Sunday, June 26, 2011

2 Pentecost, Year A

Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42
A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, June 26, 2011 (on the occasion of
the baptism of William Kenner Stigall)

“MINISTERS, MINISTRIES AND THE BIG PICTURE”
(Homily text: Matthew 10: 40 - 42)

Let’s consider this morning the matter of ministers, ministries, and the big picture that God has in mind as God sends out those who are called to minister to others, carrying out God’s ministries, which are entrusted to these ministers. (This last point is especially important, I think, for oftentimes we think that a ministry belongs to a person, forgetting that the ministry actually is God’s ministry, which has been entrusted to someone to carry out.)

As we often do, we ought to begin with a definition of what a ministry is. Looking at the dictionary, we find that a definition that might best fit the context of being in God’s service is this one: “to give service, care or aid; to attend, as to wants or necessities.” Reading a little further on in the dictionaries’ entry for the word minister, we see that is has a Latin root, and we see that this Latin root is the same root that the word minus has in English.

So, we might gather that a minister is one who empties him/herself in service to God and to others. One who is sent, goes out, emptying themselves in service to God and to others.

As we keep this definition in mind, we see that Jesus affirms this concept as He tells His disciples that “He who receives you, receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.” (Verse 40) Of course, Jesus is referring to God the Father, the one who sent Jesus Christ, the Son, to be a minister on the Father’s behalf, to those who received His ministry.

It might be good for us to pause for a moment to bear in mind the context of Jesus’ words.

The setting is the sending out of the original twelve disciples. Matthew begins his narration of this, Jesus’ very first sending out at the very beginning of chapter ten. Of course, by the time Matthew is writing the account we hear this morning, these twelve disciples have become apostles (remember that the twelve’s original composition has changed with the loss of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord, but who was replaced by Matthias, and who – a little later on – were joined by Paul). And the word apostle is the one that Matthew uses to describe the sending out that Jesus has now done.

The word apostle itself stems from two Greek words which, together, mean “sent out”.

It is in this “sending out” that “emptying out” takes place. God the Father sends the Son, who empties himself of divine prerogatives, for our benefit and for our salvation (see Philippians 2: 5 – 11 for Paul’s excellent description of the self-emptying nature of Jesus Christ’s ministry among us).

In turn, the Lord sends out the apostles, who will be rejected by some who hear the message (see verses 12 – 15), but who will be received by others who come to believe in the word spoken by the apostles. They, in turn, become disciples, prophets and righteous ones.

Since we have taken the time to define what an apostle is, and what a minister/ministry is, we ought to define what a prophet is, and what a righteous one is, as well:

Prophet: When we hear this word today, we often think of someone who has the ability to foretell the future. This is an important aspect of the meaning of the word, to be sure. But there is another sense of the meaning of the word, and that is a person who speaks God’s truth. I think this sense of the word is more in keeping with Jesus’ meaning as we read it in the context of Matthew, chapter ten.
Righteous one: Biblical scholars have pondered the meaning of this term. Some think that it might describe specific ministries within Matthew’s church. That understanding might be correct. But I think there’s another sense to the meaning of the term, and that is that a righteous one is a person whose manner of life exhibits the values that Jesus had articulated in His Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew, chapters five through seven). There, Jesus tells His disciples that, “unless their righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 20). So, it’s possible that Jesus is simply referring to disciples whose manner of life is exemplary in every respect.

Now, Jesus tells His apostles that even small acts of kindness will be noticed and rewarded. Yes, even offering a cup of cold water to “these little ones” because he, himself, is a disciple, will be rewarded. (Ever think about the implications of offering a cup of cold water to someone? In the times in which we live, we probably don’t give much thought to the matter of a drink of cold water, since we have refrigerators and water fountains which offer us cold water all the time. But in biblical times, a cup of cold water would have been a rare treat – one that would have been possible only if the water had come from a spring or a deep well. Of course, the effects of drinking cold water remain: it soothes and refreshes, and it sustains life.)

Perhaps by now you have noticed a progression in the relationship which extends from God the Father to the “little ones”.

It might be clearer if we show the relationship this way:

God the Father the Son the apostles prophets/righteous ones
disciples little ones

Now, as the “little ones” respond to the word, they are essentially responding not only to the ones who carried the word, but to God the Father Himself, through God the Son, who brings the word to us.

Put another way, there is a cause-and-effect relationship originating with God the Father, which follows the path of relationships through the Son, the apostles, the prophets/righteous ones, the disciples, all the way to the little ones. Then, the relationship causes a reciprocal response, leading from the little ones all the way back to the Father. In the process of response, the “little ones” become disciples, and in due time, may become prophets/righteous ones, and apostles, as well, as they mature in the faith.

But, you may be thinking, “I’m not an apostle. I’m certainly not a prophet. I don’t qualify as being a righteous one, and only at times do I think of myself as a disciple.”

OK. If we think this way, even at times, we are probably engaging in some very healthy self-reflection. After all, if we look at the matter from the other direction, we can see the dangers in thinking that we are. after all, a prophet, a righteous one, or an apostle. “Let no one think higher of themselves than they ought to think,” St. Paul admonishes us.

It isn’t for us to judge whether or not we are worthy of such titles or job descriptions. That certification can only come from God, ultimately. But others whose lives exhibit the qualities of being apostles, prophets and righteous ones, can make that assessment of our status, and they are called to do so, for the benefit of God’s family, which is the Church, and for the expansion of the ministries which God entrusts to those whom He sends out to do the work He has given us to do.

By virtue of our baptisms, we are brought into the ranks of the disciples. Today, William Kenner Stigall (“Liam”) becomes a disciple. He becomes one by virtue of the work that God does in claiming him as his own. In the baptismal rite, we say these words, “Liam, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”

Now, it becomes the task of Liam’s father, mother, grandparents and Godparents to bring him up to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ personally. As they do so, they are offering him their gift of being disciples. And as he becomes a mature disciple – a follower – of the Lord, he will be able to pass on the gift of discipleship to others, by showing forth God’s righteousness in all that he says and does, and by speaking God’s truth, as well.

Thanks be to God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to raise up apostles, prophets, righteous ones, and disciples, so that the little ones will come into relationship with God, yes, even little Liam, baptized today.

AMEN.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Trinity Sunday, Year A

Genesis 1:1–2:4; Psalm 8; II Corinthians 13:11–13; Matthew 28:16–20
A homily by Fr. Gene Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, June 19, 2011.

“GRASPING THE MYSTERY OF GOD”
(Homily texts: Genesis 1: 1 – 2: 4 & Matthew 28: 16 – 20)

Let’s suppose that a friend comes up to you, carrying some objects in a bag, and a handkerchief. The friend asks you to close your eyes while they put an object under the handkerchief.

Once the object has been draped with the handkerchief, you are asked to open your eyes. Once open, your friend asks you to identify the object that is under the cloth, using your sense of touch, of smell, and sight (though only partially, because the object is hidden under the cloth).

You begin by touching the cloth, and sense that the object under it is hard, cylindrical, and is made of metal. You sniff, but can’t detect any odor coming from underneath. On further examination, you notice that the mysterious cylinder has a bottom to it, which has ridges on it. You have an idea of what it is.

Next, your friend places another object under the cloth while your eyes are closed. This time, once they are open, your friend invites you to touch the cloth, to smell, and to observe with your eyes as much as you are able. As you place your hands on the handkerchief, you note that the object underneath is rectangular. It seems to be made of a hard material like the first one, but it isn’t made of metal. As you feel around some more, you notice that this object has some sort of a small top to it. You sniff around, and notice that a fragrant smell is coming from the object. You come to a conclusion of what the object might be.

Finally, your friend, once again, asks you to close your eyes as the third and final object is placed under the handkerchief. Once you open your eyes, you are asked to begin your examination of the hidden object. You notice immediately – using your sense of touch - that this object isn’t hard at all, but rather, it’s quite soft. Feeling around, you notice that it seems to have some sort of a head, and it has ears, as well, but not human ones. You notice that this object is kind of furry. You guess what it is.

Now, abandoning our game for a moment, did you guess that the first object was a tin can? Did you come to the conclusion that the second object was a bottle of perfume? And, of course, you probably know by now that the third object was a stuffed animal.

If you got all three, congratulations. Your correct conclusions might mean that you have a keen sense of imagination. Or, it might mean that I did a good job of describing each object for you in the text of this homily.

What we have been doing here is to try to ascertain something about an entity that is partially hidden from our sight and from our understanding. We used our senses: sight (partially, of course, to determine the general shape of the objects), smell and touch. (Presumably, too, we could have used our sense of hearing, perhaps by hitting the object to try to figure out what it was made of.)

This same process is at work when we try to understand just who God is, and especially on this Trinity Sunday, to understand who God is as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To come to an understanding of who God is, we use our senses, and our ability to reason through the things that our sense of sight, smell, touch, and so forth tell us about God.

God is hidden from our view, at least partially. But though God is hidden, we can see things about God’s nature in the things that He does. Again, we see Him at work as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, let’s examine some of the things we can know about God, judging from the things that God has done, and continues to do.

The first thing we notice is the wonderful and complex world around us. Notice how scientists are constantly finding out more and more about how interwoven the creation is! Awesome in its majesty, beautiful in its simplicity and in its intertwined relationships, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that a Creator – God - is behind it all. Of course, that’s what our Genesis reading describes to us today, the bringing into being of everything that is.

Our Genesis reading talks about the movement of God’s Spirit over the waters, and the speaking of the Word which brings things into being. (More on both of those things in a moment!)

The first verses of Genesis are important in this regard. Hear them again, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light.’”

And so we affirm the reality that God is creator of all in the words of the Nicene and the Apostles’ Creeds. We say, “We believe in God, the Father, maker of all things, seen and unseen…..”

But then, we must move onto the reality of God the Son, the one of whom it is said that He, Jesus Christ, is the Word, just as we read in John 1: 1 - 3, which reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

So the author of the Fourth Gospel equates Jesus Christ, the Word of God, with the word that was spoken at the beginning of creation, when God said, “Let there be light.”

Did you notice the similarities between Genesis chapter one and John chapter one? Biblical scholars have long noticed the parallels, which are too obvious to ignore.

The coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who said, “I and the Father are one,” (John 10: 30) prompted God’s people to come to a deeper understanding of just who God the Father is. It is this same Jesus Christ who also said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14: 9b)

So Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God the Father. He is the one who shows us the Father most clearly and most fully. In the life, teachings, miracles, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we come to the fullness of understanding just who God the Father is….the veil which has shrouded God from our eyes and from our understanding has been removed, at least in part.

And yet, the Father and the Son are one, not two. I refer again to John 10: 30.

The mystery of God is further revealed in the coming of the Holy Spirit. (Recall with me that we dwelled on the coming of the Holy Spirit at the great Feast of Pentecost, just last week.)

It is the Son (again), who points us to the reality of the identity of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1: 8. a text we read last Sunday.)

Jesus also points to the coming of the Holy Spirit, saying that the Spirit will come once He (Jesus) has ascended to the Father (see John 15: 26). Jesus says that the Spirit (the Counselor) will come, proceeding from the Father (notice the resemblance to the phrase in the Nicene Creed which says that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son”). He adds that the Holy Spirit will bear witness to Him (Jesus Christ), and will lead Jesus’ disciples into all truth.

So, the veil is again lifted a little more by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the one who will lead Jesus’ disciples into all truth, bearing witness to not only the Father, from whom the Spirit came, but to the Son, as well.

In much the same was as the example we used of the objects which were hidden from view, but whose identity we could determine by using our senses and our abilities to reason through the findings that our senses discovered, we also come to understand just who Jesus Christ, the Son, is, and we discover just who the Holy Spirit, is, as well.

For these two persons of the Holy Trinity come, displaying the characteristics of God as creator, as sustainer. The Son and the Spirit come, demonstrating the power that belongs to God alone, that same power as we hear in our Genesis reading this morning, power to create, power to sustain what has been created.

It is no wonder that the Church – that is, God’s people – eventually come to the conclusion that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are One God in Three Persons. There is no division between the three persons, nor is there confusion in their separate identities.

Talk about mystery!

There’s a mystery for you: One God, but Three Persons.

Our minds can grasp part of that reality, but perhaps to much the same extent as our senses are able to grasp the identities of the objects that lie hidden beneath the covering cloth.

It is the same with the reality and the nature of God: We can discern the characteristics of God as we see them in the created order, in the person and work of the Son, and in the creative power of the Spirit.

But we cannot fully grasp all that there is to know this side of heaven about God’s fullness and His majesty. That complete understanding will have to wait until we see Him face-to-face. As St. Paul says in I Corinthians 13: 12b: “Now I know in part, then I shall understand fully….”

So, until we see God in all His glory and understand Him fully, even as he understands us, we can be content to know that we can understand Him to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit, based on his own unveiling of Himself in the creation, and in the work of the Son and the Spirit.

AMEN.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

The Feast of Pentecost, Year A

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25–35,37; I Corinthians 12:3–13; John 20:19–23

A homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, June 12, 2011

“ONE GIFTING, OR TWO, OR MORE?”
(Homily texts: Acts 2: 1 – 21, and John 20: 19 – 23)

My wife will often ask me, “Honey, do you want vanilla or chocolate?” (Some of you have heard this before, I suspect.)

In response, of course, I say, “Yes”.

After all, why make difficult choices between two good things? “Yes, I’ll take both,” is the appropriate response.

Let’s apply this to the matter of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

In our readings today, we hear of two such givings/bestowings:
  • On Easter Sunday, as Jesus breathes on His disciples, He says, “Receive the Holy Spirit….” (Our reading from John’s gospel account)
  • On the great day of Pentecost (50 days after Easter), the Holy Spirit comes “like tongues of fire” and with the “rushing of a mighty wind from heaven”. (Our reading from the Book of Acts)
Biblical scholars have pondered these two separate givings of the Holy Spirit. Some have come to the conclusion that there were, indeed, two separate instances in which the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ followers, one at Easter, and another at Pentecost.

The text provides the material for these two separate instances: John’s text tells us that Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to his inner circle of disciples at Easter, while the Holy Spirit came upon a larger group of disciples at Pentecost.

This view says that the Holy Spirit may have been given separately on two different groups: The first giving descended on the inner group of disciples, who would shortly become the apostles. The other giving was granted to a larger group – to the Church – essentially.

Which brings us back to the question, “Would you like a giving of the Holy Spirit at Easter, or one at Pentecost?”

The answer, of course, is “Yes!” (As if to say, “I’ll take both!”)

If there were two separate comings of the Holy Spirit (and, quite frankly, I believe there were), then what might be the reason for the two separate events. Allow me to posit a reason for this possibility:
  • Giving the Holy Spirit to the inner circle, the original band of disciples, strengthens them for the time in which our Lord spoke to them in the 40 days between Easter and the Ascension. This critical time allows the Lord to instruct them for the ministry which will unfold once He has ascended into heaven from them, and it allows formation of the leadership which will lead the Church as it engages in the world-wide ministry which will unfold after Pentecost.
  • Giving the Holy Spirit on those who had gathered on the Feast of Pentecost shows that the Holy Spirit will not be the private property of just those who will lead the infant Church. But rather, the Holy Spirit will come upon all who come to be followers of Christ, that is, the Church. As the Book of Acts unfolds, we will see evidence that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all who come to the Lord, including (even) Gentiles.
These two instances, dramatic as each of them are, allow the Church to see that the Holy Spirit is actually an integral, important, active part of the Godhead. Prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit in the two instances that we have before us, God’s people simply believed that the Spirit of God was some sort of a vague influence, a “flavor” of God’s presence (can you see that I am grasping for words here?) in much the same way that we might say that a person’s “spirit” can be discerned in a group in which the person once was involved. In such cases, we can discern a person’s “spirit” in the things that people recall about the individual and in the influences which shape the group today. But the coming of the Holy Spirit with observable signs and power lead the Church to a new understanding of just who the Holy Spirit is….granted, it will take some time (centuries, in fact) for the Church to come to fully realize the nature and the identity of the Holy Spirit within the Holy Trinity (more on that next Sunday, which is Trinity Sunday). Put another way, the Church comes to understand that the Holy Spirit is God, truly and fully God. (Again, more on that next Sunday, Trinity Sunday.)

Having come to a conclusion about whether there were two separate givings of the Spirit, and having come to a reasonable conclusion that there were two, separate bestowals, then let us move on to the matter of the Holy Spirit’s continual descending on the Body of Christ, that is, the Church.

The seeds of an understanding that the Holy Spirit will come upon all believers lies in the pages of the Book of Acts. Its pages are filled with accounts of the coming of the Holy Spirit….we’ve already mentioned the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence within the Gentiles, such as the Roman centurion Cornelius (see Acts, chapter ten).

The Holy Spirit comes, again and again. The coming is often marked in the Book of Acts with the giving of the ability to speak in unknown languages, called “tongues” (the Greek term for this is glassalalia). But there are other signs, as well, such as the ability to heal, or to foretell future events.

So the Holy Spirit comes, again and again.

The Holy Spirit comes upon us, as well, today. He comes at our baptisms, giving by His presence and insights the ability to grasp the mysteries of God, leading us into all truth, confirming our understandings of the coming of Jesus Christ, and of God the Father, from whom the Lord Jesus Christ comes.

Time and again in our lives, the Holy Spirit comes, if we will simply allow Him to do so. He comes, providing confirmation of the truths of God, while allowing us to see the fallacy of other beliefs we might hold. He comes, energizing us for ministry in Christ’s name. He comes, bringing the truths of the Gospel to life, so that those truths can come alive for a new generation of believers.

So, come Holy Spirit, come, and lighten with celestial fire.

AMEN.

Sunday, June 05, 2011

7 Easter, Year A

Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1–10, 33–36; I Peter 4:12–14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11
A homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, June 5, 2011

“LIVING IN TENSION”
(Homily text: Acts 1: 6 - 14)

We begin with a question: How good are we at living in tension?

Naturally, the first thought that might come to our minds is, “We want to get rid of all the tension we can. After all, our doctors tell us that living with too much tension can be dangerous to our health.”

That sort of tension isn’t what I have in mind.

There is another type of tension which is absolutely necessary to living the Christian life. In fact, this sort of tension actually promotes spiritual health.

This sort of tension attempts to hold two seemingly opposing things, two truths that don’t seem to belong in the same thought (much less in the same life), together.

For example (and, by the way, these are the ones we will consider together in this homily), how about holding in tension:
  • Kairos time and chronos time
  • God’s “big plan” and God’s will for us in our daily lives
So, let’s begin.

Our guide for the consideration of these two points will be our reading from Acts 1: 6 – 14.

To set the stage for the exchange between Jesus and His disciples, we need to remember that today’s account comes to us from the day of Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Luke (who is the author not only of the gospel which bears his name, but also of the Book of Acts) tells us that Jesus’ ascension took place 40 days after Easter. So, Ascension Day occurs on a Thursday every year. We celebrated that event just this past Thursday.

But the matter of timing begins our passage today: The disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” (The italics are mine, of course.) Essentially, the disciples’ question is rooted firmly in a concept of time called chronos time. The disciples want to know the day and the year (and maybe even the hour) in which this event will take place. That’s chronos time.

But Jesus’ response has to do – essentially – with kairos time. He says, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.”

If we could characterize Jesus’ response another way, we might say, “This matter is echelons above your pay-grade.” (Of course, I’m using an old Army image here.)

You see, kairos time has everything to do with God’s time. God lives outside of time as we know it, for God is the one who has seen the beginning from the end, the end from the beginning, and the middle from both. Of course, it also needs to be said that God acts within chronos time. We can see that God is active within time as we know it chiefly in the life, work, teaching, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. We can see God acting in chronos time in other ways, as well. We can see God acting in our own lives, today.

Well, if this truth about God’s time is an important one to know, then somebody please tell Harold Camping about this truth.

The problem is that, from time-to-time, someone will step forward and say (in so many words), “I know the timing of God’s plans….I’ve figured it out.” That’s what Harold Camping did in predicting that the Lord would return on May 21, 2011. Of course, he also predicted that the Lord would return in 1994. Now, he’s saying that he was wrong in his calculations, and that the actual date will be October 21st of this year.

Such prognostications stem from the same desire to know everything about God’s plans. It is the same desire that the disciples pose to Jesus as they say, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” “When” is the operative word here “When will you work in time as we know it,” is a good way to rephrase the question and the concern.

Now here comes the healthy tension that we as mature Christians are called to live into. We are called to:
  • Affirm as true the understanding that the Lord will return someday, that God the Father has a great, big plan. We affirm this truth in the words of the Nicene Creed, which we will say together in a few minutes. This truth is heard in the words of the two men who appeared next to the band of disciples, saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
  • Recognizing that this truth will take place sometime in chronos time, we are not to be concerned about the exact date and the exact manner of its occurrence. I think that’s the gist of what Jesus wants us to know as we consider His response, “It is not for you to know…”
So, that’s God’s “big plan”, if you will. God knows the timing and the manner of the fulfillment of His plan. We can affirm that, allowing God to be God, and keeping in mind the possibility that His plans for us and for the world could actually take place today, even as we are not to know the exact time.

There’s a healthy tension in this understanding, which seeks to keep in view God’s big plan and yet, our not knowing the details of that plan.

Which brings us to the second point with which we began: How do God’s “big plan” and His plans for our daily lives come together?

For the answer to that question, we return to our text from Acts this morning.

Jesus continues His comment about not knowing the times or seasons by telling the disciples that they are to remain in the city of Jerusalem until they have received power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.

The purpose of the giving of this power of the Holy Spirit is so that these disciples can be Jesus’ witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Now this instruction has everything to do with God’s “big plan” and also His plan for our lives.

Put another way, God seems to be telling those original disciples (and us) “You have work to do!”

God’s big plan is going to be worked out in time, our earthly time, and in our world. Jesus’ disciples will be the agents of God’s plan, witnessing to what they have seen and heard in Jesus’ work and teaching to the ends of the earth.

The work given to these original disciples is also given to us today. We are called to be witnesses to what the Lord has done in our midst.

We do so (if I may repeat myself), focusing on the work at hand, the daily work God gives us to do, ever mindful that we are a small part of God’s great, big plan.

So here we have another sort of very healthy spiritual tension.

May God enable us, through the power of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, to live into the tension of being able to affirm the truth of God’s plans for the world, and our place in those plans.

AMEN.