Epiphany 2014: God's Answer

Epiphany Sermon 

January 5, 2014

Fr. Philip Eberhart

God's Answer

(click above for Audio)

Happy New Year!  Tomorrow, Jan 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany - the icon of which is the visit to the manger of the Magi - the three wise men.  It marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas and moves us into the season of Epiphany.  The Season of Light -- of revelation - the revelation of Christ, specifically to the Gentiles - the non-Jews.  Those who Paul, in the previous chapter of Ephesians, said were ..."without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world."   That is a pretty good description of all of us in our BC life.

So Epiphany is the celebration of OUR coming to Christ and of the fact that this message is meant for the entire world!

I want to consider that in the light of Paul's letter this morning:   God's Answer to the problem of sin and rebellion in mankind - and our subsequent part in that Answer - as The Church of Jesus Christ.  God started answering before the question was asked - and God continues to answer today - January 5, 2014.

Turn back to the Epistle reading this morning, as Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, remarks about his calling and gifting from God, the Holy Spirit, to be who and what he was - AFTER he got knocked off his horse, blinded and ... well ... after God got his attention!  Paul went through a direct revelation of Jesus, on the road to Damascus, in the ministry of Ananias in Damascus and in Arabia in the subsequent three years.  We know little about that time, but I am sure that it was a very intimate time with the presence of Jesus - what the disciples had with Jesus in person, Paul had with Jesus in Spirit!  Literally, in and by the Spirit of God.  The difference was that the disciples got 40 days of time with Jesus "after the scales fell from their eyes," after the resurrection of our Lord - Paul had three years with Jesus, by His Spirit, after the scales fell off in Damascus.  Ever wonder why Paul is the author of almost 2/3 of the NT.  Jesus had a graduate student!  A PhD student, if you will.  His name was Saul of Tarsus!  Now Paul.  

Paul was a Jew of the diaspora - the dispersion.  He was born and grew up as a Jew in the Gentile world, in Tarsus.  Tarsus was in Cilicia, one of its main cities, a place of great learning on par with even Athens and Alexandria.  In modern day Turkey, Tarsus was the birthplace of Paul, but he did his "graduate work" in Jerusalem, at the feet of the great Jewish teacher, Gamaliel.  In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul lays out his pedigree as a Jew.  He called it "reasons for confidence in the flesh..."

Circumcised on the eighth day...

Of the stock of Israel...

Of the tribe of Benjamin...

A Hebrew of the Hebrews...

A Religious lawyer or Pharisee...

Zealous for his religion, so much so that he actively persecuted the Church.

Blameless, according to the righteousness that is in the Law !!

A pretty good pedigree for a Jew of the Diaspora.  But God had other plans.

After Saul was knocked from his horse on the road to Damascus, God spoke to Ananias, a believer in Damascus:

"Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

With that in mind - and the following three years of personal tutoring that he had in Arabia (cf Gal 1:15-19) - Paul begins his missionary activity as Apostle to the Gentiles.  He is a fascinating study.

Jump to the end of his ministry - during his imprisonment in Rome and before his death.  He is writing to the churches he has founded and where he spend a great deal of time, in the city and region of Ephesus.  This letter is, among his pastoral letters, one of the most precise summations of his faith in the gospel and its power for salvation - of what he refers to as the MYSTERY.

A mystery that he names in these verses:  that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

God's plan through the ages was to include all mankind in the redemption that came through the Jewish people;  from the first covenant spoken to Abraham, the purpose was that the whole world would be blessed through him!  That all of us would have "access" to the presence of God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.  And this is the message of Epiphany in the church!

As Paul described us in the second chapter, I mentioned before:  "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world."  But Paul follows this statement with one of his great two-word U-turns!!  BUT NOW...  [like THEREFORE, whenever you see "BUT NOW" you had better pay attention!]

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:13)  

Friends, the "mystery" is that this was God's plan from the very beginning!  Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was intended to be the savior of the whole world - he was "slain from before the foundation of the world."  Paul talks about this over and over and over in his letters.  He ends one section that is perhaps the longest consideration of this in Romans 11 with these words:

"For just as you [Gentiles] once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,

so these [Jews]  also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all."

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!"

Now, turn back with me to the reading from Ephesians for today:  

Ephesians 3:1-12

I want to pick up some of these phrases from Paul that recur and then turn to one final consideration.

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

So what have we heard already:

Paul's work among the Gentiles was by Commission of Jesus Christ, personally -- The Commission of God's Grace

That, "the mystery was made known to me by revelation" - reference Acts and Galatians.

That this is the MYSTERY OF CHRIST:  that the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ through the Gospel.

Paul then goes back and restates these points again from a different perspective:

The gift of God's grace (Paul's commission) that was given me by the working of His power (in revelation by the Spirit)!   (reference Acts 9 and following)

Though I am least, this grace was... to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ  AND TO

make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;

Now some more PAY ATTENTION WORDS:   SO THAT...  (THEREFORE ....;   BUT NOW.... !)  PAY ATTENTION HERE!!!

So that... now what are the next three words?  This is a test!

THROUGH THE CHURCH

Did you hear that?   Say it aloud:   Through the church...    again:  Through the church ...       one more time:  Through the church!

Let me finish the sentence:

through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 

in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Here friends, is our part!  

We are to manifest ... to show the "wisdom of God in its rich variety"  - look around you this morning ...

you are looking at those who show "The wisdom of God in its rich variety"  

And to whom do we show it - this wisdom - "to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."

And how do we show it to them?   Does anyone have an actual bible open?  What is the next word beyond our reading?

Anyone?

THEREFORE!

What we have just heard is the setting - the preamble if you will - to the great Apostolic pastoral prayer of Paul for the church in the last half of this chapter

He prays for their (and by extension, our) life in Christ:

"for this reason I bow my knees...  

    [praying for] strength in your inner man, through the power of the Spirit ... so that ... 

      Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ... 

          you may be rooted and grounded in love ...  

               comprehending the breadth and length, 

                             the height and depth of God's love ...

                    to know (by experience) Christ's love ...

                         to be filled up with all the fullness of God!"

This is how the whole world - including the principalities and powers of the air - will know of the "wisdom of God in its

rich variety!"   Through us, my friends.  Through the church.  look around you.  and say, "Amen!"

Let's pray -

Father, for this reason we bow our knees before you, echoing Paul's prayer for us:

Give us strength in our inner man, through the power of your Spirit so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to subsequently be rooted down and grounded in your love, so that we may come to comprehend its

breadth and length, its height and depth - to come to know your love in our experience, day to day, and finally, may we come

to be filled up with all the fullness of God!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or even imagine.  By His mighty power that is at work within us... To Him be glory in the church.   

That's in you and me, friends.  And in our community and fellowship, our corporate witness and life together.  

Glory in the Church - from generation to generation, for all time.  Amen.

Welcome to 2014!

State of the Flock - Feb 2013

State of the Flock
February 3, 2013
Fr. Philip Eberhart

(Audio Podcast)

 

Each year we spend this Sunday looking back at the past year and ahead at what we think the future holds. Last year at this time we were embroiled in events on the international stage that bore fruit all the way down to our parish. I spent an inordinate amount of time and money attending events and listening to Bishops and Archbishops as they rehearsed the events of 2011 and their aftermath. What we have been left with is a divided Anglican witness in America - the land where we can least afford such a thing.

For us at Rez it meant a lateral move of jurisdiction from the Anglican Mission in the Americas into the Anglican Church in North America, and the International Diocese. Through the careful approach that was taken and through your great patience with an almost year-long process, we have come through virtually unscathed in our affiliations and in our relationships. We are still closely related to our friends in Rwanda, though not jurisdictionally. We are related by choice and by relationship, as we are with our other mission partners around the world.

Our change to the International Diocese and Bishop Bill Atwood is one that is well matched with our commitment and investment in relationships around the globe. Bishop Bill has been a key figure in connecting the Communion together through relationships and communication for nearly three decades.  Because of his priority for relational ministry, Bishop Bill was understanding that in this transition year we wanted to be careful to honor and maintain our friendship and honor for Bishop Sandy Greene as well. Though the days of official visitations from Bishop Sandy are over we continue to be in good relationship with him and his wife, Gigi. In fact, we will have a special evening and service to honor them this month, on the evening of the 20th as we gather with many from Colorado to pray for and bless them in this new season of ministry. Put that on your calendar for Wednesday, Feb. 20 @ 7 pm.

And of course, as you know, Bishop Sandy and Gigi will be present and he will preside at our daughter Aly's wedding this fall on Sept 21.

This past year has been a momentous -- even a tumultuous one, but God has brought us through intact and looking forward to 2013 and beyond. We are not without our challenges as things have gotten tighter financially, largely as a result of some significant retirements and relocations this past year. An already tight budget, got tighter and layoffs and cuts were needed to balance for this year. We will hear more on that in our next hour. We had high hopes for national changes this fall that did not come to pass, and many are reassessing their finances these days and the church and nonprofit sector are suffering greatly all across this country. We are not alone by any stretch of the imagination. Though that doesn't make it much easier, it always serves to remind us of Who our supply is and that reliance on God is what we are all about here.

That being said, we continue to look forward to the days ahead and to expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven through our little outpost here at Resurrection. Despite the difficulties of our times we press on to obtain, as the Apostle Paul said it, the "prize of the high calling, for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus!" Though we have seen some setbacks this year we are also experiencing a season of unshakable peace and of His presence in the midst of our worship and fellowship. According to our prayers, God is answering with open doors of opportunity for ministry and with the grace of new faces in our midst, all of whom we welcome with open arms and hearts, not because they are the answer to our problems, but because they are the answer to our prayers.

Earlier last year we were reminded of the words in scripture that tell us, "You have not because you ask not.".  And so we have been asking; asking God, the Lord of the Church to send us new faces. I and the intercessors are asking for a specific number and we are seeing the first fruits of those prayers answered. Our growth isn't exponential, yet, but we know and trust that growth comes from the Lord and that it is in His time and in His way.

We continue to be impressed and to have the words of Acts 2:42 and the verses following it as a guide for our life together. The model of the post-Pentecost community is one that we see holding great value for us, as a parish and as we look for the move and presence of God in the wider Body of Christ and in the world around us. The four marks or markers of that first community were 1) faithfulness and devotion to Apostolic teaching, that is, the Bible as the Word of God; 2) an intentionally deep, daily sharing of common life; 3) the priority of the Lord's Table in our midst and by extension, His hospitality in and through our own lives and homes; and finally, 4) a commitment to prayer. These are the marks of measurement by which we evaluate our life here at Rez; through which we view and by which we structure our priorities for program and action.

Our vision is one of connection. Connecting people to God through a vital, daily, authentic and personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit is our utmost priority. Connecting people into the present and powerful Kingdom of Heaven here on earth is next - the family of all God's People, next door and around the world. And all this happens, not through an outstanding worship team or pianist, though they are and they are important! It's not through a dedicated staff and leadership team, which we have; it's not even through a good-looking, charismatic, and nearly famous, humble parish priest! No!

All of this happens through you: a loving, biblically-rooted, Anglican community, prayerfully listening with willingness of heart and mind, living in availability to daily opportunities and walking in obedience to His direction, in your homes and lives, in your workplaces, across S. Metro Denver and out from here to the ends of the earth.

Friends, our priorities remain clear and unchanged, through all the changes and chances of our life in these United States and in these times that we live in. We are the People of God and as such we are called to be the light in an ever darkening world. The light never complains about the darkness, it simply dispells it by being The Light! The problems we see around us are not new or even different these days than what has been faced by every generation of God's People - we have always been and must always be fully reliant on God, and as Jesus expressed, unwilling that any should perish without Him. This is the heart of our desire and the desire of our heart at Rez.

This morning I invite you anew into the adventure - the adventure of following Jesus. Let Him be on the front seat of your tandem bike. Let Him be the pilot, instead of the co-pilot. God has an incredible adventure for you, and for all of us together at Rez and in the Body of Christ in the days ahead. Hold on tight, and fasten your seat belt. You haven't seen anything yet!

Amen and amen.
Epiphany 2013