Sermon 188 June 4, Jn 11:47-52, Ac 12:1-7, 1Co 15: 12-21 Council Fathers - Germanus of Paris & Nicetas of Chalcedon

As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church

Maybe some, or many, of you have had the experience of writing something, a letter, an article, journaling, a speech, a work or school assignment, and after finishing the text, you put it aside and return to it later. And while re-reading it you think to yourself, did I write that? Maybe by questioning where the words came from we might realize that inspiration might very well come from a source beyond ourselves. It may be prompted by outside circumstances, something we read, a book or an article, that sparked the creative impulse; or an insight in prayer; or something we heard someone say; or a film or a play we saw; or a podcast we heard. But what prompts the inspiration is not the inspiration itself.

In today’s gospel we notice that the evangelist comments on Caiaphas' prophecy about Jesus. That it is better for one to die in order to save the nation. John notes that as High Priest, Caiaphas is speaking a prophetic message that was not from himself but from God. And even more, he was speaking about salvation for all, most likely without even knowing it. The events prompting his remarks are those surrounding the teaching and miracles of Jesus and the people's response to them.

Jesus fulfills this mission by freely and willingly accepting death to bring everlasting life to all. The enormity of this sacrifice is commented on by St Paul elsewhere when he says few would be willing to die for someone else, but someone just might be willing to do so for a really good person. Jesus Christ makes no distinction. He is willing to die for all: good and bad alike. For all are God's people.

This is baseball season. Sacrifices are built into the game. A sacrifice bunt or a sacrifice fly are examples. One player sacrifices himself and is out so that another might be able to score. Should he score, the sacrifice benefits the whole team. If we are serious about seeing Jesus as our model for a life lived according to God's plan for us, then we need to understand what his ultimate sacrifice means not only for each of us individually but also for all creation. It is a grace for which we are forever grateful.

Nevertheless, we should not presume from this that we are expected to find a reason to die for the sake of the kingdom. However, both scripture and the writings of the early church fathers advise us that we are to die to ourselves. What did Jesus say? You have to lose your life to gain it! Jesus lost his life in order to gain it for all of us. None of us are in a position to do that. But daily we can die to ourselves in much smaller, but still significant ways. And it usually means putting aside what I want in order to let someone else's idea have a chance to grow. It's being willing to cheerfully let go of my cherished projects rather than think that they are essential for the wellbeing of others. It's being willing to sacrifice my time when doing so may offer a lifeline to someone in desperate need.

Today we remember the the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council who set forth the creed that we still profess today. It was a challenging time and one can only imagine how many participants had to struggle with themselves to come to terms with the final language. Sacrifices both large and small. We also remember today the 6th century saint, Germain of Paris, who struggled, often fruitlessly, to bring peace between rival political factions in Gaul. He also composed a Gallican liturgy used in France up to the time of Charlemagne and revived in the 20th century for use in France and accepted by the Orthodox Church. Sacrificial efforts centuries apart but bearing fruit to this day. All reminding us that our daily challenges and sacrifices are part of the constantly unfolding fabric of our spiritual journey with Christ, a journey we make with all other believers.

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

Sermon 187 May 7, 2023 Jn 5:1-15, 1Pt 3:13-22, Ac 8:26-40 Paralytic - Waiting

As preached by Brother Luke

Holy Wisdom Church


Christ is Risen!



How long are you willing to wait for your computer to open and be ready to use? How long are you willing to sit in a doctor's office waiting for your scheduled appointment to take place? How long are you willing to wait in line in a grocery store to check out? How long are you willing to wait on hold on your telephone for the next available customer service representative to help you? How long are you willing to wait to be seated in a restaurant? How long are you willing to wait for God to answer your prayers?

We want results and we want them fast. We want everything done immediately, sooner if possible. No waiting. Our patience wears thin pretty quickly. Today's gospel lesson is clearly about Jesus healing an invalid, but it is also about waiting patiently. It's about never giving up. It's not about instant gratification. It's not about getting my way immediately or I'm out of here. It's about something our modern society does not value. Waiting. That doesn't mean waiting has been eradicated from our society. Far from it, as noted above. What we want and what we get does not always coincide. And that's God's plan and we don't like it! What's that old adage? "Man proposes and God disposes." A lesson we can learn frequently if we are paying attention.

Great athletes are not created overnight, they have to spend many long years in preparation. And then only a few make it to the top. Star musicians must do the same. Of course there are child prodigies. People touched by God at an early age. But for most of us, in whatever given endeavor, we most likely have to work and prepare before reaching our goal. It takes patience and perseverance. Are we at peace with that?

The paralytic at the pool of Bethsaida waited 38 years before his prayer was answered. The woman with the issue of blood waited 12 years before her prayer was answered. But waiting and patience have nothing to do with idleness. Notice our paralytic. He is constantly trying to get to the pool, but is unable to get any help and so others always get there first. Does he give up? No! Each time the water in the pool is stirred he attempts to make his move. But the crowds of ill people - the blind, the lame, the withered - lying in the five porches surrounding the pool are also stirred up and one can only imagine the jostling and shoving that takes place while they strain to get to the pool in time.

Jesus quietly enters this scene and heals a man who has no idea who Jesus is. Healing can come to anyone. God's desire is for us to be healed. Jesus asks the man do you want to be healed? His 38 years of trying and never giving up is his answer. So, Jesus tells him to take up his mat and walk, and he does. And what might we take away from this lesson? Tempering our impatience may be the first step in our healing.



Christ is risen!

Homily Easter 2023

By Sr. Rebecca
Holy Wisdom Church

 

       We heard this morning from John’s Gospel “the Light shines in the darkness.”  What light?   John is pointing to this Light of Christ, the same that emanates and radiates from the very beginning of God's creation:  In the book of Genesis, chapter 1, we hear of the Spirit hovering over the deep dark abyss, and God said: “Let there be Light.” This is not the light of the sun but rather the mysterious Divine Light imbuing all of creation.   John is referring to this Light in introducing his Gospel:  Jesus is the very Word of God incarnate.  He is the Light of Life.  In him and through him God dwells—or, more literally, the text says that in Him God has pitched his tent in our midst. And continues to do so right up to this very moment.

            But the very goodness of God manifested in Jesus aroused hatred from those refusing the light, and he was put to death. We know the story and how this unexpected event threw his disciples into a deep dark abyss of despair, sadness, and dashed hope for a Savior of their world.  The disciples spiraled down their dark inner confusion to the point of being terrified of being associated with Jesus.  So they enclosed themselves behind locked doors, insulating themselves, huddling together in their misery.  

What is going on within them?  Figuratively, they have entombed themselves in a death-dealing Shame.  Shame, of which the other  side is Fear, leading to a sort of recoiling within, a hiding out in the dark inside myself.  Fear of what:  reprisal, rejection, and eventually death? Their shame-stricken minds hearken back to Adam and Eve hiding themselves out of fear and shame. But closed doors did not prevent the Risen Jesus from passing through into their midst and offering Peace to them.  Nothing they did brought about this sudden visitation It is sheer grace, the goodness of God that brought them to new life.  

            Teilhard de Chardin said that this extraordinary energy of the Risen Lord has changed the very atoms of creation—that it not only transformed lives but also transformed the entire creation.   God did not just create in the beginning and then somehow bow out of sight but has been creating, renewing life right up to our day.

            This reminds me of an event that may well illustrate this same Spirit creating new life in a person’s life: Some time ago, before Holy Week, I received a voice message on my phone. It came from a woman I will call Joan, saying:

“I am calling to get some advice as to what I should do.  My family hates me.  I am an alcoholic. Last night I heard this voice: it whispered inside me: ‘You can have another chance.  Everything is OK.  The past is forgotten.’  The feeling was wonderful.  I am calling because I do not know how to make the best of it.”

Those in AA can vouch for similar experiences that changed their lives forever. This voice from within Joan has invited her to new life—to rise from a dead-end prison of dark bondage and also from misery, not only to herself but also to her family and friends.  In calling for help she is doing her part—stepping out to ask for advice so she can act according to the Life offered her.  The seed has been planted.  She needs now the good soil for it to germinate.  

            I recently came across another person’s experience of this new light from within: “My practice now is to let my heart break for what I was.”  He finally let go of trying to control his life. Leonard Cohen expressed it like this: “There is a crack in everything and that’s how the light gets in.”

            The psalmist says, “Deep calls unto deep.”  The deep dark abyss continues in our day; we hear about it every day in the news. Killings and wounding of innocent people….many horrors flood the news. The Risen Lord assures us that the experience of this deep dark abyss calls forth again the Creative Spirit of God, who has been hovering over this chaos from the very beginning of not only our earth but the entire universe and bringing forth New Life.

            Later today we will return to our 24/7 daily lives with our concerns, our work, and our relationships.  May we hold in mind and heart Jesus’ word: “Abide in me.”  When we give heed to this presence, this kairos time, we allow the Light to pierce through everything we are and do...in every NOW moment.  Some part of us, though, is yet to be redeemed to see the Light.  We need the shocks of our difficulties, challenges, sometimes a mini or maxi crisis, to wake up to this innermost reality of God's creative life in our midst calling us to cooperate in God’s re-creating.  At times we find ourselves wrestling with our problems, with our thoughts and feelings, and we feel our sense of powerlessness.  Our tendency, like the disciples, is to go into the insular, self-enclosing of our own little self.  When we do this, it is like trying to solve the problem within the problem. God's grace is bigger than our limited sense of self.  Grace is woven into the fabric of our lives.   A German proverb ays:  “Begin to weave, and God will give you the thread.”

      We need only to trust in and cooperate with this divine presence, this Light of Life permeating all of life, and then our voices resounding in “Christ is Risen” will follow us into our everyday lives and unbeknown to ourselves reverberate for the Life of the World we live in.