A sermon preached at Saint John's Church, Passaic, New Jersey
By Father William Thiele, Priest-in-Charge, on the Feast of Corpus Christi (Transposed to the First Sunday after Trinity), May 25th , 2008

Corpus Christi, Living Bread 
A sermon preached at Saint John's Church, Passaic, New Jersey
By Father William Thiele, Priest-in-Charge, on the Feast of Corpus Christi (Transposed to the First Sunday after Trinity), May 25th , 2008
Gospel, John 6:47-51:
 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
 48 I am the bread of life.
 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
 60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?
 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?
 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
 64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.
Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:15-17:
15 I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say.
 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
Old Testament Lesson: Deuteronomy 8:2-3:
2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.
 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven." +

We have so much to be thankful for this morning that our lists would be very long. High on our lists should be those whom we honor for their military service and sacrifices for this country, which have kept us free to live, work and worship with extraordinary rights, privileges and opportunities. Mass on Memorial Day would not be amiss, provided that you wouldn't be missing. I suggest that we at least pause sometime tomorrow from whatever we're doing to pray appropriately.

However, this morning's priority is to honor an even more important source of blessing, namely, "The living bread which came down from heaven." It might be better to say, "The living bread which comes down from heaven" because it didn't come down just once in history, but it does so every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord will also come again in glory to set all things right forever.

Thursday was the Feast of Corpus Christi which honors our Lord's real Presence in the Sacrament of the Altar. Perhaps next year we might celebrate it on its day, but it's perfectly acceptable to transpose it to a Sunday, which is exactly what we have done.

Part of the reason for doing so is to accommodate the fact that our lives are so filled with everything else. Time, commitments and gas are expensive, but they do not begin to compare with the cost of Jesus' Body and Blood for our salvation and eternal life.

The folk of the Corinthian church lived in a very prosperous, busy and even bawdy place. If the Phillipian church was Paul's joy, then the Corinthian church might have been his pain in the somewhere.

Our epistle snippet of but three verses is sandwiched between Pauline rants before and after about how the Corinthians were distracted from the high principles of the faith. The Corinthian letters are filled with Paul's rants.

In this case Paul gets right to the core of a holy thing that can lift up the Corinthians above the delusions and nonsense surrounding them.  He says, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

That's exactly what we are about to do this morning. With the ancient Church, and the Church throughout the ages, we will participate in the Body and Blood of our Lord.

Long after apostolic times and in due course this participation in a real Presence became specially formalized with a feast day, the one we are now celebrating. It seems that in about 1230 AD a French religious, Blessed Juliana, a nun, had a vision that was so compelling that she vigorously proposed this feast . The idea finally took root with Pope Urban IV who instituted Corpus Christi in a papal encyclical  of September, 1264. He died the next month. (No connection between the two.)

His successors, beginning with Clement V took up the cause. By mid-14th century the Feast of Corpus Christi was widely observed in the western Church.

Even then the stage was being set for the Reformation, soon to emerge in the 16th century. Reformers, such as Calvin and Zwingli and to some extent even Luther, in the heat of reform, would dilute important truths as they discarded abuses.

Corpus Christi continues to suffer compromises or omission not just from the heritage of the Reformation, but from modern thought and debate.  However, no modern opinions can change what Paul knew quite well, that we participate in the Body and Blood of our Lord.

The Feast of Corpus Christi is also a special time for us to stand up in solidarity with Christians from apostolic times, to affirm that our Lord effectively comes to us in Holy Communion. It's another opportunity for us not to be social lemmings held captive by trendy modern nonsense that tries to tie up our lives and reorient our brains.

Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever." When he shared the last supper with his disciples he broke the bread and said, "This is my body." We're going to say the same words. I can almost imagine early saints cheering us on.

Last week in England we visited Walsingham, Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul's and Southwark Cathedral. The lengthier history there brought the contrast between the holiest and stupidest endeavors of people into some focus. A prominent common thread seemed to be how soon people forgot the lessons which were learned previously. What was holy at one time became profane in another.

The cyclical nature of lesson learning and price-paying was particularly transparent at the huge Imperial War Museum. I'd support legislation that all who are elected to serve in Washington must spend a full day in that London war museum. The same issues and mistakes repeat themselves, even on the same soil, and by the same peoples!

So it is with the Feast of Corpus Christi. Our Lord comes to us in the Holy Eucharist, no matter what other opinions cycle around. Our prayer book allows for "real Presence". While tolerant Anglicanism permits conflicting Eucharistic theologies to coexist, I feel that ours at St. John's is rather apostolic.

So on this Feast of Corpus Christi let us give thanks for the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever."    AMEN+

Gospel, John 6:47-51: (52-64 added)
 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
 48 I am the bread of life.
 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
 60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"
 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?
 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?
 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
 64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:15-17:
15 I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say.
 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Old Testament Lesson: Deuteronomy 8:2-3:
2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.
 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Blessed Peter said,  "And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." +

This morning we specially honor two great benefactors, our mothers and our Church.

Just as Jesus honored the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother, we lift up our own mothers through whom we began our earthly lives.  Today is a good occasion to honor them. It doesn't matter whether our mothers are with us or already with our Lord. The boundaries between the dimensions of heaven and earth are very porous.

That porosity between heaven and earth supported the second thing that we honor this morning. Today marks the official beginning of the Church. Say "Happy Birthday"!

On this "day of Pentecost" the Holy Spirit came to Jerusalem where pilgrims from all over the civilized world had gathered. Those pilgrims heard God's message in the language of their local countries, proclaimed by disciples with the Holy Spirit's symbol of fire upon their heads. That got everyone's attention.

Pentecost is one of two really big occasions after the Easter resurrection of our Lord. As its name implies, Pentecost is the fiftieth day from Easter.

The other really big day occurs on the fortieth day after Easter. That's when Jesus returned to heaven. It's called Ascension Day. In the evening a week ago Thursday we celebrated Ascension Day with a full sung Mass here. Some of you missed it.

So we are doing at least two things this morning. We give thanks for our mothers who brought us into earthly life, and also for our Church that brought us into spiritual and eternal life.  Both bring life. Both are instruments of care.

I have no idea how you now, or did in the past, get along with your mother. Mothers are human and there can be some bumps along that road. Regardless of how closely or distantly, or whether with joy or hostility, that you relate to her, today is a good time to say thank you, and to tell her of your love, or in a few cases, reconciliation. Hallmark and mall treasures alone won't do. If God has taken her already, your prayer will do nicely.

I don't know your innermost attitudes toward the Church. People in the Church are human and there can be some bumps along that road as well.  Regardless of how closely or distantly you relate to the Church, today is a good time to thank her for her life-giving gifts and fellowship. Money alone won't do. God wants relationship with you in his Church. He wants us to be like his Pentecost disciples, namely to be his witnesses.

In a spectacular manner God sent the Holy Spirit down on Pentecost. There is no Ascension Day parallel for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has remained among us. With whatever subtleties, it continues to speak and act according to God's plan.

The disciples at Pentecost spoke "as the Spirit gave them utterance." I don't know how some charismatic Christians "speak in tongues" today. I've seen and heard it. Maybe it's real, and maybe it's not. What I do know is that the Holy Spirit is still here to lead us and to help us know what to say.

Beside the actions of the Holy Spirit and the witnesses at Pentecost, Peter preached. In his preaching he tried to explain what was happening and the meaning of the Gospel for people. Our lesson ends with Peter saying, "And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Like the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, such preaching continues today. Just once I'd like to have the same results that Peter had from a sermon.

Here's what happened after Peter preached.  Twenty verses beyond our first lesson we read:   "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:41-41)

The addition of these three thousand marked the real kickoff of the Church, but those newcomers  first did two things. Peter says that the first action was that they "gladly received his word.." The second was that they "were baptized". That hasn't changed.

This morning Brooke Elizabeth will be baptized. Her parents and godparents have gladly received the word and will speak on her behalf. They and we the Church will pledge to support her.  Brooke will "be sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever."

As our mothers brought us into the world now, God brings us into the spirit forever. The Church has authority as God's agents by the Pentecost account and others. In our Gospel Jesus charged the Holy Apostles, and logically their successors, saying,  "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

This morning the Church gives its blessing upon Brooke in Holy Baptism. It also blesses mother, father, godparents and all  here who promise to support Brooke and renew their baptismal covenant with God into new life in Christ.

Today is a good day to honor our mothers who brought us into earthly life. Today is a good day to celebrate the birthday of the Church that gives us spiritual life now and forever. And it's a good day to be happy in our own baptisms and Brooke's. 

Blessed Peter said,  "And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Happy Mothers' Day. Happy birthday Church.
AMEN +

Gospel: John 20:19-23: 
 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Epistle: 1st Corinthians 12:3b-13:
 3b No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
 6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.
 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
 11 All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

1st Lesson: Acts 2:1-21:
 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
 2 And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.
 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
 7 And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."
 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"
 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."
 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day;
 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
 17 `And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
 19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
 20 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day.
 21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". +

We commonly say that you only can get so far on bovine droppings. Words alone can't sustain relationships. So, it's not surprising that our Lord told his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments".

Our text follows last week's. Jesus had just finished the last supper with his disciples. Judas the traitor had left. Soon our Lord would be captured, tried and crucified.

He comforted his disciples saying, "Let not your hearts be troubled".... and he told them how he was preparing a place for them.

Next he said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments".

It's true about those with whom we would be intimate. It's true in business.  It's true in the Church. And it's true in all the relationships that we choose or that are imposed upon us. It's true that we have to function and try to deliver in these relationships.

I have a bad attitude about paying taxes. I disagree with some things done  with my money. Moreover, the time I spend anticipating and compiling my tax returns assaults my life, and aggravates me. However, these are all part of functioning in the relationship we have with this blessed country in which we are so very fortunate to live.

In contrast, I am rather delighted by every hour and dollar that I can give to my church.

The point is this; we can't just give lip service to the government. We have a relationship with it, and it wants money. Likewise, and happily, our church requires more than just words.

Jesus told his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". He knew when he said it that they would fall short on the job. He knows us. While they would botch their marching orders to keep his commandments they would be justified by his grace in faith.

Let's be theologically clear, trying to keep his commandments isn't trying to be justified by works. The disciples did, and we do, fall short and fail. Therefore they, and we, must be justified by grace.

That's also how it is in our closest relationships. For example, your spouse could say to you like Jesus, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments".  Of course if it's said exactly that way, then you have another problem. However, what may be said or implied might be, "If you love me you will listen to me and operate within some reasonable boundaries of our relationship so that I may trust in your fairness and faithfulness." 

Those are expected works. The problem is that we all fail occasionally or frequently to meet those expectations. That's the human condition, and it's symptomatic of real life. Therefore, while our closest relationships require works, they are sustained by grace. Sometimes that grace is grudgingly dispensed. When it's never dispensed, or if it's greatly postponed, then the relationship is in real trouble.

We are God's children. So was Noah, and so were the disobedient people before the Genesis flood.

In our epistle lesson Peter warns us about the difficulties we will have here honoring our relationship with God. Then he included the following; "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit". That's God's grace.

Then Peter continues saying "...in which he (Jesus) went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you." 

Apparently Jesus remembered the pre-flood people, perhaps particularly those who gave lips service but didn't build arks. They suffered in the flood and from, as Peter put it, their spirits being in prison. Only Noah and his family were spared in the ark.

No doubt Noah endured the ridicule of his society, and perhaps of his family. After all, he squandered his resources to build an ark on perfectly dry land. (Maybe banks lent him money to do it.) He himself probably had doubts and the work could have gone ahead in fits and starts. Bill Cosby's classic dialogue between God and Noah might have some truth in it.

Without  Noah's endurance and actions, both he and his family would have drowned, but their relationship with God and to each other was also by grace.

Similarly our endurance to do the things expected in relationships is essential, but because we often perform deficiently the relationship requires the grace and forgiveness of the other. By persevering in love to work for and to forgive each other we are lifted up in our own spiritual arks upon the waters.

So don't give up. Divine and human grace is at hand. We, Noah and the disciples may get clumsy, but we will not go under in the flood. We will work at our relationships, especially our relationships with God.   As Julian would say, "All will be well."

Jesus said,  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". A few verses later he added, "....  he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." AMEN +

Gospel: John 14:15-21: 
 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever,
 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.
 18 "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.
 19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also.
 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

Epistle: 1st Peter 3:13-22:
 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right?
 14 But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
 15 but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
 16 and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
 17 For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.
 18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;
 19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
 20 who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

1st Lesson: Acts 17:22-31:
 22 So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
 23 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man,
 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.
 26 And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation,
 27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us,
 28 for `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, `For we are indeed his offspring.'
 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man.
 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent,
 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead."

Jesus said, "I am praying for them." +

Our Gospel records Jesus' prayer before his capture and crucifixion. In its first five verses the human Jesus prayed mostly for his painful mission of redemption, and to return to his divine glory with honor. In the next 6 verses, plus 10 more extending beyond our Gospel, he made arguments and intercessions mainly for his followers. His intercessions transcend time to include us.

In contrast Peter proclaimed another force acting upon us. In our epistle lesson he wrote, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour."

Maybe it sounds trite or simplistic to say that we live in two force fields. One is truly good. The other can appear attractive, but seeks to devour us. Traditional Christianity would say that there is a war for our eternal souls.

If people took that notion seriously then St. John's would have no empty pews. Instead delusions grow, such as regarding the virtues of being "spiritual but not religious". Or that "trying to be good is enough". Or that "when you're dead you're dead".

The variations of such ideas are subtle and abundant. They can seem reasonable and even brilliant, but we need to weigh them against the saving intercession of Jesus Christ and the forces of evil that would devour us.

Christianity is no game. It's a life and death commitment. In Peter's day the price paid for holding to the faith was more obvious. He said, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."

Peter says that difficulties are compensated by rewards. That idea pervades his epistles. In our reading he says, "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you." He still does.

I suggest that the main reasons we don't suffer overtly as Christians include that our faith has become muted, unintrusive, compromised and innocuous. Other religions and philosophies may be more pandered to than Christianity. Why? Maybe because we lie down and play dead?

All that doesn't change the fact that the human condition is so incompatible with God that only the intercession and sacrifice of his Son can save us.

Jesus said, "I am praying for them." Then he gave himself for them.

Many might say that I am being politically incorrect. I say with the ancient church that there is a war for our eternal souls. If that were not so then Jesus didn't need to die for us.

He ran block for us in his prayer saying; "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word."

Let's be brutally clear about something. Those Jesus refers to may have tried, but they didn't keep God's word. But because Jesus, who paid the price, said they did they got credit for really doing it. Thereby they, and we, are accounted as being righteous and compatible with God. That's Gospel.

Let's be clear on something else, Jesus didn't lie. He would, and did, pay the price for sins. Therefore  in the absence of sins, he could say that they kept God's word. We are totally dependent upon Christ to vouch for us. It's called grace, unmerited favor.

We know how we haven't measured up. That's what confession and absolution deal with. Perhaps corporate confession and absolution work for you. Private confession may work better. Try it.

Jesus continued, "I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me." Again, they, being human,  didn't really receive the words, but through Christ they got credit. Their idea that the Father sent Jesus ties into justification by faith.

He goes on, " I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them." There is adoption by the Father of those of the Son. Those adopted are the subject of the prayer, not the world.
The prayer doesn't limit "whosoever will", but it divides the believers from the world. Jesus is very specific saying that,  "I am not praying for the world".  Jesus doesn't sound politically correct.

We Anglicans are grace oriented.  However right that is, it leads to complacency. In my opinion the opposite problem is expressed by some who talk about working for the "best chance for heaven". Best chance? God's promises are 100%. They're better than cash in the bank. Collect here.

Jesus says this about believers, "for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them." And he can be glorified in us because our sins are covered by his blood.

Jesus continued his prayer saying; "Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one." That's the proof  text for ecumenism. It's also the text  that's perverted to blend the sheep with the goats.

The key phrase is "keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me". Those who belong to God are those who should be one. This is difficult theology.  Jesus said, "I am praying for them." He intercedes for us also.  AMEN +

Gospel: John 17:1-11: 
 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee,
 2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.
 3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
 4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do;
 5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.
 6 "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word.
 7 Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee;
 8 for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.
 9 I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine;
 10 all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.
 11 And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Epistle: 1st Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11:
 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.
 13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker;   16 yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.   17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?  18 And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?"   19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.  RSV 1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.    2 Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly,   3 not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock.   4 And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.   5 Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.
 7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.
 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.
 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.
 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.
 11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Lesson: Acts 1:6-14:
 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.
 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."
 9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away;
 13 and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
 14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

  Blessed Paul said, "We did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you." + (From 2nd Thessalonians 3:8)

The Gospel tells of the tribulations and triumphs of the second coming of our Lord. Our Old Testament lesson alludes to it also, saying, "But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings." The second coming of Jesus Christ is the final resolution to the world's problems.

Many of the church at Thessalonica used the anticipated second coming of our Lord as an excuse to fluff off and not work. There always seems to be some excuse. Paul chastised the sluggards there saying, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness."  They had become "mere busybodies".  Paul even suggested that if they didn't work they shouldn't eat.

But Paul  and his colleagues, apparently Timothy and Silvanus (2 Thess 1:1), were quite busy. They were burning the candle at both ends. Listen to Paul saying, "with toil and labor we worked night and day...." So just what were they working at?

One would hope that they were putting their full efforts into the churches, but they  weren't. They had second jobs.  Their reason? Paul says, "that we might not burden any of you."

According to Acts 18:3 Paul worked making tents. I wish I had one of those to put on E-Bay. That would solve our financial problems! Then, as now, a doctorate in theology wasn't worth much, unless you ran with the religious fat cats.

For reasons I'm sure Paul could defend, he chose to become a poster child for part time working priests. I also think that he had an attitude problem with the Thessalonians. Listen to phrases like; "We did not eat any one's bread without paying" and "that we might not burden any of you."

Let me be simply outrageous for a moment. I might have pulled Paul aside to help him. I could have said to him, "Tell those people to shape up. They pay for food, housing, medical care and taxes. Tell them to pony up and pay their clergy who teach them, administer the sacraments and pray for their eternal souls. The time you're spending on those stupid tents is at the expense of the Gospel. You told the Galatian church, 'Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.' (Gal 6:6) Go with that and stop whining. Besides, Paul, think of how your freebie ministry sets a very bad example."

The facts are that around half or more of the priests in this District 7 are part time, and this seems to be representative of the whole diocese, and of my home diocese. In seminary I spent about what law school or medical school costs. But unlike doctors or lawyers, priests are likely to die with their school debts still unpaid.

I personally have no problem with being your part time priest. In fact I just love it here. I hope you'll keep me. Part time, if you could call it that, is just fine, but like Paul, I'm a bit strung out. Some things really can't get done, but St. John's will have pastoral care and it will grow.

A real problem may come perhaps some years hence if God's replacement for me can't afford to work for you for the little you can support that priest with. However, if with God's help we will work together as dedicated stewards and church builders, then you'll be able to afford God's very best priest or priests. The finest and the most faithful on this whole planet could serve right here, and be fortunate to do so .

Only God knows how much time we have before I die with my stole on, or my body gets weird and creaky or my brain turns to fudge. Therefore, I assign extra urgency to this stewardship campaign and to our evangelism efforts.

Congratulations to all of you. When I came here you seemed to be preoccupied with survival. Now I see a sense of mission. As the Blessed Virgin Mary carried the infant Jesus, so Saint John's carries the life giving Word of God and the sacraments.

There is no product in any mall, or in any catalog or on any web site that's more precious and useful than the one available here in this blessed parish. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the full answer to the human condition. And we are trustees of it.

I am very inspired by the great successes Paul had in building churches part time. Occasionally I muse about how much more blessed his churches would have felt if they had fully supported Paul's ministry.  Then I imagine what else he might have been able to do.

But blessed Paul said to the Thessalonians, "We did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you."

I wish you a happy stewardship season. Bring your pledge cards next week to be blessed, and we'll celebrate together.

AMEN +

The Gospel: Luke 21:5-19:
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
 6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
 7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"
 8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.
 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
 14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death;  
 17 you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
 18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Epistle Lesson: 2nd Thessalonians 3:6-13:
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,
 8 we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.
 9 It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate.
 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.
 11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.
 13 Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing.

First lesson: Malachi 4:1-2a:
1 "For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
 2 But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

 

Jesus said, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living..." + (From Luke 28:38)

He said that to the Sadducees. They were the fat cats, the religious party of the rich and the high priestly families who were in charge of the Temple and its services. They took their authority from a rather fuzzy claim to being the descendants of Zadok, the high priest in King Solomon's time. To preserve their wealth and status they collaborated with the Roman government.

They also opposed the Pharisees, a larger religious party that believed in the prophets, in the oral traditions and in the resurrection. The Sadducees didn't. They strictly interpreted the first five books of our Bible, known as the five books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. They believed that there was no afterlife, as  "when you're dead, you're dead."

However the Sadducees and the Pharisees loosely united in a common cause. They both tried to discredit Jesus. The results humiliated both of them rather badly. The Sadducees in particular were "mad as hell", and didn't want to take it any more.

Let's frame this a little. Jesus had triumphantly entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and headed for the their Temple. There he caused more than a disturbance. He threw out the vendors and overturned the money changers' tables, while saying, "It is written, 'My house shall be called the house of prayer'; but ye have made it a den of thieves." (Matthew 21:13.)

If that wasn't enough, he returned to the Temple to persistently teach and to debate. The Sadducees couldn't do much about it because the crowds and Jesus' followers made it all but impossible to get rid of him. No wonder the Sadducees were steaming mad.

Frustrated, they tried again to verbally entrap Jesus in our Gospel. While they had already seen how he had hung both themselves and the Pharisees out to dry, debate seemed to be their only possible move. Shortly they would find another way, the trial and the crucifixion. Remember that this was Holy Week.

It is rather amusing that the Sadducees contrived a story partly based upon the resurrection from the dead that they themselves didn't believe in anyway.  Today's elite and leaders often argue they same way, citing an element of truth while using something that is convenient for their purposes, even if they don't believe it themselves.

It was true that Jewish law then required a brother to wed the childless widow of his deceased brother, and to procreate children to his dead brother's name. However, the story burlesques this tradition as each one of seven brothers dies finally leaving the widow, who also dies, still childless.  

Then, from those didn't believed in an afterlife, came the loaded question, "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

This incident reads pretty much the same in all of the synoptic Gospels; Matthew, Mark and Luke. However, Matthew and Mark include a lovely preface to Jesus' answer; "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29.) So much for sensitivity training.

"And Jesus said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Finally he provided an interesting resurrection proof text citing Exodus 3:6, one that the Sadducees couldn't refute. God had spoken to Moses saying, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Jesus pointed out, "Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."
 
The core issue of the Christian faith is the resurrection, beginning with that of Jesus Christ. Our sure and certain hope of the resurrection and eternal life follow from that fact. But God is the God of the living, even of those from times before. For example, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of the Transfiguration.

Just as Judaism was historically "this worldly", so we are also surrounded with pretty much "this worldly" influences. But those influences rarely even acknowledge the laws and principles of God. Consumerism and material pressures can be overwhelming. Our media and other voices are relentless.

Jesus made the Sadducees angry. If we stand for our faith we also will become offensive. It may be well and good for us to harmlessly gather and soon to think about the baby Jesus, but to proclaim the resurrection and to take responsibility for our eternal souls and to reach out with the Gospel to others becomes distasteful.

And right now we're doing something really distasteful, even for some in the church. We're asking for your money. We worship in church. We don't worship in malls. One difference is that malls aren't shy about asking for money, yet the products we offer are infinitely and eternally more valuable. Grace is free, but living to our Lord requires our time, skills and money for the mission of the Gospel in this church.

Have you noticed a resistance to pledging? That's not surprising. We're programmed. Our minds have responded to multitudes of Sadducee-like arguments that contain some truth that's manipulated in self-serving ways. Last Sunday one of our parishioners at coffee hour got the basics right saying, "I get up for work, so I can get up for God (for church)."

Similarly, we pay rents, mortgages and utility bills, so we can pledge to the church. The difference is that the blessings are greater from the pledge. I regret many ways I've spent money and time, but I've never been sorry about what I've given to God. I'm God's very satisfied customer.

I encourage you to try a little faith step in stewardship to come nearer to our Lord, even if it bothers you a little, and even if it bothers others more. The high prize is the life in Christ that satisfies, now and forever.

Jesus said, ".. He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him." AMEN+


The Gospel: Luke 20:27-38:
 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection,
 28 and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children;
 30 and the second
 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
 32 Afterward the woman also died.
 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
 34 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage;
 35 but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
 36 for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."

Epistle Lesson: 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17:
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,
 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
 3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition,
 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.
 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

 First lesson: Job 19:23-27a:
 23 "Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
 24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever!
 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth;
 26 and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God,
 27 whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

 

Jesus said, "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." + (Luke 19:10)

God wants to share life with us forever. His Son became a real person to do just that. He is quite clear about his intentions when he says, "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

 Jesus employs real action words. He will "seek" and "save".  These actions may be configured to fit the needs of any child of God. In context the word "lost" suggests that that one may be found. All of us have failed to live into our baptismal covenants, and many haven't even been baptized. Our Lord calls people in any compromised state condition into closer relationship with himself.

In order to teach this, Jesus ministers to two radically different types of people in our Gospel. First, he obviously invited himself to dinner at the home of a really big time sinner, someone who was working for the government and stealing from the people. Can you imagine that?

Tax collectors generally prospered by mining more tax revenue from the people than was due to Rome, while pocketing the difference. But Zacchaeus wasn't just any tax collector, he was the "chief" tax collector, who maybe took kickbacks from his subordinates. Thereby he may have been doubly despised.

Besides the tax collector, Jesus also engaged the apparently self-righteous and proper ones, those who seem to be the pillars of society. "They" were very outspoken and offended that Jesus would go into Zacchaeus' house and eat with him. Jews were, and still are, very picky about whom they will eat with. In context "they" seem to represent the religious leadership, and probably the Pharisees in particular.

Last week's Gospel also contrasted the repentance of a tax collector with the self-righteousness of a Pharisee. It left me to contemplate the tax collector's struggle in his conversion process, and to wonder whether the Pharisee would have listened to Jesus that his religious efforts might finally be rewarded through new love, compassion and humility in his life under God.
This week's lesson resonates more happily. It ends with a blessing upon both Zacchaeus and his house, and a conversion so overwhelmingly complete and beyond reproach as to even teach the dullest of Pharisees. I like happy endings, don't you?

To me Zacchaeus didn't really look like a prime candidate for God to court. Most of us don't. But God sees a beauty in each one of us. It is a beauty that he meant from the beginning of his creation. We all have it, although we may need to squint harder to find it in some, but it's always there.

Obviously God saw it in Zacchaeus, in spite of him being a stubby little crook, and a parasite who ravenously fed at the public trough. Yet he is a poster child for that breadth of God's caring that's so wide that none of us are "outside the reach of Christ's saving embrace."

Apparently the Spirit worked in Zaccheaus to crave seeing Jesus. He, being vertically challenged, had to climb up into a tree to view him over the crowds. He probably appeared like a real dope up in that sycamore tree when Jesus "looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.'"

Not only did Jesus see Zacchaeus, he knew his name! He sees us and knows our names, too. It must have been a quite a spectacle to see Zacchaeus climb down from that tree and lead Jesus to his house. I can see that whole crowd in tow, gawking, and talking about him, and about Jesus. Scripture says that Zacchaeus "gladly" received Jesus.  That's the example he has set for us, too.

Confession opens the doors to forgiveness from God. We all know that, but just listen to Zacchaeus' confession. "And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.'"

Well, he had defrauded. He did it big time. Everyone knew it. While he made no litany of his sins, he fully faced up to them with his self-imposed penance. Sin always produces collateral damage for us to deal with. For example, repentance may not always save a marriage which has been sinned against, but it can open possibilities for a new life.

So it was for Zacchaeus. While his penance would lead to reduced profits or even a new vocation, and possibly even temporary poverty, his future was bright indeed. "Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.'" Zacchaeus was restored both to his own people and to his God. It doesn't get any better, does it?

Let's not forget the self-righteous leaders who criticized Jesus and hated Zacchaeus.  Having seen the divine wisdom and love of God in action, what then could be criticized, and what then could be hated? The encounter had produced the restoration of Zacchaeus, and the vindication of Jesus' visit. I prefer to think that even our own critics will be blessed by our conversions and growth in the faith.

God does want to bless us. Remembering that, we will soon have an opportunity to climb our own trees to see Jesus, and to invite him into our hearts and homes in a new way. Let us again consider living into our baptismal covenants. Were going to affirm those vows together in just a few minutes. This is a very good deal. In fact it's divine.

This morning Jeremiah Aaron will join us as a member of our Lord's holy catholic church. He will be "sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever." We are charged as a community to love and to teach him, and to help him realize all of the fullness of life and achievements that God has intended for him.

He will join us to find his relationships with God and with others to be impaired from time to time. But as God even invited Zacchaeus, so he will invite Jeremiah and ourselves into new life. We're assured of that.  

Jesus said, "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

In the Name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN +

The Gospel: Luke 19:1-10:
 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.
 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.
 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.
 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold."
 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
 10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."
 
Epistle Lesson: 2nd Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12:
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
 2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 3 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.
11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First lesson: Isaiah 1:10-18:
 11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
 12 "When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts?
 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
 15 When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
 18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

The parable's Pharisee said, "I give tithes of all that I get." + (From Luke 18:12)

He did that! Like other Pharisees, he practiced his faith rigorously. Besides tithing and even fasting twice a week, he was given to the study of God's laws. That was all part of being a genuine card-carrying Pharisee.

They were the most numerous and influential Jewish party. They exercised considerable control of the Temple and of the general population. Paul himself claimed to be a Pharisee. While their scholarship and discipline should have brought blessings for themselves and for everyone else, Jesus implied instead that many became smug, self-righteous and judgmental.

Luke says Jesus "told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others."  Apparently they often lacked compassion and didn't try to minister to outsiders. In fact Jesus said the Pharisees despised others who were not like themselves.

Therefore it's no wonder that they despised Jesus in particular,  and were out to get him. He was smarter, holier and obviously more powerful than they were. He is superior today also.

Jesus judged their prayers to be deficient against the prayers of sincere but disreputable people, as symbolized by the tax collector. Just as Pharisees were icons of those who behaved with exact legal propriety, tax collectors represented those who were utterly unacceptable. They prospered by stealing as agents of the government. For this which they were hated as traitors. Specifically, they mined more tax revenue from the people than was due to Rome, while pocketing the difference. That made their franchises very profitable.

So we find at prayer in the Temple both a pillar of the community and someone shunned among the people. The text says that the Pharisee "prayed with himself".

He didn't seem to be experiencing any awe in the presence of the living God because the words that came out of his mouth rang more of rationalization than of prayer. He said; "`God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get."

Let's not come down too hard on this Pharisee, or on some of our own pillars of society, or even in religion. Remember that on some level he was probably really striving to do what he thought was right. In fact, he was obviously rather proud of it.

Today, for example, he could be a father who is fully absorbed in his business so that his family could have all the things of the "good life". Yet without laughing and lovingly being being active to spiritually nurture that family his business triumphs could be rather hollow. Along the way that father might also become intolerant of other fathers  and working spouses who disagree with his priorities.

Today that Pharisee of whatever gender could be working hard to follow the vision of a party, a company, a cause or even a tradition at the expense of true compassion and human care before God. History teaches us that even horrible things have been championed by people who think they're right, but who are not. It continues today. Defense even of orthodox principles must always include love.

The parable's Pharisee tithed. That's a very good thing to do. Yet it and his other efforts didn't bring the closeness to God he wanted. His tithes were spoiled by his own self-righteous oblivious rationalizations and prejudices. We can similarly spoil our own good works today.

Next the parable turns to a very obvious sinner, the tax collector. However, unlike the Pharisee, he prayed a real prayer in the presence of  the living God. We read; "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"

Let's talk about sin. The Greek New Testament word means missing the mark. We all miss the mark. The most spiritual may be a little closer to it, but they're still not even on the dart board. None of us measures up to God's standards. That's called the human condition.

But God loves us. When we plead the righteous blood of his Son he accepts our prayers accepts our prayers. That's the Gospel, and it's very good news indeed. It's good news for Pharisees and for tax collectors alike.

I am called to be your priest, but I need God's grace because I miss the mark. I am qualified to be your confessor, but not your judge. Praying "God, be merciful to me a sinner" works just fine. I have it on good report.

Referring to the tax collector, Jesus concluded his lesson to the Pharisees saying; "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I propose that our Lord was giving "tough love" to those Pharisees by ministering for their hearts to turn about. If that would happen then the they might be able to harvest God's blessings for their efforts, including joys from tithing. Take note.

The tax collector, who was the more obvious sinner, seems to have been undergoing a spiritual conversion. We know it from his prayer. It took courage for this notorious person to appear in the Temple and to pray there. Even today there's an essential utility to being in the sacred and sacramental space of the church, and hearing God's word among God's people. But it's not easy to come in from the world's culture to God's!

Logic suggests that the tax collector was in the process of straightening out his life. Perhaps he was struggling to run his Roman tax franchise in a more ethical way, or to seek other work. Maybe he hadn't yet begun to tithe but was trying out proportional giving. If he was fasting at all, probably like his giving, he wouldn't reveal it to anyone. He might have been the poster child for so many of us whose lives could be turned around or enriched with new life on earth and in heaven.

Self-righteously the Pharisee said, "I give tithes of all that I get." His heart spoiled his rewards. May we work and give joyfully, humbly and lovingly to become filled with God's blessings as stewards of our living Lord.

In the Name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN+


The Gospel: Luke 18:9-14:
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:
 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.'
 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Epistle Lesson: 2nd Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18:
 6 For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come.
 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
16 At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!
 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

First lesson: Jeremiah 14: (1-6) 7-10, 19-22:
1 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
 2 "Judah mourns and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
 3 Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns, they find no water, they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads.
 4 Because of the ground which is dismayed, since there is no rain on the land, the farmers are ashamed, they cover their heads.
 5 Even the hind in the field forsakes her newborn calf because there is no grass.
 6 The wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no herbage.
 7 "Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee.
 8 O thou hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be like a stranger in the land, like a wayfarer who turns aside to tarry for a night?
 9 Why shouldst thou be like a man confused, like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not."
 10 Thus says the LORD concerning this people: "They have loved to wander thus, they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins."
19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? Does thy soul loathe Zion? Why hast thou smitten us so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
 20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against thee.
 21 Do not spurn us, for thy name's sake; do not dishonor thy glorious throne; remember and do not break thy covenant with us.
 22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art thou not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on thee, for thou doest all these things.



 
   

Blessed John wrote, "And the Word became flesh." AMEN+ John 1:14a

The Word indeed became flesh. Jesus was born to us from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore we honor her on this Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Just look around us, and even inside of us. See what is happening in our communities and in the world. Too many things are messed up, aren't they? Until Our Lord comes again to set everything right we need every grace and advantage we can find. We need to lay hands on every tool that the Holy Spirit can use.

The 16th century Christian Reformation capitalized well upon using the Holy Scriptures. Unfortunately it somewhat spurned the benefits of the sacraments and the lessons of traditions. We strive to keep Word, sacraments and traditions in balance. Mindful of history the Word is preached here with the same fervor as the sacraments are celebrated.

Today we honor a particular asset from the traditions. It is an ancient one, one that is available to bless Christians everywhere who choose to understand it and who give it a sincere test drive. I am referring to sacred shrines.

Shrines are both physical and spiritual places where God seems to be particularly accessible in special ways. Celtic spirituality speaks about "thin places" where the boundaries between heaven and earth seem particularly porous.  Perhaps all of us here have experienced environments where we seem to get in touch with spiritual things and with our inner selves. These are places that we try to come back to for their healing circumstances and for their infusions of clarity.

One such world class place with a record of profound spiritual experiences is the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England. Here at Saint John's we have a little shrine associated with that one. Many of us find that it is a place where a sense of God and of the Blessed Virgin Mary help us to sort things out well. It seems to be a "thin place".

The world of the middle ages boldly experienced some particularly potent shrines. In the 12th century perhaps the most famous were Rome, Jerusalem, St. James of Compostella in Spain and also Walsingham. Pilgrims flocked to them by the thousands.

Travel then was difficult and dangerous, particularly to Muslim Palestine. It made airport delays and security seem trivial. One could argue from the strategic locations of the four principle shrines that God provided accessibility to these places for the main parts of the Christian world. At least one of these shrines were within the pilgrims' threshold of pain and logistical capabilities.

Each shrine has its own  legends. The story of Walsingham began in 1061 AD through a very graphic vision from the Blessed Virgin Mary. That vision was given to the devout young widow of the Lord of the Manor of Walsingham Parva, not far from the then second city of England, Norwich.

She, Richeldis de Faverches, was shown the very house in Nazareth to which the Angel Gabriel came more than a thousand years earlier to ask Mary to become the mother of Jesus. Richeldis was then requested to duplicate that house as a memorial of the Annunciation to Mary and of the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to legends, Blessed Mary told her: "Let all who are in any way distressed or in need seek me there in that small house that you maintain for me at Walsingham. To all that seek me there shall be given succor."  Walsingham.

Stories claim that the location in Walsingham was divinely determined. Others say that it was constructed by angels while Richeldis de Faverches was at prayer. Regardless of how it all happened, the the experiences of pilgrims soon affirmed the divine properties of the shrine.  

In fact Walsingham became one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in all of Europe. Richeldis' son Geoffrey also constructed a Franciscan priory there. A church was constructed around the little house to protect it from the elements. It prospered greatly.

In 1513 Erasmus visited Walsingham. He found the wells there were "efficacious in curing pains of the head and stomach" and he marveled that it was appointed "on all sides with gems, gold and silver."

The English kings made pilgrimages to Walsingham, including Henry VIII. He must have liked it. He went there three times before breaking with the Catholic Church in 1534 to form the Church of England.

Records say; "In April 1537, Henry VIII gave instructions to Richard Southwell, to remove the wealth held at the religious shrine at Walsingham. When a group of local men complained they were arrested and on 30th May, 1537, eleven men, including Nicholas Myleham, the canon of Walsingham, were hanged, beheaded and quartered at Yarmouth, Lynn, Norwich and Walsingham." (walsinghamanglican.org.uk)

In 1538 or so the Walsingham church and Holy House were destroyed per Henry's orders to destroy all Catholic shrines and places of religious worship. The statue of Mary that resided in the house, the heart of the shrine, was burned. The statue of Our Lady of Walsingham here at St. John's is a replica of that statue, or at least it was inspired by the image on the original Walsingham seal.

Almost 400 years later, in 1921, Fr. Alfred Hope Patten was made Vicar of Walsingham. He interested Anglicans in the ancient pilgrimage and began to restore the site. By 1938 the Holy House of the Annunciation, again encased within a church, was dedicated. Increasing numbers discovered the experience until today Walsingham is a very major tourist and pilgrims' destination in England.

More than any saint the Blessed Virgin Mary is closest to our Lord because she said yes to becoming Jesus' earthly mother. Those places, those shrines, dedicated to her are helpful for reaching her and her Son, just as places for other saints have revealed their own utility.  

Walsingham has proven itself to be a "thin place", where the boundaries of heaven and earth are porous, where there is a particular sense of Mary the Godbearer in the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. And there is just a little bit of Walsingham right here at St. John's for prayer, exploration, healing and clarity.

Blessed John wrote, "And the Word became flesh." Jesus did so through the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we honor today.  AMEN+

The Gospel: John 1:1-5, 9-18:
 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 2 He was in the beginning with God;
 3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
 9 The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.
 11 He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;
 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
 15 (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
 16 And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.
 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
 18 No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

Epistle Lesson: 1st John 4:7-16:
 7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.
 8 He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.
 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.
 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
 12 No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.
 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.
 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
 16 So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

First lesson: Wisdom 24:14-16:
He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail, in the holy tabernacle I served before him. And so was I established in Sion, likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power. And I took root in an honorable people, even in the portion of the Lord's inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of the saints.

Sin and Confession 

A sermon preached at Saint John's Church, Passaic, New Jersey

Preached by Father William Thiele, Priest-in-Charge, on the Third Sunday after Pentecost June 17th , 2007

 David confessed to Nathan the prophet, "I have sinned against the Lord". +

Nathan answered David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.."

As your priest I'm responsible to also teach about sin and confession. Through mistakes all of us have learned the hard way. In the sacrament of confession we may find the saving joy of God's forgiveness, even though we may have to endure painful collateral damage from our actions.

This morning we will hear King David's story. He is a poster child for confession. Your homework assignment this week is to relax in your most comfortable chair with your favorite beverage and read the 11th and 12th chapters of 2nd Samuel. Repeat: 2nd Samuel 11 and 12.

David sent his army headed by General Joab to war against the Ammonites, while he himself remained home in the palace at Jerusalem with time on his hands. Late one afternoon he strolled up onto the roof from which he saw in the distance a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, taking, as we would say today, a bath.

Although I wonder about why she bathed visible from the high point of the palace, I'm pretty sure about what was on David's mind. He inquired as to who the woman was and had her brought to him. One thing led to another and soon she advised him that she was expectant.

At this point David could have confessed to an affair with the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah the Hittite and the daughter to  Eliam, probably one of his officers. While breaching trust with his servants who were at battle would have been a tough scandal, it is likely that David could have returned to the Lord with only manageable long term damage.

Instead David concocted a plan to fix it. David ordered Uriah back to him using the excuse of getting updated news of the battle. The plan was that Uriah after being debriefed would go home to his wife in order that the child to be born would be attributed to him.

But alas, Uriah, being a devoted soldier, slept with the palace guards. He told David that he couldn't go to the comfort of his home while his buddies and the Ark of the Covenant were roughing it in tents on the battlefield.  If David had been as dedicated as Uriah he wouldn't have gotten himself into this trouble in the first place.

Then David tried something else. He got Uriah drunk. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to hear what he said to him. The plan was that after becoming  intoxicated Uriah would go home. Instead he crashed with the palace guards again.

At this point David could have confessed to God, and to Uriah perhaps saying, "I've done something awful before God and against you." David could have repented and attempted a resolution.

Instead, he multiplied his sin big time. He sent a letter to General Joab to put Uriah into a perilous battle position so he would be killed. That way David could, as permitted by custom, marry his widow and the problem would be solved.

My heart aches not only for David resorting to murder to cover up his sin, but it also aches for the relationship lost between Uriah and David. Uriah was the most loyal of servants and David trusted him so much that he gave give him that letter to carry to General Joab confident that it would not be read by anyone but Joab.

Uriah was killed in battle. David took Bathsheba to wife as permitted, and planned. While I believe that David wrestled with pain in his heart, and perhaps Bathsheba did too, life returned to normal, whatever normal is.

Later Nathan the prophet came and told a story to David. God who loves us usually provides a person or a circumstance to call us to repentance and to confession.

Nathan said, "There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats; and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children's pet, and he fed it from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for the traveler, he took the poor man's lamb and roasted it and served it."

Upon hearing this David was furious. "I swear by the living God," he vowed, "any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death. ...."

Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel... Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?  Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house.'"

David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord". Nathan replied, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. But you have given great opportunity to the enemies of the Lord to despise and blaspheme him, so your child shall die."

The child did die. Also David would see his beloved son Absalom rebel to usurp lordship of his house. David would flee to hide in a cave. Even more heartbreaking, Absalom would be killed. While a wiser David would be restored, yet he would be deprived of the legacy of building the Great Temple.

Analytically speaking, the pleasure of his sin wasn't worth it. To not sin is always the most profitable and happy way. But life, being how it is, sin happens. Then like David we can turn to the sacrament of confession.

The solution in confession so contrasts with the multiplication of sin by trying to cover up or fix the problem, as David tried to do. Nothing has really changed over the centuries.

David wrote in Psalm 51, "Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight." Confession restores us to God and to profitable conclusions as it did David, even though some consequences of sin cannot be mitigated.

This morning we will corporately say the confession. Mean it and personalize it for yourselves. This church also offers private confession. "All may, none must, some should" is the policy.

David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord". Nathan answered, "The LORD also has put away your sin.; you shall not die."    AMEN +

Gospel, Luke 7:36-60:  7:

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at table.

 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,

 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."

 40 And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "What is it, Teacher?"

 41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

 42 When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Epistle Reading: Galatians 2:11-21:

2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

 12 For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

 13 And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity.

 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

 15 We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners,

 16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.

 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not!

 18 But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor.

 19 For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.

 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

Old Testament Lesson: II Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15:

11:26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.

 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds;

 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.

 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die;

 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

 7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man. Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, `I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul;

 8 and I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.

 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.

 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

11 Thus says the LORD, `Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'"

 13 David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die."

 15 Then Nathan went to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became sick.