A17 Sunday 27 August 2017

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Sunday 27 August ’17

 Proper 16: 12^th Sunday after Pentecost

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Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

The central question of this Gospel is this: "Who is Jesus?"

It's an ageless question that has garnered more responses than we can begin to imagine. In the history of humankind, no one has been talked about or written about more than Jesus of Nazareth. Even outside of the Church, it is said that no one has had a more significant presence in the world than this Jesus of Nazareth.

So, what is it that drives all this reflection? What is it about Jesus that marks him as the most significant person in history? Make no mistake of the fact that in the search for these answers the underlying question is: "Who is Jesus?" And the fact that this reflection is so prominent shows us that not only is the question being asked; it is being answered.

As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, we need to know what these answers are that are being made in the world around us. These responses mirror the moment in the Gospel where the disciples share with Jesus what others are saying about him. The first thing that we as Christians need to know is that Christianity is not the only religion answering that question. People of all faiths and of no faith begin on the same common ground that two thousand years ago a man called Jesus lived in Nazareth as the son of Mary. From this common ground, diverse views emerge. We would be hard pressed to find a religion that fails to see Jesus as a wise man who taught words of great wisdom. Some of them, especially Islam, even venerate him as a great prophet. In fact, Islam even says he will judge the world at the end of the world. They even venerate his mother. Many of them even say that he is the son of God. Some Hindus will even say that he is a god, though it should be noted that they believe that there are many gods. I think here of a story told me by our Senior Warden who shared once that while teaching at the Episcopal High School in St. Thomas, after passing out an exam, he observed a young female Hindu student cross herself before the starting the exam. When questioned, she replied: "Mr. Falzone, we have many gods; one more can't hurt."

I could go on and on with viewpoints of others about Jesus. But at some point, we must hear Jesus turn the question around from others to us. When Jesus asks the question to the disciples, "But who do you say that I am," we are also being asked that question. And this is a question we must answer!

So who is this Jesus? We may be tempted here to give the Christian response which is best articulated in the confession of St. Thomas on the Eighth Day of the Resurrection: "My Lord and My God." This is the faith of the Church that has been passed down for the last two thousand years. Our parents and grandparents, biological and spiritual, have taught us well. But this teaching that we have received; is is mere traditionalism, or is it holy tradition? There is a difference. Traditionalism, it has been said, is the dead faith of the dead. It sounds nice, but there is little real embrace and application where the rubber hits the road in the daily life of the real world. Tradition, on the other hand, is the living faith of the dead. This is the witness of the saints, both those whom we have known and loved as well as those whom we only know through the sharing of the Catholic faith that crosses all generations, races and nations, that is kept alive by our embrace and application of the faith in the real world and in daily living. From this tradition, when we acclaim Jesus to be "My Lord and My God," we are making a personal confession and commitment of faith that makes it clear that we have invested ourselves into this holy hope. This Jesus is not simply the one in whom our ancestors have believed. We have made the confession of faith in Jesus for ourselves, and in that profession of faith, we seek to draw the whole world to Jesus, longing that everyone would find with us the joy of knowing and believing Jesus to be not a dead man but the living God, not an irrelevant piece of history but the living source of life who speaks to all of life and is present at all times and in all places for our good and the good of the whole world.

And how this living presence and this living God is needed in our midst. Even in our own land, among our own people, there is a need for our witness to that presence. In recent weeks, I have been reminded again and again of a song I was taught in Sunday School years ago.

"Jesus loves the little children; all the children of the world. Black and yellow, red and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the children of the world."

It is so beautiful, and we are tempted to believe that none could possibly question this sentiment. And yet, look around and see how many there are who would be offended at this very thought, especially when we as Christians lift up those who are precious in Jesus' eyes who don't look like us or sound like us. Make no mistake about the fact that as Christians this presents us with great challenges. In the wake of Charlottesville, it has been said that there were good people on both sides. This has offended so many people who find such a view unacceptable. Truthfully, I must admit that it has offended me. But there is something that needs to be said that hopefully will not cause offense at least among Christians. On both sides, on all sides of this and any other division, we find persons who are precious in the eyes of Jesus, our Lord and God, who laid down his life and conquered death by death, and who rose victorious from the grave to give them life. They may reject him, and may seek to do harm to others, even in his name. And yet the heart of Jesus is filled with love for them and for all.

Who is this Jesus? He is God, the lover of souls, who never gives up hope that his children will love him and love one another. In response to this Gospel, let us ever embrace our Lord and God, and seek to love as he loves, no matter what the cost.

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Father Timothy Alleman

Rector of The Church of the Holy Cross

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1001 Reflection -- Matthew 21:23-32

Upcoming Sunday Gospel Readings

Sunday 1 October 2017

Matthew 21:23-32

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

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The first part of the Gospel is interesting, but it is the second that is really the meat of the Gospel for us.  It is certainly interesting to see how Jesus twists the leaders into knots on the issue of authority and the role of John the Baptist.  But our focus needs to be on the two sons presented by Jesus.  I say that because these sons, who are presented as fictional characters, are anything but fictional.  We are those sons.  The issue at hand is the issue of authentic faithfulness versus lip service.  One says they are faithful, though there is no actual application of that faithfulness.  The other speaks a rejection of faithfulness, and then goes and does the very act of obedience that was rejected in word.  And Jesus tells us, even compels the leaders of the day to join him in this statement, that the one who did the will of the father is the later.  For us, we need to acknowledge that the father is none other than God.  From that then we ask the question in an act of self-examination: “Who am I?  Am I paying lip service alone but not living that word into action?  Am I resisting obedience, and then submitting and putting faith into action?  The goal, of course, is to speak and to act in the same spirit of obedience and faithfulness.  How are we doing with this?  This need not be a terrifying examination, for the goal of this examination is the desire of God that we be transformed to bring our speech and our action into unity, and thus serve our God faithfully in what we say and do.  And as this is the will of God, we can rest assured in the knowledge that God will assist us to do the very thing which God desires of us and for us.

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Father Timothy Alleman

1001 Reflection -- Philippians 2:1-13

Upcoming Sunday Epistle Readings

Sunday 1 October 2017

Philippians 2:1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

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Paul quotes an ancient hymn of the Church; a hymn of praise to Christ.  He reminds us through the words of this hymn that Christ, our Lord and God, humbled himself in order to raise us up.  He speaks of a coming day when all peoples, even the creation itself, will acknowledge this Jesus as Lord and God.  And he uses this hymn and this hope in order to give Christians the boldness to continue on in faith, seeking to draw others to Christ, not in a spirit of condemnation but rather of gracious invitation.

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Father Timothy Alleman