The Sunday of the Holy Trinity ---- 31 May 2015

We believe in one God, the Father, the

Almighty…

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God…

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,

the giver of life…

·        Trinity Sunday is an odd Sunday to preach on. Other festivals celebrate an event found in the Scripture or the life and faith of a certain person or persons in the history of the Church. Some Sundays are given over to causes like immigrants or missionary work or Christian Unity.

·        Not so with Trinity Sunday. This is the only Sunday that celebrates a Church doctrine. There is no “Inspiration of Scripture Sunday” or “Salvation by Grace Sunday.” Yet we have “Trinity Sunday.”

·        I am not going to try to explain the Trinity. I couldn’t possibly do that. I do know that the celebration of Trinity Sunday goes very far back in the Church’s history. This is seen in the formula for Baptism with make reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a formula so old that it can be seen in the Gospels.

·        I can try to say that the Church proclaims and celebrates the events that are formative in the life of the Church; hence our celebration of Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, and Reformation among others.

·        Trinity – a revelation of the very nature of God - is something that is formative in the life of the Church; it is just something that is not explainable.

·        I could use examples, both ancient and modern, that illustrate the Trinity, like the apple where the skin, the meat, and the seeds of the fruit are all present and make up the entire apple without one being either of the other two. I could use the three-leaved clover – the Shamrock – to illustrate the Trinity. After all, it’s supposed to have worked for Patrick, hadn’t it? As pretty as those examples are, they really don't work well.

·        Neither of those illustrations explain the Trinity. There are theological arguments that go ‘round and ‘round on what the Trinity is and how the “Hypostasis” or “Perichoresis” is achieved. (Those are not diseases, but the theological terms for what the Trinity is in itself. Pretty dry stuff and not a lot of use in preaching.)

·        Let’s look at it another way. We talk about the Trinity as a “mystery.” In our society a mystery is something we don’t understand or comprehend YET… with a great accent on the “yet.” We see mysteries as things to be cleared up, unraveled, or solved

·        Still, there are things all around us that we don’t comprehend yet we do them, believe them, and celebrate them all the time. I imagine that many of us could come up with pages of example, but here’s a few that remain mysteries to me.

·        I’d often wondered why my cousin’s husband (now deceased) who was a teacher, coach, life-guard, and United States Marine combat veteran enjoyed riding the merry-go-round and only the merry-go-round.

·        How do you know when to plant a certain crop?

·        How do you know when green apples are ripe?

·        Why do dogs make a circle when they’re going to lay down?

·        At what temperature should you add the sour cream to the hot broth when making Chicken Paprikash?

·        Who here can smell the rain when it’s going to storm?

·        Who here can smell the snow when it’s on the way?

·        What makes us like what we like?

·        How do you know when someone loves you?

·        How do you know when you love someone?

·        Some of these are greater mysteries than others. Some of these might also be skills to be learned and developed, but they often look like mysterious behavior to many who are not able to do such things and don’t understand. Many of these must be experienced rather than comprehended. In fact, they are quite often better when experienced rather than understood? For example, would you rather understand love or know love?

·        It is the same way with the Trinity. We can study it until we drop and we’ll never understand it. Yet we can experience the Trinity, proclaim the Trinity, and live our lives with the Trinity.

·        All in all, the Trinity is a glimpse of the life of God. The Trinity is not an aspect of God, like power and might and omniscience; the Trinity simply is God. This is not a reality that we can claim to believe. It is a truth that we receive by faith through the Spirit as gift from God.

Pentecost Sunday ---- 24 May 2015

Acts 2:1-21

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

·        Wouldn’t it be nice to have Jesus with us all the time? The loss of Jesus was a great distress to all the disciples, both the loss through the Crucifixion or through his Ascension. I’m sure they would have much rather have had Jesus with them forever – to hear his teaching, to share his life, and simply to enjoy his company.

·        But this was not to be. In the passage from John that we read today, Jesus makes it clear to his disciples in the upper room at the Last Supper that he must leave them, one way or the other. He even says that it is to their advantage that he go away. That sounds rather cold even though he says he will send the Advocate to them.

·        That’s an odd term – Advocate. In the original language, the term is paracletos and it means something like “comforter”, “encourager”, or perhaps even “defense attorney.” Jesus said to his disciples that the Advocate would not come until Jesus sent him.

·        We all know that the Gospels are filled with admonitions by the disciples, especially Peter, telling Jesus not to talk about suffering or leaving. The disciples did not understand fully what Jesus was about and objected to the idea of a suffering Messiah. They’d also object to the idea of a Messiah who’d leave them, especially since he rose from the dead!

·        In a very dramatic conversation on the mountain of the Transfiguration, we see what the disciples would have preferred: Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,^* one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.  (Mark 9:5-6)

·        Peter, ever the spokesman for the whole group, expresses the desire of the disciples. The two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of Resurrection unknowingly expressed the same sentiment: ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ Although he disappeared from their sight, Jesus did stay with them: Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

·        Jesus knew his friends and his disciples. They would want him to stay where they could be with him all the time, as I said earlier, to hear his teaching, to share his life, and simply to enjoy his company. So he said he could not stay with them, but the Advocate, who would only come after Jesus left, would lead them to all truth and to the glorification of Jesus.

·        As we see in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit came upon the assembled disciples (which included many more people than the Twelve) and gave them gifts – of speech in many languages and of the courage to speak. The entire church was now equipped to spread the Good News of salvation everywhere.

·        Staying in one place would not lead spreading the Good News or to growth. Look at the Temple in Jerusalem; the Jewish people had a very difficult time seeing their faith without a Temple. When the first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and the people when into exile, the Jewish people felt cut off and abandoned by God… until the idea of the synagogue came about. When the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans and the people were once again scattered, sects of Judaism that were tied to the Temple, like the Sadducees, disappeared. Others, who were tied to the Torah and the community synagogue, survive and flourish to our own day.

·        Had Jesus stayed with his disciples rather than returning to the Father and sending the Advocate, people would have had to come to where he was to experience him. There would be limits to how many could come and how many could see and know Jesus. With the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, those limits are gone. The Spirit leads us –each of us- and goes where we go. There’s no place we can go where the Holy Spirit does not precede us. Psalm 139 reminds us of this:

Where can I go from your spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?   (Ps. 139: 7)

·        It is the Spirit that lead, encourages, empowers, and accompanies all that the Church does. Where the Church hears and obeys God’s will, the Spirit fills the Church to continue in God’s will. Where the Church falls short, the Spirit corrects and raises up those who are inspired to reform it.

·        Some call Pentecost the birthday of the Church. It might be better to call the festival the first steps of the Church.

·        Pentecost is originally a Jewish festival of first fruits which soon became a festival celebrating the giving of the Torah, or the Law. For Christians, it celebrates the first fruits God has given us and the giving of the living Spirit to all Christians. We are all called, all given a mission, and all upheld by nothing less than the Holy Spirit.

·        Jesus no longer walks among us, but by the Holy Spirit, he lives within us. And that is truly something to rejoice in and to celebrate. Since the Church season of Easter is finished, we no longer say “Christ is risen!” Now we could say “Christ is with you!” To say that in a more ‘Church-y’ way, we’ll say “The Lord be with you” and you all know how to respond, don’t you?

The Seventh Sunday after Easter ---- 17 May 2015

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry."  21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

  

“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection."

·      Shortly after the Ascension of Jesus, the apostles and all the disciples gathered to find a replacement for Judas Iscariot. It appears that this was among the first things that the early church did. It seems that they didn’t’ want to get by with only eleven apostles, so a replacement was needed. Two men were nominated by the assembly. After prayer and the casting of lots, a man named Matthias was chosen.

·      What he was chosen for is interesting to note. Peter says “One of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” He was not chosen for church administration or teaching, but to witness the resurrection of Jesus to all around.

·      This witnessing appears to be the primary function and ministry of the apostles. The proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus was what the apostles saw themselves to be about.

·      Why would it be important to choose one from among all the disciples who had accompanied the apostles throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry? That appears to be the first requirement.

·      It might be a case of a desire for continuity. The early church wanted to be sure that those who proclaimed the Resurrection were familiar with the Resurrection. They may have wanted the proclamation to be the same for all, without any additions. We don’t know. What we have is the four Gospels that proclaim the life and ministry of Jesus as well as his death. Matthew, Luke, and John all have resurrection accounts although Mark does not for reasons not known to us. All these accounts are based on the earlier proclamations of the Christian community.

·      With this in mind, the apostles and the early church may have wished to maintain so commonality of belief. They may have wished that the proclamation lead to a common faith, held everywhere. Since nothing had yet been written down, the only way to maintain a constant proclamation was to choose the proclaimers from the group that “accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.”

·      This decision to choose an apostle from among the group that knew Jesus points to a strong commitment to proclaim the earthly life of Jesus. Both Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas knew Jesus, had heard his preaching, and had probably witnessed his miracles and his death. They had seen the risen Lord and were, at the very least, aware of his ascension. They experienced the entire story and knew it personally. To them, to all the apostles, and all the disciples who had walked with Jesus, knowing his earthly reality was of vital importance. It was important to proclaim it.

·      Knowing Jesus’ earthly ministry and life makes his Resurrection all the more real. It affected all the disciples’ lives. The early church appears to value the Resurrection of Christ above all things. It has been the constant theme of the church’s preaching and proclamation since the earliest days. It is what permits Jesus’ death to make sense. If the chosen apostle “must become a witness with us to his resurrection.", then the church has made the Resurrection of Jesus the bedrock of the faith. To proclaim the Resurrection carries with it all the rest of the revelation that the church hold dear.

·      This is why we celebrate Easter for seven weeks, a “Week of Weeks.”

·      This is why we say “Christ is risen” so often in the season of Easter.

·      This is why every Sunday, we celebrate a little Easter in our churches.

·      This is why we as Christians worship on Sundays for it is the day of the Resurrection.

·      In truth, we can’t do without Easter and the Resurrection of Christ. It is what gives us our ultimate hope.

·      The Church throughout the world proclaims the Resurrection of Christ even though there are none among us who are like Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas, that is “who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us…”

If you want to know the proclamation of Jesus’ Resurrection today, look to the Church, because it is our constant word. Look to the Church’s Scriptures, for they tell of it. And look to the Church’s members, for we are to proclaim the Lord’s death and Resurrection with our words and lives, until he comes again.

The Sixth Sunday after Easter ---- 10 May 2015

Acts 10:44-48

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

·      You all probably know that the book we call “the Acts of the Apostles” was written by the same writer as Gospel of Luke. Luke addresses both of the books to someone he calls “Theophilus.” Whether this is an actual person named Theophilus or a reference to anyone who is a “friend of God” (the meaning of the word, Theophilus) is unknown to us. It doesn’t really matter to us as far as today’s conversation goes.

·      The book is called The Acts of the Apostles, but we really hear of some of what Peter in particular did before the focus shifts to what Paul did. We hear almost nothing of what the other apostles did. Because of this, there are some who thing this book should be called “The Acts of Paul.”

·      I wonder if this book would be better titled “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” This wouldn’t mean that the Spirit was limited to the events that Luke records. Nor would it mean that the work of the Holy Spirit was ended when Paul reached Rome. This alternate title would just give credit where credit is due.

·      In many ways, it comes down to this question: Who’s really in charge here? Did the apostles do all they did on their own? Or were they empowered by the continued presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, their ministry, and their preaching?

·      In today’s reading from Acts, Peter is amazed and a bit shocked that the Spirit has come upon the people he has been talking to. He is amazed because the Spirit has fallen upon them before they were baptized. He is further amazed because the people present are not Jewish. He is in the house of a Roman centurion, Cornelius, a “God-fearer”, which means a Gentile who has come to follow the ways of the Jewish people even though he has not undergone what is required to become Jewish. Cornelius and all his household remained Gentiles.

·      Peter sees that the Spirit has come where he didn’t expect the Spirit to be and he is moved to baptize the entire household. Before this, Peter would not have ever even thought of associating himself with Gentiles. Only the children of Israel could become Christians. It took this experience and the vision that preceded it an earlier passage of the book, to convince Peter that the Spirit cannot be denied and must be obeyed.

·      The Spirit of God is really in charge here. Both Peter and Cornelius respond in their own ways, but it is the Spirit they respond to.

·      In our own era of the Church’s life, we don’t always see such great examples of the power of the Holy Spirit being revealed among and around us. Still the Spirit is present – a fact we can easily forget.

·      To be honest, the Spirit of God is still in charge, here and everywhere. And the Spirit continues to do the unexpected. Throughout the history of the Church, people in power and people who wish to be in power have tried to tame the Holy Spirit and limit both her work and her strength. (I say “her” because in the original languages of the Bible, Spirit is feminine.) Despite all that, the Spirit remains outside of the control of the leadership and the clergy, the councils of the Church and the congregational councils, just as the Spirit was beyond the control of the apostles and led them to do quite heroic things and unusual things.

·      We are present for an outpouring of the Spirit this very day. We have baptized Aria and have been present as the Spirit of God has come upon her, even as an infant.

·      We continue our long-time custom of baptizing infants and not just because it’s cute. We do it in response to the Spirit of God within the Church and within the members of the Church. This day was chosen for the baptism because a series of event all came together allowing all of us to be present today. We baptize infants in response and with trust in the grace of God. That grace is given to all the baptized no matter what their age or state. In a number of ways, the baptism of an infant or young child emphasizes the reality and the power of God’s grace in the sacrament of Baptism; It is God who choses us, long before any choices we might make.

·      As the book of Acts goes on, we hear of the presence of the Spirit in the preaching of Paul. We hear of his troubles and the persecution he endured. Eventually he reaches Rome, the centre of the Empire and of the known world at the time. It is the Holy Spirit that leads him on his journeys and it is the Spirit that gives him the words to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

·      The Spirit seems so powerful in the book of Acts, especially when compared to our own day. Could that be because the apostles expected more of the Spirit than we do? What might the Holy Spirit do here and now if we expected her to be present… and active? Maybe it’d be odd and maybe it’d be uncomfortable, but for sure, it’d be filled with grace.

·      I hope and pray we all find out.

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"