For His Mercy Endureth Forever

God's mercy endureth forever! Psalm 136 asserts and insists that all of God's activity in the world is rooted in God's mercy: from the world's creation, to the deliverance of God's people, to the continued care of God's redeemed, the cause and reason of all God does is His mercy. All that God does is an expression of His mercy. All that we discover of God is the disclosing of His rich, abundant, overflowing and endless mercy. ... Joel 2 reminds us of this great mercy: rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, ... . In Advent we cry out, kyrie eleison, and the eternal song of His saints shall be, His mercy endureth forever!

Psalm 136

The One Hundred Thirty Sixth Psalm

Confitemini.

O GIVE thanks unto the LORD, for he is gracious: * and his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of all gods: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

O thank the Lord of all lords: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who only doeth great wonders: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who by his excellent wisdom made the heavens: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who laid out the earth above the waters: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who hath made great lights: * for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule the day: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

The moon and the stars to govern the night: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who smote Egypt, with their firstborn: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

And brought out Israel from among them: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

With a mighty hand and stretched-out arm: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who divided the Red Sea in two parts: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

And made Israel to go through the midst of it: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

But as for Pharaoh and his host, he overthrew them in the Red Sea: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who led his people through the wilderness: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who smote great kings: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

Yea, and slew mighty kings: * for his mercy endureth for ever:

Sihon, king of the Amorites: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

And Og, the king of Bashan: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

And gave away their land for an heritage: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

Even for an heritage unto Israel his servant: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who remembered us when we were in trouble: * for his mercy endureth for ever;

And hath delivered us from our enemies: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who giveth food to all flesh: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of heaven: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the Lord of lords: * for his mercy endureth for ever.

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De Profundis

De profundis ... out of the deep ... In this Psalm we are again reminded of the great gift of Jesus, The Lord our Righteousness given to us, and of Whom we are made partakers, members incorporate. "If thou, LORD, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, * O Lord, who may abide it? For there is mercy with thee [in the Lord our Righteousness]; * therefore shalt thou be feared." Jesus, Immanu el - "with us God," comes to us as God's righteousness and mercy, and in Him we become the righteousness of God. Lord, always have mercy upon us!

Psalm 130

The One Hundred Thirtieth Psalm

De profundis.

OUT of the deep have I called unto thee, O LORD; * Lord, hear my voice.

O let thine ears consider well * the voice of my complaint.

If thou, LORD, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, * O Lord, who may abide it?

For there is mercy with thee; * therefore shalt thou be feared.

I look for the LORD; my soul doth wait for him; * in his word is my trust.

My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch; * I say, before the morning watch.

O Israel, trust in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, * and with him is plenteous redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel * from all his sins.

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The Lord Our Righteousness

Behold the days come, saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety .... and this his Name where by he shall be called. THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 23:5f ... **Psalm 138:2 Thou hast magnified thy Name and thy word above all things

So what is the significance of the Name whereby He shall be called? Why is it important?

The Name of God is our Salvation ... For He shall be called the Lord our Righteousness

• They that trust in chariots and horses go down; they that trust in the name of God will stand upright ... Ps 20:8

• Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” ... We are saved by the Name, the Lord our Righteousness

The Name of God is our Justification

• I Cor 6:11 you are washed, sanctified, justified in the Name of Christ ... says St. Paul that is, we are washed, sanctified, justified in the Name, the Lord our Righteousness

The Name of God is our Forgiveness

• I John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. We are forgiven for His Name’s sake Who is the Lord our Righteousness

The Meaning of God’s Name The Lord Our Righteousness and The calling Him by it

1. God wants us to know the Lord by this Name ... the Lord our Righteousness

• His Name is our invocation -- The action of invoking something or someone for assistance or as an authority; to entreat for assistance or great need. …. To invoke His Name is to invoke His righteousness

• His Name is that in which we assemble as the Church … St Matthew 18:20 where two or more are gathered together in my Name I am there

2. He is Immanuel - with us (immanu) God (El) .... El is the name for power ... God comes to us, dwells with us in power … "with us God" is "with us God's righteousness"

• If He were only among us with the power to execute justice we should be of all people most forlorn. For justice is a professed enemy to all our sins; justice does not give any quarter according to the law. God’s justice is against us … we daily confess that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed … We do not presume to come to this the altar of Jesus' Body and Blood trusting in our own righteousness ...

• But God has not come among us with power alone ... He comes among us in the power of THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

3. God is with us as our righteousness says Jeremiah.

• righteousness satisfies God’s justice, a righteousness discovered in the Name, the Lord OUR righteousness

• Righteousness is the branch, Jeremiah says ... and salvation and peace are the fruits growing from it.

• peace is the very work of righteousness … pax vobiscum, the Lord be with you … the Lord our righteousness be with you

How astonishing, how marvelous is it that In Holy Communion we duly receive the holy mysteries, the most precious Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ ... assuring us of God's favor and goodness towards us, and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of God's Son ... God's favor and goodness come to us, make us partakers of God's righteousness because we partake of the Lord our Righteousness.

II COR 5:21 .... FOR OUR SAKE, HE MADE HIM TO BE SIN WHO KNEW NO SIN, SO THAT IN HIM WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

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Preparing for Advent

Advent, a time of preparation for the Lord's coming (both His first and second Advent), begins November 29. The Great Litany, sacramental confession are an essential part of our Advent observances. Please read Advent Meditations. Come thou long expected Jesus!

Advent Meditations

By Dr. Robert Crouse

Anglican spirituality is essentially liturgical: it is a way of spiritual life founded in worship and fulfilled in worship; a spiritual life shaped by the word of God mediated to us in the cycles of the liturgical year. It is that liturgical pattern of proclaiming the Word of God, day by day, week by week, year by year, which has shaped the mind and heart of Anglican Christianity. And that pattern has remained substantially unchanged for more than a millennium, up until our own generation.

If you consider, for instance, the selection of Epistle and Gospel lessons for the Sundays in Advent, as they appear in the Book of Common Prayer, you will find that they are precisely those appointed in the Sarum Missal of the medieval Church of England, and are in fact the same as those prescribed in the Comes of St Jerome, which goes back to the Fifth Century. The only change has been Archbishop Cramner’s addition, in 1549, of a few verses to the beginning of the Epistle lesson and the end of the Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Advent. Apart from the slight lengthening of those two lessons, the Advent lectionary remains unchanged since early Christian times.

What we have in that series is not a random selection of readings, but a coherent series of texts, in which Epistle and Gospel lessons interpret and supplement each other, and in which there is a continuous, logical development of teachings from one week to the next. Each set of texts builds upon the thought of the preceding set, and points ahead to the one that follows.

Our Anglican Reformers saw no need to alter that ancient pattern; they insisted only that it be better understood by all the faithful: read, marked, learned and inwardly digested; that it be more deeply understood and more perfectly obeyed, that by patience and comfort of God’s Holy Word, we might all embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope which is ours in Christ Jesus. Anglican spiritual nurture is basically a matter of hearing that proclamation, following that pattern, year after year, understanding perhaps a bit more each time, and each time conforming our lives a bit more closely to its truth.

Because our spiritual life is basically liturgical, because it is formed and shaped and sustained by that pattern of proclamation of God’s Word, it makes little sense, I think, to try to consider it abstractly, as though spiritual life were an activity somehow off by itself. The problem is rather to see and understand the spiritual dimensions of the Church’s liturgical proclamation week by week, and season by season, throughout the year. And therefore, as we prepare for Advent (as we prepare, that is to say, for preparation!), it seems to me that our best course is to try to prepare ourselves to understand more deeply the spiritual dimensions of the Advent lessons.

The Advent season is multi-dimensional. It looks backward in time to the coming of the Son of God as the Infant of Bethlehem two thousand years ago; it looks forward to the end of time, to the consummation of history in the coming of the Son of God as Judge. But there is yet another dimension of the most vital importance for our spiritual life: Advent is about God’s coming now, and our Advent lessons encourage our hope and expectation of his presence in our life here and now.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Prologue of his commentary on Isaiah, speaks of these three dimensions of Advent: the coming of the Son of God in carne: in the flesh, historically; his coming in mente: in our souls, now by grace; and ad judicium: at the judgement, at the end and as the end of history. Paramount in our Advent lessons is that second dimension: Christ’s Advent in mente, the present coming of the Word of God in our souls by grace. If you were to look at the lessons from that standpoint, you would notice how in each case the Epistle lesson underlines the present reference of the Gospel lesson.

This point can be illustrated with reference to the lessons for the First Sunday in Advent. The Gospel lesson recounts as historical incident the coming of Jesus to Jerusalem and his cleansing of the Temple. But the historical reference is broader than that: the Kingdom of Israel is God’s city and his Temple; he comes to claim the throne of David, and his coming is a judgment upon that Temple, both immediately and ultimately. Thus the Gospel speaks of Christ’s Advent in carne and ad judicium. But on another level, the Temple of God’s presence in the human soul, and Christ, the Word of God, comes to the soul to awaken it from its futile dreams and purify its desire. It is that dimension of the Gospel lesson that the Epistle lesson draws out: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.” The Word of God approaches, “the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light…put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. This, you see, is Christ’s Adventin mente.

The themes of the four Advent Sundays:

I. The Awakening and Cleansing of the Soul

1. Gospel: Mtt. 21.1: Jesus arouses Jerusalem and Cleanses the Temple

2. Epistle: Rom. 13.8: The Soul (God’s Temple) is to be awakened and cleansed of works of darkness, and armed with light.

II. The Passing World and the Enduring Word

1. Gospel: Lk. 21.25: Heaven and earth pass away, but the Word of God endures

2. Epistle: Rom. 15.4: The Word of God in the believing soul is the ground of patience, comfort and hope.

III. Witnessing to the Word, in Hope

1. Gospel: Mtt. 11.2: John the Baptist in prison, the prophetic messenger.

2. Epistle: 1 Cor. 4.1: The Christian soul as faithful steward of the revealed mysteries.

IV. Recognition of the Word and Rejoicing in His Coming

1. Gospel: John 1.19: Behold the Lamb of God.

2. Epistle: Phil. 4.4: Rejoicing, thanksgiving and peace in heart and mind.

Advent is the proclamation of God’s three-fold coming: in carne, in mente and ad judicium. And notice how those three dimensions are connected: Christ’s coming in the flesh, historically, and his atoning work, is the basis of his coming to our souls in grace; and his coming in judgement is nothing other than the summation of all his comings in grace and what we have made of them. “This is the judgement, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light…” (Jn. 3.19) And so this season urges us to wake up, to cast off darkness and clothe ourselves in light.

As Austin Farrer puts it, “Advent brings Christmas, judgement runs out into mercy. For the God who saves us and the God who judges us is one God…what judges us is what redeems us, the love of God…But while love thus judges us by being what it is, the same love redeems us by effecting what it does. Love shares flesh and blood with us in this present world, that the eyes which look us through at last may find in us a better substance than our vanity.” (Crown of the Year, Advent II)

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All Saints' Day

November 1.

THE COLLECT

O ALMIGHTY God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Revelation 8

1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

St Augustine:

“A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers” (Against Faustus the Manichean [A.D. 400]).

“Neither are the souls of the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar of God in the communication of the Body of Christ” (The City of God 20:9:2 [A.D. 419]).

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Faith and Love

St Ignatius to the Ephesians

Chapter XIV.—Exhortations to faith and love.

None of these things is hid from you, if ye perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ Jesus which are the beginning and the end of life. For the beginning is faith, and the end is love (I Timothy 1:5). Now these two, being inseparably connected together, are of God, while all other things which are requisite for a holy life follow after them. No man [truly] making a profession of faith sinneth; nor does he that possesses love hate any one. The tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognised by their conduct. For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end.

Wherefore none of the devices of the devil shall be hidden from you, if, like Paul, ye perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ which are the beginning and the end of life (I Timothy 1:14). The beginning of life is faith, and the end is love. And these two being inseparably connected together, do perfect the man of God; while all other things which are requisite to a holy life follow after them. No man making a profession of faith ought to sin, nor one possessed of love to hate his brother. For He that said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,” said also, “and thy neighbour as thyself.” Those that profess themselves to be Christ’s are known not only by what they say, but by what they practise. “For the tree is known by its fruit.”

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The Praise of Unity

Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

Ignatius of Antioch (30-107 AD) and Polykarp were fellow-disciples of St John. Some tradition points to Ignatius the little child whom the Lord placed in the midst of his apostles in St Matthew 18:

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Ignatius became bishop of Antioch and while he was en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. Ignatius is one of the three most important of the Apostolic Fathers, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters address important topics for the first century Church, such as ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops.

Chapter V.—The praise of unity.

For if I in this brief space of time, have enjoyed such fellowship with your bishop —I mean not of a mere human, but of a spiritual nature—how much more do I reckon you happy who are so joined to him as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father, that so all things may agree in unity! Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two possesses such power, how much more that of the bishop and the whole Church! He, therefore, that does not assemble with the Church, has even by this manifested his pride, and condemned himself. For it is written, “God resisteth the proud.” Let us be careful, then, not to set ourselves in opposition to the bishop, in order that we may be subject to God.

For if I, in this brief space of time, have enjoyed such fellowship with your bishop —I mean not of a mere human, but of a spiritual nature—how much more do I reckon you happy, who so depend on him as the Church does on the Lord Jesus, and the Lord does on God and His Father, that so all things may agree in unity! Let no man deceive himself: if any one be not within the altar, he is deprived of the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two possesses such power that Christ stands in the midst of them, how much more will the prayer of the bishop and of the whole Church, ascending up in harmony to God, prevail for the granting of all their petitions in Christ! He, therefore, that separates himself from such, and does not meet in the society where sacrifices are offered, and with “the Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven,” is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, while he presents a mild outward appearance. Do ye, beloved, be careful to be subject to the bishop, and the presbyters and the deacons. For he that is subject to these is obedient to Christ, who has appointed them; but he that is disobedient to these is disobedient to Christ Jesus. And “he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” For he that yields not obedience to his superiors is self-confident, quarrelsome, and proud. But “God,” says [the Scripture] “resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble;” and, “The proud have greatly transgressed.” The Lord also says to the priests, “He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that heareth Me, heareth the Father that sent Me. He that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.”

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The Power of Intercession

From St Matthew 9:1-8

1 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city.
2 And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

a. The power of intercession before God made on behalf of others … the paralytic’s friends brought the man to Jesus

• Jesus SAW their faith ... by their works faith was made perfect (James 2:22)

b. The power and assurance of the forgiveness of God comes to us in Jesus Christ … comes to all who earnestly seek Him

• Jesus has the power to forgive sin ... this forgiveness comes to all who earnestly seek Him

c. The power to forgive sin is given by God to men, through the bishops and priests in Christ’s Church

• Jesus forgives sin through the ministry of men ... through His Bishops and Priests, men to whom God has given such authority (John 20)

Has God seen your faith? By those whom you have brought to Jesus?

Pray for those in need … pray for courage to act on their behalf … Bring them to meet Jesus in Word and Sacrament ... never underestimate the power of our intercession on behalf of others.

• identify those you know are in need of Jesus' saving graces and pray for them

• pray for the opportunity, the occasion and the courage to speak with them, to invite them to Church

Given the great need for Jesus we find in so many others in our day-to-day activities we cannot decide to be undecided … resolve to be irresolute … As we read in St Matthew 9, it is worth a great effort, the laying aside of every impediment, the clear-eyed facing of the need, the noble acceptance of the personal and social risks inseparable from public witness by which we arrest the chaotic drift in the lives and events of those around us … that we are compelled to act on behalf of those paralyzed by their sins … now is the appointed time.

In Holy Communion:

• We come to Jesus … our Great Intercessor before God

• We come to Jesus in the earnest expectation and assurance of the remission of our sins

• We come to Jesus through the ministry of His bishops and priests

This is my Body broken for you, my Blood shed for you for the remission of sin … Amen

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I Come in Peace

I Samuel 16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since 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 selected a king for Myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of 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 You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When the town watchman saw Samuel coming to Bethlehem it set off alarm bells in the city. The unexpected appearance of one of God's judges was not a happy occasion; the elders' nervous response to Samuel's appearance was reflexive, perhaps something akin our driving and suddenly coming upon a police officer and reflexively stepping on the brake to slow our car down. The elders came trembling to meet Samuel ... Do you come in peace? Are we in trouble? Did we do something to warrant your coming? No doubt to their great relief, Samuel responded ... I come in peace. ... What will our reaction be when Jesus comes again to judge the quick?

How effective are online services for members of a congregation? As it turns out, not very. A recent survey by the Barna Group shows this sad news:

• 35 percent of respondents are still attending their pre-COVID church.

• 32 percent are no longer attending church.

• 14 percent have switched to a new church.

• 18 percent are watching worship services from different churches each month.

• 50 percent of Millennials have stopped attending church.

Barna has written this headline from the data gathered: "One in Three Practicing Christians Is Still and Only Attending Their Pre-COVID Church," ran the headline.

While online services are sub-optimal for most people (they'd rather gather together for 'real church'), it is better than nothing. But people are not enthusiastic about it.

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The Demoniac Cured

Luke 8:26-39

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. 30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31 They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

32 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. 33 And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. 35 The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. 36 Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. 37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. 38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

The healing of the demoniac is a story wonderful … and strange — wonderful for Jesus’ miracle in casting out the legion of demons from the man; strange for the people’s response to this miracle in asking Jesus to depart from their district.

The demoniac … was possessed with a legion of demons, was naked and living among the dead. Mark 5 notes that the man cried out, as if in agony or rage, day and night, cut himself with stones and could not be restrained even by chains and shackles. The man was wretched and miserable and poor and bruised and naked … a rueful, living manifestation of the devastating and deadly art of Satan and his minions in the lives of men.

The healing of the demoniac … when the demoniac saw Jesus he doesn’t flee from Jesus’ presence as one might have expected, but fell down before Jesus, not in an act of worship, but as one compelled by the presence of a superior. “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” The demons knew well what Jesus’ presence meant for them. Jesus came that “he might destroy the works of the devil,” I John 3:5. Jesus asks the name of the demon … “Legion,” for many demons possessed the man (a Roman legion numbered 6826 men). The demons implored Jesus to allow them to enter a herd of swine and having entered the swine the demons, fittingly, drove the swine into the lake where they all drowned.

The people’s response to the demoniac’s cure … the text tells us that when the people of the district heard the incredible reports of what had happened they came out to see for themselves. To their amazement, they found the man seated, clothed and in his right mind. In possession of all this wonderful evidence what was the people's response? They asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were gripped with fear. What? Depart from them!? The deliverance of the poor demoniac came at too high a price! They regretted the loss of their swine — even if they owned the swine herd in contravention of OT prohibitions — and Jesus’ presence may require even more of them, more than they were willing to pay! This a sobering reflection. Some are unwilling to pay the price to have Jesus in their lives. The short-term cost to their livelihood is simply too great. … They ask Him who is Life itself to depart from them … at the eternal cost of their lives.

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Why Has all this Befallen Us?

Judges 6:1ff

6 Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. 2 The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them. 4 So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it. 6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the Lord.

7 Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord on account of Midian, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, 10 and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.”’”

11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

If the Lord is with us, why then is all this befallen us? Where are all His miracles? … These questions are not unique to Gideon; we ask such questions of God, often. If the Lord is with us, why do we find our lives so confounding, so confusing, so perplexing? Why do we suffer? We may hear the words: “The Lord be with you,” but if He is with us, where are His miracles? His deliverance?

How does a stumbling, wobbling faith so pass through these things temporal that it loses not the things eternal? Consider this Sunday’s Collect:

O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake our Lord. Amen.

Judges 6 follows the pattern of the Judges …

1. God’s indictment … Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord (6:1)

2. God’s judgment … Israel was delivered into the hand of the Midianites for seven years — the number of fulfillment/completion (6:1-2)

3. Israel cries out to God (6:6-7)

4. God’s deliverer is raised up … Gideon “the mighty man of valor” (6:11-14)

God sends a prophet to the sons of Israel with a reminder of God’s miraculous deliverance and the gift of the Promised Land …

1. I brought you up from Egypt

2. I brought you out from the house of slavery

3. I delivered you from the power of those who oppressed you

4. I drove the oppressors from the Promised Land

5. I gave you their land

6. I am the Lord your God

7. I am to be feared, not the gods of the Amorites

In the midst of things temporal you must remember the things eternal. God’s deliverer, Gideon, will go forth in the same power of God that delivered Israel out of Egypt. Gideon does not think himself up to the task … and he was right. The angel’s salutation: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior” is met with profound skepticism by Gideon … Who me? How shall I deliver Israel? I am a nobody from the least of the families of the small tribe of Manasseh, and I am the youngest, the least of that family! What will make Gideon a valiant warrior? A deliverer of Israel? “The Lord is with you … your strength is My having sent you … surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

If the Lord is with us, why then is all this befallen us? How do we pass through confusing things temporal so that we lose not things eternal? We recall our miraculous deliverance from Satan, sin and death. And we are ever mindful that the Lord our strength is with us. “O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake our Lord. Amen.

The Lord be with you! And with thy spirit.

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The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son

St. Luke did not idly present three parables in a row... The mercy of the divine act is the same, but the grace differs according to our merits. The weary sheep is recalled by the shepherd, the coin which was lost is found, the son retraces his steps to his father and returns, guilty of error but totally repentant.

In chapter 15 Jesus gives three parable teachings to the crowds concerning God's patience and mercy in calling sinners to salvation by using common examples of daily life. The parables are: the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15:3-8), the Parable of the Lost Coin (Lk 15:8-10), and the Parable of the Lost Son (Lk 15:11-32). Of these three parables St. Ambrose writes: By the parables of the sheep that strayed and was found, the coin which was lost and was found, and the son who was dead and came to life, we may cure our wounds, being encouraged by a threefold remedy. "A threefold cord will not be broken." Who are the father, the shepherd and the woman? They are God the Father, Christ and the Church. Christ carries you on his body, he who took your sins on himself. The Church seeks and the Father receives. The shepherd carries. The mother searches, the father clothes. First mercy comes, then intercession, and third reconciliation. Each complements the other. The Savior rescues, the Church intercedes, and the Creator reconciles (Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, 7.207-8).

JSH+

The Threshing Floor

St Matthew 3 Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”

… 11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Jesus will come and will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire … In the OT reading in Malachi 3 we read of Jesus’ coming,

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

The advent of Jesus is also the advent of baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire which signifies the purification and restoration of God’s people. Who may abide the day of His coming? Who shall stand when He appears? The Messiah is like a refiner’s fire … He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver. … ** The sons of Levi are the priests that serve in the Temple. Religious decline begins with the failure of the priesthood to show the requisite fear and reverence due Jehovah. Judgement always begins with the household of God.** … Jesus comes baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire. He comes with a winnowing fork in His hand, separating the wheat from the chaff — Jesus is appointed for the fall and rise of many (Luke 2:34).

In His advent, Jesus comes to the threshing floor … The threshing floor imagery has many meanings in Holy Scripture. It is the place where the Bride seeks her husband: Ruth sought her husband, Boaz, on the threshing floor (Ruth 3). The threshing floor is a place of worship. The Temple was built on the threshing floor on Mt Moriah (Mt Zion) that David purchased from Ornan (I Chronicles 21). The Temple/threshing floor is where Israel seeks her husband, Jehovah, where the Church, the Bride, seeks her husband Jesus (cf Ephesians 5). The threshing floor is where God separates the wheat from the chaff, the wheat from the tares, the Bride of Christ from her sins. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

At Jesus’ baptism three things happened:

1. The heavens were opened … “And, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him” (KJV). The heavens, which Adam’s sin had closed, are now opened unto Jesus, and in Jesus, the heavens are opened unto us who have been baptized. For we have been baptized into Jesus Christ (Romans 6).

2. The Spirit of God as a dove descended upon Jesus … The Holy Spirit descended upon the waters of baptism and remained upon Jesus, anointing Him for His work as the Christ, “the anointed One.” The Holy Spirit’s descent signifies and prefigures the new creation that the sacrament of Christian baptism confers upon believers when the Spirit comes down upon the waters (cf Genesis 1:2f) and remains upon those who were baptized.

3. The voice from heaven declares “This is my beloved Son” … All those who are baptized into Jesus Christ are declared to be the beloved children of God.

JSH+

Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

7 Now the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8 You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”

14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16 the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

Crossing the Jordan … In the Joshua 3 account of the crossing of the Jordan River, the Ark of the Covenant, the ark of God’s presence, plays a prominent role, being mentioned ten times in seventeen verses. The Ark was vitally important in the life of God’s people: the Ark’s Mercy Seat was the earthly throne of Jehovah, where God met and communed with His people Israel (Exodus 25:21-22); the Ark contained the stone tablets of the Decalogue, manna from heaven and Aaron’s rod; the Ark also served as a holy altar when on the Day of Atonement the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat. Whenever the Ark was to be moved it had to be carefully covered, first with the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, then with a covering of porpoise skin, and finally with a cloth of pure blue (Numbers 4:5-6). The Ark was never wholly visible to the people of Israel. (In I Samuel 6:19 God struck down the men of Beth-shemesh for having the temerity to look into the Ark.) The Ark was carried by inserting acacia-wood poles into the rings on the Ark.

Crossing of the Jordan … Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. … It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.” The similarities between the crossing of the Jordan and the crossing of the Red Sea are striking:

• God — God’s presence as manifest in the cloud at the Red Sea and the Ark at the Jordan — will lead Israel through the waters — the waters parted in a heap above and below where Israel crossed over

• Israel passed through on dry land

The crossing of the Red Sea was described by St Paul as a baptism (I Cor. 10). It is also warranted to regard the crossing the Jordan River as a baptism.

• on the “third day” the people passed through the waters before entering the Promised Land

• this is the area where Elijah passed through the parted waters of the Jordan (on dry land!) and was taken up into heaven (II Kings 2:8f)

• this is the location where John the Baptist baptized Jesus unto Whom the heavens were opened

• where Jesus crossed over on the third day and raised Lazarus from the dead

Crossing the Jordan … In Holy Baptism, we, too, have crossed the Jordan. In the waters of baptism God is present with us and, having been raised up to newness of life in Jesus Christ, we know heaven has been opened unto us. Baptized at the entrance to the nave, we are led to the altar of God’s presence, the heavenly Holy of Holies, where we receive the True Bread of Heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord.

JSH+

If thou art the Son of God

Luke 4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’
11 and,
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

If thou art the Son of God … When Jesus was baptized a voice came from heaven declaring, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Luke 3). Immediately following His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. In the Temptation, Satan comes to Jesus and prefaces his temptations with, “If thou art the Son of God …” As was the case in Genesis 3:1, Satan begins by raising doubt, “If thou art the Son of God.” “If” questions the fact … and Satan demands proof. Why does Satan demand proof? Is he doubtful that this man is the Son of God? Jesus having eaten nothing for forty days was hungry. Jesus’ hunger highlights the fact He is a man. And Satan has prevailed against “the son of God,” ( that is, Adam, cf Luke 3:38) from the beginning. So what proof does Satan demand?

• Tell this stone to become bread

• Worship me and I will your all the kingdoms of the world

• Throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple and show that God’s angels have charge over you to protect you

Jesus’ answers, taken from Moses’ admonitions to Israel before their entry into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy, are instructive … (citing here a fuller text):

• Deuteronomy 8:2-3 You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

• Deuteronomy 6:12-15 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14 You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

• Deuteronomy 6:16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. [Exodus 17 … Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” … Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”]

Israel was tested by God with hunger, God fed them manna … Jesus in His hunger knows that man shall not live by bread alone, but by God’s word.

Israel was tempted to worship other gods, as was manifest in worshipping the golden calf … Jesus avers that man must worship God alone.

Israel put God to the test asking whether God was with them or not … Jesus refused to put God to the test.

Jesus, in our human nature, shows Himself to be a faithful Son of God. So is Satan satisfied with the proof that Jesus is God’s Son? Not in the least ... "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." He will try Jesus again through Peter (Mark 8:2), the multitudes (John 6:15) as well as others. And though Satan is not expressly mentioned in Jesus’ personal trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sets aside all other human considerations and affirms His determination to obey and submit to His Father’s will, humbling Himself even to death on the cross.

JSH+

Bringing Forth Fruits Worthy of Repentance

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
5 ‘Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be brought low;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’”

7 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” 12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, 16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's [Herod Antipas] army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.

Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD), Antiquities of the Jews, 18.5.2 [116-118]

Where John the Baptist baptized … John baptized at Bethany beyond the Jordan (John 1:28). Two significant OT events occurred here: the site where Joshua led the children into the Promised Land; the site where Elijah was taken up into heaven. This is significant: John’s preaching and baptism were a preparation for the advent of the Messiah and entering the Kingdom of God. In addition, it is important to note that John came preaching in the power and spirit of Elijah. John’s ministry begins where Elijah’s ministry ended. Here John will baptize Jesus, the greater Joshua, Who will cross the Jordan to begin His conquest of Satan, sin and death so that God’s people may enter into Heaven, the true Promised Land.

Bearing fruit in keeping with repentance … John the Baptist comes “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”John’s preaching was rather harsh and grim, a stark and striking call to repentance to those who had become complacent : “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Bearing fruit in keeping with repentance … John would not suffer those who would come to be baptized but confessed no sin (referring especially to the Sadducees and Pharisees, cf St Matthew 3:7), nor those who wanted to be baptized without bringing forth fruits of repentance. They must bring forth the fruit of true repentance. “What then shall we do?” True repentance issues forth in the daily, practical amendment of life.

• The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.

• To tax collectors, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

• To soldiers,“Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

So we read in St Matthew 25 … 31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; …

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

St. James wrote, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (James 2:14) ...See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24) ... For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26).

Bearing fruit in keeping with repentance … There is an organic connection between bearing fruit and repentance, just as there is an organic connection between a tree and the fruit it brings forth peculiar to its nature. True repentance is not just some passing regret, a shedding of some tears, or some vague wish to be different. True repentance is a true amendment of life, a conversion of heart that is visible, manifest.

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

JSH+

Seeing Salvation

Luke 2:25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Morning Prayer continues with the reading of Luke’s Gospel. The readings for the past few days are from Luke 2, which included the stories of Simeon and the 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple.

Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was looking for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Simeon went “in Spirit” into the Temple where he saw God’s salvation and took His salvation into his arms:

“Now Lord, Lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation …”

Unlike Islam and Judaism, Christians have seen their God, they have seen salvation … Christianity is the religion of the Word made flesh, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” Seeing salvation … so in the Eucharist we too see God’s salvation and take His salvation into our hands — “[Jesus] was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35). As God gave the Blessed Virgin Mary a sign to confirm the angel Gabriel’s word, and to confirm Mary’s faith (Luke 1), so in the Eucharist we are given a sign — Jesus Christ Himself — to confirm God’s promises, and our faith. Having seen God’s salvation we may live, and die, in peace.

In Luke 2 we also read of the 12-year-old Jesus, who as the Lord’s Christ is once again found in the Temple. Every year the devout Mary and Joseph attended the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. (At the age of twelve, a Jewish boy became a “son of the law,” one who is obligated to know and observe the law.) On their return trip home, Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus was not with them. They returned to Jerusalem and, after three days, found Jesus in the Temple. Jesus was sitting in the midst of rabbis, listening to them and asking them questions. The rabbis were amazed at Jesus’ understanding and His answers to their questions; Mary and Joseph were astonished at what they behold!

Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.” And he said unto them, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?”

Jesus “must” be about His Father’s business. Jesus acts in accordance with what MUST be. The Greek dei appears in the Gospel with reference to Jesus’ readiness to submit to God’s will. Jesus MUST go up to Jerusalem, He MUST suffer, be rejected, be crucified and be raised up again on the third day (St Matthew 16:21).

At 12 years of age Jesus is already bound by what He MUST do: he MUST be about His Father’s business. Jesus was not thoughtless and neglectful of His parents; He was being obedient to His purpose in coming into the world: to do His Father’s will. Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus spoke to them, yet Mary pondered these things in her heart. Mary’s faith, like ours, seeks understanding … She ponders the events of Jesus’ life and His sayings. Her faith must come to maturity … Mary, like the Church, is the handmaid of the Lord … fully confident that God shall bring forth what He has promised according to His word.

JSH+

Blessed is the Man

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The Psalms begin with a benediction, “Blessed is the man.” In the monastic liturgical tradition, the entirety of the Psalter (150 Psalms) was read each week … and each liturgical week began with … “Blessed is the man.” The Hebrew reads - “Oh, the blessings of the man…”

Blessed is the man … is stated in the negative in verse 1, what a blessed man does not do, the positive in verse 2. what a blessed man does. In the negative, Blessed is the man that hath not:

• walked in the counsel of the ungodly

• stood in the way of sinners

• sat in the seat of the scornful

In the positive, Blessed is the man who:

• delights in the law of the Lord

• meditates, exercises himself in the law day and night

The blessed man does not follow the counsel of the ungodly, does not stand in the way that sinners go, is not seated among the scoffers. There is something of a progression here — from a rather careless walking in the counsel of the ungodly, to a standing among those who violate God’s law, to actually sitting (signifying intimate fellowship) in the seat of the scornful – a synonym for a consummate fool.

The blessed man does delight in the law of the Lord. This man delights, takes pleasure, in the law which is “holy, just and good” (Romans 7:12), that nurtures in him the fulsome love of God and neighbor. He exercises himself (meditates) in the law day and night, morning and evening, rising up and laying down. This is how the liturgical week of prayer is spent — in the enjoyment of musing on the law of the Lord.

The man who delights in the law of the Lord …

• shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water

• brings forth his fruit in his season

• his leaf also shall not wither

• whatsoever he does shall prosper

• shall stand in the day of judgment in the congregation of the righteous

The Church Fathers saw in the singular Blessed Man of Psalm 1 — as opposed to the plurality of the wicked vs 3-5 — the person of Jesus Christ. The Blessed Man finds its fulfillment in the Son of God. In the law of the Lord He delighted in and meditated on day and night, fulfilling the Law in its entirety.

JSH+

Leaping for Joy!

Luke 1:39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His handmaiden;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
“He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
“He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

St Luke’s birth narratives are presented in five parts:

1. The announcement of St John’s birth 1:5-25

2. The announcement of Jesus’ birth 1:26-38

3. The Visitation 1:39-56

4. The birth of St John the Baptist 1:57-80

5. The birth of Jesus 2:1-21

God gives a sign … John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Mary, the Ark of the Lord’s presence

God gives a sign … At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce her conception of the Christ Child. Mary responds to the angel’s annunciation with one of the most simple, staggeringly humble, wondrous statements of faith: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word. … As profound and steadfast as Mary’s faith is, God sends her a sign to confirm His word: “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God” (v 36-37). The text tells us that Mary arose and made haste to visit Elizabeth to see this thing God has done. God gives a sign to confirm His word and to strengthen Mary’s faith, and Mary does not hesitate to seek it out. … God gives us signs to confirm His promises and to strengthen our faith. The great sign God gives is Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises of God’s goodness, mercy, grace, redemption and life are yes. In the Blessed Sacrament of Jesus’ Body and Blood we not only behold this great sign, we partake of it. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we should make haste to seek it.

John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Mary, the Ark of the Lord … Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth blesses Mary, blesses Jesus and blesses Mary’s faith:

Blessed are you among women
Blessed is the fruit of your womb!
Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.

Elizabeth is not the only one inspired by the Holy Spirit – John the Baptist, six months in Elizabeth’s womb, leaps for joy the moment the forerunner sensed his Master’s presence. According to St Luke it was Elizabeth who was excited and influenced by the baby in her womb … “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice … For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.”

St Luke 1:15 says of John the Baptist that “he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” In his mother’s womb, John, filled with the Holy Spirit, leaped with joy and that Spirit then filled Elizabeth. As David leaped for joy before the Ark of the Lord (II Samuel 6:14) so John leaps for joy in his mother’s womb before the presence of Mary, the Ark of the Lord. David asked, “How is it that the Ark of the Lord comes to me? (2 Sam 6:9); Elizabeth asks,”how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” At the Presence of the Ark of the Lord, John leaps for joy!

It is important to note that the Holy Spirit filled an unborn child with joy at Jesus’ presence! John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Faith is a gift given by God and it is wholly unwarranted to assume that the work of God’s Spirit can only be wrought in a mind sufficiently developed so as to understand propositional religious truth. We are especially mindful of this this coming Sunday when two newborn babies are brought to be baptized. In Holy Baptism it is Jesus’ faith given as gift to them, and even then the Holy Spirit begins His gracious saving work in their lives. As stated in the BCP:

O MERCIFUL God, grant that like as Christ died and rose again, so this Child may die to sin and rise to newness of life. Amen.

Grant that all sinful affections may die in him, and that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him. Amen.

Grant that he may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph, against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen.

SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits; and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that this Child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

Blessed are they who believe that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken by the Lord!

JSH+

The Sin of Korah

Numbers 16:15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.” 16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company be present before the Lord tomorrow, both you and they along with Aaron. 17 Each of you take his firepan and put incense on it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron shall each bring his firepan.” 18 So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. 19 Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” 22 But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

25 Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, 26 and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27 So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones. 28 Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing. 29 If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”

31 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!” 35 Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

Numbers 16 recounts the arrogance and rebellion of Korah, a Levite, Dathan and Abiram against the divinely appointed leadership of Moses and Aaron. These three men, along with 250 sons of Israel, were said to be leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly and men of renown. Korah, Dathan and Abiram became arrogant (16:1; cf. Psalm 106:16-18), rising up against Moses and Aaron in the assembly, they assert two claims that are certainly accepted truths:

1. all the congregation, every one of them — and by implication not just Moses and Aaron — are holy. There is justification for this assertion from Exodus 19:6: you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.

2. and the Lord is in the midst of the congregation … This is also an accepted truth … Exodus 29:45: I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.

From these two claims Korah deftly deduces a rather democratic conclusion … in the form of a question: so why do you [Moses and Aaron] exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” If we are holy and God is in the midst of all of us, who are you, Moses and Aaron to lord it over the rest of us? Of course, Moses and Aaron had not exalted themselves above the assembly; they had been chosen by the Lord. So Moses proposes to leave it to the Lord to decide the question. Korah’s conclusion shall be put to the test …

is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also? Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord

“You and all your company be present before the Lord tomorrow, both you and they along with Aaron. Each of you take his firepan and put incense on it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron shall each bring his firepan.” 18 So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it;

Korah and his company along with Aaron were to present themselves before the Lord and burn incense before Him. God will choose between Aaron and Korah. This test should have sounded an ominous note for Korah. According to God’s appointment only Aaron was allowed to burn incense morning and evening before the Lord (Exodus 30:1-10). Aaron did not appoint himself High Priest; God did. Korah’s arrogance and envy was not just rebellion directed against Aaron, it was directed against the Lord (v 11). Moreover, God struck dead Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, for offering up strange fire before the Lord. Amazingly, Korah accepts the challenge, and, expecting to be vindicated, summons the whole of Israel to the doorway to the tent of meeting to bear witness.

The glory-cloud of God’s presence appears to the congregation and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Separate yourselves from among the congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Moses and Aaron intercede with the Lord: “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?” God will not spare the wicked; He separates them from the rest of the congregation. God has chosen and His judgment is terrifying and tragic.

Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing. 29 If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”

31 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.

God has appointed those who are servants and ministers in His Church. How destructive arrogance and rebellion against God are! It bears the fruit of bitterness, pain, distress and judgment. We pray for those in authority, for bishops, priests and deacons. Pray for wisdom, grace and humility in God’s household.

JSH+