5th Sunday of Lent year B - Br. Andrew

Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Homily preached by Br. Andrew at Blaxland on Sunday 22^nd March 2015

5^th Sunday in Lent year B

Text:

Hebrews 5:5-14, John 12:27,28

Hebrews 5:9a …having been made perfect,

The writer to the Hebrews is unknown to us, though both Barnabas and Apollos have been suggested, Barnabas because he was a Jew of the priestly Tribe of Levi (Acts 4:36) and Apollos as a man of learning with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures (Acts 18:24).

The Letter was written prior to 70 AD since references are made to the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The Letter was written to Jewish Christians to remind them of true and legitimate Christian practises.

Through Prayer to Perfection

Our particular reading concerns the necessary Perfection of a Saviour/ Priest

Was not Christ ‘perfect’ already? In what way was the only Son of God imperfect? For the author writes “and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9NRSV)

In our reading we are given information concerning how someone becomes a High priest, it tells us that they are selected from among men, from among the Tribe of Levi and more specifically from the descendants of Aaron, it wasn’t something one just decided to be. They were called by God, just as Aaron was, ideally so anyway, since by the time of King Herod the Great they were appointed by him rather than elected.

In the same way Jesus didn’t just decide to glorify himself by taking upon himself the Office of High Priest, it was God who gave Him the glory of becoming a High priest because he says.  ‘You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’” (Hebrews 5:5, c)

Point of order: Jesus was of the Tribe of Judah and the Royal House of David and not of the Tribe of Levi and therefore had no natural right to be elected to the Levitical Priesthood which is why he could not take it upon himself but must be made perfect to become the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him before being designated the Great High Priest by God

    

As I began I was musing over the fact of how or why Christ had to be made perfect. Surely the only Son of God was, is perfect and yet it tells us that  While Christ was on earth in his quest for perfection, to become the person he is meant to be he spent time in constant prayer, constant communion with the Father, even in tears, pleading with His Father for the strength and grace to submit his flesh to His final purpose, death on the Cross he learned obedience through his suffering and because of his reverent submission Jesus was heard.

St. Luke tells us that Jesus prayed regularly and records more about Jesus’ prayer practises in his Gospel than any other gospel writer. Prayer is the essence of anyone’s relationship with the Father and so it was the essence of Jesus’ own relationship with His Father.

Through Prayer Jesus became worthy to be called the Son of God, as the Father said at Jesus’ baptism ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;* with you I am well pleased. And again ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’ ;’( Mark 1:11b, Hebrews 5:5a NRSV) worthy to become our Great High Priest, our Saviour Priest.

The stages of Jesus’ journey into complete self-knowledge and utterly complete obedience to His Father’s Will are all marked by prayer, right up until the night before he died, and even upon the cross he prayed himself toward complete union with His Father as must we.

We can almost hear that purposeful voice telling his parents that he must be about his Father’s business and then we hear nothing of Jesus again until his baptism  where he prays just before the Holy Spirit comes upon him ( Luke 3:21,22) and afterwards in the wilderness. Scripture records that at each important junction in his life and mission Jesus prays. Before choosing the apostles (Luke 6:12-13); before His Transfiguration (Luke 9:28, 29).

Becoming through Prayer.

We celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration some 6 weeks ago, the last Sunday before Lent and between then and now we have been walking with Jesus towards Jerusalem and his death on the Cross. Jesus has been ratified by the Law and the Prophets in the figures of Elijah and Moses, of which he is the fulfilment. He has been transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James and John and once more acclaimed God’s beloved One. Jesus is now most definitely our Great high Priest he has become perfect through Prayer.

Today’s gospel finds us just after where we shall be next Sunday with Jesus’ triumphant ride into Jerusalem on the Ass and in language typically Johannine almost back in the clouds of the Mount of Transfiguration. Therefore I shall leave most of it for us to examine at our leisure on Thursday evening.

I want to finish here:

In verses 27 and 28 John quotes Jesus saying:

‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.’

At one and the same time Jesus is perfectly human and perfectly divine and so of course the human being is troubled but now the Integrated, fully self-Actuated Jesus and his Father are about to have a conversation for the sake of the listeners and not for any doubt of Jesus.

What Jesus inaugurates with his death and resurrection, this new Covenant, our At- One- ment with the Trinity brings us back to the Jewish Christians we left earlier who were still not well enough acquainted with the doctrines of the Resurrection that they were in two minds as to perhaps revert to Judaism.

As Jesus, brothers and sisters we owe it to any other believer the ministry of prayer and intercession so that none might be lost to the one Jesus calls the Prince of this world- so in us Jesus ministry of Prayer lives on whenever two or three are gathered together in His name.

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - The Transfiguration - Br Andrew

Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Homily preached by Br. Andrew at Maroubra on Sunday 15^th February 2015:

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany - the Transfiguration

Readings:

2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalms 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-12; Mark 9:2-9


Today, is the last Sunday after the Epiphany, and as the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent is also the Sunday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. 

The word Transfigure is derived from Latin “transfigurare” or “across figure” and this word came into the English via the Old French between 1100 and 1250. Its common meaning is ‘to transform into something more beautiful or elevated.’ To change the form of something or someone into something more beautiful or elevated

Spiritually speaking, when we find ourselves on this mountain top each year with Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah and Jesus it is not only outward experiences that concern us, because, you see for those of us who walk in the footsteps of Christ we are ever learning new things of  him.

This is His final Epiphany experience, or rather ours before He begins the Journey to Death and Resurrection in Jerusalem. Epiphanies are Manifestations, revelations of certain information to certain individuals.

THE primary or official EPIPHANY, occurred when Jesus was made manifest, revealed to the Nations in the three Magi, who came to worship him, as King of the Jews witnessed by his parents.
The second time was at his baptism in the Jordan when God made it known in person that Jesus was his own beloved son. Andrew and John were present at that time.
Here we are once more atop what must have been Mount Hermes, (we can talk about this on Thursday), with Peter and James and of course John who was present at Jesus baptism.

It says “And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one* on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:2b, 3) I guess the easiest way Peter could describe the event to Mark must have been that Jesus’ clothes became so white that he had never seen the like before because we don’t have any description of Jesus here just his unearthly laundromat.

Retrospectively, in Peter’s realization that he was in the presence of the True and living God he later refrains from giving the description to Mark or any of us for that matter because he saw the face of God and lived – just a thought?

We notice that as soon as Christ is transfigured that Elijah with Moses can be seen speaking with Jesus, were they there all along and did the Transfigurement then allow the disciples to see and to hear them? What might we SEE if we were to place ourselves in this diorama with the group and encounter the living God in Jesus; would we be open to learning or would we like Peter want to pitch tents, because it would be too much for us, I guess it had better be too much for us else what are we doing here?


Elijah represents the epitome of Prophet hood and was to return before the Messiah arrived, we know that one with a spirit like his walked and talked in John the Baptist and was executed and now Elijah appears with Jesus before Jesus, in his turn is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world, past present and to come.

Our reading from the second book of the Kings is about the Ascension of Elijah who was taken to heaven in a whirlwind by God. The reading takes us through what was the last walk in his life and also through the brief and final stages of the apprenticeship of the prophet Elisha.

“2. Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal”( 2Kings 2:1) And they walk from Gilgal to bethel and from Bethel to Jericho and from Jericho to the Jordan, each time Elijah telling Elisha to remain behind and each time Elisha saying “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you”  Notice the Company of Prophets telling Elisha that today the Lord will take your master  away from you and he tells them to be quiet because he knows.

Unlike Peter, Elisha is absolutely aware of what is going on and ready to take up the challenge to walk with his master to his master’s death.

Moses – the representative of the Torah the living Law, also died in special circumstances somewhere nearby the place where Elijah crossed over the Jordan on dry ground. He was led up to the top of mount Nebo from where he surveyed the Promised Land, he was never to enter because of his disobedience. It is questioned that depending upon which mountain was the mount of Transfiguration and from which part of the mountain range Moses viewed the Promised Land that he may have been able to have seen the mount of Transfiguration… What we do have here are some interesting ponders – that Moses who sinned and did not cross over the Jordan died on Mount Nebo and was hidden by God in a valley somewhere.
That Elijah crossed over the Jordan by striking the water with his furled cloak and crossed over on dry land before Ascending into heaven in a whirlwind. AND effectively speaking the Jordan was where Jesus’ earthly Ministry began.

That these three in manners of speaking have all met before in sin and in death and now the Law and the prophets have come to bear witness with the Apostles in the sound of the voice of God, a theophany, “This is my Son, the Beloved;* listen to him!’”(Mark9:7b)
 Using a cloud to protect the Apostles from the terrible presence of God assists the disappearance of Moses and Elijah. Arriving in dazzling light and departing in cloud.
If we have managed to place ourselves alongside the party in this diorama have we listened?
Will we now listen to Jesus?

Just a little about Paul because it really needs much more time, perhaps Thursday. We really do need to listen with dictionaries and thesauruses in hand when we read Paul. 

Briefly what he says is that the Ministry of the New Covenant, more glorious than that of Moses is like the very first creation of God, Light and yet it has been entrusted to frail human beings who were fashioned from clay. Paul himself alludes to the struggles he has had and to his feelings of inadequacy, we know the struggles of Peter just from our Gospel readings yet God has entrusted us to take the light of the Gospel to the world.

This light is so bright and regenerative that it can withstand all our weaknesses even after all the evil that has been done in its name it is still the reflection of God’s divine glory and has the capacity to transfigure the soul.

If ever we become inflated with our own solo capacity to preach the word we need to climb our own private Nebo’s and recall our weakness and sin and Christ’s ultimate act of self-sacrifice that had enabled us to follow Elijah over the Jordan – dry shod.

And take up our frail urns which only the Spirit of God can strengthen and let the Gospel light shine.

4th Sunday in Lent-Br. Simeon

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Winmalee on Sunday 30^th March 2014

Gospel:  John 9:1-41

“Blind but now I see!”

Open our ears, O Lord, to hear your word and know your voice. Speak to our hearts and strengthen our wills, that we may serve you now and always. Amen.

Many of us have trouble with our eyes. If you're around long enough you may need a pair of reading glasses. And while medical advances and the use of laser surgery have made many advances, disease and dysfunction of the eye is something no one wants to see.

But most of us have never been blind. And most of us never will be. Maybe you can imagine it by being blind-folded. Or as you fumble around in the middle of the night. But true blindness – not being able to see at all – we may have a slight chance of it by accident or disease, but at least we weren't born blind, like the man in our Gospel reading. Or were we?

I don't have to tell you that physical blindness is an apt metaphor for being spiritually blind. In fact, in our Sundays of Lent  thus far the readings have been, the Invitation, the Transfiguration.  Last week we heard of the woman at the well, whose eyes were also opened by Jesus, and now the man born blind, whom Jesus heals.  As we ponder blindness and sight, sin and forgiveness today, let's also remember that after we are no longer infants, we start to become spiritually blind.

What causes spiritual blindness you may ask.  Well I did some scouting through the scriptures,and here are a few that I picked out what causes spiritual blindness. They are:

1)To be spiritually blind is not to be able to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God.  Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6

2)Those who reject Christ are the lost.  John 6:68-69

3)Choosing not to accept the teachings of Christ and his authority in their lives. Matthew 28:18

But... there is hope for those who turn to God.

Like the lyrics to that favourite hymn, Amazing Grace, there is my favourite part, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see”.

The disciples saw the man who was born blind, and they wanted to know why such a thing would happen. They assumed that his blindness was a punishment for a particular sin. But they weren't sure whether he himself, or his parents were to blame.

When Jesus says, “it was not this man who sinned or his parents” he doesn't mean to suggest that the blind man or his parents were perfect and holy. Jesus is trying to correct their reasoning that bad things happen to bad people (and therefore since I am relatively healthy, I must be relatively good). Bullocks!. We are all sinners alike, subject to the sometimes fickle effects of sin and death in our world. Throughout the New Testament Jesus repudiates this kind of “you must have deserved that” gloating from pride-filled observers.

Perhaps the disciples were blind to their own blindness. Perhaps they were so focused on this man and wondering what his sin was that they couldn't recall their own. Indeed, Jesus tells us to watch out for logs in our eyes.

But if the disciples had a log in their eye, the Pharisees must have had whole trees. They too, ironically, were blind to the truth. They couldn't see how someone who broke their man-made rules of Sabbath could possibly be one sent from God.

So they interrogate the formerly-blind man. One day soon, they would put the Lord himself on trial. In both cases they were blind to the evidence before them. This Jesus was no mere man, no sinner (unlike the Pharisees), but he was and is the Son of God. They were blind. And only later would some of them see.

The authorities tried to get the formerly blind man to say that Jesus was a sinner, but he replied: “I don’t know whether he’s a sinner or not. All I know is that I once was blind, but now, I see.”

And what of us? Are we the Pharisees? Too proud or stuck in our ways to see Christ for who he is? Too unwilling to hear him for what he says? Or are we once-blind men and women who appreciate the healing he has wrought? For he would come and open our blind eyes. He would first have us see that we are blind – in need of his healing. So we confess our sins. But he would also wash us clean, not in the pool of Siloam, but in the waters of Baptism. He would have us as his disciples. He would have us confess him before men, and we do.

For we have seen – not with our eyes, but with the eyes of faith. When we hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the scales fall from our eyes. Our hearts are regenerated, and forgiveness washes over us anew. Like Saint Paul, who was struck blind on the road to Damascus – we must first be struck by the law, see our sin, see our blindness.

Only then does God bring sight. And this sight goes beyond what is seen, for faith has to do with what is unseen. It is the assurance of such things, a rock-solid foundation of trust in God's promises. It sees cleansing of sin in simple

baptismal water. It sees Christ's body and blood in humble bread and wine. Faith hears a pastor say, “I forgive you your sins in the name of Christ”, and faith knows it is as if Christ said it himself.

Are we blind? Not physically, but spiritually we are. The question is, are you blind to your sin? If you see it, then turn your eyes also to the cross. And there see the answer to such blindness. For in that ugly vision of an innocent man, bloodied and beaten and scorned and rejected and thirsting and dying. There is God's love for sinners, like you and me. There is a sight for sore eyes, Jesus the Saviour. And his death opens our eyes. And his open grave opens our grave. And his life forever is our life for evermore. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.

 Amen.