7th Sunday After Epiphany - Br Simeon EFO

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Winmalee:

 by Brother Simeon  Sunday 23^rd February 2014

Gospel:  Mt 5:38-48

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is Perfect”

“O Lord, open our eyes To behold your presence. O Lord, open our ears to hear your voice. O Lord, open our hearts to receive your love.
O Lord, help us to behold, to hear and to receive you in Word and Sacrament
That our mouths may proclaim your praise.” Amen.

 “You be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect”. This sounds like an impossible command but should we understand it as a command at all? Would it not be more helpful to consider it as an invitation to share in the life of God? Jesus is not ordering us to be perfect like some policeman ordering us to cross the road. He is sharing with us the secret of His life.

Jesus declared the highest possible standard for His followers: they must be “perfect.” “You be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The righteousness that Jesus demanded is nothing less than complete conformity to God’s perfect law in everything a person is and does. Jesus is concerned, not only with our behaviour, but with the righteousness of the heart, also. The scribes and Pharisees considered only the outward compliance. With Jesus’ standard who would ever claim to have reached it?

The very nature of the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount drives us to despair of ourselves in living this kind of life so that we will turn in faith to Jesus Christ and find new life in Him to live as He lived.

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of life in the believer as we make ourselves available to His indwelling presence. God produces in us by His power what we cannot do ourselves. It is the product of the new life of Christ in us (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:13). This way only God can possibly get the glory because we can live it only by His power.

This righteousness is God given. But Jesus also went a step further and declared; “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). The statement is in the form of a command; “You shall therefore be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

You may be asking, “Then why even try to become perfect?”

The main reason is because that is what God commands of us, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

To be perfect is to reach the goal for which a person was designed. Jesus calls His disciples to become mature, reaching the high standard God has for them. We are to be constantly pressing on toward attaining that goal.

Another reason is because with the new life of Christ in us we want to become like Christ. We are a new creation, and all things have been made   new. We have received as a gift from God an imputed righteousness that was purchased for us by Jesus on the cross. It is impossible for us to be saved without this righteousness that God alone provides for the believing sinner.

The only way we can be completely conformed to the law this side of eternity is by this imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). No human being can earn this righteous standing before God. There is nothing we can possibly do that will atone for our sins . There is no human detergent that can cleanse the guilty conscience and make a person right with God. Nothing can wash away our sin but the blood of Jesus. Jesus poured out His blood on our behalf.

Do we become sinlessly perfect so that we never sin again in this life? No. We will sin and God has provided a cleansing that works and restores our fellowship with God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be satisfied one day when we enter into glory with Christ Jesus in heaven. It will be realised in us when we see Jesus face to face in glory. It will be perfectly fulfilled when we see Jesus and not before then.

Jesus demanded the sincere devotion of the heart to God. We must love Him with all our mind, heart and personal being. If we truly love Him we will keep His commandments.

In the Christian life we always have before us something for which to strive. No matter how far we have progressed in our spiritual life there is still more to conquer. We must bring every thought, every attitude and every behaviour into subjection to Christ.

Though we will never be perfect in this life, we are to aim and strive at Christ-like character. By God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit we are to move toward that goal every day of our life.

Our goal in ministry whether we are clergy or laity, or even just the ordinary Christian,  is that “we may present every man complete (perfect) in Christ”.

Amen.

6th Sunday after Epiphany - Br Andrew efo

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Winmalee: 

by  Br. Andrew e.f.o. 16th February 2014

Gospel Matthew 5:21-27

Both Simeon and I have spoken about self-individuation, the development of the individual Christian as a mature Self/ adult in Christ.

Today’s readings continue the theme of relationship, our relationship within us, between God and us and each other.

Real life – at least recognizably so

Corinth has been described as a sort of Greek Kings Cross because of the presence of the cult of the goddess Aphrodite with her 1000 prostitute all descending on the city at night to ply their trade, capturing the Sailor’s coinage.

In Paul’s time, Corinth was home to roughly 200 Christians, out of a population of some 14,000 people, 5,000 of whom were slaves. Worship took place in established home Churches. Since Corinth was a Roman Colony these homes were built in the Roman style and were home to extended families, servants and slaves. Christians came together to worship in the larger of the complexes the head of the house hold being the leader of the Church, some of these leaders were women.

Paul refers to these fledging Churches as babies in Christ whom he had to feed with milk since they were not ready for the meat of the maturity of the kingdom – indeed, he says, you are still not. They were no different than the average Corinthian resident, more concerned with which prominent Christian worker to follow than with being a Christian, Again we speak of Sectarianism.

The lack of right relationship within the Corinthian churches on the three planes I mentioned in the beginning prevented Christians living out their lives as Jesus had desired. God seemed to be missing from their equation and at the other levels there was a game of tug of war happening that must have hindered proper communication with their Lord.

Perfect Relationship for Israel in Canaan 1400 BC

Experts tell us that Moses in 120 years old, at this point in Deuteronomy and that it is Roughly 30 days his death, the Israelites have been within grasp of the Promised Land for 38 years yet too afraid to enter there, by now most of those with him have been born in the desert. This Book, the Second Law was written over a period of two months, including the 30 day mourning period for Moses.

Deuteronomy is believed to have been written by Moses and Joshua and teaches that the relationship between GOD and His people goes beyond the Law. Without obedience and loyalty to God we cannot maintain our relationship with GOD. Loyalty to GOD is the foundation of true reverence and holiness. Success, victory, prosperity and happiness, all of it depends on our obedience to Our Lord.  (Deut.10: 12, 13)

The Psalm, the longest in the Book of Psalms was not written by David but in the 6^th century BCE after the exile to Babylon, the time of Ezra/Nehemiah. . It begins with Beatitude, echoing the messages given to the Corinthians and Israelites as a church and a Nation

 It provides an insight into the personal space of one seeking right relationship with God.

Psalm 119:5-8

5 Oh that my ways were steadfast to obey your statutes!

6 Then I wouldn’t be disappointed, when I consider all of your commandments.

7 I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments.

8 I will observe your statutes. Don’t utterly forsake me.

In obeying the words given to Israel in Deuteronomy and walking according to the Lord’s Law we are blameless, the Christians in Corinth needed to be quiet and become acquainted with the Law of the Lord that they might keep it. Taking the Psalm verse by verse seems to offer a simple and peaceful manner by which to attain the maturity of obedience and advancement in Spirituality and obedience to God.

Beyond the Law –Perfect interpersonal relationships

Jesus explains what Moses ment to go beyond the Law.

Jesus is speaking now of our interpersonal relationships and if we are not to remain at the level of Christian maturity of the Corinthians it is a life-giving thing to understand how to live more than the Law requires. To know what is true awe and obedience.

To hold another Christian so dear to us that to show uncaused for anger towards them or to harbor it in our heart is tantamount to murder and merits the same penalties. Notice the seriousness of belittling another – an appearance before the Supreme Court (Sanhedrin)

As we always do as part of our liturgy we give each other a sign of Peace and reconciliation – living beyond the law calls demands that our worship is honest, we cannot in hypocrisy bring a gift to the table if there is enmity between us and another. We must all come to Jesus as cleanly and as honestly as our Christian maturity allows.

The readings today have shown us what God desires of us: Holistic selves, Holistic Relationships and Holiness before the Lord our God; moving from Spiritual Self-individuation to a Community of Believers who know we are together in Christ, to serve.

Amen

5th Sunday after the Epiphany -Br luke EFO

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily preached at Winmalee: 

9^th February 2014,   by Br Luke efo

 Matthew 5:1-12.

Sometime the lectionary compiler’s linkages between the readings is hard to grasp, but today it is very easy. The common theme is the idea that our actions, understanding and will reveal that which God has graced us with, and how we live.

Isaiah tells the people: ⁷ Isn't it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh? ⁸ Then your light will break out as the morning, and your healing will appear quickly; then your righteousness shall go before you; and the LORD’s glory will be your rear guard.”

The psalmist says in verse 4 of today’s Psalm “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous.”

St Paul perhaps being a little mystical tells the Corinthians: “⁹ But as it is written, “Things which an eye didn't see, and an ear didn't hear, which didn't enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.”

This brings us to Jesus who, Matthew tells said “¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

I will return to this, but firstly I want to digress for just a minute.

Jesus also talks about salt.  Why salt?  In the ancient times salt was a valuable commodity, it was also used as a weapon and as a preservative for food.  We humans cannot live without salt, but too much salt will kill us.  As Jesus mentions we use it for bringing out the flavor of our meals, but again too much will spoil the meal.  There is a fine balance then between what is good and useful and that which is bad and ruinous.  Why is this important? Because it points us to the reality of the world and life that we live and witness to.

If we are to bring flavor to the world, to add joy and love to the lives of people around us, we need to make sure that the light of God’s kingdom is clearly seen.  How do we do this? By living, witnessing, practicing, the two great commandments.  Which as we all know are, “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself”.  These are hard to do, and I don’t know about you, but there are times I have some sympathy with the people complaining to Isaiah. Of course the answer he gives is what we expect, but it still human to gripe – perhaps not much has changed in the past few thousand years.

When we look at our lives, do we see instances of where we have been living in such a way that the glory of God can shine like a light on hill?  Are we willing to do this so the healing will appear?  I suspect the answer is no.

Now I know that we will tell ourselves that there is more we have to do to show the light of the Kingdom.  And while this is probably true, we also need to remember that it is important to keep a balance - a perspective on what we can personally achieve. Like the balance with salt, we need to know how, where and how our light shines.  It’s OK to get others to help us light and show the beacon, to take the basket off the light, rather than trying to do it all by ourselves.  We are a community and it’s through our joint lives, our witness together that we show the light of the Kingdom of God.

So in the next few weeks, give some thought to how you as an individual, and we as community can help others to see the light and grace of God’s kingdom.

Amen.

4th Sunday after Epiphany - Br Simeon EFO

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily, 2nd February

 Br. Simeon  EFO

Gospel:  Matthew 5:1-12

 “Road Map to Happiness”

“Now, O Lord, take my lips and speak through them;
Take our minds and think through them;
Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for Yourself, Lord Jesus.  Amen.”

“Happiness is that which all [men] seek.” So says the great philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle also observes that everything people do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, is what they believe will bring them happiness in one form or another. But the problem is that what people think will bring them happiness does not in fact always bring them true and lasting happiness. Think of the drunkard who believes that happiness is found in the beer bottle. One bottle too much and he is driving home, runs a red light, hits a car and wakes up the following morning in a hospital with plaster and stiches all over his body. Then it begins to dawn on him that the happiness promised by alcohol may be too short-lived. Or take the man who frequents the casino to deal excitement. By the end of the month he finds that his account is in the red and that he can no longer pay his house rent. Creditors go after him until he loses his house and his car. Then it dawns on him that the happiness promised by the casino is fake. So Aristotle says that the ethical person is the person who knows and does what can truly bring them not just excitement or pleasure but true and lasting happiness.

Another word for true and lasting happiness is “blessedness” or “beatitude.” In today’s gospel, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount shows that he really wants his followers to have true and lasting happiness, the happiness that the world and everything in it cannot give. This state of blessedness is what Jesus calls being in the “kingdom of God/heaven”. The eight beatitudes we have in today’s gospel constitute a road map for anyone who seeks to attain this happiness of the kingdom.

Why does Jesus deem it necessary to establish these guideposts to the kingdom right from the very first teaching that he gives to the disciples? It is because of the importance of this teaching. Everybody seeks happiness. But often we look for it in the wrong places. Ask people around you what makes people happy and compare the answers you get with the answers Jesus gives. The world has its own idea of happiness. If a committee were set up to draw up the beatitudes, we would most probably end up with a list very different from that which Jesus gives us today.

Where Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit” they would say “Blessed are the rich.” Where Jesus says “Blessed are those who mourn” they would say “Blessed

are those having fun.” Where Jesus says “Blessed are the meek” they would say “Blessed are the smart.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” they would say “Blessed are those who wine and dine.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful” they would say “Blessed are the powerful.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart” they would say “Blessed are the slim in body.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers” they would say “Blessed are the news makers.” And where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” they would say “Blessed are those who can afford the best lawyers.”

We see that the values prescribed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are in fact counter-cultural. We cannot accept these teachings of Jesus and at the same time accept all the values of the society in which we live. Of course, Jesus does not demand that we abandon the word. But he does demand that we put God first in our lives because only God can guarantee the true happiness and peace that our hearts long for. Nothing in the world can give this peace, and nothing in the world can take it away.

The Eight Beatitudes do not describe eight different people such that we need to ask which of the eight suits us personally. No, they are eight different snapshots taken from different angles of the same godly person. The question for us today, therefore, is this: “Do we live our lives following the values of the world as a way of attaining happiness or do we live by the teachings of Jesus. If you live by the teachings of Jesus, then rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

Amen.

Australia Day 2014 - Br. Andrew EFO

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily, 26th January 2014 Australia Day

 Rev Br. Andrew EFO

Gospel  Matthew 5:1-12

Today, is Australia Day, we remember the arrival of the First fleet, of 11 ships, into its anchorage in Sydney Cove, 1373 passengers and crew, in all, including its cargo of 717 convicts.

This day has been known by other names, one such is “Invasion Day”.

Jessica and I never tire of visiting the Botanic Gardens in Sydney and often walk the Gadigal walk where the history of the Invasion is told in panoramic photographs; the history of European attempts to convert the Aboriginal People to Christianity is among them. “A miniature Farm Cove” has examples of garden beds explaining why initial attempts to grow European vegetable stock failed, and strange looking Scare crows keep vigil.

It depends upon, whether we are “arriving” or “greeting” as to whether we are receiving a Promise or the beginning of a nightmare.

·     God promises good things to people, to us, to Abraham, to Moses and the people of Israel.

·      Promises come with the responsibility of obedience

·       

     When we keep our promises what we read in the Beatitudes is God’s reward to us.

For the majority of those first settlers there was the promise and hope of a brand new life of new opportunities, for the Aborigines who greeted them, it wasn’t an opportunity (irony) they expected to receive.

Abraham’s tremendous faith had led him and his wife Sarah away from their home land to travel towards another land which was to be their inheritance, God tested Abraham’s faith many times along the way and as the human being he was he eventually came to believe that God could keep all the promises he made.

Abraham’s true hope was for the Heavenly City not made with human hands for he knew that he was but a pilgrim on this earth.

Some 1500+ years later, about 1456 BC they believe, Moses and the Israelites are at Moab, the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, waiting to conquer the Land promised to them in the Abrahamic Covenant. They will spend the duration of the book of Deuteronomy here, in this place learning the law and constantly being reminded of the “rest” to come, the root-less and homeless delivered from their bondage in Egypt into security and rest in Canaan.

Their charge upon entering the Land was to keep God’s Commandments in deed and in word and to live in Awe of God to bless God for what the land produced for them to eat and beware in case they forgot God!

Glossing right over - We know they got lost and misled themselves, to put it nicely. Lost their wonder for God, took his gifts for granted and were very extremely loose in their interpretation of his commandments. Eventually they would be led away by the workers of iniquity and never did live to receive the heavenly rewards promised to those who are faithful to God – because they attempted to instate apartheid in the Land

With regard for ourselves and the history of the conquest of this land of our adoption many kind and terrible things were done in its taking. Moving forward, because today is a new day and tomorrow has not yet come, we can live the right way, by keeping the two great commandments of the sum of the Law and the prophets, to "Love the Lord  God  with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and our neighbours as ourselves" and to do so by our deeds.

What we do or did is or was remembered far more easily than the things we may or may not have said.

Like Abraham, we also know that we are strangers and sojourners in a strange land because our true home is the kingdom of heaven and our true reward are the fulfilment of our various needs to complete our personhood as listed in the beatitudes. Each beatitude pairs a value with a promise.

Let’s read them antiphonally, I’ll read the value or trait while you read the promise.

Becoming the complete human being in the kingdom of heaven was available to those in the time of Moses even as today or tomorrow.

And when bad things happen to us in the course of our service trust and know that God always keeps his promises.

Here in the Community of the holy-Redeemer we have begun our journey to meet the living Christ in one another.. To set aside our human constructs and rules about religion and to worship God from our hearts and souls.

• ·        Let us be obedient to the workings of the spirit within the community
• ·        Fulfil our promises to that Spirit
• ·        And so become more fully human in Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen

Baptism of the Lord - 2nd sunday after Epiphany-Br Andrew

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily, 12th January 2014 First Sunday after Epiphany

The Baptism of the Lord Year A, Rev Br. Andrew EFO

 Matthew 3:13-17

Jessica, on more than one occasion has told me the story of her grandfather taking a shower. In his old age he was a wily old man and didn’t often do what he didn’t want to do.

They would send him into the shower and hear the water running and after a suitable interval he would reappear dressed in his PJ’s ready for bed. Yet not really as freshly clean as one would hope after showering.

So one day you know who peered through the key hole to see good old granddad running the shower and standing safely out of the way of the water.

Henceforth he had to be supervised!

Though we find the record of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan in each of the Gospels, each are recorded differently according to the congregation to which they were addressed.

Matthew’s Gospel was addressed to a Congregation caught in the confusion of post Jerusalem Judaism, a group of Jewish Christians, in Northern Galilee or Syria who were feeling the oppression of the new Judaism controlled by the Rabbinic Pharisees.

Mostly Greek speaking Jewish Christians (it has been noted that Matthew quotes the Septuagint) with perhaps a few Syrian Christians, Matthew is at pains to place his community squarely within its Jewish heritage, everything he writes is to that end. Matthew is determined to obliterate the confusion generated by the cruel and overbearing Pharisees and their manner of keeping Torah and replace it with the softer middle road of Jesus, who came not to do away with the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them.

Matthew wanted to show them that Jesus is one of THEM!

In spite of what mainstream Church tells small communities like us; Jesus is one of US too!

This is the first time we meet the adult Jesus and he came, just as every penitent did, to the Jordan to be baptised by John for the remission of sins. Both Matthew and Mark indicate that Jesus came down from Galilee to be baptised, we might assume then, that many would recognise him as Joseph and Mary’s son and think nothing other than that he was joining them in turning his life around in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

Some, or many, would know him as John’s cousin – Jesus wasn’t the total stranger he is sometimes made out to be. John certainly recognised Jesus as you would hope he would, he also knew who Jesus was and tried to change his mind.

“But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?” (3:13, 14. WEB)

Listen to what Jesus says to John “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfil all righteousness.” V 15

So what does it mean to fulfil all righteousness and in the context of Matthew’s Community? In the context of our Community?

The Jewish Christians in Matthews Community were very familiar with the concept of the liturgical use of water as in Ezekiel 36:25 where God says “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.” In 2 Kings 5 we read of the use of total immersion in water to cure Naaman’s Leprosy so Matthew’s Jewish Christians understood the Baptism of John to bring both Spiritual and bodily healing.

Jesus, the Messiah of God began his ministry in the same manner as they began their lives as Christians through the waters of Baptism, in his case they were the waters of that change of heart which, for us, precedes the Baptism of Jesus that, for those early Christians, was yet to come.

Through the fulfilling of righteousness Jesus is acclaimed by his Father in Heaven and anointed by the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the beloved Son of God in whom God is most pleased.

In our context the fulfilling of Righteousness, is I believe to make Jesus known again as he really is someone who knew life as a human being, began life just as we did and lived his life for others, and ultimately died for them.

Unafraid of the injustices within society and the church we try to each of our ability to make Him alive and truly human once more, so that we might then show that he is also the beloved Son of God in whom God is well pleased.

One Body One Lord of All

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer

An ECCA Parish

In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order

Homily, 19th January 2014 Second Sunday after Epiphany

Br. Andrew EFO

John 1:29-42

Jesus returns to the Jordan

It was just last week that we heard in Matthew’s gospel how Jesus came to the river Jordan to be baptised; how reluctant John was to baptize him; how the heavens opened and John saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus and remain upon him.

Another visit to the river Jordan introduces us to three of Jesus’ early disciples, including the Author of this Gospel and from the Reading from Isaiah and Psalm 40 we understand who this Jesus is that is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.

Who is this Jesus?

Isaiah 49-

• He is one called from the womb, whose name was given in his mother’s womb.
• · His mouth is like a sharp sword dividing the marrow from the bone-
• · He is a sharpened arrow close in the quiver and is held safe in the palm of God’s hand.
• ·In the Lord’s eyes He is honourable and is called to gather the remnant of Jacob and the preserved of Israel, to be a light to the nations, that he may be the Salvation of the Lord to the end of the earth.

Why did he come?

To die for the individual and all Nations

Psalm 40, written by king David is one of the Messianic Psalms we Christians associate with the both the triumph and the suffering of Jesus, St Francis makes use of it in the Psalm he wrote for Compline of Maunday Thursday.

And so let it speak:
11 b Don’t withhold your tender mercies from me, LORD. Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me. My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs of my head. My heart has failed me.

13 Be pleased, LORD, to deliver me. Hurry to help me, LORD.

14 Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it. Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt. (Psalm 40:11b-14 WEB)

Where do you live? Come and see!

At this the two leave the Baptizer to follow Jesus, they want to know where he lives.

Andrew, however is not ready just to come and see until he has gone to fetch his brother Simon to tell him that they had found the Messiah. As soon as Jesus sets eyes on Simon he says your name is Simon son of Jonah and you shall be called Peter or Cephas which means Rock.

As we journey through the life of Jesus we will come to realise that Jesus changes the names of those whom he has destined to do great or special things. Andrew, Peter and the other disciple stayed with Jesus until the 10^th hour, about 4.00pm. Then they left and the next day Jesus will go to find Phillip.

As we now know Peter was the rock upon which Jesus established the Church, so solidly that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. In these rocky times when so many of us have had to leave the mainstream Church to find succour in smaller Congregations  it is important to mark the experiences of the early church communities for now we are returned to be like them and.

Some twenty or so years after Jesus returned to heaven Paul is writing to the Corinthian Church who await Jesus return to earth, the subject is sectarianism, already the Church is beginning to fracture as groups rise up in favour of the human being who baptised them rather than to the one in whose name they were baptized.

In this new Community of Christ the Redeemer, a non-denominational Christian community seeking to have the courage to open the door to everyone and nurture the belief of everyone to seek the Jesus who was, whom we, too may come and see.

Br Andrew

Epiphany 2104 - Br. Simeon

St- Andre-Rublev's Saviour

Holy Redeemer



In the care of the Ecumenical Franciscan Order


Homily, 5th January 2014, Feast of the The Epiphany, delivered by Br Simeon EFO.

Gospel:    Mt 2:1-12

“The wise men's journey”

Over many years, I have tried to place myself in the shoes of the 3 wise men. I have each Christmas pondered on the scripture readings of these wise men, their journey, and have often wondered what their conversations must have been like, and a whole lot of other thoughts about them have crossed my mind. I wonder what they saw in the sky that first night. What was it that got them thinking? What was it that  motivated them to pack and begin a journey to who knew where? Something had been revealed to them. But what was it? Was it in the sky, in their mind, in their heart?

We don’t have much historical information about these wise men and their journey. St. Matthew says they came from the East. Some have speculated they were from Persia. We like to think that there were three of them but St. Matthew doesn't say that and the number has varied throughout the church’s history. We call them Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar but those names didn't come about until the seventh century. And what about “the star?” It has been viewed as a supernatural phenomenon, just a regular star, a comet, or sometimes as a conjunction or grouping of planets.

This anonymity and lack of historical information is a reminder that this story, this Epiphany journey, is not just the wise men’s journey; it is everyone’s journey. The truth of sacred scripture is never limited to or contained only in the past.

I don’t know what was in the sky, what they saw, that first night. I don’t know what was in their minds; what they thought, asked, or talked about. I don’t know what was in their hearts; what they felt, dreamed, or longed for. But I know that there have been times when we each have experienced Epiphany; times when our night sky has been lit brightly, times when our minds have been illumined, times when our hearts have been enlightened. Those times have revealed to us a life and world larger than before. They have been moments that gave us the courage to travel beyond the borders and boundaries that usually circumscribe our lives. Epiphanies are those times when something calls us, moves us, to a new place and we see the face of God in a new way; so human that it almost seems ordinary, maybe too ordinary to believe.

That’s what happened to the wise men. They began to see and hear the stories of their lives. Something stirred within them and they began to wonder, to imagine, that their lives were part of a much larger story. Could it be that the one who created life, who hung the stars in the sky, noticed them, knew them, lived within them, and was calling them? Could it be that the light they saw in the sky was a reflection of the divine light that burned within them, that burns within each one of us?

To seriously consider these questions is to begin the journey. That journey took the wise men to the house where they found the answer to their questions in the arms of his mother, Mary. We may travel a different route than the wise men did but the answer is the same.

Yes, Yes,  God notices us, knows us, lives within us, and calls us. God is continually revealing himself in and through humanity, in the flesh.

Maybe it was the day you bathed your first child and saw the beauty of creation and the love of the Creator. Or that day you said, “I love you” and knew that it was about more than just romance or physical attraction. Perhaps it was the moment you really believed your life was sacred, holy, and acceptable to God. Maybe it was the time you kept vigil at the beside of one who was dying and you experienced the joy that death is not the end.

The privilege of the wise men can be ours, and we don’t have to go on a long journey. We simply need to risk being changed and challenged by God. Christmas is over, but God is still with us. If the lesson of Christmas is that God is with us, then the lesson of Epiphany is that God continues to seek us out and watch after us.

These are the stories of our lives, epiphanies that forever change who we are, how we live, and the road we travel. They are moments of ordinary everyday life in which divinity is revealed in humanity and we see God’s glory face to face.

Amen.