Founded on the Love of Jesus - Anything else is Just a Bad Substitute

This week I attended the Diocese of Virginia’s 215th Annual Diocesan Council, held in Reston, Virginia. The theme of this year’s council was – "The Church is One Foundation." This is such an appropriate theme as the Diocese of Virginia continues the unfortunate litigation process regarding our property with those 11 break away parishes. I was reminded at council of our need to live, worship and exist in community. At the heart of Jesus’ ministry, community was important. For Christ, not only was gathering his followers around him an essential part of his ministry, but embracing diversity was vital as well; and what a diverse group of disciples he called to service! Jesus had a band of people from all walks of life serving as his Apostles. Through his band of followers, Jesus created a microcosm and model of the Christian community. He called and welcomed a tax collector, a Zealot, ordinary fishermen and even a traitor into his community of followers. What does this say about Christianity when even those who have bad intentions are allowed into the community of faith? It tells us that we are all welcome and that God loves the sinner. God welcomes the hurt, the oppressed, the sick, the lost, the outcast and loathed people. Jesus opened the community up to us all in order to redeem us all.

Still, how quickly we forget what it means to be a Christian. How easily we forsake community for individuality. How ever so subtly we become a club of exclusiveness, rather than a community of inclusiveness. From our roots we Christians have always been a diverse bunch. The reason we live together despite our petty arguments, disagreements and differences is that we are formed in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is at the center of our lives and faith. Jesus is truly the “Sure Foundation” that bonds us together providing the common ground for us to stand and gather.

If we are to grow as a community of faith and carry the Gospel message to all nations, we need to learn to accept each other for who God created us. While it is alright to recognize and even discuss our differences, in the end it is vital to the Church Universal that we embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, laying aside the divisive need to be right or prove others wrong. There is no room for that kind of behavior in the economy of God.

“The Church is One Foundation with Jesus Christ her Lord” and she stands in magnificent beauty despite the threats of schism and sin's wicked stain. I encourage us to look at Jesus’ disciples and their diversity. I encourage us to look at the church and the diversity of her membership. I encourage us to look in the mirror and know that while we are a unique being, formed in the image of God, so are others; even those people we may not like or understand. As the Christian community we are founded on Jesus Christ our Lord, anything else is just a bad substitute.

Divine Living in a Human State of Mind

What does it mean to be fully human? What does it mean to embrace this heart, mind, body and soul that God has created? These are important questions when examining our faith. These questions remind us that we are not merely a spiritual being trapped in a bodily shell; we are reminded that our body, mind and soul are all connected and integral parts of one another; we are reminded that God is a divine artist, sculptor and creator. So what does it mean to be fully human and alive in this world?

We don’t have to look very far for the answer to these questions. Jesus is the perfect example of what it means to live life to its fullest human potential. Jesus, the Word made Flesh (the Incarnation) is fully human, yet fully divine. This is the mystery of God. Through his human nature, Jesus teaches us how to live in our mortal bodies with a rich and deep spiritual fortitude. To live a life that is fully human means to live a life that is spiritually nourishing and grounded in Christ. When our spirits are healthy, our humanity thrives despite our shortcomings, hardships and challenges. A healthy spiritual life allows us in our humanity to face life with compassion, love, forgiveness and with a fearlessness that comes from an open and vulnerable heart.

Jesus was made perfect in everyway, but he experienced the full spectrum of emotions in his humanity that we do. While Jesus lived his life without sin, that is a luxury that you and I don’t have in this life. We are sinners whose humanity is broken, divided and consumed by burdens. Yet God made us perfect. God made us in his image. God blessed us and molded us to be above all of his creatures. Christ in his humanity reminds us of the perfect nature of God; a breath of life that we once shared. But God doesn’t make junk, and despite our human fallibility we are saved through the perfection of Jesus Christ.

So what does it mean to be fully human? It simply means that we will make mistakes in this life, yet we are fully redeemed. We bear burdens, but we’re not alone. We stumble and fall, but Christ is always there to pick us up. To learn what it means to be human is to accept the diversity in which God has created in each of us, and become willing to live life on life’s terms in joyful gratitude for the rich blessing of communion with Christ and one another.

The Baptism of our Lord

Have you ever had a moment of clarity when you could see things the way they really were?
Often we live our lives caught up in the fast and furious pace of the world; robotically living from one moment to the next. Occasionally however there are those rare times when everything
seems to snap into focus. Sometimes we have these insights in prayer, sometimes in relationships, sometimes in the overlooked details of daily living. Sometimes those moments are fleeting. Sometimes those moments are life changing.

A moment of clarity is a gift from God in which we are shown the truth; a truth that causes us to look deep into our own hearts and face what we see there. Those moments of clarity often affect us in a penetrating and personal manner. They lead us to spiritual crossroads that define our lives and direction.

Jesus had such a moment of clarity. One that brought him to a crossroads in his life. Jesus went to the Jordan to be baptized. The immersion of Jesus in that dirty filthy water revealed his place, his power, and his mission. In a moment of intense clarity, as Jesus rose from beneath the waters surface, his identity was revealed by the voice of God -“This is my son in whom I am well pleased.”(You see) Jesus’ baptism gave him the verbal assurance that he was indeed God's son.
He was born of the Holy Spirit, but his baptism gave him the visible assurance that the Spirit was present with him.(The Spirit descended upon him like a dove).

Jesus baptism gave him the positive assurances he would need during his temptation
and time of ministry, his sufferings and death. But despite knowing this, the road Jesus chose to walk certainly didn't make his life any easier; nor does our baptism make the challenges we face each day any less real. People still suffer, get sick, die, and experience the unfairness of life.
Challenges are always present in this world. Our baptism reminds us that we are renewed and reconciled children of God; beloved children of the resurrection.

There is a powerful sense of security in the knowledge that our baptism unites us to a community of faith. Because of our initiation into this Christian faith, we never have to walk life's journey alone.

Jesus’ ministry began in an act of solidarity with the lost.That act of solidarity was his baptism.
His baptism marked the beginning of his Salvific mission to save us from sin and death. Jesus’ baptism foreshadowed his ministry as the “Suffering Servant.” Being counted with sinners in baptism, he would be killed at the hand of sinners. But just as Jesus rose from the waters of the Jordan, so too would he rise form the grave. By his baptism, all barriers that kept us from God’s presence were broken. Through the water of baptism,the Holy Spirit flooded into the world. There was an intense moment of clarity unloosed upon God’s creation. What was revealed in that moment of immersion and rising up out of the water was: No longer was God’s Spirit reserved for only a few chosen people. Through Jesus the Spirit would be offered to all.
Salvation was suddenly available to everyone. That is a profound revelation! That is Good News!

Have you had precious moments of clarity regarding your relationship with God?
What moments of grace have you experienced?
How have these moments changed you?
How did those moments affirm your baptism
and life as a Christian?

Ouch! When Clergy Drop the Ball

Arise; shine for the light of the Lord is upon us! I love the season of Epiphany. It is the season of renewal and hope, sparked by the healing radiance of God. The Epiphany begins with the long journey of the wise men. While our manger scenes often depict “these ‘three?’ kings of Orient Old” showing up at the stable, in reality it was much later when they arrived at the home of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus (behave yourself all of you Ricky Bobby fans! Jesus was the ‘baby Jesus’ long before the movie).

We find this beautiful story of the wise men and their westward journey early on in the Gospel of Matthew. While this is a beautiful passage and one that demonstrates to us the far reach of God’s endless light, there is also a subtle and often glossed over disturbance which subtly haunts this passage. It is not the obvious and sinister hatred of King Herod (a true narcissistic murderer and fiend); it is not his tricky and treacherous nature; nor is it the fact that the wise men went to Herod in the first place (after all, if a king is born what more logical place to go look for him than at the palace?). What bothers me most of all in this passage is the clergy - the religious leaders and authorities.

Herod discovered through the wise men’s visit that a King and Savior was born somewhere in his region. He discovered through the wise men that a Liberator and Great Councilor was somewhere out there amongst the people. He realized in his narrow, yet terribly cunning mind that any ‘King’ was a threat to his sovereign reign (even though in reality he was nothing more than a Roman puppet). So what does Herod do? Not only does he attempt to trick the wise men into leading him to the Christ child in order to kill him, but he summons the clergy as well. Herod was probably certain that these preists must know something through their daily contact with the people. And here is the rub - they all fearfully respond. Herod enlists their assistance in his wicked plan to murder Jesus, and they oblige. It is important to note that these are the same religious leaders who are reading the Scriptures and looking (awaiting and anticipating) the coming of the ‘Liberating Messiah.’ And even if Jesus is not the type of liberator that they seek, they didn’t know that at this particular moment in time; and they sell him out!

Perhaps the Clergy were enjoying the ‘good life’ at the expense of their own people? Who really knows, but the fact is they responded to Herod’s call out of fear for their own safety and security. Perhaps this is the reason that as the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, the star they were following mysteriously disappeared. They had lost their guiding light and beacon. We are told in Scripture that it was only after meeting with Herod that the star reappeared to the three kings. The star certainly never appeared to God’s own ordained leaders!

It is most unfortunate when God’s own shepherds betray their flock. It is bad enough when the clergy become consumed with the need for worldly power and greed, but it is horrific when they betray the people they are called to lead and protect into the hands of the wicked. What is so distressing is when (we) the clergy cast aside faith in God and bow to fear. Fear! Fear for personal safety; fear over the loss of a comfortable lifestyle; fear of change. As clergy, when we sell out to the world, we to lose our guiding light and holy beacon. The night becomes pitch black and we lose all sense of direction. That is an aweful and lonely place to exist.

While it is easy for us to judge the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, this is a most unfortunate pattern that has existed in the history of the church. All we have to do is look at the corruption of the clergy during the Middle Ages, or the blind eye turned by the church during World War II as Hitler attempted to execute a whole race of people. The Pope and much of the church didn’t dare make a stand against Hitler or draw attention to the awful atrocities he and his Nazi thugs were committing against the Jewish race. Out of pure fear they abandoned their faith and bowed to Hitler, betraying the trust of so many people who desperately looked to them for guidance.

The clergy in this passage did the same thing. They betrayed their beliefs and people out of fear. Their faith was nothing more than a false façade. They did absolutely nothing to intervene or take a faithful stand, even as Herod went on to slaughter all the baby boys of their people (the Holy Innocence).

When clergy drop the ball it has an awful and lingering affect on God’s people. After all, we are God’s ordained and trusted Shepherds. But despite the past, it is not our place to stand in judgement against the failures of others; for none of us are 'super-persons' or perfect without sin. We are after all only human beings who are sinners, and we all drop the ball on occasions. Thank goodness for God's redeeming grace! Therefore it is my most sincere prayer that in our day and age that corruption, power, greed nor fear will prevent us from perserving the faith and mission we are ordained to serve. It is the clergy’s mission to stand in love, holding accountable the corrupt governments of this world; to embrace our people (especially those who suffer) and stand firm in our faith - even if it means personal suffering and persecution. It is our responsibility to embrace our conviction to Christ, and become icons (living windows) to God’s liberating glory.

What would have happened if the Jewish clergy had stood up to Herod? What would have happened had the Catholic Church (as well as many other denominations) made a faithful stand against Hitler? Who knows; we certainly have no right to judge those folks, as that is solely up to God. But we can learn from the past, and as God’s modern day church do all we can to put faith before fear. I pray for myself as a member of the clergy, as I hope others do as well by saying, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.”