Sermon February 14, 2016 Lent 1

We are now in the season of Lent.  Last Wednesday should have marked with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads with the words, “remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.  Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate and we did not observe Ash Wednesday or Ash Thursday.  Therefore today, in addition to being the First Sunday in Lent will be Ash Sunday and we will mark it with the imposition of ashes. 

Lent is a time to put into focus not only our mortality and all that that means, but also our humanity.  We are created in the image of God and are called to live in a way that will explore and fulfill that image.  Lent is especially a time in which we can focus on the renewal of our calling to answer that call from God to become more fully a reflection of God incarnate—the image of God made flesh.  It is a time of spiritual renewal. 

One of the great prophets of Spiritual Renewal is Henri Nouwen.  He had a great connection with the L’Arch Daybreak Community in Newmarket living there in the final years of his life.  In his book entitled Out of Solitude Nouwen writes:

In solitude we become aware that our worth is not the same as our usefulness. We can learn much in this respect from the old tree in the Tao story about a carpenter and his apprentice:

A carpenter and his apprentice were walking together through a large forest. And when they came across a tall, huge, gnarled, old, beautiful oak tree, the carpenter asked his apprentice:

"Do you know why this tree is so tall, so huge, so gnarled, so old and beautiful?"  The apprentice looked at his master and said: "No . . . why?"

"Well," the carpenter said, "because it is useless. If it had been useful it would have been cut long ago and made into tables and chairs, but because it is useless it could grow so tall and so beautiful that you can sit in its shade and relax."

Nouwen goes on:

In solitude we can grow old freely without being preoccupied with our usefulness and we can offer a service which we had not planned on. To the degree that we have lost our dependencies on this world, whatever world means--father, mother, children, career, success or rewards--we can form a community of faith in which there is little to defend but much to share. Because as a community of faith, we take the world seriously but never too seriously. In such a community we can adopt a little of the mentality of Pope John, who could laugh at himself. When a highly decorated official asked him, "Holy father, how many people work in the Vatican?" he paused a moment then replied, "Oh, about half of them I suppose."

Spiritual renewal is not just a personal calling; it is a special calling of the church in the world today.  It is a renewal that is not is not based on action and activity in the outer world. 

Our culture is very good at that and the church also sees the need in our society and responds by doing things to meet the needs which are there.  However, there is another kind of renewal which is unique to the church and is something that our society is very much in need of—it is Spiritual Renewal. 

One of my callings is as a Spiritual Director.  In 2014 I completed a Spiritual Direction program offered by the Haden Institute and the Mount Carmel Centre in Niagara Falls.  In the program I learned how to help people discern where God is in their lives and how to be more aware and open to where the Holy Spirit is calling them.  For the past three years I have been working particularly with theology students at Huron University College to accompany them on their journey with God. 

The ministry of Spiritual Direction is actual not the best name for what we do.  The Spiritual Director does not actually direct the directee.  Rather a Spiritual Director is a companion on the person’s spiritual journey.  There are actually three persons in Spiritual Direction—the Director, the Directee and the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit who does the direction and shows both the Director and Directee the way in which God is working in their life.

During the Sunday’s in Lent, I propose being the Spiritual Companion for St. Anne’s and St. John’s.  Each week we will explore a different way in which we can learn to pay closer attention to how God is working in our lives and where The Holy Spirit is calling us to travel in this Lenten journey which lies ahead of us.  It is also my hope that you will find some of these ways to be meaningful for you and that you will chose to incorporate one or two of them into your lives on an ongoing basis.

I will close with the prayer I use to begin a Spiritual Direction meeting. 

Celtic Prayer for Spiritual Direction (Adapted)

Bless this time, in the name of the Three who are over us.

Bless this time, in the name of the One who guides us.

Open our eyes to see how our lives

Can reflect something of You.

Aid us in understanding Your will

With our hearts as well as our minds

Give us the wisdom to discern Your intention for us;

The strength to follow the path You prepare for us;

And Your comfort on the journey You offer to us.

Amen 

Sermon February 21, 2016 Lent 2

In my sermon last Sunday I spoke of the special calling of the church – that is a calling for a kind of renewal that is not based on action and activity in the outer world.  Our culture is very good at that and the church also sees the need in our society and responds by doing things to meet the needs which are there.  However, there is another kind of renewal which is unique to the church and is something that our society is very much in need of – it is Spiritual Renewal. 

I finished a program in Spiritual Direction in 2014 at the Mount Carmel Centre for Spirituality in Niagara Falls.  In that program I studied how to help people discern where God is in their lives and how to be more aware and open to where the Holy Spirit is calling them.  The ministry of Spiritual Direction is actual not the best name for what we are learning to do.  What the Spiritual Director does with the directee does not actually direct them.  Rather a Spiritual Director is a companion on their spiritual journey.  There are actually three persons in Spiritual Direction – the Director, the Directee and the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit who does the direction and shows both the Director and Directee the way in which God is working in their life.

During the Sunday’s in Lent, I will be a Spiritual Companion for St. Anne’s and St. John’s.  Each Sunday in Lent we are exploring a different way in which we can learn to pay closer attention to how God is working in our lives and where The Holy Spirit is calling us to travel in this Lenten journey which lies ahead of us.  It is also my hope that you will find some of these ways to be meaningful for you and that you will chose to incorporate into your lives on an ongoing basis.

As I mentioned Spiritual Direction involves listening and recognizing how God is working in your life.  A significant part of that is developing an active prayer life.  Of course God has made us as unique beings—each one of us is unique and different.  Not every form of pray will be something which resonates with each of us and a way which we will find meaningful.  Often it is a matter of finding one or two that is right for us. There are many ways of prayer and I want to begin our journey by exploring one particular way.  The one I would like to explore with you today is Lectio Divina.  Don’t be put off by the Latin name – it actually means Holy Reading. 

There are four steps in Holy Reading.  The first is to read the passage—the Lectio.  During the reading the intention is to be non-judgmental—just be open to what the passage is speaking to you.  Is there something especially in the passage that catches you attention – a phrase or a word?  Make a mental note of this.  You can use any passage from scripture or an inspirational work that is meaningful for you.  I will be using the scripture passage that we head from Philippians.

The second step is meditation—meditatio.  Here we reflect and ponder on what we have read or heard.  Remember that Mary, at the nativity pondered what she had seen and heard in her heart.  Ponder and see how Jesus is speaking to you in the passage of phrase or word that resonates with you.  Ask yourself what does this mean for my life today?  Direct it to God at work in your life. 

The third step is Responding – Oratatio.  This is a prayer—a prayer which is unique and personal to you and comes from the heart.  This may lead to response in your outer life but it is an inner response initially.  It may be surrendering your will to God – not something we do easily but something which is important if we are to follow where Jesus leads us. 

Finally there is Rest – Contemplatio.  This is resting in the presence of God.  It is a knowing that God is with you and that you are in God’s hand.  As it says in the passage from Philippians:

Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you.

Now let us have a few minutes of silence to centre ourselves and I will begin by reading the passage.  You don’t need to remember the steps – I will guide you at the beginning of each step.  

Sermon January 31, 2016

Last Sunday I gave you a preview of this week’s Gospel where Jesus is ridden out of town on a rail so to speak.  His understanding who he is—the fulfillment of scripture and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God did not sit well with the people and particularly the religious and civil authorities.  As we know, this led to Good Friday and the ultimate triumph of Easter Sunday.   As we are fallible humans and therefore accept that we cannot know with certainty God’s will how are we to proceed as Christians and the Church—the Body of Christ until his return. 

We can stand back and ask ourselves, “How could the leaders of the church and the civil authorities and the Jews not recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, the Messiah”.  But the question for us today is, “where would we have stood with those people in the Synagogue in Jesus’ home town if we had heard him proclaim that message.  I have serious doubts I would have been there to stand up for him much less defend him when the crowd wanted to throw him off the cliff to get rid of this troublesome rabbi.   How can we stand with Jesus as individuals and as the Body of Christ in the world today?

The answer is here before us this morning in the Epistle.  Paul tells us that we cannot know things for certain.  He tells us that we can only see things i.e. the truth of God, as one looking in a mirror, dimly.  As an aside, I must say that I prefer the poetry of the KJV, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known”.

The will of God does seem at times like trying to get a hold of smoke or grasping at straws.  We get a glimpse through that dark glass and we realize that it is beyond our grasp and it slips away as dreams often do when we wake up in the morning.  We realize that our will and God’s do not adhere and unfortunately no matter how hard we try we will allow our will to win. 

However, if we were to give up and leave it there we would be with Peter and the disciples who ran denied Jesus and ran away from the cross in fear and confusion.  We know that Peter and the disciples turned around and repented that understandable sin.  Fortunately Paul tells us what the answer is when we despair of ever seeing more clearly through that dark glass following Jesus and knowing the will of God.  Paul tells us that God is a God of Love.  Paul tells us that we may have earthy success and wealth and power and even lead a virtuous life but if we do not have love we have nothing:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The Beetles got it right in their song “All you Need is Love”:

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.  It's easy.  All you need is love. Love is all you need.

Well perhaps they didn’t get all of it right.  All you do need is love but it’s not easy.  Consider this; when was the last time that you wanted something for yourself that was not the best for someone else.  Or put it another way when was the last time you put the needs of someone before your own needs?  I must confess that it wasn’t that long ago for me—to be generous with myself, perhaps a few hours ago. No, John, George Paul and Ringo, it’s not easy.  But it is possible.

What we are dealing with here is sin.  As our baptismal covenant asks, “Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”  The answer is, “I will, with God’s help”.  Let‘s try that together…

It’s that simple and that hard.  We need to love God and one another as God loves us.  When, not if but when, we don’t we need to repent, to turn around and try again.  Thank God we have the forgiveness of sin that is offered to us in our baptism through Jesus Christ our saviour.   

We are going into our Vestry meeting following worship.  Let us remember to let love be the guide on all that we consider in the meeting and let the love of God direct all our decisions.  Let love be our guiding principle in all we do in St. John’s in the year following until next Vestry and in every Vestry to come. 

Amen. 

Following God's Will

 do not usually give titles to my sermons.  However, my sermon yesterday could be entitled “Following God’s Will (part 2)”.   As we do not have Jesus with us in bodily form to guide us, we cannot know with certainty what God’s will is for us and for the church as the Body of Christ.  That doesn’t mean that we should not do all we can to discern God’s will.  There are many ways which can be helpful in that goal such as reading and studying scripture daily.  This, along with daily prayer is foundational in understanding God’s will for us and for the world.  There is no shortage of other ways such as connecting with God in nature or in non-biblical inspirational writing.  Another foundational way for me is in paying attention to my dreams which I consider to be “God’s Forgotten Language” This is John Sanford’s term and the title of his book on understanding dreams as a way that God communicates with us.  

As we are each unique children of God we will have different ways of connecting and listening to God.  Some people find different forms of prayer such as contemplative prayer or centering prayer to be most meaningful.  While other finds more active forms such as walking the labyrinth to be the way they can best connect with God.  Many people find Spiritual Direction to be very helpful to them in their journey with God.  I have had a Spiritual Director for some years and that person has been very helpful in my journey.  I would invite you to explore different ways of listening to God with or without the help of a Spiritual Director.  I would be very happy to talk with any of you further about exploring how you might do this.  Blessings on your journey.