Advent I/St. Andrew the Apostle- Matthew 21

This Sunday, November 30, is both the Feast of St. Andrew and the First Sunday in Advent. Andrew first brought his brother Simon Peter to see Jesus, and they began to follow Him together. Advent I begins a new church year and the season of preparation for Christmas. Since the fourth century, Advent, a word derived from the Latin word "coming," has been a time to emphasize the theme of Christ's coming into the world.

At first glance, the Gospel selection from Matthew 21:1-13, a Palm Sunday reading, may seem strange. Yet, when read at this time of the church year, the account is primarily a reminder of the varied ways that Jesus Christ comes into human lives. Christ, the Messianic King, came into the world long ago. He keeps coming to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in Word, Sacrament, and prayer, and Christ will come again to conclude earthly history on the last day. 

As Matthew 21 shows, Jesus comes humbly and peaceably as our rightful ruler who does not have to prove Himself. Yet, even when He comes in this simple and peaceful way, He automatically brings rebuke and judgment upon human corruption. Such human corruption perverted the purposes of the Jerusalem Temple and still corrupts the Church in this world. So, as our Lord purified the Temple, so also He must purify His Church repeatedly. Both the institution and individual Christians need to be cleansed and renewed. As we begin our Advent preparations for the great Christmas festival, let us also examine our souls. Only through spiritual self-examination, repentance, and renewal in faith can we truly develop an appreciation for the good news that Christ's coming brings.

Lent III- Luke 11:24-26

The Gospel for Lent III from St. Luke 11:14-28 is a rich passage, and it refers to several different themes related to spiritual struggle and following Christ.  Today let us look at St. Luke 11:24-26: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

 In these words, our Lord issues a warning about half-hearted spiritual renewal. Any person who has a certain evil removed from his life is like a clean house. Such a person has great potential for moral and spiritual growth. There is an opportunity for a new start, an opportunity for filling one's life with all sorts of virtue and goodness. This renewal is a time for inviting the Holy Spirit to dwell within and transform life. However, if a person does not use such a time of renewal in a positive way, there is also the possibility that evil may return with greater force than before. A half-hearted renewal may leave a person in a worse spiritual state than he/she was previously.

 Certainly, these insights apply in great instances of spiritual healing- such as when Christ cast out demons. These insights may be applied in our modern age when a person is trying to recover from some serious moral or spiritual problem. Yet, the same dynamic can also apply to many of the little daily struggles to be better Christians that we all have. Renouncing some evil, even a minor fault, is a good beginning. It is a kind of spiritual house cleaning. But a good beginning is not enough; it also needs positive spiritual follow-up. Our souls must be filled with good things lest the bad return in a worse way.

This teaching is especially applicable during times like Lent. Lent is a season of spiritual house cleaning; it is a time when Christians seek spiritual renewal. During Lent, we emphasize repentance from sins and discipline against bad habits. During this season, many people give up some minor human indulgences, and that can be good.

However, we should not be content to renounce a few things for Lent; we must also take positive steps. During this season, we also need to fill our spiritual houses with positive practices such as Scripture and devotional reading, prayer, and acts of kindness and service. By taking such positive steps, we decrease the likelihood of evil moving back in. So, during this Lent, may God grant us the grace to focus on the well-being of our souls. Let us move beyond basic spiritual house cleaning and seek to keep our hearts, minds, and souls filled with everything good.

 

Lent III - Luke 11:24-26

 The Gospel for this Sunday refers to several themes related to Christ’s ministry and the kingdom of God. In the midst of all these themes, there are three verses about spiritual housekeeping that have sometimes been applied to Lent. These verses are Luke 11:24-26. “ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

These verses are a brief parable about moral and spiritual cleansing and healing. In a way, the verses encourage moral and spiritual housekeeping, but they are also a warning about how people pursue such housekeeping. The ways a person cleans up his/her life and what one does afterward can be as important as the cleansing itself.

In this world, many human beings admit that they need to change. Many people know that there are bad or destructive forces and tendencies in their lives. They sense that bad habits, poor attitudes, mistaken loyalties, and various mental and spiritual weaknesses need to be cast out. For many, the approach of  Easter is a reminder to do some spiritual housekeeping. They may stress better moral and spiritual habits. Some may give up certain things. Some Christians emphasize penitential attitudes and a variety of devotions. Such external disciplines can be useful. However, Christians also need to move beyond mere external disciplines- even beyond good disciplines involving certain degrees of self-denial. 

Our spiritual houses must not be left empty. They need to be filled with goodness. As numerous Scriptures remind us, our Lord should abide or dwell within us. In other words, a Christian life must include positive aspects as well as negative ones. We are called to do more than just cleanse our hearts, minds, and souls of evil. We are asked to allow God to dwell or reside within us, and the real purpose of all spiritual housekeeping is to make room for Him. It is to become more open to divine grace and love.

This point is always true. Of course, we could all use more self-discipline and more sincere self-denial, but those things are not sufficient. By God’s grace in Christ, our hearts, minds, and souls can be filled with good things such as faith, hope, and love. Our great need is for God to dwell within us and transform us for worship and service.

Lent III- Luke 11- Spiritual Housekeeping

The Gospel for this Sunday refers to several themes related to Christ’s ministry and the kingdom of God. In the midst of all these themes, there are three verses about spiritual housekeeping that have sometimes been applied to Lent. These verses are Luke 11:24-26. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” (RSV).

These verses are a brief parable or comparison about moral and spiritual cleansing and healing. In a way, the verses encourage moral and spiritual housekeeping, but they are also a warning about how we pursue such housekeeping. The ways we clean up our lives and what we do afterward can be as important as the cleansing itself.

In this world, many human beings admit that they need to cleanse their lives. Many people know that there are bad or destructive forces and tendencies in their lives. They sense that bad habits, poor attitudes, mistaken loyalties, and various mental and spiritual weaknesses need to be cast out. 

During Lent, some of us emphasize spiritual housekeeping. We may stress better moral and spiritual habits. We give up certain things. We emphasize penitential attitudes and a variety of devotions. Such moral and spiritual housekeeping and external disciplines are useful. However, we also need to move beyond mere external disciplines- even beyond good disciplines involving certain degrees of self-denial. 

As we clean our spiritual houses, we do not need to leave them empty. We need to fill them with goodness. As numerous Scriptures remind us, we must allow our Lord to abide or dwell within us. In other words, the Christian message must include positive aspects as well as negative ones. We are called to do more than just cleanse our hearts, minds, and souls of evil. We are asked to allow God to dwell or reside within us, and the real purpose of all our spiritual housekeeping is to make room for Him. It is to open us up to divine grace and love.

This point is always true, but it has a special relevance to Lent. Of course, we could all use more self-discipline and more sincere self-denial, but those things are not sufficient. By God’s grace in Christ, we also need to fill our hearts, minds, and souls with good things such as faith, hope, and love. We need to allow God to dwell within us and transform us for worship and service.