[Propertalk] Fw: Sermon - 3rd EPIPHANY C - Parf 2

[Joe Parrish]

Part 2 of 2


Bob Morrison



THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY                                                           3rd EPIPHANY C
NEHEMIAH 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10                                                                                                  24th JANUARY, 2016
1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31a                                                                                                                  PSALM 19
LUKE 4:14-21



           Jesus stood there, taking within Himself every word, every phrase, every longing passed down from Isaiah, and offered the assurance that these would be fulfilled, made infinitely and intimately personal for every last one of us. Jesus, the Word made flesh, became tangible in order to show that God never gave any insight to a prophet that wouldn’t be fulfilled.
            As Herbert Slade, a former member of the community of St. John the Evangelist, put it “God is always being revealed and the revelation is never complete. The Spirit who leads into all truth continually proceeds both from the divine nature in terms of revelation and from the human nature in terms of reception. There is no end to the process.” 3
            God is always being revealed, and that day, Jesus stood up and said that the Word, the Living Rule and Guide of Life was in their midst.
            Of course, it’s so easy to read a line from a page, no matter how respected and honoured the book. Just as it’s easy to say or think, while under stress, that words can become lifeless, sometimes. That’s why Jesus didn’t stop, didn’t fade from vision, slowly, after He spoke in the synagogue. Everything He did from that point on was the living out of the prophecy He’d read that morning – everything. The Word became Present. The Word became Personal.
            We’re looking for that personal touch that makes the Presence of God real and powerful. And so is everyone else. Why else do people buy into the latest offer, no matter how shallow?
            I have to admit that it’s all well and good to say this, to talk about what we think is shallow, or empty, or deceptive. When we’re up against it, especially when we’re lonely, or tired, or confused, or desperate, anything may seem an improvement over where we think we are. How are we supposed to tell what is real, what is lasting, what is best for us and for everyone else?
            Well, if I knew that, if you knew that, we could retire and live extremely comfortably, if not lavishly, for the rest of our lives, and our children and grandchildren would all set also. We have to depend on someone else to help us see what it is that is right, the is good, that is just. We can be as hyper-critical as we like about those in the Synagogue that day.
            It’s actually an interesting contrast to hold side by side in our minds the Hebrew people listening to Ezra and Nehemiah and their descendants listing to Jesus. The first group became totally immersed in the words. Maybe that was it. What Nehemiah and Ezra were doing was awakening the people to words, and, sometimes, that’s less threatening, less demanding, even if it is exhilarating. And, no doubt about it, they responded with relief and with passion. They took the law into their hearts.
            But that can die after a while. That can grow cold. It can lose the burning impetus given it when first spoken, unlike the presence of Person who says, “I am these words”
            But then, it’s so easy to ridicule the young man next door, all of whose foibles they knew. Sad to say, Jesus knew full well that no matter what He said, even no matter what He did; Jesus knew that there would be people who’d forget when they were in a bind; people who’d forget when it became dangerous or inconvenient. So, somehow, Jesus found a way to make Isaiah’s prophecies ting true.
            He called us all to gather to worship, to experience the mystery of conversing with God and listening as we ourselves know that we’re heard. And then He taught to stop short, to inject the simplest, yet most profound elements into this. He said, “Take Bread, Take Wine. In Them I become Present.”
            Not only do we remember and show forth Jesus’ amazing love in His Life, and Death and Resurrection. But we remember and show forth the prophecies of Isaiah also. WE bring them to life in our midst, yet another gift from Jesus, a gift for every last one of us.
            As Jesus draws us to this table this morning and every time we gather here, so we are to be aware that the Table extends far into the world, way beyond our imaginations.
            When we go into whatever grocery store we patronise, will we see people who may be struggle to get something nutritious yet filling enough to keep them from being hungry? When we stop at the gas station, will we see those who are buying a limited amount of fuel rather than will up the car’s tank because that’s all they can afford? When we sit in a health care provider’s office, will we see those who seek healing but don’t know how they’re going to be able to afford it and everything else that life requires?
            Jesus’ word to those in the synagogue was that, somehow, everything which imperilled and made miserable the lives of so many would be lifted from them. And, no, He wasn’t saying that it would happen because He’d wave his hand. He was saying his then to enflame the hearts of everyone who heard, so that they, in turn, would be able to stand before THEIR neighbours, and say that the words, the longings, of Isaiah become real for everyone now.
            We have been commissioned. As we have heard, time and again, that Jesus is present to bring us healing, so we have to make this practical for one another.
            In Brooklyn, Lakima Lewis “has spinal damage, which limits her strength and her ability to stand or walk for extended periods of time. She needs her daughter’s help getting ready in the morning, and she must wear a brace on one of her feet. She has asthma and sleep apnea and uses a machine that helps with her breathing. In 2012, one of her lungs collapsed.” Even so, she leaves notes all over her house, not just for herself, but for her children. (They are) messages of wisdom and hope, drawn from hours spent poring over the Bible.
            “She leaves the notes, she said, because she wants to inspire her children. Her son, Anthony, 23, is studying business at Brooklyn College and wants to go into education. Her daughter, Tamecca, 19, studies sign language communication at LaGuardia Community College.
            “Ms. Lewis wants them to be strong and, more important, to hold onto their optimism in the face of adversity.” 4
            To her children, she’s saying day-in-day out, “This becomes real for you today.” Just as we heard it. Just as WE have to repeat it to everyone, whether we see them once or every day. God gives us all someone to touch, someone to touch us.
 
NOTES:
 
[1]           “Art in the Christian Tradition”, Vanderbilt University Library Revised Common Lectionary  lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
 
2           “Journey from Texts to Translations” by Paul D. Wegner, Baker Academic, Ada, MI., © 2004, page 187
 
3           Herbert Slade, SSJE (1912-1999)   Society of Saint John the Evangelist http://ssje.org/word/
 
4           “A Woman’s Mission: Teaching Her Children to Stay ‘Full of Hope’ The Neediest Cases” By RICK ROJAS JAN. 18, 2016
http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACPLKh239P3pgVIypo4ODf+TW0T7BNz+5PSxbfemvtXyagI9yYh/CbqILKLoIspxzkGtAwM7RR4Ka8hps/OVgYkH/p2CfbyR2lr7Ywnif+SYEUDC3CRIVMEvObJM9SYgFsM4KsAyRIbPtrdIQwn3p1rJs6XUD/KCNtJH0HTe3AH2gQnOFMTCq2g/Advogam0YM7z0i9/sfuC5&campaign_id=61&instance_id=69964&segment_id=83705&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7&regi_id=63205127
 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20160125/3b4f2510/attachment.htm>