Category Archives: obedience

May 9, 2013 · 12:00 am

Ascension Day, Year C

Above all Rule and Authority

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47  or Psalm 93; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53

Perhaps the greatest struggle on this earth is who has the authority. Battles have been fought and lives have been lost over this question. There are those today who question whether or not there should even be an authority. We are living in a time of lawlessness.

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Church in Ephesus that they might know the authority of Christ:

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.  (Ephesians 1:17-23)

Whom are we to follow? Whom do we trust? Who is worthy of our praise? Are we open today to the teachings of Jesus?

Jesus said to his disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”   (Luke 24:44-49)

True disciples of Jesus are open to His teachings. They are  open to His revelations. They are open to His Spirit. Are we?

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”   (Acts 1:3-11)

We need the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. That baptism comes with obedience to the authority of Christ:

God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”   (Acts 5:31-32)

What is our witness today? Whom do we obey?

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April 8, 2013 · 12:00 am

The Annunciation

The Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.  Luke 1:46-55

Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 45 or Psalm 40:5-11; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38

Surely Mary has been called blessed by all generations. She was selected by God the Father to become the mother of Jesus. By faith and trust she received the gift of God promised to her by the angel Gabriel. Mary’s reply to the angle was:

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

The blessing is in the receiving. This was not the case for King Ahaz in today’s Old Testament reading who refused to do what God asked of him.

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.  (Isaiah 7:10-14)

The message from God was not only for Mary. It is a message of hope and salvation for the entire world. Believing and receiving this message brings to each of us the greatest blessing from God. We are destined to participate in the eternal kingdom of God under the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Are we an Ahaz or a Mary? King Ahaz said that he did not want to trouble God. He did not want to hear from God. He did not want to listen to His Word. The Season of Lent is a time to open up to God and not be so busy or distracted. This is not so easily done by people who are full of this world. We need to empty ourselves before our maker and hearken unto His Word.

God has not finished speaking to us. He honors us by choosing to speak to us. Let us not isolate ourselves through either false humility, shame, or unbelief. Let us listen, believe, and receive His promises and blessings.

In today’s readings two people heard from God. One was King and one was a peasant. God made promises to them both. One refused to listen and one welcomed the promise of God. We give thanks to God for Mary and for her example. What is our example?

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March 29, 2013 · 12:01 am

Good Friday

Behold the Lamb of God

Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

Long before the cross was even an instrument of torture and death there was prophecy concerning a certain death by crucifixion:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3-6)

Though the reason and purpose of this death may be obscured by certain scholars and theologians, Isaiah clearly explains its purpose. This is the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Long before anyone had experienced this torturous death we have a perfect description of what it might be like. Not only that but we are given a picture of certain events that foretell a very specific crucifixion:

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.

My strength is dried up like baked clay;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You put me into the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.

They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.  (Psalm 22:14-18)

How do we respond to all of this? In the face of so great a sacrifice on our behalf what are we to do?

Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He has inaugurated for us, through the curtain (that is, His flesh); and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.  (Hebrews 10:19-23)

The finality of Jesus’ earthly ministry is assured. He was obedient to the Father, even to death on a cross:

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.   (John 19:28-30)

Our earthly ministry still remains. It is a time to draw near to God otherwise Christ’s sacrifice for us was in vain.

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.  (2 Peter 2:20-21)

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January 27, 2013 · 12:00 am

Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C

Law-ScrollThe Law of the LORD is Perfect

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.     (Luke 4:14-17)

In the Synagogue there is a time-honored tradition of reading the Torah in a systematic way. We might call it liturgical. When Jesus visited His hometown in Nazareth He stood up to read the appointed scripture. Not only did the reader read from scripture but he was authorized to give the theological and spiritual sense of what he had read.

After the exiles had returned from Babylon and the wall around Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the Israelites came together in a solemn assembly:

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.   (Nehemiah 8:5-6, 8)

When the people heard the law read they wept because they understand more than ever how valuable God’s law was to them. They lost everything because they had failed to follow God’s law. Now they were seeing the law in a new light. The Psalmist wrote:

The law of the LORD is perfect
and revives the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statutes of the LORD are just
and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear
and gives light to the eyes.   (Psalm 19:7-9)

We are living in an age of lawlessness. People have little respect for God’s law. Many people do not want any form of moral teaching because they wish to live any way that they might please:

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.   (Psalm 2:2)

This is true of the world. Why should we have lawlessness in the Church? Do we value God’s law today? How are we to witness to the world if we live in the same way that the world lives? We show our faith in God and our love for God by keeping His commandments.

What may be difficult for people of faith is seeing the wicked prosper. The temptation may be to join them. But this is a very short-sighted view. Again, the psalmist wrote:

Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.   (Psalm 37:1-9)

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December 23, 2012 · 12:00 am

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C

The Maidservant of the Lord

Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

We cannot talk about Mary the mother of Jesus without telling the Christmas story. Let us begin with the promise the angel of God made to her:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.   (Luke 1:26-38)

What is remarkable about Mary is that she believed and trusted God under very difficult circumstances. She knew of the promise God made to Abraham and his children for ever. She knew of the promise of the Messiah who would come and save Israel, but there were no obvious signs that God was moving on behalf of His people. In fact, there had not been any prophecy from God for four hundred years. Now the angel was telling her that she would miraculous bear a son without a husband. Yet, despite all this Mary believed.

In today’s Gospel reading we have the scene of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth in a Judean town in the hill country. As soon as she enters the house Elizabeth prophesied these words:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”   (Luke 1:42-45)

Mary responds with these famous words which we call the Magnificat:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.   (Luke 1:46-55)

Do we also believe God? If so, have we yielded to Him as His lowly servant? Do we say: “Let it be to me according to your word?”

What promises has God made us? What has He called us to do in our day? Mary understood that the Messiah would save her people. Do we understand that Jesus has died for the sins of the whole world? If so, He has freed us from darkness and call us into His glorious light. Are we free to follow the example of Mary today? Do we follow Jesus in  obedience to His word, trusting in His divine sovereignty?

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May 31, 2012 · 12:00 am

The Visitation

Embracing the Promises of God

1 Samuel 2:1-10; Psalm 113; Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-57

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”  (Luke 1:39-45)

Mary, the soon to be mother of Jesus, has visited her cousin Elizabeth who is also with child. When the child in Elizabeth’s womb hears Mary’s voice he leaps for joy. This child will become John the Baptist. This moment of celebration brings joy to Mary and she prophesies. The lectionary reading has just taken a snippet of Mary’s prophecy. Her prohecy needs to be taken in its entirety:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”   (Luke 1:47-55)

Mary believed in the promise of God even when it seemed unbelievable. She grasped that the promise made to her extended down through the generations which follow her. Not only that, but she sees this promise in the context in the continuum of the salvation history of Israel beginning with Abraham. The promises and plans of God, though they may involve us, are beyond us.

God has made promises to us. Are we listening? Are we willing to believe in those promises and hold on to them. In time, they will come forth. The blessing is the believing and holding on. Too often me take matters in our own hands and thwart God’s plans and purposes for us. Let us be willing to see beyond ourselves as the wonders of God’s work unfolds. Let us watch with anticipation and expectation, trusting in the goodness and mercy of God. We do not want to be the proud ones who see things only from our perspective.

What we do as a people depends on how we see the present set of circumstances in the light of God’s divine plan. This is true for ourselves as well as our nation. God has made promises to each of us. He has made promises with regard to our nation. The foolish disregard our nation’s spiritual heritage. They disregard their own calling from God. Our future will also be determined by how well we understand our past in terms of the promises that God has made and how well we respond to His leading each day as we put out trust in Him.

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