Marriage Is a Spiritual Relationship

(The marriage of Kate and Michael Armstrong, 2012 by Rev. John Gishler)

In the Gospel Reading (Mark 10.6-9) Jesus teaches us that in marriage two people both leave their parents protection and authority and are joined together in a “one flesh” relationship. This is a spiritual relationship because they are joined not by physical birth but an emotional or spiritual attraction.  To understand love more deeply, we need to look at marriage as a relationship between two human spirits that have physical bodies. These two spirits are about to promise to love, comfort, honour and protect each other in order to grow and experience joy in this relationship.

1.     They will promise to love each other.

a.    There are no limitations or conditions attached

b.    These promises are being made in the presence of God

c.     Apostle Paul defines unconditional love as patient and kind

d.    Unconditional love is not self-seeking – self-sacrificial

e.    Unconditional love keeps no record of wrongs – forgives

f.      Unconditional love perseveres in hope

g.    Unconditional love enables us to overcome our fear

2.     They will promise to comfort each other

Those Who Love God Are Promised a Kingdom

(Teaching notes for Proper 23, Year B 2012 by Rev. John Gishler)

The Readings remind us of our need to develop and maintain a personal love relationship with God if we wish to have an eternal spiritual life. The Proverbs remind us that there is justice and if we fail to love others, including the poor and vulnerable there will be consequences. James comes right out and says they will “...inherit the Kingdom He promised to those who love him.” (James 2.5) Finally in the Gospel Jesus uses the example of the non-Jewish woman (who was considered outside the Covenant of Moses) to teach us that those who demonstrate love by enduring rejection and come to Him in faith will be included in the spiritual kingdom.

1.     Jesus tested the Syrophoenician woman’s faith

1.1.   It was brutal – he called her a dog, unworthy of God’s attention

1.2.   She was not put off – she came back with a tremendous reply

1.3.   She demonstrated love in challenging accepted teachings

1.4.   Showed she believed God loved all people – not just the Jews

1.5.   Showed she believed blessings were to be shared with others

1.6.   Her love and faith were greater than her fear of religious authority

1.7.   Jesus in return loved her and honoured her request

1.8.   In honouring her request Jesus demonstrated love by taking a risk in offending the Jews and in  revealing His power over the demonic

2.     The Ten Commandments are key tests of our love of God

Fathers Are Co-creators with God and Women

The Readings (1 Sam. 15.34-16.7; Mark 4.26-33; and 2 Cor. 4.6-15) give us good teaching on the role of Fathers as co-creators with God, wives and friends, of the Kingdom of God on Earth. This is a spiritual kingdom based on love and faith where men are judged by what is in their heart, not by outward appearances. The two agricultural images of reaping what we sow and taking responsibility for sheep, help us understand what God expects men to do in our time.

1.     Many men have lost their identity and authority in our time

Men and women were given their identity and authority by God. In Genesis 1.28 we are taught they are to ‘fill the earth and subdue it’.

The rest of the Bible is the story of how men and women have struggled to fill the earth and subdue it over the last 4,000 years. In our time there has been a serious loss of male identity and authority:

·         Many men have not had fathers who taught them how to be a man and a father

·         Many men have not read, been taught or studied the Bible

·         Many men have either lost their faith or never had a faith

·         Separated from God they have lost their identity & direction

·         Separated from God they have lost their authority as priests to the family and become self-centred and isolated

·         Women have shamed men and often replaced them as the spiritual authority in the family in our time

·         Good news is that many men are now beginning to realize that they need to attend a church and join a Bible Study group to re-discover their identity

2.     God judges men and women by the character of their heart

I Believe In the Holy Spirit: The Trinity in 15 Minutes

This is a Creedal statement we make every Sunday. It is part of our affirmation of Faith in the Trinity. The difference is that unlike the Creedal statements about God the Father and Jesus the Son in the Apostles Creed; nothing is said about what it is we are supposed to believe about the Holy Spirit. This is deliberate. The point is we are to believe in the Holy Spirit so we can be led by the Holy Spirit into a deeper and eternal relationship with God. This process of developing a deeper spiritual life is called being born again.

1.    The Holy Spirit is the part of a God who is with us in our lives

a.    Trinity Sunday is a good time to learn how God works in our daily lives as Father, Son and Holy Spirit

b.    The Holiness of God is something we sometimes forget

c.    God the Father is the creator who creates a holy world

d.    God includes freedom of choice in His creation

e.    Rebellion -à Sin à Guilt à un-holiness à separation

f.      Like Isaiah we have unclean lips and need healing

g.    Cannot be in the divine presence until we are clean

h.    Fire burns up un-holiness, old self dies, new self born

i.      God intervenes as Jesus, Redeemer to pay the price

j.      Again freedom of choice on Jesus part and ours

k.     God also intervenes by coming as the Holy Spirit

l.      Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier who makes us holy

m.   Helps us see our sin and decide to repent to Jesus

n.    Holy Spirit is the Comforter who teaches and heals us

2.    Belief In is more than acknowledgement

You Are My Wtnesses

(Teaching notes for Ascension, 2009 revised 2012, by Rev. John Gishler)

The Ascension of Jesus marks the end of Jesus visible ministry on Earth until His coming again in the End Times. There is a lot of interesting speculation in some churches as to whether or not we are currently entering this End Time. This speculation can be a distraction unless it motivates us to re-focus on the work that Jesus gave to us as our Baptismal ministry. The Readings tell us our ministry is to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in Jesus name to all nations. (Luke 24.47)

1. Will you proclaim the good news of God in Christ?
1. This is one of the questions you were asked at Baptism
2. The Readings (Acts 1.1-11; Ephesians 1.15-23 and Luke 24.44-53) define this as the mission of every Christian
3. No exceptions for when this will offend people or result in your following Jesus to a painful death
4. Many people have compromised on this and taught political correctness instead – this is abandonment of ministry
5. The consequence is many churches are divided and have lost their way and their spiritual authority
6. They are not “…clothed with power from on high…”( Lk1.49)
7. This power from on high is the Holy Spirit – the Teacher
8. Paul prays for the Ephesians to be given the “Spirit of Wisdom and revelation, so you may know Him better” (1.17)
9. We may need to repent, be more obedient and wait till we have this power before we can be effective witnesses

2. A witness has special knowledge

Spiritual Life Is Like Being Part of A Vine

(Homily notes for Easter 5, 2012, by Rev. John Gishler)

(Readings: Acts8.26-40; 1 John 4.7-21; John 15.1-8)

If Jesus is like a vine, our spiritual life begins when we make a serious decision to be a Christian and love and depend on Him. The point of the Readings for today is that we grow spiritually as we remain connected by our love to the vine called Jesus. There is also a warning that if we fail to produce fruit (love) – to share the Good News of forgiveness and eternal spiritual life, we can cut ourselves off from Jesus, like a branch from a vine, and loose our eternal spiritual life of love.

1. Baptism, Eucharist and prayer connect us to Jesus

·        In our Baptism we enter a covenant love relationship

·        More serious than a legal agreement – with God

·        Renounce evil and put our trust in Jesus to save us

·        Saves us from the natural consequence of sin

·        Sin normally makes us unholy, unable to be with God

·        Depend on Jesus sacrificial death for our forgiveness

·        In Baptism we pledge our loyalty and our love to God

·        Participation in the Eucharist re-connects us

·        Worship and daily prayer life strengthens us

·        Our love of God grows and is the essential connection

·        A real connection – like the branches or juice in a vine

·        Live “in Christ” and become ‘clean’, whole / holy

·        Holy Spirit can come an live in us

·        When we die we already have eternal spiritual life

He Is Risen!

(Teaching notes for Easter, 2012 by Rev. John Gishler)

These words “He is Risen!” announced a change in human history. No longer would humans have to live their lives in fear of the inevitability of death. If the promise of Jesus to rise from the dead after three days was true, all the other promises of Jesus were also true. Easter is a time to celebrate this Good News. Two very important questions arise:

·         Can we really believe God raised Jesus from death?

·         What does the Resurrection mean for us in our lives?

1.     Can we really believe God raise Jesus from death?

·         Modern people have questioned this since the Enlightenment

·         Modern people are skeptical about miracles – believe in their heads but don’t really believe in their hearts

·         Critical issue - our Faith in the reliability of the Teachings of Jesus as Lord and Saviour depend on the Resurrection

·         Without the Resurrection Jesus is at best a wonderful teacher

·         The alternative is fraud – Bible gives us no middle way

·         Evidence of no body – we can be sure the religious authorities who had Jesus crucified would try to refute the Resurrection

·         Evidence of the Bible – authentic confused human account (alternative of a fraud would be much more grandiose)

·         Evidence of changed lives – post-Resurrection Disciples were changed men – confident, fearless, determined, ready to die

·         Evidence of our own experience – many of us have personally experienced the supernatural or know someone who has and have no difficulty believing in the Resurrection

·         The news of the Resurrection is so good it is hard to believe – why it is called the Good News

2.     What does this mean for my life? (WIIFM): Resurrection Life