Ash Wednesday – 11 February 2016 – Year C

Ash Wednesday – 11 February 2016 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for our meditation is written in the 22^nd Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 1 - 13

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ² And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. ³ Then ^vSatan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. ⁴ He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. ⁵ And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” ¹³ And they went and found it ^ejust as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

 If there was one rule in the Roman Empire, it was that you kept the peace.  You could do pretty much anything as long as it didn’t cause a ruckus.  The Roman Empire operated very much like many parents.  “Don’t make me come over there!  If I come over there, someone is going to get it!”  Of course, in the case of parents, that might mean a time out, grounding, or some other reasonable discipline.  In the case of the Roman Empire, people who caused a ruckus usually received the death penalty … beheading or poison if you were a citizen … crucifixion if you were not.

The other thing that happened is that the people who were supposed to be in charge would be replaced.  So, if you were a Roman governor and it seemed as though there was a lot of unrest in your province, Rome would eventually replace you with someone more effective.

Rome understood that the religious leaders in Jerusalem had a lot of authority with the people.  Therefore, they made sure that the religious leaders understood that they served at Rome’s pleasure just like the governor.  They didn’t have to like Rome.  They just had to keep things reasonably peaceful.

The religious leaders were caught between a rock and a hard place.  This evening’s reading begins: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ²And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. (Luke 22:1–2) That’s a strange thing to say about these men.  After all, they were the ones who confidently took their places among people.  They loved the most important seats in the synagogue and the greetings in the marketplaces.  They were experts in the law, able to make a person break under its burden in a single word.  They wore the long tassels.  They gave a tenth of their possessions.  They fasted twice a week.  They could stand in the center of the synagogue and thank God that they were not like other people.  They had wisdom and power and the respect of the people … until Jesus came.    

Jesus caused problems.  His ministry attracted crowds.  His words touched hearts.  His hands opened eyes, and His words and hands were everywhere.  His very presence brought about a life that they had never known and a gratitude that they could only describe as divine.  Jesus looked like someone who could cause problems … draw the attention of Rome.  If Jesus kept going, He would start a rebellion and attract the attention of Rome.  On the other hand, if they tried to deal with Jesus and prevent the rebellion, the people would revolt and attract the attention of Rome.  Either way, the chief priests and scribes were afraid that they would lose their place.  So they gather on this day and prepare for His death. While everyone around them is preparing for Passover, they are afraid; and in that fear, they prepare for Jesus’ death.

Ironically, God had given people the Passover so that they would have a place of security … a place of comfort … a place to belong.  This is supposed to be a time of rejoicing in God’s gracious provision for His people.  Instead, the topic is fear and death.

Not much has changed down through the centuries.  Many of you may also wonder about your place.  Relationships change.  Children grow up.  The economy rises and falls.  In the middle of all of this many get that sinking feeling, that fear in the pit of our stomach, wondering how will we survive, how will we manage.  As we begin another season of Lent, we learn that there is one thing that does not change.  God works to free and forgive.  God always has a place for you.

This Lent, we will gather again for a season to reflect on the places of the Passion. Throughout Lent we will read through the entire Passion account as told by Luke, a small portion each week.

For most of us the places of the Passion are very familiar.  There is the Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, the halls of Pontius Pilate, the hill of Golgotha … these are the places we remember when we meditate on our Lord’s Passion.  Yet when Jesus enters a place, He never leaves it as He finds it.  The most troubling places in our lives become the most amazing places of God’s grace when Jesus visits them.

Peter will still be Peter, denying Jesus in the courtyard.  Pilate will still be Pilate, struggling in his judgment hall.  And the crowds will still be the crowds calling for Jesus’ death outside the palace.  But don’t be put off by these places of the Passion, for in the midst of this story, there is a wonderful, powerful love.  In the middle of all of this Jesus is still following His path to the cross.  As He makes His way to the cross, He is making His way to the place where He will earn a place for us in His kingdom.  Ultimately, His death on the cross will guarantee an eternal place for us in His kingdom.

In our Gospel reading we once again heard that the religious leaders were seeking how to put [Jesus] to death. (Luke 22:2) They were seeking because they could not come up with a plan.  Everything that they proposed had a problem.  Luke’s account then informs us that there was another one who has lost his place … one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas.  Luke’s account informs us that Satan entered Judas and worked through Judas to offer a plan that gave the religious leaders what they needed … a traitor who would lead them to Jesus when there were no crowds.

Luke tells us that when Judas came to visit the religious leaders, he found them with “the chief priests and officers” (v. 4).  If you can’t secure your place by your work among the people, you can at least protect your place by force.  Not only is there force, but Luke also points to finances.  Upon hearing of Judas’s offer of betrayal, “they were glad, and agreed to give him money” (v. 5). So we have fear, we have force, we have finances, and we have the foe - A deadly combination.  It brings about death in the life of faith.  It did then, and it does now.

In the middle of all this intrigue and betrayal, Luke recorded an event that reminds us that God is still in control.  His work is really so simple that if we don’t read closely, we may miss it altogether.  Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹²And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” ¹³And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. (Luke 22:8–13) Jesus gave a strange depiction of circumstances—a man carrying a water jar, a journey through the city, a furnished Upper Room.  His disciples went and found that it is exactly as Jesus said.  In the middle of all of this, God is still at work.  What is God doing?  He is preparing a place for His people. The place where God declares that He and He alone is at work to set His people free.

Did the enemy intend evil against Jesus?  Were the religious leaders searching for a way to kill Jesus?  Did Satan enter the heart of Judas?  Did Judas offer to betray Jesus?  It seems as though the plans of all these evil beings were coming together according to their desires.  Never the less, God would use even their evil plans to accomplish His great salvation.  He would work all things together for our greatest good.

As we make our way through this season of Lent, we remember the path to the cross … the path to the place where Jesus earned our salvation.  Never the less, we who live at this time also know how this will turn out.  The cross will lead to the grave, but then the grave will be empty.  We will receive the promise of the resurrection.  We receive the promise of a place in God’s eternal home.

While we wait here, the Lord has given Himself to us in a special way that gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation.  So, this Ash Wednesday, in worship we begin our Lenten observance with a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  In our worship service, God comes and brings with Him a feast that always has a place for us. His suffering, His death, His resurrection had a purpose.  There is no reason to fear, for our sins have been forgiven, our life is no longer our own, and when we gather in worship, there is a place set at God’s table especially for us.  A simple meal, a simple story, and a simple remembrance, but what a wonderful work God has done and is doing for us and for all of His people.  Amen

The grace and love of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Transfiguration of our Lord – 7 February 2016 – Year C

Transfiguration of our Lord – 7 February 2016 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in 9^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 28 - 36

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

One of the most important guides for interpreting the Bible is very similar to an old Real Estate saying.  Just as the three most important things in Real Estate are location, location, and location, the most important thing in understanding any passage in the Bible is context, context, and context.

It is often unfortunate that the readings on any given Sunday are so short.  We often miss out on the very context that can give some extra insight into the passage we are reading.  For example: today’s Gospel is the account of the Transfiguration … the time when Jesus gave a glimmer of a glimpse into the glory of heaven.  What the Gospel text does not tell us is that the Transfiguration took place in a very interesting context.

A few days before Jesus took those three disciples onto the mountaintop, He had been giving them some seminary instruction.  As part of that instruction ^{[Luke 9:18-20]} He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰ Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”  Luke is gentle and doesn’t tell us that although Peter might have gotten the words right, he really didn’t understand what he had said. 

We know that Peter didn’t understand because Matthew was not so kind to Peter when he recorded this account.  After Peter got the words right ^{[Matthew 16:21–23]} Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 

As I said before, Luke is not so hard on Peter, but Luke does tell us that Jesus said, ^{[Luke 9:22]} “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ and Jesus then explained what it meant to be the Christ.  As we look at the Gospel accounts, it is clear that the disciples are bewildered.  This is the context for today’s Gospel.  The disciples know that Jesus is the Christ but they are still labouring under the notion that the Christ is going to be some great political liberator who lead an army against Rome and drive them out of Israel.  He might even restore the glory of Israel from the days of David and Solomon.  This teaching of the Christ who suffers, dies, and rises from the dead is outside of their understanding.

So it is that as we start today’s reading from the account of Luke, we learn that Jesus led a very confused and bewildered Peter, John, and James up on the mountain to pray.  Peter, John, and James did what they usually do when they are alone with Jesus while He prayed.  They went to sleep.  What they saw when they woke up totally overwhelmed them.  Jesus was shining like the sun.  Not only was Jesus lighting up the mountaintop, but He was also having a conversation with Moses and Elijah.  This conversation was pretty amazing because Moses and Elijah had been dead for centuries.  We have an account of Moses’ death and burial in today’s Old Testament lesson.

Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  This was Luke’s gentle way of telling us that they were talking about Jesus upcoming death in Jerusalem.  The disciples were bewildered by Jesus’ upcoming death, but Moses and Elijah spoke of it openly.  It was the topic of their conversation with Jesus.  It was the topic of conversation in heaven.  Peter, John, and James heard Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah about His upcoming death in Jerusalem … a conversation about what it means to be the anointed one of God … the Christ … the Messiah.

Everyone reacts in different ways when confused or bewildered.  Peter’s usual response to such things was to open his mouth.  Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”  We don’t know exactly what Peter was thinking, but we do know that Peter still didn’t understand.  Luke tells us that Peter didn’t know what he was saying.

God the Father interrupted Peter as he uttered this foolishness.  A cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  It is almost as if God the Father is saying, “Peter, I gave you two ears and one mouth.  You should listen twice as much as you talk.  You should especially listen to My Son.  When He says, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised,’ pay attention!”

Peter, the rest of the disciples, and all the people who listened to Jesus teach had a similar problem.  They were not looking for a saviour who would die for them.  The saviour who lit up the mountaintop fit right into their plans.  A saviour on His way to die in Jerusalem did not.

It is part of our fallen human nature to want a saviour who is spectacular.  We like this show of glory that lights up the mountaintop.  We like fireworks.  We like light shows.  We like fancy, showy displays that grab our attention.  They are fun.  They are entertaining.  They make us feel good.  This is the saviour that we think we want.

Here is the problem.  We would be in big trouble if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.  If the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew, then our relationship with God would be a relationship of punishment.  God is holy and just.  He must punish sin.  We are wretched sinners.  Therefore God must punish us.  That is, He must punish us if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.

The Transfiguration is God’s answer to Jesus’ question … who do you say that I am?”  He is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that means He is the Christ who will go to another mountain near Jerusalem and die to take away all our sins.  God must punish sin, but will not punish us.  Instead this very Christ will take our sin onto Himself and the punishment for sin will rain down on Him.  In this way, He will stand in our place and satisfy the justice of holy God.  This is the saviour that we see on the mountaintop as He talks with Moses and Elijah.  God the Father identifies this saviour and tells us to listen to Him.

Jesus taught that He would suffer and die.  He also taught that He would rise on the third day.  He kept these promises.  He battled sin, death, and the devil as He suffered on the cross.  He followed death into death and with His death He conquered death.  Jesus is our true saviour.

We know that Jesus conquered death because death could not hold Him.  Jesus returned to life.  He promised us that even though we die, He will raise us as well.  When that day comes, those who rejected Him will have to deal with the full glory of the justice of God and they will try to flee from Him.  The Jesus who lit up the mountaintop will terrify them.  Those who trust the saviour who went to the other mountain and died for them will rejoice in the presence of God’s love.  They will live forever with their saviour who loves them.

The Transfiguration is like a giant hinge in the middle of the Gospel account.  It is a hinge between the seasons of Epiphany and Lent.

Epiphany is all about shining a light on Jesus so that we can come to know Him.  Epiphany begins with the light of the star that led the magi to the Christ child and it ends with the light of that same person who is now an adult as He reveals just a touch of the majesty that is His from all eternity.  We even have a voice from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  The Transfiguration fulfils all the elements of an epiphany that shows our saviour to us.

Lent is about the journey of Jesus to the cross.  As we consider Jesus and His journey to the cross, we also consider that Jesus is going to the cross to pay for our sin.  As we consider our sin, we more deeply consider our need to repent of our sin.  So Lent is a time of repentance as we consider Jesus on His way to the cross and trust in Him to grant us forgiveness. 

The Transfiguration prepares us for Lent.  As it fulfils its role as a true epiphany of Jesus, it also identifies Jesus as the one who must journey to the cross and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world.  It also identifies Him as the saviour who will conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil and rise from the dead.  The Transfiguration informs us of the journey to the cross … the great theme of Lent.

In the Transfiguration we learn that Jesus is indeed the reign of heaven on earth.  He is the answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come.”  We also learn that He is the one who journeyed to Jerusalem so that He could suffer, die, and rise so that we could enjoy the presence of the reign of heaven forever.  Amen

The love and grace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Epiphany 4 - 31 January 2016 - Year C

Epiphany 4 - 31 January 2016 - Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the13th Chapter of St Pauls First Letter to the Corinthians: Verses 1-13

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.

But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Our text is a very popular passage of Scripture. It speaks about love, and does so beautifully. No matter that what it describes is something that is scarcely, if ever, seen among mankind, it is a wonderful ideal! It is often used as a wedding Scripture by people who do not understand it, and who have no intention of following what it teaches. It just sounds good. I would like to lead you through just what it says - and what it says is what St. Paul calls "A still more excellent way". It is the way of Agape love. ( Agape (Ancient Greek: ἀγάπη, agápē) is "love: the highest form of love, especially brotherly love, charity; the love of God for man and of man for God.")    The meditation theme is "The Best Way."

The first thing our text says, in the first three verses is, "without Love, I am nothing!" None of the things I can do have any power or importance without love. Hearing this, there is something within each of us that cries out, "Surely, we say, something I do counts, somehow." But Paul says that without love, the sort of love that God has and shows toward us, none of it matters - it is useless and possibly even counter-productive. Even the best we have and do and intend is nothing without a genuine, God-like love.

Paul starts with speaking in tongues - both those languages that can be understood by men and those languages that only angels understand. Tongues alone mean nothing. Without love, all the words we can say in any language in which we may say them are no more than an irritating gong or discordant cymbals.

"Surely," you say, "if I have the learned all of the doctrines, then I am at least part way there." Paul says, "No." He says that I am nothing even if I know everything, and even if God Himself speaks through me, if I do not have love. You need Prophecy and Knowledge but they are not enough by themselves. They are not even significant without love.

Faith!, you say. If I have faith I am safe because we are saved by grace through faith. But Paul says that even this is not enough! Even if I have enough faith to move mountains by telling them to get up and move, I am nothing. Faith is not genuine, saving faith without love.

So, what I say and what I know and what I believe is not enough. Surely, if I add my actions, and they were consistent with faith and all, then I am secure!

Once again, the Apostle Paul writes that it profits me nothing. Even if I give all of my possessions to help the poor, or suffer horribly for the faith - he says - deliver my body to be burned - It does no good. I can still miss the mark. I can still fail to be a genuine Christian. Note that even with the evident and abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit, without love I have nothing and I am nothing. I must have love.

Then, Paul takes over four verses to picture this love for us. He does it positively and negatively - what love is like, and what love is not like. This is a picture of how love looks in real life.

Let me take the negative first. These are words used to describe what love is not like. If you see these things in yourself or others, then what you are seeing is not love, nor is the one doing them acting on love.

Love is not jealous. We don̓t envy one another from love.

Love does not brag. And, following that thought, love is not arrogant.

Love does not acting unbecomingly. What a broad and comprehensive term: "unbecomingly." It means to say that love is attractive, not ugly, not repulsive.

Love does not seek its own. That means that love is not self-centered. Putting number one first, often thought to be 'only reasonable', is not part of love. The one who does it is not acting in love when he or she does it.

Love is not provoked. Following in the same sort of thought, love does not take into account a wrong suffered. That means that love is forgiving.

And finally, love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. We take no pleasure in sin or wrong of any kind. It seems to me that this means that gossip cannot be part of love, or flow out of one who is acting in love. It also seems that we could not find pleasure or entertainment in unrighteousness, if we are living in and from love. That suggests that this kind of love limits our entertainment options a bit.

On the other hand, Paul tells us what love does look like. In many ways, it is the mirror image of the negative. For example, love is patient. If love is not centered in self but it is focused on others, patience makes perfect sense. It is willing to wait for the beloved to produce what it seeks, and to forgive its failures, when needed.

Love is kind. This needs no comment.

Love rejoices in the truth. It rejoices in any and every truth, because the Beloved is the way, the Truth, and the life.

Love bears all things. This requires patience and forgiveness - and stamina.

Love believes all things. This does not mean that love is gullible, it means that love is trusting. We tend to take people at their word, unless we have good reason to doubt it in each specific case.

Love hopes all things. That means that love works through faith. We always look for the best, if we are acting on love. Parents who love their children always look for the best, even when they have a long history of getting much less. They look for what they hope for.

Love endures all things. Love is not easy to destroy. Affection and physical attraction are fragile things, but love is enduring and durable. That is because affection and physical attraction focus on the one loving, and true agape love focuses on the one loved.

Finally, Paul sums all of these qualities up, sort of, and says, Love never fails. Love never fails? But who could be like this? Who could love like this?

The answer is that Paul is not writing about us, first and foremost. He is writing about God's love! He is writing about real love not the sin corrupted, pathetic and pale copy of love that we prattle about in our love songs and write about in our love stories and get all warm and sentimental about in the movies. God is telling us about His love for us, and the love that He would have us live out for one another in Jesus Christ. We each have it in us, because God gives it to us - pours His own on us, and installs it within us along with His Holy Spirit when He makes us His own! This is the still more excellent way of which Paul writes.

Paul then seems to break away from this love talk to speak about other things, like how we perceive reality. When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. It is only an appearance that the topic has changed. He is still talking about love and us and the best way. He is challenging the readers - and you and I  - to think like grown-ups, to see clearly, and to face the truth. Well may we ask "What is the truth about this agape love?"

The first truth is that agape love is an act of will, not primarily emotion. Your emotions will be involved, but they are incidental. This is a love of the intellect and will. It is a love which sees the beloved in all their glory and all their shame, honestly. Such agape love then sees the need of the one who is loved and intelligently plans to meet that need, or those needs if they are multiple. Then, the one who loves with this agape love puts that plan into action without regard for circumstances - or personal risk or cost, for the sake of the other, the beloved!

The love Paul was writing about is not simply "just like God̓s love for us," it is the love which God has for us and which He has poured out on us! The only way we can have this love for others is if God pours His love into us until it runs over and flows out of us. He loved us. He saw our need in sin, and planned to do the impossible, because that is what we needed.

He planned to punish sin, and thereby remain just and holy, and still rescue us from the guilt and punishment of our sins. He sent His Son to be One of us, God in human flesh and fully human while still fully God. They said it couldn't be done. They said nobody could do it. It is a logical impossibility. But God tells us in Isaiah 55, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'" God found a way to do what many, even many of those who call themselves Christians, said was impossible - still say is impossible.

God sent His Son to be born of a woman, and to keep the Law of God perfectly, and then Jesus died for us, taking the wrath of God against our sins on Himself, and dying the death we have earned, so that He could forgive us and give to all who believe eternal life with Him. That is the love about which Paul writes. Without this love we are nothing but death even as we live. Without this love flowing through us, we are nothing no matter what we do.

Agape is essential and it is eternal. We need it from God, and God has given us His love. If we are God̓s, this love must be part of us for God is love. We cannot be anything or do anything that is significant or lasting or valuable without this love. A true Christian is filled with this love and lives out this love - not as an emotion, but as a Spirit given, and Spirit worked act of both the intellect and of the will. Being a Christian is therefore a deliberate, not a natural, "doing what comes naturally" kind of thing.

Word and Sacrament play into our living out of this love very powerfully because -- God is the Source and the Power behind this love for us, and behind this love in us, and behind this love from us. He works in us through the Word and Sacraments, and only through the Word and Sacraments, so if we want this love for us or in us, we must come faithfully to the Word and Sacraments - the visible signs of the love of God.

Friends in Christ, having received from the riches of God's love, we calls s to be like Him. To act like Him, with patience, forgiveness, and endurance. To interact with others, our neighbours, in mind, with them as the objects of our love. That is clear when Jesus commands His disciples to love one another. This is not a  "we must love" command as though it is a law, a rule to be followed. Paul is telling us that this love within us is so powerful and pervasive that it will transform those in whose hearts and souls it rests.

The message of this lovely and popular passage of Scripture is the best way - of love, Real, Christian love. Anything else is a deception. Jesus said all of this more simply, and just as beautifully in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Amen

The love and grace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Epiphany 3 - 24 January 2016 - Year C

Epiphany 3 - 24 January 2016 - Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 4th Verse of the Gospel according to St Luke; Verses 14 - 30

"14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[b] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28  All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way."

There are still a few weeks remaining in the Epiphany season.  As we come to this part of the season, we notice a sad change in the tone of the Gospel for the day.  Epiphany begins as the magi rejoice in the star as it leads them to the new born king.  The Gospel for First Sunday after Epiphany gives an account of the witness of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ Baptism: “This is my beloved Son.”  Last week, we have the joyful epiphany of Jesus to the disciples and the servants as Jesus rescues a wedding from social embarrassment by converting more than a hundred gallons of water into wine.  So far everything is great.  Jesus is a smash hit.

Something changed when Jesus returned to Nazareth.  Today’s Gospel informs us that many people became angry when Jesus revealed Himself.  The people in Nazareth were so angry that they were ready to toss Jesus over a cliff.  Normally, tossing someone over a cliff was a prelude to stoning.  The stones did more damage to the victim when they were thrown down from a height.  That, and the wild scavengers could come and feast on the body without endangering the town after the victim was dead.  What did Jesus do that made the gentle-folk of Nazareth want to kill Him?

The context of today’s Gospel tells us that the events in today’s Gospel happened a short time after Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and then tempted in the wilderness.  Although He has a following, He has not yet officially called anyone to be an Apostle.  On the other hand, He has been authorised to read and teach in the synagogues.  So Jesus returned to Nazareth as the young rabbi who was causing quite a stir in the rest of Galilee.  It was very natural for the synagogue ruler to invite this young rabbi to teach on the Sabbath.

According to the lectionary, the reading for the day was from Isaiah 61. [Isaiah 61:1,2a] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour.  If you examine the context of these words in Isaiah, you will notice that even though Isaiah ministered over 700 years before Jesus was even born, He still followed Jesus’ instructions to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  Isaiah has just finished an account of the many sins of Israel.  He has called them to repent.  Then, in chapter 60, Isaiah begins a proclamation of forgiveness.  The captives and the prisoners in this prophecy are not just the captives and prisoners of the political enemies of Israel, but they are also the captives and prisoners of sin.  So the words that Jesus read that day were from the middle of that great proclamation of the forgiveness of sin that Isaiah proclaimed to all of Israel.  So, the people gathered in that synagogue were waiting for Jesus to explain this prophecy that the Holy Spirit gave to Isaiah over 700 years ago.

[Jesus] rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  Basically, Jesus pointed to Himself as the fulfilment of this prophecy of forgiveness.  Jesus is the bearer of good news.  Jesus is the binder of the broken heart.  Jesus is the liberator of the captive.  Jesus is the opener of the prison.  Jesus is the bringer of the Year of Jubilee.  Jesus identified Himself as the forgiveness that Isaiah, by the power of the Holy Spirit, spoke of in his message to Israel.  Jesus identified Himself as the Kingdom of God come down to earth to save people from sin.

It is not surprising that the people in the synagogue were blown away by Jesus’ words.  You can’t just walk into the synagogue and claim to be the fulfilment of prophecy.  If you make a false claim be the fulfilment of prophecy, you have just committed blasphemy.  Blasphemy is a stoning offence.  It is not surprising that the people in the synagogue were astonished at what Jesus said.

As bewildered as the people are, Jesus has not finished His sermon.  His teaching about prophecy was not complete.  Prophecy is not only fulfilled, but it is also rejected.  All the prophets of the Bible had two characteristics: 1). they spoke the truth that God gave to them; 2). their audience rejected the truth that God gave to them.  In fact, most of the prophets died because they spoke the truth of God’s Word to the people.

Jesus gave two examples: Elijah and Elisha.  Elijah stayed with a Gentile widow during a great famine.  Elisha healed a general of the Gentile Syrians who were the sworn enemies of Israel..  In both cases Israel rejected the prophets of God, and in both cases God sent His prophets to bless Gentiles.

After Jesus taught about rejection, the people of Nazareth demonstrated His teaching.  Instead of recognising their own hardness of heart and repenting, they acted to kill Jesus.  That is when they tried to throw Him from the cliff.

Let’s just stop for a moment and think about this.  Jesus preached a two part sermon.  In the first part of the sermon, He claimed to be the Kingdom of God come down to earth.  In the second part of the sermon, He spoke of the historical rejection of the prophets.  Which part made the people angry enough to kill?

Anyone who lied about fulfilling prophecy deserved to die by stoning.  The people who heard Jesus’ sermon should have investigated Him based on His claim to be the fulfilment of the prophecy.  If Jesus can provide evidence that He really is the fulfilment of the prophecy, then the people should fall on their faces and worship Him.  If Jesus can’t do that, then stoning is the correct response.  Never the less, at Jesus’ claim to fulfil the prophets, the people only got bewildered.

On the other hand, when Jesus reminded them of the well documented sins of their ancestors, they were ready to kill Him.  The very scrolls in that synagogue held the record that what Jesus said was the truth.  The facts of this rejection were regularly taught in all the synagogues.

The failure of the people of Nazareth was that they didn’t care that Jesus might have committed blasphemy.  Instead, they were angry that Jesus had told them the truth about their own sin.

This problem is not restricted to Nazareth.  It is part of our sinful nature to be quite tolerant of people who make some really outrageous claims for their spirituality.  On the other hand, we are ready to go nuclear when someone points out the obvious truth of our own sin, especially if that sin is one of our favourite things.  Our sinful nature wants to reject the very Word of God when we hear the clear proclamation of our deepest, darkest, most favourite sin.

It is a very sad thing to reject God’s message of sin in our lives.  Rejecting God’s message of sin means that we also reject God’s message of salvation.  As the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write to Timothy, [1 Timothy 1:15] “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”  If we say that we are not sinners, then we are saying that Jesus is not for us.  The true heart of the Gospel message is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and you qualify.

Jesus was telling the truth when He claimed to be the fulfilment of the prophets.  All we need do is think back to His baptism.  There the Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove as an exact fulfilment of the words of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me.”  God the Father also witnessed to Jesus as the fulfilment of the prophets as He said to Jesus, [Luke 3:22] “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

Jesus wants to give us the gifts that He purchased for us with His holy life, His suffering, and His death.  He wants to give the gifts that He authenticated with His resurrection from the dead.  He wants to tell us how His death on the cross has freed us from our captivity, opened our eyes to His salvation, and liberated us from sin’s oppression.

He comes to us as He came to the people of Nazareth in their synagogue.  He has given us His teachings in the words of the Bible.  He has promised that when we hear His words, the Holy Spirit will work in us to establish and strengthen our belief in Him.  He has promised to put the very name of God on us in Holy Baptism.  He has promised to come to us in His very body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar.  The gifts that Jesus offered to the people in Nazareth will be ours.

Jesus truly is the fulfilment of God’s promises.  He is the Anointed One, the Christ, the Messiah.  He has preached the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  He has shown us the light of His salvation.  With His life, suffering, and death on the cross, He has freed those oppressed by sin.  With His resurrection, He offers the Lord’s favour to us.  He gives these things to us through the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith.  God has promised all these things to us and today they are fulfilled in our hearing.  Amen

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen