Trinity XVII- Sabbath- Luke 14: 1-11

The Gospel for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Luke 14:1-11 and is set at a dinner with the Pharisees. Jesus teaches through a miraculous healing on the Sabbath. This healing brings up the topic of Christ's attitude toward the Sabbath. Unlike many of His contemporaries, our Lord did not have a narrow or legalistic view of the Sabbath. 

Nevertheless, Jesus did not ignore or reject the commandment to observe and keep holy the Sabbath. He taught people to follow the general purposes of all the Commandments, and in the Gospels, we are shown that Jesus participated in Sabbath worship in synagogues. Even in those cases where Jesus or His disciples are accused of not keeping the Sabbath properly, He and His followers are not shown doing ordinary work. Instead, the issue is a matter of how to best use the Sabbath, as here in Luke 14. Basically, Jesus taught by word and example that the Sabbath had three purposes: worship, general rest, and performing deeds of mercy.

After Christ's Resurrection, His followers did add something. Because of the Resurrection, they also gathered for worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) which they called the Lord's Day. As the Church grew, the vast majority of Christians were Gentiles who were not required to keep all the details of Jewish ceremonial Law. So instead of observing both Saturday and Sunday, Christians soon just observed Sunday because it was the Day of Christ's Resurrection. Christians applied the three New Testament purposes of the Sabbath (worship, rest, and mercy) to the Lord's Day. 

Unfortunately, some Christians have had difficulty keeping a balanced view of  Sunday. Many people who claim to be Christians do not really observe any sort of sabbath. At most, they may say a private prayer or visit a short service, but then they devote themselves to ordinary work, household chores, or lots of beer and sports.

In my opinion, Christians need to reclaim New Testament respect for the general purposes of the Sabbath, and when possible, apply these purposes to Sunday. We shouldn't be harsh legalists who try to abolish all fun and recreation. But for ourselves, we should see Sunday as the Lord's Day- a time set aside for worship, for simple forms of rest and relaxation, and for showing mercy to the sick and afflicted.

 

Trinity XVI- Luke 7:11ff

The Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday is from St. Luke 7:11ff. It recounts the story of Jesus raising the son of the widow from the village Nain. In this brief account, we see two very important points. First, we see Jesus' compassion. Of course, He is merciful to the young man, but even more, His compassion is for the mother. She is a widow left alone, and our Lord cares for her. Secondly, this account shows who Jesus is and the powers He has. Jesus is more than a country rabbi. He is the divine Christ who can conquer death. For those with eyes and hearts to see and understand, this miracle is a testimony to Christ's divine mission and nature.

Reflecting upon this miracle, let us be aware of Jesus' compassion toward all who are in need, and let us seek to follow Him in showing mercy. Let us also understand and have faith in the person of Jesus Christ. He is a compassionate man, but He is also very much more. He is God the Son come among us. And He embodies divine power over death and all destructive forces. On many occasions, He has restored physical life, and beyond that, He remains the source of eternal spiritual life!

Trinity XIV- Faith and Action- Galatians 5:16-24 Luke 17: 11-19

In differing ways the Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, the Epistle from Galatians 5:16-24, and the Gospel from St. Luke 17:11-19 all highlight the connection between divine grace and human faith and works. In our corrupted condition, we human beings constantly seem to lose our spiritual and moral balance, We tend to forget that everything in our lives depends on the primacy of God's grace. And in considering the human response to divine grace, we tend to focus exclusively either on faith or on works. 

Living faith in Jesus Christ needs to be our first response to grace. Living faith is both a list of beliefs and an attitude of trust. It is also an openness to letting divine grace work. But although faith is our first response to grace, it does not remain alone. True faith bears fruit. It brings hope and love, and faith, hope, and love are expressed through deeds. We renounce and avoid evil actions, and we pursue good actions. For Christians, this process is never complete as long as we are in this world. We often fail, but we repent, seek further grace, renew our faith, and continue to respond with good works,