Giving Lent a Bit of a Polish: a Short Homily for the Last Sunday after Epiphany—with Reference to Ex 34:29–35; 2 Cor 3:12– 4:2; Lk 9:28–43

Jesus with a changed face in dazzling white in our gospel reading. Notice what he was doing when it happened—praying (Lk 9.29). Then there was glory as Moses and Elijah appeared (Lk 9.31). Peter and others went from “weighed down with sleep” to awake (Lk 9.32) and seeing the glory of Jesus himself, alone (Lk 9.36). Want to see Jesus and his glory? Wake up and pray.

Being weighed down with spiritual or literal sleep aren’t the only things which can keep us from seeing Jesus in his glory. Paul also tells us of a veil which can lie over our minds and which can be set aside only in Jesus (2 Cor 3.14) when we turn to him (2 Cor 3.16). It’s a veil made of a hardened mind (2 Cor 3.14) which keeps us from seeing the glory of the Lord.

What hardens minds? Jesus mentions a couple of things in verse 41 of the gospel: faithlessness and perversity. Paul writes about shameful things that we hide in the Epistle (2 Cor 4.2). Not to mention resentment, unforgiveness, sexual immorality, anger, the desire for revenge, pride, a life bereft of worship, bitterness, envy, unbelief, prayerlessness, selfishness—the list goes on. A mind-hardened veil can develop into an oppressive and spiritually suffocating and blindfold which, as Paul writes a little later in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 4, veils the gospel and blinds “the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4.3-4). That kind of veil keeps goodness out.

Then we have Moses with his shiny face, shining so bright people were afraid to go near him (Ex 34.30), so bright he thought it best to wear a veil so the people wouldn’t be alarmed at the sight of him (Ex 34.33 & 35). Why was Moses’ face so shiny? Because he’d been talking to God (Ex 34.29). Want to have a shiny face? Talk to God. It works for shining up hearts, minds and souls, too.

Lent starts Wednesday. The perfect time to work on that. Why not lift the veils in our lives and use them to give Lent a bit of a polish this year—so we can shine a bit brighter? Let me remind you of what constitutes a hardened-mind veil lifting, face shining, holy Lent.

Self-Examination

How shiny is the face I present to Jesus and the people around me? How shiny is my heart and mind and soul with the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus (2 Cor 4.4). How much of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ am I reflecting? (2 Cor 4.6)

Penitence

Are there any sinful behaviours I need to bring into the light of confession and repentance this Lent? I know how good I can be at my heart and mind hardened dance of the seven veils to avoid being honest about my sin.

Fasting

To give my depending on the Lord a bit of a polish. Am I trying to find glory in what I eat or consume? Or is my consumption weighing me down with spiritual sleep? Fasting pushes the reset button.

Almsgiving

Who needs some extra shine in their lives? There are many, many people who are living in the veiled shadows of poverty and need. A generous Lenten gift from someone like you or me could shine with the glory of the Lord in someone’s poverty veiled heart?

Reading and Meditating on the Word of God

Do something systematic this Lent. The Bible wakes us up. It turns us to Jesus. It softens minds and hearts and lifts veils. When we read the Bible we are hearing God’s very voice. Such hearing makes us shine. (If need to remind yourself of that list. It's on page 282 of the BAS.)

Want to get out from behind the veil and see the glory of the Lord? Want to shine as you are transformed from one glory to another? Wake up, observe a Holy Lent, talk to God in prayer and turn to Jesus (1 Cor 3.16). Then, as our minds and faces are unveiled, we get to see the glory of the Lord himself as we are being transformed “from one degree of glory to another. This comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (1 Cor 3.18)

And we will see the face of Jesus.

Oh, Yes You Can!—An Homily for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany with reference to Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 4:21-30

(It can also be heard here.) 

Annual meeting of parishioners (AMoP) tomorrow so I’m thinking of who The Lord is calling us to be, where we’re being called to go and what we’re being called to do in 2013. 

Today’s readings remind me of two things that might prevent us from making the most of that. 

The first we find in our OT reading from Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV), The Lord says to “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Called to prophet duties. But Jeremiah said 1:6–10 (ESV) “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 

We are all called to duty. Ah, Lord God! No, I can’t, I don’t know how to do that. I am only a…fill in the blank. Only a guy, a woman, I don’t understand the Bible, my parents abused me, I can’t speak in tongues, people don’t get healed when I pray for them, I’m only an Anglican—the list goes on. 

And God replies: “Oh, yes, you can!” 

It’s not what we can do, it’s how we do it that matters. The how is love; with patience, kindness, rejoicing with the truth; and without envy, boasting, arrogance, rudeness, insisting on my own way, being irritable or resentful, or rejoicing at wrongdoing. 

And just as God said, “Oh, yes, you can,” to Jeremiah (1:7–10 ESV) The Lord says to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’ or an Anglican, or a senior, or a spiritual lightweight for to all to whom I send you, you can go, if you’re prepared to love them, and whatever I command you, you can speak, if you’re prepared to love them. 

You may not have prophetic powers, or understand mysteries, or speak in tongues, or whatever; but you can all love. Boys, girls, women, men, young and old. So can I. You and I can all decide to grow up, give up our childish ways (v11) and love. Yes, we can. 

The second way we can miss out on making the most of what God has to offer and limit what Jesus can do, is in our gospel this morning. 

Luke 4:24 (ESV) And Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

Mark’s version of the story has some more detail: Mark 6:2–6 (ESV) And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

They experienced Jesus as just another guy in the town and a member of just another family with brothers and sisters like everyone else. How could Jesus be any different. How could he be “better” than us? Who does he think he is! Who is he to suggest that we’re the problem? So they said, “No, you can’t” to Jesus. 

I can slide into a similar attitude. My experience of Jesus can become a routine, domesticated, liturgical thing. Jesus can become a pretty stained glass image, a familiar character in a story. Safe. Comfortable. I no longer expect or believe that he might want to, or can, intervene in my life. Then I hear Jesus saying something that disturbs us, that might mean I have to change, I take offense, and I say, “No, you can’t,” to Jesus. So he doesn’t.

Or, in faith, I can choose not to take offense. I can choose to believe that he can and invite him to do so whenever he wants. I can say, “Yes, Jesus, you can.” So can you. And I can hope that he will. So can you. 

1 Corinthians 13:13–14:1 (ESV) So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Paul goes on, just beyond our reading: 

1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 

The greatest of all is love. Pursue love. Without love we gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). It never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8). 

Love is God, the Father, saying, “Yes, you can” to you and me. Love invites us to say, “Yes, you can, too, Jesus, please do,” in 2013.

On Being an Epiphany Light Emitting Disciple (LED)

As I was about to pray the prayer of Thanksgiving and Consecration in our early service yesterday, the light theme which shines through Epiphany somehow brought LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) to mind. Quick as a flash, the thought popped into my mind that we need to be Light Emitting Disciples to make Jesus manifest to the world around us. This all in the pause between the Comfortable Words and the Thanksgiving and Consecration.

LEDs are all the rage these days. Most of the Christmas lights are LEDs now (where did all the incandescents go? Where all the IBM Selectrics and CRT computer monitors went, I guess). The thing about LEDs is that they are energy efficient.

Three ways to become energy efficient Epiphany LEDs:

1. make sure our connection to the power source is secure (worship and devotional life)


2. keep our lenses clean (confession and repentance)


3. shine brightly (generosity, good words and works for Jesus' sake)

The only trouble with the analogy is that Light Emitting Diodes are cold. Light Emitting Disciples must be warm.

An Epiphany Manifest-O

Today we celebrate Jesus being “made manifest” to the Gentiles. In other words, Jesus was shown very clearly to be who He was to the Magi. They were the first non-Jews to be so shown.

I am a follower of Jesus because many people made Him evident to me by showing me what He is like and by demonstrating His goodness. My job is to do the same for the benefit of others. I am to do my best to make Jesus manifest in my life so He will be revealed to others.

How else is Jesus being made manifest these days? Here are some ways which bless me especially.

He is manifest in our worship Sunday after Sunday at St Barnabas. He appears in our music, in the Scriptures read out loud, in my dear brothers and sisters gathered and, most of all, in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

He is manifest in my wife and children.

He is manifest in brother and sister clergy.

He is manifest in Anglican Essentials Canada (http://www.anglicanessentials.org/).

He is manifest in New Wine (http://www.new-wine.org/).

He is manifest in our diocesan Cursillo (http://www.cursillo.ab.ca/) movement and in Teens Encounter Christ (http://www.tec.ab.ca/).

Each of those experiences, relationships and organizations have helped to make Jesus clearer to me.

2 comments:

KJB said...

Could you expand upon the "He is manifest in my wife and children" part?

Sat Jan 07, 12:16:00 PM MST 

Gene said...

I believe Jesus reveals himself to me in the blessings I receive from my wife and children. He loves me through them.

Wed Jan 11, 04:02:00 PM MST