Trinity XX- Ephesians 5: 15-21; Matthew 22: 1-14

Years ago, I posted longer comments on the Epistle and the Gospel for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. This year, here are brief comments on the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel.

COLLECT- The thematic prayer for this Sunday goes back to a Latin version in the Gelasian Sacramentary, but the English translations of 1549, 1662, and 1789 modified it a little. The changes in the collect seem to have been for two reasons: to emphasize mercy and grace and to improve the English style. Christians are dependent upon God's bountiful goodness in order to avoid harmful things and to follow divine commands.                                                                                                              

EPISTLE- The selection from Ephesians 5:15-21 is part of a series of selections from this letter during the Trinity season. In general, all of these selections have a two-pronged emphasis: sound doctrine about Christ and His Church and a Christian way of life. These two points are not separate because as the Apostle teaches repeatedly, a truly Christian way of life is a result of basic beliefs about God's redeeming work in Christ. Ephesians 5:15 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise...." Here St. Paul begins an emphasis on wisdom. This is not some generic wisdom; it is the wisdom of the Christian walk or way of life. It stands in contrast to the general wisdom of the pagan world, which is really foolishness. The Christian wisdom that the Apostle promotes is based on the divine wisdom manifested in Jesus Christ. Walking in such wisdom, Christians will be "redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16). The world is fallen and corrupt, and Christians are to make the best use of the time. So in Ephesians 5:17, Paul exhorts,"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." The way to true wisdom is not through some pagan philosophy or some mysterious cult; the way to true wisdom is to know and follow God's will revealed most fully in Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL- Matthew 22: 1-14. This is one of several passages that compare God's kingdom to a feast, in this case, a wedding feast for the king's son. This version is a little more elaborate than a similar story in St. Luke's Gospel. Noteworthy is the addition of the account of the unprepared guest in St. Matthew 22: 11-14:  "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." 

The whole passage is about people who do not respond properly to divine grace, and the final story is about an unappreciative response. The man accepts the King's invitation, but he does not bother to make appropriate preparations. However, although gracious, the King expects His guests to show respect, to be grateful, and to get ready. And anyone who does not respond respectfully is not allowed to remain in the King's presence; he cast out into the darkness. In a sense, this unworthy guest is expecting cheap grace, but God does not work that way. He expects our human responses to show our appreciation of His holy and gracious nature. Many are called, but chosenness is indicated in the response.

Anglicans and the Reformation

The last Sunday in October is regarded as Reformation Sunday in some churches, and late October is a time when many Christians think about Martin Luther and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Although Anglicans sometimes have divergent views about the 16th-17th century reforms, there were clearly historical Reformation influences upon the beliefs and practices of the English Church.

In the early years of the Reformation, some English Reformers were influenced by Luther. For example, William Tyndale identified and was martyred as a "Lutheran." His Bible translation, which has influenced subsequent English versions, was guided in many respects by the Luther Bible. Lutheran liturgical reforms influenced the Anglican Daily Office, the Order for Holy Communion, and the Litany. The Anglican Thirty-nine Articles of  Religion were influenced by the Augsburg Confession as well as by some Reformed documents. Furthermore many collects and other prayers were revised or re-written under Reformation influence to emphasize grace and faith and to minimize ideas of human merit. 

As time went on, various continental and native reformers became influential in England, but the English Reformation followed a conservative Reformation model. It emphasized Scripture while affirming the ancient Creeds, preserving liturgical worship, and keeping traditional forms of ministry. The English Church sought to reform while avoiding radical discontinuity with the Christianity that had gone before. It rejected Anabaptist and "Zwinglian" sacramental views as well as papal authority and some medieval doctrines. 

In general terms, the English Church was considered Protestant by observers within and without. Although influenced by European Protestantism, English thinkers such as Jewel, Hooker, and Andrewes began to develop unique English theologies.  Anglicans developed a different ethos and retained more traditional structures than other heritages impacted by the Reformation. While honoring the ancient catholic heritage, Anglicans asserted that the medieval Church needed reforming. They honored certain observations and principles of the Reformation. They placed Scriptural authority first, they emphasized grace and justification by faith, and they saw sanctification as a fruit of grace and faith. Anglicans viewed some Reformation influences as consistent with the best in the catholic or universal Christian heritage of all times and all places.

Trinity XVII- Ephesians 4: 1-6

The brief collect for this Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity is one of my favorites: 

LORD, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

As a linguist, I find the archaic use of the verb prevent interesting. Here this word is used in the original Latin sense, "come before"- a sense that still exists in modern Romance languages. Aside from that tidbit, the real reason that I appreciate this collect is that it reminds us that we are surrounded by grace and that it is only through such divine grace that we can do good works. 

Today's Epistle from Ephesians 4:1-6 continues the discussion from the selection last week about the interplay of Christian doctrine and ethics. In 4:1, the Ephesians are exhorted "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The Christian walk or way of life is based on the divine call to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. In verses 2-3, this way of life is presented both as an individual embodiment of virtues such as humility, patience, and loving forbearance and as a communal way of life that holds on to the unity given by the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 4:4-6 develops the theme of true Christian unity. Such unity is not some human achievement or organizational structure. While greater cooperation among Christian organizations is often desirable, the unity presented in this portion of Scripture is of a different nature. It is rooted in the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christians are already members of "one body" empowered by "one Spirit." They share "one hope..., one Lord, one faith." They have been grafted into the Body of Christ by "one baptism." And above all these aspects of oneness, there is "one God and Father of all." He is the ultimate source of any good unity.  True unity is awareness of a common faith in God through Jesus Christ, and it exists despite external human differences of race, language, culture, or church background.