All Saints Day (Trinity XXII) - Revelation 7, Matthew 5

 For over 1200 years, All Saints has been one of the greater festivals on the calendar of Western Christianity. And even before the designation of November 1 as All Saints Day, there was a long history of honoring the saints. Since the days of Christ and the Apostles, there has been a sense of communion and community among believers. Christians have shared with one another, interceded for one another, given thanks for one another, and honored the witness and examples of those who have gone before. 

The Beatitudes from Matthew 5 remind us of people who would be called “blessed.” We also think of the white-robed multitude praising God in Revelation 7. We have the sense of being surrounded by a great "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1), and we know that we should "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude vs. 3).  

Christians continue to struggle and witness for the Faith. The history of the Church through the generations and the biography of every faithful Christian tell the story of contending for the faith of the saints. By the grace of God, we receive the content of the Faith from the saints who have gone before us, and we seek to be the saints who deliver the same Faith to those who come after us.

Of course, we acknowledge our limitations. The saints of the past have not been perfect, and we are never perfect saints in this world either. Even as we hold fast to the Scriptures, the Creeds, and the Commandments, we may make mistakes in applying them. In this world, we remain both sinners and saints, but Scripture reminds us to trust in the grace of Jesus Christ who can make us saints now and in the future. May we all keep growing in grace, participate in the mystical body of Christ’s Church, and finally come to the unspeakable joys of heaven!

Anglican Identity: The Catholic Heritage of Anglican Christianity

 Earlier this week, I posted a reflection on Reformation influences on Anglicanism. Now, let us turn to the Catholic heritage of Anglican Christianity. While some interpreters have downplayed ways in which the Protestant Reformation has affected Anglican belief and practice, others have downplayed or ignored the catholic aspects of Anglicanism. The Anglican heritage is distinctive, and it is not merely another strain of 16th-century or modern Protestantism.

The same considerations of English and Anglican history that show Reformation influences also show efforts in the English Church to maintain and continue Catholic tradition. This catholicity manifests itself in various aspects of Anglican belief and practice. Here is a list of several characteristics.

1. Scripture is interpreted through Christian tradition.  While Anglican teachers have affirmed the primacy of Scripture, they have also tried to interpret the Bible in ways compatible with the early church fathers, the ancient councils, the ecumenical Creeds, and the core beliefs affirmed by Christians in all places and times.

2. Anglicans have maintained liturgical worship and prayer. The Prayer Book tradition is rooted in Western Church history with some influences from the Eastern Church. Anglican Offices, Sacraments, and particular prayers are mostly derived from ancient sources. Anglican calendars are based on historic Roman and Western European patterns.

3. While influenced by the 16th-century emphasis on the read and preached Word, Anglican worship has remained sacramental. Although there have been differing explanations of how the Sacraments work, Anglicans have viewed Baptism and Holy Communion/Eucharist as real means of Christ's saving and strengthening grace. And despite some differing terminology and views of their importance, the five so-called lesser sacraments have continued among Anglicans.

4. Orthodox Anglicans have maintained the historic male orders of ordained ministry: bishop, priest, and deacon. At times, this has been challenging, especially maintaining the apostolic episcopate. During the Reformation, the English Civil War, the spread of Anglicanism around the world, and the rise of liberalism/modernism, it would have been easier to adapt other forms of ministry (as some Christians have done). Nevertheless, many dedicated Anglicans have striven to maintain the ancient catholic orders of ministry.

Through these four key characteristics (and perhaps some others), orthodox Anglicanism has continued to be Catholic. The Reformation influences in our history have not destroyed catholicity. We are not bound by Lutheran, Reformed, or contemporary Protestant theologies. The core of the ancient faith can still be found among many Anglicans. Ignoring this aspect of Anglican history is spiritually dangerous. For Anglicans to be true to our identity, we should honor and maintain our basic Catholic heritage.

Anglican Identity: The Reformation Heritage of Anglican Christianity

 In late October, many Christians observe the beginnings of the sixteenth-century Reformation. For several reasons- historical, theological, and liturgical- many Anglicans do not join these commemorations. As in some other ways, Anglicans are "special." Over the last two centuries, some Anglicans and non-Anglicans have debated the character of Anglicanism. Some interpreters have tried to downplay the ways in which the Protestant Reformation has affected Anglican belief and practice. 

However, an honest look at English and Anglican history shows that glossing over the Reformation's influence distorts the reality. Such an interpretation of Anglicanism did not arise until the 1840s and has not been accepted by most Anglicans or by most non-Anglicans. Historically, Anglicans of different perspectives, Roman Catholics, and various Protestant observers all have understood the Books of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles as rejecting certain Roman Catholic tendencies (both official and unofficial). Recognizing these facts does not mean that Anglicans despise all ancient or medieval catholic traditions. However, it does mean that Anglicans share the general Reformation rejection of certain aspects of medieval, Tridentine, and modern Roman Catholicism. In other words, in some sense, Anglicans are Protestant.

So what does this mean for modern Anglicanism? The traditional Prayer Books and the Articles of Religion reflect enduring Anglican principles. Anglicans are not bound by the understandings of the Roman Church, at popular or official levels, in the sixteenth century or in the twenty-first century. Rather, Anglican allegiance should be first to Scripture, then to ancient Christian tradition and its Creeds, and thirdly to sixteenth-century formularies. Anglicans believe in the primacy of Scripture, grace, and faith. Ignoring this history is not realistic. For Anglicans to be true to our identity, we should honor some aspects of our Reformation heritage.

Trinity XXI- John 4:46-54

The Gospel for the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity comes from John 4:46-54.  A "nobleman" (probably an official for the Herodian family in Galilee) approaches Jesus. He wants Jesus to come and heal his critically ill young son. Our Lord's first response is to remark on the excessive desire for outward signs among the Galileans (probably including the official). Jesus wants the man and others to have a deeper faith. So, He does not go with the official; He simply assures the man that his son will be healed and live. The official accepts Christ's promise. The child is healed, and the official and his household come to faith in Jesus.

God's healing power and grace work through Jesus Christ in many ways.  In this example, our Lord makes a striking point. He notes the excessive human dependence on signs and wonders. Of course, Jesus Christ does perform many signs and wonders, and they are a real and important expression of His work. However, humans tend to concentrate more on dramatic externals than on the underlying essentials: the power of the divine word and the need for faith. In this healing, Jesus simply offers a word of promise.  To this word, the official responds in faith. This encounter teaches us that God in Christ can use various means to reach out in His grace. We simply need to heed our Lord. We need to have faith in Christ and His word.

St. Luke/ Trinity XX

 This year the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist falls on the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. On traditional prayer book calendars, the feasts of gospel writers or evangelists are major feasts.  So this week we focus on this important early Christian.

Luke was a Gentile Christian, maybe from Antioch in Syria. He was a friend of St. Paul, and was a physician (Colossians 4:14). In the Book of Acts, he was with Paul at Philippi in Macedonia, and a few years later went with Paul to Jerusalem. When the Romans arrested the Apostle, Luke stayed near him in Palestine, and later went with him to Rome. This faithful companion stayed with Paul when other friends scattered in different directions (2 Timothy 4:11).

Luke wrote a significant portion of the New Testament, a two-volume work comprising the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke was probably the only Gentile Christian among the New Testament writers and appears to have been well-educated. He had a classic Greek style and seemed to be a reasonable thinker who made special effort to learn and organize historical facts.

Luke' personality may be reflected by some of the emphases of his Gospel. The Gospel according to St Luke has been called the Gospel of Mercy. Luke emphasizes Jesus' compassion and patience with sinners and the suffering. He shows special interest in Samaritans, lepers, tax collectors, soldiers, public sinners, uneducated shepherds, and the poor. 

Today we remember and give thanks for St. Luke, and we hope to follow his good qualities. Like him, may we be characterized by dedication to truth, loyalty to Christian friends, and compassion for all- especially, the weak, the poor, and the sick.

Trinity XIX- Ephesians 4:17-32; Matthew 9:1-8

 At first glance, the Epistle and the Gospel for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity share the theme of walking. In the Epistle from Ephesians 4:17-32, the Apostle Paul speaks in a figurative way of walking; it is pursuing a certain way of life.  He exhorts his readers to live faithful and holy lives befitting those joined to Christ through the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel selection from Matthew 9, Jesus heals a paralyzed man and enables him to walk physically.  

Yet, on closer examination, the deeper theme that connects the Epistle and the Gospel is not walking but forgiveness. In Ephesians 4:32, the Apostle points out that living a Christian life is rooted in the divine forgiveness that comes through Christ. Likewise, in Matthew 9:2, Jesus heals the paralyzed man by first forgiving his sins. The scribes or scholars of the law react negatively because they believe that only God can forgive sins. In one sense, the scribes have a point. Ultimately, forgiveness or pardon for sins comes from God, and Jesus has the right to forgive sins because He is God the Son incarnate. With Christ's incarnation, a new era has begun. He is divine grace personified. The good news of divine mercy and forgiveness of sin is fully proclaimed by Jesus. 

Later in the Gospels, Jesus Christ commissions His disciples, His Church, to continue His gracious work. The Apostles and other disciples are the living Body of Christ in the world, and Christians have continued to proclaim forgiveness through Word and Sacrament. Grateful for God's mercy toward us, we share His message of mercy and forgiveness with others through our words and the ways we live.

Trinity XVIII- Matthew 22:34-46

The Gospel for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Matthew 22: 34-46. This selection contains two short conversations between Jesus and the Pharisees. Both conversations show ways in which Christ both continues and transcends the Old Testament. In Matthew 22:34-40, we see the basic principles of the Law. Jesus, like some other teachers, finds the purpose of the Law in two great commandments: to love God above all and to love one's neighbor. These two commandments summarize the principles of the Hebrew Scriptures, and Jesus embodies both kinds of love in His person. His public ministry manifests His application of these basic principles in various situations. 

In the second part of the Gospel selection, Matthew 22:41-46, Jesus points to His fulfillment of the Old Testament. He applies rabbinic methods of interpretation to Psalm 110. Jesus implies that He is the Messiah (or the Christ). He points out that the Messiah is unique. He is far greater than His ancestor David. In fact, this interpretation implies that Christ shares divine majesty. This powerful claim will continue to be developed in the rest of Christ's earthly ministry and throughout the New Testament. Jesus is both a great teacher and the greatest descendant of King David. Yet, He is much more: He is God the Son incarnate, the unique mediator and redeemer!