Beautiful and Lush

As someone who has planted, transplanted, and fertilized a lot of grass, I have learned that having a lush lawn is often easier said than done. Without exception, every yard that I have "inherited" over the years needed loads of development and TLC. However, I found great satisfaction in leaving those lawns in better shape than when I first received them.

 There are few things that I enjoy more in the summer than sitting and looking at a green and crisp lawn after I have finished mowing and trimming. And, yet, keeping a lawn healthy takes work. One fall, portions of my grass developed large brown patches: grubs. Another year, I planted grass in the spring, but even though I watered and cared for it, it did not fare well during the hottest days of summer. Another fall I planted seed a bit too late, and while the seed did finally germinate in the spring, the area has not flourished. This spring I laid some sod in various parts of the lawn. Most of it has done well, but some of it continues to need constant watering due to more needed root growth.

 Things that are healthy and thriving must have the nutrients that give strength due to the right kind of nourishment. Without care, and the right soil for the right planting, one is left with a shriveling or uninspiring result.

In the Gospel of Matthew we find the Parable of the Soils. Using agrarian language that would have been grasped and appreciated by most people in the crowd, Jesus teaches that there are very different ways in which people hear, receive, and reject the Gospel news of redemption. Jesus believes that he, and he alone knows how human beings are to flourish in this life and in the life to come.

However, the "soils" that receive the message about repentance and a transformed identity in Christ, joining his other disciples in his church, must be broken up, moist, and fertilized by the right nutrients if the seed of the Gospel is going to take root. Jesus reveals that most of the soils can't and won't receive his teaching because there is too much hardness, enslavement to material distractions, and the delusion that life should be free of troubles and pain.

Not even Jesus the Christ, full of the Spirit with no hindrances to his power or influence from sin, could change a disciple's heart that wanted salvation and life on their own terms. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and transforms only the soft and receptive heart.

What kind of soil are we?

 

The Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

 Cyril is the one we have most to thank for the development of catechetical instruction and liturgical observances during Lent and Holy Week. Born in Jerusalem about 315, Cyril became bishop of that city probably in 349. In the course of political and ecclesiastical disputes, he was banished and restored three times. His Catechetical Lectures on the Christian faith, given before Easter to candidates for Baptism, were probably written by him sometime between 348 and 350.

The work consists of an introductory lecture, or Procatechesis, and eighteen Catecheses based upon the articles of the creed of the Church at Jerusalem, All these lectures (the earliest catechetical materials surviving today) may have been used many times over by Cyril and his successors, and considerably revised in the process. They were probably part of the pre-baptismal instruction that Egeria, a pilgrim nun from western Europe, witnessed at Jerusalem in the fourth century and described with great enthusiasm in the account of her pilgrimage. Many of the faithful would also attend these instructions.

Cyril’s five Mystagogical Catecheses on the Sacraments, intended for the newly baptized after Easter, are now thought to have been composed, or at least revised, by John, Cyril’s successor as Bishop of Jerusalem from 386 to 417.

It is likely that it was Cyril who instituted the observances of Palm Sunday and Holy Week during the latter years of his episcopate in Jerusalem. In doing so, he was taking practical steps to organize devotions for countless pilgrims and local inhabitants around the sacred sites. In time, as pilgrims returned to their homes from Palestine, these services were to influence the development of Holy Week observances throughout the entire Church. Cyril attended the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, in 381, and died at Jerusalem on March 18, 386.

Cyril’s thought has greatly enriched the observance of Holy Week in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

Strengthen, O Lord, the bishops of your Church in their special calling to be teachers and ministers of the Sacraments, so that they, like your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may effectively instruct your people in Christian faith and practice; and that we, taught by them, may enter more fully into the celebration of the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm 122

Lessons: Ecclesiasticus 47:8–10;Luke 24:44–48;

The Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

 

Thomas Aquinas is the greatest theologian of the high Middle Ages, and, next to Augustine, perhaps the greatest theologian in the history of Western Christianity. Born into a noble Italian family, probably in 1225, he entered the new Dominican Order of Preachers, and soon became an outstanding teacher in an age of intellectual ferment.

Perceiving the challenges that the recent rediscovery of Aristotle’s works might entail for traditional catholic doctrine, especially in its emphasis upon empirical knowledge derived from reason and sense perception, independent of faith and revelation, Thomas asserted that reason and revelation are in basic harmony. “Grace” (revelation), he said, “is not the denial of nature” (reason), “but the perfection of it.” This synthesis Thomas accomplished in his greatest works, the Summa Theologica and the Summa Contra Gentiles, which even today continue to exercise profound influence on Christian thought and philosophy. He was considered a bold thinker, even a “radical,” and certain aspects of his thought were condemned by the ecclesiastical authorities. His canonization on July 18, 1323, vindicated him.

Thomas understood God’s disclosure of his Name, in Exodus 3:14, “I Am Who I Am,” to mean that God is Being, the Ultimate Reality from which everything else derives its being. The difference between God and the world is that God’s essence is to exist, whereas all other beings derive their being from him by the act of creation. Although, for Thomas, God and the world are distinct, there is, nevertheless, an analogy of being between God and the world, since the Creator is reflected in his creation. It is possible, therefore, to have a limited knowledge of God, by analogy from the created world. On this basis, human reason can demonstrate that God exists; that he created the world; and that he contains in himself, as their cause, all the perfections which exist in his creation. The distinctive truths of Christian faith, however, such as the Trinity and the Incarnation, are known only by revelation.

Thomas died in 1274, just under fifty years of age. In 1369, on January 28, his remains were transferred to Toulouse. In addition to his many theological writings, he composed several eucharistic hymns. They include “O saving Victim” and “Now, my tongue, the mystery telling.”

(Lesser Feasts and Fasts, pg. 152)

Feast Day Scripture Readings

Authentic or Contrived?

Performance and production can be manufactured; a growing, humble, and teachable heart is given only to those who seek it.

Came upon these verses today while planning services for the Season of Epiphany:

Micah 6:
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Humility and ceremonial precision can be faked; a character being shaped through the power of the Spirit, cannot. Remember what is most important to God as we seek to be spiritually disciplined and obedient to him. The Church of Jesus Christ does not need more moralists and religious sycophants who fit the Kingdom of God into their lives as it is convenient. God calls us to be humble and courageous followers of Jesus, no matter what the risks to our insecurities and need to find our worth using the values of the world.

Accepting the Challenge

 

When it came to the genuine, foundational, character problems of the Jewish religious community of their day, Jesus often meddled. I submit that if a person is actually honest with the clear revelation of Holy Scripture in the Gospels, there is just no way around it. While we can definitely say that Jesus was careful and strategic about how he taught, when he taught, and who he was teaching, he was also at times prophetic so as not to be brushed aside or misunderstood (He risked offence and misunderstanding in the beginning, middle, and end of his ministry on earth). Our text on Sunday is one of those stories where everyone who is listening would likely have been bristling.

When Jesus tells a parable in answer to the question of a certain lawyer of the Mosaic Law, ("who is my neighbor?") the crowd got an answer for which they had not bargained. Are we Christians today anymore ready for such challenging answers from Jesus? What did the Jewish leaders and the people do with the repeatedly challenging teaching of Jesus? What do we do?

Jesus had a clear understanding of where the Jewish Covenant People of God were headed with their many religious and political compromises in concert with the powerful rulers of the day. This, of course, culminates in the destruction of the Temple and the decimation of the Jewish people in Israel a mere 60+ years later (70 AD). As Jesus looks at the direction and future of the American Church in the years to come, what does he see?

Jesus often specifically identified the hard-heartedness of the Jewish leadership. Yet, the overwhelming majority of everyday worshippers were just fine tolerating their leaders as long as they themselves didn't experience too much disruption. Yes, their leaders were bankrupt theologically and corrupt in practice. Yes, these same leaders manipulated and took a buffet approach to Holy Scripture, picking and choosing from their pages the truth that fit their presuppositions and desires. However, in the end, the challenges of Jesus, as will be revealed Sunday with the "Good Samaritan", largely fell on deaf ears. Jesus just seemed too extreme. Those that did continue to follow him before and after his death and resurrection only ended up doing so at great risk.

It will take effort on our part to stay open and teachable to Jesus. It will take evaluation, meditation, and courage to evaluate why we hold some of the beliefs that we hold and why we hold them so tightly.

However, if we choose to listen and pursue the teaching of Jesus through the preached Word, with a reliance on the aid of the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts and minds, we truly have nothing of substance to lose, and everything eternal to gain.

Fr. Thomas Reeves

The Love Test - Video Sermon

Towards Discipleship

 

Last week (July 22nd - Ordinary Time) in the Gospel of Luke chapter eight, we looked at the story of the demon-possessed man who was self-destructing, and the townspeople that were terrified when Jesus transformed him. We reflected on how much these people had to lose (in their way of thinking) if they "lost themselves in Christ". And yet, by sending Jesus and his disciples away, they likely sealed their own self-destruction and a continued life of chaos.

This Sunday, we follow the journey of Jesus in Luke as we look at chapter nine. Jesus is coming into what we could call the "final stretch" of his ministry (that had lasted roughly three years) which culminates in his death and resurrection. He is rejected in Luke 4 by his hometown and many who know him well. He is then vehemently hated and despised for confronting the Synagogue in Nazareth with truth about God's gracious saving actions for the Gentiles. This was truth that had “gone too far”, and they absolutely would not consider, nor could they believe that Jesus would suggest such an idea.

 In our chapter Sunday, Jesus in his journeys is again rejected, this time by a village of Samaritans, when he inquires if he may lodge with them for a while (of course, this lodging would include his teaching). Luke tells us that this Samaritan rejection was a precursor to the continual and final rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem.

 As the chapter progresses, Jesus is then approached by multiple people who say that they want to follow him, but Jesus makes it hard on them by testing them. Each person makes a culturally acceptable excuse to communicate that NOW was not the right time for them to fully commit to Jesus as their Lord. In our Old Testament reading, Elisha gives a similar excuse to the prophet Elijah, and both Jesus and Elijah respond to those hedging in their commitment: "I don't believe you."

This Fall we will have several people claiming and recommitting themselves to their baptismal vows and pledging to serve with us as covenant family members in our redemption together. Here are a few parts of the baptismal ceremony that will be revisited by each person to be confirmed or received:

 Question:      Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?

 Answer:         I do.

 Question:      Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?

 Answer:         I do.

 Celebrant:     Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and

                        fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the

                        prayers?

 People:          I will, with God’s help.

 Celebrant:     Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever

                        you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

 People:            I will, with God’s help.

 Celebrant:     Will you proclaim by word and example the Good

                        News of God in Christ?

 People:         I will, with God’s help.

 Celebrant:    Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving

                      your neighbor as yourself?

 People:         I will, with God’s help.

 

These are promises that are to become a part of our change in character, intent, and action. It means looking at all of life through the lenses of Jesus Christ and his callings without excuses. Our Baptismal promises are not to be motivated to placate or perform for clergy or fellow Christians but are about a genuine commitment to serving Christ and others - because we agree with Jesus that this is the way that leads to life and salvation. Our Lord knows if we are making excuses or if we are truly committed to honoring and obeying him.

This is why he challenges us to "take up our cross and follow him”. He leads the way, that we might follow. May we ask for his power and courage to seek him with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. Life and light await us. Amen.

Practice and Unbelief

"What we believe does affect the way we live, and the way we live does affect what we believe. We must live up to the standard our our convictions, or sooner or later our convictions will drop down to the standard of our life. Unbelief may be the punishment of insincere practice. Belief in a fact is the foundation of any strong and consistent action, and the opposite is the cause of many drifting, irresolute lives."

-Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 3