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John
the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean
countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and
were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John
was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and
he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more
powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and
untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." In those days Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he
was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the
Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:4-11
We all want the power to change our lives. Baptism is
God's power for us to help us change. At Jesus' baptism, it wasn't so much
the power to change the one being baptized; it was rather an illustration
for those who were observing – an awareness of those around Jesus that
baptism provides power to affect change in their lives. In Advent, we
talked about how the Holy Spirit is the breath and wind for knowledge and
power in our lives. Today, we hear John the Baptist saying one more
powerful than himself would be coming after him. Jesus used this power to
provide freedom and healing. The power of change is promised to us.
Another special word that we can use for the word "power" is fire.
The fire of God comes on us through the Holy Spirit to affect change in
our lives. There are three attributes of fire that can provide positive
change in our lives: light, warmth and purity. First
of all, fire is light. Fire provides illumination for our lives.
The beacon of a lighthouse can be seen for many miles out to sea, and it
is a guide that allows sailors to avoid hazardous rocks and arrive home
safely. Light helps us watch for any dangers that we might encounter. The
fire of God given to us in baptism promises to be a spotlight for our
lives, and to help us find safety and direction when we're lost. All who
are baptized, and those who will be baptized today, have been provided
this light by God for their lives. And we know that with the light of God
in our lives, things will never be boring! The light and power of our
baptism can give us a freedom that others can never know. Even on the road
to Emmaus, when Jesus visited the disciples, they later said amongst
themselves, "Weren't our hearts burning?" This is part of God's
fire that illuminates our lives. A second aspect of fire is warmth.
The power of God provides warmth in our hearts for our lives. In God,
there is warmth, safety and blessing for each of us through our baptism. A
third attribute of fire is its ability to purify. Fire purifies substances. In the ancient world, as gold was melted,
the dross came up to the top and could easily be skimmed away. What was
left was what was precious. Jesus spoke of the baptism of fire for purity
in Luke 12. Jesus calls for us to be pure in our lives, and God in his
power wants to change and mold us into pure creatures, which is a
dangerous proposition! It is never too late to believe that God has power for our lives to change for the
better. God's power is not just for these babies who are being baptized
today who have the rest of their lives ahead of them; God cares about each
one of us, no matter what our age and no matter what water has passed
under the bridge for us. He wants to give us all his power. Some scholars
say that Jesus was the first Jew to be baptized. Prior to his baptism,
Jews baptized only non-Jews, as an illustration of purity. But Jesus
demonstrated that purity is for all of us, according to God's plan. Just
as a paper rolled tightly can't burn, so God's fire can't burn in us if
our hearts are rolled tightly. God's fire can't penetrate us unless our
hearts are soft. When our hearts become soft, we know that it will be
God's light that will guide, his warmth that will comfort, and his purity
that will change our lives. |
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Rev. Dr. Mark Tusken
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh." But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Cor 6:11b-20 During
the season of Epiphany, the lectionary has us read seven different
passages in First Corinthians. We will be looking at five of these
passages during this Epiphany. |
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Rev. Dr. Mark
Tusken
However
that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to
which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at
the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the
marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised?
Let him not seek circumcision. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision
is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything. Let each of
you remain in the condition in which you were called. Were you a slave
when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your
freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. For
whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to
the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ.
You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human
masters. 1 Cor 7:17-23 Last week in our 5-week study on 1 Corinthians, we spoke about a certain "nexus" that Paul describes -- a connection between the spiritual and physical body, especially in matters concerning sexuality. We all have appetites and desires that coax us in certain directions. The question we need to answer is, will we live in such a way that we are driven and controlled by these desires, or will we live a life controlled by God? Will we live life controlled by physical desires, or spiritual desires? The Corinthians were asking, what difference in my life does my belief in Christ make? How should my life look now that I believe? Paul's answers to these questions form a summary of chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians. In chapter 7, Paul goes on to say that it is good for a man not to marry. But the Corinthians again had many questions. Have we broken a law if we have gotten married? This was a very poignant question, especially considering that the culture was dominated by sexuality and the presence of the temple of Aphrodite. Paul describes for the Corinthians, and for us, this freedom we have whereby we're no longer driven by appetites and desires of our physical bodies. Paul gives us this rule: Let each of you lead the life the Lord has assigned for you. Right now, God has given you a certain direction for your life. You may be a student, you may be single, you may be an office worker, you may be a homemaker, you may be retired. And our lives will travel through different phases and directions in which God takes us. But it's freeing, Paul says, when you come to realize the satisfaction that you can have with who you are right now. Paul gives a rather dramatic example to illustrate this point. "Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision," he writes. This was a revolutionary statement for a rabbi to make. In Genesis 17:10, God told Abraham that he must keep this covenant -- he and all of his descendants for ages to come: "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised." But Paul says in our passage today, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything." Paul is making an incredibly bold, but freeing, statement. Here is a rabbi, whose foundation of life was in understanding and living out the law to the nth degree, using the law to instruct his readers on how to live a life controlled by God. If you are caught up in following all of the rules and regulations, then you are missing out on what God has for you. Be careful that you don't live a life that is possessed by what you think is right and wrong. It was shocking for Paul to say this! Think back to what Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt 22:37-40) If we were to select a "catch phrase" for last week's reading, it might be: "Do you not know?" This week the phrase might be: "You were bought with a price." Why does Paul use this terminology of the slave in the marketplace? Paul's audience may not have understood the things of the law, but they did understand the concept of being a slave vs. having freedom. Paul moves the analogy away from the law, and to the concept of slaves and freedom. Paul says to the Corinthians: those who are slave or free; those who keep the law or never heard any law except the law of following your desires at the temple; you whose lives are hanging in the balance -- God provides freedom for you. In Corinth they understood this; and we understand it today too. We were bought with a price. We were not bought with gold or silver, but with the blood of Christ. We begin to see what freedom is in 1 Corinthians 7 -- it's not a life lived doing whatever you want and wherever your appetites lead you, and it's not a life lived merely following every jot and tittle of the law. Freedom comes from living a life in balance. We can be thankful that our lives were bought with a price. There's a hint of this thanksgiving found in our Prayer Book: "Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all." (p.362) "We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts." (p.363) That's where our freedom is -- when you know God loves you so much that he sent his son for you, and that he poured out his blood for you. You were bought with a price. That's where freedom begins for us. |
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Now
concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess
knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims
to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone
who loves God is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to
idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and
that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there may be
so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and
many lords -- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all
things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are
all things and through whom we exist. It is not everyone, however, who has
this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now,
they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and
their conscience, being weak, is defiled. "Food will not bring us
close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better
off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow
become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess
knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their
conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed
to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died
are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and
wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore,
if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may
not cause one of them to fall.
1 Cor 8:1-13
During the first week of
our study on 1 Corinthians, we talked about a "nexus" -- a
connection between the physical and the spiritual. Last week, we read the
astounding statement that Paul made: "Circumcision is nothing, and
uncircumcision is nothing" -- but obedience to God is everything. In
Corinth, where two-thirds of the people were slaves, he told the free that
they were now slaves to Christ, and to the slaves he spoke of freedom in
Christ. Chapter 8 explores the issue of freedom. Now, this subject of
eating food sacrificed to idols might not be an issue for us in this day
and age, but we can appreciate this passage because it is not dealing with
an issue that fosters heated debate -- unlike some topics in our society
today. You can't be a believer and not encounter people who disagree with
you on some issue. You are in a bad place in your life if you find that
you are in "lockstep" with everyone around you in regards to the
non-essentials of the faith; this comes dangerously close to being a cult.
It's important to be willing to wrestle with the issues, and to determine
how each of us in our own spiritual lives can grow closer to God. We all
have areas in which we feel called to lead our lives differently; some
examples might be with regard to drinking alcohol or playing the lotto. In
our passage today, Paul gives us a principle for our lives from the
subject of eating meat sacrificed to idols. It was the same situation in
Corinth; some felt that it was important to abstain from eating meat
sacrificed to idols, and others held to the belief that it didn't matter,
because their lives were not ruled by idols. To answer this question, Paul
gives us these words that we are accustomed to hearing during baptisms:
"For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and
for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things
and through whom we exist." And this is the crux of the argument --
if you've been baptized, and you believe in God the Father and his son the
Lord Jesus Christ, the issue of food is secondary. God becomes the primary
concern in our lives. Verse 9 is the scripture passage that allows us to
be accommodationists: "But take care that this liberty of yours does
not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." The principle is,
I am free in Christ, but I must examine my actions through the lens of
others' perspectives. What we do may affect others. You might be in a
place of strength and maturity in your spiritual life, but someone who is
observing you might be the weaker Christian. It is the paradox of being
right in what you are doing, but possibly wrong at the same time. In and
of itself, our actions may be perfectly acceptable to God and right in
their own respects, but they become wrong when they influence someone else
negatively. Jesus said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones
who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the
sea with a large millstone tied around his neck." (Mark 9:42) Who is
the strong one -- the one who flaunts his freedom? No. The real principle
to apply is the one of love. "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds
up." In Corinth, the people knew theologically that they could eat
meat. It is not what you know in your head, but what is in your heart that
matters. We all must wrestle with this principle. You don't want to be in
a place where you are walking through life completely depending on the law
to tell you what you should do; likewise, you don't want to walk through
life completely flaunting your freedom. This principle leads us to this
somewhat difficult statement: Sin does have a subjective nature to it.
Something might be perfectly acceptable to us, but the same thing becomes
a sin for another. Each of us must think through how this principle
applies to our life. In the medical field, the phenomena of
placebo (meaning to please or to help) and
nocebo (meaning to harm or hurt) are used to describe the
psychological effects of therapeutic drugs. If a patient believes that a
"sugar pill" is making her feel better, then the placebo effect
is in place. The corollary is also true: if a patient believes that
certain therapy is making her condition worse, this can be described as a
nocebo response. There will be times in our lives when we find the nocebo
effect to be taking place, when others around us are being harmed. We
might be participating in something that in actuality is not harmful, but
that others are being negatively effected by because they believe it to be
harmful. The key is to find a balance and to seek God's direction for our
individual life situations. I invite you to be accommodationists. When you
see someone struggling, check to see if you are unintentionally creating a
nocebo affect. Remember that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Let
us seek God for help in being truly wise with our lives and actions, and
become a placebo -- a healing agent -- to the lives around us. |
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If I proclaim
the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is
laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do
this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am
entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my
proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full
use of my rights in the gospel. For though I am free with respect to all,
I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To
the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I
became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that
I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one
outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's
law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak,
so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that
I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so
that I may share in its blessings.
1 Cor 9:16-23
In
our series on 1 Corinthians this Epiphany, we are looking at questions
that Paul is posing to his readers. In chapter 6, we looked at matters
dealing with intimacy and sexuality. In chapter 7, we considered the
matter of freedom and what freedom means to us who are believers. In
chapter 8, we looked at how we relate to one another. Do you get the
feeling that 1 Corinthians deals with much of what we would consider to be
the "stuff of life"? In chapter 9 today, Paul is speaking of his
own ministry -- his life, work, and his sharing of his faith with others.
How can we share our faith with those that we love? We struggle with this
question as Episcopalians. It doesn't seem to come as easy for us as it
does with others. The gospel is always personal, but it is never private.
Paul gives us instructions on this topic, on how we can share our faith.
"I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means
save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in
its blessings." It's important for us to carefully think through
this. Of course, we don't want to hit people over the head with the gospel
message, but also the gospel isn't a private matter. The sharing of our
faith is not just a matter for people like Paul, or even
"religious" people today, like our Priests or Deacons. Sharing
of faith does not belong only to others. We get a sense of God speaking
through Paul, when Paul says "I have become all things to all
people." God also wants us
to become all things to all people. God uses each of us to make
connections with others so that they might discover what God has for each
of them. But how do we bridge that gap; how do we win, woo, help or save
others? Paul says, "To the Jews I became as a Jew… To the weak I
became weak." How do we connect with another person? As an example,
we can look to the life of C.S. Lewis. Lewis began to wrestle A - Admit your need. It is important to admit that we need God. God will lead you to someone who can answer the questions you have, or can lead you to someone with which you can share the answers.
B
- Believe.
It is important to take that first step of belief. God will meet you where
you are at in your belief.
C
- Confess.
We must be willing to be authentic with God, ourselves and others, and to
confess our shortcomings and areas of need.
D
- Decide.
We must make a decision to follow Christ - the Priest or Deacon can't do
this for us; we must personally decide.
E
- Enjoy.
This is what makes us effective evangelists! We must enjoy life, enjoy God
and enjoy others - the spouse, friends and family that God has given to
us. |
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Do you not know that in a race the runners all
compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to
receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run
aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body
and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be
disqualified.
1 Cor 9:24-27 We've been living in Corinth through Paul's eyes this Epiphany. We started by looking at chapter 6, and issues dealing with sexual intimacy; in chapter 7, we looked at where our freedom comes from; in chapter 8, we looked at how we relate to one another; and in chapter 9, at how we share our faith. In today's reading, we find a final parallel between our lives and those of the people living in Corinth in Paul's day. We have already talked about some parallels between our culture and that of the Corinthians, such as the fact that they were a cosmopolitan people, well-versed on the arts and literature, and how Corinth was a major transportation hub at that time. A final parallel that we can observe is that the Corinthians formed a society that was obsessed with sports. We are a culture that is energized by athletic events too. The Superbowl, for instance, has become almost a holiday in our lives. The lives of the Corinthians also revolved around games; the Isthmian games were held in Corinth, which were generally like the Olympics, but on a smaller scale. When Paul used athletic terminology, the Corinthians surely would have been able to relate to what he was saying. They knew what it meant to be an athlete in training, and they knew what it meant to have a certain goal that you were training yourself to be able to reach. In Paul's day, as well as ours, some people lived by the phrase "winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Paul explains to us what you need to do in order to win a race. First, in v.24 we read: "Run in such a way that you may win [the race]." You have to be "in the game." There is no choice in Christianity of sitting on the sidelines of life. There's no possibility that you can just be a cheerleader or a spectator. If you believe, than you have to be in the race -- you can't just watch from the sidelines. It was Wayne Gretzsky who said, "I miss 100% of the shots that I don't take." Believing is not just about cheering on our priests or deacons as they go through the liturgy; it is about having our own personal prayer life, our own Scripture reading time, our own way in which we serve the Lord, our own way in which we can meet the needs of others who pass through our lives. Just like military personnel need to meet certain physical ability requirements each year, we also need to pursue the spiritual training that we need in order to meet those "minimum spiritual requirements." Each of us need to ask ourselves on a regular basis: Am I worshipping regularly with other believers? Am I opening the Scripture on a regular basis? Am I having a regular prayer time where I can meet with God? This is the challenge that we face as we read 1 Corinthians 6-9. In the ancient games at Corinth, the winner received a perishable wreath, or "crown," of fir branches. We as believers, at the end of the race of life, receive the imperishable crown of immortality. A second thing that Paul teaches us to do in order to win the game is to live a life of self-discipline. "Athletes exercise self-control in all things." The Greek word for athlete comes from the word meaning agonize. In preparation for the Isthmian games, the athletes had a 10-month regimen that they went through in order to qualify and participate in the games. We have read in chapters 6-9 that as believers, our lives need to be tempered by self-control. We will experience challenges and steep roads along the way. It is in times of challenge that our spiritual lives are developed. The "athletes" who want to serve the Lord must live a life of self-control. Thirdly, Paul says: "I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air." When we as believers run the race of our lives, we need to do so with a purpose -- the purpose being that we know where we are going according to God's will for our lives. Football training is different from baseball training, for instance. The right kind of training needs to be used for each sport. As we draw near to the season of Lent, we as believers can view this as of 40-day training period, a time when we challenge ourselves. That challenge is to try to flesh out how we believe, and what that belief looks like. Each of us should think through how we might pursue some sort of deeper study, devotion or discipline during Lent. Most of us in our modern culture have drifted away from the concept of abstinence during Lent. There's a reason to practice abstinence, however. It helps us as we seek to grow and stretch in our spiritual lives. In summary, Paul says that in order to win the race, we must get in the race, exercise self-control, and do it with a purpose. What's our purpose? What are we pursuing? What direction are we heading? Life is our training ground, and every Lent we are faced with the challenge to re-examine our own lives. One game that was a part of the Isthmian games was the torch race. Contestants not only had to carry a torch throughout the race, but they needed to protect the torch's flame from going out as they ran. In our own spiritual lives, we need to run in such a way that we protect our flame from going out. We may also come across others along the way whose flame has somehow been extinguished, and we can help them by re-lighting their torch. It is really not about winning. It's not about getting there first, or getting there with the most. That's a challenge for all of us. Finally, Paul concludes by saying, "…So that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified." Paul is not saying that "disqualification" means that we may somehow lose our salvation. He is simply saying that he doesn't want to walk through life mouthing the right words, with no personal meaning behind them. None of us want to lose that fire that we have in the Lord, that touches lives and makes a difference in not only our lives but in the lives of those around us. Each of us has a different purpose in our spiritual lives. Don't be disqualified. Get in the race, practice self-control, and run with a purpose, to receive that wreath of victory. |
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Rev. Bill Kruse
When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was
reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no
longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking
the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,
carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus
because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having
dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are
forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in
their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy!
Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his
spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he
said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is
easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say,
“Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that
the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ —he said to the
paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your
home.’ And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before
all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We
have never seen anything like this!’
Mark 2:1-12
Today, the lessons speak to us of forgiving and being
forgiven. The prophet Isaiah tells us that God forgives. He hears Yahweh
say to the people of Israel, "You have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your
transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."
(Is 43:24,25) The psalmist talks about being forgiven: "Happy are
those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are
those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity." (Ps 32:1,2) In today's
Gospel, Jesus says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." That may not
have sounded like good news to the paralyzed man because he did not come
for forgiveness, did he? He came for healing. But Jesus realized that we
are not just bodies. We are spiritual creatures that show up in bodies.
The spirit is primary. If the spirit becomes burdened with guilt and
shame, that shows up in our body, which means that it is a good idea to
get forgiven and to forgive yourself. So Jesus says, "Son, your sins
are forgiven," and while he is conversing with the scribes, the
paralyzed man is experiencing what the psalmist knew… "Happy are
those whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are put
away." By the time the man is told to stand up, the forces of
paralysis already are weakening; his sin is already put away. We can find
another perspective on forgiveness when Jesus appeared to his disciples
after the resurrection. On that first Easter evening, the disciples were
hiding out behind locked
doors in the upper room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in their midst.
"Shalom! Peace be with you," he said. The disciples saw the
scars on his wrists and on his forehead. It really was him. They were
overjoyed! Jesus said again, "Shalom! Peace be with you. As the
Father sent me, so now I am sending you into the world." With that,
he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins
you forgive, they are forgiven…" (Jn 20:19-23) In that moment,
Jesus sent those original disciples, and all subsequent disciples --
including you and me -- into the world as his agents of love and
forgiveness. And the world so desperately needs love and forgiveness
today. |
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Hilda Sey, Seminarian & Intern
at St. Mark's
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night
there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you
doing here, Eli'jah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for
the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the
sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it
away." He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the
LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind,
so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces
before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the
earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a
sound of sheer silence. When Eli'jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his
mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came
a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Eli'jah?" He
answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts;
for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars,
and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are
seeking my life, to take it away." Then the LORD said to him,
"Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you
arrive, you shall anoint Haz'ael as king over Ar'am. Also you shall anoint
Je'hu son of Nim'shi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Eli'sha son
of Sha'phat of A'bel-meho'lah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes
from the sword of Haz'ael, Je'hu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the
sword of Je'hu, Eli'sha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in
Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Ba'al, and every mouth that
has not kissed him." 1 Kings 19:9-18 One of the most important rituals we have as Christians is our yearly journey through the church calendar. For non-Christians and new believers, the church calendar provides an introduction to the tenets of our faith. For believers, it walks us through the seasons each year and offers us nourishment to continue to grow in our faith. The church calendar begins with Advent, during which we recall the waiting for God's son to come to the world as a baby, and also to prepare for his eventual second coming. During Christmas, we pause to recall and think through the incarnation as well as the time when we accepted Christ into our hearts. Next, we celebrate the season of Epiphany (of which this Sunday is the last), in which we consider Jesus as the light of the world. Following Epiphany is Ash Wednesday, Lent, and eventually the triumph of Easter, and so on. But let's go back to Epiphany, during which we consider how God has manifested himself in the church and in our lives. In the Old Testament reading for today, Elijah is the main character. In chapters 17 and 18, we find Elijah at the peak of his career. In chapter 18, Elijah summons the people of Israel along with 450 prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel. He told the people and prophets to call upon their god to come and set fire to the sacrifice that they had made. The people prayed and prayed all day long, shouting louder and louder, but nothing happened. Finally, Elijah drew the people to him, and called upon the Lord, and immediately the fire of the Lord came down and consumed the sacrifice. The people upon seeing this fell down upon the ground and acknowledged the true God. Then Elijah had the prophets of Baal seized and killed. Then, in chapter 19 of 1 Kings, we read about how Jezebel heard the news of the prophets being killed, and sought to take revenge. What does Elijah do in response? Surprisingly, he flees! And this brings us to today's reading. Jezebel was not of Elijah's faith; she was a Baal worshipper. But even though Elijah was at the peak of his career, and was able to call down the fire of God, and even commanded the Baal prophets to be killed, here we see him running for his life into the desert! After all he witnessed, he still didn't trust in God. If he would have focused on God, he wouldn't have had to run. Another example of focusing on God occurs with Peter and Jesus, when Peter was able to walk on the water, as long as he kept his focus on the Lord. As soon as he started paying attention to the wind, the waves, or his own fears, he began to sink into the water. But Jesus in his tender mercy reached out his hand to Peter and saved him. God is always loving and gracious and good, and always extends his hand to us when we need him. Whether we are in the mountain having a "peak" experience, or if we find that we are in a dark valley, we need to focus on Christ. What difficulties are you confronting in your life today? What persecutions are taking place towards the church around the world today? Whatever we are going through, God is extending his hand. Elijah forgot his faith and forgot God's love, to the point that he wanted to die. Remember that Jesus too was persecuted -- even with nails -- and he gives us the courage we need to face whatever is happening in our lives. Elijah was confronted by the Lord, and he didn't hold back his emotion. He told the Lord what was troubling him, and God responded. God continues to speak to us today with his still, small voice. Even on 9/11, God was with us during that tragedy, and God was still God, even above all human evil and terrible choices that humans make. God told Elijah to return, and that his work would continue even after Elijah's time. And God's work continues today. When we hear God calling us, we need to be faithful to respond. To what mission has God called St. Mark's, or you as individuals? When we trust in Christ, we have a certain radiance about us. Let's bear that radiance out to the world, no matter what we are doing. Also, let that still small voice speak to you and remind you that you are not alone. There are Christians all around the world serving the same God as us. God's presence was with Elijah, and his presence is with us. Whether we are on the mountaintop, or in the valley, it is refreshing to know that other Christians are also going through similar times and experiences. The Holy Spirit will go with us, and the joy of the Lord will be our strength. |
Let's begin by considering what type of
city Corinth was. Corinth was a bustling city of commerce during Paul's
day. It was energetic place of power and wealth. Ancient Corinth was
located at the southern end of the Ismuth of Corinth, just southwest of
where the city is located today. The ancient Romans created a waterway
between the seas to facilitate commerce and travel. Corinth became a major
road between the east and the west, and was one of the jewels of the
ancient world.
with the existence of God at the time of his father's death. He never had
a personal sense of faith in God until later in his life, even though he
went to church regularly. But Lewis had friends that dared to suggest that
just being present at church wasn't enough. He had friends who were
willing to tug at his heart. One night, Lewis sat in a pub at Oxford with
two friends. The three of them sat together and their conversation drifted
along until the wee hours of the morning. One of the friends was an old
friend of Lewis', but the other was a relatively newer friend, who
happened to be a devout believer. We can imagine the friends enjoying
dinner in front of a roaring fireplace, and afterwards sipping port as the
conversation became more and more reflective. That newer friend pressed
upon Lewis a crucial question: Are you willing to accept for yourself as
truth, what you have heretofore considered a myth -- that God's Son came
to earth, died, and was resurrected? (And this might not be your question
that you need to have answered; ask God to bring into your life someone
who can provide you with the answer to your question, whatever it might
be.) This new friend was J.R.R. Tolkien. The next day, as he was riding in
the sidecar of his brother's motorcycle on the way to the zoo,
Lewis became a believer. Lewis wrote, thinking of his decision: "When
we set out I did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and when we
reached the zoo I did." God has given each of us who believe a
certain set of past experiences, a mind, a personality, and connections --
and we might be the very person that is needed to bridge that gap with
someone we might encounter. Don't fear the word "salvation" --
this is actually a military term, that described someone who was in a
battle that needed rescuing, or someone who needed healing from a disease
such as leprosy, or a captive who needed to be freed. This was C.S. Lewis;
he was in bondage to his lifestyle that he was leading, and to his
memories of the horrors of war. This is the call for all of us, to declare
the story of what God has done for us in our lives. When God brings
someone in our life, we might be just the person to help them. It is up to
each of us who believe -- it is not something that only the Priest or
Bishop does. On page 855 of the Prayer Book we read this as being the
ministry of the laity: "The ministry of lay persons is the represent
Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be."
This job description does not occur in the descriptions of the roles of
the Priest and Bishop. This is what Tolkien did for his friend that night.
He was someone who was willing to build a bridge, to make a connection.
You might say, "But I don't have theological training." Remember
that when Paul wrote this, there were no creeds or other framework of the
faith as we know them to be today. When we are sharing our faith, we are
simply making a connection to someone on a personal level, and meeting
them at their areas of need. Here is a simple ABCDE outline that we
can share with others to help them make a connection with God: 
