Althnough this sermon was preached in Year B, it is the end of the Prologue to St. John's Gospel, and so is approp[riate for every First Sunday after Christmass. Merry Christmass! Happy New Year! Perren
The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The Torah was the center piece of Jewish religion. Torah means “teaching,” but Greek version of the Old Testament translated Torah with the word “Nomos” which is the usual Greek word for law. And so for nearly 2500 years it has been referred to as “The Law.”
The Law, (or Teaching), given by Moses, contained all the rules needed to make it possible for people to live together in peace with their God and with each other. If only each person would obey the rules, all would be perfect, and peace would prevail all over the earth. The punishments - as they saw it - of the Jewish people came from the fact that they did not obey the law, either by deliberate action or by accidental misstep. If only they would obey the Law, life would be fine and perfect. Obeying the law defined the People of God.
But in any case, they looked to the Law to save them.
To save them from what? What was the problem that they faced? Why did they find a need for a Law? What were they trying to accomplish? The answer, in part, lies in the Epistle to the Galatians. Underneath all the legal language Paul uses there, particularly in the 3rd chapter, there are at least two important things: First, our relationship with God is messed up, and needs to be restored. Because of this fact, our relationship with each other is also messed up. These two things, relationship with God and relationship with each other are fundamental to living together with peace and justice on the earth, here and now. The Law can point you in the right direction, says Paul, but the Law cannot restore the relationships.
Yet not only the ancient Jew, but people in every time and in every age, have tried to make law, or some other icon, and use it in order to take away from us the responsibility that is of the very nature of the creation itself.
Again and again we search for, and hope for, something external to ourselves that will remove from us the responsibility of making decisions about our relationships. One of the great disappointments of those of us who worked in the Civil Rights movements in the 60's is that the passage of laws giving legal status to equal rights for all people (not just black and white) - one of the disappointments is that even where the laws are obeyed, it is often done with a precision that requires an extra piece on the law. Instead of treating all people with the same respect and honor that we would expect for our selves, many people see how far they have to go to be obedient to the law, and then not go any farther. Others actively study the law to see what they can get away with legally. And while this is a great curse on our society in the matter of civil rights for all kinds and groups of people, this attempt to obey the law just enough to avoid getting indicted, it is equally true in other areas of our life. Without meaning to offend anyone who is trying to do the right thing, one of the duties of tax attorneys is to find what are improperly called loopholes in the law; the same is true of anti trust, and securities. Now I hope you see the real problem with obedience to the law. It has no heart; no generousity, no love.
The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John, or whoever is the author of the Fourth Gospel, tells us that Law is not sufficient, because it takes away from us our own responsibility; it removes us from the essential nature of Creation; it keeps us from Truth. When you look at the Greek of this passage, you will see that indeed the law was given through Moses - was given, is the verb. But the next part of the sentence is quite different: Grace and truth. The word for grace is χαρις, the basis of the word for self giving love, or, as the Revised Standard translates the word, steadfast love. And the word for come is the verb to be born: thus another translation might well be, “but love and truth are born in Jesus Christ.” It all reads, then, The Law was given through Moses, but love and truth are born in Jesus Christ.
Some of you may have heard of the late Dr. W. Edmonds Demming. General MacArthur brought Demming to Japan after World War 2 to teach the Japanese how to develop their economy. Many people are not aware that Dr. Demming was not only an Episcopalian, but a very active and devout member of St. Paul’s Parish K Street in Washington. Dr. Demming clearly understood what the Evangelist is talking about here. In fact, he made it the basis of his managerial instructions to businesses all over the world, especially in Japan. Individual responsibility and personal commitment are fundamental to successful businesses, to successful manufacturing, and to fundamental living together. The Fourth Gospel teaches us that: Dr. Demming teaches us that. People are not cogs in a machine. Each is a fully independent person, each with his or her own individual responsibility for excellence each step of the way. People and businesses and schools that work this way will be successful. Why? Because this is of the very essence of the universe that God has created.
Love and Truth are born through Jesus Christ. Listen to St. Paul: “When God gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, is it because you keep the law? Or is it because you have faith in the Gospel message?.”
You see, it is not in some external thing that salvation can be found; it is not in the Law given through Moses; not even in law given through the Church or religious rules; Salvation is found in the Love and Truth born in the person of Jesus Christ. Again, St. Paul: It is through faith that you are all children of God in union with Christ Jesus; baptized into oneness with him, you have all put on Christ Jesus like a garment: there is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female: you are all one person in Jesus Christ. Love and Truth are in Jesus Christ, and it is in our humanity that God came to show us this fundamental truth of nature. See how important the translation used in the Liturgy really is.
God’s love is so great that he not only became one of us, but even then he asked our cooperation, not only with the fact of the incarnation itself (Mary could have said “No thanks.”), but at each stage along the way, God asks our cooperation. For love and truth are born of the person of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, who died in 389: “Christ is born: glorify him.
Christ comes from heaven, go out to meet him.
Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high.
Let all the world sing to the Lord; let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad, for his sake who was first in heaven and then on earth. . . The things of old have passed away; behold, all things are made new.
He who has no mother in heaven is now born without father on earth. The laws of nature are overthrown, for the upper world must be filled with citizens. He who is without flesh becomes enfleshed; the Word puts on a Body; the Invisible is seen; he whom no hand can touch is handled; the Timeless has a beginning; the Son of God becomes the Son of Man– Jesus Christ, the same yesterday today and forever. . . O strange conjunction! The Selfexistent comes into existence; the Uncreated is created. He shares in the poverty of my flesh, that I may share in the riches of his God head.
My sisters [and brothers] God asks your cooperation:– go from this place filled with his love and truth; through you let truth and love be born into that place where God has placed you as witness to the new life of Resurrection; for it is Resurrection Life that is born into the world –
through Jesus
through you!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
This sermon is for the First Sunday after Christmass. Although this one was preached in Year B, it it also appropriate for Year A -- this year. After all, it IS the concluding part of the Prologue to the Gospel according to John. Marry Christmass/ Happy New Year. Perren
The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The Torah was the center piece of Jewish religion. Torah means “teaching,” but Greek version of the Old Testament translated Torah with the word “Nomos” which is the usual Greek word for law. And so for nearly 2500 years it has been referred to as “The Law.”
The Law, (or Teaching), given by Moses, contained all the rules needed to make it possible for people to live together in peace with their God and with each other. If only each person would obey the rules, all would be perfect, and peace would prevail all over the earth. The punishments - as they saw it - of the Jewish people came from the fact that they did not obey the law, either by deliberate action or by accidental misstep. If only they would obey the Law, life would be fine and perfect. Obeying the law defined the People of God.
But in any case, they looked to the Law to save them.
To save them from what? What was the problem that they faced? Why did they find a need for a Law? What were they trying to accomplish? The answer, in part, lies in the Epistle to the Galatians. Underneath all the legal language Paul uses there, particularly in the 3rd chapter, there are at least two important things: First, our relationship with God is messed up, and needs to be restored. Because of this fact, our relationship with each other is also messed up. These two things, relationship with God and relationship with each other are fundamental to living together with peace and justice on the earth, here and now. The Law can point you in the right direction, says Paul, but the Law cannot restore the relationships.
Yet not only the ancient Jew, but people in every time and in every age, have tried to make law, or some other icon, and use it in order to take away from us the responsibility that is of the very nature of the creation itself.
Again and again we search for, and hope for, something external to ourselves that will remove from us the responsibility of making decisions about our relationships. One of the great disappointments of those of us who worked in the Civil Rights movements in the 60's is that the passage of laws giving legal status to equal rights for all people (not just black and white) - one of the disappointments is that even where the laws are obeyed, it is often done with a precision that requires an extra piece on the law. Instead of treating all people with the same respect and honor that we would expect for our selves, many people see how far they have to go to be obedient to the law, and then not go any farther. Others actively study the law to see what they can get away with legally. And while this is a great curse on our society in the matter of civil rights for all kinds and groups of people, this attempt to obey the law just enough to avoid getting indicted, it is equally true in other areas of our life. Without meaning to offend anyone who is trying to do the right thing, one of the duties of tax attorneys is to find what are improperly called loopholes in the law; the same is true of anti trust, and securities. Now I hope you see the real problem with obedience to the law. It has no heart; no generousity, no love.
The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John, or whoever is the author of the Fourth Gospel, tells us that Law is not sufficient, because it takes away from us our own responsibility; it removes us from the essential nature of Creation; it keeps us from Truth. When you look at the Greek of this passage, you will see that indeed the law was given through Moses - was given, is the verb. But the next part of the sentence is quite different: Grace and truth. The word for grace is χαρις, the basis of the word for self giving love, or, as the Revised Standard translates the word, steadfast love. And the word for come is the verb to be born: thus another translation might well be, “but love and truth are born in Jesus Christ.” It all reads, then, The Law was given through Moses, but love and truth are born in Jesus Christ.
Some of you may have heard of the late Dr. W. Edmonds Demming. General MacArthur brought Demming to Japan after World War 2 to teach the Japanese how to develop their economy. Many people are not aware that Dr. Demming was not only an Episcopalian, but a very active and devout member of St. Paul’s Parish K Street in Washington. Dr. Demming clearly understood what the Evangelist is talking about here. In fact, he made it the basis of his managerial instructions to businesses all over the world, especially in Japan. Individual responsibility and personal commitment are fundamental to successful businesses, to successful manufacturing, and to fundamental living together. The Fourth Gospel teaches us that: Dr. Demming teaches us that. People are not cogs in a machine. Each is a fully independent person, each with his or her own individual responsibility for excellence each step of the way. People and businesses and schools that work this way will be successful. Why? Because this is of the very essence of the universe that God has created.
Love and Truth are born through Jesus Christ. Listen to St. Paul: “When God gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, is it because you keep the law? Or is it because you have faith in the Gospel message?.”
You see, it is not in some external thing that salvation can be found; it is not in the Law given through Moses; not even in law given through the Church or religious rules; Salvation is found in the Love and Truth born in the person of Jesus Christ. Again, St. Paul: It is through faith that you are all children of God in union with Christ Jesus; baptized into oneness with him, you have all put on Christ Jesus like a garment: there is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female: you are all one person in Jesus Christ. Love and Truth are in Jesus Christ, and it is in our humanity that God came to show us this fundamental truth of nature. See how important the translation used in the Liturgy really is.
God’s love is so great that he not only became one of us, but even then he asked our cooperation, not only with the fact of the incarnation itself (Mary could have said “No thanks.”), but at each stage along the way, God asks our cooperation. For love and truth are born of the person of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, who died in 389: “Christ is born: glorify him.
Christ comes from heaven, go out to meet him.
Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high.
Let all the world sing to the Lord; let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad, for his sake who was first in heaven and then on earth. . . The things of old have passed away; behold, all things are made new.
He who has no mother in heaven is now born without father on earth. The laws of nature are overthrown, for the upper world must be filled with citizens. He who is without flesh becomes enfleshed; the Word puts on a Body; the Invisible is seen; he whom no hand can touch is handled; the Timeless has a beginning; the Son of God becomes the Son of Man– Jesus Christ, the same yesterday today and forever. . . O strange conjunction! The Selfexistent comes into existence; the Uncreated is created. He shares in the poverty of my flesh, that I may share in the riches of his God head.
My sisters [and brothers] God asks your cooperation:– go from this place filled with his love and truth; through you let truth and love be born into that place where God has placed you as witness to the new life of Resurrection; for it is Resurrection Life that is born into the world –
through Jesus
through you!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmass Midnight Mass
This sermon originated at the Convent of St, Mary in Peekskill, and has been updated twice since. It is still pertinent, I think. Merry Christmass!
Christmas Day, Mass of Midnight
The ox knows its owner; the donkey knows where his next meal is. Isaiah 1:2
When General Convention decided to produce the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, it instructed the Commission, it said (in my interpretation) that they were to reconstruct the theology on which th Prayer Book was based. The first American Prayer Book was already the Scottish revision of the Puritan dominated English book of 1662; our American Book was revised in 1892 and took advantage of the beginning of modern Biblical and historical studies – it began a process that continued with the 1928 Prayer Book that emphasized “Incarnation.” The “humanness” of Jesus; the fact that a real human being was born in Bethlehem, and that through that human being, humans were redeemed and brought into the very nature of God. It was this teaching that allowed the midnight mass of Christmass to outshine all other Christian celebration of Christmass. But the 1979 Commission was “instructed” to return to the “earliest” theology of the Church – the theology of “resurrection.” (You know, “Easter” we call it.) And so they did; generally speaking though, little attention was paid to this massive change. (Just one more step before I move into today.) Important as Incarnation is to our religion, it has zero meaning without Resurrection/New-Life/Creation theology.
We are here NOT because of the oxen, the donkey, the angels and the new born babe in swaddling clothing, the Virgin Mary, and the rest of the beautiful picture. You know, none of that has the slightest bit of importance without the Resurrection. There were more than 100 people who had claimed to be ‘messiah’ during the time of Jesus, and, except for their execution, they made no mark in the history of the world.
My friends, we are here, because Jesus was raised from the dead.
We are here because Jesus is a new act of creation, a new burst of the primal energy that my generation was beginning to learn to call “The Big Bang.” (A Roman Catholic priest invented the term at the end of the 1920s.) “Big Bang” was accepted as a term to explain what modern math and science of the time could not explain.
In fact, science STILL cannot explain it – in spite of math, mirrors telescopes, radio and other electronic waves. Stephen Hawking taught that even with all our scientific tools, we could explain and even diagram the actual beginning of the Great Universe in which we all live – but only so far. This huge expanding universe in which we live commenced from a dot so tiny that it had no measurements that we can determine with our math and quantum physics. We can get close, he said, but no closer than 10 to minus 1 with an excess of 40 places. He said that the laws of nature, as described by Isaac Newton’s studies are limited, and that we probably will never get closer than that to the moment of origin of the Universe.
(By the way, Isaac Newton was a member of the Church of England, the mother of the Episcopal Church, as also was Charles Darwin.)
Even though we really don’t know about that exact moment of the beginning of the universe, yet we have a story that we all learn and believe. It tells of how this tiny spot exploded, creating gasses that instantly began moving away from that spot outward into nothingness. It has been doing that for some 16 billion years – still moving into nothingness! This is the eternal human attempt to explain who we are, how we got here and what we are supposed to do. The fact is, though, that we cannot, through the use of what we know to this point in history, really understand it.
We kill each other, both literally and verbally; we accumulate bits and pieces of the debris from the original big bang, and think we have something of value; we try to force others to think and act as we do, and shower them with contempt or worse; we allow children to have less than the best tools to learn about life; we allow many to starve to death, as we heap our own plate high; we sleep in our comfortable beds as we allow others of our brothers and sisters to sleep under the shadow of the steps at the back entrance into the International Monetary Bank.
My friends, we come here to this place, week after week, month after month, year after year, because we believe that there is more meaning to all these scientific calculations. And so we retell our story here, each year, at the time of solstice, in the deepness of dark. We add our faith to the faith of the scientists; we tell the same story – exactly. But we see hope – a better ending. Yes,
“In the beginning of God’s creation, God created all you see, all you don’t see. . .
God spoke: “Light”
And light appeared. . . .
God created human beings,
he made them godlike
reflecting God’s nature
he created them male and female.. . .
God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
And, trusting in the work of Creation, God directed humans to examine the universe, and use it to bring joy, peace, justice into creation – infusing them and it with the love that brought it all into reality. And it doesn’t come about like magic – it comes about with the intertwining of all humans – each with his or her contribution to make toward the whole. Thus does Creation move to a fulfillment none of us can really understand. But we can tell about it in poetry. Listen:--
The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing – not one thing –
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was the light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
There once was a man, his name was John, sent by God to point out the way to Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering life,
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves
These are the God-begotten,
not the blood-begotten,
not flesh begotten,
not sex begotten.
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into [our own] neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out
true from start to finish. (The Message translation)
But, you see, redemption was shown by the life , death and resurrection of Jesus. That event made it clear that the order of nature as God created it was in charge of things. We humans are not the subjects of God, bound by some law to obey him. No, we are partners with God in bringing the creation – in those places where we are in touch with it – into its fullest function, its fullest being. That’s why God the Word – or God the Communicator – moved into our neighborhood. He lives among his partners and he assists us in carrying out our share in the completion of the NEW CREATION.
THAT”S why we care about the ox and the donkey and the manger and the baby-son-of-Mary. For that baby-son-of-Mary is in totally real fact, you and me. We are here, because, if you will, because of the Great Vigil of Easter. When Jesus died in triumph on the Cross and went to bring the Light to those who had gone before, he did it to show that all who have faith in the great Creator God are EQUALLY the children of God. (I didn’t make this up; there is nothing new in what I say – you can read all about it in Paul’s writings, especially Romans and First Corinthians.)
You see, the manger is here – this table. [point at it]
The food and drink are from the old creation.
The newly born surround it and feast on the heavenly food.
And we, the new born in Jesus, are like the ox and the donkey,
for we know without any doubt that HERE is the meaning of Creation.
And it takes both our faith and the faith of the scientists and mathematicians to help us understand all this.
But when all is said and done,
the Word was made flesh and joins us here.
And as we struggle in our swaddling clothes,
the angels come right here, into this very place.
And they sing -- Oh! they sing --
Glory to God in the highest,
and
peace to all of good will.
Merry Christmass
Christmas Day, Mass of Midnight
The ox knows its owner; the donkey knows where his next meal is. Isaiah 1:2
When General Convention decided to produce the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, it instructed the Commission, it said (in my interpretation) that they were to reconstruct the theology on which th Prayer Book was based. The first American Prayer Book was already the Scottish revision of the Puritan dominated English book of 1662; our American Book was revised in 1892 and took advantage of the beginning of modern Biblical and historical studies – it began a process that continued with the 1928 Prayer Book that emphasized “Incarnation.” The “humanness” of Jesus; the fact that a real human being was born in Bethlehem, and that through that human being, humans were redeemed and brought into the very nature of God. It was this teaching that allowed the midnight mass of Christmass to outshine all other Christian celebration of Christmass. But the 1979 Commission was “instructed” to return to the “earliest” theology of the Church – the theology of “resurrection.” (You know, “Easter” we call it.) And so they did; generally speaking though, little attention was paid to this massive change. (Just one more step before I move into today.) Important as Incarnation is to our religion, it has zero meaning without Resurrection/New-Life/Creation theology.
We are here NOT because of the oxen, the donkey, the angels and the new born babe in swaddling clothing, the Virgin Mary, and the rest of the beautiful picture. You know, none of that has the slightest bit of importance without the Resurrection. There were more than 100 people who had claimed to be ‘messiah’ during the time of Jesus, and, except for their execution, they made no mark in the history of the world.
My friends, we are here, because Jesus was raised from the dead.
We are here because Jesus is a new act of creation, a new burst of the primal energy that my generation was beginning to learn to call “The Big Bang.” (A Roman Catholic priest invented the term at the end of the 1920s.) “Big Bang” was accepted as a term to explain what modern math and science of the time could not explain.
In fact, science STILL cannot explain it – in spite of math, mirrors telescopes, radio and other electronic waves. Stephen Hawking taught that even with all our scientific tools, we could explain and even diagram the actual beginning of the Great Universe in which we all live – but only so far. This huge expanding universe in which we live commenced from a dot so tiny that it had no measurements that we can determine with our math and quantum physics. We can get close, he said, but no closer than 10 to minus 1 with an excess of 40 places. He said that the laws of nature, as described by Isaac Newton’s studies are limited, and that we probably will never get closer than that to the moment of origin of the Universe.
(By the way, Isaac Newton was a member of the Church of England, the mother of the Episcopal Church, as also was Charles Darwin.)
Even though we really don’t know about that exact moment of the beginning of the universe, yet we have a story that we all learn and believe. It tells of how this tiny spot exploded, creating gasses that instantly began moving away from that spot outward into nothingness. It has been doing that for some 16 billion years – still moving into nothingness! This is the eternal human attempt to explain who we are, how we got here and what we are supposed to do. The fact is, though, that we cannot, through the use of what we know to this point in history, really understand it.
We kill each other, both literally and verbally; we accumulate bits and pieces of the debris from the original big bang, and think we have something of value; we try to force others to think and act as we do, and shower them with contempt or worse; we allow children to have less than the best tools to learn about life; we allow many to starve to death, as we heap our own plate high; we sleep in our comfortable beds as we allow others of our brothers and sisters to sleep under the shadow of the steps at the back entrance into the International Monetary Bank.
My friends, we come here to this place, week after week, month after month, year after year, because we believe that there is more meaning to all these scientific calculations. And so we retell our story here, each year, at the time of solstice, in the deepness of dark. We add our faith to the faith of the scientists; we tell the same story – exactly. But we see hope – a better ending. Yes,
“In the beginning of God’s creation, God created all you see, all you don’t see. . .
God spoke: “Light”
And light appeared. . . .
God created human beings,
he made them godlike
reflecting God’s nature
he created them male and female.. . .
God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
And, trusting in the work of Creation, God directed humans to examine the universe, and use it to bring joy, peace, justice into creation – infusing them and it with the love that brought it all into reality. And it doesn’t come about like magic – it comes about with the intertwining of all humans – each with his or her contribution to make toward the whole. Thus does Creation move to a fulfillment none of us can really understand. But we can tell about it in poetry. Listen:--
The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing – not one thing –
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was the light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
There once was a man, his name was John, sent by God to point out the way to Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering life,
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves
These are the God-begotten,
not the blood-begotten,
not flesh begotten,
not sex begotten.
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into [our own] neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out
true from start to finish. (The Message translation)
But, you see, redemption was shown by the life , death and resurrection of Jesus. That event made it clear that the order of nature as God created it was in charge of things. We humans are not the subjects of God, bound by some law to obey him. No, we are partners with God in bringing the creation – in those places where we are in touch with it – into its fullest function, its fullest being. That’s why God the Word – or God the Communicator – moved into our neighborhood. He lives among his partners and he assists us in carrying out our share in the completion of the NEW CREATION.
THAT”S why we care about the ox and the donkey and the manger and the baby-son-of-Mary. For that baby-son-of-Mary is in totally real fact, you and me. We are here, because, if you will, because of the Great Vigil of Easter. When Jesus died in triumph on the Cross and went to bring the Light to those who had gone before, he did it to show that all who have faith in the great Creator God are EQUALLY the children of God. (I didn’t make this up; there is nothing new in what I say – you can read all about it in Paul’s writings, especially Romans and First Corinthians.)
You see, the manger is here – this table. [point at it]
The food and drink are from the old creation.
The newly born surround it and feast on the heavenly food.
And we, the new born in Jesus, are like the ox and the donkey,
for we know without any doubt that HERE is the meaning of Creation.
And it takes both our faith and the faith of the scientists and mathematicians to help us understand all this.
But when all is said and done,
the Word was made flesh and joins us here.
And as we struggle in our swaddling clothes,
the angels come right here, into this very place.
And they sing -- Oh! they sing --
Glory to God in the highest,
and
peace to all of good will.
Merry Christmass
Saturday, December 7, 2013
This is the second sermon in Advent for Year A. This sermon was preached at St. Thoms Parish, Croom (Diocese of Washington (DC)) in 1998. Perren
Advent 2, 1998, Series, Croom, A
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Last week we began this series of Advent Sermons with a discussion of Creation. If one does not understand the Biblical concept of Creation, the one cannot understand the Biblical concept of sin. These two things are so intertwined, that it is difficult to separate them: if indeed they should be separated. Let me try to clarify somewhat.
Whether you believe that the universe was created in a literal six days or you accept the current theory of the “big bang” and a gradual evolution is not a valid issue when discussing the Bible teaching about creation. The Bible is concerned to make it clear that however it was created, it was created by God and by God alone, and creation was created by God alone, from nothing apart from God. When we understand that fact, then we will see that everything that is created, everything that exists or that can exist, in fact flows from the very essence of God. Because everything that exists flows from the essence of God, that same everything participates in the nature of God; and because it participates in the nature of God, it shares in the underlying spirituality which God is. Thus, everything that exists is of God, is good, and shares in the purpose or will of God. To live in terms of reality means to live in terms of this fact about God and creation. And, in fact, all of Creation – with one outstanding exception – lives automatically in terms of reality. Plants, animals, land- and sea- scape, planets, galaxies; electrical charges: all of these things do the will of God, because they do exactly what they were made to do: they cannot do other.
To the best of our current knowledge, only human beings have an option. The Bible tells this in the story of the Man and his Wife in the Garden of Eden. (Again, whether you see them as actual people or as part of a story that explains a truth, is not important.) This story tells us about sin. And the way it tells about sin is to show that sin means living out of touch with reality – separated from God.
God made all creation – the Garden – and created humans to be the administrators, the stewards, the caretakers, of the creation. Humans were to be able to do this because they reflected God himself; they were God’s own image, so to speak. Among the great multitude of things that means, is that humans can see God’s purpose, and live in accord with that purpose. But if the image of God is complete, it also includes freedom. In a perfect love relationship, each does the will, or shares the life of, the other by actual free choice. That is the meaning of the command not to eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the Garden. God intends humans to love just as God loves: a continual outpouring of love – the essence of life: for, remember, God is love.
But humans are able to choose what they do. Humans don’t do things automatically; as a seed, when watered and placed in the sun, grows automatically. And the story tells us that humans, when allowed this freedom, this choice, humans can and often do, choose to place self in that place in their relationship to reality where God belongs. And when humans replace God with their own will, what they have done is to move away from reality: they have separated themselves from God. Thus sin is living outside the realm of reality; sin is separation from God; sin is placing self where God belongs in life. It is as simple – and as complex – as that.
Life apart from God is as painful as being hungry; it is as distressful as being thirsty; it makes one a stranger among your own; it makes one blind to creation; it makes one unable to hear the truth; it places one in prison; it makes one naked, exposing foolishness for all to see. Above all, sin makes one assume God’s greatest prerogative: sin makes humans presume to judge the motives and actions of others. Sin is the root of all broken relationships; sin is the root of all harm; sin is the root of whatever places humans against each other or against creation; sin is so powerful that it can convince one that sin is not involved in any painful situation.
When you see this Bible approach to sin, you will see that sin is NOT a list of wrong actions. Sin is an attitude of mind; sin is the real motivation behind any action or event in our life. It is NOT what you do so much as it is WHY you do it.
It is in this matter that we Anglicans are very different in our approach than Roman Catholics and the Reformation Churches. Often you have heard of “Mortal Sin” and “Venial Sin.” You have heard it said that “such and such” is a sin. Actually, that is NOT the case. The thing “done or not done” is not in itself sin – what is sin, is the motive. When you don’t sin because it’s on a list; or when you confess a sin that is chosen from a list; someone else has made your decision for you: - your are one step back from personal responsibility. Not so with Anglicans. We speak of “Sins of Malice,” not Mortal Sins; we speak of “Sins of Infirmity,” not Venial sins. “Malice” means deliberate personal choice; “infirmity” means a weakness in resolve. The only sin that is unforgivable is the Sin against the Holy Spirit: that is the sin that says “I have done nothing wrong:- it is all the other party’s fault.”
In essence, sin is the failure to use our minds to interpret our perceptions of God’s world. We allow our feelings or emotions to overrun our wisdom. We make all our judgments based on our own perceptions.
Repent/change your ways: the kingdom of God has come near.
Advent 2, 1998, Series, Croom, A
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Last week we began this series of Advent Sermons with a discussion of Creation. If one does not understand the Biblical concept of Creation, the one cannot understand the Biblical concept of sin. These two things are so intertwined, that it is difficult to separate them: if indeed they should be separated. Let me try to clarify somewhat.
Whether you believe that the universe was created in a literal six days or you accept the current theory of the “big bang” and a gradual evolution is not a valid issue when discussing the Bible teaching about creation. The Bible is concerned to make it clear that however it was created, it was created by God and by God alone, and creation was created by God alone, from nothing apart from God. When we understand that fact, then we will see that everything that is created, everything that exists or that can exist, in fact flows from the very essence of God. Because everything that exists flows from the essence of God, that same everything participates in the nature of God; and because it participates in the nature of God, it shares in the underlying spirituality which God is. Thus, everything that exists is of God, is good, and shares in the purpose or will of God. To live in terms of reality means to live in terms of this fact about God and creation. And, in fact, all of Creation – with one outstanding exception – lives automatically in terms of reality. Plants, animals, land- and sea- scape, planets, galaxies; electrical charges: all of these things do the will of God, because they do exactly what they were made to do: they cannot do other.
To the best of our current knowledge, only human beings have an option. The Bible tells this in the story of the Man and his Wife in the Garden of Eden. (Again, whether you see them as actual people or as part of a story that explains a truth, is not important.) This story tells us about sin. And the way it tells about sin is to show that sin means living out of touch with reality – separated from God.
God made all creation – the Garden – and created humans to be the administrators, the stewards, the caretakers, of the creation. Humans were to be able to do this because they reflected God himself; they were God’s own image, so to speak. Among the great multitude of things that means, is that humans can see God’s purpose, and live in accord with that purpose. But if the image of God is complete, it also includes freedom. In a perfect love relationship, each does the will, or shares the life of, the other by actual free choice. That is the meaning of the command not to eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the Garden. God intends humans to love just as God loves: a continual outpouring of love – the essence of life: for, remember, God is love.
But humans are able to choose what they do. Humans don’t do things automatically; as a seed, when watered and placed in the sun, grows automatically. And the story tells us that humans, when allowed this freedom, this choice, humans can and often do, choose to place self in that place in their relationship to reality where God belongs. And when humans replace God with their own will, what they have done is to move away from reality: they have separated themselves from God. Thus sin is living outside the realm of reality; sin is separation from God; sin is placing self where God belongs in life. It is as simple – and as complex – as that.
Life apart from God is as painful as being hungry; it is as distressful as being thirsty; it makes one a stranger among your own; it makes one blind to creation; it makes one unable to hear the truth; it places one in prison; it makes one naked, exposing foolishness for all to see. Above all, sin makes one assume God’s greatest prerogative: sin makes humans presume to judge the motives and actions of others. Sin is the root of all broken relationships; sin is the root of all harm; sin is the root of whatever places humans against each other or against creation; sin is so powerful that it can convince one that sin is not involved in any painful situation.
When you see this Bible approach to sin, you will see that sin is NOT a list of wrong actions. Sin is an attitude of mind; sin is the real motivation behind any action or event in our life. It is NOT what you do so much as it is WHY you do it.
It is in this matter that we Anglicans are very different in our approach than Roman Catholics and the Reformation Churches. Often you have heard of “Mortal Sin” and “Venial Sin.” You have heard it said that “such and such” is a sin. Actually, that is NOT the case. The thing “done or not done” is not in itself sin – what is sin, is the motive. When you don’t sin because it’s on a list; or when you confess a sin that is chosen from a list; someone else has made your decision for you: - your are one step back from personal responsibility. Not so with Anglicans. We speak of “Sins of Malice,” not Mortal Sins; we speak of “Sins of Infirmity,” not Venial sins. “Malice” means deliberate personal choice; “infirmity” means a weakness in resolve. The only sin that is unforgivable is the Sin against the Holy Spirit: that is the sin that says “I have done nothing wrong:- it is all the other party’s fault.”
In essence, sin is the failure to use our minds to interpret our perceptions of God’s world. We allow our feelings or emotions to overrun our wisdom. We make all our judgments based on our own perceptions.
Repent/change your ways: the kingdom of God has come near.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)