I Am the Bread of Life (Proper 19 year B)

 There are four weeks of readings all based on this important issue of who Jesus is. John is an eyewitness. His account is different – meant to be read with spiritually opened eyes. We are in Pentecost where the readings for each week teach us about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of the church.

 

1. The Church has lost its supernatural truths

In writing Recovering Truth, Freedom, and Democracy: Challenging Woke Totalitarianism, I had a word of knowledge. 

·      Writing about the Judeo-Christian foundation of truth all thriving democracies are based on and explaining how these have been lost as they contradicted the false truth of various woke activists.

·      Realized in my research I had identified 7 spiritual truths that have been almost lost as the Church expanded, grew, became intellectualized and politicized and was led by men who had not had the same experiences of Holy Spirit as the first Apostles.

Anyone Who Lives in Christ Is a New Creation (Proper 11B)

     Paul is explaining how things work in the unseen world (2 Cor. 5 6-17) The unseen or spiritual dimension is the theme of all the teachings in Pentecost. The Samuel Reading reminds us we are judged not by appearance but what is in our heart. Jesus’s parables of the seed growing unseen reminds us we are part of God’s order and process of creation, which is unseen, out of our control and is a lost spiritual truth in our time.

Our Hope Is in Jesus Christ

The Republican Debate last week was a reminder that many people in our time have lost their hope in Jesus, hope in government, hope of peace and hope of prosperity. This is an End Times scenario with Gog – Iran launching a war against Israel via Hamas,  Magog – Russia in a war with the West; and Russia’s ally China in an economic and  deadly fentanyl war with the US. The good news was two candidates advocating recovering the truth foundation of Christian faith our freedom and democracy were built on. ( my current book topic).

Our Readings remind us:

• Joshua publicly put his hope in the God of his ancestors
• Believers have the hope and security of eternal life
• Relationship with Jesus is how to be included in the Heavenly Banquet or Kingdom

1.   Who or What you put your Hope in is important

Many Are Invited, Few Are Chosen (Proper 28A)

The Parable of the Wedding Guest is another teaching on the Kingdom of God. The message is familiar from the previous parable of the Tenants. People are given something - a vineyard or an invitation to a banquet, and there is a test, and a wrong response that leads to exclusion. 

• The issue is how do we respond to God’s invitation. 
• Test is who pays rent or comes and wears the wedding garment 
• Putting on the wedding garment is getting onside, committed
• Serious Christians put on Jesus, suffer, die and celebrate with Him
• They are the ones chosen for the Kingdom 
• Those who attend church but are not all-in, exclude themselves.

 

1. The first guests who were invited refuse the invitation

Holy Spirit is the continuing presence of Jesus (Easter 6A)

 Jesus is preparing His Disciples for His Death, Resurrection, Ascension and the Coming of Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They are frightened and are going to feel abandoned in a world that is very hostile and dangerous. He comforts them by saying He is going away to prepare a place for them where they can all be together. He will send “another advocate” to continue His work of guiding them and helping them prepare for their own death, resurrection into eternal spiritual life of joy. The advocate will be like a modern lawyer who prepares people for a trial and judgement. The advocate will come to those who love Jesus and keep His Command to love one another.

 

1.   Holy Spirit Comes to Those Who Love Jesus

Jesus, like Father God[ must respect human free will. He cannot force people to love Him. That would not be real love. 

·     Jesus defines this love of Jesus as those who Keep my Commandments.

·     This is a continuation of the Covenant of Moses where the 10 Commandments were tests of our love of God (1-5); and our love of neighbour (6-10)

·     Continuation of Moses telling the Hebrews that God would send another prophet like him.

·      Covenant of Jesus clarified the Command to love God and our neighbour with self-sacrificial love – as Jesus modelled on the Cross

·      Covenant of Jesus added the forgiveness of sins(that had been taken to the Cross by repentant believers)

·      Covenant of Jesus added eternal spiritual life for believers

·      Holy Spirit would help believers examine their lives, repent sins, become healed and holy enough to be in God’s presence

 

2.   Holy Spirit Will Live in Us

The Resurrection Validated the Covenant of Jesus (Easter)

Easter is the celebration of one of the most important events in human history. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was God’s cosmic yes to all the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that God was making a new Covenant of forgiveness that fulfilled and expanded the Covenant of Moses to all believers. This Covenant offered believers forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith in Jesus sacrificial death. Believers connect themselves spiritually to Jesus and die with Him on the Cross before being raised to a new Holy-Spirit filed life of joy.

 

1.    How Can We Believe This?

Whoever Feeds On This Bread Will Live Forever (Proper 19)

Many people in our time have lost their “belief in Jesus”. This puts clergy doing funerals in an awkward position. We try to be kind and pastoral and leave mourners with the comforting hope the deceased are in heaven. It would be unkind to share the Biblical teachings that only believers who feed on the body of Jesus and walk in love have eternal spiritual life. The Readings help us understand:

• What is eternal life?
• How the body of Jesus feeds our spiritual life?
• How do we walk in a spiritual life of love?

1. What is eternal spiritual life?

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