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Having Faith in the Kingdon of God

Sunday, November 20th, 2016

Christ the King

2 Sam 5: 1-3; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43

By Deacon Larry Brockman

It’s all about Faith!  And speaking of faith, how about the depth of Faith that the good thief had?    Here’s a man, guilty by his own admission, hanging on the Cross next to Jesus.  This man recognizes that Jesus is innocent of any wrongdoing.  That was probably fairly obvious just by listening to the trumped up charges and the distortion of the truth that the authorities used to convict Jesus.  The good thief was most likely a shrewd man who could size a situation up quickly.  He could read between the lines and discern the truth.  

But what couldn’t have been obvious to him was that Jesus was the Son of God and even shared in God’s divinity.  That certainly wasn’t obvious for a thief hanging on a cross next to Jesus.  Just what was it that gave this man his insight; his faith?    And look at how strong this man’s faith was.  First, he chastises the cynical thief for a lack of fear of God.  Why?  Certainly the cynical thief didn’t fear God; and indeed, probably didn’t even believe in God.  But the good thief senses that the man has seriously sinned in not fearing God.  What gave him that fear of God, that insight.  Then he boldly asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his Kingdom.  How could he have known that?  Just what gave the good thief the inspiration to both fear God and to recognize Jesus as a God and King? 

Contrast this scene with the one in the first reading.  David had led the Israelites into battle; had fearlessly shown good example in battle himself; and had won victory after victory for the Israelites, returning the army safely home.  Everyone recognized him as the one they wanted for King.  He was a leader; he had delivered for them; he was the archetype of what the Jews expected for a Messiah. 

But Jesus failed those kinds of tests.  He was not winning battles; rather, he had been captured, humiliated, and put to death.  And He was not doing the kind of thing that he was famous for- working miracles.  The cynics believed it was all a hoax all along- hence the ridicule from the sneering rulers.   

Of course, we can only speculate what converted the good thief.  But I suspect it was the same thing that converted the disciples that followed Jesus.  Jesus was a herald of the good news; of a new covenant with God.  Jesus was fundamentally different.  He was a herald in word and deed; the premier personal example for all to see.  Those who were blessed with contact with him just sensed the difference between Jesus and other people.  It was the way he looked at you; the kindness in his eyes; his body language; the conviction of his message; the truth exposed; and yes, even the way he responded and carried himself during his passion.  Likely the good thief had unwittingly been a witness to much of the trial and Jesus’ journey to the cross.  There was just something about it all that rang true.  And so, he believed, he really believed.  Jesus could look into his heart and see that; so Jesus pardons the good thief right then and there, and tells him he will be in Paradise “this day” with him.   Wow! 

All of us have the same choice that the two thieves on the cross had.  We can respond as cynics, children of the ways of the world.  The message of the Gospel is just too much for the cynics;  they are untrusting; unwilling to sacrifice their own self-interests; impatient with God’s plan and speed.  If we act this way, we are like the bad thief.

Or we can respond with faith to the word of God.  While Jesus way seems contrary to the ways and wisdom of the world, it has a ring of truth to it that promises true happiness in an everlasting Kingdom.  And so, we seek God’s will for us; become trusting and patient with God’s pace; and hope for the promised Kingdom. 

That is the good thief’s response- firm Faith in Christ the King and everlasting life in the Kingdom of God.

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God Loves Even Those Who Are Lost

Sunday, October 30th, 2016

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 11:22 – 12:2; 2 Thes 1:11 – 2:2; Lk 19: 1-10

By Deacon Larry Brockman

Isn’t it wonderful how much God loves us!    Listen again to these words from Wisdom:  “For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made”.  How could it be otherwise?  How could God loathe anything that He had made; else He wouldn’t have made it.  And that is such good news for all of us, because no matter how far astray we go or have gone, God still loves us; for he still loves all things He made.   

And yet, we can get lost, can’t we?  We can get very far off the right path like the prodigal son in the story a couple of weeks ago, so lost that we separate ourselves from the love of God.  And so, whether God still loves us or not, we can experience the pain of separation from God.   

It might not seem like it at first, but Zacchaeus was one of those folks who had gotten lost.  We know that Zacchaeus was a Jew from the context of the Gospel.  But Zacchaeus had elected to become a tax collector for the hated Roman establishment.  That meant he hounded his fellow citizens to collect taxes.  Not only was Zacchaeus a tax collector, but he was the chief tax collector.  That means he had to have been cunning and ruthless at some point in his career.  It had earned him the promotion and it had made him a wealthy man.  And so, Zacchaeus had become lost in the secular world and had abandoned his Jewish roots.   

But Zacchaeus was one of the lucky folks who got lost.  Because he came back; yes, Zacchaeus had a conversion in heart, maybe because of what he had heard about Jesus.    The Gospel today is full of all kinds of symbolism about Zacchaeus and his conversion.  Zacchaeus runs ahead- something considered below the dignity of a cultured citizen.  Because of his small stature, he climbs a tree, also below considered one’s dignity.  Now one Bible Commentator says that Palestinian Sycamores have long smooth trunks that are hard to climb, and would be much more difficult to climb if you were short.  So, Zacchaeus motivation for climbing the tree was not just idle curiosity.  He had abandoned proper behavior for a person of his social status; and had to work hard to get up that tree.  Zacchaeus was definitely a man who had a change of heart and was seeking to change his life.  And as the dialogue with Jesus shows, he was prepared to put his conversion of heart into practice by following the Mosaic law of 4-fold restitution for anyone he had cheated, and by promising to tithe and give half of his wealth to the poor.   

And so, what does Jesus say to Zacchaeus?  Jesus says: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost”.  Symbolically, Zacchaeus can be seen as the lost members of the faithful who have committed themselves to repent, and who are joyfully awaiting the coming of the Lord.  And when the Lord comes to him, He calls Zacchaeus to come down from the tree to serve him.   

Now in the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul prays that God will make the Thessalonians worthy of his calling to them.  He also prays that they would “powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith”. This applies to us today as well.  Today, we are being called, and we are expected to bring to fulfillment every good purpose and effort of faith.  We are being called to come down out of our trees, and in a spirit of conversion, serve the Lord and his purpose as we live our lives going forward.   

But Paul also says something else to the Thessalonians.  He says “not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.   Let no one deceive you in any way.”   

This is a day and age in which there are many false prophets; there are many persons trying to deceive us.  Let me give one example.  There are popular Preacher’s out there who predict the end of the World.  Some of them interpret the Book of Revelation by drawing parallels between current events and Revelation.  But nobody, according to Jesus, knows the time or the hour.  Yes, we have prophets and sages and government people heralding the end times in their own way.  But don’t listen to them.     

Our challenge is to be prepared for the day of the Lord at all times; but not to be anticipating it or hurrying it.  God loves us just the way we are, young or old; feeble or agile; intelligent or dumb; pretty or plain; as long as we love Him, believe in Him, and are doing his will because the Son of Man has come to save all of us.  All of us, that is, except those who choose to stay lost and abandon Him. 

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God’s Plan for Mankind

Saturday, August 27th, 2016

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29; Heb 12: 18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14: 1, 7-17

By Deacon Larry Brockman

Just what is God’s plan for mankind?  Well, today we hear about that plan straight from our readings.

Let me start by talking a little about Paul’s message in Hebrews.  It sounds quite confusing at first reading, doesn’t it, all of that talk about blazing fires and gloomy darkness and the rest of it?  But all of those references in the beginning of the reading were to the God of the Old Testament, who shrouded himself in a cloud at Mt. Zion as he revealed his commandments to Moses.  And in fact, everyone was very, very afraid.  The God of the Covenant with Israel evoked that kind of fear in order to command respect from the people.  His message was communicated to people indirectly, through messengers such as angels or prophets like Moses.  And fear off the Lord was the best way to get everyone’s attention.

Paul then goes on to tell the Christians that all of that has been replaced with something new in the New Covenant- direct access to God’s message through Jesus Christ, who lived, preached God’s message, died, was Resurrected and paved the way for the image of the new Zion- the Kingdom of God.  The image of the New Zion is our hope for the future.  Hence, we have the countless angels in a festal gathering that also includes the spirits of the just made perfect.

Guess what?  That second group is all of us who follow Jesus and do the will of God.  And so, plain and simple, that is God’s plan for mankind-  that all of us, when we finish life on this earth, enter the festal gathering in the presence of God forever and ever.  But just how can we best help to accomplish God’s plan?

Today’s Gospel is introduced as a parable about the Pharisees.  These people, the Pharisees, represent the Church.  The Pharisees invited Jesus to a banquet.  But they did it out of a social obligation rather than out of a conviction that they needed to listen to Jesus’ message.  At the end of the Gospel today, Jesus tells them not to invite friends, relatives, and the wealthy to such banquets; but rather, to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind”.  Why? Because their function as the establishment, as the teachers of Judaism, was to help all the people come to God, especially those who had lost their way.

This should sound familiar to us today because it is the same message that Pope Francis has been giving the Church.  Our Church needs to invite the poor- the poor in spirit as well as those who are of little means; the crippled- those who are broken, not just physically, but by virtue of crippled relationships or crippled values; the lame, including those who have been disenfranchised by job loss or health issues; and the blind- and in particular those blinded by today’s secular society along with all of its glitter and fast moving action.  We need to go out and invite all these people to our Church because God’s plan for salvation includes all of his people, not just those that come here faithfully week after week.  Indeed, the Church needs to go out where the people are who need God’s mercy.

Both the first reading and the first part of the Gospel carry a very strong message for all of us.  Quite simply: “Don’t disturb the plan that God has by letting our self- importance get in the way”.  Rather, these scriptures tell us how we can personally be more evangelistic in our every day lives.  First, Sirach says to humble ourselves and we will be loved more than a giver of gifts.  Indeed, whenever we interface with unbelievers, we need to send a message of love and acceptance to them, but done such that it is clear we love the person; but not necessarily the person’s behavior.  Second, Sirach says “What is too sublime for you, seek not”.  We need to accept the wisdom of the Church in areas that we are not qualified in, or for that matter, conversant in.  That’s what it means to have faith and to trust in the Lord.  When a person of faith acts with conviction, that commitment broadcasts a strong message to all of those he touches.  Both humility and trust in the Lord are great tools for us in our relationships with the unbelievers in our Lives.  Those relationships are the beginning of the path towards bringing such people into our Church.

Lastly, Jesus message in the parable addresses all of us who are invited to the banquet.  Rather than clamor for the seats up front, God will determine our place and our station in his kingdom.  If we have the humility and trust in him that Sirach teaches, then we will be invited forward at the banquet.  On the other hand, those late comers and sinners who truly repent may be invited to be seated ahead of us at the festive gathering.

God is truly a God of Mercy.  And it is his plan that all of us should be saved.  Our mission is to help God in that plan by being welcoming, kind, and humble in the presence of all of God’s people.

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The Eucharist- A Taste of What’s to Come

Sunday, May 29th, 2016

Corpus Christi

Gen 14: 18-20; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Luke 9: 11b-17

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Corpus Christi means “The Body of Christ”.

So, do you believe?  Do you really believe that The Eucharist you will receive in just a few minutes really is the body and blood of Jesus?  And why is that so important for us in our faith?

In the first reading, the ancient priest Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, blessed those gifts, and blessed Abraham and God over this basic meal.  Thus Abraham left his established home for the promised land on Faith in response to God’s original covenant promise to him.  A man whose wife was barren, who had no ancestors, was promised “salvation” for his lineage, descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens, if he listened to the Lord and left his established home.  And so he left his home on faith, and he went with God’s blessing.  Indeed, Abraham was blessed with descendants as promised.  “Salvation” had been realized.

Later on, The Lord memorialized the Passover event in which the Israelites were saved from the power of the Egyptians.  They were promised “salvation” in the form of independence and their own land.  The Passover symbolized the covenant the Lord made with Moses.  Both Bread and Wine are integral parts of the Passover celebration in which the presider blesses the bread and wine, and the blessing cup is shared amongst all the participants, memorializing and reminding them of their salvation.

Jesus used the same two fruits of the earth at the Last Supper as the Second reading describes.  Only now, the presider is not Melchizedek or Moses, but Jesus Christ himself, the perfect priest.  The bread and wine are first blessed, and then they become the body and blood of Christ.  They no longer symbolize the salvation that was promised by Jesus Christ.  Rather, they give us a taste of that salvation.  We call, this the New Covenant.  We are invited to eat this bread and wine turned Body and Blood of Christ because when we consume the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we share in the life of the Risen Lord, a life that transcends our earthly life.

Recall our Gospel acclamation today from the Gospel of John:  “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”  If we believe, really believe, that the Communion we will receive in just a few moments is the body of Christ, then we believe that we are participating in the everlasting life of the Risen Christ as our Gospel acclamation asserts.  And not only that, but we keep receiving this gift each and every time we receive Communion.  We become an integral part of the Mystical Body of Christ, and we are participating in the coming Kingdom of God.

The Church has the Sacrament of the Sick for those who are sick or close to death.  And part of the sacrament is “Viaticum”, which is the reception of Holy Communion.  “Viaticum” means “food for the road”.  And so, Viaticum can lead the recipient from this life to eternal life.  Beautiful, isn’t it?

But you know what?  After a while it all just seems so mechanical to us- the same old same old week after week.  We can lose our sense of awe, of reverence, over this holy sacrament and what it offers not because we are weak in faith, but because we are human.  And we just don’t hold on to the significance; we become dulled to its meaning just like we would become dulled to the joy of eating chocolate cake every day.  Rather, we need to remind ourselves constantly of the meaning of the sacrament and the joy it brings.

Jesus works a monumental miracle in the Gospel reading today.  First, he talks about the Kingdom of God, everlasting life with God.  Then, he gives them real, earthly, food, all 5,000 families; families mind you, not individuals; from just a few loaves and fishes.   Jesus performed this miracle to show us that everything is possible with God.  Our earthly food sustains us for a day.  But the Bread of Life sustains us for a life that lasts forever.

Today, when you receive Communion, remember that your everlasting life has already begun.  You are living with Christ.  And no matter whether you are agile or feeble in this world, the life and spirit of the almighty God is there for you in the Eucharist.  It is a taste of what is to come.  Amen.

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If Only We Had the Zeal of the Apostles!

Sunday, April 3rd, 2016

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 5: 12-16; Rev 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

Oh, that all of us could share in the zeal for the Lord that the Apostles had after the Resurrection!  What a different world it would be, indeed.

How many of you have seen the film “Risen”?  Well, it depicts how one man, one very worldly man, was converted, a career army officer, the Roman Tribune Clavius.  The movie opens with Clavius brutally leading an attack against Jewish insurgents in Israel.  In recognition for his service, Clavius was ordered by Pilate to assure that Jesus was dead, buried, and guarded.  Pilate didn’t want anything to go awry because the Jewish leaders were warning him of Jesus promise to rise from the dead.  The Jews were telling him the Apostles planned to steal the body and claim Jesus was risen.  And so, Clavius pierced Jesus side with his sword; and supervised the burial into a sealed tomb with 24 hour guards posted there.   But alas!  The guards fell asleep after a drinking spree, and the body was gone.  So, Pilate told the tribune to find the body or else.

Clavius hears stories from the guards about a bright light, stones moving away, and a risen body.  But he doesn’t buy any of it.  So he hunts for Jesus followers, the likely suspects that would have stolen the body- and finds them.  They were cowering in an upper room, hiding from the authorities for fear of arrest.  And what does Clavius also find but the risen Jesus meeting with his Apostles there.

That changes everything for Clavius.  The impossible had happened, the risen Jesus Christ and life everlasting were real!  All the stories he had heard were real.

Of course, the movie is fiction, but it teaches us all a lesson because we can all imagine that Clavius represents each one of us.  We are naturally skeptical and find the story hard to believe.  But imagine that we are a sinner like Clavius who gets to be a first-hand witness.  We would have heard and seen all that Clavius had heard and seen.  We would all have been truly converted.  We would all feel the real joy of Easter because we would all have seen the risen Christ, just as Clavius did.  Things would never, could never, be the same for us.  Our priorities in life would change.

As it is, we are all doubting Thomases deep down and Jesus words to Thomas apply to us:  “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  If we had seen, things would never be the same for us.  But as it is, we did not see; so we hold back a little; we don’t have that zeal.

The Apostles were filled with zeal because they all saw.  And so they moved out of the darkness and into the public square.  Solomon’s Portico was indeed a public place.  And they fearlessly proclaimed all that the Lord said and did.   Indeed, there were no written Gospels or Epistles as yet.  But as our Gospel today recounts, the Apostles had been given their marching orders when Jesus appeared to them and the prophecies in the Jewish scriptures had been interpreted for them.  The light had come on; they were changed people, and didn’t give a hoot what they authorities would do to them because Jesus had told them they would experience the same resurrection and life with him if they believed.  They were fearless witnesses for the Lord and it worked- they converted many people over to their side.

This Sunday we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  Jesus has promised that he will extend mercy to all who repent and believe no matter what they have done.  Even the Roman Tribune was forgiven, and his was the sword that pierced Jesus.  Our readings today deal with the “believe” part of the Divine Mercy promise. We have not seen, but we can still  believe; we can all have the same fearless faith that Jesus is asking us to embrace, a faith that Jesus Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.  We can all believe because we have heard it all from eye witnesses.  Yes, all of us who believe will be forgiven and will rise with him to a new life.  And if we really did believe and act on that.  Oh what a difference that would make!

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Take Care Not to Fall

Sunday, February 28th, 2016

Third Sunday of Lent

Ex 3:1:8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12; Luke 13: 1-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

“Whoever thinks that he is standing secure should take care not to fall”. Such is Paul’s advice to us in the second reading. Well, just how secure are we then?

Today, we hear about God the Father identifying Himself to Moses, and hence to all of God’s people. We learn than He is the God of the living and of the dead; that He is the only God. Indeed, part of our security rests in believing that there is just one God; and in putting our allegiance, our faith, in him. But that is not all there is to it.

We also hear that, our God is so holy, so almighty, and so awesome, that not even Moses and the prophets, including Abraham, could look directly at Him. God expects, and even demands, that we respect and honor him with a humble and contrite spirit, one that recognizes that life is not all about us; that God is the ultimate authority; and that it is His will that is of utmost importance. All of us need to be right with God and recognize our true self when we stand before him.

In the second reading, we hear the whole saga of the Old Testament Israeli Exodus summed up in one paragraph. God chose the Israelis as his chosen people and saved them from disaster at the hands of the Egyptians. How? Well, He protected and guided them in the shadow of his Spirit, the cloud, during the Exodus. They all emerged from the waters of Baptism, the Red Sea, as a new people, free from domination by the Egyptians. And they all ate of the one food- mana from the desert; and drank the one spiritual gift- the water from the rock at Horeb; which sustained them through the desert- a symbol of the rocky and barren spiritual environment that all of us have to weather in this secular world.

Yet, even in the very wake of these incredible deeds of salvation, the Israelis forgot the Lord and began to worship idols and to doubt God’s providence. As a result, they wandered in the desert for 40 years, and were held back from the promised land. We are told that their “sins”- that is, rejection of the salvation won for them, doubt, and their turning towards the world- are written down for us as examples of what we need to avoid.

Now I suspect that all of us are guilty of the same errors as the Israelis in one way or another. All of us have learned about the Messiah Jesus Christ, and have heard the good news, the Gospel, about how he suffered death because he was obedient to the will of His Father; and how he was resurrected and lives now forever with His father in the kingdom of God. In addition, He left the church to us to pass on His story, and to offer all of us everlasting life if we believe in Him and follow God’s will for us, just as He accepted God’s will for Him in this life.

But despite all of what we have heard and all of what we have professed that we believe, we drift away from God’s will for us from time to time. Temptations, preoccupations with our own condition, desires for things of this world, and laziness, are just some of the symptoms that keep us from listening to and doing God’s will for us. And so, the warning from Paul not to be complacent: “Whoever thinks that he is standing secure should take care not to fall”, also applies to us.

In our Gospel, Jesus tells us that we are all called to repent, that is, to change; otherwise, we will perish as others did. Notice that the Gospel story makes it clear that people are not singled out by God for retribution.  Hence the tower of Siloam did not fall on the guilty, nor were the folks slaughtered by the Romans singled out for their sin. Rather, Jesus tells the people that one cannot know the time and place that we will be called to account by God.

The parable of the fig tree sums up how God will deal with us. Jesus’s mission in Israel was 3 years long, just as the fig tree had been given 3 years to bear fruit. Neither the Israeli leaders nor the fig tree had responded. But Jesus says that God is merciful, and will give everyone an extra “year” to bear fruit. Yes, all of us will be given time after we hear the message to repent. That “year” might end tonight, tomorrow, next year, ten years from now, or whatever. But the point is that we all still have time to repent, to change.

Lent is our opportunity to reflect and change. Use the time wisely.

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How Wonderful We All Are in God’s Eyes!

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 1: 4-5, 17-19; 1 Cor 12: 31- 13: 13; Luke 4: 21-30

Dc. Larry Brockman

Isn’t it wonderful!  Isn’t it wonderful how unique and special each one of us is? In fact, I get excited every time I hear the words of the first reading.  “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you”.    Because, isn’t it exciting that each one of us is known to almighty God, even the least of us by world’s standards?

In today’s world, “the least” include all the disadvantaged of the world- the young, the old, the poor, and the handicapped.  And if we are honest with ourselves, that’s all of us at one time or another in our lives.  But yes, God takes a special interest in each one of us.  We were made in his image and likeness, and formed by God in our mother’s womb to be just exactly the person we are!

Now the reading also says that we were dedicated, and appointed as a prophet to the nations.  That is exciting too, because it says that each one of us has a Mission.  Yes, God has dedicated each of us to a Mission, our own specific Mission.  I think that we all lose sight of that fact by becoming embroiled in the things of this world- including the joys, the pains, and the distractions.

So, just what is or was our Mission?  Well, we were born into a particular family at a particular time in history.  Another way of saying that is that now is our time; and that we are charged to bloom where we were planted.  When we get older, we can sometimes see how that Mission unfolded.  We can see the fruits of our labor; we can see the family tree for which we are the roots; and we can see how good many of our experiences were.  We can even see how we have benefited from our mistakes because those were learning experiences.  And all well-meaning people take away a resolve to do better from their mistakes, particularly if we are sorry and have resolved to change.

You see, God is relentless in his pursuit of us.  He coaches us at every fork in the road to return to His favor.  But more often than not, we cannot see how all our lives fit into God’s overall plan.  In other words, we just can’t see how we fulfill our roles as “appointed prophets”?

Many of you probably watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” over Christmas.  It’s a great way to see how a seemingly common, yet well meaning, man’s life influences others for the good.  Just like the Jimmy Stewart character, each of us has blessed other people’s lives; fulfilling God’s appointed mission for us in some ways that we often-times cannot even begin to imagine.

Rather than seeing our value, we are focused on how we haven’t succeeded at this desire or that want; or how we weren’t given this gift or that gift, usually some “thing”; or how we are limited by time and age in what we can do; or how others have fared better in the World’s eyes than us.

In the second reading, St. Paul explains that each of us should   “Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.”  Indeed, that is the way that each of us can discern God’s plan for us, our Mission, present and past.  Paul goes on to list them:  faith, understanding, knowledge of the Lord, the gift of prophecy, and others.  But he prefaces this list with the words:  “But I shall show you a still more excellent way”.  And so, as he lists the spiritual gifts we should all seek, he makes it clear that the gift that eclipses all of them is Love.  If we love one another in all of our contacts with one another, then we cannot go wrong- ever- in fulfilling God’s Mission for us.

And the love Paul speaks of is:  “Love is Patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth”.  And that kind of love for others is often hard for us.  But it is the way all of us hope God will treat us.  And so, it is the way all of us should treat others.

As background for this Gospel, recognize that Jesus has just been Baptized   And has spent 40 days in the desert using spiritual gifts to discern his mission.  Very confidently, he reads from Isaiah the prophecy of a savior; and boldly proclaims that the reading has been fulfilled in him.  Jesus certainly did what Paul recommended.  He loved all that he came in contact with.

We need not search for our Mission too far.  It is hard, but it is ultimately very simple.  We need to rejoice because the time and place we have been given in life is God’s gift to us.  We need to embrace the challenges of our lives, and to love all those placed in our lives by God.  That’s recognizing how wonderful we really are in God’s eyes; that’s blooming where we are planted.  And we will reap the rewards of our love for others, which is a form of Loving God, by experiencing the everlasting love of God in the Kingdom of God.

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Oh, What a Wedding!

Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

Westminster Tower Wednesday Service

John 2: 1-12

Dc. Larry Brockman

So, the Christmas Season is all over!  Our joy is complete.  The Lord has come.  Well, not quite.  Let me explain.

We celebrate the coming of Jesus during the Christmas Season.  And we celebrate Christmas for 12 days until the Epiphany because the Epiphany commemorates when the three Wise Men arrived from the East and gave gifts to the baby Jesus, honoring him as the newborn King.  These three wise men, or kings, represent all of Mankind.  They were not from the Chosen people, the Jews; rather, they were from diverse Gentile nations.

Now Epiphany means “Manifestation”; and so, God “manifested”, that is, showed His presence as God-made-man, to all his people through these Wise Men because God’s gift of Jesus was meant for all of us, not just the Jews.  So traditionally, Christmas ended with this event since the joy of Jesus Coming had been shared with everyone.

But wait, there’s more to the Epiphany than that.  You see, most Christian Churches teach that there are three elements of God’s manifestation to us.  First, the Wise Men’s coming and honoring the new born King.  Second, the Baptism of the Lord, in which Jesus accepts God’s mission for him.  And third, Jesus will to execute his mission to all Mankind.

Now I know that your Chaplain shared thoughts on the Baptism of the Lord with you last week.  Baptism is our opportunity to shed our sin, and to be reborn by water and spirit into the Church.  Yes, we arise from the waters of Baptism as new people, committed to the will of God and our Christian faith.

The Baptism of the Lord had similar significance for Jesus.  Although Jesus had no sin, he arose from the waters of His Baptism a new person as well.  He accepted his Mission from the Father to live a different life.  Rather than the life of a Carpenter in the sleepy little village of Nazareth, Jesus was reborn to a new life.  He recognized that his mission was to become the Savior of the World by following God’s detailed plan for him to preach the good news of God’s love and to proclaim to all peoples that they should repent of their old self-centered worldly lives and follow in His footsteps to do the will of God the Father, even if that meant pain and suffering and rejection by the world.

And so, Jesus was awakened to that mission at His Baptism.  And he went away in the desert for 40 days to reflect on it all and to decide what to do, and how to do it, and when to do it.

That brings us to today’s incident, the Wedding at Cana.  You see, after returning from the desert, the third element of the manifestation occurred.  Jesus now implemented his mission by “coming out”, so to speak, and revealing that he was special.  Jesus launched his ministry by performing an extraordinary miracle at Cana, by turning water into wine, 120 gallons of it.    This was a public ministry that brought salvation to us all.  And our joy as Christians is not complete without salvation.

There are a couple of things that the Gospel tells us about this “Coming Out” that we will talk about.  But first, I will share a little on the culture of a first century Jewish wedding.  Scholars tell us these wedding celebrations went on for a week.  Not only that, but wine was a key element of them.  In fact, the Aramaic word for the nuptial celebration was “Mistita”, meaning drink festival.  And if you think that’s shocking, consider this Rabbinical dictum, or saying, of the time:  “Where there is no wine, there is no joy”.  So, what a wedding that must have been!

Scholars also tell us that the bride was probably related to Mary in some way.  The Bible says Mary was there already, and that context implies she was there other than by invitation, presumably because she somehow belonged there as a relation.  We know Jesus and 5 of his disciples were invited, that is, called to the wedding, and that it took 3 days to get there, from Nazareth to Cana.  Each of the men probably brought a guest.

What this means is that Mary, Jesus, and his group of disciples represented a significant part of the wedding party’s guests.  So, presumably they were consuming a significant portion of the wine, too.  And that puts a different light on Mary’s request to Jesus, doesn’t it.

Now, did you notice that Jesus was reluctant when challenged?  He tells his Mother- “Woman, how does your concern affect me” when she mentions the wine is running short.  You know, there’s a lot in that exchange for us to ponder.  Think back on your own lives about your relationship with your parents, or with your children.  If you and your children went to a party and their friends drank all the wine, wouldn’t any good mother be concerned about what she saw happening, and say something to her child?  And what would your son say to you if you pointed that out to him?  And yet, this exchange sounds kind of sharp to us, doesn’t it?  So, what was Jesus thinking?

Well, scholars tell us that similar use of the word “woman” elsewhere in scripture actually implies that Jesus was using a formal term of respect when addressing his mother as “Woman” in public.  Additionally, they say that his response was more like “we just have a different way of looking at it” with regard to the fact the wine was gone, rather than “don’t bother me, it’s not my concern”.  In other words, it was not a rebuke or rejection, as it sounds to us.  And so we are sidetracked by this first seemingly shocking part of his response, and may not have noticed the essence of his response.  Because the real crux of his response is this:  “My hour has not yet come.”

Could it be that even after the Baptism and reflection in the desert, for 40 days that Jesus is still not sure how to handle his mission?  Is Jesus holding back on launching his public ministry?

Whether his mother sensed all this or not, we do not know.  But we do know she didn’t let the matter ride.  Rather his Mother tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you”.  Ah, yes.  Children might appear to be on a different page and not fully responsive to their parents.  But Mothers know their children and trust they will do the right thing.  “It’s the way I brought you up”, right?

Now stone vessels were not something you left around the house.  They were not fabricated out of clay, but had to be carefully hewn- they were expensive.  So, these 6 vessels had been brought in especially for this event-   And they were used to hold water, some 20 gallons of water apiece.  And this water was used for purification purposes, the “ceremonial washings” associated with the wedding.  Now, these were filled to the brim- a sign of plentitude.  And miraculously, they were turned to fine wine- 120 gallons of wine.

It strikes me that all of this symbolizes things.  First, the ceremonial washing with the water symbolizes the old way of doing things, strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament.  The water made wine prefigures the wine at the Last Supper and the New Testament.  So the new way to purity is to live the life of the Lord by consuming his flesh and blood in the Eucharist and taking on his way.  Lastly, all who partake are joined together, with Christ the Bridegroom and his people the Church, the brides.  Oh, what a wedding that symbolizes!

But for the moment, the just wine serves to meet a need for the embarrassed bride and groom.  It is pronounced by the expert to be truly exceptional wine; wine that which should have been served first.  Indeed, the New Covenant is the way, the truth, and the light.  Would that it had come earlier.

It is clear that word of this miracle would spread and spread quickly.  Indeed, the third manifestation of the Lord to us had arrived- Jesus public ministry had been accepted and begun.  The word was out; Jesus had performed a miracle.  And thus, the Church launches “Ordinary Time”, a time in which we hear of Jesus public Ministry.

Every one of us goes through a three-fold process in life to manifest our worthiness for everlasting life.  First, we are born into this world, just as the Baby Jesus was born at Christmas.  Second, we die to the things of this world and recognize that life is all about believing in God and following Jesus.  That’s what the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are all about.  And lastly, it is not enough to accept Jesus in our lives, we have got to take action.  We have got to move out and do the will of the Father.  Our joy in recognizing the path to Everlasting Life isn’t complete until we take that last step.  And each of us is confronted by obstacles along the way, just as Jesus encountered them.

First, we might recognize what God’s will is for us, but we fight it.  Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to reflect on the urgings from your heart to focus on the mission God is calling you to.  If that is the case, then the upcoming season of Lent is for you.  Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert sorting his life and mission out.  So, Lent is the perfect time to discipline yourselves to get away from it all, listen to God, and resolve to make a change, that is repent, and follow his urgings.

Or you might have a vision of what God intends for you, but you are afraid or reticent to move out.  So you waffle over when the time is right to move out.  So, be looking for those little signs that direct you to move out now.  Jesus’ mother, Mary, acted in that capacity in this story when she told Jesus about the waning wine.

For three years, virtually all of Jesus’ public life, Jesus spread a message of love- proclaiming the beatitudes, telling parables, and giving first hand examples that all people are God’s children.  Jesus’ life was a script for all of us on how to relate to one another.

And that’s what we are all called to do- to minister to the people that God has put in our lives- the difficult neighbor; the prodigal son; the selfish children; the quiet person in the corner; the noisy chatterbox in the center of the room; and your best friend who has just lost a loved one.  All of these folks are our mission.  And all of them help us to experience the ultimate joy.  That comes with the Coming of Christ, and membership as a Bride of Christ in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.  Oh, what a wedding that will be!

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Understanding the Kingdom of God

Sunday, November 22nd, 2015

Christ The King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37

Dc. Larry Brockman

A Kingdom!  It’s not something that we can relate to in this country.  We have no “King”; in fact, our revolution occurred because we wanted to escape from domination by a King.  And so, as a result, the “Kingdom of God” may seem a little fuzzy for us.  The closest thing to a king that we can relate to is all the fuss made over other nations royalty.  We see them glorified in earthly terms and venerated.  But we have no equivalent in our society.

Yet in Biblical times, Kingdoms were the norm.  Everybody understood that a King was the absolute ruler.  All Dominion and Glory and Power belonged to the King, or Caesar or Emperor, or whatever he was called.  People understood the concept.  That is why Israel longed for the restoration of the Kingdom in Jesus’ time, because they were sickened by the corrupt and repressive domination of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.  They wanted their own Kingdom with a just ruler, like David of old.  But they could only think in terms of an earthly Kingdom

One thing we know for sure:  Heaven is the Kingdom of God.  And so, whether we are familiar and comfortable with Kingdoms or not, we need to understand the Kingdom of God and how it differs from kingdoms in this world.  All of us have been offered everlasting life in that Kingdom; none of us has been promised everlasting life in this world.  Aside from life in the Kingdom of God after our earthly life, there is only the prospect of death.

So what is the Kingdom of God like?  Well, it is not a democracy- none of us gets a vote there, as individuals, we don’t get a say about what happens.  It is not a republic either- diverse groups of people don’t matter in its governance, only the King’s will matters.  God alone will make the rules, and give the orders, and make the rewards.  And the rewards are great- joy and happiness and freedom from all pain and suffering forever. Like all Kingdoms, the head of the Kingdom of God wants loyalty and service from his subjects.  Each of us has been given the opportunity to show our loyalty and to serve the King while we live.  We are called to respond to that opportunity by accepting the Word of God, Jesus Christ, on faith.  That’s the loyalty part.  And then by living according to the word of God by following the Gospel as a way of life, and by doing the will of the Father for us.  That’s the service part.  It is on these criteria that we will be selected for the Kingdom of God or not.  Put another way, these are the basis for our judgment.

Today we hear multiple accounts of the coming of the Kingdom of God.  Notice how similar the first two accounts are.  One like the Son of Man will come, and then everything will change- life as we know it will be different, because God, and His designated Son, will reign forever- with all dominion and glory and power.  There will be no more competing kings or earthly powers; no more death and suffering.  They also establish that Jesus Christ is that King.

Now the important point today is the message that this Kingdom is coming-  It is coming for all of us.  Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.  And the Gospel makes it very clear in Jesus’ own words that his kingdom is not of this world.  Funny, isn’t it.  Because we have just spent 10 or so weeks in ordinary time on the church calendar hearing about the kingdom of God in parables and stories and other snippets from the Gospel.  We hear that the Kingdom is amongst us; that the Kingdom is a hidden treasure waiting to be found right now; and that there is joy in heaven over repentant sinners because they will share in the Kingdom.  So how can the Kingdom be amongst us and at the same time not be of this world?

Well, the joy that we all seek is the joy that is in our hearts when we know that we are in harmony with God.  Nobody can take that away from us, no matter how much mental or physical stress or pain we may be under.  If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, in other words your King, then the Kingdom of God is already there for you.

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What It Means to Be a Saint

Sunday, November 1st, 2015

All Saints Day

Rev 7: 2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3: 1-3; Mt 5: 1-12a

Dc. Larry Brockman

Good News, in fact Great News! This is our feast day. That’s right. It’s your feast day and my feast day because we are the saints that the readings today are all about.

You see, the vision that St. John describes in Revelation, the one of the countless folks with the white robes- these are the believers who survived the great period of trial. And we are those true believers- that’s why we are all gathered here, because we are the believers. And so, as the saying goes, the Kingdom of God is ours for the taking. All we have to do is believe and survive the great period of trial- the life God gave us on earth.

Now as I listen to the Gospel, I hear the great period of trial described for each of us. Because I can’t help but think that life is all about learning the lessons that each beatitude teaches.

And so, each of us must first learn we are “poor in spirit” because each of is lacking in one way or another. It is important that we recognize that- it’s the virtue of humility.

Each of us experiences losses- loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of health; and we mourn these losses. But God wants us to know that in the face of any such losses, He still loves us. And so, we will be comforted, always.

Each of us needs to learn to step back and not be too pushy at times- in other words, be meek. Life is not all about us- life is about give and take. Each of us needs to seek God’s will for us in all of the circumstances of life-. That is what it means to hunger for righteousness because righteousness is defined as harmony with God.

And everyone who hopes that God will show them mercy knows that they must show mercy to others. Jesus taught us that in the “Our Father”. We also need to be pure of heart- that is, have a clear conscience. When we do not have a clear conscience, it is God who is nudging us to make things right. Life has many ways of showing us how violence and bickering lead to disaster. That’s how we learn to be peacemakers.

But make no mistake about it. Every single one of us will be challenged at some point in our lives to stand up for what is right, and to reject what is wrong. Yes, every one of us will face some sort of persecution for our faith. It may not be like the Christians in Syria facing the ISIS threat. But it is persecution just the same: the cynical look of peer pressure to “go along or be ostracized” when we object to today’s loose morals; pressure from elected officials to “get with it” when we take a staunch respect life position; or any of a number of other things society or the government does to pressure people who hold to their convictions.

Yes, the beatitudes kind of sum up the lessons each of us faces in life. And yet, as Jesus proclaims, if we learn the lessons implied in the beatitudes, then we will have survived the great period of trial, and the Kingdom of heaven is ours.

In the second reading, we learn what the Kingdom of God will be like. We are children of God now, and we are treated as children of God. Our duty is to believe God’s word, and to act on it in love, always, even when we can’t understand everything. Then, when we pass on to the next world, we will enter the Kingdom of God; we will be part of that great multitude of folks wearing white robes.

As John so eloquently says it, we will be like Him. Indeed, God made us in his own image and likeness, so man will share in the glory of God. And there can be nothing like that!

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