Easter Week- Luke 24; John 20

Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday have come and gone. Christian preparation for Good Friday and Easter has passed. Celebration and rejoicing have reached a high point on Easter morning, and we have begun the 50 days of Easter joy.  Unfortunately, for many of us, during the rest of Easter week and even the whole season, it seems we crash. This tendency is understandable. We often exhaust ourselves with preparations and then lack the energy to enjoy the spiritual celebrations on the church calendar.

However, the fact is that Easter Week and the fifty days of Eastertide should be filled with spiritual rejoicing for individual believers and the body of believers. We should be freshly inspired by our Lord's Resurrection. So even if we take a brief pause to catch our breath, let us remain focused on our risen Lord in our thoughts and prayers.

The Traditional Books of Common Prayer offer us help to continue celebrating. The primary collect for Easter Sunday is to be said throughout the week. There are Eucharistic collects and readings for Easter Monday and Tuesday in BCPs from 1549-1962. The Anglican Missal and newer Prayer Books also provide propers for all of Easter Week. Hymnals contain numerous Easter hymns which may be read or sung as prayers of praise and thanksgiving. And as always, there are readings for the Daily Offices. 

So let us be filled with prayers and praises during the Easter Season. Our prayers of thanksgiving and rejoicing for Christ's Resurrection should be as devoted as our prayers of preparation and repentance! Christ is risen! Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

Sunday next before Advent- Jeremiah 23:5-8; John 6:14- Endings and Beginnings

This Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year, and there have been various ways of dealing with it. Sometimes it has not received special attention. Since the 1970s, some modern calendars have inserted new observances such as the feast of Christ the King. Certainly, we should always be aware that Christ is our King, but the 1928 Book of Common Prayer followed a different approach to include this theme. The 1928 revisers looked back to the Sarum tradition for the name of the day and for the collect and lessons.  

The collect and epistle point to the need for a new beginning. In the liturgical epistle, which is actually a selection from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 23:5-8 looks to the day when the Lord God will raise up a Branch from the Davidic line. This new king will lead His people in justice and righteousness. His acts of redemption will overshadow the Exodus from Egypt, God's great act of redemption from the past.

The Gospel also points to a new beginning and makes a similar point. The crowd is impressed by the miracle of the loaves and fish. Despite their lack of true appreciation, in John 6:14, they call Jesus "that prophet who should come into the world." They are referring to Moses' prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. In his prediction, Moses implied that a new prophet, like Moses but greater, would come to speak more directly from God. Christians see this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus (see Hebrews 3:1-6).

As long as this world endures, human beings will always undergo endings and new beginnings. Christ is our King and the greatest Prophet. He is also our great high Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15). In all our beginnings and endings, especially in spiritual, devotional, and moral matters, we depend on Him to lead us into greater righteousness. We need His grace to renew us through all the changing times and circumstances of life.

Epiphany II- the Baptism of our Lord- Mark 1:1-11

The Books of Common Prayer from 1549 through 1662 follow the usage of Sarum and do not have a Sunday Gospel on Christ's Baptism during the Epiphany season. The 1928 American BCP re-introduced the reading from Mark 1:1-11 to observe this important event. By coming to John to be baptized, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. Although sinless, our incarnate Lord expressed His solidarity with sinful human beings who all need cleansing. Jesus also received a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His human nature as He began His public ministry. And the heavenly voice acknowledged Him as the Son of God. This moment is a unique manifestation or epiphany of the divine glory in Christ. It also points ahead to His whole public ministry and work for human salvation. 

Because of Christ's uniqueness, there are certainly historical and theological differences between His Baptism by John and later Christian Baptism commanded by the risen lord in Matthew 28:19. Yet, in part, the Baptism of Jesus is also a model for us. He underwent Baptism to point to the human need for the washing of regeneration. He was pure, but we need to be cleansed. He was already in unity with the Spirit while we need to be born anew by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He was the Son of God by nature, but we need to be adopted as children of God. Baptism also points us to our ministries. Being baptized into Christ makes us members of Christ's Body and calls us to continue Christ's ministry in this world.

Sunday next before Advent/ Trinity XXV- John 6:14, Hebrews 8:6

The 1892 and 1928 American BCPs and some other Prayer Books assign the 1549/1662 propers for Trinity XXV to "the Sunday next before Advent." The Collect, the Epistle (actually from chapter 23 of the prophet Jeremiah), and the Gospel from St. John all contain themes appropriate to anticipate Advent. 

The Gospel (St. John 6:5-14 ) is the familiar story of feeding the 5000. In addition to several points about Christ's nature and work, this story reminds us of the expectations and hopes that Jesus fulfilled. When the people saw His miraculous act, they affirmed that He was "that prophet that should come into the world" (St. John 6: 14 ). He is the one who was to come. He is the prophet like Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15,18.  Indeed, Jesus is much greater than Moses. Not only is He greater than Moses by His divine nature, but He also establishes a covenant greater than the one established through the work of Moses (Hebrews 8:6). 

Of course, orthodox Christian believers think that Jesus is much more than a prophet, but we know that He is also a prophet. In fact, prophet is one of the three functions (along with priest and king) that Christian theology has often used to characterize the work of Christ. Jesus is not just any prophet but the long-expected one. 

As we end a Christian year on this Sunday, we are reminded of completion. Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecies; He was and is the One to come. He completed the work of redemption that was in progress from Adam, continued through Noah to Abraham, and was present in the ministry of Moses and subsequent Hebrew prophets. As we look back at that biblical history, we also look forward. We anticipate a new church year and the continuing work of redemption. Jesus is the One who has already come, but He is also the One who will come again. Although He has accomplished the great acts of redemption, we still await the consummation of His Kingdom. We live between the times, and we continue to look at both great challenges and great opportunities for growth in faith and in service.

Trinity XXIV- Healing- Matthews 9 18-26

For the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, the written collect has roots in the seventh century. It stresses divine goodness and pardon in contrast to human frailty. 

The Gospel from St. Matthew 9:18-26 gives two interwoven examples of Christ's restoration of frail human beings- one young and one who has suffered for twelve years. The account begins with the synagogue official whose daughter is at the point of death. In response to the father's urgent appeal, Jesus sets out to see the girl. Along the way, the woman with the bleeding problem reaches out for what she hopes will be an anonymous cure. She does not escape unnoticed, and Jesus says that her faith has enabled her healing. Then at the synagogue ruler's house, the situation is serious. The daughter seems to have died, and the official mourners have already arrived. Jesus, however, puts a stop to the mourning and lifts the girl up from her deathbed. 

 In these two situations, we see different examples of human desperation: the urgent illness of the official's daughter and the chronic condition of the older woman. Jesus brings divine grace to both cases of human weakness. God in Christ is ready to reach out, but for healing to take place, there is a need for faith. The faith that both the girl's father and the afflicted woman had in Jesus the Christ opened the way for divine power to work. Whatever our frailties- of body, mind, or soul- may our faith in Christ open us to His restorative work.

Trinity XIX- Forgiveness- Matthew 9:1-8

This post is a revised version of a post first published on 10 October 2010.

The Gospel for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity (St. Matthew 9:1-8) is another in the recent readings about confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders of His time. The friends of a paralyzed man bring him to Jesus to be healed. Our Lord sees their faith and heals the sick man. Instead of starting the easy way and simply telling the man to get up and walk, Christ tells the man that his sins are forgiven. Although Christ does not always view illness as caused by personal sin (see for example St. John 9:3), in this particular case, sin is an issue that has to be remedied. The religious scholars are scandalized because in their tradition only God can forgive sins. Even the Aaronic priesthood would not make such a direct declaration of forgiveness. 

His ability to pronounce forgiveness is precisely the point that Jesus wishes to make. The Messianic Son of Man is God's earthly representative, and He is also God incarnate. So He has the power to forgive sins. This is a new power at work in Christ's ministry. Christ brings the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness, and the risen Christ shares His power to declare forgiveness with His Apostles. They spread pardon by preaching the Gospel in word and deed, by Baptism, and by granting absolution. Through the Apostles, the whole Church witnesses, preaches, baptizes, and grants pardon through confession-absolution. From the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ till the end of the age, God's forgiveness is at work in the world in a powerful new way that cannot be found apart from Christ and His Church.

Advent III- I Corinthians 4: 1-5; Matthew 11: 2-10

The Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent provides an interesting approach to the themes of the day and the season. It calls upon Christians to continue preparing the way of the Lord. As John did in his ministry at Christ's First Coming, we need to call others- and ourselves- to repent and to prepare hearts for Christ to come among us. Such preparation also looks ahead to Christ's Second Coming to judge the world. We continue to hope that through grace we will be an acceptable people, a people prepared anew each day for our Lord's holy presence.

The Epistle from I Corinthians 4:1-5 brings up the theme of Christian ministry. (This theme is especially appropriate because the Advent Ember Days occur this week.) All Christians are called to ministry or service for Christ, and all too often we forget this, at least in practical daily speech and behavior. Every person baptized has been set aside and transformed in the name of the Holy Trinity. This setting aside for service has a special application to the ordained ministry. The clergy are called to be "stewards of the mysteries of God." These mysteries emphasize the core of Christ's Gospel- from the Annunciation and Nativity to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. And these mysteries become visible and immediate for us in the concrete sacred mysteries or sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist. So during this Advent, let us pray that all Christians, especially those ordained, may be constantly renewed by divine grace for God's service.

The Gospel from St. Matthew 11:2-10 considers the theme of Christ's Coming by referring to the ministry of John the Baptist. When the imprisoned John sends followers to clarify the mission of Jesus, our Lord responds by citing the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5-6, 61:1). Our Lord also speaks of the work of John the Baptist as the Forerunner, the messenger who comes before the Lord to prepare His way (Malachi 3:1). Like John, may we prepare the way of the Lord, especially as Advent draws to a close.

Anglican "Black Letter Days"

Over the centuries, the church calendar has developed many special days, beginning with each Sunday or Lord's Day and major observances such as Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost. With time, other major feasts such as Epiphany, Christmas, and other observances associated with Christ, the Virgin, and the Apostles were included. Later, many local commemorations of martyrs, saints, and events were added. Some of these became universal or at least widespread in the Eastern or Western traditions. By the time of the Renaissance and Reformation, calendars had become very complicated, and many scholars of varying perspectives were calling for calendar reform and simplification.

Among Anglicans, the efforts of Archbishop Cranmer were influenced by other sixteenth-century efforts. In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, Lutheran examples may have led him to only include "red-letter days," major feasts (and fasts) associated with Christ and other New Testament figures or events. Yet, many other commemorations remained part of popular English Christian culture. So in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, many long-standing observances were added to the calendar as "black-letter days," or minor commemorations. These days mostly dealt with the feasts of ancient post-biblical saints or figures from early English church history. Some were well-known historical figures such as Augustine of Hippo or Jerome; some such as St. Agnes, St. George, and St. Valentine were probably ancient martyrs whose stories were elaborated in legend; some such as St. Blaise or St. Crispin may or may not have been historical. The 1552 list of days was augmented in 1561 and 1662.

On this blog, I do not always comment on particular "black-letter days." There are so many days, and there is little trustworthy information about some of them. Nevertheless, even as the names of almost forgotten martyrs and saints, many deserve to be remembered. Moreover, some of these days concern influential persons or events in the history of the universal or catholic Church which deserve our attention. So even if I do not comment on them in my posts, I commend the minor commemorations, especially those related to the ancient Church, to your attention.

Advent I 2019

Excepts from an ecumenical homily for Advent  

Many churches observe the season of Advent, beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas- which is today. And even if your church tradition doesn’t officially observe Advent, early December is still a good time for reflection and spiritual preparation. The word “Advent” come from a Latin word that means “coming” or “arriving,” and it is good for Christians to think about Jesus Christ coming into the world and into our lives.

We can think of Christ coming in three tenses- past, present and future. Of course, in the past, we think of His coming at His Birth. This is the coming of the Lord longed for by Isaiah and other prophets. It is the coming announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel and pointed to by John the Baptist. This manifestation of God’s Son is what we commemorate in a special way in December. As the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season.

It is fitting for us to recall Christ’s historic coming into the world as the divine Word made flesh. We consider all that He did, all that He taught, all that His earthly life means for our redemption. We think of Jesus from infancy to Baptism, to public ministry, to the Cross, to His Resurrection and Ascension. Remembering His first coming is the essential foundation of Christian faith.

Secondly, we think of Jesus the Christ coming in the present tense. Sometimes, we tend to overlook this coming of Christ into our lives. He comes repeatedly. He keeps being born anew in our hearts. Jesus speaks of this ongoing presence a number of places in the Scriptures. 

The whole 15^th chapter of St. John speaks of abiding in Christ. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” In Matthew 28:20, He promises His followers, “and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” In Revelation 3:20, He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Through His Word and through the work of His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ comes to us many times in many ways. He asks us to be open to Him and allow Him to dwell in our hearts, minds and souls. He asks us to be His body and continue His presence and work in this world as He watches over us and intercedes for us from the Father's right hand.

Thirdly, as we remember Christ’s coming in the past and His repeated coming to us in this present life, we also look to His future coming. Our Lord has promised many places in Scripture that He will come again at the end of earthly history. This is a basic affirmation of all Christians. Christ will come to establish universal divine rule. He will come in mercy and in justice to set this fallen creation right. He will gather His people from all times and places into the fullness of eternal life.

This is a great hope and a strengthening truth for believers. Unfortunately, some Christians have gone a little crazy over the details. There have been wild speculations and unfounded claims. Some have even gone against the Bible by claiming to know the day or the hour. But as our Lord says in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” And so as He adds in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

As Christians, we should always be prepared and be preparing anew for our Lord. We should be humble enough and faithful enough to avoid too much speculation. Instead, we should focus on what we can do as we await the future. And what we can do is to accept the grace available to live in ways attuned to Christ, spiritually and morally.

We do not know exactly when God will bring this world to an end and establish Christ’s full rule. (And we may not be on this earth when it happens.) However, in the meantime, we must continue in faith, hope and love. That is the proper spiritual way to prepare for our Lord’s final coming.

In summary, the days leading up to the observance of Jesus’ Birth or Nativity should be a time of renewed devotion and spiritual preparation. We can think and reflect about the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and into our lives. Christ has come in history 2000 years ago, Christ keeps coming to us again and again, and Christ will come again in final victory and glory. Let us be open to Him in all these ways and live in spiritual preparation each day.

Epiphany Season 2019

My blogging has gotten off to a slow start this year, but I did have a general comment on the Epiphany readings from the gospels. Of course, all the Sundays on the church calendar are for proclaiming the Word of God, but personally, I have always found the Gospels for the observance of Epiphany and the following Sundays to be particularly meaningful. After all the craziness of modern Christmas observances and before the appropriate somberness of Lent, we have a little time to pause and reflect upon some of the epiphanies of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We think of Christ's divine glory manifested to the Magi and of His first adult appearance at His Baptism. We recall events as simple as Christ turning water into wine and as dramatic as healing lepers and a centurion's servant. We may remember His teaching and rejection at Nazareth and His first healings of demoniacs and other sick people at and around Capernaum. All of these stories show Jesus of Nazareth as more than merely a teacher or even a miraculous healer. They manifest Christ's glory as the Son of God. They are earthly signs of His heavenly identity. Furthermore, these manifestations call for an appropriate response- the response of faith in Jesus as Messiah and divine Savior. May His glorious appearances inspire us to renewed affirmations of faith!

St. John Apostle and Evangelist (Christmas I)

Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. John is certainly an important New Testament person and writer. He was the son of the fisherman Zebedee, and younger brother of the Apostle James. John, his brother James, and Simon Peter were often together and seem to have been the disciples closest to our Lord. In fact, John himself is usually identified as the beloved disciple to whom our Lord, while on the cross, entrusted His mother.

John may have been the youngest of the Twelve, and as hinted in today’s gospel, despite hardships, imprisonment, exile, and threats to his life, John was the only Apostle to survive to a truly old age and die a natural death. Because he lived so long, John provided the strongest personal connection between the first and second century churches. He also wrote the Gospel and three epistles that bear his name and probably also the Revelation or the Apocalypse.

St. John clearly deserves to be remembered and honored. But why today? Why is his day placed so close after Christmas Day? The Church seems to have had three reasons for this choice. First, in the early centuries of the Church, several commemorations that stressed something about the foundations of the Christian faith were placed on the calendar right after the celebration of Christ’s Birth. Secondly, having several important Christian celebrations during the pagan winter festivals of late December gave believers a positive distraction from surrounding pagan celebrations.

The third and most important reason for remembering St. John on the third day of Christmas is that John’s writings contain several themes associated with Christmas: light, life, love, truth, and the glory of the eternal Word, God the Son, revealed in human flesh. The Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us some details about Christ’s Birth. The Gospel of St. John and his letters emphasize the doctrinal meaning of the Nativity. Thanks be to God for the apostle John and even more importantly, thanks for the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Advent

Over the years, I have written varied comments on Advent. There have been general posts on the background of the season and on particular days and scriptural passages. This time, I would like to focus on the general purpose of the season in Christian devotion.

Advent is above all a season of spiritual preparation as we contemplate the ways that Christ has come, keeps coming, and will finally come among His people. We should use Advent wisely to think about spiritual subjects such as sin, judgment, forgiveness, prophecies,  promises of redemption, and grace coming in the person of the Christ, the Anointed One of God.

As Christians, we need to be awake, watchful, and prayerful at all times. We should not allow moral failings, earthly worries, or spiritual lethargy to draw us away from spiritual readiness. Yet, given our fallen human nature, we do tend to become forgetful and lazy. So the Church has incorporated reminders in our worship. In general and personal confession, in corporate prayers, in sermons, in Holy Communion, and in private devotions, we are repeatedly called to wake up and persevere. And in two major seasons of the church year- Advent and Lent-, we have reminders to wake up, watch, and prepare for new encounters with God in Christ.

So Advent is intended to be a spiritual wake up call. It is not quite as somber as Lent, but neither is it a time for premature holiday celebration. As we meditate upon the Scriptures, we should not rush ahead to the Nativity stories. We should consider a variety of Old Testament passages about the fallen human condition and the need for redemption., about the longings and hopes of Israel, and about God's promises to save all penitent and faithful people. We should also consider the many passages in the New Testament which exhort us to be ready for Christ to come among us anew. During Advent as always, we are to await Him with vigilance and constant prayer. May we all think on such things in this season and be open to new manifestations of divine grace in our lives.

All Saints Day- 1 November- Jude 3-4

Since a period of renewal of faith in my mid-twenties, All Saints Day has been important to me. It is a time to emphasize the Christian heritage passed down through the centuries. During this week, we think of all those Christ would call "blessed"; we think of all those made saints or "holy ones" through the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism.

Although it is not an official reading for All Saints Day, I always recall the third and fourth verses of the brief Epistle of Jude- " Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

From the times of the Apostles onward, false teachers have crept into the Church, seeking to corrupt the Christian message in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. This infiltration has been especially strong in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. So more than ever we should heed St. Jude's exhortation to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Of course, faith is an attitude, but it also has specific content. The Faith has been revealed and passed on once and for all. It is enduring and unchangeable in its basic essentials. Its doctrine is embodied in Scripture, clarified by the ancient Fathers, and summarized in the ancient catholic Creeds. The appropriate behavior that flows from this Faith is summarized in the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, in lists of the gifts of the Spirit, and in lists of Virtues. In worship, this Faith is expressed in historic liturgies, especially in Baptism and the Eucharist.

On this All Saints Day, let us honor all the saints by following their lead and contending for the Faith that they have passed on. In a fallen world, especially in a decadent age, there are many false teachers, and we need to make special efforts to retain and pass on our godly heritage.

Epiphany I

Historically, the First Sunday after Epiphany has had several associations. At some points in church history, it has simply been the Sunday within the octave (ecclesiastical week) of Epiphany and repeated the collect and lessons of that ancient festival. From early times, it was also associated with Christ's Baptism (the 1928 American BCP, the Baptism is for Epiphany II). In traditional Books of Common Prayer, the Gospel continues Luke's Christmas-Epiphany sequence with the one recorded episode from Christ's later childhood: the episode of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple (St. Luke 2:41-52).

This Gospel shows how Jesus continued to fulfill all righteousness in His human nature. As a pious Jew, He was concerned about studying and applying the Scriptures. In His case, there was a special awareness that He was about His "Father's business" (St. Luke 2:49). Along with this awareness, He remained the ideal son who at that age was subject to His earthly parents' authority.

The episode also shows something unique. It is a manifestation or epiphany of God the Son incarnate as the perfect human being. At the same time, it is a call to us to follow Jesus' example. As sinners, we never follow His example perfectly, but aided by His grace, we are called to be about our heavenly Father's business and to seek to grow in service.

Advent IV

The Fourth Sunday in Advent continues the theme of Christ's coming. The Collect asks the Lord to "come among us." It keeps up the penitential emphasis of the season by praying that He will overcome our sins, and that He help and deliver us by His grace and mercy.
The Epistle from Philippians 4:4-7 has a somewhat lighter tone but still reminds us that "the Lord is at hand." Because of Christ, we do have a true reason to rejoice. Despite our sinfulness, we have hope because of the peace that God brings through Christ.

The Gospel from St. John 1:19-28 is another reference to the preparatory message of John the Baptist. When the Jerusalem authorities send representatives to ask who he is, John refuses the usual titles. He will only admit to being "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:23 ; Isaiah 40:3). He makes the way ready for the Lord; he baptizes with water to represent repentance and cleansing from sin. But the One coming after John is much greater. He is the reason for John's work of preparation, and He will bring the redemption that John's ministry only anticipates.

And that One, Jesus the Christ, is the One whose way we prepare this week. As Advent draws to a close, there are many preparations for the celebration of Christ's Nativity. Among all the things that we make ready, let us focus on the spiritual preparations. We need to pay more attention to prayer, meditation on Scripture and renewed efforts to run the race set before us. As we get ready to celebrate Christ's first coming in humility, let us also remember that He keeps coming to us. In His holiness, He naturally brings judgment upon our sin, but He also offers us grace and mercy. And we also anticipate the time that He will return in glory to bring even greater joy and peace to all who truly have faith in Him.

Pentecost, commonly called Whitsunday

Pentecost is one of the great feasts of the Church based on Scriptural accounts of the descent of the Holy Spirit. The name comes from the Greek word "fifty." This title was applied to the Jewish "Feast of Weeks" which is the fiftieth day after Passover. Later, the Church assigned the commemoration to the fiftieth day after Easter. The other name, meaning "White Sunday," comes from the northern European custom of administering Baptism to white-robed candidates on this feast.

The Gospel for Pentecost (St. John 14: 15-31) continues the recent series from Christ's Farewell Discourses. For me, a key verse in the selection is this: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsover I have said unto you (St. John 14: 26). In view of all the strange things that some Christians have attributed to the Spirit over the centuries, this verse provides important guidance. 1) The Holy Ghost comes from the Father in Christ's name: His work is inseparable from the saving work of the Father and the Son. 2) The work of the Spirit is not primarily emotional; the Spirit mainly comes to teach Christ's disciples. 3) As the Spirit teaches, there is not a distinct new revelation. Rather the Spirit brings to remembrance what has already been revealed in the words of Jesus. Thus, if Christians "feel" that the Holy Spirit is leading them in a certain direction, they need to examine their feelings in light of the truth of the whole Biblical revelation, especially in light of Christ's words in the Gospels.

Sunday after Ascension Day

The Gospel for the Sunday after Ascension Day (St. John 15:26-16:4a) is another selection from the Farewell Discourses of our Lord recorded by St. John. It anticipates Pentecost by continuing to point to the Comforter (Parakletos), the Spirit of truth. The Spirit will continue to guide the disciples into Christ's truth, but they are also warned to expect difficulty and rejection in the world.

This juxtaposition of promise and warning has a perennial application to the Christian life. Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost remind us of great and joyful aspects of Christian faith and life. God in Christ has given and continues to give us so much. However, Christian joy is not a simplistic denial of reality. The Scriptures do not proclaim some distorted message of worldly prosperity and happiness. Believers are still fallen creatures living in a fallen world. So our Lord wants us to be realistic; He wants us to be ready to face difficulties without losing hope. May the Spirit of truth give us strength to keep such a joyful realism in our doctrine and in our daily lives.

Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday

The Gospel appointed for this Sunday (St. John 16:23-33) is the third in the series from the Farewell Discourses, and it is appropriate for the Sunday before the Ascension. The theme is in the words, Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (16:33b). This is a bold claim and has often been misunderstood. Using Christ's name in Christian prayer is an ancient and laudable practice, but the real significance of the verse is deeper than a liturgical formula. We truly pray in Christ's name when we approach the Father in Christlike humility. Such prayer includes the attitude of Christ in Gethsemene: nevertheless not what I will but what thou wilt (St. Mark 14:36b). What the Father gives us is through our participation in Christ and in accordance with His great purposes of redemption. When we pray in that spirit, God is doing greater things for us than we in our human limitations can comprehend.

The common name for the the Fifth Sunday after Easter is Rogation Sunday, and the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week have also long been known as Rogation Days. The term "rogation" comes from the Latin verb rogo, rogare. This is one Latin term for praying and is used in the Latin version of St. John 16:26, that I will pray (rogabo). Rogation Days go back to the sixth century at Rome where Christian prayers for crops were appointed to replace certain pagan customs. Early processional litanies were associated with this observance, and other prayers of supplication were included during times of disaster.

At the time of the English Reformation, practices were simplified, but the Rogation Days continued as occasions for the Litany and prayers for agriculture. Although many modern people are far removed from the agricultural cycle of life, it is good for us to continue to be aware of and pray for the natural cycle that sustains earthly life. And as we approach the Ascension, it is also appropriate that we be more aware of Christ as our heavenly Intercessor in whose name and spirit we are to offer up all our prayers.

Easter Day- He is risen!

The Paschal Feast, Feast of the Resurrection, or Easter is the high point of the liturgical year. Because of its central importance, it is sometimes difficult to discuss. The words of the Scriptures and the greatness of the liturgy always seem so far beyond my comments. Anything that I say or write is only a momentary glimpse of the great and joyous mysteries that Christians celebrate on this day. 

Jesus of Nazareth is the risen Christ! The one who suffered terrible physical and spiritual agonies to save us from our sin has risen from the dead to offer us new life, in this world and the next. Easter is the great dividing point in human history. The Resurrection is, among other things, the seal of divine approval upon the earthly life, ministry, and death of Jesus. It is the key event that transforms a band of disheartened and defeated disciples into faithful witnesses and ministers of the Good News. All the Gospel accounts of His Resurrection and all the Epistle commentaries and exhortations about it are written from the standpoint of faith in the risen Lord. They are also written to inspire and strengthen that same Resurrection faith in others. 

In the traditional Books of Common Prayer, the first Easter Gospel (St. John 20. 1-10) refers to the importance of faith. The initial reaction of the women at the empty tomb and of the apostles who hear the women's report is not faith. The first reactions are fear, hesitancy, amazement, and curiosity. Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved (traditionally identified as John) run to see for themselves. Peter goes in first to see the grave clothes. "Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed" (St. John 20:8). 

The empty tomb is important. It is a real event that must not be denied or ignored. It is an integral part of the New Testament message. Nevertheless, acknowledging the empty tomb is only a first step. This first step must be followed by the second step shown by John; that is, the empty tomb demands the response of belief or faith. So on this Easter, let us renew our faith. let us accept with faith what the empty tomb tells us about Jesus. He is unique. He is not merely someone who recovers from physical death. Others may have experienced resuscitation; He has experienced Resurrection. He has overcome the forces of evil, destruction, and death for all time, for all who truly believe in Him. He is the Word of God incarnate, the Messianic King, God the Son. By overcoming death, He has (in the words of the collect) "opened unto us the gate of everlasting life." Christ lives, and because He lives, we also may truly live in union with Him. Alleluia. The Lord is risen indeed; O come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Good Friday

This day has had many names including Paschal Day, Great Friday, Holy Friday and in the English tradition Good Friday. Since the early years of Christianity, it has been observed by fasting, prayer and the reading of Scripture. Over time, Christians have developed and used a variety of special devotional practices for this observance.

Whatever devotions an Anglican or any other Christian observes on this day, the key element, of course, is the Passion story from the Gospels, in particular the account from St. John 19. And whenever I read or hear this passage from John, I am always struck by John 19:30, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." 

"It is finished," that is, Christ's first earthly mission is complete (the Resurrection is bound to this work but it is a new and glorious chapter). His suffering and death were the goal of His incarnation and public ministry. As He had humbled Himself to come down from heaven and become one of us, so He humbled Himself to the end. He who committed no sin was numbered among the transgressors; He offered Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. But He did not just take away the sins of the world in general; He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to take my sins and your sins. If we accept His sacrifice with living faith in Him as our Savior, then this day truly does become Good Friday.