Second Sunday of Easter - Year A - 1996

Second Sunday of Easter

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant
that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's
Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their
faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth
and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

Preface of Easter


A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Acts 2:14a,22-32
14 [But] Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, 22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. 27 For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.' 29 "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
The Word of the Lord.

118:19-24 Page 762

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the LORD.
20 "This is the gate of the LORD; *
he who is righteous may enter."
21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD'S doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 On this day the LORD has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

A reading from the First Letter of Peter 1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John John 20:19-31
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." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
The Gospel of the Lord.

2 Easter -- Year A

Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


There is a question that I used to dread being asked. Actually, there are quite a number of questions which I dread, but this one in particular used to bother me. The question is usually asked in the context of an awkward encounter with someone who has recently been converted, and can occur from the lips of a stranger in almost any situation. The dread question is, "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?"

I hate any question for which I do not have an answer, after I have already been asked it once. The problem is, that even when I knew the question was coming, I never seemed comfortable with my answer. To tell you the truth, I think that part of the problem was that it took me some time to even understand the question. My answer, half-heartedly given was always a simple, "Yes". This, of course was not at all the answer the person asking me the question wanted to hear, and I must confess, I sort of enjoyed the reaction to my simple answer.

In my most cynical moments, I have suspected that the question was phrased by some evangelist who knew that a straight forward answer to the question, "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" would require entering into a conversation, and it left many other questions lurking, just waiting to pounce on any reply that you provide. In other words, the question was phrased so that regardless of the answer, it gave the inquirer the opportunity to ignore you and go ahead and say what they wanted to say. But again, this is a cynical approach.

Even when I am not cynical, I think the question has an adversarial tone in it. It smacks of, 'I have something that you don't have'--no matter how eloquently you position your reply, you have lost merely because the other person asked the question first. For this reason, my, "Yes", said simply without comment, I found to be utterly baffling to most of those many who have asked me this question. They are left with little to say.

I will point out here that one of the hidden benefits of wearing a collar is that no one ever asks me those kinds of questions anymore. It is this point that gave rise to my dwelling on this subject--that and Peter's words in his letter to the Church we heard this morning.

And in reading the letter, I believe I have stumbled upon the quintessential answer to the question, "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" and the cousin to that question, "Are you saved?" Rather than just a simple, "Yes." to either of those questions, I believe the answer that we should all hope to be able to give would be, "Yes" and then pause for a moment, look slightly offended, and then ask with a worried look, "Can't you tell?"

In fact, I think that I have found the question dreadful specifically because I was afraid that in being asked, I was being made aware of the fact that the people asking me indeed could not tell that I was a Christian. That is a very dreadful thought.

John quotes are Lord in his Gospel: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

By being asked the question, I recognize that my love for others is not strong enough so that it shows.

But having love for another is something that ought to be able to be seen--at least, now and then. I have said before, and because I believe I am right, I believe it is worth saying again: The best form of evangelism that we can do is to lead our lives in such a way so that people want to know why we do the things we do, and so that they want to imitate us. And if the reason we do the things we do is because we are Christians, then we are showing the love that He expects of us. Moreover, we are evangelizing.

Anyone who really believes that Jesus is the Son of God, who took on flesh, died on the Cross and was raised on the third day, has the necessary ground work upon which to build a life--their own life.

But the groundwork is not all that is necessary. Jesus also said that if we believe in Him, then we have hope in His Resurrection. We must also believe that promise to us. And if we believe that by Jesus, and with Jesus, and in Jesus--we have eternal life after this one, and that the life we are to have is perfect and full of wonder, and full of glory--then the way we live this life will change. It must change if we really believe.

I spend much of my own life living a lie. The lie I live, I probably share with many of you. The lie I am talking about is a bumper-sticker slogan, and it says, "He who dies with the most toys, wins." When I think about what God has done for us on the Cross, and beyond the Cross, or when I think in theological terms, I can readily see the lie in that statement. But when I sit in my office at home and do my income taxes, or look at the advertisements in a magazine, I find that I can too easily live that lie myself.

I go through I life saying, "I want, I want, I want." Rarely do I walk around considering what it is that I already have, and what it is that God wants me to do with it--or to whom He wants me to give it.

I am not preaching against materialism (but I could, and perhaps I should), but there is better way. I am not preaching against anything, because if we are for God, then we cannot be leading our lives striving for the most "toys" before we die. If we are for God, then our lives will be lived accordingly. And if we are living our lives accordingly, then virtually every conscious moment will be to others our proclaiming that we have a personal relationship with God.

It is like asking yourself how you would live your life differently if you could do anything and not suffer any consequences. That is only the entry level question. The more sophisticated version of that question, for a Christian, is how would I live differently if I had no hope in the Resurrection?

Our answer to that question ought to be, "I am already living my life, at all times, and in all ways, as one whose hope is in the Resurrection." But my own answer would be, that while I know I do have hope in the Resurrection, I too often take it for granted, and frankly I fear that none could tell that I am living this life in that hope.

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

We all live under those words. None of us have seen the Risen Lord in His glory, yet we confess the faith. "Without seeing him, you love him." Those are Peter's words to the Church; and thus, those are Peter's words to you. It is the proof that you do, in fact, have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But to the world, the burden of proof is on how that relationship can be seen by what you, and what I, do--and do not do.

Peter's next words were those I would hope we could use as the pattern for our lives, and the way by which we would never have to fear being asked if we know Jesus, or have a relationship with him. He said, "though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy."

Our lives as unutterable and exalted joy. It is not easy to do. In fact, as a Christian, very little is easy to do. Our lives would be far simpler if we had no threat of judgement, and far simpler if we had no hope in the Resurrection. But they would be lives without joy.

I watched a movie recently which quoted words from a poem. The words were either that of Bob Dylan or Dylan Thomas, I didn't catch which--you may have seen the movie. The words were, "Rage against the loss of light." The poem was not in context, and not being familiar with it, I cannot tell you what the author had in mind. But the words struck me deeply.

"Rage against the loss of light." How appropriate for us in those times when our getting on with life dims the light which is our belief in the Risen Lord. We must rage against it, because we cannot endure it if the light goes out. And others cannot endure if they are never allowed to see the light which has been given to those of us who believe--either because it is so dim, or worse if it has gone out entirely.

That we believe is a gift. And that gift is the product of another gift, which is the Son of God to the world. We are blessed by it, and have meaning because of it. We have hope because of these gifts. Therefore, these are causes for unutterable and exalted joy. And, as Peter concludes, As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

What a great life we ought to lead. What earthshaking news we have to share. How loved we are by God to have this gift. Sitting in a traffic jam, or filling out income tax forms may not be times when you feel like thanking God for all that he has done for you--but that is exactly what we ought to do. Considering the gifts we have been given--especially that of faith in the Risen Lord, the traffic jam or the income tax, or the other distractions of our lives are of little importance.

This is Easter. Eater did not end last week anymore than it did nearly two thousand years ago. In fact, in the Church, every Sunday is a little Easter. And in the Church, this is only the second Sunday in a Season of Easters--where every day is Easter. Given that it is the holiest and most joyous time of the year for us, how do we let others know about it?

Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves how we can let ourselves know about the joy that is there before us, if only we would take it up. As sons and daughters of the living God who has called us heirs of His kingdom--called his own because of his love for us, we have cause for unutterable and exalted joy. And so that His kingdom may spread to the end of the earth, we have a duty to express this joy that has been offered to us.

Our faith gives rise to joy, and our joy ought to be seen in our love, and our love ought to be seen in our joy. They go hand-in-hand. Christian love must always have an element of joy in it. And Christian love is only possible if we have faith in the Resurrection. That is who we are, that is what we are. If you love and believe, but have no joy, than "Rage against the loss of light" and fight for what is yours for the willing. Your souls and the souls of countless others need our joy, need our love, and need our faith.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


Copyright © 1996 W. Crews Giles

Fourth Sunday in Lent - Year A - 1996

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down
from heaven to be the true bread which giveth life to the
world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us,
and we in him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Preface of Lent

A reading from the First Book of Samuel. 1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here." 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
The Word of the Lord.

23 Dominus regit me Page 612

1 The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians. Ephesians 5:1-14
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not associate with them, 8 for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; 13 but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. 14 Therefore it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. John 9:1-38
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." 10 They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. 17 So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him." 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." 25 He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" 28 And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30 The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.
The Gospel of the Lord.

"Do you believe in the Son of man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

There are two phrases that I want to draw your attention to in this morning's Gospel reading. The first is Jesus' question, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" and the reply of the healed man, "Lord, I believe".

This is an Incarnational exchange, in that Jesus refers to his complete and utter humanity, by his self-discription, "Son of Man", while the man responds to Jesus' complete and utter Divinity, by addressing Him as "Lord" as in "My Lord and my God!".

Last week we hear Jesus tell the Samarian woman that, "God is Spirit, and that those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." But there is more to than that, and that more to it-ness can be seen in the Incarnation.

While Christmas is now more than two months past, the Incarnation is also a critical aspect of the Season of Lent. If we do recognize the complete humanity of Christ as well as the complete Divinity, that is: That Jesus was fully man and fully God, then we cannot understand that he was tempted in every way as we were.

It is important for us to know that the Son of God faced real temptations, and that as a complete human man, He knew not just temptations to sin, but pain, suffering and loss. He knew all that we knew, suffered as we suffer, and lived as we live--except that He did not sin. He was and is the perfect man.

Very often, I think, we may be tempted to view our beliefs as Christian as something merely of the Spiritual realm, but something that is apart from the flesh. However, Christianity differs from all other religions that I know of in that it is both spiritual and physical.

If Christianity was merely spiritual, then we can make no sense of God's Creation. We cannot pray for physical health, we cannot believe that what God has Created in the Universe is good and beautiful. But what God has Created is both Good and Beautiful--and that includes each and everyone of us. We are part of God's Creation and He not only calls us Good, but He calls us His.

And to show us how good we are to be, He became one of us--the first fruits of the New Creation. If God had not become man, then we would still be searching for, and waiting for, someone to come and show us the way to everlasting life. And if God had not died as one of us and for us, then we could not know what perfection He wants for us. But if God had not died and then been raised BODILY from the dead, then we would not know that the Body is important, or that the Creation is important, or that when He promises everlasting life--He does not mean a collective consciousness, or as ghosts or as disembodied souls.

God Created us to be alive, and part of our being alive is possessing a physical body which is to be at unity with the soul.

Consider the alternative:

A friend of mine recently told me of a video tape which he saw. A theologian of the academic variety put forth, as truth, these "facts". He said,
Jesus' true father was Joseph, not God.
Mary was not a Virgin.
Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem.
Jesus did die on the Cross but was not raised from the dead.
And finally, that:
The story of the Resurrection is to be taken only figuratively, and really means that He lives on in our hearts, but is not truly alive.

If that theologian is right, than what have we? What hope have we? What purpose have we? The answer to those questions is that we have nothing but this life. We have no hope, and there is no purpose at all to our lives. We cannot believe the Bible. There has been no Messiah, and never will be one. There has been no sacrifice for our sins, and death reigns supreme, even over Jesus, but especially over us.

Fortunately, I can assure you that the theologian was wrong. I have no proof that would stand up in court, but neither does he. However, I have faith, as I trust you have faith. The faith we share often presents itself to us a passion for truth, and a passion for righteousness.

In fact, my friend who called and told me about the video tape was so unsettled about the contents, that he said that he thought that he might leave the Church, and go and find a simple Bible Church, where he could at least here the Bible read and preached and believed. There may be several here today who have changed churches in an attempt to find that "perfect Church" where there is no heresy, that the Word of God contained in Scripture is viewed as the ultimate authority, and where interpretations of His Holy Word do not change to fit our desires, but remain loyal to what we were taught as children.

If you have been, or perhaps are looking for such a Church, then I have some good news and some bad news for you.

The good news is that anyone who is searching for the perfect Church may be assured that their desire is a Holy one, that it is an indication of faith, and that faith is alive and passionate. The bad news is that you will not find that church by taking a passive role.

When God became man, he showed us that the material world, including are bodies, are important to Him. He showed us that what we believe is not enough. Our souls alone cannot save us because our bodies are also in need of salvation. It is, after all, our bodies which die as a result of sin. Therefore God does not allow us to become content with our belief and passively wait out our time to die and then wait for His coming again in glory.

Rather, God gives a passionate faith. It causes us to want to act and react. Not in any passive way, but pro-actively, so that we work out our faith with our souls and bodies.

Our passions are the cause of much turmoil in our lives. Passion, by definition, suggests that we are not unchanging, and that we do react, and adapt, and have effect as well as being, ourselves effected by the outside. The devil knows that we will react to stimulus and he uses stimulus to tempt us to react in unholy, unnatural ways. But God also knows that we are passionate, and he will use our passions to his purpose.

I fear that very often our God given passions are interpreted by us as frustrations. And that the only passions we feel comfortable about acting upon are those which are used by the devil. Those are the easy passions to follow. But God wants us to change as well, and His change for us is to turn away from the passions of the world, the flesh, and the devil and heed the Holy Passions he gives us. A Passion for truth, a passion for righteousness, a passion for right thinking about God, a passion for unity in the Church, a passion for the forgiveness of sins, a passion for live beyond death, and a passion for perfection.

We cannot, as individuals, bring righteousness in to the world. We cannot, by ourselves, bring about only true teachings. We cannot, alone, bring about unity in the Church, and we cannot, alone, bring about our eternal, and perfected bodies. But these are our Holy Passions which are a result of our nature as God's Creatures, and a result of our faith.

Therefore, we are to act on these passions, not mope about in frustration--but to actually do something about it. We are to live our faith, defend our faith, teach our faith, learn our faith, and believe our faith--and to do these things it requires a body with eyes ready to see, ears ready to hear, a mouth ready to speak, and hands ready to help, or make, or soothe, or whatever God is calling us to do.

Consider another indication of the importance that God has shown us in Creation as well as in His Church. We acknowledge seven sacraments which God has given us for our spiritual as well as physical welfare. The collect for the day tells us that Jesus is the True bread from heaven. This is a Eucharistic teaching, based upon Jesus' own words in John's Gospel when he tells us that unless we eat his Body and Drink His Blood, we have no life in us.

SO God gives His Body in the Consecrated Bread, and His Blood in the Consecrated Wine. These are material things which contain a spiritual grace. Baptism, for which Lent is, in part a preparation for many, uses that matter of water to cleans us of spiritual and physical sins. Again, we have the material used by God to bring about the spiritual. Even our own flesh is used as the material agent for bringing about the spiritual grace of reconciliation, of confirmation and of ordination by the outstretched hand of the priest of bishop.

That God's grace is imparted through the use of matter is the story of Creation, and the story of the Incarnation where Grace personified took on our flesh. But perhaps the most obvious, yet most overlooked, grace filled matter in the universe is the Christian. All of us are precious material beings in God's eyes, and yet we are spiritual beings as well. He created us that way, because that is how he would become.

Consider that in 1996, God the Son remains both flesh and spirit, both God and Man (albeit, perfected man). His body was indeed raised from the dead, and His body indeed ascended into heaven where it remains--living and reigning at the Right hand of the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

We are part of his Body, now, as we are each individual members of the Church of which He is the Head. But then, after the final Resurrection, we shall be united to God, through the Son who is one of us, and who was, and is, and ever shall be God.

The Passion of Christ made a difference. By being one of us he could be tempted and yet not sin. By being one of us, He could die, although He did not deserve to die. By being one of us he could be Raised, and Ascend to the Father so that we could follow Him as he has asked, and as He has called to each of us.

Our Passions for righteousness and Truth and Unity, and Holiness are all Holy Passions, wrought of God, and yet we cannot achieve them by going from Church to Church, or by changing denominations, or by any other passive means. Righteousness, Truth, Purity, Unity, and Holiness are to be found in the Church, but only in His Church where grace filled people do not just know the Holy Passion, but where grace filled people act on these passions and fight for righteousness, truth, unity and holiness by beginning with themselves. After this, the faithful will be raised in the next life to that perfection to which we are driven my God and by the Holy Passions he gives us.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Sacraments. Empty Tomb. Follow me. God now, in 1996, is still in the flesh (Ascension).


Copyright © 1996 W. Crews Giles

Second Sunday in Lent - Year A - 1996

Second Sunday in Lent

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious
to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them
again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and
hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ
thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and
reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A reading from the book Genesis. Genesis 12:1-8
1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
The Word of the Lord.
33 Exultate, justi (Verses 12-22, begining at the bottom of page 626)

12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD! *
happy the people he has chosen to be his own!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven, *
and beholds all the people in the world.
14 From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze *
on all who dwell on the earth.
15 He fashions all the hearts of them *
and understands all their works.
16 There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army; *
a strong man is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; *
for all its strength it cannot save.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him, *
on those who wait upon his love,
19 To pluck their lives from death, *
and to feed them in time of famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; *
he is our help and our shield.
21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, *
for in his holy Name we put our trust.
22 Let your loving-kindness, O LORD, be upon us, *
as we have put our trust in you.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans. Romans 4:1-17
1 What then shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. 5 And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. 6 So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.” 9 Is this blessing pronounced only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, 12 and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
The Word of the Lord.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John John 3:1-17
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Second Sunday in Lent
Year A

Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


I want to begin this morning by drawing your attention to irony. The set up for this was provided last Monday night on the ABC News show, Night Line. There was a man whose name I missed, but the title which was flashed on the screen across his chest was, "Spokesman for the Episcopal Church". There was no sign of a halo, so I was skeptical from the start.

I will do my best to quote him. This may not be verbatim, but it is as close as my memory allows. This spokesman said, "The Episcopal Church is not a church which requires any strict adherence to any Creeds."

My skepticism proved to be justified. The man said this just as the Church has entered the Season of Lent -- a time which is traditionally used for preparing those who are being taught the faith for baptism. The words of our collect this morning came to mind, in that we ask God to bring us to, "embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ" and those words seemed particularly relevant as I watched and listened the other night.

As an ordained priest in this Church, I too am a spokesman for the faith of the Church. And at my ordination, I gave my solemn vow that I would "be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them."

The doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this Church received them can be identified as the Scripture, its interpretation through Holy Tradition and the Creeds (Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian) which are the statements which represent the faith of the True Church. I am also bound to declarations made by ecumenical councils.

In addition to this, the Bishop asked me, at my ordination, if I "will endeavor so to minister the Word of God and the sacraments of the New Covenant, that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received?" To which I answered, "I will."

Finally, the bishop prayed to the Lord over me, in part, these words, "Make him a faithful pastor, a patient teacher, and a wise councilor... ...so that your people may be strengthen and your Name glorified in all the world." All of the people in the congregation responded, "Amen".

It for those reasons, in God's name, and in keeping with my ordination vows that I do not just remind myself of my own obligations as a preist but all of our obligations to God and his Church as baptized Christians.

In ancient times, Lent was the time in which those who were learning the faith of the Church underwent their final, rigorous catechism. In those days, the people not yet baptized nor confirmed were ushered out of the Church just before the Offertory because only those instructed in the faith and sealed by the bishop were allowed even to witness the Holy Mysteries which are to be celebrated here in a few minutes.

While the priest or bishop said Mass, those being instructed went to another place where their instruction would continue. They would be prayed for day and night, they would receive anointing of their ears so that they could hear and understand what they were being taught. They would have their lips anointed so that they could answer correctly the questions of the catechists. They were asked again and again if they were willing to leave behind them the world of their former life and enter into the new life in Christ Jesus. Their sponsors were asked if they could confirm that the catechumens had manifest a desire to receive the True faith and the Sacraments of the Church by amending their lives in accordance to the Church's teachings.

All of these things were done to insure that those who accepted the Sacrament of Baptism, and subsequently, the other Sacraments of the Church, would endeavor to be faithful members. Also, in the ancient days, to allow a non-believer into the Church was to put the faithful in jeopardy of being turned over to the authorities who had made Christianity illegal.

So little was known by the world of the faith and practice of the Church that rumor had it that we practiced cannibalism, and orgies. These were undoubtedly based upon whispers of the eating the Body and Blood of Christ, and the agape feasts, or love feasts as the Mass was then called.

But the Church was zealous, and sincere in teaching the faith, and the people were, as individual members equally zealous and sincere. And at the actual Baptism, the statement of faith required by all to be Baptized was the same as it is now.

If you were Baptized, as I was, under the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, you or your sponsors for you, were asked this question, "Dost thou believe all of the Articles of the Christian Faith, as contained in the Apostles' Creed?" To which the response was, "I do."

If you were Baptized under the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, you were asked directly if you believed in that Faith, and by answering, you and the bishop or priest recited the Apostles' Creed together.

In both Rites we were charged, and accented to the charge, to turn away from the enemy which is the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.

To believe in the Apostles Creed and to renounce the enemy requires that you know the faith of the Apostles, and that you recognize that the ways of the world, the ways of the flesh, and the ways of the devil are at odds with the way of new life to which we are to be born as Christians.

After Baptism, we can no longer look to our culture for what is right and what is wrong. We can no longer look to our society to solve our problems, we can no longer look to our own desires to determine our needs, and our duty. And we can no longer trust in our hearts to lead us to righteousness, because our hearts are subject to the temptation of the devil.

Therefore, we have only one recourse, and that is said well in the 1979 rite of Baptism:

Will you continue in the apostle's teachings and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

The response to that is, "I will with God's help". Not just, I will, but I will, with God's help.

And if you have answered that, or had that answer given for you, then I charge you to remember that answer, and to be true to that answer, and attempt to live by that answer. We need to be reminded that our baptism did not complete the work of Salvation in us, but rather it only began the work of Salvation with in us, and with God's help, that work will be completed.

We must renew our zeal, we must know the true urgency of our state in life, and be aware of the consequences of not striving to keep those vows. And most of all, we must, in this season of Lent, prepare ourselves anew for the Celebration of New Life in Jesus Christ which is our joy and our hope to witness first in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That "Spokesman for the Episcopal Church" may have spoken for an administrative branch of the Church, but he did not speak for Christ, nor the true Church, nor to the teaching of the Apostles, nor Scripture.

In our Book of Common Prayer are the three Creeds of the Church, declared as Truth by Ecumenical Council, and to which we are indeed strictly to adhere. But before we can adhere to these Creeds, we must know these Creeds. And to know these Creeds which are based upon Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, we must also know what Holy Scripture says and what Holy Tradition says.

Therefore, this Lent, I urge you to pray over the vows of your Baptism, from whichever Book of Common Prayer they came, and then prayerfully determine what you need to be doing to be faithful to your vows and faithful to the Body of the Church of which Christ Jesus is the head.

The Epistle Lesson for this morning is the story of Abraham as understood by Paul and Inspired by the Holy Spirit. In it we learn that Abraham was declared righteous by God before he had any works of righteousness. Instead, Abraham had only faith at that time. Yet great works abounded through him, because of his faith, and because of the righteousness which God had accounted him.

So our duty does not end with our faith alone, but the expectation is that we are to live out our faith. I want to share with you a quote from the footnotes of a study Bible I use. It is called the Navarre Bible, and it is speaking of the Abraham story. It says:
The entire story of Abraham, especially the episode where God makes him the promise, is an example of how God goes about things: he draws the human soul out of its state of ignorance and then leads it on towards faith and moves it to accept a supernatural mission of unimagined scope.

God drawing our souls out of ignorance and then leading it toward faith may seem backwards. You may want to say that first comes faith, and only then does ignorance depart. But I believe that the two go together.

So often we think of God and His works as miraculous, and therefore, being miraculous, we should not expect them to make sense to us. But I believe that our faith, being holy and miraculous, is not beyond comprehension. Rather, I believe that our faith is perfect reason. I believe it makes since in a way that nothing else can. I believe it is the ultimate wisdom, and I believe that our attempts to learn it and understand it make us wise, and increase our understanding, and thus strengthen our faith.

If we strive to learn our faith, and endeavor to understand our faith, then our faith will lead our souls to, "accept a supernatural mission of unimagined scope." In other words, an informed faith, and a wise faith will lead us to be the miracle workers. It will allow God to work through us things unimagined, and supernatural.

And it is not just to declare us as righteous, that God seeks for us, but rather it to make us supernatural, and to make us better than we can imagine, and this we do following our Lord who while flesh, is also supernatural, and whose righteousness is beyond our imagination. It is to be like that we are called in our baptism, and it is to follow Him that we are charged.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


Notes:
Romans 4:3: Gen 15:6. And this is just after Melk. blessed Abraham after bringing bread and wine, and immediately after God first made the covenant with him. But Abraham’s faith was tried and purified through the offering of the blood of his son, and by many other works of faith. See v 10.
Romans 4:7: Psalm 32:1-2
Romans 4:10: Faith before circumcision. Thus stress is concerns works of the Law, as opposed to works of charity, works of a virtuous soul, works of repentance, works of devotion and works of piety (godliness). Romans 4:11: “reckoned”=counted up and concluded, as one would an inventory. This speaks of One who tallies what we have done, and said, and the grand total is such that Abraham won. It was faith that tilted the scales in God’s favor— they both won!
Navarre Bible: The entire story of Abraham, especially the episode where God makes him the promise, is an example of of how God goes about things: he draws the human soul out of its state of ignorance and then leads it on towards faith and moves it to accept a supernatural mission of unimagined scope. Romans 4:17: God’s Covenant is not a contract! As Peter Toon+ stressed, God’s Covenant is a declaration. I will be your God and you will be my people. There is no “if”. The “if” only comes in when His blessings are to be given or withheld. The “if” has to do with judgment, but the Covenant is not contingent upon man—it, like righteousness, is a gift, and one that is made by His, and only His, declaring it to be so.
Thus, the One who brings nothingness to existence with His Word, is the one who, gives us salvation, by faith, through His Word—that is Christ Jesus.


Copyright © 1996 W. Crews Giles

Last Sunday after the Epiphany - Year A - 1996

Last Sunday after the Epiphany

This Proper is always used on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.

O God, who before the passion of thy only begotten Son
didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount: Grant unto us
that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may
be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
likeness from glory to glory; through the same Jesus Christ
our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of the Epiphany

A reading from the book Exodus. Exodus 24:12-18
12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, "Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them." 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The Word of the Lord.


99 Dominus regnavit page 728


1 The LORD is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
2 The LORD is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
4 "O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."
5 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.
9 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the LORD our God is the Holy One.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians. Philippians 3:7-14
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Matthew 17:1-9
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."
The Gospel of the Lord.

The Last Sunday in Epiphany
Year A

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

This past Christmas, I was given a pair of khaki slacks that I really like. Because they are comfortable and fit well, I wanted to make sure that I knew the manufacturer so that I could buy an additional pair. The label inside said, "Faded Glory".

This past week I again looked at the label and found myself wondering why someone would call their company "Faded Glory". It seems sort of negative from a marketing perspective. It brings to mind the term, "Has been", it brings to mind the Vietnam War when the phrase, "Faded Glory" was often applied to our military in relation to how the glory of the fantastic achievements in World War II were being forgotten, and the Vietnam era began to try an vilify the US military. I could find nothing positive about the term.

This past Thursday night, during one of our two weekly Bible studies here at Saint John's, I found myself again faced with the concept of "Faded Glory". This time in one of Paul's letters to the Corinthian Church. There he compared the Glory of God which shown in the face of Moses after he received the Commandments, to the glory of Christ Jesus.

Paul points out that the Law was received with Glory and Splendor. But that Moses veiled his face, not to hide the glory, but to hide its' fading. Moses' face did not continue to shine with the glory of the Lord, but instead, he only had to wear the veil immediately after he was in the presence of the Lord.

The glory of Christ too, was veiled for a time. But not because He did not want us to see that glory fade. Christ's Glory is the Glory of God, because Christ is God. And as were heard in this morning's Gospel, the glory of God, when witnessed by perishable, corruptible, and sinful mortals brings about fear, and it brings about confusion.

Imagine yourself on the mountain top with Christ when his glory is allowed to be seen. His clothes and face do not just become white, they actual give off light. A glowing person would be a fearful thing. But then Moses and Elijah, both who were known to be in Heaven, suddenly appear.

Listen again to the words which indicate Peter's reaction, he says,

"Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

That is not a particularly rational response to what Peter was witnessing, but it was the best he could manage under the circumstances. It is a manifestation of Peter's awe, fear, and confusion. He is reacting to the Glory of God which he witnessed unveiled for the first time, and it simply overloaded his circuits.

This is the same man, who was the first to confess that Jesus, "was the Christ, the Son of the living God," only a week before. Peter knew who Jesus was, but he was not prepared for the beauty, and the splendor, of His Glory.

Now God's Glory does not fade. The Glory of Christ has no beginning and no end. He did not receive His Glory at His Baptism, because He is the eternally begotten Son of the Father, begotten before all worlds. The Glory of Christ did not end because He now sits at the right hand of the Father in Glory everlasting. The Glory of Christ is eternal. But His glory was veiled so that faith would come.

The glory of Christ was veiled so that faith would come. It was necessary for Peter to believe and know that Christ was God before Peter could behold His Glory, because Peter needed to first have faith. And if one has faith, and if one beholds the glory of the Lord, then that Glory begins to become a part of those who were Created in His likeness, because God's glory is something that man is to share.

I must wonder if the faces of Peter, James and John shone with the same radiance as did that of Moses. The Gospels do not mention this, but I wonder.
If they did shine, then it could not have been for long because the other Apostles would have reacted to it. I suspect that the reason the Glory which shown in the face of Moses faded, is because Moses, like the rest of us, sinned. Perhaps a sinful body cannot retain glory. Or as Paul said, the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable.

Not only can we not receive the everlasting glory of God as we are, but we can only rarely glimpse that glory, and only if God chooses to unveil it, that is, reveal it, to us. But what perceptions we have of God as He is, is always but a fleeting moment. Never to be grasped by us fully, and always diluted with our sins, and the distractions of the world.

I was taught during my confirmation classed that we are always to genuflect if we cross before the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of His Body and Blood--except under two circumstances. The first is important only if you are an acolyte, and that is you merely bow deeply if you are carrying a torch. This is a practical consideration, but the other circumstance in which you would not genuflect before the Sacrament is not so much practical as it is spiritual.

Fr. J.J. Niles told me that when you return to the pew after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord, you bow to the Altar, but do not genuflect to the Sacrament because you are carrying the Sacrament within you at that time. But there is another form of piety that I have noticed some in this parish follow, and that is to genuflect even when you are carrying the Sacrament within you from the Altar Rail. I asked a priest several years ago why some did this, and he asked me a question by way of response. He said, "How long does the Consecrated Bread and Wine remain in your body?"

I said, I don't know, but it was certainly still there by the time I got back to my pew. He asked another question, he said, "What happens to the effect of the Body of our Lord when we sin while it is still in it?". To this I answered that I thought it probably was as if we had rejected Christ at that moment and the effect was diminished, but not power of Christ within the Sacrament. He then asked me one more question, he said, "How far can you go from the Altar Rail before you have thought of something other than God, or sinned in your mind, or had an uncharitable, or unholy thought?" And I answered, I am pretty sure I have never made it back to my pew before that happened. He then said, "That is why some genuflect right after they received, to indicate that they recognize that the undiminished glory always remains only in the pure presence of Christ."

I have genuflected after receiving the Sacrament ever since. It is a way of confessing that I have no glory of my own, and that which Christ gives me, fades because of my lack of holiness.

But while I attempt to recognize my own sinfulness, and thus, my own dependance upon God's Grace, I do not wallow in self-pity, nor do I loose hope that one day, God's glory will be in me, and nothing will be able to cause it to fade, nor diminish. Paul tells us by his example in our Lesson this morning that we are to 'forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.' And that we are to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

That prize of the upward call is the prize of an imperishable body that lives forever without sin, and that upward call is to His Glory which never fades, but rather is everlasting by our being made one body with Him, that he may dwell in us, and we in Him. It is to that day, that we all must press on. Not that we have already attained it, but yet we press on to make it our own, as Christ Jesus has already made us His own. We press on to the glory which never fades--we press on to Christ's Glory.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Last Sunday after the Epiphany

This Proper is always used on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.

O God, who before the passion of thy only begotten Son
didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount: Grant unto us
that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may
be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
likeness from glory to glory; through the same Jesus Christ
our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of the Epiphany

A reading from the book Exodus. Exodus 24:12-18
12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, "Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them." 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The Word of the Lord.


99 Dominus regnavit page 728


1 The LORD is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
2 The LORD is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
4 "O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."
5 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.
9 Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the LORD our God is the Holy One.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians. Philippians 3:7-14
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Matthew 17:1-9
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."
The Gospel of the Lord.

The Last Sunday in Epiphany
Year A


I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.


In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

This past Christmas, I was given a pair of khaki slacks that I really like. Because they are comfortable and fit well, I wanted to make sure that I knew the manufacturer so that I could buy an additional pair. The label inside said, "Faded Glory".

This past week I again looked at the label and found myself wondering why someone would call their company "Faded Glory". It seems sort of negative from a marketing perspective. It brings to mind the term, "Has been", it brings to mind the Vietnam War when the phrase, "Faded Glory" was often applied to our military in relation to how the glory of the fantastic achievements in World War II were being forgotten, and the Vietnam era began to try an vilify the US military. I could find nothing positive about the term.

This past Thursday night, during one of our two weekly Bible studies here at Saint John's, I found myself again faced with the concept of "Faded Glory". This time in one of Paul's letters to the Corinthian Church. There he compared the Glory of God which shown in the face of Moses after he received the Commandments, to the glory of Christ Jesus.

Paul points out that the Law was received with Glory and Splendor. But that Moses veiled his face, not to hide the glory, but to hide its' fading. Moses' face did not continue to shine with the glory of the Lord, but instead, he only had to wear the veil immediately after he was in the presence of the Lord.

The glory of Christ too, was veiled for a time. But not because He did not want us to see that glory fade. Christ's Glory is the Glory of God, because Christ is God. And as were heard in this morning's Gospel, the glory of God, when witnessed by perishable, corruptible, and sinful mortals brings about fear, and it brings about confusion.

Imagine yourself on the mountain top with Christ when his glory is allowed to be seen. His clothes and face do not just become white, they actual give off light. A glowing person would be a fearful thing. But then Moses and Elijah, both who were known to be in Heaven, suddenly appear.

Listen again to the words which indicate Peter's reaction, he says,

"Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

That is not a particularly rational response to what Peter was witnessing, but it was the best he could manage under the circumstances. It is a manifestation of Peter's awe, fear, and confusion. He is reacting to the Glory of God which he witnessed unveiled for the first time, and it simply overloaded his circuits.

This is the same man, who was the first to confess that Jesus, "was the Christ, the Son of the living God," only a week before. Peter knew who Jesus was, but he was not prepared for the beauty, and the splendor, of His Glory.

Now God's Glory does not fade. The Glory of Christ has no beginning and no end. He did not receive His Glory at His Baptism, because He is the eternally begotten Son of the Father, begotten before all worlds. The Glory of Christ did not end because He now sits at the right hand of the Father in Glory everlasting. The Glory of Christ is eternal. But His glory was veiled so that faith would come.

The glory of Christ was veiled so that faith would come. It was necessary for Peter to believe and know that Christ was God before Peter could behold His Glory, because Peter needed to first have faith. And if one has faith, and if one beholds the glory of the Lord, then that Glory begins to become a part of those who were Created in His likeness, because God's glory is something that man is to share.

I must wonder if the faces of Peter, James and John shone with the same radiance as did that of Moses. The Gospels do not mention this, but I wonder.
If they did shine, then it could not have been for long because the other Apostles would have reacted to it. I suspect that the reason the Glory which shown in the face of Moses faded, is because Moses, like the rest of us, sinned. Perhaps a sinful body cannot retain glory. Or as Paul said, the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable.

Not only can we not receive the everlasting glory of God as we are, but we can only rarely glimpse that glory, and only if God chooses to unveil it, that is, reveal it, to us. But what perceptions we have of God as He is, is always but a fleeting moment. Never to be grasped by us fully, and always diluted with our sins, and the distractions of the world.

I was taught during my confirmation classed that we are always to genuflect if we cross before the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of His Body and Blood--except under two circumstances. The first is important only if you are an acolyte, and that is you merely bow deeply if you are carrying a torch. This is a practical consideration, but the other circumstance in which you would not genuflect before the Sacrament is not so much practical as it is spiritual.

Fr. J.J. Niles told me that when you return to the pew after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord, you bow to the Altar, but do not genuflect to the Sacrament because you are carrying the Sacrament within you at that time. But there is another form of piety that I have noticed some in this parish follow, and that is to genuflect even when you are carrying the Sacrament within you from the Altar Rail. I asked a priest several years ago why some did this, and he asked me a question by way of response. He said, "How long does the Consecrated Bread and Wine remain in your body?"

I said, I don't know, but it was certainly still there by the time I got back to my pew. He asked another question, he said, "What happens to the effect of the Body of our Lord when we sin while it is still in it?". To this I answered that I thought it probably was as if we had rejected Christ at that moment and the effect was diminished, but not power of Christ within the Sacrament. He then asked me one more question, he said, "How far can you go from the Altar Rail before you have thought of something other than God, or sinned in your mind, or had an uncharitable, or unholy thought?" And I answered, I am pretty sure I have never made it back to my pew before that happened. He then said, "That is why some genuflect right after they received, to indicate that they recognize that the undiminished glory always remains only in the pure presence of Christ."

I have genuflected after receiving the Sacrament ever since. It is a way of confessing that I have no glory of my own, and that which Christ gives me, fades because of my lack of holiness.

But while I attempt to recognize my own sinfulness, and thus, my own dependance upon God's Grace, I do not wallow in self-pity, nor do I loose hope that one day, God's glory will be in me, and nothing will be able to cause it to fade, nor diminish. Paul tells us by his example in our Lesson this morning that we are to 'forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.' And that we are to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

That prize of the upward call is the prize of an imperishable body that lives forever without sin, and that upward call is to His Glory which never fades, but rather is everlasting by our being made one body with Him, that he may dwell in us, and we in Him. It is to that day, that we all must press on. Not that we have already attained it, but yet we press on to make it our own, as Christ Jesus has already made us His own. We press on to the glory which never fades--we press on to Christ's Glory.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


Copyright © 1996 W. Crews Giles

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - Year A - 1996

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

O God, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee:
Mercifully accept our prayers; and because, through the
weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing
without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping
thy commandments we may please thee both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of the Epiphany, or of the Lord's Day

A reading from the book Ecclesiasticus Ecclesiasticus 15:11-20
11 Do not say, "Because of the Lord I left the right way";
for he will not do what he hates.
12 Do not say, "It was he who lead me astray";
for he has no need of a sinful man.
13 The Lord hates all abominations,
and they are not loved by those who fear him.
14 It was he who created man in the beginning,
and he left him in the power of his own inclination.
15 If you will, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
16 He has placed before you fire and water:
stretch out your hand for whichever you wish.
17 Before a man are life and death,
and whichever he chooses will be given to him.
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every deed of man.
20 He has not commanded any one to be ungodly,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.
The Word of the Lord.

119

Aleph Beati immaculati page 763 (verses 1-16)

1 Happy are they whose way is blameless, *
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Happy are they who observe his decrees *
and seek him with all their hearts!
3 Who never do any wrong, *
but always walk in his ways.
4 You laid down your commandments, *
that we should fully keep them.
5 Oh, that my ways were made so direct *
that I might keep your statutes!
6 Then I should not be put to shame, *
when I regard all your commandments.
7 I will thank you with an unfeigned heart, *
when I have learned your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep your statutes; *
do not utterly forsake me.

Beth In quo corrigit? page 764 (verses 9-16)

9 How shall a young man cleanse his way? *
By keeping to your words.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; *
let me not stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your promise in my heart, *
that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD; *
instruct me in your statutes.
13 With my lips will I recite *
all the judgments of your mouth.
14 I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees *
than in all manner of riches.
15 I will meditate on your commandments *
and give attention to your ways.
16 My delight is in your statutes; *
I will not forget your word.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
1 But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? 4 For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel is written in the 5th chapter of Matthew
beginning at the 21st verse.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Matthew 5:21-24,27-30,33-37
21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
Year A

[God] has not commanded any one to be ungodly,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


Sin causes the Church quite a bit of problems. Sin, of course, presents each of us more than a few problems, but it is problematic for the Church in a different way.

Just what exactly is the Church supposed to do about sin? How does the Church respond to it? How should the Church talk about it?

It is a difficult problem to solve. I remember my very first sermon I ever preached. I had not even been ordained at that time, and I was a nervous wreck. Just before the processional hymn, a well intentioned woman took my arm and said, "You will do just fine, don't worry. Just don't mention anything about sin." My carefully typed, well rehearsed and printed sermon was sitting in the pulpit at the time.

As the music began, and we processed in, I started trying to count the number of times of I had used the "sin" word in the sermon I was about to preach. Seven. I counted later that afternoon. Seven times I had used the "S" word.

From what I can tell, there are a variety of opinions on this matter, but I have noted two extremes that I consider of interest. The first of these extremes is to ignore sin. The Church tells you that you don't have any sins, that you are just great, and 'Thanks be to God!, we are Christians, now, all we have to do is convince everyone else to be a Christian so that there won't be anymore sin.' This is the "warm-fuzzy" Church, where we are all just great and wonderful people, and nothing ever is supposed to go wrong in our lives, or any of our friends lives, because we are Christians.

I remember a time when I was in college and was watching a tele-evangelist in front of thousands of people packed into an auditorium. I have been trying to remember his name all week, and could not recall it. But last night when I told the story at the 6PM Mass, several people nodded their head and someone said his name loud enough for me to hear. I'll let you see if you can recognize the story for yourself.

This television preacher was explaining how baptism takes away all our sins, and how once we were baptized we could not be re-baptized. All of this is true. However, he then said, that if we sinned even one more time after we were baptized, the only hope we had was the fires of Hell. There was no forgiveness, he said, after we had confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

I thought, where is the message of repentance?, where is the Gospel message of forgiveness? Where is the salvific work of Christ on the Cross? And then, I thought, here is a man who is not able to face his own sin. Here is a man who is scared of the Truth, and so is handing out warm-fuzzies in hopes that he might one day believe it himself.

Several years later this poor man did have to face his own sins. In fact we all had to face them with him as they were on the front page of the newspapers and the lead stories on the evening news. His warm fuzzies had suddenly become a source of horrible pain.

A few weeks later, he was shown on television crying. In anguish, he sobbed out the words, "I have sinned before God and man!". Some said it was an act, but I didn't think so, and I want to believe I was right. I want to believe he meant it.

I saw this man about a month ago on television again. I was channel surfing, and there he was. But he was different. He was preaching another Gospel, because this time, he was preaching the True Gospel. He was talking about how Jesus died on the Cross so that we could have our sins forgiven if only we would turn to Him. He was preaching how we are all sinners, and how we cannot have any hope except through Christ. He was preaching repentance. He was preaching the Gospel.

What is perhaps most startlingly beautiful about this story is when we realize that God used this man's abrupt and unwanted confrontation with his sins to draw him into the True Church, and to preach the True Gospel. God used this man's sins to bring about something wonderful and holy.

But the tale is bitter-sweet. I noticed that despite some really clever camera angles designed to cover the fact, it was obvious that there were no more than a couple of dozen people sitting in the audience. Thousands desired to hear him tell them that they were perfect, but only a few would come to hear the Truth--even a Truth that saves.

There is another extreme that I want to mention. Rather than trying to ignore sins, the Church could focus only upon sin. The preacher stands in the pulpit and points at you and begins to list off sins that he is sure that you have committed. I remember hearing about a Church in Oklahoma which had taken to the practice of finding out who, in their congregation, was living a less than perfect life, and then barring them at the door.

This, of course, required that when the Church "spies" learned of a transgression, this transgression was immediately shared with the rest of the "perfect" people, so that they could snub the poor sinner and block their passage into Church.

But the impetus for such behavior is the same as the other extreme. That is, it stems from a desire not to look at ones own sins. These self-righteous people would not shy away from sin as long is wasn't their own.

But sin is ugly, and sin is nasty, and it is very hard for us to admit that we sin. Until Jesus sharpened the law, one might be able to feel pretty good about being able to keep the Ten Commandments. I haven't killed anyone, so I must be holy. But Jesus not only fulfilled the law, he made it impossible for us to take any hope from the law by putting a finer edge on it. He says, if you are even angry with your neighbor, you are liable to judgement.

No one can claim never to have been angry--that is with an unholy anger. Therefore, no one can claim to have been saved by the law. We are all under judgement. The writer of Ecclesiasticus says,
If you will, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.


But the problem is that we cannot will to keep the commandments. Our wills are usually self-serving. We cannot help ourselves, it is our nature. But God can help us, and God does help us, because that is His nature.

He became one of us for that very purpose.

It is painful for us to look at our sins, but it is what we are called to do. If we look at our sins, and we find that pain, there is some comfort in knowing that Jesus experienced pain for our sins--upon the Cross. But that knowledge does not remove our own pain. Yet pain, when it is physical, tells us something is wrong--it is therefore useful to us. I like to use the analogy of touching a hot stove. We feel pain, and immediately know to pull our hand back--to stop doing what we were doing.

When we experience a spiritual pain, such as that of confronting our own sins, we should react in the same way, we should turn back--that is, we should repent.

If we turn back from our sins, then we turn towards God. And if we begin to see God, however distant, it is there that we can see what we are really like. We can see how He sees us, and we may even find that in His light, we are far worse than we had feared. For a while, we may feel an even greater pain.

But there is another part of the Truth in facing God. When we begin to catch of glimpse of Him, it isn't just what we really are that we can see, but what He wants us to be.

Sharing with God the pain of our sins through Christ on the Cross is only half of the story. The Cross is how God shared with us what we are now. But the other half of the story is what God wants us to be, and that we can have through Christ as well.

Because it is the glory of Christ that He wants for us, not just Christ on the Cross, but Christ, seated at the right hand of The Father in Glory everlasting. That is what He wants for us, and that is why we must turn back from ourselves and turn towards Him.

We must seek His glory, even if it is at the expense of our own, because True Glory, is only God's. Our own glory is a myth, it is a lie, it is dishonest, and it offers no hope. But God's Glory, is Truth-- and this, He offers to us.

The reason there is such difficulty in dealing with sin in the Church is because the Church is made up of sinners, and sinners do not like to think about sins. But we are the Church, and we are sinners, and we are God's, and we have the promise of His Glory.

The solution to the Church's dilemma, therefore, is to be found in the Body of the Church, in the individual members--that is, in each of us. If each of us is a sinner, then each of us is in jeopardy of being cut off.

Jesus said, if one member causes you to sin, it is better to cut it off than for the whole body to go into hell. The body that Christ speaks of is not our flesh and blood bodies, but the Church; and the member of the body to be cut off is not a hand, but rather it is any of us who sin without repentance. We are the members who are threatened with being removed if we continue in our ways, and believe that we have no sin within us.

Despite the pain of admitting sin, and despite the pain in turning away from sin, when we turn to God we are no longer in danger of being cut off. And when we turn to God we can begin to see His Glory. And if we can really begin to behold His Glory, then we will know that this gift is something far beyond what we can achieve going our own way. And, like the tele-evangelist who faced his sins, God will use even our mistakes to draw us closer to Him--not just drawing us to His pain of the Cross--but drawing us to His glory in Heaven.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - Year A - 1996

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in
heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy
people, and in our time grant us thy peace; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of the Epiphany, or of the Lord's Day

A reading from the book of the prophet Micah Micah 6:1-8
1 Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD." 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 first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 8 He has showed you, O man, 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?
The Word of the Lord.

37 Noli aemulari Psalm 37, verses 1-6(1-18), page 633

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.
3 Put your trust in the LORD and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4 Take delight in the LORD, *
and he shall give you your heart's desire.
5 Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.
6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD *
and wait patiently for him.
8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10 For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the LORD shall possess the land.
11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12 But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.
13 The wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with their teeth.
14 The Lord laughs at the wicked, *
because he sees that their day will come.
15 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16 Their sword shall go through their own heart, *
and their bow shall be broken.
17 The little that the righteous has *
is better than great riches of the wicked.
18 For the power of the wicked shall be broken, *
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:(18-25),26-31
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; 27 but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 31 therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord."
The Word of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel is written in the 5th chapter of Matthew,
beginning at the 1st verse.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Matthew 5:1-12
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Epiphany 4 - Year A

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


When ever I read the Beatitudes that we heard in our Gospel lesson this morning, I feel a little robbed. In the very last blessing, Jesus tells us that those who are reviled and persecuted on his account are blessed. I want all of the blessings that Christ has to give us--perhaps that is gluttony on my part, but I want them all, and in this country, at this time, persecution for what I believe is simply not a realistic expectation.


Granted, if there ever was a mixed blessing, persecution would be it, and there is a sense of relief in knowing that we are gathered together to do this morning has no physical threat associated with it. But, I still feel cheated.

But the Christians upon whose martyrdom our faith was secured, had something in that blessing of persecution that we do not. They had a commitment that is difficult for us to equal because they had paid a price.

Last week, I had a conversation with Fr. Twyman and some others about tithing. We were discussing stewardship and Fr. Twyman mentioned something that I had never heard. He said that the Episcopal Church could try what some protestant churches and even some synagogues have done, and that is require a tithe to be considered a member of the congregation.

While I was thinking about how extreme that sounded, somebody else asked the question that was forming in my mind, they said, "What would that do to attendance?" Father said that those congregations that required a tithe were packed. Again I was trying to reason out why this would be when he said, it was for the same reasons that the Ancient Church, under persecution was filled with people risking their lives to attend every service.

Can you imagine what it would be like to go to Church and know that if you were seen by the wrong people--you may have been arrested by the state? Can you imagine having to sneak out of your house, under cover of darkness, to slink off to a Church held in cave outside of town--just so you could receive the sacrament and hear the Word preached? Can you imagine having to hide your faith from your business associates, and even friends, while looking for the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with anyone you thought might not turn you over to the authorities?

If you can imagine yourself in that situation, could you then imagine NOT taking advantage of any opportunity to worship, NOT going to every service in the Church, NOT attending every Sunday? Thousands upon thousands of Christians have risked their lives just to attend the Eucharist, and thousands upon thousands have given their lives, just to attend a Eucharist.

They had a commitment. They had paid a price.

If you have paid for something in advance, that something is going to be more important to you. I wish I was going to the Superbowl in Arizona today. Theoretically, I could hop on a plane, and (if I had enough money to pay a scalper), I could buy tickets and get in. Strange how I keep coming up with football examples lately!

However, as it is, I'm going to go with our youth group to see a movie right after Church this morning, and be back in time to settle in and watch the game on television. But what if I had a plane ticket already, and had already purchased my superbowl tickets. If that were the case, you would not be surprised if I were absent this morning.

If I already had the tickets, I would have done a lot to make sure I could use them. But merely having the opportunity to buy a ticket is not enough to make me want to go to the trouble nor the expense. While football and the church are not the same, human nature is.

We will be found doing that which is important to us, and the more options that are available merely make our selection more difficult, but if something has cost us something--it automatically becomes perceived by us as more important than other things.

My parents just got back from a trip to England. They love the culture, they love the people, they love the countryside and they love the Church. For those reasons, they were outraged to have read in a paper over there that less than 4% of the people in England bothered to go to Church during Christmas.

People died so that the Christianity could be in England. English people died to insure that the church would continue. But now that it is a state Church, no one is required to pay a price. The result is that the Church is perceived as something of a low priority. It didn't cost them anything, so why should they bother? Why should they bother to celebrate with the body of Christ the Incarnation of the Son of God? Why should they bother to join with others and give thanks and praise for the salvation which God has offered us?

Did you know that you don't actually have to believe anything, but can force the local parish in England to baptize your baby? They are required by law to agree to baptism and marriage and burials of the people who live near. They are often seen as an instrument of the state, but not often seen as the Body of Christ.

In those blessings, the beatitudes, that Jesus spoke, we hear of od several other blessings. None of which are easy to gain and all of which cost us something. To be meek, we must put others above ourselves. To be a peacemaker, we must feel the pain when peace is lacking. To be able to mourn, we must first learn to love, and then, to know loss.

Blessing come at a cost. Eternal life came at the ultimate cost--the death of the Son of God who had become man for that purpose. To accept the gift of eternal life, we must begin to die to this world, so that we can life in the next. Our priorities must change. Despite the opportunities and choices we have available to us, the most precious is that of worshiping God and becoming sons and daughters of the Most High.

I remember with mixed feeling a time when I was in Junior High School. I had a wonderful circle of friends and we were together every weekend. We went to movies together, and went to each other's houses, and celebrated each other's birthdays, and became very close. We remained close in our first year of high school. But one day, one of the group, a girl named June made a point to speak to each of the group privately. She told me, as she told the others, that she could no longer have anything to do with us. She explained that she was Jewish, and that she felt it was important to associate only with other Jews.

I tried to reason with her, wanting her to remain my friend, but the fact was that reason was on her side. Her faith was more important to her than even her friends. God, was more important to her than anything else. A few years later the synagogue that she attended was attacked several times, the windows broken on one occasion, horrible threats spray painted on the walls, and once partially burned.

While I feared for her safety and the safety of others that I knew who worshiped God there, I also realized that had a commitment that was stronger than mine. They had been forced to pay a price for what they believed.

But through it all, there was no demonstration of outrage, but rather meekness. There was no demanding of vindication, but rather a thirst for righteousness that can only come from God. There were no threats from the people of that synagogue, but rather a desire for peace. Their sorrow was private, not displayed for the media.

I never heard a word about it from any of my friends. But a year or so later the news media ran a piece that told of how they had rebuilt, and how they had grown since the attacks on their place of worship.

Those people did not attend the synagogue because they deserved to attend their or because they had a right to attend there, but because they were willing and even desirous to pay a price for their faith.

Our faith must cost us something if it is to have meaning to us. Moreover, our faith must cost us something if it is to have meaning to others.

If we wish to having the blessing given to the meek, then we will be about the business of becoming meek. If we desire the blessing of being merciful, then we will be about the business of practicing mercy. If we are desirous of being Christians, then we will be about the business of being Christians.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.


Copyright © 1996 W. Crews Giles