Trinity 23- Philippians 3:20; Matthew 22:21

In differing ways (and somewhat ironically in view of the present American situation), both the Epistle and Gospel for this Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity deal with issues of Christian citizenship. In Philippians 3:20, St. Paul reminds us of our ultimate loyalty. As believers, our true citizenship is in heaven, not in any earthly nation or empire. While we respect the just claims of civil authority, and while we may love a land, its people, and its culture, only God and His rule deserve our highest and deepest loyalty. So we must elevate God above all men and beware of political leaders, party platforms, or governments that claim too much for themselves.

Our gospel from St. Matt. 22:15-22 is the familiar passage where opponents try to trick Christ in political matters. Jesus avoids the trap, and more importantly, He gives believers a general theological and moral principle for dealing with the governing authority. In St. Matthew 22: 21, our Lord tells us all: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.

The implication is that all residents benefit to some degree from Caesar’s political and economic system represented by his money. So despite the real failings of any government, all residents owe the powers-that-be some tax.  On the other hand, all human beings have also been created in God’s spiritual image, and so we owe God much more than taxes. We owe God ourselves, body, mind, and soul.

Together these two passages establish basic Christian principles for political and social life. Whatever we do in worldly matters, we must always look to our Christian values and priorities. God always deserves our highest and deepest loyalties. His Law and His Gospel must be our guides. We may respect Caesar’s function in this world, but we serve God first, even when it means opposition from earthly powers. We pray for our country and for officials- even as Christ and the apostles did for those who killed them. But our chief calling is to strive to live in ways consistent with our heavenly citizenship and consistent with the example and teachings of Jesus Christ our true King.

Trinity XX- Ephesians 5: 15-21; Matthew 22: 1-14

Years ago, I posted longer comments on the Epistle and the Gospel for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. This year, here are brief comments on the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel.

COLLECT- The thematic prayer for this Sunday goes back to a Latin version in the Gelasian Sacramentary, but the English translations of 1549, 1662, and 1789 modified it a little. The changes in the collect seem to have been for two reasons: to emphasize mercy and grace and to improve the English style. Christians are dependent upon God's bountiful goodness in order to avoid harmful things and to follow divine commands.                                                                                                              

EPISTLE- The selection from Ephesians 5:15-21 is part of a series of selections from this letter during the Trinity season. In general, all of these selections have a two-pronged emphasis: sound doctrine about Christ and His Church and a Christian way of life. These two points are not separate because as the Apostle teaches repeatedly, a truly Christian way of life is a result of basic beliefs about God's redeeming work in Christ. Ephesians 5:15 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise...." Here St. Paul begins an emphasis on wisdom. This is not some generic wisdom; it is the wisdom of the Christian walk or way of life. It stands in contrast to the general wisdom of the pagan world, which is really foolishness. The Christian wisdom that the Apostle promotes is based on the divine wisdom manifested in Jesus Christ. Walking in such wisdom, Christians will be "redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16). The world is fallen and corrupt, and Christians are to make the best use of the time. So in Ephesians 5:17, Paul exhorts,"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." The way to true wisdom is not through some pagan philosophy or some mysterious cult; the way to true wisdom is to know and follow God's will revealed most fully in Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL- Matthew 22: 1-14. This is one of several passages that compare God's kingdom to a feast, in this case, a wedding feast for the king's son. This version is a little more elaborate than a similar story in St. Luke's Gospel. Noteworthy is the addition of the account of the unprepared guest in St. Matthew 22: 11-14:  "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." 

The whole passage is about people who do not respond properly to divine grace, and the final story is about an unappreciative response. The man accepts the King's invitation, but he does not bother to make appropriate preparations. However, although gracious, the King expects His guests to show respect, to be grateful, and to get ready. And anyone who does not respond respectfully is not allowed to remain in the King's presence; he cast out into the darkness. In a sense, this unworthy guest is expecting cheap grace, but God does not work that way. He expects our human responses to show our appreciation of His holy and gracious nature. Many are called, but chosenness is indicated in the response.

Anglicans and the Reformation

Late October is a time when many Christians think about Martin Luther and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Although Anglicans sometimes have divergent views about the 16th-17th century reforms, the Reformation clearly influenced the beliefs and practices of the English Church.

In the early years of the Reformation, some English Reformers were influenced by Luther. For example, William Tyndale was described as and martyred as a "Lutheran." His Bible translation, which has influenced subsequent English versions, was guided in many respects by the Luther Bible. Lutheran liturgical reforms influenced the Anglican Daily Office, the Order for Holy Communion, and the Litany. The Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles of  Religion were influenced by the Augsburg Confession and by some Reformed or "Calvinist" documents. Furthermore, many collects and other prayers were revised or rewritten under Reformation influence to emphasize grace and faith and to minimize ideas of human merit. 

As time went on, various continental and native reformers became influential in England, but the English Reformation followed a conservative Reformation model. It emphasized Scripture while affirming the ancient Creeds, preserving liturgical worship, and keeping traditional forms of ministry. The English Church sought to reform itself while avoiding radical discontinuity with the Christianity that had gone before. It rejected more extreme reforms as well as papal authority and some medieval doctrines. 

In general terms, observers within and without the English Church considered it Protestant.  Although influenced by European Protestantism, English thinkers such as Jewel, Hooker, and Andrewes began to develop unique English tendencies. Anglicans developed a different ethos from other Reformation heritages. While still honoring the ancient catholic tradition, Anglicans asserted that the medieval Church needed reforming. They honored certain observations and principles of the Reformation. Anglicans placed Scriptural authority first; they emphasized grace and justification by faith, and they saw sanctification as a fruit of grace and faith. Anglicans viewed these Reformation principles as consistent with the best in the catholic or universal Christian heritage of all times and all places.

Trinity XVII- Ephesians 4: 1-6

The brief collect for this Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity is one of my favorites: 

LORD, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

As a linguist, I find the archaic use of the verb prevent interesting. Here this word is used in the original Latin sense, "come before"- a sense that still exists in modern Romance languages. Aside from that tidbit, the real reason that I appreciate this collect is that it reminds us that we are surrounded by grace and that it is only through such divine grace that we can do good works. 

Today's Epistle from Ephesians 4:1-6 continues the discussion from the selection last week about the interplay of Christian doctrine and ethics. In 4:1, the Ephesians are exhorted "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The Christian walk or way of life is based on the divine call to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. In verses 2-3, this way of life is presented both as an individual embodiment of virtues such as humility, patience, and loving forbearance and as a communal way of life that holds on to the unity given by the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 4:4-6 develops the theme of true Christian unity. Such unity is not some human achievement or organizational structure. While greater cooperation among Christian organizations is often desirable, the unity presented in this portion of Scripture is of a different nature. It is rooted in the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christians are already members of "one body" empowered by "one Spirit." They share "one hope..., one Lord, one faith." They have been grafted into the Body of Christ by "one baptism." And above all these aspects of oneness, there is "one God and Father of all." He is the ultimate source of any good unity.  True unity is awareness of a common faith in God through Jesus Christ, and it exists despite external human differences of race, language, culture, or church background.

Trinity XVI- Ephesians 3: 13-21; Luke 17:11-17

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity emphasizes God's compassion in different ways. The Collect prays for the pity of God to cleanse and defend the Church which cannot continue in safety without divine aid.

The Epistle from Ephesians 3:13-21 is an exhortation by the Apostle Paul for the church to remain steadfast in faith. Remaining strong in faith depends upon power from the "Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith..." Through God's work, believers "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge...." Again the initiative lies in the mercy, grace, and love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

The Gospel for the day is from St. Luke 7:11-17. Instead of verbal teaching or discourse, this passage shows divine compassion in one of our Lord's actions- the restoration to life of the son of widow from the village of Nain. Certainly, both the death of a young person and a parent losing a child can arouse a special pity. However, in this case, Christ's compassion is more focused on the woman because her situation is particularly dire. The young man was her only son, and she was a widow. In first-century society, that meant that she was being left alone and without livelihood or protection. Thus, in compassion, our Lord raised the young man and restored him to his mother. (We might also note the crowd's reaction: both fear and respect for the work of Christ.)

On this Sunday then, let us focus upon the mercy and compassion of God for His people. Human beings in general and Christians in particular are constantly dependent upon Him. We need cleansing and protection. We need inspiration from the Holy Spirit and awareness of the loving presence of Christ. Whatever our trials in this world, Christ reaches out in compassion to help us and lift us up. May we be open to Him!

Trinity XV- Divine Mercy and Human Response- Galatians 6: 11-18; Matthew 6: 24-34

The BCP "propers" for this Sunday highlight the centrality of divine mercy and the need for a faithful human response. The Collect for the Day is another one from the ancient church which was edited slightly in the 1549 and 1662 Prayer Books. The emphasis is on God's mercy helping to preserve the Church from the corrupting tendencies of human frailty. Only divine help can keep us from spiritual harm and lead us to salvation.

The Epistle is the third in a series of three traditional readings from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians. The English reformers did shift the selected verses slightly to Galatians 6:11-18 in order to emphasize the dangers of legalism and the applicability of Christ's Gospel to all peoples. Believers are not to glory in their human background or accomplishments. Rather as Paul says in Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." We must all be dependent upon the divine mercy and grace revealed most fully in the cross of Christ.

The Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Matthew 6:24-34. The reference to God's provision is appropriate for early autumn, the beginning of the harvest season, but it implies much more. It points us to divine providence and mercy in all its expressions. All of creation is dependent upon God for existence and survival. He watches over and cares for wild plants and the least birds. How much more must He care for human beings, especially for His faithful people! Therefore, He expects a faithful response. We must cast aside faithless anxieties. We must reject the idolatry of mammon or materialism. Instead, we must place God's kingdom, His righteous standards, first if life is to be truly meaningful.

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.

Trinity XII

In looking over the "propers" for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, I was struck by the distinctive but meaningful themes of the Collect. Epistle and Gospel. The Collect for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity comes from the early Latin church and was found in the Leonine and Gelasian Sacramentaries of the seventh and eighth centuries. The present English phraseology dates from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The words emphasize that God is the center of prayer. Sometimes we discuss prayer like it is all about us, but we are inconsistent and weak in prayer as in other areas. So we need to focus more on God. He is always ready to hear, extend His mercy, and give good gifts which He determines through Jesus Christ.

The Epistle for this Sunday is from 2 Corinthians 3:4-9 and includes some of the Apostle Paul's insights about ministry. Of course, he has his own apostolic ministry in mind, but much of what he says can apply to the service of any Christian, from the saintliest bishop to the simplest struggling believer. In particular, let us notice verse 5: "...not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God...." Regardless of any natural gifts or lack of them, our service for the Gospel must not be focused upon ourselves; rather we must focus upon God's grace that can empower us to do what is needed.

The Gospel from St. Mark 7:31-37 is about the healing of a deaf-mute. This miracle takes place in the Decapolis, a region east of the Jordan that had both Jewish and pagan Greek-speaking inhabitants in the first century. This location suggests the universal significance of Christ's ministry for all people, and healing a deaf-mute of unspecified origin points to the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies (Isaiah 35:5 and Ezekiel 24:27). In a different way, the Gospel passage, like the Collect and Epistle, underlines the importance of divine mercy and grace through Jesus Christ.

Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Of course, the traditional Gospel for this Sunday is the famous passage generally known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. One can emphasize any of the three central characters in the story: 1) the ungrateful and wasteful son who repents and returns home, 2) the merciful, gracious, and forgiving father who celebrates the prodigal's return, or 3) the legalistic and resentful older brother who is jealous and hurt. All three approaches can provide much food for thought.

This year, however, I would like to focus briefly on the parable from the perspective of the Collect of the Day. This collect which goes back at least to the early 600s reads as follows:
Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This short prayer is a reminder that we all need the gracious guidance of the Lord. Only He can grant us the spirit to think as well as to do the right things. Apart from His grace, we cannot live according to His will. We might be more like wandering prodigals who need to come to ourselves, repent and return to the heavenly Father, or we might be more like dutiful but resentful and self-righteous sons who need to be more understanding, merciful, and loving. In either case, we need the Lord's help. Only He can give us the transforming grace to think and to do such things as are right. Only He can change our attitudes as well as our actions.

Trinity III- Seeking the Lost

The Gospel for this Sunday is Luke 15:1-10 and contains two brief parables- the lost sheep and the lost coin. The context makes it clear that our Lord is talking about sinners lost to God. Some extreme approaches to this theme have left a bad aftertaste among both believers and non-believers. Because of this aftertaste, some sincere Christians hesitate to speak of people lost in sin. Yet, Scripture is not hesitant to speak of the lost and the condition of lostness. Indeed, all human beings have been lost, and apart from divine grace, remain lost. As the general confession in the Prayer Book Daily Office says, "we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep" (based on Isaiah 53:6 and 1 Peter 2:25). So all human beings participate in being lost and in needing to be found by Christ and His Church.

Seeking the lost has two important applications in our lives. First, each Christian should acknowledge that in differing ways and at different times we have all been lost and that we have tendencies to get lost repeatedly. As an old hymn says, we are "prone to wander," and we all depend upon divine mercy, grace, and persistence in seeking us out in the past and in each new day. God uses many means to seek us such as subtle promptings of the Spirit, life events, readings, or contacts with others, but chiefly He seeks us through Word and Sacrament. Thus, we should be aware that God is always seeking us, and we need to be open to being found by Him.

Secondly, as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to participate in the Lord's work of seeking and finding the lost. We are not to approach this calling with the wrong attitude. We are not to pretend to be some perfect paragons of virtue. Rather, we are to be humble. As sinners ourselves, we have benefited from the mercy and grace of God. We rejoice in divine mercy and grace, and we want to share that good news with others. We want each lost person to be found and to know the joy of returning to God. May each of us be found and do our small part to help others be found by God!

Trinity II- Invitations to the Banquet- Luke 14; 16-23

Like many Scripture passages, today’s Gospel from St. Luke 14:16-23 involves food. Jesus tells a parable about a great banquet or feast. In the first century, a householder wishing to host a big dinner party would send out a servant with many preliminary verbal invitations. Based on the responses, the feast would be prepared. When all was ready, the host would then send the servant back to bid the guests to come.
In the parable, the guests who originally accept the invitation begin to make excuses when the feast was ready. They prefer to do other things. They try to invent excuses. But the host will not to be outdone. He wants to share the feast with somebody. Since his respectable and prosperous neighbors back out, he sends his servant to bring in some less respectable neighbors, complete strangers, and passers-by.

We can easily see two points about the kingdom of God in this parable. One is a warning about making excuses. A second point is about inviting people. Since I have stressed the danger of excuses on previous occasions, this time, I focus on the invitation.
Our mission as servants of the divine host is to invite people to share in the spiritual feast. There is always room for more guests at the spiritual feast. And God asks us as His servants to invite others to the feast.

Although everyone may not appreciate the invitation, we are not to give up. Our master wants us to keep seeking newcomers. There are still many besides us who would appreciate the offer. Many souls in this world long for spiritual nourishment. Many people need the bread of life that comes through Word and Sacrament.
The role of inviting others is easier for some of us than for others. Some are more outgoing; some speak to others more naturally; some meet more people. So everyone doesn’t have to use the same approach. We don’t all have to extend our Master’s invitation in the same way or to the same numbers of people. But whatever our personalities and approaches, inviting others to share in God’s gracious provision is a basic duty of His servants. Each of us should seek to invite others to share in the gospel feast.

Trinity Sunday & the Athanasian Creed

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the key Christian belief rooted in the Bible and summarizing the self-revelation of God in Holy Scripture. In the words of the preface in the Order for Holy Communion, "It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God. Who with thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy  Ghost, art one God, one Lord, in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Substance. For that which we believe of thy glory, O Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without any difference of inequality."

Beginning in the early 900's, the custom of observing the first Sunday after Pentecost in honor of the Holy Trinity arose in Liege and soon spread in northern and western Europe. In particular, St. Thomas a Becket promoted this feast in England. Eventually, the observance of Trinity Sunday spread in all the Latin Church, and it was made a universal feast under the papacy in 1334. In the liturgical traditions of northern Europe including England, this Sunday also gave its name to the following season to the end of the church year.

In addition, the Western Church honored the doctrine of the Trinity with the creedal canticle often called the Athanasian Creed. Although influenced by the thought of  St. Athanasius of Alexandria, this document probably originated in the 400's in Latin and spread throughout the West. From 1549 through 1662, English Books of Common Prayer appointed it to be said at Morning Prayer on several major feasts in place of the Apostles' Creed. (The 1962 Canadian BCP includes it. American Prayer Books did not mention it until 1979 and 2019.) This ancient creed stresses the doctrine of the Trinity and Christ's Incarnation. It is a bulwark against many heresies, ancient and modern, and deserves our attention and affirmation.

The Athanasian Creed also known by its first words in Latin, Quicumque Vult

     Whosoever would be saved / needeth before all things to hold fast the Catholic Faith.
     2 Which Faith except a man keep whole and undefiled, / without doubt he will perish eternally.
     3 Now the Catholic Faith is this, / that we worship one God in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity;
     4 Neither confusing the Persons, / nor dividing the Substance.
     5 For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, / another of the Holy Ghost;
     6 But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one, / the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
     7 Such as the Father is, such is the Son, / and such is the Holy Ghost;
     8 The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Ghost uncreated;
     9 The Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Ghost infinite;
     10 The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Ghost eternal;
     11 And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal;
     12 As also there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, / but one infinite, and one uncreated.
     13 So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, / the Holy Ghost almighty;
     14 And yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty.
     15 So the Father is God, the Son God, the Holy Ghost God;
     16 And yet there are not three Gods, / but one God.
     17 So the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, / the Holy Ghost Lord;
     18 And yet there are not three Lords, / but one Lord.
     19 For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity / to confess each Person by himself to be both God and Lord;
     20 So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion / to speak of three Gods or three Lords.
     21 The Father is made of none, / nor created, nor begotten.
     22 The Son is of the Father alone; / not made, nor created, but begotten.
     23 The Holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son; / not made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
     24 There is therefore one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; / one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
     25 And in this Trinity there is no before or after, / no greater or less;
     26 But all three Persons are co-eternal together, / and co-equal.
     27 So that in all ways, as is aforesaid, / both the Trinity is to be worshipped in Unity, and the Unity in Trinity.
     28 He therefore that would be saved, / let him thus think of the Trinity.
     29 Furthermore, it is necessary to eternal salvation, / that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     30 Now the right Faith is that we believe and confess / that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man.
     31 He is God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; / and he is Man, of the Substance of his Mother, born in the world;
     32 Perfect God; / perfect Man, of reasoning soul and human flesh subsisting;
     33 Equal to the Father as touching his Godhead;/ less than the Father as touching his Manhood.
     34 Who although he be God and Man, / yet he is not two, but is one Christ;
     35 One, however, not by conversion of Godhead into flesh, / but by taking of Manhood into God;
     36 One altogether; / not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.
     37 For as reasoning soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;
     38 Who suffered for our salvation, / descended into hell, rose again from the dead;
     39 Ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father, / from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
     40 At whose coming all men must rise again with their bodies, / and shall give account for their own deeds.
     41 And they that have done good will go into life eternal; / they that have done evil into eternal fire.
     42 This is the Catholic Faith, / which except a man do faithfully and stedfastly believe, he cannot be saved.

     Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
     As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.