Each Week Fr. John-Paul's sermons may be read here on line.
2nd Advent, 9 Dec. 07 (Romans 15:4-13)
In today's Epistle, Paul writes to the church in Rome to encourage them to exhibit three marks of Christian fellowship: the study of Scripture, living in harmony, and hospitality. Let's look at each of these in turn, to learn how we can apply them to our Christian fellowship.
First, Christ's church should be involved in the study of Holy Scripture, "for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Note that it's from the study of the Word of God that we can not only be instructed, but draw encouragement as well. One of the joys of ministry is being able to help people in need, but lately we've been overrun with people needing help with food, shelter, utility bills, and gas for their cars, until it got to the point where I went home one night feeling sorry for myself and praying to God for relief from this burden. the very next morning during my study of Scripture, God spoke to me through His Word: "Have you refused to obey Me when I commanded you to take care of the poor? One day you will meet me face to face to account for all you have done or refused to do; are you prepared to meet Me?" (Amos 4:6-13). Needless to say, my attitude was adjusted, and I went in to work feeling much more loving towards the needy. So we learn from our study of Scripture that it's always better to be right with God and to suffer, than to be wrong with men and avoid trouble. God's way is not always the easy way, but in the end it's truly the only way!
The second mark of the church is living in harmony, which is why Paul prayed: "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Christian fellowship should be marked by consideration of its members for each other (as it is in our church family who cares, here at St. Michael's, Ridgecrest). But this consideration must never degenerate into easy-going, sentimental spiritual laxity; rather, it must always focus on the other persons good, building up his or her faith and obedience to God's Word. But that must be done in an atmosphere of love, not criticism. The whole idea is to develop and build up a communion of believers who "may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." That's why our Prayer Book is called "The Book of Common Prayer" - "belonging to, and shared by, all members of the group." That's why our worship is so glorious!
The third mark of a Christian church is hospitality, for you are to "welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ as welcomed you, for the glory of God." Christ came, not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles also; and just as Jesus came into this world to save all people, so must His church welcome all people, no matter what their differences. Still, we must never forget that Christ came to save all people from sin; so while we are to warmly welcome all people, we are to condemn all sin! For it's only when we welcome them into the holiness of God that we are welcoming them "just as Christ has welcomed" us!
To exhibit these three marks of Christian fellowship, we need three essential gifts of faith: hope, joy and peace, which is why Paul concluded this teaching by praying: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Hope is essential because it's so easy to despair, even for Christian believers. Yet there are no hopeless situations, only people who have grown hopeless about them. We need to lift our eyes towards heaven and focus on the bright shining light of Jesus, and as long as we can remain focused on Him, then we'll have hope and the clouds of despair will not prevail against us.
Joy is essential because the world today is obsessed with its search for happiness. But there's a vast difference between happiness and joy: Happiness is dependent upon circumstances, so that when, for instance, your home team is winning you are happy, and when it's losing you are sad. But joy is dependent upon Jesus, and Jesus never changes, therefore our joy remains constant regardless of our circumstances.
Peace is essential because it allows us to rest and grow closer to our loving heavenly Father. Yet there are two factors which work to destroy that peace: inner tension and worry about externals. Most of the former result from not trusting our Lord enough, and most of the latter are beyond our control anyway, so the key to peace is "letting go and letting God" have control. Please don't dismiss this as just a cliché, because it truly works! Only our trusting God to handle things leads to that "peace that passes understanding."
The bad news is that we can't do any of this in our own strength and power; but the good news is that we don't have to! Because the same power that raised the lifeless body of Jesus from the grave is available to you and to me today, if we'll just pray, "Come, Holy Spirit, come." Which is exactly why Paul concludes that we "may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1st Advent, 2 Dec. 07 (Romans 13:8-14)
In today's Epistle, Paul writes to the Christians in Rome (and throughout the world today), urging them to "owe no one anything, except to love one another."
"Owe no one anything." That's a nearly impossible, yet desperate hope, for many of us today. With the average credit card debt per household now over $10,000, and the average car or truck loan over $25,000, Americans are sinking deeper and deeper into debt all the time, and the vast majority of them are self-professed Christians! How can we reverse this trend, obey God's Holy Word, and "owe no one anything"?
First, let me hasten to point out that a house mortgage is not part of this equation (unless the mortgage payments exceed a quarter of the monthly income), because it's called real estate for a very good reason (it's "real").
Second, let me share a story of how Pam and I attained our dream of finally becoming debt-free. One Sunday evening, we were attending Happy Church, the home of Marilyn Hickey Ministries in Denver, Colorado, when Pastor Hickey preached on this very passage. He asked how many of us were debt-free (not counting mortgages), and only a few people raised their hands. Then he asked how many of us would like to be debt-free, and everyone raised his or her hand. He asked us to take a few minutes to write down all our non-mortgage debts on the back of our bulletins, tear off the page, fold it until it was small enough to fit in the palm of our hand, and then stand and hold up our debts in a clenched fist. Then he led us in an echo prayer (where he prayed a line and we echoed it), surrendering all our debts to Jesus and asking for His Holy Spirit's guidance and power to pay them all off. After that, we sang a few hymns and went home. I felt a bit cheated, actually.
So we continued to struggle through seminary and our early years in ministry, making regular payments on our bills, yet not making any progress on becoming debt-free. Actually, the opposite was true, and we fell deeper and deeper in debt.
Finally, we prayed long and hard about it, and the Lord reminded us of that prayer of surrender of debts there at Happy Church all those many years ago. We each felt convicted, and we repented of ignoring Him and trying to do it on our own; we begged Him to give us another chance and take control, and He did! His Spirit led us to draw up a chart of all our bills, and we managed to pay them all off - almost $41,000 total - within 18 months! It was a glorious day of victory when we could finally declare that, thanks to Jesus, "we owed no one anything."
Or did we? Remember the second half of that verse? "Owe no one anything, except to love one another." But why is love for others called a debt?
The answer is found in the Cross of Calvary: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). We are permanently in debt to Him for the lavish love He poured out on us; and the only way we can ever repay Him is by loving others in turn. But because God's love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have this obligation to "love our neighbors as ourselves."
And if we feel inclined to ask, "Who is my neighbor?" we have only to recall our Lord's teaching in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and His question at the end: "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" And the reluctant answer was, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:36-37).
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
Yet, somehow or other, we've gotten the idea that self-love is wrong - that it's sinful, even. But if that were the case, then it would be pointless of Jesus to command us to love our neighbor as our self, and Jesus is never pointless. So what does He mean?
Even people of low self-esteem make sure that their own basic needs are being met: that they have adequate clothing and food, keep a roof over their heads, and try not to be cheated or injured. So loving others as ourselves means seeing that their needs are met, too. And as we focus on the needs of others, it's amazing how we no longer suffer from low self-esteem, since we are meeting the needs of Jesus!
In His Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus taught that "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me" (Matthew 25:40).
And finally, in the hymn that's based on John 13:34-35, Jesus teaches, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you love one another as I have loved you. But this shall all men know you are My disciples, if you have love one to another. By this shall all men know you are My disciples, if you have love one to another."
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Last after Pentecost, 25 Nov. 07 (Colossians 1:11-20)
In today's Epistle, Paul is praying for three blessings on the Colossians (and on us): Power, Patience & Praise. So let's look at each of them in turn, and then I'll add a few words about infant baptism.
First, Paul prays for power: "May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power." This echoes our Lord's promise to His disciples just before He was taken up to heaven: "I am going to send you what My Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The great problem is a Christian's life is not to know what to do, but to do it! That was Paul's big problem: "For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do" (Romans 7:15). Just like you and me, Paul needed power. And he knew the Colossians needed it, too.
Second, Paul prays for patience: "May you be prepared to endure everything with patience." Paul learned how to have patience by being given his thorn: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.'" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). That's why he was able to write to the Colossians, assuring them that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Colossians 5:22). Through his own experience of God's grace, Paul was able to recommend Spirit-fruit patience.
Third, Paul prays for praise or thanksgiving: "[May you do this] while joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light." I realize that Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, but giving thanks to God should go on 365 days of the year, because we have so much for which to be thankful. The old people were right when they encouraged us to count our blessings:
"When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God has done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God has done."
And remember: it was their stubborn refusal to give thanks to God that cost the Israelites their "most-favored nation" status. So give Him the praise and thanksgiving due His name!
In summary, it would be a very frustrating experience if God merely told us what His will was, and then left us to do it in our own strength and power; but He not only tells us His will, He also enables us with His power to do it! Through prayer and patience and praise, we grow closer and closer to God, which enables us to tap into His awesome and life-changing power.
And now let me close with a word about infant baptism. Today, Kadyn's parents have brought him here to receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism (which we are pleased to provide). But it's not just the pouring of water over Kadyn's head that's the important thing here; it's the gift of our heavenly Father's love. Today, a check is being written, made payable to Kadyn Marks, drawn on all the riches of heaven, and signed by God Himself! But unless and until Kadyn reaches an age of maturity and endorses that check, it's nothing but a pretty piece of paper, nice to keep in his scrapbook. Kadyn can "cash" that check by standing before a bishop and a congregation just like this and confirming those promises made here today on his behalf by his parents and godparents. And the bishop will confirm Kadyn's membership in the Church of God. So let's do our part and let God do His, in hopes that someday Kadyn will do his, too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
25th after Pentecost (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)
When my wife was a teenager, growing up in downstate Illinois, she had a date scheduled with one of the most popular boys in her high school; but on the day of their date, she heard through the grapevine that his family had sold their house and business and left town! She then discovered that his family was one of several in town who belonged to a religious sect, whose leader had predicted that the Second Coming of Jesus was only a few days away. So she and her girlfriends drove to the site of their encampment and found a large field full of them, living in tents and lean-tos, eagerly awaiting the Day of the Lord.
Such was the case in Thessalonica in Paul's day, where many of the Christians had become convinced that our Lord's Second Coming was imminent, so they had all stopped working and were eagerly awaiting His arrival. And so Paul was writing to tell the church leadership "to keep away from believers who were living in truancy." Now, that final word was translated as "idleness" in the NRSV Bible, but the Greek word Paul uses is one that means "truancy" (that is, being absent from school or work without permission). So when you see the word "idle" in verses 6, 7 and 11, think "truant."
You see, just like the folks that belonged to the religious sect in Pam's high-school days, these Thessalonians were hard workers. They weren't lazy; they were simply convinced that the end of the world had arrived, and Jesus was coming to take them home. In the case of Pam's teenaged friend, when the day came and went without Jesus' appearing, the religious leader of their sect admitted that he'd been mistaken, and everyone went home and tried to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. And I'm sure that the Thessalonians did something similar.
But Paul's words weren't limited to them. Like most of Scripture, reading this passage is like peeling an onion: there's a deeper layer of meaning here for you and me and all Christians, if we're just willing to peel it away.
Now I don't know about you, but when I was a teenager, kids who were truant from class were the most likely to get into trouble. "Idleness is the beginning of all vices" was a saying in those days, and one of the worst resultant vices was, and still is gossiping. In Paul's opinion, while there may be worse vices in the Christian church, none have the long-term potential of doing more damage than gossiping. Thus Paul lists gossiping among the depraved acts of mankind: "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil" (Romans 1:29-30).
Gossiping has crippled ministries, destroyed fellowship, and even closed churches. Think about that: the repeating of a malicious bit of gossip has brought down a temple of Almighty God and silenced the proclamation of His Gospel truth!
One of my favorite jokes concerns a church gossip who was spreading unfounded rumors that one of their members was a drunk because his truck was seen parked outside a bar. When the story finally got back to the victim, he didn't say a word; he just drove his truck to the gossip's house, parked it out front . . . and walked home, leaving it parked there all night!
So let's guard ourselves against listening to or repeating any unfounded rumors or gossip, dear hearts. As Paul reminds us, let us do our work quietly and earn our own living. Above all, let us "never grow weary in doing what is right."
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Veteran's Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2007 (Galatians 5:13-26)
Once every 7 years, Veteran's Day falls on a Sunday, and that is our situation today; so we are using the readings for Veteran's Day (or Remembrance Day, as it's called in Canada).
I'm basing my sermon on Galatians 5:13: "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another."
"For you were called to freedom . . ." Yes, we were, and are, called to freedom, dear hearts, especially those of us who are citizens of this great land of ours. Most of us were born in it, but some of us were drawn to its beacon of freedom from all over the world. I cannot remember a time while I was growing up in Canada that I didn't want to move to the USA. And such is the dream of countless millions of people in other countries today. Some countries erect barriers to keep their citizens from getting out; in this country we must erect barriers to keep folks from getting in (illegally, that is). That's a powerful testimony to the attraction of freedom here in the USA.
But the freedom we enjoy in America was, and is not, free! It came at a tremendous cost - the cost of thousands of casualties and deaths of the young men and women who fought to purchase and defend it with the blood they shed for freedom:
War Casualties KIA Revolutionary War 10,623 4,435 War of 1812 6,765 2,260 Mexican-American War 17,435 1,733 Civil War 970,227 184,594 Spanish-American War 4,108 385 World War I 320,710 53,513 World War II 1,078,162 292,131 Korean War 136,935 33,651 Vietnam War 211,471 47,369 Gulf War/Iraq/Afghan 28,451 3,169
"Democracy" means "government of the people, by the people, for the people," and the United States of America is the greatest example of democracy in action in world history. But if we really think about it, Christianity is the truest democracy of all, because a Christian cares as much for his neighbor as he does for him or her self. That's why, in today's Gospel, Jesus says, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
That's what Jesus did for us, dear hearts: He laid down His life for you and for me. 620,390 Americans, most of them barely out of their teens, died on the fields of battle for their hope of democracy and for our freedom from tyranny. One 32-year-old man died on a cross on Jerusalem's garbage dump for His hope of a heavenly kingdom and for our freedom from sin.
Remember my text for today's sermon? "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence." Our Christian freedom is not a license to "sin and sin boldly," as Luther once said, "We have not become free to sin, but rather, by the grace of God, we've become free not to sin!" Just think about that.
Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, men and women have been born sinners, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But thanks to the victory won by Jesus on the cross at Calvary, you and I have been freed from sin! The chains of sin have been broken; Satan has been defeated. So it is now possible for us not to sin! And that, dear hearts, is true freedom, indeed!
As I told our congregation at last night's five o'clock service, you and I are dual citizens. We are citizens of the country in which we live, and we are citizens of heaven. Most likely, these two citizenships will never clash, for that which makes a good Christian also makes a good citizen. So on this Veteran's Day, let's celebrate our freedom of democracy and our freedom not to sin. God has doubly blessed you and me; let us give Him double thanks.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All Saint's Day, Sunday, Nov. 4th, 2007 (Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17)
There are three elements in today's Epistle that John is trying to convey to the early Christian churches: 1) a warning, 2) an assurance, and 3) a promise.
First, the warning - that the time of tribulation is coming soon: "I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage the earth and sea, saying, 'Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with the seal on their foreheads'" (Rev. 7:2-3). In this coming tribulation there is to be a final devastation of the earth, in which the winds are to play their part, but for a little while they are being held in check.
Yet notice the assurance: the faithful servants of God are to be sealed with a mark on their foreheads. In the early church, this picture of sealing was connected with two things: Baptism, which was regularly described as sealing; and the gift of the Holy Spirit, with which the Christian is also sealed. Even to this day, as soon as I finish baptizing someone, I mark on their forehead the sign of the cross and say, "N., you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever. Amen." Not only have they become the property and the possession of God, but they have also become enabled with the wisdom and strength to cope with life in a way beyond the attainment of others.
And thirdly (after a vision of the angels worshipping God), there's the promise: when they have passed through that time of tribulation, they will come to the blessedness in which all pain and sorrow are gone and there is nothing but peace and joy: "For 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" (Rev. 7:17).
So let's explore that promise in detail, for it is the key to us who are being severely tried and tested by the adversities of life -- it is the touchstone that will strengthen our weakening knees and enable us to stand firm - it gives us something to hold on to. All this and more is found in the vision of the martyrs:
"After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!' . . . These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of they Lamb" (Rev. 7:9-10, 14).
Here we have the beginning of the vision of the future blessedness of the martyrs.
1) There is encouragement. Despite the coming of a time of terror such as the world has never before seen, John is telling them that, if they endure to the end, the glory will be worth all their suffering.
2) The number of martyrs is beyond all counting. This fulfills the promise God made to Abraham that one day his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens (Genesis 15:5) and as the sand of the seashore (Gen. 32:12). That includes all believers, for "those who believe are the descendants of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7). So, at the last, the number of his true spiritual descendants will be beyond all reckoning!
3) It is in victory that the faithful finally assemble in the presence of God and of the Lamb. They appear, not weary or battered or worn, but victorious! Their white robes are a sign of victory. Their palm branches are a sign of victory.
4) The shout of the triumphant faithful ascribes salvation to God. It is God who has brought them through their trials and tribulations and distresses; and it His glory that they now share. God is the great Savior, the great Deliverer of His people. And the deliverance He gives is not the deliverance of escape but the deliverance of conquest - not deliverance from trouble, but one which brings us triumphantly through trouble: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4, KJV) It does not make life easy, but it surely makes life great.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.