An Easter Vigil Homily by St. John Chrysostom

An Easter Vigil homily of St. John Chrysostom’s:

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary from fasting?
Let them now receive their due!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their reward.

If any have come after the third hour,
let them with gratitude join in the feast!

Those who arrived after the sixth hour,
let them not doubt; for they shall not be short-changed.

Those who have tarried until the ninth hour,
let them not hesitate; but let them come too.

And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour,
even as to those who toiled from the beginning.

To one and all the Lord gives generously.
The Lord accepts the offering of every work.
The Lord honours every deed and commends their intention.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike, receive your reward.
Rich and poor, rejoice together!

Conscientious and lazy, celebrate the day!
You who have kept the fast, and you who have not,
rejoice, this day, for the table is bountifully spread!

Feast royally, for the calf is fatted.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the banquet of faith.
Enjoy the bounty of the Lord’s goodness!

Let no one grieve being poor,
for the universal reign has been revealed.

Let no one lament persistent failings,
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death,
for the death of our Saviour has set us free.
The Lord has destroyed death by enduring it.
The Lord vanquished hell when he descended into it.
The Lord put hell in turmoil even as it tasted of his flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,
“You, O Hell, were placed in turmoil when he encountering you below.”
Hell was in turmoil having been eclipsed.
Hell was in turmoil having been mocked.
Hell was in turmoil having been destroyed.
Hell was in turmoil having been abolished.
Hell was in turmoil having been made captive.

Hell grasped a corpse, and met God.
Hell seized earth, and encountered heaven.
Hell took what it saw, and was overcome by what it could not see.

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are cast down!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life is set free!
Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead.

For Christ, having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Christ be glory and power forever and ever. Amen!

ALL

Georg Frideric Handel was an absolutely brilliant composer.  Please listen to this from Messiah.  As the chorus sings, you’ll note the phrase “All we like sheep have gone astray”.  The following  phrase is “Everyone to his own way”.  The music itself vividly paints the straying ways of the LORD’s sheep (that’s us, folks).

Notice the chorus begins with the word, all. Not a single one of us human beings is exempt from being properly put in the category of wayward sheep.  To put it quite bluntly, we ALL sin. For further confirmation, see Romans 3:23 and include it along with Handel’s selection of the Isaiah 53 passage for the choral music you just heard.

ALL have strayed. ALL have sinned. To stray is to willfully take an opposing path. To sin is to do and say or not do and not say that which willfully separates us from God’s intentions for us and separates us from one another.  ALL, no exceptions of any kind. No individual in any societal stratum or demographic is exempt from the guilty mark of the strayer/sinner. Our individual AND corporate iniquity has been laid upon Jesus Messiah. Listen again to this chorus of Handel’s beginning at the 2:39 mark.

Quite interesting is the fact that the Isaiah passage of the subject chorus begins and ends with the word, all.  Do you think the LORD might be telling those of us who are prone to blame others for every sort and manner of things that we are in the wrong, too?  Our finger-pointing needs to be one-eighty’d. Clean your own house if you’re going to point out the dirt in someone else’s.

During this beginning day of the Paschal Triduum, we all would do well to reflect deeply upon what has been performed, suffered, endured, and accomplished for us ALL.  Ought to bring a tear to your eye and a bit of tension up into your shoulders.

A Call for the Church to be the Church

This blog entry from the Reverend John P. Richardson’s web outpost, The Ugley Vicar, presents all Christians with the formidable and momentous call to mind the flank in the battle in which we must be active. That is, if we really are Christ’s Church!

A snip: “‘You cannot withdraw. Under any conditions. If you go, the line is flanked. If you go, they’ll go right up the hilltop and take us in the rear. You must defend this place to the last.’”

Five-star, recommended reading. And prayerfully acting upon!!!

The Fable of the Porcupines

 

From my friend, Jeannie Harper comes this story that she came across in her reading somewhere along the line:

 

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth.

 

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

 

The moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people. Only God is perfect. Rather, if you learn to accept the imperfections in others, and respect their uniqueness, then together you will survive and thrive.

From Open Doors: Religious Liberty – (Do we have to fight for this in the U.S.?)

Ron Boyd McMilan from Open Doors writes on Religious Liberty. Brothers and sisters, this is a potent article!

“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

The Ultimate Plagiarism

Came across this quote from Myron Augsburger of Eastern Mennonite Seminary.  Take it to heart, please!

I believe in justice: but I am not a preacher of the gospel of justice, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to justice. I believe in love, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of love, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to love. I am committed to peace, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of peace, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to peace. I believe in the value of the simple life, but I am not the preacher of the simple life, but of the Gospel of Christ that calls us to the simple life. Let us beware of the ultimate plagiarism of borrowing some great concepts from Jesus then running off proclaiming these concepts and not sharing the Christ that empowers these concepts.

~ Myron Augsburger, Former President of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 1983

HHS Mandate Unacceptable

A lot of news coverage can be found on this subject. The following jump link takes you to the statement from the University of Notre Dame Law School that properly calls out the mandate for what it is – Unacceptable.

From Dr. Brian Russell’s Blog: Missional Hermeneutics

Dr. Russell on (re)Aligning with God’s 21st Century Mission:

“The itinerant nature of Jesus’ public ministry invites modern Christ followers to reflect critically on present day practices that often focus on the building of buildings, the attraction of crowds, and the preservation of existing communities. The itinerant nature of Jesus’ public ministry invites modern Christ followers to reflect critically on present day practices that often focus on the building of buildings, the attraction of crowds, and the preservation of existing communities. The itinerant nature of Jesus’ public ministry invites modern Christ followers to reflect critically on present day practices that often focus on the building of buildings, the attraction of crowds, and the preservation of existing communities.”  More here.

Renewed Thankfulness – a Healing Anniversary

Seven years ago to the day, I suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, then was in neurologic ICU for a week and rehab for about a month.  For that first week, my left side was paralyzed.

The LORD definitely and distinctly had His hand in my healing all the way through.  Here is a testimony (given at All Saints Episcopal Church in Winter Park, FL) of the unlimited  and tangible reality of His presence I gave twelve days after my release from the hospital.  Please give it a listen and share with friends, family, and others.

Now, seven years later, I reflect upon this with renewed thankfulness that I was the recipient of such overflowing grace.  To be sure, I’m still receiving it even this long after the event.  In my experience the miracle of healing leaves a permanent imprint of the presence of the LORD –  a gift of indescribable value.

Yes, God is realer than real!!!

I offer Him my rather ordinary reverence and praise for His love and care for His often wayward children!!!

AMEN!

Christmas Greetings from Le Province de L’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda

More on the AMiA situation.

Included along with communications from the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America and some personal correspondence, I sense a good deal of hope for reconciliation.