This Life Is a Training Game (Proper 28)

(Proper 28 2024 Fr. John)

 

We are nearing the end of the season of Pentecost which is about the work of the Holy Spirit guiding us in our lives. Jesus is dealing with the question of “what must I do to inherit eternal life”. Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. He has – but one thing he lacks. He has not really died to his old way of life by giving up his great wealth. He is not “all in”. Not totally dependent on God. The readings help us understand spiritual testing and divine judgement.

 

1.     This Life is a Training Game

Pentecost: The Work of the Holy Spirit (Year B)

  

I had an Epiphany moment as I finished the finished the first draft of Recovering Truth, Freedom, and Democracy. I was explaining how the foundation of Judeo-Christian supernatural truths was deconstructed because they contradicted the false truths of extreme liberalism, feminism, and LGBTQ activists. Holy Spirit showed me what the seven lost truths were. The Seventh was “Holy Spirit as the continuing presence of Jesus”.

John 15.16-16.15 for Pentecost Sunday explains the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us see our sin and understand righteousness and divine judgement.

 

1. The Holy Spirits helps us see our sin (John 16.8)

Lent Is A Time to Reconnect with God (Lent 4b)

 John 3.16 summarizes the essence of Christianity. God loves us so much He was willing to give up His only son to be in a relationship of love with us. The problem was God is holy and humans are unholy. The Good News is God loved us so much He created a way for us to be reconnected through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus.

1.  The Unholy Can Not Be the Presence of the Holy

Self-examination: What Spiritual Prison of Disobedience Have I Put Myself In? (Lent 1)

 Self-examination: What Spiritual Prison of Rebellion Have I Put Myself In?

Lent is a time of preparation for the Easter Celebration. We have six weeks to examine our lives, identify sins that need to be repented and go through the process of repentance, confession, absolution and acceptance of Christ's forgiveness. One way of examining our lives is suggested by the readings for today. Peter mentions the rebellious dead as being "spirits in prison' (1 Peter 3.19). We may be putting ourselves in an eternal spiritual prison when we are disobedient and rebel against the Baptismal covenant. We need to review the Ten Commandments and the seven deadly sins and ask ourselves which of these prisons we may be in.

1. Our Baptismal Covenant is into a relationship of love

Jesus is Our Light in the Darkness (Christmas Eve, Year B)

The Readings teach us how to cope with the spiritual darkness around us by following Jesus example if being a light in the darkness. We don’t see a lot of happy faces around us. The snowflake generation is in rebellion against God, confused and lost in materialism, drugs, alcohol and depression. The Good news is that we have hope and joy. Jesus has come to save us from this fallen world and guide us into an eternal life of joy that has already started and can only get better.

 

        1. Light Exposes the Darkness

Forgiveness is the Gift of Mercy

The parable of the Unmerciful Servant is a reminder of who we are, whose we are and what is expected of us. The readings remind us that like the Hebrews we have been rescued by God, are part of His Kingdom and under divine judgement. We are servants and not ‘the boss of ourselves’. We will be judged by our love of Jesus and our neighbour. Forgiveness and mercy from the heart is a test of that love.

 

1.    We are challenged to remember who we are

ReconcilingConflicts With Holy Love (proper 23A)

Jesus is teaching us how to reconcile conflicts in the church with love. Conflicts can pollute our soul with the sin of unforgiveness if we fail to love the other. Love requires us to respect the privacy and dignity of the person who we think is sinning. We are to make two attempts to resolve the issue privately and discreetly before “taking it to the church’ and making it public. This is the opposite of the way most people handle disputes. We can fail to love our neighbour and tell all our friends in church about the terrible thing someone has done. This is a failure to love and creates a much more dangerous conflict. It makes the issue harder to resolve as reputations are on the line. The three-step process protects reputations, determines the truth and facilitates forgiveness:

1.     First go alone to the person to seekréconciliation

2.     If this fails, take one or two witnesses and go again 

3.     Only if  both attempts fail, take it to the church leadership, again in confidence, to avoid spreading the conflict beyond three or four people 

 

Step #1: “Go and point out their fault just between the two of you” 

Mercy Is the Highest Form of Love (Proper 20)

 Jesus is teaching us how to do pastoral ministry. The readings teach us that God wants more than a formal relationship with us. God wants a passionate, powerful risk-taking love that is passionate, intimate and forgives. Mercy, when God or we forgive, and give the other another chance, is the highest form of love. The difficulties we face in life are teats of that love. This is how our love and spiritual life grows.

 1. Jesus shows us how God’s love and mercy never gives up

Forgiveness Gives Us New Life in-Christ (Proper 10A)

Abram is called to leave his family and old way of life, go on a long and dangerous journey and put his whole trust in God. In baptism we are asked “Do you put your whole trust in Jesus love and grace?”God desires an exclusive love relationship with us. In the Romans Reading (4.13-25) Paul reminds us that Abraham was given a new name and honoured for his faith in God. In Matthew (9.9-13, 18-26) challenges the Pharisees that “God desires mercy not sacrifice.”. He goes out to model this by healing and giving new life to woman suffering from bleeding and the Synagogue Ruler’s daughter. This is our mission as people who have put their faith and trust in Jesus.

 

1.   Abram trusted God to Leave His Family and Friends

Baptisms of Repentance & Holy Spirit Fire Give Us Hope (Baptism of Jesus)

 John the Baptist teaches us how to become serious Christians with joy and hope. Hope frees people from fear of sin-guilt and death and enables us to love God, ourselves and others. The first step is the baptism of repentance which prepares us for the second Baptism of the Holy Spirit Fire. As the Holy Spirit comes into us and exposes our hidden sins, we experience the baptism of the holy fire of God’s love. The file of God’s love burns up our sins and brings us into an eternal spiritual life of joy in His Kingdom.

1. The First Baptism is Repentance

How To Enter the Kingdom of God (Reign of Christ)

 On the Cross Jesus shows us how God reigns over His Kingdom with love. The Reign of Christ that we celebrate today is a spiritual time that began 2000 years ago on the Cross and will continue to the end of time. The Prophet Jeremiah reminds us of why Jesus had to come. The Apostle Paul explains who Jesus is. The thief on the cross models how to come into this spiritual kingdom that is both visible and invisible. 

1. Jeremiah explains why God had to intervene

Resurrection Validates the New Covenant of Jesus

 Easter is a celebration of Jesus courage and love in overcoming the power of sin and death. It is God’s divine yes to the New Covenant of Jesus, that created a new way for us to be forgiven and made holy so we could be in the presence of God in heaven:

·      Challenges us to have the courage and love to experience and share that grace like Paul

 

 

1.   God Made a New Covenant of Grace

Our Strength is In Our Weakness (Lent 3c)

 The Readings (Isaiah 55.1-9; 1 Cor. 10.1-13; Luke 13.1-9) remind us that our strength is in our weakness. On our own we can do nothing to help ourselves. We may become discouraged, prideful, get distracted, rebel against Father God and lose our Baptismal Covenant promise of eternal spiritual life. Lent is a time to dig around and loosen our roots, repent our sins, “Come to Jesus” for forgiveness and go deeper in our spiritual life.

 

1.   Jesus Begins His Teaching with the Problem of Evil

When bad things happen to people, we might wonder if God is punishing them. Jesus uses the examples of persecution, a wall falling and a tower collapsing and killing people. He asks were they more guilty than others?

Unforgiveness Can Kill You (Proper 15)

 Unforgiveness is an unforgivable sin. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask to be forgiven as we have forgiven others. We in effect put a curse on ourselves so God can not forgive us if we do not foegive others. After sexual sins unforgiveness is the most destructive sin, polluting our soul and wounding our spirit. It separates us from God and other people. 

• Lucille and I have seen and experienced the horrific damage unforgiveness wreaks on families in our ministry
• I was under a dark cloud for 30 years never speaking to my ex wife - it went away when we asked each other for forgiveness
• In the Readings (2 Samuel 6.1-5, 12B-19) Davids wife Michal “despised him in her heart) - and had no children.
• In Mark 6.19 “Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him.”
• The Good News is that God has chosen us to be holy and created a way for us to be forgiven in Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

1. We Are Chosen To Be Holy

Easter - The Good News of Eternal Spiritual Life

 We are all temporaries. The Pandemic has made us more aware of this. We have all been in at least some bondage to fear of death. Those of us who have been vaccinated have sensed a great relief. The Resurrection of Jesus is the Good News that Christian believers will die physically like Jesus, but then be raised to a new form of eternal spiritual life with Jesus in Heaven. There are people among us who have seen heaven. Many have experienced the healing power of forgiveness in Jesus and the joy of this new spiritual life. All Christians are baptized into Jesus Covenant of forgiveness, healing and eternal spiritual life. The Resurrection of Jesus challenges us:

1.    To believe and put our trust in Jesus

2.    To seek forgiveness and healing and grow our spiritual life 

3.    To be witnesses to our own experiences of spiritual life

1. To believe and put our trust in Jesus

Palm Sunday - New Covenant of Servant King

 Palm Sunday is a celebration of Jesus “coming out” and revealing His identity as the Servant King. Up to this point He has been keeping under the radar of the Roman and religious authorities,  teaching and healing people in more remote areas. With the raising of Lazarus just outside Jerusalem His identity and authority has become public – and very dangerous. I love  the line  from CS Lewis where Lucy asks if the lion Aslan, who represents Jesus, is dangerous. “Of course He is!!” is the reply. I chose this Feast for my ordination as a priest because it is where Jesus reveals the New Covenant of self-sacrificial love, forgiveness and eternal spiritual life of joy by coming humbly on a donkey as opposed to a king on a horse with an army. 

1. The Servant-King guides believers with the Holy Spirit

Reconciling Conflicts With Love

(Available on Youtube "John Gishler")

Jesus is teaching us how to reconcile conflicts with love. Matthew 18 describes this section (v. 15-22) as “Dealing with sin in the church”. Paul explains that all sin is a failure to love God, our neighbour or ourselves. Conflict and unforgiveness pollutes our soul (sin) and separates us from God and other people. Today we are focussing on the work of the church to proclaim, teach and model orthodox faith with love. Jesus repeats Mt. 16.19 re-affirming the role of the church as holding the keys to the Kingdom with the authority of binding and loosing sin guilt. This three-step process of confidential reconciliation is the opposite of what normally happens. It protects reputations, determines the truth and facilitates forgiveness:

1. Person goes first to the person to seek reconciliation
2. Only if this fails, they take witnesses and go again to reconcile
3. Only if  both attempts fail do they take it to the church leadership, again in confidence, to avoid spreading the conflict beyond three or four people 

Step #1: “Go and point out their fault just between the two of you” 

A Conscience Ruled By the Holy Spirit (Proper 18a)

(Watch on Youtube channel "John Gishler" Aug. 2)

 

The Readings are a profound message to all church leaders and anyone who would like to develop a serious Christian life. Jacob was wrestling with his conscience and afraid for his life. It was like wrestling with God Himself – and God let him win! Jesus is in grief over the death of John and overcomes it by focusing on what those around Him need – not want. Paul is also in spiritual grief over the Hebrew people who do not believe him about Jesus. We learn that listening to the Holy Spirit is why it is that some people “get it” and many do not.

1. Jacob’s conscience is bothering him for good reason

Spiritual Life In The weed Patch (Proper 16)

In the Parable of the Weeds Jesus is giving us a critical teaching on how to develop a spiritual life in the face of evil. Our natural tendency is to fight with the weeds. Jesus says:

·      Do not try to root out evil

·      Be led by the Holy Spirit

·      Endure suffering as an offering to God

 

1. Do not try to root out the evil

Forgiveness, Healing and Reconciliation (Proper 11 A)

(Available on Youtube June 14)

We are all like Sarah and tend to laugh at God when we are promised something that sounds impossible:

·      Having a child in old age

·      Raising from death

·      Forgiving our rebellion and sin to make us holy

But this is the business our God is in as he continues to reach out to us with the offer of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation into our eternal spiritual life with God. He knows we cannot work hard enough to overcome our natural rebellion and spiritual un-holiness. Sadly, many in the Church also laugh at God’s supernatural gifts and fail in their responsibility to bring in the full harvest of heaven. Paul challenges us to persevere in example of Father Abraham and have faith in God’s promises of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation. This is why Abraham was chosen by God as the father of our faith.

1. Un-forgiveness separates us from God, self and others