Christians today. To the world, it is foolishness, but to us, it is truth. Recall that St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one” The world thinks Christianity (true spirituality) is foolishness, yet the Christian in his/her walk with God judges all things.

Thus, the Christian, more so than the unredeemed, carries a realization of his or her dual existence: physical and spiritual, made possible because of the dual nature of mankind.
Recall that in C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, the senior tempter, Uncle Screwtape, tells his nephew, the junior tempter Wormwood, that man is a fluid being, with one part rooted firmly in the physical plane, while the other part undulates in the spiritual realm. That is, since one part is physical and one part is spiritual, both physical and spiritual events can influence us. In my humble opinion, the spiritual events may have greater power to affect us than the physical since they have eternal consequences.

St. Paul begins the passage by exhorting us to rely on God and not on ourselves by saying, “My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”

There is a great question inherent in this statement; in whom do we trust? Do we trust in our own power or that of God? The answer to this is rhetorical and can only be answered by each of us in the quiet of our soul. Suffice it to say, however, that in the spiritual realm, absent God, we are in very perilous territory.

The very heart of the matter comes in (Eph 6:12):
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

If we break this down a bit, we see that the Christian life, while joyous and fulfilled, is one of struggle. In this case, the apostle Paul tells us that we are not “wrestling with flesh and blood”, but with “principalities, with “powers”, the “rulers of the darkness of this world”, “spiritual wickedness in high places.” The World is God’s Creation, and thus inherently good. Yet, at the same time, it is populated with beings who possess free will and who can accept God or reject Him, while simultaneously being affected by the malignity of the Devil, with his temptations, suggestions, influences and the like.

Christian maturity is the key to spiritual survival and health in this fallen world. As one grows in Christ and the Christian experience, one is more aware of the spiritual environment in which one lives.
When a spirit of anger, greed, lust, pettiness, wounded pride, or self-importance assaults a mature Christian, he or she has developed defenses against them. Unlike the carnal man, who is either oblivious to the spiritual forces around him or denies outright that they even exist, the mature Christian has a means to deal with these “principalities”, these “powers”, the “spiritual wickedness in high places”, found in Eph. 6:10-20.

They read, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Note the language used here. It is strong; it is fervent. The word used is “stand,” not “sit down in a discussion group” with evil, or “establish a commission” to study evil, but to vigorously stand against it. We do not dally with it, or much less roll over in the face of it, but we strive to “withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Listen to the words of Martin Luther in his wonderful hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God”: “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.” Thank God, Praise God, we are not solitary in our defense. We have the “whole armour of God” to protect us. St. Paul again exhorts us to “Stand.” He writes, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Thus, we must have our spiritual “loins” wrapped in truth. Now, what is the Truth? How about John 3:16: “So God loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus Christ is Truth incarnate.

After we are girt about with truth, we are put on the breastplate of righteousness, echoing Isaiah 59, and to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”. The Lord wants us to walk as peacefully as possible in a fallen world,
“Above all”, says St. Paul, “take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all of the fiery darts of the wicked.” When doubts, temptations, fears or unwelcome suggestions threaten you, your Christian faith is your shield. Finally, take the “helmet of salvation” to repel the mental assaults which our spiritual Adversary hurls at us. Rev. 12:10 refers to Satan as “the accuser of the brethren” for a very good reason, for he attempts to be very active in our mind and our intellect. Yet, we are not powerless against him. Rather, as James 4:7 tell us: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

St. Paul’s final plea in this wonderful epistle is that prayers be offered for him, that “utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel”. Beloved, we have a part in that. Wearing the armor of God, we are defended against the evils of our day. Filled with the love of Christ, we are ambassadors of the Gospel. Wielding the sword of the Spirit prayerfully, we can, through Christ, bring light to dark situations, give hope to those without hope and “make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”

To do this, it all comes down to one question: in whom do you trust?

KJV Isaiah 59:15 “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”

AMEN

The Marriage Feast of the Lamb

2011-11-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity (All Saints observed)

October 25th, 2011

“The Marriage Feast of the Lamb”

Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,”
Today we are observing the great feast of All Saints. This is perhaps the most all –encompassing feast of the church, simply because it celebrates the inclusion of all of the saints of the Kingdom.

Sometimes people are shocked to learn that they, too, are considered saints. Consider what St. Paul says in Romans 16:15 : ”Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.” Also in 2 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:”

With that thought in mind, do we all have the stature in the Kingdom of a St. Theresa, or a St. Paul, or a St. Andrew? Perhaps not. These people are giants in their way and certainly towering figures in the Kingdom of God. Yet, all of us, in some way or another, are called to be saints and to provide a witness to Christ is some way or another.

Yet, despite our failing and our foibles, which are many, we too are called to be saints. All of us are called to be reflectors of the light of Christ; and to so reflect that light as to give credit to our Father, which is in Heaven.
This is reflected in our Gospel lesson for the day, which focuses chiefly on our calling. In today’s Gospel, for example, we see the lesson of calling and of our answer at its most stark and self-centered. We also see Christ at His teaching best. He uses one of the most time-honored teaching methods, use of an analogy, to inform us of certain events that will come to pass. In fact, this analogy is so perfect that Christ and His ministry can be clearly seen throughout it. Yet at the same time, it is a message very well hidden from those not of the household of faith, or said another way, it is not apparent to those who have received the illumination of the Holy Spirit. All of this is caught up in our Gospel for the day.

Allow me to elaborate just a bit. First, we have Christ giving us the statement that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king who is giving a marriage feast for his son. This King sends forth his servants to call those invited guests to the wedding and they, we are told, would not come. In fact, “they made light of it.” The same story is also told in Luke, where he tells us “And they all with one consent began to make excuse.” The point is plain: these men were not interested in coming to the King’s Son’s wedding.

This is their response when the King sends other servants to call them. When he is again repulsed, the King is understandably angry for having made the preparations for a grand feast and then having no guests to enjoy it. He instructs his servants to go out and bring in those from “the highways” and to furnish his house with guests. This is done, with both the bad and the good making the guest complement complete. The King comes in to survey the party and he sees a man that does not have on a wedding garment. When asked why he is not wearing the wedding garment, the man is speechless. At this point, the King commands him to be bound and cast into “outer darkness”; that is, oblivion. He ends us this amazing story with the puzzling, yet chilling statement, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Let’s back up for a second and examine this moiré closely. Earlier, we mentioned that this is a perfect analogy, and so it is. We also said it could not be understood and fully appreciated without the benefit of the Holy Spirit; and so it is.

Looking at the various pieces of the story, we find that there is a direct and plain tie-in with Christ and his ministry throughout. First, we must consider who is this King and why is He throwing a wedding feast for His Son? We understand the King’s fury when those invited guests refuse his gracious invitation, but how could He throw a man, whom he compelled to come in, into “outer darkness” because he didn’t have a wedding garment? It just seems terribly unfair, doesn’t it?

Having heard this parable all of my life, I must confess that until I heard a sermon on it some ten years ago, I shared similar feelings of puzzlement and even outrage about it. Yet, when one understands it, it makes perfect sense. So, here we go…

First of all, we all recognize without any difficulty that the King is God Almighty, the Father and Lord of all. He is preparing His Creation for the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb, in which all things will be consummated and completed. At this feast, the Creation will be wedded to Christ, just as a bride is wedded to her spouse. In anticipation of this great event, He calls his guests, His Chosen People, to share in the feast. To facilitate this, he sends “servants” to call them. These servants are obviously the various prophets whom God sent to Israel and Judah to call them into repentance and into fellowship with Him. These servants are rejected and the invitation is spurned. In short, God sent His best servants to call His People to the best thing that He has, which is fellowship with Him. He sent to His chosen People, but they would have none of it.

Yet, God being God and infinitely patient, He sent other servants (prophets), only to find that they too, were not accepted. In fact, the Chosen People not only rejected the prophets, they insulted and even killed them! It is at this point that the King has had enough. He exacted judgment and vengeance upon them, sending His armies who “destroy those murderers and burned up their city.” Of course, we know from history and from the Bible that this is exactly what happened to Jerusalem, both at the hands of the Babylonians and the Romans. Other armies have also had their turn sacking and destroying Jerusalem.

Now the King has His servants do something different. He commands them to go into the highways and bring the general population into the wedding. It is at this point that we Gentiles should be most interested, for this directly concerns us. Although it is not flattering, the fact is that God desired to extend his original invitation to the Jews, and when this was rejected, to turn to us Gentiles. Yet, we are not the “second choice” or Plan B, as some commentators have termed it. God did not have a “back up plan”, so to speak, when His People rejected Him. No, it was His Plan all along that salvation should be extended to all men through the sacrificial offering of His only Son, offered by His sacrificial people. As St. Paul tells us, the Jews’ failing is our glory, and thankfully so. Yet, to my mind and to many others, it remains mysterious why this is so. Only the Almighty and Omniscient mind of God knows.

Now we come to the crux of the story. Having filled his house with guests, of varied backgrounds and inclinations, the King comes to inspect the wedding. He spies a man without a wedding garment and questions him. On first examination, the King’s reaction seems harsh and unreasonable. He commands severe punishment for the man whom He required to come in! How unjust, we think.

Yet, when we know the customs of the day, the King’s reaction is totally understandable. The ancient Jews celebrated weddings for a number of days, not just for a few hours as we do. Recall the Marriage at Cana, where the crowd consumed some sixty-odd gallons of wine before Christ in his munificence made more! Aside from the lavish food and drink, it was considered important that the guests be attired properly. The wedding also called for a wedding garment. Now, it was customary for the bride’s father to furnish the wedding garments for his guests, so that no one would be excluded or unable to attend because they couldn’t afford the clothes.

One was given the very attire to be presentable, at no cost to himself. Thus, when one had received such a gracious and generous invitation, refusing it was virtually unthinkable. It was simply not to be done.

Yet, this is the situation in which the King finds himself in the parable. He has graciously invited guests to his banquet and has even provided them a wedding garment. He has offered his very best for them and he is soundly rejected…

Let us close this analogy. God Himself has invited us to partake in the heavenly banquet with the Royal wedding party, in a feast that will continue forever. He has not only invited us, He has also provided the wedding garment, Christ, in which we are to be clothed. In short, in order to attend the heavenly banquet, we are to “put on” Christ. He is our new identity, our new appearance in which we will be presented to God the Father. As we see from the parable, it is the only appearance that is acceptable.

When the King commands them, the general population, to be brought in, it is also a picture of the Last Judgment. This is why the King commanded all to be brought in from the highways and bi-ways. In Luke’s version, the King’s servants “compel” them to come in. It is not a voluntary appearance.

Finally, we come to the last, chilling statement where the King informs us that “many are called, but few are chosen.” This calling takes two forms: first, the all-loving, all-encompassing call of Christ from the Cross, where the grace of God is extended to all men. Salvation is offered to all men by this gracious call. Second, the call comes in the form of the Last Judgment, where all men will be held accountable. In fact, in the Family Prayer of the the Prayer Book, it tells us “we must give a strict account of our thoughts, words, and actions” to Christ. Those of us who have accepted the gracious invitation and who have put on Christ will be invited into eternal fellowship with Him. Those who have spurned, ignored or willfully rejected the call will be cast into “outer darkness”, where “there shall weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Yet, God the Father is not unreasonable, nor is he unjust or unkind. After all, He has provided us the wedding garment. He has given us exactly what we need. It is up to us whether or not we will put it on.

Beloved, let us embrace this gracious and wonderful invitation. Let us continually, day by day, put on Christ. Let us, day by day, know that God so loved us that He not only desired to have fellowship with us, He also made it possible. Those who do so will not only be called, they will also be chosen.

It is up to us. Let us accept this calling. Let us put on Christ and let us be the Chosen, beloved of God forever.

Matthew 22:12 “And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.”

Famine of the Word

2011-10-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
18th Sunday after Trinity
October 23, 2011

Famine of the Word

Amos 8:11 ”Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: “

These are the chilling words that the Lord utters through his prophet Amos in today’s Old Testament Lesson. He tells the people that there will not be a famine, or a drought, but a dearth in prophecy and guidance from God. The words of the Lord will be few and far between.

To the vast majority of mankind, this may be a “so what” moment. After all, what does it matter whether or not we hear Scripture, or prophecy, or exhortation? What need we of that, they say, when we have many, many other voices to lead us to righteousness? After all, hasn’t man become so enlightened that he can make his own destiny? In short, what need have we of God?

This is a fair question. Why does man need God, or even the need of anything beyond himself? Once our physical needs are satisfied, and our material wants are more or less satiated, what need is there of anything else?

Let’s return to that question in a minute. Before we attempt to make any sense of that, let us step back into our Old Testament lesson and examine why God might make such a prophecy? What could prompt God to utter such a thing?

Consider this: (Amos 8:4-6) “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?”

These very words condemn the speaker and those who think like him. Listen to the words and consider the actions which underlie them: “swallow up the needy”, “make the poor of the land to fail”; lamenting the new moon, which prevents them from selling corn, and even bewailing the Sabbath itself, which prevents them from selling wheat. To make it worse, it isn’t even honest commerce, but crooked. They desire to make the ephah, or grain measure, small, which makes the shekel great! Obviously, this means that they will lie about goods being sold by falsifying the scale and defrauding their customers. Finally, they will take these ill-begotten gains and buy the poor of the land. What are they worth? A little silver, or merely the cost of a pair of shoes. Any way you look at it, this is a dark picture, indeed.

Amos returns to this theme again and again. Judah and Israel are wealthy, sensual, and corrupt. They have corrupted themselves in every aspect of their lives, especially the one that God cares about most: the allegiance of their soul. As if their personal behavior is not bad enough, they have turned away from the One who brought them out from Egypt. They have paraded images of pagan gods and have wholly followed the idolatrous calves set up by Jeroboam in Israel at Dan and Bethel. Recall that Jeroboam was concerned that if the tribes went up to Jerusalem to perform their mandatory worship, he might lose the kingdom. One modern translation says this: “1 (Kings 12:26-31) 26 Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom is now likely to revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. 31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.”

This was a major step in the Israelites’ slippery slope towards moral degradation and eventually, divine punishment. Yet, even this divine retribution took place in stages. God did not just pronounce them corrupt and send them off into exile. Instead, God punished the Israelites in steps, each time waiting for them to return to Him. He sent them drought, which brought on famine. He sent them war, which took away many of their young men. He even had some captured and carried away as a warning. Yet Israel did not repent, nor did it turn to the Lord.

The Lord continues his warnings, as He tells the Israelites: (Amos 5:5)” But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.” He is telling the people of the captivity of the Northern Kingdom, which would eventually come to pass. The huge, pagan, Assyrian Empire would eventually swallow them up. Later, in history, as their sister nation, Judah, continued in apostasy, she too would be carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, which would begin the 70-year Babylonian Captivity.

Yet, at this time in History, God is still warning the Northern Kingdom, although it seems as if His patience is ending. In Amos 8:7-9, we hear these dreadful words: “The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. 8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:”

Here, God is telling them of things to come, while also prophesying that fateful Friday when His own Son would be offered as the perfect sacrifice.

Regarding the acts of men to justify themselves, consider how God regards the current religiosity of the Jews: (Amos 5:20-23) “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. 22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.” So, it seems that the Israelites obviously believed that they could act as they wanted to personally and in business, just as long as they offered the prescribed sacrifices and rites to God. Call it what you will: symbolism over substance, works righteousness, or even “gaming the system”, it was false and hollow. To top it off, many Jews worshipped other gods to boot!

Thus, even the seemingly limitless patience of God has its limits. Note, however, that even at this late date, if Israel had turned from idolatry and back to God, He would have forgiven them. Regarding man’s true repentance from sin, God’s mercy truly is limitless. Remember Jesus’ words about this in Matthew 18:22, when asked about the number of times one should grant repentance:”Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” In Israel’s case, this is not going to happen. They are hardened in their sin and idolatry, past the point of going back to righteousness. Thus, God not only pronounces their sentence through His prophets, but as history later attests, brings it to pass.

In light of all this Old Testament history, let us return to our original question: what need have we of God? The answer may be blatantly obvious, but for the sake of clarification, let us rehearse it here. We saw that as Israel fell away from their true faith in God who delivered them from Egypt, their behavior, moral and otherwise, became degraded also. In fact, a key component of all of the pagan gods’ worship necessitated some form of degradation. Note, however, how that degradation spilled over into their business behavior and their ethics, or lack thereof. At this point in their history, religion has become only a show, or worse yet, a means to curry God’s favor while they do as they like. Not only did they renounce God in their worship of other false gods, but they were totally hypocritical in His worship as well.

Thus, do have need of God? That answer I leave up to you. As you ponder that question, consider this: religion, especially Christianity, cannot be merely a surface affair to be effective in our lives; it must be transformational. Granted, what we Christians have the early Jews didn’t is a full realization of our relationship with Almighty God through the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost. Whereas they attempted to commune with God through the Law and its statutes, we have the ability and the permission to come boldly to the throne of Grace because of the Son, through the Holy Ghost. We have that realization of the direct connection with God. Instead of the thick darkness of the Temple, which was a pervasive theme of the Old Testament, we have brilliant, dazzling light of the Christ of the Transfiguration. This only occurs in the New Testament. This light, as accept it, rejoice in it, and literally bathe our souls in it, makes a difference in our lives. We are not a transactional people, seeking to make a bargain with God, but rather we are a transformational people, seeking new life in Him. This new life affects everything that we do. It should affect how we think and how we act We should be the standard bearers of true, loving, righteous behavior, not of ourselves, but because of our relationship with Christ.

Once again, what need have we of God? You be the judge of that….

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

Exaltation and Humility

2011-10-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

17th Sunday in Trinity 2011
“Exaltation and Humility…”

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
October 16, 2011

Luke 14:1 “And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.”

This Sunday’s Gospel selection from St. Luke, chapter 14, contains one of the single most important teachings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It goes to the heart of what it means to be human, as well as what it means to have successful relationships.

Once again, this preacher is making a mighty big claim. He would not make it if the Word of God were not able to deliver this teaching and much, much, more. In this particular passage, our Lord has entered into one of the chief Pharisee’s house for dinner. He is being watched closely, as usual, while the Pharisees sought some occasion to accuse him. While there, Jesus heals a man who had the dropsy, then delivers one of His very important discourses. John Calvin says this about the passage: “The law of the very sabbath ought not to hinder the offices of charity.” (This is reference to the healing of the man.) In other words, we should never let the conventions of men impede our ability to do some good in this world. This is, of course, what Christ did. As to the place of the meeting, Calvin says that the home belonged to: “Either one of the elders, whom they called the Sanhedrin, or one of the chiefs of the synagogue: for all the Pharisees were not chief men of the synagogue; for this word Pharisee was the name of a sect, though it appears by viewing the whole history of the matter that the Pharisees had much authority.”

Allow me an aside here. Why did the Pharisees invite Jesus again and again? What was it about Him that fascinated them? Was it his reputation for miracles? Was it His amazing preaching? Was it His personal charisma and natural attraction? Just like the dinner guest who responds to the question, ”Would you like peas or carrots” with an unqualified “yes”, the same can be said about the Pharisees. They were fascinated and envious at the same time. Perhaps the old saying, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” may have some relevance here. They were always listening and watching him, so as to catch Him in some doctrinal or theological trap. As we are told in Luke 11:53-54 ”And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: 54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.”

As usual, the Pharisees tried and failed. In the scene the man with the dropsy appeared before the group and Christ obviously had compassion on him. He asks the general question, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” McGarvey and Pendleton mention this about the passage: “But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. But they held their peace. If the lawyers and Pharisees declared it lawful, they defeated their plot, and if they said otherwise, they involved themselves in an argument with Jesus in which, as experience taught them, they would be humiliated before the people. Hence, they kept silence, but their silence only justified him, since it was the duty of every lawyer to pronounce this act unlawful if it had been so.” Christ nails the argument shut, so to speak, when he asks them if they would not rescue a domestic animal that fell into a pit on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, as usual, end up speechless and defeated.

Observe, however, one amazing point about the healing described in this passage. It is described without fanfare and without much buildup. Christ simply takes the man and heals him, or in the words of Luke 14:4: “And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;” At first glance, one might be tempted to simply say (or think), “Very Good. Here’s another miracle done by Christ. How wonderful.” To do so would miss a marvelous sub-point about the passage. Christ performs this healing almost casually, even nonchalantly. Now, of course, we would never term any miracle of Christ as such, but that is just the way it seems to be portrayed here. Yet, to conclude that too would be to miss the point.

The reason the miracle is mentioned in just such a way is to emphasize the Lordship of Christ over all Creation. It is shown here in this fashion to emphasize his authority. After all, our Lord created the heavens and the earth; should he not choose to alleviate some negative aspect of it if He chooses? The question following the miracle, addressed to the Pharisees says just that, when Christ says, (Luke 14:5): “And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?” The analogy is obvious. Just as a Pharisee would pull out his ox or his ass from a ditch on the Sabbath, so our Lord can pull us out of our proverbial ditches if He so chooses. How clear this saying was to the Pharisees, at least on the surface, is not immediately apparent, but having the benefit of 2,000 years of Christian history makes it very clear to us.

We are Christ’s creatures; He is our Creator. He is the Lord of this Universe and every other one. Jesus is therefore, declaring that to all in this passage. In short, in doing this miracle in this way, Christ is demonstrating his absolute authority over all things.

Now, as the fascinated (and probably envious) Pharisees watch, Christ drills into the heart of this passage and into the very bone and marrow of the Pharisees’ chief sin, pride. Christ noted how the men chose out the best places to sit, or recline, as was the custom of the ancient world during dinner. He uses this to teach them about the folly and the futility of pride. Jesus tells them that when they are invited to a wedding or to a party, they should not assume the most honorable place, which would be nearest the host, but rather choose a place lower on the table or in the room. The folly of choosing the highest place is the chance they might be asked to give place to man considered more worthy than they. In that case, they would be publicly humiliated and would have to retreat to the lowest place. Instead, Christ says, enter the area with humility and choose the lowest, or least honorable place in the assembly. Then, the host may come to them and say, “Friend, go up higher.” In that case, in the wonderful words of the Authorized Version, (Luke 14:10): “…then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee”

As is typical with our Lord, His teaching comes to an end with a dramatic statement: (Luke 14:11) ”For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”Here is where our Lord teaches us about the futility of pride. We may exalt ourselves and we may extol our supposed virtues to the skies, but in the end, it will bear no fruit. As one of the hymns says, “Our vaunt is stilled.”
Thus, our self-exultation will result in abasement, showing our effort towards self-advertisement as merely futile.

Yet, this raises an interesting point. Why does it seem as if some in this world do exalt themselves and do enjoy the finest things life has to offer, yet seemingly suffer no abasement? Does this mean that Christ’s words are not true?

Far be it from us to think so. We know that Christ always speaks truth. For example, we know this saying is true intuitively, for how many times in our lives have we been feeling pretty good about ourselves and even feel that we are the “cat’s meow”, so to speak, only to have some calamity, major or minor, befall us? When we puff ourselves up, we are certainly asking for some kind of deflation. Can any one of us deny this?

Returning to the seeming flawless people in our society, those for which life never seems to touch, there is a more subtle point to consider. For that, let us consider Solomon, the son of David, the richest and wisest King of Israel. He was fabulously wealthy. He was wise, so much so that many kings and queens of the ancient world came to hear him. Even the famed Queen of Sheba came to him and was amazed. In addition to all this, he had over 1,000 wives and concubines. What more could a man ask for?

Yet, consider the book of Ecclesiastes, which has been credited to Solomon. In the book he is called “the Preacher.” First he says, (Ecclesiastes 1:2): ”Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” After considerable discourse, Solomon concludes: (Ecclesiastes 1:14) “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” Thus, even those who seemingly have it all, really don’t. They have exalted themselves, but in the very base of their soul, there may lurk an abased spirit, a sense of non-contentment. Once the chase after material and worldly success is finished, what is left? Merely emptiness. This comes, not from a lack of material wealth, but from a paucity of spiritual well-being. On the other hand, happy is the man who loves the Lord and who has been blessed with material abundance. He knows that all that he has comes from God and is blessed by God.
Like Job, he could lose it all and suffer for a season, but if his heart is right with God, all will be well sooner or later.

If we abase ourselves before God and acknowledge our wretchedness in the face of His absolute Holiness, while accepting his gifts of His generosity, all will be well with us. Using our God-given talents and abilities, we pursue our earthly path with perseverance and good will. In His time and in His will, we will be exalted; not only in this life, but in the life to come.

Unlike those who exalt themselves to the exclusion of Jesus Christ, we will be exalted forever with him. As we process through the heavenly gates, garbed in our robe of immortality, we can affirm the words of Christ: (Luke 14:11) “ For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

Arise and Walk

2011-10-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
19th Sunday after Trinity 2010
October 10, 201

Arise and Walk
“Matthew 9:5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?”
Have you ever witnessed a public scandal? Have you ever heard someone say something so outrageous that it took your breath away? In short, have you ever heard something that literally shook you to the roots?

We have an example of that in today’s Gospel. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says something that shakes the scribes to their very roots. Recall that these men were the ones who had devoted their very lives to the preservation of the Law. The scribes were in charge of copying the Talmud and the Torah, all without a single mistake. In addition, they would make pronouncements based on the Jewish Scriptures, always with an eye on complete compliance with the Law.

Now, here comes into their midst a seemingly simple rabbi from Nazareth who says, Matthew 9:2: “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”The sheer audacity of the statement must have been most upsetting and unsettling to them. How dare he say such a thing? What a scandalous thing to say! Imagine how you would feel. Let’s say a person walks into your office or place of business and presumes to know everything about what you are doing. Assume further that this “officious interloper”, as our legal friends might call him, makes a pronouncement that strikes at the very root of our profession. In other words, the very boldness and audacity of the statement makes your jaw drop.

This is exactly what Christ did in this situation. When some men brought to him a man “sick of the palsy”, Christ did not merely heal the man and send him on his way. That would have been too easy (for him) and would not have provided the witness that He wanted at that time. After all, our Lord had been doing miracles for some time now and his fame would have spread far and wide, else why would the men come to Him?

For example, in the Book of Matthew up to this point, Christ has healed the leper, the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, and the demoniac. In addition, he rebuked the storm on Lake Genessaret and astonished his own disciples. These, of course, are only the documented miracles and healings. There were no doubt hundreds of others in addition to these. Thus, the healing of the man with the palsy was not the question.

Christ wanted to make a statement about himself, in such a way that told the scribes and Pharisees who He was without an overt claim made by himself. After all, a self-proclaimed prophet or messiah is usually met with extreme cynicism, and even scorn except for the weakly credible. For example, recall the words of the Pharisee Gamaliel in Acts 5, where he listed several of the messianic figures: “Acts 5:36-39 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. “

Thus, Christ’s intent was not to tell about himself, for as the old saying goes, “Talk is cheap.” Instead, Christ constantly provided signs which pointed to His Lordship. For example, the entire Book of John, which happens to be one of my favorite books of the Bible, is constructed around signs, all of which point to Christ. With the idea of signs in mind, let us look at this particular one.

Once again, note that Christ did not merely say to the man, “Arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine house.” Although this was the outcome of the event, it is presented almost as an afterthought. Instead, he first looked at the man, and said, (Matthew 9:2)” Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Of course, this is the scandalous statement that shocked the scribes present. These holy men thought to themselves, “This man is a blasphemer. Who can forgive sins except God?”

Then, Christ draws the sign to a close by asking a simple question, (Matthew 9:5-7) “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?” This must have shocked and unsettled them quite a bit. While they were pondering this, Our Lord continued: “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house.”The sign is complete. Christ clearly drew the comparison that said, simply, that the One who could forgive sins was also the One who could heal a sick man with a word. He left it up to the scribes to make the obvious connection.

No doubt they did make the connection, but not being mixed with faith, it was not the kind of connection you or I might make. Instead of using the sign to help them realize that a momentous occasion was happening in their midst, they were filled with an opposite or unworthy emotion, probably scorn, envy, or simply disbelief. It was impossible for them to realize what was really happening. Again, although they saw the sign, they did have the gift of faith to see that God Himself was among them. Emmanuel had indeed come, according to prophecy, but their minds were closed, being blocked by sheer incredulity or even sheer obstinacy.

In other words, God uses signs everyday to point us to Himself. For traditional, historic Christians such as ourselves, we already have the most powerful and readily accessible signs available to us. These are the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments, both of which are meant to point us constantly to Jesus and his saving grace. When we think of our advantages as modern Christians, it seems as if it would be so much easier to believe, doesn’t it? After all, we the Word of God readily available in every bookstore, even every supermarket, all over the Internet, and broadcast on the airwaves. We have churches on virtually every corner all over this country, and we have the Holy Sacrament available on a wide-scale basis. In short, we have signs literally shouting the name of Christ virtually everywhere.

Why then, are not all churches full? Why, with all the abundance of signs, is not this country, even all the world, literally bursting with vibrant enthusiasm for God?
The fact is that signs alone are not enough. Note that Christ saw the men bringing the sufferer into His midst, and “seeing their faith”, proceeded to heal him. Signs merely point out the way to us. It is up to us to follow their direction.

I know of many times in my own life when, travelling or otherwise, I have ignored signs, usually to my own dismay or detriment. Sometimes I didn’t have enough faith to go where I should have, or to take the right route. Sometimes I was too distracted by other things to follow the right sign. Other times, I was simply too arrogant to go where the sign pointed, trusting instead in my own sufficiency for direction. Suffice it to say that my faith was lacking to follow the right sign.

Whatever they may be, and however they may show up in your life, watch for your personal signs that point you to Christ. Look for signs in your own spirit that lead you to a greater awareness of His power in your life. Above all, use the signs available to us to take the right road to Christ.

Signs point us to many directions and many places. Some places point us to the good places that God wants us to go. Other signs, just as appealing, point us to places where we should not go. Ending up in these destinations may result in regret and confusion, instead of the peaceful destination that we have in God.

Thus, when God calls us to heed a certain sign, let us all hope and pray that we have faith sufficient to take the road He has pointed out to us. It is that road that leads to our ultimate fulfillment.

Matthew 9:2 : “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Now to him, who is Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings, to whom belongs all majesty, glory, honor and dominion, now and for ever.

AMEN

Bowed to Glory

2011-10-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

16th Sunday after Trinity 2011
Bowed to Glory
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
October 9, 2011

Ephesians 3:13-15 1” Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 ¶ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”

Let me acquaint you with historical survey I once heard. You may be familiar with it. It was done by a historian some time ago and it asked, “Who is the most important or influential person in history?” Now, if you are a Christian, there is no question. It must be Jesus Christ. If you are a Jew, you might very well say Moses. If you are a Muslim, no doubt you would say Muhammad.

Here’s where it gets interesting. This particular historian thought that it was Muhammad. He thought so because Muhammad was both a spiritual leader and a secular leader. His name is Michael Hart, who said this: “There are two principal reasons for that decision. First, Muhammad played a far more important role to the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament.”

One might suppose that if one looks at Christianity just from the worldly view, this opinion has some merit. After all, it is true that St. Paul was the principal proselytizer and that without him as the chosen vessel of God, Christianity might not have spread the way that it did. It is also true that Muhammad was a great secular leader, or better said, he was a conqueror, whereas Christ was a converter. Muhammad thirsted after earthly power, whereas Christ had no such aspirations. As he told Pilate, John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” Thus, one might be tempted to buy into Hall’s argument; that is, if one ignores the Resurrection and the numerous miracles Jesus did throughout His ministry. Unfortunately, one cannot see Muhammad in the same light, for to my knowledge, Muhammad did no miracles, except, perhaps to appear at the head of an army to conquer the city that once thrust him out.

Thus, it comes down to a comparison of two gross inequalities. One side consists of a soul that has been, or rather, is being indwelt with the Holy Spirit; for as St. John tells us: “1 John 4:15 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” The other is one who confesses a secular worldview, or one who cannot see Christ for what he is. Granted, the Muslims do not worship Muhammad, although they venerate him as the Chief Prophet of Allah. In fairness, they also venerate Prophet Jesus, as they term him, but cannot name him as God. The Koran itself expresses repulsion of the concept of God having a Son. Thus, this secular worldview, which seems so wise, is actually stunted and blind. That is why, in this priest’s opinion, one can be so cultured, so urbane, and yet be so utterly lost.

At the very heart of the matter, it seems that Islam cannot accept the mysterious truth of the Trinity. After all, it is beyond us and is an item of great faith. In this respect, it is like the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. Yes, we can read the account of Christ’s baptism in Jordan in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. We can see the three persons of the Godhead present at the same time. Finally, we can hear the voice of God the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It seems then, that despite the modernist tendency to explain away the duality of life, it comes again to the surface.

Let me issue a disclaimer here. My purpose here today is not to slam or defame a great world religion. That would be wrong and not Christian. My purpose is to simply point out the duality of life. There is a wrong side of things and there is a right side of things.

Thus, one can be married to the world in one’s spirit and reject the Spirit of God, who made all things. Or, one can seek the indwelling Spirit of God and freely inherit all things, including eternal life.

Returning to concept of Christ as the most influential person, one can absolutely say that He was not a powerful secular leader. That is not the record of history given to us in the Bible… Yet, it is a fact that Christ did more, so much more.

There has never been, nor will there ever be another being like Christ. No other figure in history did what He did. No one has ever performed the miracles He did, which were meant as signs to point to His Divinity. No one has ever led a completely sinless life like He did, which is a sign to point to His perfect humanity. Finally, no one has ever risen from the dead in glorified perfection like He did, which points to man’s ultimate state of being with God.

Yet one can accept none of these facts without the enabling of the Holy Spirit. As a child, I could not understand nor receive the reality of the Trinity. As an adult, while I still do not understand the concept of the Trinity, because it is beyond my limited powers of perception, I do receive it as an article of faith. I could not do so, however, without the help of the Holy Ghost. Only with Divine power can one receive Divine illumination. Only with the help of God, can one accept God.

Divine power is shown clearly in today’s Gospel, where we see Christ meeting the funeral bier of a young man’s funeral procession leaving the city of Nain. He was accompanied by a throng of people, as He often was, when He encountered this mournful occasion. Instead of simply commiserating with the widow, who was also accompanied by “much people of the city”, he had “compassion” on her. Luke tells us plainly that Christ had “compassion” on the widow. Why? Christ, knowing all things, knew that this woman had only one means of support, her son. According to the story, he was now dead in his youth. Recall that the state of widowhood was dire in 1st century Palestine. If a woman was young enough, she could remarry and be a wife. Her other option was to be a prostitute. Apart from these two options, poverty loomed over many virtuous but unfortunate women. Without family or riches, a woman’s place could be perilous indeed.

But, Jesus had compassion on her. He tells her, “Do not weep.” Then, he touches the funeral bier, causing those carrying it to stop. It is obvious what kind of authority Jesus Christ exuded. He stops the death procession with a mere touch, a word, and with his Presence. Then He commands the young man to arise from the grip of mortality: (Luk 7:15) “And the one who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.’ Note that Jesus did not pray for, or supplicate some deity for the young man’s resurrection. No, as God Himself He speaks with authority and the young man arises immediately.

This story boldly illustrates why Christ is the true Messiah. It illustrates without fail or contradiction that Christ is the central figure of all time. No other earthly figure could possibly do this. No other earthly figure would do this, without some calculation of gain on their part. Yet, Christ did. Why? At the risk of seeming trite, or even to potentially trivialize something so monumental, it is because only Christ really cares. That is, only in Christ do we find a completely selfless love projected towards others. In this regard, note that Christ did not offer the widow food, or money, or even emotional support. No, He went right to the root of the problem and eradicated it. He told the man to come back to life. With a word, He defeated death.

The question is. why did He do this? If you will, why He bother with it? Could it seen as a sign of our own personal resurrections? Certainly. Is it a sign the points to Christ’s immeasurable love for us? Absolutely. This whole episode is caught up in the mystery of God. It involves issues such as God’s Glory and His magnificence, but most of all, it deals with His love. We don’t understand this love, nor are we truly able to comprehend it. We don’t understand a Being that truly loves us more and better than we love ourselves. How? Why? It is a mystery of the first magnitude.

Yet, although we truly cannot comprehend it, we can recognize a demonstration of it. For example, this love was demonstrated very clearly and tangibly in today’s Gospel. It is love that is universal yet incomprehensible; vast, yet localized; transcendent, yet immanent.

We must ask, is it enough merely to bask in the immensity and profundity of God’s love? Are we merely to be passive receptors of it? The question is rhetorical, but the answer is intensely personal. We will submit to you that Christianity is a call to action tempered by the Holy Spirit.

Rather than just be passive and appreciative; we ought to be active and reciprocal. May the light inside us be so intense that it shines through the fissures of our being to illuminate those around us. Let them see the light and want it too. Let it simply be that the world knows us by our love.

Therefore, we must leave it up to St. Paul to summarize this magnificent love, as he says from our Epistle for the day: (Eph 3:20-21) “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever. Amen.” This is our Lord. This is our Christ. Is He the most influential figure in history? I leave that answer up to you.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Covenant and Grace

2011-10-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Covenant and Grace

15th Sunday after Trinity 2011
October 2, 2011
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Rev. Stephen E. Stults

From our O.T. Lesson for today, please hear this:
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 ”The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: (and) Deuteronomy 7:9 9 “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

These words, taken from the Old Testament Lesson for the 15th Sunday after Trinity, have both great significance and prophetic power for us today. They are significant because they tell us what we are as the people of God. They are prophetic because they tell us what we are to expect from God in that role.

These are weighty and powerful statements, to be sure. Let us examine the context in which they were said and see how they apply to us today. The Israelites had been encamped on the slopes of Mt. Sinai for some time. According to God speaking through Moses his prophet, the People have stayed there long enough. Here they received the Law. Here, no doubt, they have had many excellent and fulfilling discussions about it, but now it is time to move the Law out into the world. Before they go, Moses reminds them how they were brought out of Egypt, with a mighty hand. He also reminds them of the former generation’s fear of possessing the land. Recall that the fact-finding mission of Caleb, Joshua, and a few other faithful men many years ago urged Israel to rise up and possess the land. Recall how they brought back the fruit of the land and joyfully told the congregation of Israel that it was a good land. Yet, instead of moving forward in faith, the congregation cowered in fear. They talked of the Anakins, the giant people of the land, and they spoke of all the obstacles they would have to overcome. The group that came out of Egypt was afraid. They had already forgotten what their purpose was and who they were. As a result, they did not do what God commanded them to do, despite the fact that He said that He would fight for them. Instead, they shrunk back.

Now, in Deut. 6, we have a different scene. Since God had them wander about for forty years, the majority of that original murmuring group of ex-Egyptian slaves were now dead. In place of that generation are a group of people who want to do God’s will and who want to go in to possess the land. Some of them must have been very eager, “chomping at the bit”, so to speak.

It is to this group that Moses speaks. He tells them what they must do, as well as what they mustn’t do in order to reap the benefits of God’s favor. First, he tells them that when, not if, God destroys their enemies before them, in order to establish them in the land, they must not mix with, marry, or adopt the ways of the people around them. After all, these were the detestable, pagan, satanic Canaanites, who practiced devil worship, human sacrifice and unclean personal relations. In short, they were corrupt. God did not want His People to be so corrupted. As we know, later in their history, the Israelites would be very much influenced by their pagan neighbors and pay a heavy price for it. At this point, however, they were not tainted. Moses hoped to keep it so by presenting to them the advantages of keeping pure. He also showed to them the negative consequences of breaking covenant with God.

In the verses immediately preceding our reading, hear the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 7:2-3: “And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”

The reason is clear when Moses continues: Deuteronomy 7:4 “For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.” It is clear that evil tends to corrupt, and that absolute evil tends to corrupt absolutely, to paraphrase Lord Acton’s aphorism about power. There is no doubt that corruption does spread, like a contagion. This is exactly what Moses fears and what he preaches against in this address.

Perhaps the most interesting point is when he says, (Deuteronomy 7:7) “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:” God did not choose a mighty people on which to manifest his glory. Instead, He chose a wretched slave people, now freed, to be His ambassadors throughout the earth.
Moses’ statement are compelling, because he says: (Deuteronomy 7:8) “But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” In short, God did not choose the Israelites because they were powerful, or even numerous in terms of what a nation should be. He did not choose them because of their righteousness or their just deserts. He chose them because of the oath He made to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. God is being true to Himself, which is what He must always do.

Moses continues to expound on the relationship when he mentions that God will destroy those who hate him. He will not be “slack” in repaying those who reward love with hate. As an aside, it is truly an amazing thing when one finally realizes that he or she is truly loved by God. Not in some ephemeral, surface sort of way, but in the deep meaningful sort of way that one loving spouse says to another, “I love you.” Yet, even this is inadequate to describe the love of God for us. It goes way, way beyond the human capability to love. It is a love that is so deep and so profound that it cannot be described with words. The only way it can be described is with actions, and the action that describes God’s true love for us is the Cross. All of the other actions that are meant to signify God’s love for us pale in comparison to this. All of the puritanical rules and codes of conduct that have turned so many against Christianity, yet that are done in the name of Christ, are meaningless and destructive without the true spirit of love in them. Loveless, joyless life, if one can call it that, does not please God. We are to show God how much we love Him by loving Him, and our neighbor as ourselves. The formula of love is simple, but not easy. It is: love God, love yourself in and through God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Yet, in the mercy and love of God, He does more, if that is possible. God did not just provide for our eternal destination and then leave us to survive as best we can until we get there. No, instead He promises to keep covenant with those who keep covenant with Him. In keeping covenant, He provides for our earthly needs as well. Thus, if we remain faithful, He will keep faith with those who keep faith with Him. Moses tells us this in Deuteronomy 7:12-13:“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.”

There is a great lesson in this for us, in several ways. First, we should consider the numerical question. Yes, we are small at this point, but so were the Israelites at one time. Yet, God blessed them and increased them. Recall how Jacob rehearsed God’s words to him, when he encamped beside Jordan on that fateful night when he would become Israel: (Genesis 32:12) ”And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” In like manner He will do the same with us, on one condition. Just as the Israelites were to remain faithful, so we must continue to remain faithful. As we obey the law of love, so God will love us, keep us, and multiply us.

We are the blessed people of God. We are the new Israel, blessed in God, blessed in the love He has for us, and most importantly, blessed in the love we have for each other.

It is all important that we remain faithful. It is all important that we obey the law of love. Finally, it is all important that we rejoice in the love God has for us.

Deuteronomy 7:6 “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

Abounding in Grace

2011-09-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Abounding in Grace
14th Sunday after Trinity, 2011

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
September 25, 2011

Good Morning! May God’s richest grace be on you all today…

Consider these two verses from our Second Lesson:
Philippians 4:4: “ Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice”, and
Philippians 4:12:“I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

Here we have two blessed and uplifting verses from one of St. Paul’s later epistles. Philippians, written late in his ministry, actually was penned while St. Paul was waiting to be brought before the Emperor Nero the second time. We know from Acts that St. Paul was arrested after having been the center of an uproar in Jerusalem. He sent unto Festus under heavy guard because of the threat of an ambush by Jewish zealots seeking his death. The chain of events that led up to his house arrest in Rome unfolded as Paul testified before Festus at the end of the Book of Acts. Recall that Porcius Festus was the Roman procurator in Judea from A.D. 58-62.

St. Paul appeared before Festus several times before it seemed imminent that he would be sent back to Jerusalem for trial. This extradition to Jerusalem he avoided by exercising his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. Ironically, by this time, he had almost persuaded Festus to become a Christian and would, in Festus’ own words, have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar. Of course, we know that Paul’s trip to Rome was critical to the growth of Christianity. Thus, in God’s perfect Will, it happened. Festus had no alternative but to transfer his case to Rome, but he brought him to Agrippa II in order to help him understand how to charge Paul.

Paul appeared before Nero twice. The first appearance occurred during his first imprisonment recorded in the Book of Acts, of which we just spoke. Three of Paul’s epistles, the so-called “prison epistles”, which are Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, were most likely written during this imprisonment. The dating of Philippians is uncertain, but the Church is reasonably certain that it was also written during the between the first and second appearances.

His first trial must have ended in acquittal, for after the period in Rome, Paul is again traveling and preaching. During this time, he would write the Pastoral Epistles and ponder a missionary journey to Spain. He would eventually appear before Nero the second time, and according to Christian tradition, be sentenced to death. According to one source, Paul was arrested in Rome, late in Nero’s reign. We really don’t know for sure, as St. Paul’s death is not recorded in the Bible or any contemporary history. Yet, we do have the tradition of the Church. Here are several items about his martyrdom, according to one source, The Catholic Encyclopedia:

• Paul suffered martyrdom near Rome at a place called Aquae Salviae (now Tre Fontane), somewhat east of the Ostian Way, about two miles from the splendid Basilica of San Paolo fuori le mura which marks his burial place.
• The martyrdom took place towards the end of the reign of Nero, in the twelfth year (St. Epiphanius), the thirteenth (Euthalius), or the fourteenth (St. Jerome).
• According to the most common opinion, Paul suffered in the same year and on the same day as Peter; several Latin Fathers contend that it was on the same day but not in the same year; the oldest witness, St. Dionysius the Corinthian, says only kata ton auton kairon, which may be translated "at the same time" or "about the same time".
• From time immemorial in the Roman Church, the solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul has been celebrated on June 29, which is the anniversary either of their death or of the translation of their relics.

We Anglicans celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25 and celebrate St. Peter’s day on June 29.

In Philippians, we sense both the maturity of Paul’s ministry and that of his own personal faith. He begins this section of Philippians with the ringing statement, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Aside from being one of the most uplifting statements in the NT, it is also one of the most profound. Why? Simply because if one such as St. Paul can say this is his current circumstances, what should we do? Here was a man who had been beaten with rods, lashed repeatedly, stoned, and even shipwrecked in the course of his ministry. He was now awaiting trial before an insane, tyrannical despot who was known to systematically purge those suspected to be plotting against him. In these circumstances, he tells his reader, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

The message is plain: rejoice and give thanks for all of your life, no matter what your external circumstances might be. Let the joy of Christ overshadow your life and never, never, give in to Satanic despair. If Paul can say it, despite his circumstances, cannot we do the same? If we accept the imponderable Mind of God in all things, we know that even our negative circumstances occur for a reason and in some way glorify God. The why and how are beyond us.

St. Paul continues in Philippians 4:5:”Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” One translation has it as: “Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” As a parallel source, St. James echoes this concept of the forbearing spirit as he tells us about bridling of the tongue,” ¶ If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” One source mentions, “Bridling the tongue is a hallmark of spiritual maturity. It is a moment by moment battle in the heart for a sanctification that is so whole-person that even the grace of our Lord Jesus is manifested through our tongues.” Thus, when St. Paul exhorts us, we see the mind of mature Christian pastor telling us, in short, to be ruled by the Holy Spirit and to let Him give us a forebearing spirit within. It is a wonderful prayer.

Similar to the forebearing spirit of which St. Paul speaks is his sense of contentment, which is marked by these words: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

In this specific case, as we see later in the same chapter of Philippians, Paul is speaking of the monetary support he has received from the church. He commends them for sending it, yet gently and tenderly upbraids them at the same time as he mentions that in the past they were mindful of his need, but “lacked opportunity” to fulfill it. This was tactful indeed.

Then to put both a temporal and spiritual point on it, St. Paul says he does not write out of need or lack, because he has learned to be content, regardless of his physical circumstances. He tells us: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

Matthew Henry tells us that Paul was not profligate, nor did he live in a high manner, but survived financially both by working at his family’s tent making trade and from the occasional financial support offered by the churches under his care.

His point is this, and perhaps from time to time we all need to hear it. Contentment, true contentment, does not come from our material possessions, although, of course, they do enhance the quality of our lives. Yet, consider the many, many people in this world who have everything they desire physically, but are empty spiritually. Again, there is nothing wrong with material abundance, as long as it is accompanied by spiritual abundance as well. In the end, our spiritual state really determines our sense of joy, peace, and happiness anyway. Thus, St. Paul can tell us that in whatever state he finds himself, he is content. If we recall his statement from I Corinthians 9:25, it tends to put our earthly pursuit in better perspective: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

Once again, material and physical abundance is a good and worthy gift from our God. There is no doubt about that. Yet, it is just as important, even more so, that we lay the proper spiritual foundation that will undergird all of our lives, thus ensuring that in whatsoever state we are in, therewith we can be content.

The question remains, how does one do this? How does one find the contentment, the joy and the peace, despite one’s circumstances? In short, in our material world, how is this possible?

The answer lies in a verse that many Christians have memorized, from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” No doubt, many of us, when in difficult or trying situations, have said this to ourselves. I know that I have, many times in my life and will do so again, many, many more times.

There is a supernatural strength that is available to us. When we say “supernatural”, we don’t mean the creepy, ghostly, or even black magical kind of help. No, that is against the very tenets of our faith. What we do mean is that we as Christians have access to a power that is both unimaginable and unavailable to those who don’t know Christ. As Christians, we have been promised the aid of the Helper or the Paraclete, who is the Holy Spirit. We are never alone, nor are we ever without succor. We are never desolate, nor are we forsaken. We are never poor, although our worldly sums may be low. We have access to the power and grace of Almighty God whenever and wherever we may be. Finally, we have access to a sense of joy and peace that is simply this: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

This is our journey and our quest. It is one that will not fail to yield the fruits of peace, joy, love, and ultimate victory.

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Faith and Promise

2011-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

13th Sunday in Trinity 2011
“Faith and Promise”
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
September 18th, 2011

Consider these two statements from our Epistle selection for the day: (Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made”, and (Gal 3:26) “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

These statements deal with two central and critical areas of belief for the Christian. Taken from the 3rd chapter of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, they bring forth his thoughts concerning the dramatic tension between law and promise. One could put it another way: the contrast of works versus faith. You’ll recall that last week’s Epistle for the 12th Sunday in Trinity, from 2 Cor. 3, dealt with the same theme as the Apostle Paul spoke of how the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life.

Today, St. Paul speaks to us again on the “tension” between law and promise. The promise of which he speaks was that which God made with Abram, soon to be Abraham, which means “Father of nations.” In Genesis 22:18, we hear the voice of God telling speaking to Abram: 18 "And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Of course, we know this promise to be true, for indeed Abraham did become the Patriarch of Israel, and also of the Arabic peoples through Ishmael. Thus, Islam traces its roots to him as well. What an interesting web of genealogy our world is! As an aside, recall that all the peoples of the earth can be traced in some way to one of the three sons of Noah: Ham, Shem, and Japeth. The Hamites were the forerunners of the African peoples and the Shemites (Semites) settled in the Middle East. According to one source, the son of Japeth became ”the father of the Indo-European peoples, those stretching from India to the shores of Western Europe. They are each linked by linguistic similarities that may seem invisible to the layman but are more obvious to the linguist. He was also the ancestor of much of Asia and the Americas including some of the Pacific.”

Thus, God preserved the people of the earth through Noah, and then made covenant with Abraham to bless all the people upon earth. Of great interest, the promise made to Abraham St. Paul says, was based, not on obedience to the Law of Moses, which came four hundred and thirty years after Abraham, but on faith. In Romans, 4:3, Paul tells us: “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Similarly, in Gal. 3:18, Paul says: “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

What is St. Paul saying to us? Is it that if we could achieve righteousness by the law, there would be no more need of promise or inheritance? Perhaps. Yet, in verse 19, Paul seems to comment on this quandary by saying:
(Gal 3:19) “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

Thus the law was given to man, not to help him achieve righteousness, but because of man’s sinfulness (his transgressions). Perhaps it served as a means to show man’s need for God. But wait, isn’t it possible for man to educate himself into righteous behavior? Isn’t it possible to “learn” to be good? Once again, St. Paul has an answer:
(Gal 3:21-22) “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”

What, then is the purpose of the Law? Could it be this:
(Gal 3:23-26) “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Finally, in verse 28, we have that wonderful and hopeful statement:
(Gal 3:28) “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

By the way, this is a favorite verse of those who favor “inclusion” in the Church for whatever heterodox agenda they are espousing. Unfortunately, this is a grievous abuse of the text, taking it totally out of context. St. Paul is not speaking of inclusion of whatever modernist “axe” we want to grind, but of the glorious inclusion in righteousness and of the imputed justification in Christ Jesus. You see, the glory of Christianity is not that we are all perfect people, following all the rules of our faith and enjoying God’s favor because of our behavior.
Rather, despite of what we are and how we act, God has declared us righteous in His sight through Jesus Christ. This is called forensic justification. The term “forensic”, you will recall, according to Webster, means “belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate.”

What this means to us is that in the high court of Heaven we have already been declared “not guilty” because of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christ is, at once, our judge and our defense attorney. He is the “mediator” that St. Paul talked about in today’s epistle. This is the promise of which St. Paul speaks.

This is difficult for most of us to accept. The fact that we are to be judged by the very One who died for us is a little bit much for most humans. Somewhere, deep in our souls, we want to cling to a little bit of self justification, just a wee bit of “us” that we can hold up to God and use in our defense.

To this feeble attempt at self-justification, one only has to turn to Christ’s words, out of His own Mouth. Christ’s answer to the rich young ruler is very telling here. Recall this was he who ran to Christ and asked, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Christ said to him:
(Mat 19:17) “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

In light of what we’ve just talked about, this may seem incongruous, but Christ is merely testing the young man, who exclaims that he has kept all of the commandments Jesus quotes from his youth. Then, Christ lays the bombshell, as he tells the rich young ruler that if he will be perfect, all he has to do is to sell all that he has, give it to the poor, and come follow Jesus. At this critical juncture, the young man’s self justification falls apart, as the Scripture says,
(Mat 19:22) “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
Christ then tells his disciples how difficult it will be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, even as difficult as a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
As his astonished disciples ask, “Who then can be saved”, Matthew tells us,
(Mat 19:26) “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

All the time, Christ was leading the discussion back to Himself. The point is clear, men can’t justify themselves before God, because at some point, Man’s own humanity gets in the way. We usually find something to love more than God, and frankly, it is usually ourselves.

Yet, God loves us more than we do. Our love for ourselves is not perfect; rather, it usually takes some sort of “twist”, given our fallen natures. If we are capable of loving ourselves, it is never the perfect, complete love of God, but has some defect in it in some way. You see, perfect love has our best interest in mind, whereas self-love is colored by too many aspects of our fallen-ness. When one can truly love oneself through Christ, then one is growing in the love of God. It is only by loving Christ that we can love ourselves. That is, only by having fellowship with Love itself can we reflect that perfect love back on ourselves, and ultimately to others.

We are Abraham’s spiritual children, forever blessed through Jesus Christ.
In God’s almighty Mercy, it was always His plan to include us Gentiles through Christ.
As the Psalmist says:
(Psa 145:3) “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”

I must ask, do you want to the child of promise, or the child of law? Do you want to enjoy the blessed inheritance of Christ Jesus, both as a son (daughter) and heir? Do you want to hear those blessed words, “Come beloved of the Lord; come and enjoy the Kingdom created for you from the foundation of the world?”

Or, do you want to be children of the law, subject to its severity, knowing full well that you cannot meet its impossibly high standards? As St. Paul tells us in:
Rom 2:12: “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”

When I hear this fearful statement, all I can exclaim is “Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!” We, in the Church, will NOT be judged by the law. We, although we have sinned, are sinners, and continue to sin, will be saved by the gracious promise of Christ. As we seek God’s face through humble prayer and repentance, receiving the blessing of absolution through grace, and being fed by His most gracious Body and Blood in holy worship, we will not fail to achieve justification in His Sight. After all, it is not we that do it, but our Blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him and in Him, we have complete confidence in victorious salvation.

This is the blessing of Abraham on us. This is the promise of God through faith in Jesus Christ, now and forever.

(Gal 3:26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

9-11, Spirit, and the Law

2011-09-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

12th Sunday in Trinity 2011
9-11, Spirit and the Law
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
September 11, 2011

Today, we commemorate the worst attack on American citizens, on American soil in our history. We remember those, both civilian and governmental, who lost their lives in these most brutal, calculating, and devilishly ingenious series of attacks. The death toll for 9-11 even surpasses “the day that will live in infamy”, to quote President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as he addressed the nation about the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The biggest difference, of course, is that the Japanese directed their attack against our Navy, while the jihadists purposely targeted civilians, with the express purpose of creating terror.

As many of you know, your vicar was a first-hand witness to the scene in New York City. It was my second day of training at the home office of Paine Webber, a now-defunct brokerage firm. This old Wall St. name, like so many others, was acquired and absorbed by a huge bank, this one of Swiss origin. On that day, luckily, we were safely ensconced across the Hudson River in New Jersey, yet with a panoramic view of Lower Manhattan from Paine Webber’s headquarters. We watched as flames sprouted from the Twin Towers. Later, we learned that an airplane had struck the North Tower. When the second plane struck the South Tower, we learned that it was a vicious act of terrorism. A little later that morning, we learned that another plane had flown into the Pentagon. At the same time, we learned that yet another plane had gone down in Pennsylvania. Were it not for the heroic self-sacrifice of the passengers aboard that plane, the White House or the Capitol Building might have been the next target. Make no mistake, this was an attack fueled by infernal genius and hatred of the most extreme level. These series of events were simply incredible.

The question is what kind of spirit makes one do such things as these? How is it possible that a religion, or a philosophy can foster an act so extreme and so violent? Better said, what is the mindset that could conceive and execute such an act?

It is impossible to comprehend such a subject in a brief address. One could, we suppose, write entire books on it. Yet, let us capture the essence: while those of us in this room believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, there are many who don’t. While we believe in the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God, there are many who don’t. Yet, we Christians, in this stage of Christianity’s earthly witness, generally don’t kill those who disagree with us. We pray for those who do not believe, but Christians don’t wage wars over belief any more.

There were times when this was not true, as we are all well aware. The Crusades were a great exception. This titanic struggle is still remembered in many Middle Eastern areas and stories are still told about it today! Yet, while some historians tend to blame Christianity for an aggressive war against the Turks, one must recall that the whole struggle began as the West responded to Islam’s capture of Christian sites in the Holy Land, including Jerusalem. It started as a war to free the Holy Land, which was successful initially, but grew corrupt as many Europeans desired to establish their own kingdoms in Palestine. The motive for many changed from freedom for Christianity to earthly gain. In time, the forces of Islam succeeded in driving out these various kings and solidifying their hold over the entire area.

We know that other violent and cruel acts have occurred in Christianity as well. Recall the horrific scene when Charlemagne executed 500 Saxon men in one day. They refused to desert their pagan religion and convert to Christianity after being defeated in battle. He supposedly said that their deaths were not murder, since they were all going to Hell anyway….

Sadly of all, some of the worst acts of Christian warfare and violence usually feature Christian versus Christian. We remember the atrocious acts done in the name of Christ in the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, i.e. the days of “Bloody Mary”, the Spanish Inquisition, and on and on.

These are blots against Christianity, to be sure. They are reasons why many of the intellectual “elite” turn from it. One must accept sadly, the fact that any endeavor, enterprise, or organization with humans in it will necessarily be a mixed bag.

Answers to our initial question about the mindset or orientation that could foster such unspeakable acts must include two questions: 1. Do you believe in eternal salvation or an afterlife, and 2.What must you do to obtain it? One’s response to these two questions is critical to one’s actions in life.

As to the first question, we have no doubt but as to a positive response of 100% from all of us. Otherwise, why are we here? Suffice it to say that our enemies also believe in an afterlife, yet one that is distinctly different from ours.

Now, let us delve into the meat of the matter. The second question, what must one does to obtain an afterlife, determines how one acts here on earth. It is the same dichotomy St. Paul speaks of when he illustrates one of the great internal tensions in Christianity, that of faith vs. works. In other words, do we save ourselves through what we do, or is there another path to salvation? The men who planned and acted out the events of 9-11 believed with all their hearts they were doing what they should be doing. They were slaying their enemies and creating terror in a land that thought of as evil. The letter of their law says that those who disagree with them must be destroyed and their way of life must be obliterated, just as the Twin Towers were obliterated.

Thus, if the letter of the law motivates a radical jihadist to fly a plane into a building, in order to seek a satisfactory afterlife, what can we conclude about religious legalism? Is it not as St. Paul says, in 2 Corinthians 3:6 “for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”? If we concentrate on keeping the letter of the law to the exclusion of God’s Grace, where will we be? The point St. Paul is striving to make here is that there are two ways in which men can approach God. One way is the cold, legalistic, ritualistic obedience to a code. The other is the transformational, life-giving Spirit of the living God, conquering and enrapturing the human heart.

In the Epistle selection, St. Paul takes the discussion of grace and works away from what we do to what God does in us. It is not what we, in our supposed righteousness, do to please God, for this is impossible. Paul just told us that “the letter (of the law) kills, but the Spirit gives life.” All the Law could do was condemn, in effect pointing the accusing finger at man’s various foibles and sins, whereas the Spirit of God in Christ holds out the possibility of change, of conversion, of blessed transformation from a hideous fallen creature to a glorious son or daughter of God.

So we see that the Law merely pinpointed the sinfulness of man; it could not heal. It could only accuse. It’s like the supposed “comforting” of Job’s friends, when all they actually did was to accuse him and try to get him to confess some secret sin, for which they assumed he was being punished.

The Law, which was ordained to Life, became that of death to Man, because it could only expose and not heal. This is opposed, gloriously, by the Spirit of Christ, which has the power to bring to light our sins and has the power to heal our brokenness and our spiritual morbidity through the power of grace.

This, of course, is the point that Paul wants to write on the fleshy tablets of our hearts. He asks if the old Law, which focused on condemnation, was so glorious that Moses had to veil his face, how much more glorious is the “ministry of righteousness” that comes from the spirit of Christ? On the one hand, is the Law, our “school master” in righteousness; on the other hand is the Holy Spirit, which is the fulfillment in Christ.

It really comes down to a simple, yet difficult choice for us. Although drawn by God’s Grace, we still must choose our approach to God. We can, still, attempt to save ourselves through works, or we can accept the grace of the Spirit offered to us. We can embrace our humanity as the center of our universe, or we can embrace the One whose universe it is. The former approach is always prone to failure, while the latter approach is absolutely certain of success.

I pray that all of us, today, begin the wonderful work of daily surrendering of our souls to God in holy worship, for it is in worship that we realize our relationship to our glorious triune God. Also, I pray that our reception of the Holy Sacrament today marks a new beginning in our journey in grace, for our worthy reception of it is indeed a very tangible means of grace. As we receive today, let us all remember those souls lost to us on September 111, 2001.

(2Co 3:6) “Who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.”

Righteous or Self-Righteous?

2011-09-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Righteous or Self-Righteous?

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
11th Sunday after Trinity, 2011

Sept. 4, 2011

Today’s Gospel focuses one of great problems that “good” people often face: the self-awareness of their own goodness. Sometimes, when we have been living in covenant, doing what we should, and perhaps receiving blessings from God, we may be in serious spiritual danger. That is, when we are striving to be righteous, striving to be “good” in the eyes of God, that very activity may be dangerous to us if we take knowledge of it. The reason may be that self-conscious righteous activity can lead to pride, and we know our Adversary below is always more than ready to exploit any advantage, especially one where spiritual pride is involved.

An apt analogy may be when one meets the truly physically beautiful, charming, or intelligent person who is not really aware of their great attributes. Sometimes, they do not regard them and may even disparage themselves, being humble. Contrast this with the great majority of celebrities, particularly those on the stage or in the movies, who are so self-aware of the “great I” they have become that they are totally self-absorbed or who are in a state of complete egoism. What a difference there is!

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord draws a perfect contrast “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” by drawing a wonderful word picture of a Pharisee and a Publican. The Pharisees were often the objects of Christ’s scorn and usually were the example of what “not” to be, with the notable examples of Nicodemus and certain others, unnamed, who secretly believed in our Christ. Yet, in fairness, we must recall the origin of the Pharisees. These men arose to defend Judah and Israel from the gross idolatry that had brought so much suffering. Remember how the Jews fell into such a state of “mixed” belief that even their pagan statues populated the very Temple itself. Refer to Ezekiel 8:8-12 for that and recall how that Ezekiel was commanded to dig in the Temple wall. He did as commanded, found a door and went it.
There he saw all sorts of abominable pagan idols, as well as seventy members of the oldest families of Israel offering incense to pagan Gods! Recall how God, in His longsuffering and mercy, sent prophet after prophet to call His People back into repentance, yet they would not. After literally hundreds of years of warning, God finally executed judgment on Judah, when Nebuchadnezzar’s armies came up against Jerusalem. Even in this last state, Jeremiah warned the people to submit to the yoke of Babylon and live, even if it meant a state of servitude. Had Judah done this, even Nebuchadnezzar would have turned his fierce wrath and accepted their repentance. Instead, the Jews under Zedekiah refused, even trying to flee the siege of Jerusalem through a break in the city wall. This failed, and Zedekiah saw his sons slain before his very eyes. He was blinded and taken to Babylon as one of many captive kings. The Babylonians proceeded to destroy Jerusalem, including the fabulous Temple of Solomon, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a sad story of the apostasy of the ancient Jews and its results.

Much later, under the reign of Artaxerxes the Persian and then Darius the Mede, Jerusalem’s wall and Temple would be rebuilt, as related in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra. Although it was indeed glorious to have the Temple in Jerusalem again, it was nowhere near the grandeur of the former temple, nor could it have been. Later, Jerusalem would be savaged again by the Greeks, until Judas Maccabeus and his sons led a successful revolt against the Hellenization of Judah. It was during this period that the Pharisees arose, men so zealous for the Law and for the purity of Jewish belief. Their calling was to safeguard Jewish society from the evils of heterodoxy, so that the suffering brought on by idolatry could never happen again.

It was a worthy goal. Yet, like all things human, when they lack the guiding Spirit of God, Phariseeism became twisted and self-centered. They Jews sought righteousness through their own deeds and their interpretation of the Law, thus they thought, ensuring, even requiring God’s favor towards the nation of Israel. Their religion became show without substance, mere mechanistic practice without faith or belief. Hypocrisy and outward show became the norm, to a large extent.

That brings us to the Gospel selection for the day. Christ clearly draws a contrast between the self-righteous Pharisee and the humble, penitent publican. Thus, Our Lord draws a fascinating parallel illustrating appearances versus reality. We see the Pharisee, dressed in his long robe, no doubt with dangling phylacteries and all, standing and praying to himself. Some commentators have observed that this “prayer” is not really a prayer at all, but rather an “address” to God The Pharisee proceeds to list his righteous acts and behavior before God, rehearsing them, if you will, almost to demand God’s favor and justification. He gives tithes of all that he possesses, he fasts twice weekly; he is, by all accounts a righteous man. There is a problem, however; he knows it; he accepts it consciously. While he does do good deeds, actions worthy of praise, his attitude of self-righteousness serves to “poison the well”, so to speak. Thus, he brandishes his righteousness before man and God, fully confident that he is seen as such before both.

Then, Our Lord tells us of the publican. As we have discussed before, here is a man who was universally despised as both a tool of the Roman occupiers and as an extortioner. Recall that publicans, or tax collectors, were self-employed contractors, Jews, employed the Roman state to levy and collect Roman taxes. They were on a percentage compensation basis, meaning that any amount that they able to collect above their quota was theirs. Was it any wonder they usually asked for and received more than what was due? Was it any wonder that they were hated, not only as symbols and tools of the Roman occupation, but also for taking advantage of their position to extort as much money from the captive nation? No one likes to pay taxes, but to pay more than one owes is especially bad. Thus publicans were corrupt collaborators with the Roman occupiers and were roundly hated for it.

This may be why another Publican, ”short of stature” Zacchaeus, in Luke 19:8, said that he would restore four-fold to anyone from whom he had over-collected when Christ told him that He must stay with him that day. This act of repentance on Zacchaeus’ part prompted this wonderful statement from Jesus in Luke 19:9-10 “And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Thus, Christ, the great Teacher uses the seemingly incongruous example of the publican to great effect as we see the publican’s behavior in the temple from today’s Gospel. He stood “afar off”, not even daring to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he looked down and “smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” The contrast between him and the Pharisee couldn’t be clearer.

The point of the parable comes through very clearly when Christ says: (Luke 18:14) “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." We know this by conventional wisdom, in sayings such as “Pride goeth before a fall”. This adage is taken from Proverbs 16:18-19: ”Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

According to Christ’s words, the humble publican was justified before God, while the Pharisee was rejected. His supposed righteousness meant nothing, while the penitent publican, despised by men, was favored by God. Of course, there is a great lesson in this for us. We Anglicans, with our beautiful music and liturgy, our excellent lectionary and our wonderful Book of Common Prayer, may be liable to fall into such a spiritual trap, if we are not vigilant. When one has so much goodness, the temptation may arise to look down on those of other traditions.
We in the clergy also must also guard against spiritual pride as well, precisely because we have been so blessed with the Apostolic Succession and the historic episcopate.

Anglicans do have a lot of advantages; unfortunately, sometimes we may be a bit too aware of them, rather than accepting these blessings from God in an humble and contrite spirit, like the publican.

Anglicans in general have always had a rationalistic bent, that is, we celebrate the mind as a means to worship God, as well as the emotions and the working of the Spirit. Yet, this same celebration of the intellect can very easily lead to pride and all its incumbent evils. The end result may be a conviction that God’s Will for us is an “evolving” process, rather than what has been revealed to us in His Word and the traditions of the Church. As the Bishops of GAFCON have stated, this has led many in the Anglican Communion to proclaim “another Gospel”, one clearly at odds with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This “new Gospel” is one in which many aberrations of Christian behavior are embraced and are seen as merely a “lifestyle choice.” Thank God for those good and worthy bishops who are calling the Anglican Communion back to contrition and repentance!

The lesson to us is plain: we rely, not on our own righteousness, but that of Jesus Christ. As Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

When we, like the Pharisee, depend on our own works for justification, or feel pride in our goodness, or indulge in self-righteousness, we run the risk of being rejected by God. Yet, when like the publican, we approach God in a lowly and humble spirit, relying only on the merits of Jesus Christ, we will have eternal justification and redemption.

For this, we say: Thanks be to God!

Luke 18:14 4 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Wrestling with God

2011-08-28T05:19:00.000-07:00

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2011

Wrestling with God

Have you ever had a “peak moment” in life? That is, a moment when everything you think you know is called into question, or at least is severely challenged? Some might call it an “existential moment” or maybe even a midlife crisis. No matter what one terms it, it is clear that one’s life is about to change, usually in a major way.

When one reads the passage taken for our First Lesson today, it is clear that Jacob has one of these experiences. If we step back and review the circumstances surrounding his “peak moment”, it helps to put it all in perspective. In the 32nd chapter of Genesis, Jacob and his company are at last leaving Laban’s area, where he has served him twenty years. They are traveling to a destination that brings him close to Edom, where his brother Esau lives. While he travels, Genesis says that the ‘’angels of God met him.” He names the place of Mehanaim, because he has met some of God’s host. Then, he sends messengers to Esau, telling him that he has sojourned with Laban for some time and has become quite substantial as a result. His messengers return the news that Esau is coming to meet his brother, bringing four hundred men with him, a small army.

Obviously, this causes Jacob no little concern. He knows that he wronged Esau in a very real way many years ago when he stole, first his brother’s birthright, and then his blessing. He also stole away from Laban without telling him. He has been deceptive and clever all his life. No doubt he knows that Esau remembers it too, and thus the very large welcoming committee. Yet, even though he is concerned, even fearful, the wily Jacob hopes to work out something to pacify his brother. He divides his company into two groups, putting a flock of sheep, cattle and goats between each one. He thinks that Esau might destroy one group and perhaps spare another. He also sends a rather large present of a few hundred animals to his brother as a peace offering. This, he hopes, will assuage his brother’s wrath. Once again, he puts a space between each drove, hoping that Esau might be appeased before actually meeting Jacob.

Before the actual meeting the next day, Jacob sends over all of his family and host across the ford Jabok, which is “
a pouring out, or a wrestling, one of the streams on the east of Jordan, into which it falls about midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, or about 45 miles below the Sea of Galilee. It rises on the eastern side of the mountains of Gilead, and runs a course of about 65 miles in a wild and deep ravine. It was the boundary between the territory of the Ammonites and that of Og, king of Bashan (Josh. 12:1-5; Num. 21:24); also between the tribe of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh (21:24; Deut. 3:16). In its course westward across the plains it passes more than once underground. "The scenery along its banks is probably the most picturesque in Palestine; and the ruins of town and village and fortress which stud the surrounding mountain-side render the country as interesting as it is beautiful." This river is now called the Zerka, or blue river.

Now Jacob finds himself alone, at night, at Jabok. It must have been both beautiful and terrifying in its beauty and its immense solitude. Imagine the wide open spaces under the Mid-eastern sky with absolutely no light pollution. The sky would be brilliant and the silence, except for the wind, would be complete. One is reminded of the night sacrifice Abraham offered in Gen. 15, when he first made covenant with God. In that scene, the sun goes down on the sacrificial animals, hewn in pieces. “A smoking furnace, and a burning lamp” passed between those pieces, obviously some sort of theophany in Abram’s sight. Afterwards, God made covenant with him and renamed him Abraham.

Similarly in Genesis 32:2, Jacob has a covenantal experience. It comes, however, after a struggle. In fact, Jacob “there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. “ We don’t know if “the man” was the Lord Himself, in physical form, or an angel, although considering the way the story ends up, it is highly likely that the Second Person of the Trinity wrestled with Jacob , Yet, we are given no clue as to why Jacob was wrestling with “the man” at all.

Or do we? If we look at the scene as a whole we get some idea why Jacob might have been receptive to a peak experience. First, he is in actual mortal fear for his life and that of his family. For all he knows, Esau and four hundred of his closest friends are coming to utterly blot them off the earth. He is in a heightened state of awareness, with virtually every nerve standing on end.

Now, he is at the ford of Jabok, at night, alone. Perhaps he is acutely aware of his past sins and their present consequences, as he fears some sort of rough justice at the hands of his wronged brother. Maybe he realizes that all of his life, cunning, at times sneaky, and always playing the angles, has its limits and its bad fruit. No doubt, he poured out his fears and his anxieties in their fullest form to God. No doubt he prayed like he never done before. Then, suddenly he is engaged in a titanic struggle with a mysterious being. The Scripture tells us the actual combat continued all night. It surely was an existential time for Jacob, for this particular night yields changes in his life that were completely unseen to him.

Whether this is purely a spiritual struggle in Jacob’s mind or soul is possible, and some commentators think so, but the plain words of Scripture put it differently. In fact, after
a night of wrestling, Jacob prevails against the being, or at least he is not defeated. He prevails and he perseveres in such a way that he demands a blessing before he will let the “man’ go. Yet, he suffers a physical effect that shows that, despite his victory, He is not God. He is merely a man who has encountered the Almighty in a real and intensely meaningful way. Perhaps this is why Jacob’s thigh is put out of joint, to remind him of his own humanity.

Now comes the heart of Jacob’s “peak moment.” At the moment the being sees that Jacob is not defeated, he asks his name. Jacob responds and the being tells him, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Evidently, Jacob’s faith has been tested and he has persevered to the extent that the Lord has seen fit to change him.

This change begins with a new name. No longer will Jacob be known as the Supplanter, but instead Israel, which means, “God Prevails.” He will not be the slippery, cerebral, smooth tent-dwelling man any longer, but will assume his role in history as the Patriarch Israel. In the words of the angel, “for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” God has indeed chsen to affect a change in Jacob, now Israel, which is real and meaningful. God does this for His glory and for his mysterious purposes.

This is a wonderful story of redemption and change. It is not just an isolated incident that happened to a shepherd clan-leader some few thousand years ago. It is immeasurably more. The story of Jacob’s change, as well as the appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ, is historic and monumental in its implications.

These implications are two-fold. They deal with both universal and individual issues. On a universal level, they are most certainly a pre-figuring of the universal forgiveness and redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ. Note that prior to this scene, Jacob is not especially worthy of this redemption, but is saved by the grace of God only. In fact, it looks like Jacob and his family will cease to exist on the following day. Yet, by God’s grace he is he saved.

On an individual basis, it shows us that earnest prayer, accompanied by heartfelt repentance, can result in a serious change through the grace of God. A thought that might strike us is simply this: if God can take a man such as Jacob and transform him into the Patriarch Israel, what can He do with us? The answer is: anything He chooses, as we allow Him to work his mighty and mysterious Will in and through us. God has a plan for us, for all of us. That plan may be glorious in terms of how the world sees us, or it may be a humble, quiet work for the glory of God. In the end result, in the long view of eternity, it doesn’t really matter. That is, as long as the work is dedicated to the glory of God, it will serve for eternity.

Perhaps this is why St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” We are merely the people of God, with all of our failings and foibles so plain in His sight. Yet, when we assent with our will and follow that assent with positive actions led by the Holy Ghost, we become so much more. After all, there really is something different about a committed, Spirit-filled Christian. There is a palpable “something” that sets that person apart from the World.

It was that “something” that set Jacob apart on the mysterious night at Jabok. He entered as Jacob and emerged from that experience as Israel. He was, in fact, re-invented into a new creature. Pray God that He does the same for us.

Genesis 32:28 “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

Four Thousand Reasons

2011-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Seventh Sunday after Trinity, 2011
August 7, 2011

Our Gospel for the day is the story of an incredible miracle: the feeding of the four thousand. This miracle is recorded only in the Gospel accounts of Mark 8 and Matthew 15. The other Gospel writers do not make a note of this amazing account, yet it is interesting that all four Gospels tell of the feeding of the five thousand. One can only surmise why…

Also, various differences abound between the two miracles. Some commentators have noted the difference in emphasis on Christ’s taking action, as opposed to the feeding of the 5,000, where Christ posed the question and the Disciples responded. In this case, Christ notes that the crowd has been with Him so long without food and has compassion on them. When He fed the five thousand, his motive for compassion was that they resembled sheep without a shepherd. In addition, other differences abound, such as the contrast between this group's being commanded to sit on the ground, whereas the five thousand sat on grass, because “there was much grass in the place.” This indicates to scholars like Trench and Bickersteth that the locale was different, much more desolate, and/or it was a different time of year. In addition, the numbers here noted were fewer (four thousand vs. five thousand) and available supply of food larger (seven loaves vs. five and “a few” small fish vs. two).

While these are interesting contrasts, they do not highlight the key difference between the two accounts. Coffman tells us that we must go back to St. Augustine to see the biggest contrast, namely that the people fed in this story were not primarily Jews, but Gentiles. This is significant. In this account, Jesus and his disciples have been passing by the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Decapolis. This region was comprised of ten cities of primarily Hellenistic culture, or better said, Greco-Roman culture. They were acquainted with the Jewish culture near to them, but were not tolerant of it. This was due in part to the Semitic practice of male circumcision, which they regarded as idolatrous because it created imperfect physical specimens. The Jews, for their part, looked at the Greek emphasis on male/male relationships with horror and disgust, considering them as pedophiles and sodomites. Thus, one can see that this was a fertile breeding ground for conflict.

Yet, into this area, Christ spread his abundant mercy and compassion. Previously, in the 7th chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Christ healed a deaf man and a Syrophoenician woman, both Gentiles. He also castigated the Pharisees for their failure to notice the difference between ritual defilement and actual defilement (e.g. the difference between eating so-called “unclean” foods vs. defiling words and actions that come out of people.) Now in this arena of Gentile activity, He confronts he Disciples’ own cultural bias: their complete distaste for the Gentile world. We have seen that this particular group has been with Christ for three days without food. He had been healing them of various ailments and diseases; evidently their utter need for this outweighed their need for food. Christ in His mercy observed their desperation for food, while noting that He didn’t want to send them away, for fear of many fainting on the way home. Observe, however, that when Christ asks His Disciples about this, their response to Him is to answer with a question, almost flippantly, Mark 8:4”And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”

Have they already forgotten the miracle feeding of the five thousand, which had previously occurred? Do they really not know Who is with them? Obviously, not. In addition, one commentator thinks that they were not that concerned about this group simply because they were Gentiles. Their attitude was, “Send them away”, or as Marie Antoinette once purportedly said to the malnourished French peasantry, “Let them eat cake!” While there is doubt she really said this, there is probably much less doubt as to the Disciples’ concern for this Gentile crowd. After all, they were Gentiles, possibly even Greeks, and a lower class of humanity. They were not the Chosen Ones.

Jesus Christ, in all His mercy and loving-kindness, does not make this distinction. All He knows is that here are four thousand souls, Jewish or not, Gentile, who are very, very hungry. So in similar fashion to the feeding of the five thousand, he has the people sit, takes what food is available, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples for distribution. In the end, all eat and are satisfied. How glorious that simple meal must have been! Looking at the entire situation, how glorious must have Christ’s Presence among them! If one is able to hold together a crowd of 4,000 people for three days without sustenance and yet without coercion, how incredible this is. Only one man could do this, Jesus Christ.

We should give thanks for this account of Scripture. We should give thanks for it because it indicates our inclusion in the heavenly family. Also, it indicates without doubt that we “wild olive branches” have been grafted into the true Vine of hope and salvation. Finally, if for no other reason, we should give thanks because it also foreshadows the universality of the great sacrifice at Calvary yet to come. If Christ had not meant to save us Gentile sheep, we, the ones grafted onto the true vine, this feeding wouldn’t have happened. So, let us give thanks, indeed. It is even more remarkable in the face of Christ’s own words, when He said, Matthew 15:24 24 "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

This statement seems incredible at first, but it was necessary for Jesus to be sent to Israel first. Not only to fulfill all Biblical prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, which is critical, but also that the Jews be given the first chance to hear the Good News. Of course, in the impenetrable mystery of God, they also chose to reject it; at least their leaders did. This too was meant in some strange and mysterious way.
After all, it is only fitting that God’s Chosen People have the bittersweet duty of offering up the One, Perfect, and Complete Sacrifice, Jesus the spotless Lamb of God, even if they didn’t know it at the time. In fact, most Jews still don’t recognize it, because it has not suited God the Father to remove the “veil” over their hearts and minds. Their leaders meant Jesus’ death as a means of ridding themselves of a problem. After all, it is Caiphas the Chief Priest who said, “…it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not”. Unbeknownst to them, God also had a plan of ridding the world of a problem, the problem of sin.

We Christians know that we are indeed free from sin; not that we don’t commit it, for that is an impossibility. All of us sin everyday in some fashion or another. Yet, we are free from sin because we are able, because of Christ’s sacrifice, to renounce sin’s power over us. Yes, we sin, but yes, we can confess, repent and receive absolution through Christ our Lord. In time, as we continue this lifelong process, we will sin less and less as we grow in holiness. Will we ever cease from sinning? No, we will cease from sin only when we pass from the Church Militant on Earth into the Church Expectant and then finally, into the Church Triumphant in Heaven. Then, truly, you and I will rest from labor, from sin, and even from repentance. We shall be glorifiedand we shall be perfected.

We are not there yet. We still have the daily battle against the World, the Flesh and the Devil. We, like the disciples, have to battle with our own biases and our distastes for people and the things that they do. We too have to struggle against these things and we have to defeat them in the Name of Christ.

Again, we challenge you to examine your motives and your impulses for these considerations. If they are godly, cherish them and be led by them. If they are not, cast them away, rejoicing in the power of victory over evil and despair. This life is too short to be spent in unworthy judgments.
The life to come is too long to be forfeited, or to be lived in some inferior state, even in Heaven, due to unshriven earthly sin. This is a serious consideration. For example, I used to worry about the eternal state of my brilliant, but alcoholic father, now deceased for some 25 years... He was a sinner, as are we all. Yet, he was a good man with a fatal flaw. When drunk, he would blaspheme. When sober, he would repent; that is, until demon alcohol hardened his spirit to a state of absolute rebellion. Thus, I worried. A month after his death in July, 1984, my elder sister received a revelation in a dream. The words that she heard were, “Dad’s all right.” How blessed, simple, and reassuring those words were! God’s mercy is, in the end, all bountiful. He alone, after all, knows the heart. He alone gives us the chance of redemption and salvation.

Some two thousand years ago, Christ began the process of breaking through sin, prejudice, and ill will. He challenged his own disciples’ beliefs. He affirmed his own magnanimous, all merciful nature. He extended, almost by proxy, our possibility of salvation. He fed four thousand people.

Mark 8:8 “So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.”

Faithfulness and Effect

2011-07-28T03:47:00.001-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 2011
July 31, 2011
Faithfulness and Effect

2 Timothy 2:11-13 11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

St. Paul is encouraging his “son in the faith” and the first bishop of Ephesus with some wonderful words of encouragement and admonishment in today’s New Testament lesson. Timothy, as we all know, was the Apostle Paul’s protégé and a great young leader of the early Church. Paul evidently spent considerable time coaching, exhorting and guiding him in the ways of effective ministry. Even today, soon-to-be ordered deacons have 1st Timothy 3:8-13 quoted to them by their examiners as instructions in ministry. These are the verses that say things like: “…the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre”; and to be:”Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” Evidently, our bishops find these words as instructive now as they were then.

Today, Paul seems to be reminding Timothy of some bedrock truths of Christianity and their effects on the world, concerning both believers and nonbelievers. For example, he tells him to “consider” what he says, and prays that the Lord give him full understanding of it. He reminds Timothy that Jesus Christ, “the seed of David”, was raised from the dead according to Paul’s Gospel. Two things are of interest here. First, Paul finds it important to mention “seed of David” to Timothy. This may have been just a title of honor, but in actuality, it means much more. Paul may have wanted to remind Timothy that Christ is the real Messiah, foretold by the prophets descending from the house and lineage of David. He is true Messiah, the Appointed One and no other. Also, as prophesied, he was raised from the dead “according to my gospel.” Personally, I’ve always taken the “my” in “my gospel” to mean the Gospel of Jesus Christ that St. Paul was preaching. I think this is valid. However, there has been scholarly speculation, no doubt specious at best, that Paul was preaching another form of Christianity that he himself had written. A better view is that Paul was referring to Luke’s gospel, which was the Gospel to which Paul had the easiest access. Luke the beloved physician was Paul’s constant companion for large parts of his ministry. Any other views are really not helpful, but tend to distract from the truth Paul is proclaiming.

St. Paul then mentions that because of this Gospel he is regarded as an evildoer, even unto bounds, yet the Word of God is not bound. We may be reminded of the trouble Paul had his entire ministry from the jealous Jews who dogged him as he planted churches in the ancient world, and of his eventual martyrdom at the hands of the Romans. Despite this trouble, there seems to be a sense of joy and exultation that the “the word of God is not bound.” Paul and other evangelists have planted the Word all over and it is bearing fruit. Because of this, in spite of his incarceration while he waited to be brought before Nero the second time, Paul is joyful. If only all of us could have such faith under such circumstances!

Paul then comes to three statements, followed by a pronouncement of God’s faithfulness to Himself. In fact, all of these statements have to do with faithfulness. He says: (2 Timothy 2:11-12): “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” Then, the pronouncement: (2 Timothy 2:13):”If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

If we examine these statements, we find truth that affects not only the household of faith, but also those who have chosen to remain outside it. First, “if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him.” Simply, this refers to the Christian being dead to the world, but alive in Christ. That is, we Christians have to turn a blind eye towards, and even actively avoid, many of the things of this present world in order to be faithful to Christ. We must strive, as much as possible, to keep ourselves “pure and unspotted by the world.” This doesn’t mean we oughtn’t to have fun, or to be actively engaged in the world, but we must reject and avoid the non-God ordained pleasures and activities that will draw us away from Him.

The second statement, “if we suffer, we will reign with him” needs some examination. While the Authorized Version translates it as “suffer”, the actual Greek word is u`pome,nw (hupomeno), which means to remain, abide, to persevere under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ; to endure. Most modern translations use the world “endure” rather than suffer. Yet, the meaning is clear, we believe. If we persevere, endure, or stand fast in the faith of Christ, we shall reign with him in Heaven. In short, those who cling to the faith in Christ will have the reward of His Presence forever.

Next, Paul tells us, “if we deny him, he will deny him.” This is chilling and real, yet it should not be a source of concern for those struggling to be faithful day by day. Even Peter denied Christ, but later repented and found grace. All of us, in some fashion, great or small, have denied Christ in some way in our lives. Yet, this is not the point. What is meant here is the great, final denial, a decision to go away from the Lord. This often begins with a gradual falling away, until one has demonstrated over many years that one is not with the Lord. There are also those who adamantly refuse to believe, to their own eternal detriment.

Paul sums this up by saying that even if we don’t believe in Him, God will remain true to Himself. Despite our unbelief, God is and always will be God. One version says: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”

What this really means for the non-believer is that God will remain true to Himself no matter what our position. If one chooses, finally, to reject Him, so be it. He will let that decision stand on the Day of Judgment and let that soul depart into the nether regions without God. He will not suddenly turn and save that soul who has not chosen God, despite the outpourings of grace towards it for an entire lifetime. There must be finality, and so it will be. Even Christ cannot save in the afterlife. Once this earthly life is past, the die is cast for eternity.

These are chilling but just words from St. Paul. God loves us. He sent us His beloved Son and after that, the greatest evangelist the world has ever known to proclaim our salvation.
He gives us a lifetime to repent and be saved. He will love us forever if we, however imperfectly, return His love.

In the final analysis, Paul urges his bishop, Timothy, to remind his congregation to listen to this sound teaching and to “charge” them not to argue or dispute about words. In other words, don’t debate the words of the Gospel, but rather believe them. So much of Christianity, even today, is embroiled in debate or contention over various issues in the Church. Meanwhile, our adversary the Devil marches on. One commentator says this: “At the time of the great Communist revolution in Russia, the Orthodox Church was engaged in a tremendous argumentative crisis over the making of church vestments! Many a time, Christians have plunged into useless and silly arguments while the citadel of their faith was destroyed.” How true.

In the end, we don’t want to be “right” about intra-Church issues necessarily, but right about our faith in Jesus Christ. All else is meaningless, and may in fact destroy the faith of many. Useless argument may “subvert” the faith of those who hear us argue.

We must disregard the discordant voices of those in the Body. Instead, you must “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” , meaning we must pay attention to the important matters that pertain to the salvation of our souls. If we do this, all will be well with us, now and forever.

2 Timothy 2:9 “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.”

When Truth Calls

2011-07-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

When Truth Calls
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
5th Sunday in Trinity 2011
July 17, 2011

Luke 5:8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Our gospel for the day is a powerful “compressed” collection of teachings regarding the Christian life and our attitudes towards God. Not only does it illustrate what happens when we truly “open up” to God, but it also gives us some indication of our reaction to God’s call.

We’re all familiar with the scene from the fifth chapter of Luke. Jesus is preaching by the Lake of Gennesaret to a large crowd. The multitude is actually “pressing” upon Him. That is, the crowd is so large that Christ does not have any room and must take position in a boat some distance off shore. The Gospel tells us that “He sat down and taught the people out of the ship.” What is so remarkable about this is not so much the size of the crowd, which was very large, but why they came to hear Him. There must have been many motives for coming, ranging from the ones seeking a cure and to others who had heard about Jesus and were merely curious. But, judging by the “press” of the crowd, there must have been something more that the people wanted. It may be summed up in one word: TRUTH.

A long time ago, before the stock brokerage business went through its recent consolidation phase, there were many different and distinct brokerage firms. You may remember an ad for a brokerage firm named E.F. Hutton, which is no longer around. The tag line went, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Not to be trite, but when Christ was present during His earthly ministry, the same effect happened: “When Jesus Christ spoke, people listened.” We are told in Mat 7:29: “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Every word that Christ spoke was truth. The crowds recognized that and were drawn to it, like moths to the light.

There is something instinctive in mankind, something that hungers for the truth. This hunger is known by many names today: self-fulfillment, self-esteem, and self-actualization. They are all various attempts, usually vain, of people to fill the void in their souls. As St. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:7: ”Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Note that in the three modern phrases just used, self-fulfillment, self-esteem, and self-actualization, there is one flawed common denominator: SELF. When man looks to man or worse yet, to his own inner being for ultimate fulfillment, he will always be disappointed. Why? Because man by himself, being tainted by original sin and being finite, is incapable of providing that ultimate, infinite truth that he seeks. For that, he must look beyond himself to the Ultimate Itself, God. You may recall that famous saying by St. Augustine, that all of us have a God-sized hole in our souls, meaning that there is a space in our spiritual selves that only God can fill.

This is what the crowd sought, some of them consciously, while others acted on an unconscious urge they probably didn’t understand or even recognize. Yet, it was there, an urge moving them towards the Truth. Thus, they were drawn to Jesus. It’s been said by some early church fathers that God’s truth is so self-evident and so persuasive, that even the damned, upon hearing their judgment, will say to God, “Thou art just.”

In this case, Jesus picks Simon Peter’s boat, not out of coincidence, but out of the foreordained Will of God. Peter is soon to become a chosen instrument of God, although he doesn’t know it. His life will never be the same after meeting Jesus.

The next set of events set forth in this Gospel passage teach us about trust, about the effects of hearing the Word of God and about our reaction to the call of God.
First, Simon Peter trusts Jesus, as Christ tells him to launch his nets into the deep for a catch. Note that even though the nets have been washed and were ready to be put away and even though they had worked all night fruitlessly, Simon Peter recognizes the authority of Jesus and obeys His word. In effect, he opens up and is receptive to Christ.
The result is immediate and tremendous, as a miraculous draft of fishes occurs. The catch is so large that it actually overfills both boats. Matthew Henry tells us: “Now by this vast draught of fishes, (1.) Christ intended to show his dominion in the seas as well as on the dry land, over its wealth as over its waves. Thus he would show that he was that Son of man under whose feet all things were put, and particularly the fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea, Ps. viii. 8. (2.) He intended hereby to confirm the doctrine he had just now preached out of Peter's ship.”

The parallel to our lives is direct and powerful. When we trust Christ, when we listen to His truth contained in Holy Scripture and to the stirrings of our soul through the Holy Spirit, things begin to happen in our lives. While they may not be as dramatic as the miraculous draft of fishes, they are nonetheless real and meaningful. Often, the Spirit of God speaks to our spirits in ways and on levels we don’t understand. We only begin to appreciate this later when the fruit of the Spirit begins to appear. That is, when one begins to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, contentment and gentleness.

This fruit has its seeds planted when one listens to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This may be to what Jesus is referring when He speaks of the Kingdom of God being like a tiny mustard seed, from which sprouted a great tree that gave shade to many. (Mt. 13:31) The seed of God, once planted in a soul, will, with proper nurturing, bear great fruit. This nurturing includes regular Sunday worship, fellowship with other Christians, and private prayer.

Simon Peter teaches us one final truth from this passage, namely, our reaction to the call of God. After seeing the great catch of fish and the context in which it occurred, he realizes that he is in the presence of Holiness. Note that Peter does not offer Our Lord a handshake, or a “high five”, or even an encounter group-type hug. Contrasting his own unworthiness with the Purity before him, he falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” The Gospel tells us he was “astonished” at the miracle that was taking place. In fact, in good Hebraic theological fashion, he was probably terrified that the Holiness near him would consume him in his sinfulness. He does not, in good modern style, get immediately familiar with Jesus or attempt to get on a first-name basis with Christ. In this case, Simon realizes his own sinfulness vis-à-vis the incredible holiness of Jesus. He senses his unworthiness ands falls to his knees.

Here is where Peter gets it exactly right. As you know, in the Bible Simon Peter is an “Everyman” figure. On one hand, he’s brash, tempestuous and impulsive. On the other hand, he’s afraid, doesn’t tell the truth and is actually cowardly. But, he always cares. He’s passionate and he’s definitely not lukewarm. He is, in fact, someone with whom God can work. God can turn great sinners into great saints, but He cannot turn lukewarm people into anything. Remember the quote from Rev. 3:15-16 as the Holy Spirit upbraids the Laodiceans: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” That is a very strong statement.

Sometimes, we tend to over-stress and undervalue the familiarity we have with God through Christ. There is a real danger in moving from the concept of “What a friend we have in Jesus” to the overly familiar, “My buddy Jesus.” One is a respectful, worshipful admiration and thanksgiving for Christ’s advocacy for us. This is His true Friendship towards us. The other leans towards an arrogant demand that God accept me “just as I am”, without any excuses. While it is true that our merciful and all-loving Father accepts us as we are, He does so in repentance through Christ, He does not want us to stay in that spiritually neutral state. Rather, we are to grow in Christ and to become mature Christians, despite our physical age. God wants us to exhibit the signs of mature Christianity: tempered tongues, abundant stewardship and grateful hearts. As we mature in Christ we can move from the statement of Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”, to where, with a simple and worshipful heart we look up and say with St. Thomas, “My Lord and my God.”

Our growth won’t stop there. As we grow in the Spirit and in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God prepares us for the next step. Recall what Christ said to Peter, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” What does this mean? Does it mean, like my first landlord in Atlanta, that we are to go out and pass out flyers for our favorite tele-evangelist? Personally, I don’t think so. However, we are supposed to be a walking advertisement for Christ.

As our process of sanctification continues, as we become more and more filled with the Spirit, God will put people in our way that need what we have. Think of this; you may be the difference in someone’s life. You, or rather the Spirit of God in you, may be the difference between joy vs. despair, love vs. indifference and self-acceptance vs. self-loathing. Most importantly, you very well may be saving someone from eternal oblivion and giving them the certainty of eternal bliss. Not to be smug or arrogant, but we Christians have the truth. With an attitude of thankfulness and humility, it is our job to give it away. When we do this, when we give away what we have, we will overflow with more and more joy. Just like the miraculous draft of fishes, our hearts and souls will be full of the love and joy of Christ.

This is what the Gospel is all about. This is how you can affect the world, one soul at a time. Thanks be to God!

Luke 5:3 “And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

AMEN.

Consistency and the Gospel

2011-07-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Consistency and the Gospel
Trinity IV, 2011

Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
July 17, 2011

Luke 6:37 37 ¶ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

It’s been said that the Bible contains all the answers to man’s quandaries, no matter what they may be. Christians claim that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, infallible and inerrant, containing all truth. Christians say that no matter what your question or problem, the Bible can answer it, or at least shed light on it in a real and meaningful way.

That’s a mighty big claim. “How can a book, written over thousands of years by many, many voices contain such truth?”ask modernists and liberal scholars. How can such a book that’s been translated into more languages than any other book in history have any semblance of consistency or coherence, and how can it have any application to modern folk today?

That’s an excellent question, one that’s been asked ever since the canons of the Old and New Testaments were finalized. When critics begin their attack on Christianity, they usually begin with the Bible. Bring down the Bible, they say, and one can bring down the Christian religion. Prove the Bible to be ultimately inconsistent or untrue and one can destroy Christianity. Some sects and cults, such as the Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses, even have their own versions of the Scriptures, edited and expurgated to fit their own doctrinal views. Thus, as we are all very well aware, there are those in this world, inspired and energized by Satan, who would like nothing better than to see Christianity fail.

Yet, despite attacks from all angles and from all perspectives, Christianity prevails. Christianity prevails despite its own best efforts to shoot itself in the foot. By that I mean that Christians still spend a great deal of their efforts fighting, disagreeing or feuding with each other. Despite our numerous enemies without, within we are still our greatest own enemy. In the famous words of Pogo, “We have seen the enemy and he is us.”

Yet, Christianity prevails. The Word of God still speaks to people with a gentle force that is unreckoned in this world. The Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are still efficacious to those who use them faithfully. The Holy Spirit of God still hovers over His People, guarding, guiding and shepherding them. The promise of Christ still holds true: “Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Finally, the Golden Thread of the Gospel, despite two thousand years and innumerable translations, still shines brightly through the ages

That Golden Thread of Truth shines brightly in today’s Gospel as well. Today’s Gospel shines with at least two threads, one dealing with reciprocity, the other dealing with hypocrisy. There is actually a connection between the two, although we will speak mainly of that great failing of mankind, hypocrisy.

This portion of the Gospel comes from one of Christ’s great discourses from Luke 6, called “The Sermon on the Plain.” The entire sermon is simply self-evident truth. For example, in the section chosen for today’s Gospel, Christ tells us several principles on which we should base our lives, for they provide the basis on which one can build a society.

Allow me to summarize them briefly:
1. Judge not and you shall not be judged.
2. The measure that you give is the measure that you get.
3. Can the blind lead the blind?
4. The student is not above his master.
5. Avoid hypocrisy
Of all these points, the two on which we will focus on reciprocity and hypocrisy. They may be the most fundamental of all because the relationship principle they embody carries through to all of human relations. That principle is simply the quality of consistency. Being consistent in all of our actions, speech, and intentions really brings us the most benefit out of life and keeps our relationships pure.

Being consistent underlies the law that undergirds society. It’s been called the “reciprocity rule.” What it says, basically, is that what you put into something is what you’ll get out of it. The more you give, the more you get. Reciprocity is also the return or “mutual-ness” expected or felt in relationships among people.
When you pay a compliment, it’s only expected that the recipient says “thank you.” It’s like the payment or acknowledgement of the compliment. When you are courteous to others, it is expected that you receive courtesy in return. Yet, it doesn’t always happen, and that can be an occasion for wrath and even sin for us. Recall how you feel when you admit someone into a line of traffic ahead of you and they do not acknowledge your courtesy. It doesn’t feel good, does it? Sometimes, it even raises our ire.

As an aside, imagine the wrath God the Father will exhibit to those who ultimately reject His great offering, Jesus Christ. The Father gave us the very best that He had. How would you feel if someone rejected the best present that you could offer? I shudder to contemplate that wrath on a divine level.

Reciprocity is a key principle in life. It works in finances, it works in the workplace, and it certainly works in marriage. It’s almost too simple, for it says that the more effort, money, time and emotional involvement one invests in something, the more one will receive. Of course, there are exceptions, as life always has variations, but in general, it works and it works largely.

The other lesson which rests on the principle of consistency is probably the greatest of all: avoid hypocrisy. Live as you would have others live, treat others as you would have them treat you, and do what you say that you will do. Don’t do things personally that you would condemn in others. Don’t condemn (judge unfairly) someone when you do the same thing. In short, have integrity in everything that you do.

This is one of the greatest lessons Christ can teach us. When we are consistent in our actions and our speech and when our actions mirror our beliefs, we are the way to true godliness and peace. Best of all, we seek to avoid that most common accusation leveled against us Christians: “You’re all a bunch of hypocrites.” You see, when one tries to live a godly life and to adopt high standards, it’s only natural that one will fail occasionally, or even often. This is when our enemies attack us, for they seize upon our occasional failure and hold that up for the norm. For example, every time a famous evangelist falls, they rejoice and trumpet the prevalence of hypocrisy in Christianity. What they don’t see are the millions of ordinary Christians going about their lives and trying the best they can to emulate Christ. What they don’t see is the attempt to avoid hypocrisy and to remain consistent.

Yet, that urge to judge unfairly, or to condemn unrighteously, is so strong amongst all of us. It is so easy to see others’ failing and conveniently forget our own. It is so easy to point the finger of blame at another, while, as the old saying goes we have three fingers pointing back at us.

Perhaps the bigger question is why? Why do all of us, at some time or another, take such perverse joy or even pleasure at highlighting the failures or misdeeds of others? Is it to take a mis-guided sense of superiority? Do we, even in a small way, want to think ourselves a bit better than the other person? Or, is it a way to take attention away from our own misdeeds and failings? Perhaps. Why do we, even in the tiniest sense of moral superiority, want to vaunt ourselves over others?

Now, there is no way that any of us in this room would openly rejoice over the misfortunes of others, even in the minutest way. That is too crass, too heartless, and too remote to consider. Unlike the rough crowd in Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who hurled abuse and refuse on the poor unfortunate as he was tied to the whipping post, we could never do that. It is unthinkable.

Yet, in the recesses of all of our souls is that knowledge that we are fallen. From that sense of fallen nature, however deeply buried it may seem, comes a need for self-justification, a need to say that, basically, we’re all right. From that comes a need to see ourselves better in some way, however small or great that may be. Thus, springs the root of hypocrisy.

The point is, without true self love, we are all hypocrites. As long as there is some need for self-justification, we will be inconsistent simply because we are all fallen, sinful creatures in need of a Savior. We cannot justify ourselves, either to man or to God. We cannot love ourselves without this knowledge, because without the justification of Christ in our souls, we are still flawed and empty. Our love for ourselves, without Christ, is a lie because we actually love the fallen human nature that is our native state instead of the redeemed, forgiven, risen soul that now belongs to Him. Without Jesus Christ, all love is false, because He is the source of all true love. When we realize our true value in Him, we will love ourselves and we will be consistent.

That’s really what we are about today. We are learning to love Christ. We are trying, though this love, to preserve sanity and godly order in a world gone its own way. As always, keep your eyes fixed firmly upon Christ and all will be well. As with the rule of reciprocity, the more that we cling to Christ, the more strength, love, joy and peace we will receive.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Promise and Confirmation

2011-07-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Promise and confirmation
Gen. 18:1-16
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
3rd Sunday after Trinity 2011
July 10, 2011

Genesis 18:1 "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;"

Good morning and may God’s richest blessings be on all of you. We are blessed to be together and to hear and celebrate the mystery of God’s love for us today and always.
It seems to me that the heat today is appropriate, especially in the light of this Sunday’s Old Testament reading. It happens to be a favorite of mine. Why? It is a very rich passage that brings together many wonderful themes, including prophecy, promise, and the Personhood of God. It also proves to us both the consistency of God, especially as concerned with promise and the execution of it.
The scene opens as Abraham sits in his tent, “in the heat of the day.” One could imagine a day similar to today, minus the humidity. Abraham is on the Plains of Mamre, which according to one commentator, “The place is the “plains of Mamre” which is Hebron and evidently had a grove of oak trees.” So, we know that it is a place of repose. Now the Scripture plainly says that it was the Lord who appeared to Abraham, and judging by his reaction, this seems to be the case. He runs from his tent door to meet them and bowed to the ground. His actions clearly show, even in the overly-demonstrative atmosphere of the ancient Middle East, that these men were clearly important. For example, even in today’s Middle East, before the fall of Saddam Hussein, one could clearly see a similar kind of obeisance paid to him, as soldiers and even ministers would practically prostrate themselves before him.
In the story, Abraham’s graciousness continues as he begs his guests to stay, rest, wash their feet, and dine with him. We know that the washing of feet was a customary Middle Eastern courtesy, especially with the hot, dusty, climate and the quality of roads as compared with ours. Imagine trudging down a country road in the summer just outside of Odessa, Texas for example. One’s feet would be dusty and hot. How refreshing a foot bath would be!
After offering this courtesy, Abraham runs to his wife, instructs her to make fresh meal cakes, then runs to the herd to select a choice calf and gives it to be slaughtered and dressed. Finally, when this wonderful veal is done, he brings it out with the fresh bakestuffs, accompanied by butter and milk. It is wonderful, tasty, healthy and very hospitable meal. Note too, that although these “men” are obviously divine beings, they consume actual physical food and drink. They are not mere apparitions, but real people, albeit of a divine source. Note too, that Abraham’s reaction to offer them the best that he had is entirely appropriate. It goes without saying that we should always offer our best to God.
Finally, after all this, Abraham stands by them while they eat. He doesn’t even sit with them to partake of the meal. Instead, he serves them, paying them great honor.
Let us now consider the significance of this occasion. First, we know that it was the Lord who appeared to Abraham, but the Scriptures are not clear as to which Person of the Trinity appeared to him. The Scriptures say “Yehovah”, meaning “the existing One”, but we do not know for sure whether this indicates God the Father or God the Son. Some scholars even surmise that the “three men” were the Holy Trinity Himself, appearing to Abraham as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. While this may have some merit, perhaps a better answer might be that Jesus appeared to Abraham as the pre-incarnate Christ, accompanied by two angels. This view appears to have merit because in the later passages of the same chapter, these men turn towards Sodom and Gomorrah to execute judgment upon it. In the opening verses of Chapter 19 of Genesis, “two men” appear to Lot as he sat in the gate of Sodom. It is most likely that these were the same angels who accompanied Jesus on His visit to Abraham, while Jesus returned to glory in Heaven.
At any rate, it is a wonderful connection between God and man. The Lord appears to Abraham and reconfirms the promise He gave to him in Genesis 17:21. Recall that this is where God tells him that his covenant will not be with Ishmael: “But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.” The promised heir is not even born yet, but God knows his name and has placed him at the center of his covenant! This is amazing prophecy, which God will shortly make concrete.
This is the promise which God re-confirms in the presence of Abraham and Sarah, who is in the tent, listening. In the words of Genesis 18:10: "And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.” There is now no doubt as to what the Lord intends. He intends to fulfill all the words that he spoke to Abraham, namely that He would make Abraham the father of a great nation by providing him with the promised son and heir. He will keep His promise and He will be faithful.
Note, however, Sarah’s reaction: (Genesis 18:12) “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” This reaction is very human and very natural. She is well into menopause. By human standards, both she and her husband, now 99 years old, cannot conceive children. It is too late. One commentator says this is a laugh of bitter irony, born of deep disappointment over many years: He says: “These remarks of Sarah’s show us the basis of her doubts. She laughed not out of cocky arrogance but because a life of long disappointment had taught her not to clutch at straws. Hopelessness, not pride, underlay her unbelief. Her self-restraint in not openly expressing her doubts and the sadness behind them go far to explain the gentleness of the divine rebuke.”
While Abraham did not hear her laugh, for she “laughed within herself”, the Lord did and gently rebukes her for it. The statement (Genesis 18:14): “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” says it all. When Sarah again denies that she doubted, or laughed, the Lord simply says, (Genesis 18:15): “Nay; but thou didst laugh.” The Lord knows us through and through.
The story ends as the men rise up and “looked towards Sodom.” Abraham rises up and as the good host, escorts them on their way. This portion of the visitation is complete.
What significance can we draw form this wonderful Old Testament story? Is it merely just a chance meeting of three men and Abraham? It is just an encounter of God and Man? Why is this story important to us modern-day Christians?
Two words are appropriate to this story. They are “consistency” and “completeness.” First of all, we see the consistency of God in His behavior and promises to Abraham. The Lord promised, the Lord reconfirms his promise in this story, and soon the promised son and heir will be born. All of the words spoken to Abraham will come true. God is completely consistent and completely faithful to Abraham.
The lesson for us is that God is also completely consistent and faithful with us. He always keeps His promises to us and He is always faithful. He cannot do otherwise, for to do so would violate His own perfect Nature. Thus, as simplistic as this may sound, we can always rely upon God. We can rely upon Him always and for certain. While our prayers are not always answered in the way we would have them done, they are always answered, and for those who pray to do God’s Will, in a way that is best for us. This is a fact upon which we can relay without fail. God is always faithful. Thus, He is totally consistent, whereas we as mere humans cannot always be. Bishop Finick of the Free Church of England once mentioned in a lecture:”No one is totally consistent.” No one, that is, except God.
The other word to consider is “completeness.” As God fulfills his word to Abraham, He set in motion the great chain of events that would create an environment for the coming of the greatest promise of all time, Jesus Christ. While in this story, we see the pre-incarnate Christ coming to man; in the fullness of time God the Son would come to us to fulfill the great promise of all, that of forgiveness of sin and a new life with God. Jesus Christ would come to fulfill the promise made by God the Father in the Garden of Eden. Just as God spoke to Eve to tell her that “her seed” would bruise the head of the serpent, just as he would bruise the heel, so it would come to pass. Satan did indeed bruise Jesus in a major way, as he suffered torture and death at the hands of sinful men. Yet, Jesus would crush the head of the serpent by destroying his chief and deadliest weapon, death. Christ came to free us from death, despair and eternal night. We live because of Him. We live in hope because of him and because God is faithful, true and good. Finally, we live in hope because on the plains of Mamre, some several thousand years ago, God reconfirmed his promise to Abraham. Through him and ultimately through Christ, we are indeed the sons and daughters of promise.
Genesis 18:10: “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”

Spirit and Growth

2011-07-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday 2011
“Majesty, Perceptions and Reality”
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church

Humor Opening: First, some “groaners” for you this morning from the World Wide Web:
Missing Missionary and Sick Cannibal
Did you hear about the cannibal who got sick after eating the missionary? He boiled him, but he was a friar!
Total Oneness
What did the Zen Buddhist Monk say to the Hotdog Vender?...Make me One with everything.
and finally,
The Confused Samaritan
A man was beaten up by robbers on a road to London. He lay there, half dead and in bad shape. A Vicar came along, saw him and passed by on the other side. Next, a monk came by but also walked by quickly on the other side. Finally, a social worker came along, looked at the man and said "Whoever did this needs help!"

We enjoy jokes and funny stories because they give us a different “twist” on reality, or they present to us some aspect of our lives that we may have not considered, usually in a funny or humorous way. Our Epistle and Gospel lessons for this Palm Sunday do the same, that is, they present to us an aspect of reality that we may have not considered, just this time not in a way that we may find humorous or even comfortable.

That is because the Gospel and the Epistle show us a side of human nature that is not attractive; in fact they paint a picture of mankind’s will run riot, in total revolt against God. The Gospel from St. Matthew, chapter 27, shows us exactly what happens when mankind seeks its own will absent the guiding, moderating and sanctifying touch of the Holy Ghost.

The scene depicted in today’s Gospel comes on the heels of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, spoken of in Matthew 21. In that tremendous scene, recall how the people strew their garments in the way and waved palm branches, saying: “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” This account is also echoed in Mark 11 and John 12. John tells us that the people that had seen Lazarus raised from the dead met him, and that a great multitude met Jesus because they had heard that he had done this great sign. The whole city was moved and said “Who is this?” They were told, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” It is at this point that the earthly tide begins to move against Jesus, as the Pharisees and other Jewish authorities saw the people’s hearts going after Him. They heard the hosannas, they had seen the overturned tables of the moneychangers in the Temple and now they said to themselves, in the words of John’s gospel: “Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the world is gone after him.”

Here is the first picture of rebellious human will pitted against the holiness of God. Rather than accept the one who had just fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass”, they chose to reject Him instead. Actually, it is much worse than that. They now actively plotted against Jesus, knowing that they must destroy him. Why? What was their motivation? It was jealousy, pure, simple jealousy, motivated by fear of losing their position. It was this all-too-human emotion that set the stage for Jesus’ death on the cross.

In the intervening chapters between Matt. 21 and 27, we see Jesus, teaching, healing and ministering. We also see, like a sinister sub-current, the plot of the Pharisees to find a way to capture Him. They succeeded, of course, on Maundy Thursday, after Jesus had just celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In this all-important supper, Christ gave the sacrament of the Holy Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper, to mankind. We intend to discuss this more at our Maundy Thursday service, but suffice it to say that Christ forever changed the theological landscape by converting the old remembrance of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, the Passover, to a new and everlasting Sacrament, the Holy Communion, to which we often refer by its Greek name, the Holy Eucharist. Maundy Thursday gave us a remembrance of our deliverance from the bondage of sin and death, as we enter into the New Testament or New Covenant through the sacramental eating of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The drama of that New Testament sacrament begins today, as we begin Holy Week. Beginning with Palm Sunday and culminating in Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, we approach the holiest day of the year, the blessed Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We look forward to the joy of Easter, having passed through the rigors of Lent.

Easter, however, does not come without a price. This is what our Gospel for the day teaches us. I have often wondered why we do not read the account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as told in Matt. 21 or John 12. After all, it is Palm Sunday, the day that Christ was adored by multitudes and praised as the Son of David. The answer to this may be twofold. First, we read of the crucifixion on Palm Sunday, then of the resurrection on Easter Sunday, a week later. This may have been meant for those who either did not, or could not, participate in Holy Week services. Also, and more importantly, it reminds us graphically of the price paid for our salvation. Salvation comes to us, but not without a price, a very dear price. We see this as human will, marred and deceived by sin, , yet still free will, leads to an inexorable path to the Cross and the fulfillment of God’s Great Plan of Salvation. All the human “players” in this drama, act in a way contrary to righteousness, yet in the glory of God’s predestined Plan, still bring about His desired end. This is truly mysterious and truly glorious.

First, we see the price paid by Judas Iscariot, Christ’s betrayer and later, sincere penitent. He returns to the Sanhedrin and says, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” He bringsback the blood money and seeks conciliation of some sort, but is met with the cold reply of the Pharisees: “What is that to us? see thou to that.” Judas indeed sinned a great sin in betraying Jesus, but it is widely thought that he, as a Zealot, hoped to force Jesus’ hand to call down legions of angels and dramatically end the Roman occupation of Palestine. His truly great sin was that of despair, as he repents, falls into deep despair, and takes his own life by hanging himself. This may be why Dante places Judas Iscariot at the base of Hell in his Inferno, just barely above Satan himself. Once again, we see human will juxtaposed against the sovereign Mercy of God.

Next, we see the Pharisees and Jewish rulers accusing Jesus before Pilate. This is further evidence of twisted human will braying against God. As they continue in their accusations, Pontius Pilate marvels as Jesus stands mute in the face of their trumped-up charges. Later, he even tries to release Jesus, knowing that jealousy and envy were the Jews’ reasons for accusing him. He even attempts to offer a substitute, holding to the tradition of releasing a notable prisoner to the people. The chief priests persuade the people to ask for Barabbas, another zealot who had recently led a revolt against the Roman authorities. This must have been distasteful to the governor, for he is persuaded of Jesus’ innocence and fully cognizant of Barabbas’ guilt. This is confirmed when Pilate’s wife sends him a message, telling him that she has been bothered by a dream concerning Jesus, removing any doubt that he is a just man, unjustly accused. For a moment, Pilate looks almost heroic, as he tries to deliver Jesus from the Jews’ insidious plans. He even protests to the people saying, “Why, what evil hath he done?” It is at this point that Pilate could have thwarted the evil plans of the Jewish authorities. All he had to do was give the word and Jesus would be released. Instead, when he saw that a tumult was being made, he takes the easy way out, the expedient measure. He simply washes his hands in front of the crowd and declares himself innocent, which he is not, because he possessed the power to save Jesus. Instead, he caves in to the will of the people and Jesus’ fate is sealed. Here again, another example of human will running directly counter to the righteousness of God.

Now, it’s the multitude’s turn to be examined. Disappointed because Christ was not the earthly King they had expected, the long-awaited military Messiah that they hoped would deliver Israel, they cast him aside. Worse yet, they consign Him to a dreadful torture death. “Let him be crucified!” they cry out. In John’s account, this scene is even more chilling. When, in John 19:15, Pilate says, “Shall I crucify your king?” the reply is, “We have no king but Caesar.” Thus, in one statement, the chief priests spoke and the people assented that God was no longer their King. The Almighty Jehovah, who delivered them from Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and gave them the Promised Land, was no longer their king. If this is not human will opposing itself to God, please tell me.

On Palm Sunday some two thousand-odd years ago, we see an unholy human “trinity” of evil, made up of the chief priests, the people and the Roman authorities, all arrayed against Jesus. To this dreadful armada of power stirring against Jesus, what is our Lord’s response? Jesus did nothing, absolutely nothing. When he was attacked and accused by the Pharisees, he said nothing. When Pilate asks him if he is indeed King of the Jews, Jesus replies “Thou sayest.” Modern translations render this as “You say so” and “You have said it.” He doesn’t confirm or deny his kingship or divinity, but stands mute, ready to fulfill the pre-determined Will of His Father.

Here we come to the glory of Palm Sunday. Despite mankind’s best efforts to thwart the Will of God, despite its desire to do the worst to Jesus, namely physical death, in the end all mankind can do is perform the overarching , sovereign Will of God. This is God’s world, His creation, and He will do what he wants with it. In a supreme example of complete sovereignty over the world and the wills of men, Jesus Christ allows himself to be offered as the spotless Lamb of God,” the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’, as Rev. 13:8 tells us.

Today, we Anglicans focus on the Lamb. We look to and worship the One who gave Himself for us, in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. Today, we try to recognize the price paid for our salvation and fail utterly, because the price is too high, the cost is too great. We as Anglicans do not focus largely on the Passion, as our Roman Catholic brethren tend to do, nor do we skip right to Easter and try to forget all that “unpleasantness” on Good Friday, as some Fundamentalist groups tend to do. Rather, in a sober, balanced and worshipful manner, we seek to praise and glorify God for Lent, for Passiontide and of course, for Easter. We are almost there, but we not there yet. We still have the somber, yet glorious experience of Holy Week ahead of us. Pray that all of us may walk with our Lord day by day on His way to the Cross and then to His glorious Resurrection. Read the propers in the Prayer Book for each day of Holy Week. Let them speak to your innermost self. By the time we come to Easter, I pray that your soul will proclaim, “My Lord and My God!”

Matt. 27:1-2 “Now when morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2 and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the governor.”

All Glory be to the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, now and forever. AMEN

Majesty,Perceptions and Reality

2011-07-16T10:20:00.002-07:00

Foreshadowing and Favor

2011-07-16T10:20:00.001-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
The Fourth Sunday after Easter
May 2, 201

“Foreshadowing and Favor…”
John 16:7 “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Allow me to have you consider one thought for today: foreshadowing. Foreshadowing, as you know from your English Literature classes, is to : “to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand : PREFIGURE.”

This is the major insight available to us today from the Word of God taken from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 16. Jesus is discoursing on one the second greatest events soon to come to pass in the history of mankind. He is, in fact, foreshadowing its occurrence. What is this great happening, soon to burst upon the scene?

To answer that question, let us recall Christ’s words:” for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” Some translations term this as “Helper”, rather than Comforter, but the meaning and intent is the same: Someone is coming who will help with our faith, our belief and our lives.

Once again, who is this Person? He is the One whom later Church doctors and theologians would call the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the One for whom Christ would say: “John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

What this passage clearly shows us is the permanence of Emmanuel, God with us. God was not satisfied merely to come for a brief thirty-three years, accomplish Man’s salvation on the Cross, and then leave. No instead, God the Father willed, God the Son accomplished and God the Holy Spirit facilitated.
Said again, God was not content to come, save, and return to Glory. Rather than do this, He was true to His Word when He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Christ, in that glorious mystery that is the Holy Trinity, is with us always in the personhood of the Holy Ghost.

This has marvelous implications. As we spoke of last week, we are not alone in a cold, unresponsive universe, ruled only by the inflexible laws of Physics. Yes, these realities exist, as any NASA scientist will tell you. Being almost fatuous, no one can survive in space without the proper protection. Yet, behind that emptiness, that seeming void is Somebody. Not Something, but Somebody: eternal, loving, and giving.

At the moment, however, we are concerned with life on Earth and our relationship with God, here and now. That is why Christ’s foreshadowing of the coming of the Holy Ghost has such power, such promise, and such comfort.

Let us touch on comfort first. The first fact is the Christ’s own name for the Holy Spirit, Comforter, is so important. The Spirit’s first ministry to the Apostles was simply to comfort and sustain them after Christ’s sudden departure from Earth. They had just lost their Lord and Master. As we see at the end of the Gospel of John, Peter even returned to his old occupation, fishing, briefly and was joined by several other disciples: Nathaniel, Thomas, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and two other unnamed disciples. In the return, we read in John 21 “that night they caught nothing”. Then Christ Himself appeared to them and commanded them to cast their net over the right side of the boat, whereupon they received a huge catch of fish. The symbolism couldn’t be plainer. When the disciples follow Jesus’ instructions, they receive the catch that they are supposed to have. As we will see, this catch didn’t involved fishes any more, but the souls of men. Christ then ate and had fellowship with them. He then encouraged Peter to continue his ministry when He said, “Peter, do you love me?” When Peter answered him affirmatively, Christ said, “Feed my sheep.” Christ continued this conversation, asking him a total of three times to tend to the flock of God.

Thus, if it took the appearance of Christ Himself immediately after the Passion and Resurrection to maintain the people closest to Christ in the Way, what would it take to sustain the Church of God until Christ’s return? Simply, it would take the presence of God Himself, not in bodily form, but in the mysterious, spiritual form of the Holy Ghost.

Thus, other translations than the AV (KJV)) call the Holy Ghost the Helper. In the Greek, the word is “parakletos” {par-ak'-lay-tos}, which means the following: “1) summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid 1a) one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate.” It is clear that we need a Helper to keep us on the Way, too. Thankfully, it is just this helper to which Jesus points in this passage.

This Helper, this Advocate, this “one called to our side” will do at least three things, according to Christ. He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. First, He will convict of sin, because the World, outside of the Church, has rejected Christ. Next, the Holy Spirit will point out the righteousness of Christ as he returns to the Father. Only Christ, the Righteous One can truly ascend to the Father in such a way. Finally, the Holy Spirit will reprove the World of Judgment, since Satan has already been judged and condemned. The consummation of his judgment has not yet taken place, since it is not the Father’s pleasure to do so at this time. Yet, we know that it will occur on the Last Day, when the powers of Hell that have so plagued mankind will be cast down forever and the true Glory of God’s Creation will be revealed, free of sin.

Christ also foreshadows the final function of the Holy Spirit in this passage as He tells us that when He comes, the Spirit will not testify of Himself, but of the Father and the Son. Whatever he hears, he will speak it to the Church. The Holy Spirit will show the Church of coming things, most of them contained in the Spirit-inspired Word of God. That is, we see events unfolding in the World around us; we are able to relate them to the various prophecies and statements contained in Scripture. For example, the current cultic prediction that the world would end yesterday is a direct violation of what Christ told us in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” When we listen to the Word of God, allowing our souls to be illuminated by it through the power of the Holy Ghost, we have the truth at hand.

Continuing, Christ says,”He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you”

In the end, this foreshadows the greatest of all the Holy Spirit’s tasks: to glorify the Father and the Son. He will take of the Glory of Christ and show it unto the Church. He will bear witness to Christ’s statement that “All things that the Father hath are mine.” In short, he affirms and bears witness to the Unity of the Godhead. Christ and His Father are one. What the Father has, the Son has, all attested to by the Holy Spirit. The mention of all three Persons of the Holy Trinity here in this passage simply affirms what Christ said the Spirit will do: speak not of Himself, but of the Hoy Person of God.

Beloved, as we look forward to the next two major events in the Church year, Ascension and Pentecost, followed immediately by the third, Trinity Sunday, let us too glorify God in our hearts and souls. Christ is foreshadowing one of the great events in History, the coming of the Holy Ghost.
This is topped only by His coming to us.

Let us glorify God that we are not alone, ever, unless we want to be. True, we can alone in human terms when we are solitary. Yet, in our hearts, we are never solitary if we have invited the Holy Spirit to make His abode there with us. If we invite Him, Christ said that He and His Father would come with us, live with us, and never leave us. Unless we willfully reject the Holy Ghost, either by outward word or continued sinful behavior, God will never leave us. Praise be to God! Jesus told us. He foreshadowed our glorious fellowship with God.

John 16:7 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

AMEN

"A Little While"

2011-07-16T10:18:00.002-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
The Third Sunday after Easter

May 15, 2011

“A little while…”

John 16:16 “ A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.”

From one of the most beloved books of the New Testament comes this interesting and puzzling statement. John the beloved disciple tells us that Christ speaks to the apostles thus, both puzzling them and intriguing them at the same time. In fact, in the verse following this one, some of the disciples openly questioned this. They asked, “What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. “What is this that he saith to us?”

In short, they were baffled. As a boy, listening to this passage in Trinity Episcopal Church in Monmouth, Illinois and again as a teenager at St. Joseph of Arimathea Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, I too was puzzled. I remember one time walking out of church shaking my head at it. Evidently, our rector didn’t choose to elucidate that particular piece of Scripture that day. Perhaps he should have.

What Christ says here is both simple and profound, as always. As the second member of the Trinity, Christ always speaks to us in ways we can understand, while also speaking of things beyond our natural understanding; that is, absent the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

This is one of those sayings. On the surface, we understand, especially with the aid of 2000 years of Christian tradition behind us. That is, we have the Word of God to inform us that Christ did indeed die and was buried. Thus, “a little while and you will not see me.” We also understand the part where he says, “and again, a little while, and ye shall see me:”

Obviously, this is in reference to His post-resurrection appearances. First, he appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, then to the gathered disciples who were assembled for fear of the Jews”, in a locked room , and to the disciples while fishing in John 21. Finally as St. Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 15:6, “After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;”

No doubt the disciples’ joy was immense. Christ even compares to the joy and relief a woman feels after the agony of childbirth. The disciples’ joy was to be similar, so great and real that they would forget the pain and grief they knew when Christ was parted from them. One of them, John, felt this pain most acutely because he, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdeline witnessed his death at the foot of the Cross.

Thus far, we understand the meaning of these words. Yet, in the next statement, Christ throws his disciples into confusion because he says, “ because I go to the Father.” This is what really bothered them. It stuck “in their craw”, so to speak, to use a country colloquialism.

As well it might in ours, if we didn’t have the historic Christian experience and calendar to guide us. In His last, most puzzling statement, Jesus is telling about His last mighty act in this world. He is, in fact, foreshadowing the glorious completion of the earthly ministry.

This final act is the completion of Christ’s ministry, as he ascends to the Father, returning back to the Glory from whence He came, some thirty-three years ago. The final act we will celebrate on June 2nd, better known as Ascension Day, which is one of those important, but usually inconvenient and sparsely-attended mid-week services.

Ascension marks the final act of Christ’s life in all its major scenes, including his Immaculate Conception, His humble Nativity, His daily Ministry, His woeful Passion, His glorious Resurrection, and finally, His Dazzling Ascension. The Ascension marked the final chapter in the earthly saga of the Christ on Earth.

We will speak more on the importance of Ascension later, when we celebrate the Day itself. Suffice it to say that its importance is immense, as well as the immense amount of neglect it receives. However, one point must be mentioned, namely that without the Ascension, our exaltation into Heaven would be impossible as the family of Man. Thus, Jesus, on His way to the ultimate exaltation in Heaven as He rejoins His Father in unspeakable splendor, came to visit and reassure us. When He does come out of the grave in glorious resurrection form, both showing Himself and enjoying fellowship with His disciples, he tells them that ” your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

This statement is most profound and poignant, simultaneously. The reason for this profound sense of joy comes from Christ’s earlier mention of the expediency of His going away in verse 7 of this same chapter. Christ is going away, yes; Christ is leaving His disciples in bodily form, yes, but Someone else is coming. Following on the heels of Ascension is that great New Testament celebration of the coming of the Holy Ghost, or as the Authorized Version calls him, the Comforter. The Third Person of the Holy Trinity comes to us, to lead, guide, instruct, comfort and strengthen us.

Thus, this is an amazing time of year. Perhaps the historic church calendar truly captures the fullness of the Christian faith as we celebrate Ascension first, honoring the Son, then Whitsunday (Pentecost), where we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, then finally Trinity Sunday, where all three members of the Holy Trinity are celebrated together. We sing and worship the fullness of the Three Persons of God: one being in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Truly, if one is living one’s life in accordance with the Church year, this is amazing and most fulfilling.

Returning to one theme we can seize for the day, it might very well be that of Joy. Jesus said that our joy ..”no man taketh from you.” So we hope it is for you. When one considers the sheer enormity of what Christ accomplished for us, our joy should be full. When one considers the durability of our forgiveness and the permanence of our salvation, our joy should be full.
What does this mean? Simply that when Christ forgives us our sins, they are remembered no more. There is no sneaking, half-remembrance of what we did in the past. It is covered with the precious Blood of Christ in complete forgiveness. Simply said, God remembers no sin for which one exhibits true repentance and amendment of life. Surely this is an occasion for joy, as well as immense thanksgiving.

Our joy, which no man can take from us, must stem from another source as well. While this may seem incredibly obvious, it stems from the fact that we Christians even have a God like our God. Unlike what the Existentialists may have once believe, we don’t stumble, Godot-like, through our lives. We don’t face the Universe alone and un-befriended. We don’t have to make those brave existential decisions to prove that we are. With all due respect to Camus and Sartre, theirs was a unnecessarily lonely and erroneous position as to the orientation of Man. We are not alone. We are not lonely, in the recesses of our soul, unless we want to be, or have allowed the deceptions of the Devil to convince us so. For the spirit-filled Christian, is just the reverse. Our position, the Christian position, is completely opposite the sterile, sad and hopeless state of the atheistic humanist or existentialist. We are not filled with the sad darkness of the deceived, we are full of light. We are not aching with loneliness in a dead universe, vainly searching for meaning from a cold and passionless void. We are filled with the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, who brings us into full relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost. We are not sad and depressed as we try to fill our emptiness with counterfeit or fabricated experiences. We have the real experience of Christ in our hearts, our minds, and our souls as we move forward to our eternal Home with Him.

We Christians can’t claim to have cornered the market on joy. That would be absurd and even a bit egotistical, perhaps. After all, many things in this life can give us joy. There is a difference, however, between true Christian joy and that of the World. Whereas joy from things in this life is fleeting and transient, only the joy in Christ can withstand the test of time. There is a joy which no man can take from you. It is the same joy that Christ promised to His disciples so long ago. It is the same joy available to us today.

John 16:22 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
AMEN

Victory and Faith

2011-07-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Easter I, 2011
May 1st, 2011

Victory and Faith

“This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith...” I John 5:4

Does the word “victory” bother you? Does it offend you? In our modern, or as it is often termed, “postmodern” world, it does seem to bother some people. In fact, “victory” is a term that we don’t hear very often. On the other hand, we do hear things like “negotiated settlement”, or “phased-in withdrawal”, or “limited engagement”, but not the word “victory” very often.

Why is that? No doubt there are a host of reasons, some of them stemming from a wide variety of motives. Yet, we would submit to you that one chief reason for mistrust in the quest for victory may be doubt in the righteousness of one’s motives, or if you will, a lack of confidence that one is right. If one doesn’t truly believe that one’s cause it just, how can one be fully committed to achieving victory? For example, in my own life, I first noticed the seeds of “hate America first” sprouting in academia during my junior high and high school years in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. A great deal of this, no doubt, sprang from the protest movement over our involvement in Vietnam. We are not here to debate or even discuss that, however, from a political or even geo-political standpoint. That is not our purpose. Rather, we are here to discuss victory in terms of the Christian life, and most ultimately, our afterlife.

Returning to our original premise, we will submit to you that dedication to victory requires absolute sureness in the correctness of one’s position. Here lies the rub. One reason why so many people may be uncomfortable with the concept of victory has to do with the perception of their own purity, or lack thereof. Putting it even stronger, it has to do with their relationship with evil. Not that they are necessarily evil, or rotten to the core, it is just that in our modern world so many of us have some ambivalence towards evil and sin. Once again, it is not that we would countenance absolute evil or gross misbehavior, but rather that our current world situation is so imbued with sin that contagion from it is very difficult or even impossible to some extent. For example, I am sure that those of us who are subscribers to cable or satellite television have noticed the increasing coarseness of the language, all in the interests of “artistic realism.” Thus, if we aware that we are tainted in some respect how can our motives towards victory be pure? If we possess even a touch of self-loathing, which may be the malady of our modern society, we will doubt our worthiness to achieve victory.

Our Epistle for the day from the first letter of John clearly dispels any doubt about the rightness of our victory, for one key reason: our source. That is, rather than experiencing the lackluster approval our own spirits give us, we have something better. Said again, rather than rejoicing in our own deceptive or even delusional self concept and feelings of self-worth, we have a renaissance of something real, eternal, and perfect. Simply said, we who are Christians are no longer of the world in the same sense as others who have not tasted the sweetness of Christ. We are born of God and thus this statement: (1 John 5:4) “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” Said one more time: we who are baptized, worshipping, committed Christians are in the world, but not of it because we trace our spiritual genealogy to Christ Himself.

Considering this, how did Christ come and how can we believe His report? To answer this, we must back up just a bit and explore some of John’s motives for writing this epistle. It is obvious that he is seeking to bolster the faith of the early church, but there was another, more sinister reason that sprang up, namely a group called the Docetists. This group taught that Jesus was not really a man, but merely seemed to be so. Another group taught that Christ wasn’t God, but was only a man. One of their reasons for thinking this was abhorrence to the idea that God could die. Since God couldn’t die, Jesus couldn’t be God. Rather they had an idea that “the Christ” came upon Jesus during His lifetime, but suddenly left Him when he expired on the Cross.

John refutes these positions by telling us that Christ came in this fashion: (1 John 5:6) “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.” Examining this statement closer, we see that Christ did not come by water only, that is, by baptism, whereby the spirit of “the Christ” came on Jesus, but water and blood. Yes, Jesus began his ministry when the Holy Spirit alighted upon him at Jordan, ostensibly after His baptism. He finished his work on the Cross, where His holy Blood was shed for us. We orthodox Christians know that Christ did not need baptism to receive the Spirit, but evidently some early heretics did.
Recall that Jesus “suffered” John to baptize Him in order to “fulfill all righteousness.” His baptism was meant as a sign for us and showed that Jesus fulfilled, but did not destroy the Law.

Thus, John the writer of this epistle seeks to tie the water and the blood together to proclaim the unity of Christ. The water and the blood agree on earth, while the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth of Christ. In a wonderful use of parallel witness, John also tells us there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word (Christ) and the Spirit. These three are one and they agree. Thus, we have the Trinity in heaven: Father, Word, and Spirit agreeing to the truth of Christ. We also have the earthly trinity, the Spirit, the blood, and the water agreeing also. According to the Old Testament Law, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, something was confirmed; so it is with Christ. Both trinities on earth and in Heaven agree on the truth of Christ as both God and man. This is wonderful proof text for the Holy Trinity. In the words of John, it couldn’t be clearer that Christ is not only man but God as well.

Let me ask you: is there such a thing as the sin of unbelief? That is, is it actually a sin not to believe in Jesus as the Son of God? This is an interesting question, but it is one that John can answer with an unequivocal “yes.” Why? Simply because he states that while the witness of man is important, the witness of God is greater. God has witnessed to the truth of His Son through his miraculous birth, his sinless life, his ministry, his passion, and greatest of all, his resurrection. Besides all this, the Holy Spirit bears witness to the Son, and his witness is true.

Continuing with this thought, those of us who accept the truth of Christ and believe in him receive a witness in ourselves. We simply know through faith that He is true. On the other hand, those who reject God make Him a liar, because they reject the witness God has given us of His Son. It certainly seems to me that those who do this are sinning because not only do they reject the Truth, but they call the Truth a lie by their actions of unbelief.

Simply, John tells us the record that God the Father has given us of His Son: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Those who have the Son have life, and those who have not the Son have not life. It is at once simple and profound.

Sometimes, we need to accept the truth at face value. We Christians must have faith to believe, and that faith is in a man who was born of God, came among us, taught us, healed us, and ultimately died for us. This too is simple and profound.

In the end, our faith in this God-man enables us to overcome the world. It is a faith that comes not from ourselves, but from the One who gives us all things. He Himself enables us to believe in Him as He draws us to Him. He enables us to love him because He first loved us. He is able to give us unquenchable joy because He is the Source of all joy.

We will, in the end, overcome this fallen world through Christ. Through our faith in the record that God the Father has given of His Son, we have this witness in ourselves. In the end, after all the hoopla and panoply of futility has passed by, we will have something else: a real, durable life in Christ that will not and cannot be overcome.

Do we have victory? 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN

My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord

2011-07-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Easter Sunday, 2011
My Soul doth Magnify the Lord
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be alway acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.

V. Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
R. The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!

I greet you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on this day of days, on this penultimate event of the Christian Year. Today is the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the feast of feasts, the day of days for us. Today we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, sin and the grave. Today we celebrate freedom from the ancient foe of man, death. Today, we celebrate our inheritance as sons and daughters of the Most High God. As Christ is victor over the grave, so are we victorious over fear, over uncertainty, and over doubt, for we Christians know where we are going with courage, with sureness and with faith.

This is a bold assertion. Yet, we affirm confidently that we share in Christ’s resurrection. Today, we proclaim to the world at large, “I am a Christian. I am free from the fear of death. I am filled with the love of God. I am an heir of salvation and eternal life.”

How do have the confidence to make such a bold assertion? Not only do we have 2000-plus years of tradition and witness to rely on, but we also have the various eye-witness accounts of the resurrected Christ to read. Consider the following texts from the Word of God that clearly delineate this love and our eternal destination:
KJG John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

KJG John 14:2 “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, 1, I would have told you. I go to 2 prepare a place for you.”

KJG John 3:16 1 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 2 in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

KJG Matthew 20:28 “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

On Maundy Thursday, our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist. In this most blessed Sacrament, we both remember our Lord’s death and are fed sacramentally with Him each time we participate in the Eucharist. On Good Friday, Our Lord offered himself as the “one, perfect and sufficient sacrifice” for us. On Holy Saturday, our Lord’s body rested in the sepulcher. Today, Easter Sunday, our Lord Christ rose from the dead and opened unto us the gates of larger life.

Today we celebrate that victory; our victory with Christ. St. Paul tells us that those of us who have been baptized into his death also share in His resurrection. Today is that day. As Jesus told his disciples on Maundy Thurday: “KJG John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Today is that day. Today is the day that we have joy like no other, for we know that our Lord liveth and maketh intercession for us.

Christ’s resurrection is foreshadowed in the O.T. In the glorious words of Job, chapter 19: “25 For I know that my 1 redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet 1 in my flesh shall I see God.” In the notes to the Geneva Bible, it states: “In this Job declares plainly that he had a full hope, that both the soul and body would enjoy the presence of God in the last resurrection.”

We as Christians know this to be true. As Christ is, so shall we be. Christ, coming to take our manhood upon Him, tasted death for every man so that we would not have to experience the chilling isolation He experienced on the Cross. Christ, our Captain of salvation, did this for us. Today, we celebrate that fact.

Our Gospel tells us of this fact. Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene came to the sepulcher, perhaps to mourn for Christ, or as other Gospel accounts say, to anoint the body of Christ. Expecting to find the tomb sealed, she finds it open. Immediately, she thinks that Christ has been removed and runs to tell the other disciples. Peter and “the other disciple”, John, run to the tomb. John, being a teenager, outruns the middle-aged Peter. He comes to the tomb, sees the linen grave wrappings, but does not go in. He hesitates. When Peter arrives, bold, strong, brash Peter, he rushes into the tomb. He sees the clothes and amazingly, the head napkin, neatly wrapped and lying by itself.
This is not a scene of confusion, as if some grave robber stole the body. It is a purposeful, designed situation where our Lord arose from the dead, neatly wrapped the cloth that was around His head, and went out.

This passage of Scripture is instructive because it illustrates two approaches to the Christian faith, one symbolized by John, the other by Peter. Some people, like John, come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ gradually. They, in effect, look in the tomb to see if they should go in. Eventually, through preaching, or fellowship, or the example of others, they make the commitment to believe in Jesus Christ. John, hesitated, then, seeing the example of Peter, came in and believed. Their faith grows over time, being nurtured by the Church and sacrament.

Others, like Peter, burst in to the faith. They are impetuous, or spiritually needy, or they receive such an explosion of grace that they seek it, almost greedily with both hands.

The point is this: however one comes to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is vital that we all see the empty tomb and believe. This is the fundamental, bedrock truth of Christianity, that we have a Lord who came for us, lived with us, died for us, and rose again to new and everlasting life. As he is, so shall we be.

Beloved in Christ, which is it for you? Or rather, what do you hope to gain this Easter Season? Are you like those Christians who look in the tomb, looking for a dead Jesus? Are you looking in the tomb to see if your faith is alive? For some, the answer is mixed. St. Paul talks of this in 1 Cor. 15, where he speaks of those who doubted the resurrection: “13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen." 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

In the same way, some people’s Easter is similar. That is, they may have allowed the World with its secular symbols of Easter Bunnies and Spring-time themes to overwhelm the true message. It certainly is a great time to feast with family, revel in the joys of another Spring, and generally appreciate the season. What, however, is the true message? What is the reason for the festivities? How is it some folks can’t even come to church on this day? What is their true focus?

The message is this: Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again. The glorious Good News continues: we are no longer slaves to sin and death. We are no longer held in thrall to meaninglessness and oblivion; in fact, we are saved from an active eternity separated from God.

It even gets better: we who love Christ are lovingly invited to live with Him, in His Great Mansion, forever, in perfect love and bliss and acceptance. If you have been hungry, you will be filled. If you have been hated, you will be loved. If you have been lonely, you will experience the most fulfilling, perfect fellowship you have ever felt, forever. Finally, if you hunger and thirst to see God, that too will be granted.

The promise of Easter isn’t only about the life hereafter, although that is the most important thing. Yet, be that as it may, if that were all, many people, even believers, might have some trouble accepting a total commitment to the Christian Life. No, life in Christ means a difference, a distinction now, as well as forever, after our earthly life closes. We will celebrate that difference a few weeks hence formally, as we welcome the reality of the Holy Spirit among us.

That is where the difference, the distinction, lies. We, unlike most of the world today, genuinely have hope and power to live a blessed, empowered life in the Holy Trinity. What we mean is this: only in Christ can we experience joy in our life despite our circumstances. Only in Christ can we have the “peace that passeth understanding”, a little extra something that sets us apart from the World. It is that grace that helps us live each day in joy, not despair; love, not hate; and a sense of completeness as opposed to emptiness. It is truly marvelous and truly mysterious

To return to St. Paul’s statement regarding our possible false hope in Christ, he said: “19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” That is, if Christ was not true, we would have a dire situation to deal with.

If this were the end of the story, we would have to agree. We would be he most pitiful of people. It is not so, however. In the most glorious of affirmations, the Apostle continues: “20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

This is the truth of this Easter. This is what we celebrate today. This is our faith, our hope, and our joy.

John 20:8 “Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, and he saw, and believed.”

Like as we do believe

2011-07-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Ascension Day, 2010
“Like as we do believe…”
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be alway acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.

Acts 1:9 “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

Tonight we celebrate one of the most important feasts of the Christian year, the Feast of the Ascension. At the same, we suggest that it is vastly undervalued and does not enjoy the emphasis that it should.

The reasons for both are manifold. Ascension marks the end of Christ’s time on earth, or, as Merrill Unger puts it, the “capstone of his earthly ministry.” It clearly identifies Christ as Divine, as he is received up into glory in the sight of the disciples. It has fundamentally important theological reasons for its pre-eminence as well, chief among those is Christ’s physical ascension, taking his body (and Man’s nature) to heaven with him.

Yet, for all these reasons, Ascension is largely ignored by many Christians, who, by most measures, are pious and devout. Could it be because it is a mid-week service? Perhaps, yet Ash Wednesday is also midweek, and I daresay that it is better attended than Ascension.

It is my firmly held opinion that, if Christians really understood the significance of Ascension, our churches would be full. If they really understood that Ascension actually defines their salvation, our churches would be full.
Finally, if they really understood that without the Ascension, Christ would be just another great teacher, misunderstood and martyred by the Authorities, our churches would be full on this night.

Let’s consider these points in turn. First, we should recognize that the Ascension really does sum up the whole of Christ’s ministry. He told his disciples, “I came from the Father and now I go back to the Father.” Christ came, the Dayspring from on high to tabernacle with us and to take our nature upon us. He was born the normal way, he grew, matured, and became a man. He taught, healed, did miracles, drew crowds and amazed many. He gathered disciples, drew the ire of the Jewish authorities, was accused falsely, was condemned and ultimately killed by sinful men, nailed to a cross to endure a horrible torture death.

If this was all, Jesus Christ would have been known as just another great man. But, we know that this was not all. On Easter morning, Christ rose from the dead, showing that the g rave had no power over Him. As St. Paul says in Colossians 2:15 15 “And having spoiled 1 principalities and powers, he 2 made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in 3 it.” The Geneva Bible notes say, “The cross was a chariot of triumph. No conqueror could have triumphed so gloriously in his chariot, as Christ did upon the cross.”

Truer words were never spoken. The Resurrection is the greatest act that a mortal man can imagine, as one is victorious over man’s greatest nemesis, Death. Yet, even the Resurrection, as marvelous and cosmically stupendous as it is, is not enough to completely fulfill Christ’s Ministry. If He has risen from the dead, merely to spend another 60, 70 or even 80 years before eventually succumbing to eventual physical death, there would be no ultimate victory. But, there was an ultimate victory.

Christ led His Disciples out to Bethany, teaching them on the way. He then blessed them, lifting up His Hands. As he did this, He was lifted up into Heaven, until a cloud received Him out of their sight. This is the same Cloud that covered the Tabernacle in the Wilderness when Moses spoke with God. It is the same Cloud that Ezekiel saw from the inside out, full of innumerable saints of God. Many commentators think that this was the Shekinah Glory Cloud, so often mentioned in the Old Testament.

Christ entered into this Cloud and thus into Glory, not just the great Teacher, not just the great Miracle worker, not even just the Great Martyr for Righteousness’ sake, but as the Son of God returning to His Father. Matthew Henry asks us to imagine the scene in Heaven as Christ returns to take his rightful place at the Father’s right hand. What a celebration, what a mighty shout of triumph from an incomprehensible number of angels that must have been! Yet, even at this might moment of victory and joy, Christ thinks of His Disciples by dispatching two angels to say to them, “Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." In Henry’s words, these two angels, who would rather had been in Heaven to witness the Son’s homecoming, obeyed His command and ministered to the disciples. Even in His hour of triumph, Jesus thought of us.

Thus, Jesus takes his rightful place at the right hand of God the Father. Having done all that He was to do, having served as the Lamb “slain from the foundation of the World”, he is enthroned on high to receive everlasting glory and honor and dominion. Amen.

He thus completes the great Cycle of Salvation, beginning with his Incarnation, then his Nativity, next his Atonement, His Resurrection, and finally, His Ascension. For this reason alone, Ascension is a significant day.

Ascension also defines our salvation. When Christ ascended into Heaven, He wasn’t just an ethereal spirit, or some nebulous apparition. No, Christ took a real flesh and blood body with Him to Heaven. Granted, it was a glorified body, but a body it was just the same. Thus, we know that if Christ rose from the dead, so shall we. If Christ had a real Body in his ascended state, so shall we. As He ascended into Heaven, He took our human nature with Him to be glorified and exalted forever. Remember, what Christ did not assume, he could not justify. What he did not take with Him to Heaven, He could not glorify. Yet, He did. In his Incarnation, He took our human nature upon Him and atoned for it on the Cross. In His Resurrection, He arose in his Human Body, thus giving it (and us) victory over the grave. Finally, in His Ascension, He arose to Heaven, glorifying our natures, our souls and bodies.

On the Last Day, Christ shall call all from their graves and they shall appear for judgment in their flesh. Those who have trusted in Christ for their salvation will reign with Him in eternal glory. Those who rejected Christ in their lifetimes on earth will also be rejected. There will indeed be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” I weep for the unredeemed, for those who know not Christ, for they know not what they are going to lose forever. Pray God that we can minister to some of them, to give them the Good News of Salvation.

But, Praise God, not so with us. We who have trusted in Christ, will hear those blessed words from Matthew 25:34 “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” Not in a sense of Christian triumphalism, but in humility and love will we welcome those words. Because Christ, our Great Captain of Salvation, paved the way before us, will we ascend.

Thus, it is fitting and right that we give thanks and praise this night. For now is Christ our Lord glorified and magnified. Now has Christ our Lord taken His rightful place as Son and Heir to the Kingdom, to regain the glory he had from everlasting with the Father. He accomplished his mighty mission of salvation. His mighty cry from the Cross, “It is finished!” attests to that. Pray God that we and all the world may let those words ring in our innermost souls.

Thus, we must take heart and be encouraged. We are not deceived, nor are we mistaken. We know whom we have believed, our mighty re-ascended Lord. With truth like that and the power of the Holy Ghost, our joy is unstoppable.

One last point needs to be made about the Ascension. Without the Ascension, there would be no transcendent Holy Ghost to cheer, guide and strengthen us. Remember that Christ said in John 16:7 1”Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

These are blessed words. Jesus is promising that He will send us a Helper if He returns to Heaven. This Helper or Comforter, is not just a fond wish or good feeling, but the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, God Himself, to be with us until our eventual journey to Heaven, where we will be united with God forever in complete love and bliss, forever.

This is the promise that Christ sealed for us in His Ascension. This is how he defined our salvation, for as He is, so shall we be.

This is indeed a glorious thought. This is the significance of the Ascension.

Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

Love and Perfection

2011-07-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Passion Sunday
5th Sunday in Lent 2010
“Love and Perfection…”
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Passion Sunday, April 10, 2011

Is there such a thing as an incomplete sacrifice? Is there such a thing as an insufficient sacrifice? What a question! For us a “modern” folk, the whole idea of sacrifice is so alien, so antiquated, and even so downright barbaric as to be almost laughable…
That is, the idea of animal sacrifice is ludicrous to us. The erstwhile Bishop of New Jersey, John Spong, once went so far as to accuse God of being “bloodthirsty.” Of course, in this, and in so many areas of the historic faith, he completely misses the point.

Spong, like so many moderns, simply can’t conceive of the concept of sacrifice. The idea of giving up something truly precious for the good of someone else may have crossed their minds, but we would warrant you that when people of this ilk consider sacrifice, it is usually a sacrifice of their money that they would name. While the giving of money is a good and worthwhile sacrifice in certain circumstances, by itself, money itself is too impersonal and perhaps just too sterile. We can all remember examples, primarily by governmental bodies, where they main solution is to “throw money” at the problem. Sometimes it works, but without a cogent, coherent plan to use the money, it often fails.

Yet, money with the right intent, given in the right spirit, does have a sacrificial element to it. It is, after all, the result of our labor, our frugality, and our thrift. When it is coupled with a giving spirit with the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is blessed indeed. Money, in this regard, is “sent” to do good.
Given like this, money is a great and good sacrifice. After all, all that we have is held in trust, not in permanence.

The writer to the Hebrews in today’s Epistle speaks of another kind of sacrifice. He is referring to the Old Testament sacrificial system where the pious Jew gave a lamb bull, or goat, among other creatures, without blemish, to be killed and burnt before God. He did this for a variety of reasons, including a peace offering, a sin sacrifice, an atonement, or even a thanksgiving. It was an important part of being a devout Jew. As we’ve referred in the past, there were several different kinds of sacrifice, including sin, special atonement, thanksgiving, childbirth and peace. All of these held special significance for different purposes under the Law.

St. Paul focuses on the chief sacrifice of the year, Yom Kippur, when he speaks of the High Priest going into the inner sanctum of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, to offer sacrifice for the people. This was a tremendously solemn and holy observation. It coincided with the driving of away of the goat “for Azazel”, otherwise known as the scapegoat. This was where the “Kohen Gadol “ or High Priest, laid his hands on the goat and confessed over it the sins of the people. It was then driven away, out into the wilderness. Interestingly, in reality, the goat was actually driven off a cliff to prevent its coming back to civilization. Brutal? Perhaps it is, but it shows the cost of sin in a graphic way. We in the modern world, who have so inured to sin, need to remember that sin always incurs a cost. It is obvious that the ancient Jew did.

Notwithstanding the cost of sacrifice, did it really serve to make men better? Or, as St. Paul says, did the Law merely serve as a reminder of how sinful one really was? Indeed, the High Priest offered a sin sacrifice once a year and atoned for the people. Yet, as St. Paul tells us in Hebrews 12, this sacrifice was not efficacious because it had to be repeated once every year.

Of course, the glorious contrast St. Paul offers is that of Christ giving Himself as the one-time, completely sufficient sacrifice. Thus, Christ, using his perfect and sufficient Self, offered the complete and worthy sacrifice God required. Not repeated yearly, as was the sprinkling of bull’s and goat’s blood, this sacrifice was sufficient in of itself, one time.

As well, there is another important issue with the sacrifices under the Law. It has to do with atonement versus remission.
Consider these definitions of atonement:
1. Making of amends: the making of reparation for a sin or a mistake
2. Reconciliation between God and people: in Christian belief, the reconciliation between God and people brought about by the death of Jesus Christ

It would seem as if atonement by this definition is certainly a great thing. No doubt it is, because it is primarily concerned with the restoration of relationship between God and Man. Thus, if the Temple sacrifices offered atonement, or the “making good” Man’s relationship with God, it was excellent and much to be desired. Yet, it would seem, the Temple sacrifices lacked something, or else there was something incomplete about them.

St. Paul tells us what that is. It was the quality of remission, which seems to go beyond even the wide boundaries of atonement. For example, consider these definitions of “remission”:

1. the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty
2. A diminution of the seriousness or intensity of disease or pain; a temporary recovery
3. Forgiveness of sins
4. the reduction of a prison sentence, esp. as a reward for good behavior.

When one looks at the Sacrifice of Christ in this light, the completeness of it makes more sense. First, while there is no doubt that Christ offered atonement for us, thus repairing our relationship with Almighty God, he did more.

As the definitions states, he cancelled the charge, or debt that our sins incurred. That is, the penalty of our sins, eternal separation from God, He wiped away. We know that separation from God is death, because God is all life. Yet, this penalty has more to it than just a passive consideration of death. Since the human soul is eternal, our afterlife will be eternal. Thus, it will either be in the most positive of all circumstances, living actively with God, or it will be the active negation of all those positives. The point is, however, that we will never cease to be, as those who know not God desperately wish it to be. Somehow, an eternity of non-knowing or non-being is something they can stomach. An eternity in Hell they cannot.
Christ remitted our sins so that our eternal after life will be in the most blessed of all circumstances, not the reverse.

In the remission of our sins, Christ also decreased the punishment that we rightly deserve for our sins. He created a “diminution”, or diminishing of the seriousness or intensity of pain that we should have suffered for our sins. How did this happen? Simple; Christ bore the penalty for our sins Himself.

In so doing, he actually created forgiveness of sins as well. This was not just the disregard of God towards our sins, but the actual forgiveness of them. Our sins, through Christ, will God remember no more. It is almost like they never happened; except that we know while sin is forgiven, the consequences of our sin here on Earth remain.

Finally, the fourth part of the definition, Christ actually reduced the time we would have to spend paying for our sins. Our “prison sentence”, instead of being an eternity separated from God, becomes a commuted sentence. One preacher termed it this way, as in a newspaper headline: “Man’s sentence is suspended, goes to live with judge.”

When considered in its totality, the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice becomes a little clearer. St. Paul aptly compares it to the transient and incomplete sacrifices of the Old Testament, while completely emphasizing the permanence and efficacy of what Christ did for us. There simply is no comparison.

Thus, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us”.

Christ did it. Not we by our acts of righteousness, nor a thousand years in Purgatory can accomplish the same. We are not saved by our own acts. It is not possible to earn our way into Heaven because our crimes are too vast and our nature is too corrupt to be redeemed without the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Without Him, our future is bleak.

With Him, our future is how St. Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 15:53-55 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, and then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

There is one reason why this statement will become true for every believer. That simply is because “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Christ is the one, true, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for our sins. Thanks be to God!

Glory be to God the Father, and to God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, now and forever. AMEN

Children of Promise

2011-07-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Fourth Sunday of Lent 2011
“The Children of Promise…”
Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
April 3, 2011

Good Morning! I hope and pray that you are having a blessed Lent, as we prepare our hearts and souls for the world’s singular moment: the celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a once-in-history moment. It happened once and will never be repeated.

Jesus’ resurrection marks one theme that God revealed to man through His Son. That theme, which is prevalent this Sunday, is one of promise and Grace. The collect for the day and the Epistle from Galatians 4 go hand in hand to proclaim this theme. Allow me to re-read the Collect: “GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The key phrase in this beautiful prayer, I think, is “comfort of thy grace.” The word “grace” is one that we Christians bandy around sometimes, but what does it mean?
There are a wide variety of meanings for “grace”, but in the Christian context, let us consider these two concepts: first, The Gift of God to humankind. In Christianity, this means the infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill shown to humankind by God. The second corollary to this is: Freedom from sin. In Christianity, this means the condition of being freed from or restrained from sin by confession and repentance to God.

In light of the Collect, both of these definitions make sense. We, who do deserve to be punished, especially when compared to the ultimate, perfect holiness and justice of God, are most graciously “relieved” through God’s infinite love for us. Using the second definition as well, we are freed from sin in and through Jesus Christ.

In light of the Epistle from Galatians, St. Paul expounds further on the concept of grace. He uses the term “promise” to indicate the certainty of our life in God. Just as Abraham received his promise from God in the form of his heir, Isaac, so we will receive the promise of God to us in the form of eternal life. Recalling one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This wonderful verse contains not only a broad statement, “For God so loved the world…”, but also a wonderful promise, full of hope: “…that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is promise, pure and simple.

Turning to the epistle for today, it’s important to recognize that St. Paul was not merely engaging in pleasant philosophical discussions about grace, salvation, promise, etc. We know that he was, in fact, fighting for the young Church’s very survival. He know that he grappled with all, and I mean all, of the issues we face today, but to a much larger degree. In the case of the Galatians, he was exhorting them to stay true to the Gospel he had delivered to them and was trying to deflect the specious and erroneous doctrines being put forth by a group called the Judaizers. Recall that these were itinerant preachers like St. Paul who literally shadowed his steps as he planted churches. This group had the goal of turning new Christians away from Christ back to the whole lot of Jewish ceremonial law, including circumcision. Only in this way, they preached, could one be a devout follower of Jesus.

It is not surprising that much of the Epistle to the Galatians is devoted to the denial of this heresy. Consider this particular passage from Gal. 4: 21, where St. Paul finds it necessary to develop an allegory, using Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael, you will remember, was the son of Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar. When the promised heir failed to appear according to Abraham’s timetable, Abraham and Sarah tried to force the issue by producing a child through Hagar. Isaac was, however, the true, long-awaited son of Sarah and Abraham, the child of promise. In due time, Ishmael would become the father of the Arab nations. Yet, he was not the legitimate heir of Abraham and would eventually be cast out from Abraham’s family.

St. Paul’s point is this: Hagar and Ishmael stand for Mt. Sinai, where the Jews received the law from God, the Old Covenant. This was a good and wonderful thing, yet over time the law became so complicated, so convoluted and so constricting that is served no other purpose but to remind man how sinful he was. The Law was perverted, not by God, but by the Jewish priestly class’ endless additions to it. The overall effect was that the Law became far from God meant for its use: a life-giving, life-ordering gift, but rather became an instrument of negativity and spiritual death. It was a law of bondage.

This is a recurrent theme in St. Paul’s epistles, one that he emphasized over and over. On the other hand, Sarah and Isaac represent the New Covenant, symbolized by Jerusalem. This is the gospel of promise, not the bondage of the old law. It is, as St Paul says, much more fruitful than the old, producing many, many spiritual offspring. Thus, while Hagar symbolizes Ishmael and the bondage of the Law, Sarah symbolizes Isaac: promise and freedom.

This brings to the very heart of what we can glean from Scripture today. St. Paul, in this passage, introduced a dynamic, or tension, if you will, in Christianity. This is the tension between Law and Gospel and it is a topic that Christians have hotly debated for a very long time. Basically, the question is this: are we as Christians bound by the Law, or are we freed in Christ by the Gospel? That is, to what degree are we to be bound up in legalism and outward norms of behavior versus the liberating effect of the Holy Spirit on the human heart? In short, are we to have no other law but “to love one another”, as Christ commanded us?

This is a very difficult question. We cannot hope to shed any light on such a complex situation, except with one simple word: yes. To answer the question, are we bound by Law or freed by Gospel, the answer is yes. It is not a situation of either/or but both/and.

Let me explain. We are bound by Law in the Church, but not to the slavish, death-giving law of the rabbis. They meant well at first, as they sought to regulate and protect the pious Jew from any chance of sin or pollution. Yet, not only was it impossible to keep the Law, but as St. Paul tells us, this law could only remind us how sinful we were. Nothwithstanding, Christians do strive to keep a very important, basic part of the old Law. Our basic law, or rule of conduct, is contained in the Ten Commandments. This is the basic roadmap for our journey in life and the Christian’s basic modus operandi.

If this were all the instructions we had in life, our journey would be barren indeed. The Commandments are too sterile, too legalistic, and maybe even just too basic by themselves to be completely fulfilling. That is why Christ added the great “law of love” to the commandments. He said in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

This is the “flesh and bones” that Christ added to the Ten Commandments. We are to follow the Commandments, yes, but we are to do it with love. That is the difference. While we Christians are bound by law, both secular and sacred, we also have norms of behavior, both secular and sacred, to which we adhere. Yet, we are to adhere to these norms and laws with love, not by legalism.

We Anglicans are reminded of this great law each Sunday. From Matt. 22, vs. 37-40, we hear Christ’s answer to the lawyer who tempted Him by saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied:”Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

St. Paul echoes this in Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” The Apostle goes on: (Romans 13:9-10) 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Love is the universal constant here. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came, as he said, not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. As such, Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect Man, is the living bridge between the Testaments. Foretold in the Old, revealed in the New, He is God the Father’s last, best, and complete testimony to mankind. Christ and only Christ could both preach and practice perfect love. Not only in his acts of healing and kindness, but in his monumental, complete Atonement on the Cross. This is the fullest, most excellent expression of love ever proclaimed.

This brings us full circle, back to the concept of grace and promise. Jesus has promised us eternal life with Him; in fact that we are “inheritors”, “joint heirs” of the Kingdom of Heaven. This promise makes us Christians the most blessed of all people. We say this, not in a sense of gloating or Christian triumphalism, but in sincere thanksgiving that God has called us into His Kingdom, through no merits of our own. When we are baptized, we receive grace as we become members of the household of God. When we are confirmed, we make an adult confession of faith and are admitted into the life-giving mysteries of the Holy Communion. Through the life of the Church, we grow in grace and in our daily walk with Christ. Finally, we receive our full consummation as we join the saints in Heaven, glorifying and praising God for ever and ever. This is glorious and wonderful. It is God’s free gift to us and it is our destiny as Christians. Thanks be to God!

Thus, are we bound by law or freed by Gospel….? The answer is…Yes.

“Nevertheless, what saith the Scriptures? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman,”

Foreshadowing and Fellowship

2011-05-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
The Fourth Sunday after Easter
May 2, 201

“Foreshadowing and Favor…”
John 16:7 “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Allow me to have you consider one thought for today: foreshadowing. Foreshadowing, as you know from your English Literature classes, is to : “to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand : PREFIGURE.”

This is the major insight available to us today from the Word of God, taken from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 16. Jesus is discoursing on one the second greatest events soon to come to pass in the history of mankind. He is, in fact, foreshadowing its occurrence. What is this great happening, soon to burst upon the scene?

To answer that question, let us recall Christ’s words:”for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” Some translations term this as “Helper”, rather than Comforter, but the meaning and intent is the same: Someone is coming who will help with our faith, our belief and our lives.

Once again, who is this Person? He is the One whom later Church doctors and theologians would call the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the One for whom Christ would say: “John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

What this passage clearly shows us is the permanence of Emmanuel, God with us. God was not satisfied merely to come for a brief thirty-three years, accomplish Man’s salvation on the Cross, and then leave. No instead, God the Father willed, God the Son accomplished and God the Holy Spirit facilitated.
Said again, God was not content to come, save, and return to Glory. Rather than do this, He was true to His Word when He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Christ, in that glorious mystery that is the Holy Trinity, is with us always in the personhood of the Holy Ghost.

This has marvelous implications. As we spoke of last week, we are not alone in a cold, unresponsive universe, ruled only by the inflexible laws of Physics. Yes, these realities exist, as any NASA scientist will tell you. Being almost fatuous, no one can survive in space without the proper protection. Yet, behind that emptiness, that seeming void is Somebody. Not Something, but Somebody: eternal, loving, and giving.

At the moment, however, we are concerned with life on Earth and our relationship with God, here and now. That is why Christ’s foreshadowing of the coming of the Holy Ghost has such power, such promise, and such comfort.

Let us touch on comfort first. The first fact is the Christ’s own name for the Holy Spirit, Comforter, is so important. The Spirit’s first ministry to the Apostles was simply to comfort and sustain them after Christ’s sudden departure from Earth. They had just lost their Lord and Master. As we see at the end of the Gospel of John, Peter even returned to his old occupation, fishing, briefly and was joined by several other disciples: Nathaniel, Thomas, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and two other unnamed disciples. Apparently, this was fruitless, for we read in John 21 “that night they caught nothing”. Then Christ Himself appeared to them and commanded them to cast their net over the right side of the boat, whereupon they received a huge catch of fish. The symbolism couldn’t be plainer. When the disciples follow Jesus’ instructions, they receive the catch that they are supposed to have. As we know, this catch didn’t involve fishes any more, but the souls of men. Christ then ate and had fellowship with them. Also, He encouraged Peter to continue his ministry when He said, “Peter, do you love me?” When Peter answered him affirmatively, Christ said, “Feed my sheep.” Christ continued this conversation, asking him a total of three times to tend to the flock of God.

Thus, if it took the appearance of Christ Himself immediately after the Passion and Resurrection to maintain the people closest to Christ in the Way, what would it take to sustain the Church of God until Christ’s return? Simply, it would take the presence of God Himself, not in bodily form, but in the mysterious, spiritual form of the Holy Ghost.

Thus, other translations than the AV (KJV)) call the Holy Ghost the Helper. In the Greek, the word is “parakletos” {par-ak'-lay-tos}, which means the following: “1) summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid 1a) one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate.” It is clear that we need a Helper to keep us on the Way, too. Thankfully, it is just this helper to which Jesus points in this passage.

This Helper, this Advocate, this “one called to our side” will do at least three things, according to Christ. He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. First, He will convict of sin, because the World, outside of the Church, has rejected Christ. Next, the Holy Spirit will point out the righteousness of Christ as he returns to the Father. Only Christ, the Righteous One can truly ascend to the Father in such a way. Finally, the Holy Spirit will reprove the World of Judgment, since Satan has already been judged and condemned. The consummation of his judgment has not yet taken place, since it is not the Father’s pleasure to do so at this time. Yet, we know that it will occur on the Last Day, when the powers of Hell that have so plagued mankind will be cast down forever and the true Glory of God’s Creation will be revealed, free of sin.

Christ also foreshadows the final function of the Holy Spirit in this passage as He tells us that when He comes, the Spirit will not testify of Himself, but of the Father and the Son. Whatever he hears, he will speak it to the Church. The Holy Spirit will show the Church of coming things, most of them contained in the Spirit-inspired Word of God. That is, as we see events unfolding in the World around us; we are able to relate them to the various prophecies and statements contained in Scripture. For example, the current cultic prediction that the world would end yesterday is a direct violation of what Christ told us in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” When we listen to the Word of God, allowing our souls to be illuminated by it through the power of the Holy Ghost, we have the truth at hand.

Continuing, Christ says,”He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you”

In the end, this foreshadows the greatest of all the Holy Spirit’s tasks: to glorify the Father and the Son. He will take of the Glory of Christ and show it unto the Church. He will bear witness to Christ’s statement that “All things that the Father hath are mine.” In short, he affirms and bears witness to the Unity of the Godhead. Christ and His Father are one. What the Father has, the Son has, all attested to by the Holy Spirit. The mention of all three Persons of the Holy Trinity here in this passage simply affirms what Christ said the Spirit will do: speak not of Himself, but of the Hoy Person of God.

Beloved, as we look forward to the next two major events in the Church year, Ascension and Pentecost, followed immediately by the third, Trinity Sunday, let us too glorify God in our hearts and souls. Christ is foreshadowing one of the great events in History, the coming of the Holy Ghost.
This is topped only by His coming to us.

Let us glorify God that we are not alone, ever, unless we want to be. True, we can be alone in human terms when we are solitary. Yet, in our hearts, we are never solitary if we have invited the Holy Spirit to make His abode there with us. If we invite Him, Christ said that He and His Father would come with us, live with us, and never leave us. Unless we willfully reject the Holy Ghost, either by outward word or continued sinful behavior, God will never leave us. Praise be to God! Jesus told us. He foreshadowed our glorious fellowship with God.

John 16:7 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

AMEN

Comfort ye, my People

2011-05-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Rev’d Stephen E. Stults
St. Barnabas Anglican Church
Easter II, 2011
May 8th, 2011
Good Shepherd Sunday

“Comfort ye my people…”

Isaiah 40:1-2: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.”

Comfort. What a wonderful word. What a warm, soft, beautiful word in all that it conveys. I picture, personally, a snowy day in Illinois outside, with a warm fire, a soft blanket and a cup of delicious coffee at hand inside. On the other hand, here in Texas, I picture comfort as a nice cool bedroom at night, with the air conditioning going when it is hot and sultry outside.

Yet, comfort may be an unappreciated word, sometimes in our all-too-comfortable society. We really don’t tolerate discomfort very well, which is both a glory of our modern society as well as its curse. Perhaps we really are too comfortable. Goodness knows that most modern Americans will tolerate nothing else. Let me also issue a disclaimer for any perceived negativity here, however. The very fact that we Americans have such manifold comfort available to us is a great blessing from Almighty God and one for which we should be very thankful. Without issuing platitudes from the pulpit, we should keep in mind and pray for those who live without daily comfort.

Isaiah, the mighty prophet of the coming Messiah, speaks to the people of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, who after many years of repeated warnings have been conquered by the Assyrians and carried away captive. Some commentators tell us that this particular passage occurs during the first exile in Babylon. In their misery of exile, Isaiah speaks “comfort” to them, telling them that they have received double recompense at the Lord’s Hand for all their sins.

Recall that the majority of Isaiah’s ministry dealt with the apostasy of Israel. Consider these lines from the very first verses of his prophecy, Isaiah 1:3-4: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”

As he continues verse after verse and chapter after chapter, Isaiah rightly complains of the idol worship, the lax morals, and the corrupt lifestyle of the Israelites. They were corrupt, idolatrous and immoral. Finally, when God saw there was to be no repentance, judgment in the form of foreign invasion and enslavement occurred. The punishment was so severe that even Isaiah comments that they received “double” punishment for their sins. Wesley terms it as this: “Double — Not twice as much as her sins deserved, but abundantly enough to answer God's design in this chastisement, which was to humble and reform them, and to warn others by their example.”

Yet now, according to the prophecy, Israel was to receive comfort from her vexations and punishments. She was to be assured that her “warfare”, her tribulation in the world, was completed or accomplished and that her iniquity was forgiven. The Hebrew word “ratsah” actually means to be favorably disposed towards or kindly to. If one could perceive God’s “mood” so to speak, it may be one of kindliness or good favor. Even though God’s wrath had been kindled towards His People, their punishment has expiated this.

As an aside, we know that God in all His fullness does not experience “wrath” or emotions like it. Our God is completely and eternally serene in every aspect, not like the Greek and Roman gods that acted merely like overgrown humans (even children) in their hatreds, loves, jealousies, and foibles. No, our God the Holy Trinity simply IS, for all eternity.

How then, does God visit retribution on His People, seeing that He Himself is beyond emotion and thus beyond the feelings of anger, jealousy, and rage? How can we even say, “the Wrath of God?” While that topic is beyond the scope of this brief address, suffice it to say that God’s absolute Holiness and absolute justice demand that some recompense occurs to atone for sins against Him. Yet, being the font of eternal love, God Himself paid the price for these offenses.

This is exactly what Isaiah speaks about when he tells us that a Voice is crying:”The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:” This voice is God, telling us to prepare the way for His Son. In language used later by John the Baptizer, it is a voice crying in the wilderness. One cannot but help to hear the stirring tenor notes of Handel’s aria as one reads these lines. His monumental “Messiah” sets the powerful words of Isaiah into even more powerful musical communication that magnifies and even transcends our ability to hear the written word alone. In this case, we are moved to prepare our inner beings as dwelling places for the Holy Spirit.

Typical with Isaiah is his ability to project his prophetic voice both near and far. By that, we mean that he speaks both to the near-term easing of Israel’s distress, which, although some years off, would eventually happen, and to the long-term prophecy of the coming Christ. We see both in this passage as the people receive a comfortable word in the present, while at the same time Isaiah speaks movingly of the Christ to come. Although the presence of man fades, for we are but grass, the word of God lasts forever. Thus, we clamber into the mountains and proclaim to the world, “Behold your God!” He will come with a strong hand and a strong arm to do his work.

What work will this be? It is pastoral, natural and beautiful: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

At once we are propelled into the Gospel era as St. John relates how Christ said, 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” In fulfillment of the words of Isaiah, Christ proclaims Himself to be what he is, the Bishop and Captain of our souls.

Note, please, what the Voice was crying in the wilderness: Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who gives his life for the sheep. Not as a hired worker, who sees the danger and flees, but rather as a courageous shepherd who knows his sheep and is known by them. Interestingly, although sheep are easily led, they do not follow just anybody. They know their shepherd’s voice and follow only him. Conversely, the shepherd knows his sheep and does everything he can for their welfare, up to and including giving his own life to protect them.

Thus, to quote the old gospel hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!” What a Friend indeed.

There is only One who will save you from an uncertain eternal afterlife: Jesus. There is only One who saves your soul from the piercing, totally accurate justice of God and replaces it with mercy: Jesus. There is only one Good Shepherd who is able to fill your soul with the holy love and grace it so desperately wants: Jesus.

Jesus reaffirms his relationship with God the Father as He tells us that in the way that His sheep know Him, He is known of the Father. This is a special relationship made perfect by perfect love in the community of the Holy Trinity.

In one last affirmation of hope and unity, Christ tells us that he has other sheep that must join his flock. Although not of this fold, they too must and will be brought along with Christ
This is most glorious, for it foretells the wonderful day when all Christian divisions will cease “and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

With our limited human vision, we can’t see any way that the gaping divisions in the Church can be healed. Denominations tend to divide; once divided, they tend to keep dividing. Some of the reasons for our divisions are valid, others occur for less-than-ultimate issues. Yet, in the mystery and glory of God’s perfect vision, there will occur a day when all Christians will worship the Holy Trinity in one church. What a glorious day that will be! Imagine a church where unity of vision and unity of purpose is the focus, rather than the disagreements that divide us. It will be a miracle indeed. It will be one that only the Good Shepherd can bring about.

One last question remains to be asked: are you under the care of the Good Shepherd?
Have you entrusted your life, both here and forever, into the Hands of the One who can see it safely to eternal pasture? If there is any area of your soul where some “hold back” occurs, or where you are less than enthusiastic about the Good Shepherd’s directions? If so, let it go. Let it go and experience both the freedom from self and the wonderful peace of being in God. Let it go and allow the Good Shepherd to provide eternal pasture for your needy soul.

After all, this is what Good Shepherd Sunday is all about. It is about giving your soul what it so desperately needs, the sacred pasture of Christ.

To conclude, let us consider these brief lines:
Psalm 23. Dominus regit me.

THE Lord is my shepherd; * therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He shall feed me in a green pasture, * and lead me
forth beside the waters of comfort.
3 He shall convert my soul, * and bring me forth in the
paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil; * for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff comfort me.
5 Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence
of them that trouble me; * thou hast anointed my head
with oil, and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life; * and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Victory and Faith

2011-05-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord

2011-05-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

2011-05-05T17:15:00.000-07:00