Wednesday before Easter- Hebrews 9:20

On this Wednesday in Holy Week, the collect in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer helps focus our thoughts as Holy Week progresses and enters a more serious phase. Although relatively new in the Prayer Book, this short prayer is based upon one from the medieval Sarum (Salisbury) liturgy.

Assist us mercifully with thy help, O Lord God of our salvation; that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts, whereby thou hast given unto us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The mighty acts upon which we mediate this week are obviously very serious and somber, but the collect also speaks of joy. The joyful aspect is rooted in God's redemptive work during the first Holy Week. As the Epistle from Hebrews emphasizes, Christ's work is both great and unique: "so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of man" (Hebrews 9:20). Let us meditate prayerfully on Christ's one offering of Himself for us. In the words of Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Despite the sadness of  our Lord's rejection, betrayal, torture, and death, let us also remain aware of  the spiritual joy offered through Christ's saving work.

Lent V- Passion Sunday- Hebrews 9: 11-15

For Lent V. the theme of Christ's Passion is related to both the traditional Epistle (Hebrews 9:11-15) and Gospel (St. John 8:46-59). This time, let us focus on the selection from Hebrews. The Epistle from Hebrews 9 stresses the great and unique sacrifice of Christ. Jesus was and is the great high priest who offered Himself as a pure sacrifice for human sin. Other sacrifices were mere foreshadowings of His perfect sacrifice. Such sacrifices were of minimal and temporary symbolic value, but Jesus became the mediator of a new and everlasting covenant. By offering Himself, Jesus Christ purified believers, and thereby through Him, they/we are enabled to offer living works to God's praise and glory. And eventually, those who remain faithful will "receive the promise of eternal inheritance."

Lent V, commonly called Passion Sunday- John 6, Hebrews 9

Some newer liturgical calendars call the Sunday before Easter (popularly called Palm Sunday) Passion Sunday because the Passion Gospel is read. However, some other calendars (including the 1927/28 Proposed English, the 1928 American, the 1962 Canadian, and the 2019 ACNA Books of Common Prayer) use the older popular designation of the Fifth Sunday in Lent as "Passion Sunday."

The readings in the 1928 BCP are consistent with the Passion Sunday designation. The Gospel from John 6 points to the theological conflicts that led to plots against Jesus. The Epistle from Hebrews 9:11-15 turns our thoughts to the significance of Christ's passion and death. Hebrews 9:11 speaks of Christ as "high priest of good things to come." Hebrews 9:12 adds, "... by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Comparing the self-sacrifice of Christ to the old temple sacrifices, Hebrews 9:14 exclaims, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God"! Hebrew 9:15 concludes that Christ brings "the promise of eternal inheritance."

On Palm Sunday and during Holy Week, we will spend a lot of time focusing on the details of our Lord's Passion and Death. On the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday, let us take time for some preliminary and personal reflections about why He suffered and what His sacrifice means for us.

Lent IV- The Prophet That Should Come- John 6:1-14

The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday in Lent is from St. John 6:1-14. These verses form one of the four accounts of the miraculous Feeding of Five Thousand, an event found in all the gospels. These accounts have several themes., but, this time, I would simply focus on one theme that is sometimes neglected.  That theme, especially noticeable in St. John's presentation, is a Messianic theme related to Moses. The passage contains Messianic allusions comparing Jesus with Moses. 

At the beginning of John 6, Jesus goes up on a mountain or hill to teach the people. This is a reminder of Moses who went up on the mount and came down to proclaim God’s Law to the Israelites. Providing food for God’s people in the wilderness is also reminiscent of what Moses did. And at the end of our passage, the people acknowledge Jesus as "that prophet that should come into the world" (John 6:14). In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses predicted that God would raise up a prophet like him and that Israel must listen to that new Moses.

 In the first century, being a new Moses was one of the roles expected from the Messiah, and several New Testament passages see Jesus fulfilling this prophecy. Jesus brings the last great revelation from God the Father. He restates, re-applies, and deepens the divine Law. As the Transfiguration implies, Jesus completes and supersedes Moses and the other prophets. As Hebrews 3:3 says, “For this man [that is, Jesus] was accounted of more glory than Moses….” In other words, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. He is the new and greater Moses. He brings the ultimate message from the Lord God, and we must listen to Him and heed Him in all that we think, say, and do. 

Being more deliberate in hearing and obeying Jesus as the greatest prophet and Messianic king is one of the great purposes of Lent. During Lent, many Christians focus on devotional preparations and spiritual disciplines. And we do need renewed dedication in these matters. Yet, our Gospel from John 6 reminds us that renewal is not just about our efforts. Lent is about focusing on Jesus. He is the great prophet, priest, and king. He reveals God’s will, and He seeks to save us. So in faith, we must heed Him and accept His guidance.

Christmas 2022- Hebrews 1:1-3

The anticipated day has finally arrived! It is Christmas, and we Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Incarnation of the eternal Word of God. Of course, there are many aspects to the celebration of this great festival, and we can easily be distracted from what is most important. So we constantly and prayerfully turn to divine revelation in Holy Scripture. In particular, today's reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews points us toward the meaning of the Christian celebration.

Hebrews 1:1-3 says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." 

These words indicate the importance of the Incarnation and summarize the basic message of the Christian Gospel. The old divine message delivered through the prophets has reached its climax and fulfillment in Jesus Christ, God's only Son. The Son has been with the Father from the beginning and has always been involved in divine work, but in Jesus, the Son, the Word, has come among us in a great new way. He reveals God the Father more clearly, He takes away our sins, and He returns to reign with the Father in heaven.  Christmas is about an unusual birth, but it is also about much more. It is a proclamation of the eternal and saving Gospel of Jesus Christ! May this Good News dwell in our hearts always! A merry and blessed Christmas to all!

Trinity VIII- Ravening Wolves- Matthew 7:15

This week, I am taking some time to travel, but I was struck by the relevance of the Gospel for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity. In St. Matthew 7:15, our Lord warns, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Of course, false and corrupt religious leaders have been a perennial problem in history, and Christ's Church has been afflicted by bad leadership in many periods, including ancient Gnostics, fourth-century Arians, and worldly medieval prelates. 

However, such false prophets seem even more rampant in the 21st century. Besides the usual human foibles that afflict individual leaders, our time sees so much institutional corruption in theology and moral teaching (or the lack thereof). No church body or Christian tradition seems exempt. There are many who seem determined to mislead and devour Christ's flock, and they can be found among all sorts of theological denominational backgrounds.

In light of such dangers, we must beware. We must be vigilant and strive to remain faithful. None of us is perfect or infallible. None is immune from some temptation. So we all must constantly repent, confess our sins, and seek divine grace. With God's help, we are empowered to resist the corruptions of the age spread by many religious leaders. In the words of Hebrews 12:1, "...  let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

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.