October 25, 2015 ---- Reformation Sunday

Romans 3:19-28

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.

 John 8:31-36

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.

·        Today is Reformation Sunday, although the actual date of Reformation Day is October 31, this Saturday, which of course interferes with seasonal festivities that involve fiery gourds, door-to-door begging for sugary treats, and youthful masked marauders.

·        For some, this festival might be seen as a celebration of the victory of the churches of the Reformation over the (supposedly) corrupt system of Roman Catholicism. Yet, the Catholic Church still exists and preaches the Gospel in a way we’d surely recognize. At the same time, the churches of the Reformation have shattered into many, many small and often squabbling denominations while still clinging to the Gospel.

·        What we really celebrate today is the work of God in history and the grace of God in our lives. On October 31, 1517, Father Martin Luther, a friar of the Hermits of St. Augustine, posted an invitation to debate certain issue of theology on the church door of Wittenberg in Electoral Saxony. He questioned what many thought should not be questioned and he did not have an easy time of it from there on out. Neither did any of the other contemporary reformers. Any reform is never easy. Inertia, entrenched human conservatism, and just plain laziness all work against it. When discussing religious reform, evil cannot be forgotten on the list of opposing factors.

·        The primary insight of the Reformation is this: salvation comes from God and we cannot save ourselves. Despite any amount of hard work, prayer, fasting, donations, or study, the salvation we seek eludes us and cannot be reached by human effort. It come to us as the rain falls and just as freely. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.

·        Justification – the declaration of innocence from offences and sin – and salvation – the liberation of the person from sin and its consequences – are given to us without cost by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… We can’t earn it, buy it, create it, build it, decide for it, or deserve it. The price has been paid on the cross and what remains for us is to live it out in our daily lives… not an easy task. When we fail (and we will fail), there is forgiveness. That is one reason our worship begins with the Confession and Forgiveness; not to drive home guilt, but to assure us of grace. We hear the proclamation and the promise of the liberating grace of God, right here and right now.

·        With this in mind, we continue the Reformation in our present day. So what we celebrate today is the work of God in our history and our own time and the grace of God in our lives this very day. In a very short time, one of our congregation, Kate P., will come forward to affirm her Baptism and the promises made in her name when the water was poured over her head a few years ago. She has studied, but it is not study that brings her here, but rather as with her Baptism, it is the grace of God.

·        In a very short time, each of us well renew own Baptismal promises along with Kate and proclaim what we believe in the ancient formula of the Apostles’ Creed. We do this as a church and a community, for none of us stand alone in the faith.

·        In a very short time, we will all –ALL of us this time - partake of the Lord’s Supper, the meal of grace provided to us in our Lord’s own body and blood, just as Jesus told his disciples at that Last Supper, not because we deserve it, but because we need it and our God knows and provides and because God wishes to share God’s life with us.

·        In a very short time, we will all be dismissed from our worship, not simply to drink coffee and munch cookies, but to “Go in peace; Serve the Lord” for the rest of the week and the rest of our days. We are sent to be preachers of the Gospel. In truth, our words, our kindness, our smile might be the only Gospel someone encounters one day this week. The real work of the Reformation remains outside of these walls.

·        This festival is not a time for boasting or triumphs; we have not brought it about since it is the grace of God and the love of God that has made it happened. We cannot boast of the triumph of the Reformation because others have led the way. Further, we cannot boast because as long as we live and as long as the church lives, reform will be needed – both reform in our individual lives and in our community life as a church. The work of the ministry of grace goes on.

·        However, one thing is assured; the grace of God will still be with us and in that grace, we will be free, free to carry out a mission we could not do alone or even conceive of alone. We are free to be what God created us to be, what Jesus redeemed us to be, and what the Spirit inspires us to be.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost ---- 18 October 2015

This Sunday we had a guest preacher - the Rev. Canon George Nicholson "Nick" Wells, a recently retired priest of the Anglican Diocese of Huron and good friend of mine. I originally met him through our mutual interest in historical reenacting. His sermon was quite moving and well delivered. In it, he discussed the idea of power and how it is perceived in our world. He also reminded us that power in the Christian sense is found in powerlessness and in service.

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’³⁶And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ ³⁷And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ ³⁸But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ ³⁹They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’ 

It was an excellent service and I'm so please that Nick was able to come and preach at St. John's.

Nick decided to stand on the first step of the chancel to even up some of our height difference.
He's actually taller than I... in a number of ways.

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost ----- 11 October 2015

Mark 10:17-31

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' " 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." 28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

·        A man runs up to Jesus just after Jesus had blessed the little children. This man was obviously aware of who Jesus was and he showed what we think would be proper respect to the “good teacher.” He also showed that he had followed the Law and had obeyed the commandments.

·        Jesus saw this man and “loved him…” Then he told him what he didn’t want to hear: "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." This broke the man’s heart for he had many possessions. I think what he did broke Jesus’ heart as well. Here was a fellow who had done everything well. He had followed the commandments from his youth and he asked the right question of the right person. He simply didn’t like the answer. Neither had he heard what Jesus told his disciples about the little ones and how the Kingdom belonged to them.

·        Wouldn’t it be something if the man changed his mind eventually, gave up everything, and followed Jesus? Wouldn’t it be something if he had heard what Jesus said next and decided to stay and follow Jesus, then and there. Sad to say, we don’t have any such follow-up stories to tell.

·        What Jesus said to his disciples is a real two-edged sword. "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

·        The disciples were “perplexed” by Jesus’ words. All their lives they’d been told that riches were a blessing from God and were a sign of God’s favour both here on earth and in what was to come. Now this wasn’t so? Now they’re hearing that it was harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than to shove a camel through the eye of a needle? "Then who can be saved?"

·        Indeed! Who can be saved? If those who are poor feel they are far from God and God’s Kingdom and if those who are wealthy are declared to face great difficulties in entering the Kingdom, where do people go for inclusion in the Kingdom?

·        The answer follows immediately: "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." It is the grace and mercy of God that is the deciding factor.

·        Now, some people have said that there was a gate in the city wall of Jerusalem called the Needle’s Eye. It was a gate so tight that a skinny camel could just barely slip through. This is not supported by the Scripture or by archeology. This explanation also smells of do-it-yourself salvation. When Jesus is talking about camels and needles, he talks about spitting, smelly camels and small sewing needles, just to emphasize the impossibility of saving yourself or relying on anything other than God for the Kingdom.

·        Martin Luther was never one to mince words, for better or for worse. There is a quote from his writings that follows this line of thinking: "The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live forever with an all-holy God."

·        Neither riches nor ritual nor a strict morality can make us good enough for God’s Kingdom; it all depends on grace.

·        In our own day, there are those who still see riches and power as signs of the favour of God. There are those who believe themselves to be closer to God and closer to the Kingdom because of the gifts they have been given by God. Riches really are a gift from God and a gift given in stewardship; treasure held in trust as it were. The young man who turned away from Jesus grieving for he had many possessions may not have seen his wealth in this way. Because of that, he couldn’t hear the Good News that it is God’s grace for the poor AND for the rich that brings both into the Kingdom. It may be hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom, but it is neither riches nor poverty that makes the difference, but the grace of God.

·        Peter goes on to say "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus replies that those who have laid aside all else to follow him will receive much more than they left, as well as eternal life in the age yet to come. Their grace-inspired sacrifice would not be forgotten.

·        And one more thing – all these things would come “with persecutions…” Opposition is part and parcel to Christian discipleship and the Kingdom of God. Jesus never said this would be easy. Although we are fully dependant on God’s grace and mercy, entering the Kingdom would not be easy and remaining in the Kingdom would not be easy.

·        Worthwhile things rarely are.

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."… "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost ---- 4 October 2015

Mark 10:2-16

2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" 4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." 5 But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female.' 7 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." 10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

"Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

·        Let us speak today of power. Not power and glory, but simply power.

·        I saw two instances of both power and powerlessness this week. Neither of these examples were happy ones on their own. Neither of them would be easy to take. Neither of them would be easy to preach on.

·        Let me say first of all that there are days when I’m not very proud of my background. Usually I’m proud to be what I am, proud of where I come from, proud of what my family, my nation, and my heritage have achieved.

·        Not today. Today I am not very proud of myself or where I was born.

·        On Thursday, a young man entered a number of classrooms at a college in the state of Oregon and shot and killed nine people and wounded another ten. He later died in a gun battle with police constables responding to emergency calls. Before this man shot his victims, he asked them a question.

·        He asked “Are you a Christian?” If the person said yes, he told them to stand… and he shot them in the head. If the person said no or made no answer, he shot them in the legs. One student, a veteran of the army, attempted to stop the shooter and was in turn shot. He survived and is in hospital.

·        Here we see power – the power to kill and wound. Here we see the power of one man’s sick hatred and what that could lead to.

·        On Friday, I received a message on the Internet telling of the death of a 40-year old man, the oldest son of a friend of mine who is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The man who died had been institutionalized for many years because of a debilitating disease, a disease so powerful that it required constant nursing care, care his mother (my pastor friend) could no longer provide even though she began her work history as a nurse.

·        The notice included reference to the man’s love of baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies. It also included these words, written in the fullness of faith by his mother: “While I grieve the loss of my firstborn, he is finally free from the prison of his body. I hope they have baseball in heaven!”

·        Here we see power – the power of a bodily disease to take the toll of more than one life. We also see the power of faith which can permit life to go on despite the letting-go of a dear loved one.

·        Our Gospel reading today speaks of powerlessness. The Pharisees try to trip up Jesus with questions about divorce, always a controversial topic. They don’t do this to reinforce marriage or discuss what can cause a marriage to be unlivable. They want to discuss the Law regarding marriage. The way they discuss it and tease it and dissect it, it gives them power. For these men, it is not a gift of God to be lived and shared; it is a token in a game, a score pad to keep track of winners and losers, a trophy to display. It is power. Those who suffer in this are powerless, particularly the women who can be divorced with a simple hand-written certificate for almost any reason, and by that divorce, are reduced to destitution and poverty.

·        When Jesus gathers the children to him after his disciples attempted to shoo them away, he tells the disciples to see in the children the way to the Kingdom. They are powerless and yet the Kingdom belongs to “such as these.” (Note that I said “powerless” and not innocent or pure or something like that.) He also says that the Kingdom must be welcomed as one welcomes a little one, that is, without regard for your honour or your prestige or what the one welcomed can do for you.

·        All this talk of power and powerlessness leads us to the ultimate symbol of both power and powerlessness – the Cross of Christ. The Most Powerful One laid aside his power and became powerless in the face of those who would see themselves as powerful.

·        The writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote this: we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

·        This is the power we depend upon, for if we see ourselves as powerful, we have not yet known ourselves as Jesus knows us. If we know him, we know ourselves to be powerless in the ways of salvation, the ultimate truths of life, and of the Spirit, despite all the power we may have accrued in so many areas of human endeavour.

·        The Kingdom of God is ours, not because we are powerful and have achieved it for ourselves, but because we have been given it in grace and mercy, in our powerlessness, by the power of God seen particularly in the powerlessness of the birth of Christ and the cross of Christ.

"Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”