Easter 3 - Jesus Calls Us Into a Healing and Nourishing Spiritual Community

Jesus Calls Us Into a Spiritual Community

Easter 3a 2020 Fr. John Gishler (YouTube video available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk1vWTY2j-A&list=UUOT1BP_L_3RnOfGqE4K9VWQ&index=1 )

As people going through the upset and confusion of a pandemic we all know what it is like to have your life fall apart like the men on the way to Emmaus. Like them, we need Jesus to come gently alongside us and open our spiritual eyes so we can see the good news coming out of the bad news. The point of the story is that Jesus is not just a good man calling us to love on another. The Risen Jesus is calling us to die to our old way of life and be born again into a new holy spiritual community.

1. Emmaus story is my story and your story

Spiritual Communion Gives Us Hope and Comfort

(Notes for Holy Communion service and teaching available on 

YouTube Channel "John Gishler" Sunday April 19 at https://youtu.be/D_RSeMljU8s ) 

The Christian Church has always taught that Holy Communion is "an outward visible sign of an inner spiritual grace" and that God answers the prayer of our hearts. Like many Anglican priests I am celebrating at home with my wife Lucille in Calgary and invite you to join with us and participate as fully as you can intentionally in your heart. Many will know the responses and everyone can say "Amen" to the prayers. There will be silences for you to participate in the Confession and Prayers of the People at home. We will be honoured to "stand in the gap" for you in receiving the bread and wine. Like Thomas we all need a personal experience of the Risen Jesus and Holy Spirit to really believe in Jesus and find comfort and hope in this challenging time.

1. Easter Gives Us the Hope of Eternal Spiritual life

Good Relationships Focus On The Other (Palm Sunday 2020)

Introduction

In this special time of self-isolation as we adapt to the pandemic we are all learning new ways of communicating - my homily notes are below and a complete home Holy Communion service with the homily is available on my “John Gishler” YouTube channel:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir70Mgkt8WQ

·      Last week I spoke about “Relationship = Antidote To Self-isolation.”

·      This week the Palm Sunday readings remind us how Jesus developed relationships with both God and His followers which have lasted to this day and spread around the world.

·      Jesus developed relationships by humbling Himself and focussing on the needs of the other

1. Isaiah teaches us how to focus on God

Lent 5 - Spiritual Life Depends On Relationships

Introduction to Video: Spiritual Life Depends On Our Relationships (click to view) 

youtu.be/af558fF7Ao0

·      Teaching is normally near the beginning of a Holy Communion Service – after a prayer for purity and the prayer for a particular Sunday and three Bible readings

·      Since churches are closed and many people are self-isolating this video will include the Three Readings assigned for the Fifth Sunday in Lent followed by a teaching.

·      There is a 10 minute video of  a short home Eucharistic prayer on my blog page spirituallifeteaching.info.

·      Next Sunday we hope to post a complete “Palm Sunday” Eucharist with an invitation to people to “participate in their hearts” by saying Amen to the prayers.

·      A copy of the service may also be copied and pasted into a  word processor for the blog

·      The theme of the readings is our need for RELATIONSHIP – with God and our neighbour

We Are All Born Spiritually Blind (Lent 4 2013)

Note: As a contribution to the current Covid-19 virus social distancing emergency my 2013 teaching was found through the blog search feature to the left, copied to Word, saved as a file and reposted to demonstrate the ease of finding relevant teaching material in this library. I will be experimenting with posting a video of our home Holy Communion service with a shorter version on Facebook and possibly here tomorrow around noon (if it works out). 

It did work out! Click on F at top right to go to Facebook  - 2 posts - Gospel Reading and Teaching - Eucharistic Prayer:


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Original 2013 Teaching: We Are All Born Spiritually Blind 

We can see physically, most of us, but we cannot see spiritually when we are born. ‘Seeing’ is a metaphor for understanding. In our case it means we do not understand how the unseen spiritual world operates. Our understanding of the unseen spiritual world is about the same as a blind persons’ understanding of the physical world. With experience the blind person will develop understanding of the physical world just as with experience we can develop understanding of the spiritual world:

·      At birth we know nothing. We are, as the Apostle Paul says “darkness” and “disobedient” (Ephesians 6.8, 12). 

·       The readings challenge us all to be open to being healed by Jesus, like the man born blind so we can see spiritually, come out of this darkness and be transformed into “children of light”. (Eph. 6.8).

 1. Spiritual blindness is worse than physical blindness

Reconciliation Is The Way To Spiritual Life (Epiphany 6a)

The three readings remind us that God has called us into a covenant relationship of love and obedience. This requires us to make a serious choice between life and prosperity and death and destruction. There is nothing in the middle. You cannot be a sort-of Christian in the middle and expect to share in the joy of a rich eternal spiritual life in Jesus Christ. The readings explain why this is so.

1. Moses reminds the Hebrews they must choose.

God Reveals His Plan Of Salvation In Jesus (Epiphany 2 Year A)

I had a humbling epiphany moment early Sunday as I was hurriedly typing the Preface for Epiphany into the laptop I use in celebrating the Eucharist - the Readings for the season of Epiphany reveal who Jesus is and God’s plan of salvation. I added a phrase in the car, revised it in my head and as I taught: 

• ·     We are living in a culture that is unhappy, confused, lost and seeking meaning and new life. 
• ·     Readings describe three Epiphany moments when Gods plan of salvation was revealed
• ·     Isaiah prophecies’ in Babylon that God will raise up a servant who will give Israel new life 
• ·     John realizes that Jesus is the “lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world” and give us new life. (1.29) 
• ·     Paul describes the new life of  “grace given to you in Jesus Christ”. (1 Cor. 1.4) 

1. Isaiah learned how God would gave the Israelites new life