May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: EASTER 7 – ASCENSIONTIDE
PROPER: C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: May 27,2001
TEXT: John 17:20-26 – The High Priestly Prayer
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
ISSUE: John’s Jesus is expressing the unity of himself with the Father, and prays for his church and those of the future of the church that they may bear witness to the world of a loving unity and relationship with God. The prayer calls for serving one another and the possibility of giving up some of our own needs for the good of a witness to unity.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This Sunday, following the Thursday of the Ascension, is not merely the 7th Sunday after Easter, but more specifically the Sunday after The Feast of the Ascension. According to Luke’s accounts in The Book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11, Jesus had made post-resurrection appearances for some forty days, which makes this past Thursday the 40th day past Easter. Jesus reportedly took his disciples from Jerusalem out to Bethany. He assures them that they will baptized with and receive the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus is lifted up from the earth and disappears into a cloud. Two men dressed in white ask, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The scene is similar to the Transfiguration, and the two men in white may well be visions once again of Moses and Elijah, who traditionally were also assumed, or ascended into the heavens.
Here at St. John’s we have the good fortune to worship in the light of the Ascension, which is pictured in that beautiful window over our altar, which depicts the Ascension scene. I say that we are fortunate to be able to worship in this atmosphere, because the Ascension is a very meaningful event, often lost in the shuffle of Easter and the coming Pentecost. The Ascension celebration may well be another early tradition of the Resurrection event. It is definitely an experience of Jesus being with his disciples after his crucifixion, in which he is teaching them again about the Kingdom of God. Surrounded by Moses and Elijah he is lifted up into the heavens. What is the meaning of this event? In the Genesis story, in the disobedience of Adam and Eve, tension between their children Cain and Abel, and Cain kills Abel, we see the fallen nature of humanity. In the Ascension event, Jesus, is the human figure, and son of God, who has come to raise up, to resurrect, to lift up the fallen human condition. The ministry of Jesus is the offer of grace. It is the invitation to reclaim and to step back in to the Realm, Dominion, or Kingdom of God. Jesus, his life and ministry, you might say, is the outstretched hand of God’s forgiveness calling all humanity back into the Garden of God. It is not based on good deeds or extraordinary merit. It is the free gift of God’s loving grace that calls us to loyalty, faith, trust, and commitment to the God of Love. How fortunate we are to be here in light of that window that reminds us all that through Jesus Christ the hand of God is extended to raise us up.
I want to couple this understanding of the resurrection and ascension with the Prayer of Jesus that is found in John’s Gospel account. For a couple of weeks now, we have heard portions of Jesus’ prayer, The High Priestly Prayer, at the Last Supper, according to John’s Gospel. Please understand again that John’s gospel account was the last to be written. It was written to a relatively small early Christian community that was enduring be thrown out of synagogues for their beliefs, and on the other hand were threatened by the Roman government. It was also a time when the last of the eyewitnesses and disciples had died off. It is not likely that the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John is a verbatim statement of Jesus. Yet it very likely expresses the remembered spirit of Jesus and his intentions for his followers. In this portion of the prayer Jesus calls for the unity of the community. Just as Jesus and the Father are united , and that Jesus has been the obedient Son and servant of the Father, unifying them in their purpose to love, restore, and raise up, resurrect the people of God, Jesus prays for that same unity among his followers to be a unified witness in their love of one another and in their love of Jesus Christ to witness to the world. You may recall the hymn: “They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” (Hymnal for Young Christians) This gospel account and part of the High Priestly Prayer calls the community into unity with Christ Jesus, as Jesus is in unity with the God the Father.
What you have in this Ascension season is another rather profound expression of God’s forgiveness and the Good News of knowing that God has reached out to all that is fallen to raise us up into his glory. Honor is restored; we are renewed in our essence of being in relationship with God. God in Christ has become human and comes to us that we might become like him, sons and daughters of God. (Incidentally, I’m so glad the artist of our Ascension window included a woman among the disciples.)
Of course, there is a problem for us today. The problem is compounded by our humanness, and by our being Americans. We cherish our individuality as American citizens. At the same time the church as a larger worldwide community is fractured by the existence of so many different Christian denominations. It is not easy for people outside of the church today to see much unity. And there is still the reputation some churches have for being contentious. It is not easy to get what Jesus was about, and it is not always easy to be so loyal and so faithful, and so convinced that God in Christ is calling us to be raised up and made new with an invitation to step into the peace of the garden. Breaking free of our past, and becoming transformed is too easy. It is something we have to be sensitive to, and keep working at.
I remember some years ago, our Vestry, had gone on a retreat, and we were working towards our goal for the future. Of the some eight or so persons present, we came up with some eight or so goals. We had not broken the stale mate by the time allotted for our exercise, and there was some frustration at the end. We all can be very fixed in what we feel is the right thing to do. We cherish “standing up for what you believe in, or to be right.” The art of compromise, or problem solving does not always come easy. Sometimes in marriages, and in important relationships we know we have to learn those skills, and have the grace to know that we are not always right, and even if our way is best, it may not be the only way. It is so interesting to me that what faith requires is not that we be right or perfect, or even totally morally good for that matter. We’d all be doomed if that were the case. It is about being in a committed relationship with Jesus Christ who leads us to God. Love and faith are closely linked as what is important for us, because they are what raise our humanity, and make us a part of a new godly way of life. Are the battles we sometimes choose to fight in our relationships in church, marriage, among friends, church, or other organizations worth the destruction and angry disunity, or paralysis that they may bring.
Jesus’ ministry was intended to be a liberating event. His intention was to allow the last, least, lost to become more, to have dignity and purpose and expand their awareness of themselves as a purposeful part of God’s creation. I’m wondering if it isn’t so very important not to be quite so committed to what I think the way things should be, but rather to enjoy the freedom of allowing others to express themselves, and their way. Maybe some of you in the process of raising your children have seen that they had their way of doing things, very different to what we the parent thinks, only to find that their way of doing things turned out fine, or if they didn’t you still had the courage to let them make mistakes, and keep the relationship in tact. Pray that we can all be free enough ourselves to allow others the freedom to be who they are and express themselves. Pray that we don’t become so committed to things and our way of doing them, that we lose the relationships of love.
I doubt that all the peasant people who were companions or acquaintances of Jesus were hardly upstanding righteous people. All Jesus wanted them to be was loyal to God the Father and his love, and know that God reached out to them in spite of themselves.
As to all the various Christian denominations in the world today, it is hardly likely that they shall all unify into one big Christian Church. People and their religious needs are often quite different. Our last Confirmation Service was a real demonstration of that fact. A raucous rock band played during the Holy Communion to the absolute delight of some and the dismay of others. Yet God was still there, Confirmation was valid, and in our great diversity, the unity of God’s people prevailed. The prayer of our Lord is that we may be united in love, to serve one another and to allow for the full expression of faith and involvement by all people, that no one is put down, and that all are raised and ascended into the Presence of God and God’s love. May our way of life as a Christian community share the pray by our way of life. In a hostile, apathetic, and violent world, we need God, Our Lord, and one another, that the world may come to know we are Christians by our love.
Sunday, May 27, 2001
Saturday, May 26, 2001
Trinity Sunday
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: Trinity Sunday
PROPER: A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: May 26,2001
TEXT: Matthew 28:16-20 – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
ISSUE: We are the people of God, and it is important that we embrace the fullest understanding of God that we can. We understand God as the Creator-Father, as the Redeeming Son and Word of God, as the prevailing Spirit of Love for the world. In understanding the fullness of God, we are sent to immerse (dip) the nations of the world, (not just our own) into the fullness of God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This Sunday, which follows the major feast of the Pentecost, is an unusual Sunday celebration. We refer to it as Trinity Sunday. Most of our celebrations are related to special events, the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, his revelation of God the Father, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday, however, celebrates a doctrine, a central doctrine of the Christian Faith, the belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. We believe that there is one God, and yet God is revealed as Creator-Father, as Son who is ambassador like who redeems the world into worthiness to approach the Father, and the Holy Spirit which renews, blesses, sanctifies us, empowers us to proclaim and to be in and with God at all times.
Over the centuries the church has been very protective of this mysterious doctrine of God, which defies mathematical rationale. Religious leaders have made efforts to make the doctrine somewhat comprehensible. For instance, there is one sun, but it expresses itself as light, heat, and radiant energy. Water can be ice, liquid, or steam (gas), but it is all water.
During the period of the early church, I think, the doctrine may have developed from cultural understandings of power. There was a Lord, or king, a Caesar, of great power. There were ambassadors who could act for him, and provide favors to the common people. It was like the concept of a Patron, broker, and free favors or grace bestowed upon the common people. One Lord, whose is expressed by ambassadors and favors.
Still another concept is that of God as Good Creator, Jesus the Son of God as the Word of God speaking the truth about God to the world, and the Wind or Breath of God as the Spirit empowering presence of God’s love in the world. Still, there is one God and Father of us all.
Augustine envisioned the Trinity of God, as a relationship of love. The Father loves the Son, and the love between them is the very spirit or essence of God.
We have come to the end of the special events we have celebrated, and conclude with the doctrine of belief about what it all means. God is likened to a loving Father who has created a good world. When people became separated from God, The Son of God calls his people back to an understanding of the love and devotion of God toward his creation. The Spirit of God is a prevailing life-giving presence that gives God’s people continuing purpose and meaning. God is revealed in such a way as to help us understand his love and continuing presence with us. Thus, this Sunday is the concluding celebration of what we believe about God. It also gives us direction and meaning for the living of our lives in God’s creation.
In the last verses of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples to another mountaintop. His ministry begins and ends in the mountains. His disciples are gathered. He says, according to Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This statement is indicative of the early church’s belief that Jesus is at one with God, a true ambassador. He directs the disciples to baptize all nations in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded of them. First, let me say that I don’t take this to literally mean that Jesus, The Lord, wanted everyone necessarily dunked in water. Jesus taught and commanded his disciples that God was a loving compassionate God. The least of men and women were worthy of approaching God. He commanded them to wash one another’s feet, and to love one another. He taught them that the loving Spirit of God surrounded and permeated the earth. Therefore, to baptize all nations meant to immerse them into God’s redeeming love, and to command them to love one another. That commission was in fact their mission and purpose. Jesus was the expression of what God had to say to the world. The disciples were to be immersed in that calling and proclaim it to the world.
Mind you, that this commission was a relatively new concept for the people first hearing it. They were largely devoted only to loving and protecting their own, and their own families. The commission to immerse not just Israel, but all the nations of the world into the abundant love of God was a startling new commissioning. He assures them, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (I am, Yahweh, is the name of God.) The prevailing empowering Spirit of God is with you always. We are in the loving relationship with the loving God who loves us, rejoices in our love for him, and for one another as the very prevailing spirit of the universe.
When we baptize a person, or child - and remember too your own baptism - we are immersed into the name of the God of Love. We are immersed into the forgiveness of Jesus Christ who brings us to God the Father. We are empowered with The Spirit of God to be partners with Christ in the world. We renounce that which draws us away from the love of God. We vow to study the Word of God through the Apostles teaching, the worship of the Church, and to respect the dignity, to love, all of the people of God’s creation. We are received into the Royal Priesthood of Christ to be servants with him. In short we embrace our God of love, and it gives us a way of being, a spiritual being that has a high and noble purpose, but at the same time being servants with Christ.
What we believe, what we really believe effects our lives significantly and the way we live them. If we believe in a punishing God, then we are more likely to be punishing hostile people. If we believe in an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth kind of God, then we will likely live a life of taking revenge. If we live with a sense of not being forgiven, or unworthy of the grace of God, we may well project that on others. If we believe that the most important thing in life is my individual rights, then we are less likely to be concerned for the common good and will become selfish people.
What is in the heart, what is the real genuine part of our being is what will be lived and acted out in our lives. For that very reason it is important to “examine our selves to see if you are living the faith,” as St. Paul says in the I Corinthians lesson. We live in a world where power is measured by weaponry and force, where success and worth is measured by material wealth, we end up in a world of violence and Enron scandals.
Embracing the fullness of God’s relationship of love, forgiveness, and love as power, we end up in a very different kind of world. Thus, what we believe about God, and how we view God and his Word and Spirit will have a profound effect on the Kingdoms of this world.
SEASON: Trinity Sunday
PROPER: A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: May 26,2001
TEXT: Matthew 28:16-20 – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
ISSUE: We are the people of God, and it is important that we embrace the fullest understanding of God that we can. We understand God as the Creator-Father, as the Redeeming Son and Word of God, as the prevailing Spirit of Love for the world. In understanding the fullness of God, we are sent to immerse (dip) the nations of the world, (not just our own) into the fullness of God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This Sunday, which follows the major feast of the Pentecost, is an unusual Sunday celebration. We refer to it as Trinity Sunday. Most of our celebrations are related to special events, the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, his revelation of God the Father, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. This Sunday, however, celebrates a doctrine, a central doctrine of the Christian Faith, the belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. We believe that there is one God, and yet God is revealed as Creator-Father, as Son who is ambassador like who redeems the world into worthiness to approach the Father, and the Holy Spirit which renews, blesses, sanctifies us, empowers us to proclaim and to be in and with God at all times.
Over the centuries the church has been very protective of this mysterious doctrine of God, which defies mathematical rationale. Religious leaders have made efforts to make the doctrine somewhat comprehensible. For instance, there is one sun, but it expresses itself as light, heat, and radiant energy. Water can be ice, liquid, or steam (gas), but it is all water.
During the period of the early church, I think, the doctrine may have developed from cultural understandings of power. There was a Lord, or king, a Caesar, of great power. There were ambassadors who could act for him, and provide favors to the common people. It was like the concept of a Patron, broker, and free favors or grace bestowed upon the common people. One Lord, whose is expressed by ambassadors and favors.
Still another concept is that of God as Good Creator, Jesus the Son of God as the Word of God speaking the truth about God to the world, and the Wind or Breath of God as the Spirit empowering presence of God’s love in the world. Still, there is one God and Father of us all.
Augustine envisioned the Trinity of God, as a relationship of love. The Father loves the Son, and the love between them is the very spirit or essence of God.
We have come to the end of the special events we have celebrated, and conclude with the doctrine of belief about what it all means. God is likened to a loving Father who has created a good world. When people became separated from God, The Son of God calls his people back to an understanding of the love and devotion of God toward his creation. The Spirit of God is a prevailing life-giving presence that gives God’s people continuing purpose and meaning. God is revealed in such a way as to help us understand his love and continuing presence with us. Thus, this Sunday is the concluding celebration of what we believe about God. It also gives us direction and meaning for the living of our lives in God’s creation.
In the last verses of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples to another mountaintop. His ministry begins and ends in the mountains. His disciples are gathered. He says, according to Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This statement is indicative of the early church’s belief that Jesus is at one with God, a true ambassador. He directs the disciples to baptize all nations in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded of them. First, let me say that I don’t take this to literally mean that Jesus, The Lord, wanted everyone necessarily dunked in water. Jesus taught and commanded his disciples that God was a loving compassionate God. The least of men and women were worthy of approaching God. He commanded them to wash one another’s feet, and to love one another. He taught them that the loving Spirit of God surrounded and permeated the earth. Therefore, to baptize all nations meant to immerse them into God’s redeeming love, and to command them to love one another. That commission was in fact their mission and purpose. Jesus was the expression of what God had to say to the world. The disciples were to be immersed in that calling and proclaim it to the world.
Mind you, that this commission was a relatively new concept for the people first hearing it. They were largely devoted only to loving and protecting their own, and their own families. The commission to immerse not just Israel, but all the nations of the world into the abundant love of God was a startling new commissioning. He assures them, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (I am, Yahweh, is the name of God.) The prevailing empowering Spirit of God is with you always. We are in the loving relationship with the loving God who loves us, rejoices in our love for him, and for one another as the very prevailing spirit of the universe.
When we baptize a person, or child - and remember too your own baptism - we are immersed into the name of the God of Love. We are immersed into the forgiveness of Jesus Christ who brings us to God the Father. We are empowered with The Spirit of God to be partners with Christ in the world. We renounce that which draws us away from the love of God. We vow to study the Word of God through the Apostles teaching, the worship of the Church, and to respect the dignity, to love, all of the people of God’s creation. We are received into the Royal Priesthood of Christ to be servants with him. In short we embrace our God of love, and it gives us a way of being, a spiritual being that has a high and noble purpose, but at the same time being servants with Christ.
What we believe, what we really believe effects our lives significantly and the way we live them. If we believe in a punishing God, then we are more likely to be punishing hostile people. If we believe in an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth kind of God, then we will likely live a life of taking revenge. If we live with a sense of not being forgiven, or unworthy of the grace of God, we may well project that on others. If we believe that the most important thing in life is my individual rights, then we are less likely to be concerned for the common good and will become selfish people.
What is in the heart, what is the real genuine part of our being is what will be lived and acted out in our lives. For that very reason it is important to “examine our selves to see if you are living the faith,” as St. Paul says in the I Corinthians lesson. We live in a world where power is measured by weaponry and force, where success and worth is measured by material wealth, we end up in a world of violence and Enron scandals.
Embracing the fullness of God’s relationship of love, forgiveness, and love as power, we end up in a very different kind of world. Thus, what we believe about God, and how we view God and his Word and Spirit will have a profound effect on the Kingdoms of this world.
Sunday, May 20, 2001
EASTER – ROGATION SUNDAY
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: EASTER – ROGATION SUNDAY
PROPER: 6 C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: May 20, 2001
TEXT: John 14:23-29 – “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
ISSUE: This sermon is intended to be a brief explanation of Rogation and a call to God’s people to be prayerful in such a way that the Holy Spirit of God’s redeeming presence may give peace and encouragement for our lives in this world.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Sunday, which precedes the Feast of the Ascension, which is celebrated this week on Thursday, and next Sunday as the Sunday after the Ascension has been traditionally referred to as Rogation Sunday. Our 1928 Prayer Book did, in fact, refer to this as Rogation Sunday. The word Rogation comes from the Latin word “rogare” which means to pray or to ask.
The origin of the Rogation observance dates back to about 400 A.D. It was intended to replace a pagan celebration called “Robiglia,” which were processions through the cornfields with incantations to drive out evil spirits and the asking the gods to preserve crops from mildew. Christian communities adapted the practice for the purpose of praying to the God of the Jesus and Israelites to bless and preserve the crops that there would be a good harvest. The occasion was enhance even more by St. Mamertus of Vienne in 470 A.D. who wrote litanies for the purpose of asking God to prevent harm to his people when some volcanic eruptions threatened his Diocese. The commemoration of Rogation processions spread throughout Gaul and eventually into England. Just prior to the Ascension Feast Christian people would process during the three days of Rogation around the parish boundaries, asking, or praying, for God’s blessings upon the fields, flocks, and farm animals. For a brief period the processions were suppressed in England, but restored when Elizabeth I came to the throne. At this point the three days Rogation Days, or minor Rogation days, were considered to be days of fasting and abstinence. They became a kind of minor or small Lenten-like observance prior to the Ascension Feast, which celebrates Jesus’ ascension into the heavens.
In our present 1979 Prayer Book, there is no mention of Rogation Celebration. There is, however, forms for Rogation Procession provided in The Book of Occasional Offices, also published by the Episcopal Church, in 1979, with prayers in a litany form for fair weather, blessings upon the land, the water, and the air. There is an emphasis now on the ecological issues that we face in our time.
The Church in the Philippines, as I understand it, added still another custom, that of giving out bamboo crosses for people to set up in their fields or gardens at home to remind them of God’s blessings upon the land, the crops, the good earth. For some thirty years here at St. John’s we have continued the practice of procession outdoors on this Sunday and asking God’s blessing upon the earth, and have planted a new tree or shrub. We adapted the practice of giving out crosses to be place in our people’s gardens as a sign of God’s presence upon this good earth, and as a reminder of our need to be ecologically concerned.
Today after 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, we are also procession out of doors, planting some flowers around the new sign on Belair Rd., distributing crosses, and dedicating the new sign to the memory of Philip C. Curley. Phil Curley stood at the door of this church for many years welcoming both adults and children into Sunday worship services, and on many Christmas Eve Services. His friendly welcoming warmth comforted many people and was very inviting. It seems appropriate that the new sign whose intention is to convey some of our activities and to be welcoming to folks passing by should be dedicated to Phil’s memory.
Do keep in mind that this season is about primarily about prayer. It is about calling upon or asking God’s presence to be with us in our lives. As the early Christian Community of John feared tremendously the absence of Jesus, and the eventually death of all the eyewitnesses to Jesus, his death, and resurrection there was the fear that in some way they would lose the blessings, the presence, the hope given by Jesus and the apostles. In the Gospel, today, Jesus in John’s Gospel account assures that church that they will not be alone, that there will be an advocate for them and with them. God’s Holy Spirit will prevail and guide the church down through the ages. Even today we do need an Advocate, a spiritual presence that will be our guard and guide. If we go to the hospital, it’s always good to have someone one, husband, wife, or family member at our side to ask questions to check the prescriptions and the benefit of the procedures. People who join groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or other Twelve Step Groups are assigned an advocate, a person we can turn to for help over rough spots in our lives. We are often powerless over certain situations in our lives. Yet we have the Holy Spirit of God as our Advocate. Invite the Spirit of God into your life through prayer. Seek the guidance, and ask God to provide for our needs. Ask God’s Spirit to make us loving, compassionate caring, and devoted people with mission and purpose in the world, that we may be resonant, at one with God’s purposes for the generations to come. Jesus Christ assured his disciples and believers, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit would be there for them. His peace would sustain them. There is nothing to fear. I am with you always.
SEASON: EASTER – ROGATION SUNDAY
PROPER: 6 C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: May 20, 2001
TEXT: John 14:23-29 – “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
ISSUE: This sermon is intended to be a brief explanation of Rogation and a call to God’s people to be prayerful in such a way that the Holy Spirit of God’s redeeming presence may give peace and encouragement for our lives in this world.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Sunday, which precedes the Feast of the Ascension, which is celebrated this week on Thursday, and next Sunday as the Sunday after the Ascension has been traditionally referred to as Rogation Sunday. Our 1928 Prayer Book did, in fact, refer to this as Rogation Sunday. The word Rogation comes from the Latin word “rogare” which means to pray or to ask.
The origin of the Rogation observance dates back to about 400 A.D. It was intended to replace a pagan celebration called “Robiglia,” which were processions through the cornfields with incantations to drive out evil spirits and the asking the gods to preserve crops from mildew. Christian communities adapted the practice for the purpose of praying to the God of the Jesus and Israelites to bless and preserve the crops that there would be a good harvest. The occasion was enhance even more by St. Mamertus of Vienne in 470 A.D. who wrote litanies for the purpose of asking God to prevent harm to his people when some volcanic eruptions threatened his Diocese. The commemoration of Rogation processions spread throughout Gaul and eventually into England. Just prior to the Ascension Feast Christian people would process during the three days of Rogation around the parish boundaries, asking, or praying, for God’s blessings upon the fields, flocks, and farm animals. For a brief period the processions were suppressed in England, but restored when Elizabeth I came to the throne. At this point the three days Rogation Days, or minor Rogation days, were considered to be days of fasting and abstinence. They became a kind of minor or small Lenten-like observance prior to the Ascension Feast, which celebrates Jesus’ ascension into the heavens.
In our present 1979 Prayer Book, there is no mention of Rogation Celebration. There is, however, forms for Rogation Procession provided in The Book of Occasional Offices, also published by the Episcopal Church, in 1979, with prayers in a litany form for fair weather, blessings upon the land, the water, and the air. There is an emphasis now on the ecological issues that we face in our time.
The Church in the Philippines, as I understand it, added still another custom, that of giving out bamboo crosses for people to set up in their fields or gardens at home to remind them of God’s blessings upon the land, the crops, the good earth. For some thirty years here at St. John’s we have continued the practice of procession outdoors on this Sunday and asking God’s blessing upon the earth, and have planted a new tree or shrub. We adapted the practice of giving out crosses to be place in our people’s gardens as a sign of God’s presence upon this good earth, and as a reminder of our need to be ecologically concerned.
Today after 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, we are also procession out of doors, planting some flowers around the new sign on Belair Rd., distributing crosses, and dedicating the new sign to the memory of Philip C. Curley. Phil Curley stood at the door of this church for many years welcoming both adults and children into Sunday worship services, and on many Christmas Eve Services. His friendly welcoming warmth comforted many people and was very inviting. It seems appropriate that the new sign whose intention is to convey some of our activities and to be welcoming to folks passing by should be dedicated to Phil’s memory.
Do keep in mind that this season is about primarily about prayer. It is about calling upon or asking God’s presence to be with us in our lives. As the early Christian Community of John feared tremendously the absence of Jesus, and the eventually death of all the eyewitnesses to Jesus, his death, and resurrection there was the fear that in some way they would lose the blessings, the presence, the hope given by Jesus and the apostles. In the Gospel, today, Jesus in John’s Gospel account assures that church that they will not be alone, that there will be an advocate for them and with them. God’s Holy Spirit will prevail and guide the church down through the ages. Even today we do need an Advocate, a spiritual presence that will be our guard and guide. If we go to the hospital, it’s always good to have someone one, husband, wife, or family member at our side to ask questions to check the prescriptions and the benefit of the procedures. People who join groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or other Twelve Step Groups are assigned an advocate, a person we can turn to for help over rough spots in our lives. We are often powerless over certain situations in our lives. Yet we have the Holy Spirit of God as our Advocate. Invite the Spirit of God into your life through prayer. Seek the guidance, and ask God to provide for our needs. Ask God’s Spirit to make us loving, compassionate caring, and devoted people with mission and purpose in the world, that we may be resonant, at one with God’s purposes for the generations to come. Jesus Christ assured his disciples and believers, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit would be there for them. His peace would sustain them. There is nothing to fear. I am with you always.
Sunday, May 6, 2001
EASTER 4
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: EASTER 4
PROPER: C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: May 6, 2001
TEXT: John 10:2-33 Good Shepherd Sunday
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”
ISSUE: While American culture resists images of being sheep and like their father’s because of our infatuation with individualism and self-sufficiency, the reality is that the world is often like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus, at one with the Father, is the Good (Noble) Shepherd. In unity with him we shall never be snatched away from meaningful lives. We are also giving the nobility to become in union and shepherds with Jesus Christ.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, the half way mark through the Easter Season, is widely known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In today’s Gospel from John, there is that desperate question asked by the Judeans of Jesus, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly?” Jesus responds in two ways. He is in union with his Father, which should testify to who he is, and he is like a Shepherd whose people, like sheep, hear and know the voice of the Shepherd. He gives the image of a great protector of his own.
In the modern world we may notice that there is a kind of dissatisfaction or at least a discomfort with these images or metaphors of who Jesus is in the Messianic role. In our culture, we are resistant to images like that of sheep, because we think of sheep as part of a flock, not very bright and easily led. We are much more comfortable with being self-made men and women. We embrace our individualism. We no longer even live in a culture where young men become what their fathers were or are. Independence, individuality, and being self-made with ability to take care of ourselves are important values for us. The concept of Jesus as Good Shepherd is for us somewhat maudlin, sentimental. Thus, there is a certain distancing ourselves from that kind of image of the Messiah. We are uncomfortable with the need of being saved. “Saved from what?” Some skeptics say mockingly.
It is extraordinarily important that as Christians we work at appreciating what is at the heart of seeing Jesus, the Messiah, as being at one with the Father, God, and what he meant be being a Shepherd to a flock of sheep. Let me interject here that even in Jesus’ time, Shepherds did not have a particularly good and honorable status. Shepherds crossed boundaries and trespassed on other people’s lands. They were often thought to be thieves. They did not stay at home at nights to protect their women and families. Thus, in Jesus’ time, shepherds were not seen as honorable men. But do keep in mind how Jesus often reversed and redeemed certain images and matters of the culture.
Let’s consider what it meant to be a good son. Boys grew up in their early years close to their mother’s apron strings. Once, they reached puberty, they then left their mother’s and were trained by their father’s in the ways of the world. They were often severely disciplined. The Hebrew book of religious instruction, Proverbs 13:24, talks about not sparing the rod: “If you don’t punish your son, you don’t love him. If you do love him, you correct him.” Sons were called to strict obedience, and they were not to cry, but to accept punishments stoically. Notice how at the crucifixion, Jesus remains silent, which makes his death most honorable as a well trained and obedient son of God the Father. He is strong, faithful, and devoted as a servant son of the Father. He stands tall like a Good Son, like a Good Shepherd. He is messianic in this sense, an obedient Son of God.
Now while in Jesus’ time, shepherds had a bad image, that was not so in the Old Testament, Hebrew Scriptures. Great leaders often had an association with shepherding. Moses became a shepherd and was called by God out of the burning bush to be servant to set the Israelites free from bondage. David was a shepherd boy who is selected by God to be a strong uniting King over Israel. Subsequent Kings of Israel and Judah were seen as Shepherds of the nation. They were thought of as good and noble shepherds. In the prophet Ezekiel, however, the kings and leaders of the Israelites, failing in their noble calling, are seen as bad shepherds who treated the poor of the nation with contempt and injustice. “You drink the milk, wear clothes made from the wool, and kill and eat the finest sheep. You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the one that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead you treated them cruelly.” (Ezek 34:4f) . . . . “I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them in the same was as a shepherd takes care of his sheep that are scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they are scattered on that dark disastrous day.” Ezek. 34:11). Jesus is seen as that fulfillment of Ezekiel. He is God come among his people, to reclaim and redeem all that is lost. In this sense Jesus is the Good, the Noble, the Beautiful Shepherd of God the Father who is the great protector and restorer of justice and dignity to the people of God.
In the Hebrew book of the Prophet Isaiah, there are several Suffering Servant passages, one of which uses the image of the sheep. The Suffering Servant of is the one who though “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.” The meaning here is that the Servant of God, a Suffering Servant of God, is noble and honorable. Those who endure the suffering of the world and take it without complaint are the noble sheep and lambs of God. Jesus, then, is the noble Shepherd, the noble and honorable lamb of God. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God as well as the Good Shepherd. In the reading this morning from Revelation 7:9-17, it is written that the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Jesus is Messiah, Suffering Servant, Son of the Father, and both the Lamb and Shepherd of God. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ restores dignity and honor to all of these images. He is the faithful Son. He is the Suffering Servant. He is The Good Shepherd. He is the lamb of God.
Again, my good people, notice that the imagery here when understood in the context of time, culture, and scripture is not maudlin, sentimental, cute. It is imagery of strength conviction, faithfulness, obedience, profound compassionate love, restoration, redemption, and it is about the development of a community of sheep under the direction of the Good Shepherd.
One of the great stories from the Gospel of John comes near the end of that Gospel in the few last verses of the last chapter (21:15-19). It is that scene where finally Jesus confronts Peter who had denied him. Jesus says to him: “Do you love me . . .” And Peter replies affirmatively, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” To which Jesus responds, “Take care of my lambs.” Jesus asks Peter two more times, “Simon, Son of John, do you love me?” Peter assures him that he does. And Jesus responds, “Take care of my sheep.” “Take care of my sheep.” Now Peter once a follower, a called and valued sheep himself, a man of dignity, is raised up as a shepherd himself in a calling to be a Servant with Christ.
The imagery and the metaphors in this passage and understanding of Jesus as the Messianic Good Shepherd are not sentimental saccharine images. They are the realities of our lives. While we enjoy and cherish our being self-made men and women, and so individualistic, the reality is that we are not self-made. We are God-made and are part of a unique family and community of God. We are called to be servants with dignity, in union with Christ’s Messiahship, and both lambs and shepherds in a unified flock or community that addresses the human needs of the world. We live in a world where there is loneliness, people in need, cruelty and injustice. We live in a world where there are many lost sheep, or lost persons whose sense of the right, the good, the lovely, and beautiful have been skewed by the world’s trends, fads, and philosophies. Yet we see the people, the sheep of God through Christ’s eyes of dignity, and embrace the challenge to do our part in the community and family of God. In union with Christ, the Good Shepherd, we see not sentimentality, but the noble honorable calling to be the sheep of his pasture and the healing shepherds of his flocks.
SEASON: EASTER 4
PROPER: C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: May 6, 2001
TEXT: John 10:2-33 Good Shepherd Sunday
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”
ISSUE: While American culture resists images of being sheep and like their father’s because of our infatuation with individualism and self-sufficiency, the reality is that the world is often like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus, at one with the Father, is the Good (Noble) Shepherd. In unity with him we shall never be snatched away from meaningful lives. We are also giving the nobility to become in union and shepherds with Jesus Christ.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, the half way mark through the Easter Season, is widely known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In today’s Gospel from John, there is that desperate question asked by the Judeans of Jesus, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly?” Jesus responds in two ways. He is in union with his Father, which should testify to who he is, and he is like a Shepherd whose people, like sheep, hear and know the voice of the Shepherd. He gives the image of a great protector of his own.
In the modern world we may notice that there is a kind of dissatisfaction or at least a discomfort with these images or metaphors of who Jesus is in the Messianic role. In our culture, we are resistant to images like that of sheep, because we think of sheep as part of a flock, not very bright and easily led. We are much more comfortable with being self-made men and women. We embrace our individualism. We no longer even live in a culture where young men become what their fathers were or are. Independence, individuality, and being self-made with ability to take care of ourselves are important values for us. The concept of Jesus as Good Shepherd is for us somewhat maudlin, sentimental. Thus, there is a certain distancing ourselves from that kind of image of the Messiah. We are uncomfortable with the need of being saved. “Saved from what?” Some skeptics say mockingly.
It is extraordinarily important that as Christians we work at appreciating what is at the heart of seeing Jesus, the Messiah, as being at one with the Father, God, and what he meant be being a Shepherd to a flock of sheep. Let me interject here that even in Jesus’ time, Shepherds did not have a particularly good and honorable status. Shepherds crossed boundaries and trespassed on other people’s lands. They were often thought to be thieves. They did not stay at home at nights to protect their women and families. Thus, in Jesus’ time, shepherds were not seen as honorable men. But do keep in mind how Jesus often reversed and redeemed certain images and matters of the culture.
Let’s consider what it meant to be a good son. Boys grew up in their early years close to their mother’s apron strings. Once, they reached puberty, they then left their mother’s and were trained by their father’s in the ways of the world. They were often severely disciplined. The Hebrew book of religious instruction, Proverbs 13:24, talks about not sparing the rod: “If you don’t punish your son, you don’t love him. If you do love him, you correct him.” Sons were called to strict obedience, and they were not to cry, but to accept punishments stoically. Notice how at the crucifixion, Jesus remains silent, which makes his death most honorable as a well trained and obedient son of God the Father. He is strong, faithful, and devoted as a servant son of the Father. He stands tall like a Good Son, like a Good Shepherd. He is messianic in this sense, an obedient Son of God.
Now while in Jesus’ time, shepherds had a bad image, that was not so in the Old Testament, Hebrew Scriptures. Great leaders often had an association with shepherding. Moses became a shepherd and was called by God out of the burning bush to be servant to set the Israelites free from bondage. David was a shepherd boy who is selected by God to be a strong uniting King over Israel. Subsequent Kings of Israel and Judah were seen as Shepherds of the nation. They were thought of as good and noble shepherds. In the prophet Ezekiel, however, the kings and leaders of the Israelites, failing in their noble calling, are seen as bad shepherds who treated the poor of the nation with contempt and injustice. “You drink the milk, wear clothes made from the wool, and kill and eat the finest sheep. You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the one that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead you treated them cruelly.” (Ezek 34:4f) . . . . “I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them in the same was as a shepherd takes care of his sheep that are scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they are scattered on that dark disastrous day.” Ezek. 34:11). Jesus is seen as that fulfillment of Ezekiel. He is God come among his people, to reclaim and redeem all that is lost. In this sense Jesus is the Good, the Noble, the Beautiful Shepherd of God the Father who is the great protector and restorer of justice and dignity to the people of God.
In the Hebrew book of the Prophet Isaiah, there are several Suffering Servant passages, one of which uses the image of the sheep. The Suffering Servant of is the one who though “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.” The meaning here is that the Servant of God, a Suffering Servant of God, is noble and honorable. Those who endure the suffering of the world and take it without complaint are the noble sheep and lambs of God. Jesus, then, is the noble Shepherd, the noble and honorable lamb of God. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God as well as the Good Shepherd. In the reading this morning from Revelation 7:9-17, it is written that the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Jesus is Messiah, Suffering Servant, Son of the Father, and both the Lamb and Shepherd of God. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ restores dignity and honor to all of these images. He is the faithful Son. He is the Suffering Servant. He is The Good Shepherd. He is the lamb of God.
Again, my good people, notice that the imagery here when understood in the context of time, culture, and scripture is not maudlin, sentimental, cute. It is imagery of strength conviction, faithfulness, obedience, profound compassionate love, restoration, redemption, and it is about the development of a community of sheep under the direction of the Good Shepherd.
One of the great stories from the Gospel of John comes near the end of that Gospel in the few last verses of the last chapter (21:15-19). It is that scene where finally Jesus confronts Peter who had denied him. Jesus says to him: “Do you love me . . .” And Peter replies affirmatively, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” To which Jesus responds, “Take care of my lambs.” Jesus asks Peter two more times, “Simon, Son of John, do you love me?” Peter assures him that he does. And Jesus responds, “Take care of my sheep.” “Take care of my sheep.” Now Peter once a follower, a called and valued sheep himself, a man of dignity, is raised up as a shepherd himself in a calling to be a Servant with Christ.
The imagery and the metaphors in this passage and understanding of Jesus as the Messianic Good Shepherd are not sentimental saccharine images. They are the realities of our lives. While we enjoy and cherish our being self-made men and women, and so individualistic, the reality is that we are not self-made. We are God-made and are part of a unique family and community of God. We are called to be servants with dignity, in union with Christ’s Messiahship, and both lambs and shepherds in a unified flock or community that addresses the human needs of the world. We live in a world where there is loneliness, people in need, cruelty and injustice. We live in a world where there are many lost sheep, or lost persons whose sense of the right, the good, the lovely, and beautiful have been skewed by the world’s trends, fads, and philosophies. Yet we see the people, the sheep of God through Christ’s eyes of dignity, and embrace the challenge to do our part in the community and family of God. In union with Christ, the Good Shepherd, we see not sentimentality, but the noble honorable calling to be the sheep of his pasture and the healing shepherds of his flocks.
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