4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
These verses and those surrounding them tell us that because of our faith in Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ, we have overcome the world. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that we receive strength and power to carry on the struggle against evil.
Hymn of the Day: FAITH IS THE VICTORY - John H. Yates, 1837–1900
Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers rise,
and press the battle ere the night shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below let all our strength be hurled;
faith is the victory, we know, that overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love, our sword the Word of God;
we tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod.
By faith they like a whirl-wind’s breath swept on o’er ev’ry field;
the faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield.
On ev’ry hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array;
let tents of ease be left behind, and onward to the fray!
Salvation’s helmet on each head, with truth all girt about:
The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread and echo with our shout.
To him that overcomes the foe white raiment shall be giv’n;
before the angels he shall know his name confessed in heav’n.
Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame;
we’ll vanquish all the hosts of night in Jesus’ conq’ring name.
Chorus: Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory that overcomes the world.
Osbeck, Kenneth W.: Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Kregel Publications, 1990, S. 320
Today's Comments: Faith is about overcoming the world. While we are in the world, we are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christians we are sanctified, or set aside from the world. And in being sanctified, we also may be called to defend our faith as soldiers fighting a spiritual war against the forces of evil in the world. It is because of our faith in God, who is revealed to us in Holy Scripture, that we are charged to take the Gospel to the world.
My friend, Roger Rose will be preaching a sermon tomorrow. I conclude today's entry with the text of that sermon. It is about our faith and the sanctification which is given to us by faith in Jesus Christ:
Pentecost 13, 2009
S. Matthew 16. 13-20
As Jesus and His disciples entered the area of Caesaria Philippi, Jesus asked them, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They gave various answers to the question. Then Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the Living God." Jesus responded by telling Peter that his answer was the God-given answer.
As you and I know, that question comes up in our minds --and in many minds. It always has come up in people's minds. From the very start, Christians have answered that question in different ways. But, the answer that Christians came to very early was one in four words: "Jesus Christ is Lord." Every one of those words has a lot of meaning. That is the earliest creed of the Church. It is the foundation for our Nicene Creed that we use now. Anyone who wants to receive Baptism and come into the Church needs to study and think about what those four words mean: "Jesus Christ is Lord."
As you and I also know, people give a lot of answers to Jesus' question: "Who do you say that I am?" Some reflect the accepted teaching of the Church, but others do not reflect accepted teaching. Maybe some people respond to that by saying, "So what? Why does it matter if people give answers that do not reflect accepted teaching? Why not let people choose their own answers to the "Who is Jesus" question? Why not let people make up their own minds about who Jesus is?"
Yes, why not? Many people today are well-educated. They have to make up their own minds about a lot of questions. Just read the morning newspaper, and you see so many questions that challenge us to give answers to them. Of course, we do, indeed, give our own answers. So, why not say, "Just make up your own minds about who Jesus Christ is?" It sounds so inclusive, so respectful, to say that.
Yes, why not? Well, here is one answer to "Why not?" Simply this: The answer that we give to the "Who is Jesus" question determines what we do with Jesus Christ . I grew up in a small town near Chicago. I was in the Methodist Church there. We had a pastor who came from Canada. One of the questions that he used to ask was this one: "What will you do with Jesus Christ?" But, the answer that we give to that question comes from who we believe Jesus Christ is.
We live in a time when some people believe that Jesus is someone who serves their own agendas. In one way or another, people did the same years ago, of course. Rulers and kings have used Jesus to serve their own need for power. The tsars who ruled Russia for centuries used Jesus to control people. As you probably know, the Russian Church was like a government department. Those who hold power in China today want to use the Church politically to control people, as well.
The wish to use Jesus is common in our culture now. What people try to do with Jesus Christ is to "capture" Him for what they believe in. Imagine, for a moment, that Jesus returns in person to this country. He goes to a Republican convention and sits down with a group of the party faithful. He poses the question: "Who do you say that I am?" They answer, "You are the inspiration for individual initiative; you are the encouragement to cut the size of government, and you are the key to reducing taxes."
Then Jesus goes to a Democratic party convention. He gathers a group of the party faithful and asks the same question, "Who do you say that I am?" They answer, "You are the inspiration for the social safety net, you are the encouragement for health care reform and you are the key to reducing the national debt." And Jesus walks away, muttering to himself.
Sometimes we think of Jesus and use the language of current fads. I guess people want to sound smart and clever or in touch with what people talk about. There is a story that Jesus visited an Episcopal Church seminary one day. He thought that people there study the Bible and should know who He is. So, he gathered a group of students and asked the question, "Who do you say that I am?" They answered, "You are the transcendent ground of being who overcomes the contradictions of life, our liberator from existential confusion, and the validator of all our interpersonal relationships!" And Jesus said, "Will you please repeat that?"
Some of you know that I am not very happy with some of the official actions of The Episcopal Church. I've been a priest for 44 years in this diocese. I have watched us move into a time when some in the Church think it's smart to approve questionable lifestyles. We did not do that years ago. But today we approve personal relationships that the Bible does not approve. Those who promote these lifestyles twist the Bible's teachings to make them agree with what they want to do. They do it with the language of "inclusiveness" and "justice." Those who champion these things ignore the evident dangers that these relationships pose. It's a questionable use of Jesus Christ. They have answered the question, "What will you do with Jesus Christ?" in their own way. Their answer suggests a lot trouble for us ahead.
Maybe I sound too critical. If so, I can criticize myself even more. I know a lot about "using" Jesus from my own experience. I started attending college with the plan to prepare myself for seminary and then ordination. But, by the time I graduated from college, I thought that the ministry of the church was unimportant, certainly not a career for me. My idea of Jesus Christ changed. After college, I saw Jesus Christ as a revolutionary. I answered the question, "Who do you say that I am?", with something very different than what the Church says.
So, I was involved in left-wing politics. I worked for the Socialist Party. I also became an activist for peace. I was an anti-war crusader. I could tell you a lot more. But my anti-war crusading led me to break the law. My family said, "Don't do that." But, I did not listen. I knew it all. Or, so I thought.
So, the FBI came and arrested me. The judge said, "Three years." I became a jailbird --for quite a while. After my release, I went home. I continued to think to think about a career in some kind of social or political activism. But, to be credible, I had to have a graduate degree. So, I applied to enter graduate school at two universities. But, no school was willing to accept me. I applied for various jobs. But, those doors were also closed.
I was in a blind alley with no way out. With unusual humility, I began to realize that maybe the Lord allowed all this to happen so that I could again start to listen to Him. For the first time in years, I began listening. It was clear: the Lord wanted me to go to seminary, to prepare for the ordained ministry.
So, in 1953 I started theological seminary, first at USC, then at Yale. The rest is history. After some years, I was given a Presidential Pardon by President Lyndon Johnson. Probably I'm the only priest in the Church who's an ex-convict.
I tell you all this to say: It's important how we answer those two questions, "Who do you say that I am?" And the question: "What will you do with Jesus Christ?"
We can find help in our Church with both questions: "Who do you say that I am?" and "What to do with Jesus?" I believe that each one of us has had enough experience as a Christian to talk with other people around us. We will find people who do not know Jesus Christ. We will find people who have never worshipped as we do. Each of us, I believe, has been touched and changed by Jesus Christ. We will find people whose lives, also, will be touched and changed deeply by Jesus. It's not just the clergy who have experienced this. All of us have experienced it, as well. It's a good place to start.
As you know, I lead a home Bible study group in San Gabriel. Members of the group come from various backgrounds. Two of us grew up in this country. The rest of the group come from Taiwan, the Philippines and from the ROC (China). The other day I was chatting with a man who lives nearby. His name is Ken. I gave him some help on a recent day when his car would not start. He came by to thank me. He is from mainland China and teaches in a private school nearby. Well educated, he speaks English very well. I told him about our Bible study group and invited him to attend, to "come and see". He said, "I'm not a Christian." I tried to assure him that did not matter, and that he would find help in coming. I hope that he will. At least, he knows that we care.
There are a lot of people around us who are, in some ways, like Ken. I suspect that many are not Christians. What could happen if we visited them and invited them to something that we have here? What could happen if they come to see that we care? There's one way to find out.
+
No comments:
Post a Comment