Sermon

There is an ancient phrase in the church which you might have heard before: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. Literally, we translate this phrase: “The law of praying, is the law of believing, which is the law of living.” It means that our prayers/liturgy determine our doctrine, which in turn determines our way of life. Yet this is not a strict, linear process but a spiraling action. The liturgies of Holy Mother Church not only teach us the proper way to think about God and man, but they inspire in us right action, as how the final sweeping prayers of the Mass send us out into the world “that we may continue in that holy fellowship and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in.” But the turn to the world, the push to live out the prayers and truths we have experienced are most perfectly acted out in the Mass.

What is that act?

As we partake in Christ’s one sacrifice, we present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

Epiphany readings going through key chapters in Romans.

Last week we read Paul urging the Romans not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds. The King James translation uses two verbs that share the same stem — conform and transform as opposites, but we miss that Paul’s Greek words are vastly different. “Conform”(συσχηματίζω) has to do with outward form or fashion, showing that the world’s worship, powerful as it may be, is only a fleeting fashion. But the word “transform,” (μεταμορφόω) has at its root morphe, meaning a change of our essential nature or form. This is what Paul calls us to since it is what we receive at Baptism and are called to live out the rest of our lives. In other words, it is a call for us to live out morally what we are ontologically.

Today’s Gospel details Christ’s baptism, which not only just prefigured our baptisms, but initiated this new baptism so that through the washing of holy water, our own souls and bodies are renewed. No longer are we fallen creatures but recreated as little Christs for now we now have what we could never have achieved on our own or just by our nature: a renewed human nature united to the love of God. That is your state of being now whether you feel it or not, but it still takes your own attentiveness and intentionality to make it flourish in your life. And this again is where the Mass is so important.

We all partake in the Mass and offer ourselves together in a perfect action to Christ’s perfect sacrifice. That is the perfect act to match the perfecting of our nature. This is the gospel, the good news, but we must then grasp this internally. You can come to Mass and know the prayers and how to respond, etc. But what we do in the liturgy must become your life. It must take over your life. 

What this looks like, what living our whole life in worship looks like, is different for every person–we each have our different callings, but each of these callings is part of the single calling of the Body itself: to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Paul then gives advice about what our lives should look like as an outcome of our essential change. At the heart of our worship is a humble love that seeks to give thanks to God and to honor those around you. 

First to God: “cleave to that which is good;” “be fervent in spirit;” “serve the lord, rejoice in hope;” “continue instant in prayer.” All of these actions point to the love of God.

Second to our neighbor: “Let love be without dissimulation;” “Be kindly affectioned one to another in brotherly love;” “distribute to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality;” “bless them which persecute you;” “be of the same mind mind one toward another;” “rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. 

What we see in the Epistle is not just a list of moral rules but the description of a way of living. It is a life transformed by the Word, able to offer ones own life as a sacrifice. Worship is our entire lives — living out the effects of our new position as sons and daughters of God

This is much harder than it appears, because not only do we choose to sin, but there are also many other gospels in the world proclaiming a different “good news.” This has always been the case, but let me  give just one example:

In 9 BC , a lengthy inscription carved on a two foot high stone was posted in the middle of the market place in a small town called Priene on the western coast of what we now call Turkey. This inscription declared the Good News, the Gospel, in Greek euangelion, that a Savior had been born who was to bring peace to the whole world. But if you caught the date, this tablet does not declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what it said:

“Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and [Providence has set] the birthday of the god Augustus [as] the beginning of the good tidings, the gospel, for the world that came by reason of him.”

Written a few years before Jesus’ own birth, this Gospel declares the wonders of Augustus–the man so powerful, so majestic, that he is called a god for he has brought an end to war and heralded a time of economic prosperity, political peace, and cultural renewal. The inscription honors Augustus’ birth and goes on to declare the start of the calendar will now be from his birth, signalling that his birth brings in a new era.

But Augustus’ political promises, like all political promises, were temporary, and his power, like all political power, finite. The Roman peace, which was predicated upon oppressive violence and power, slowly degenerated into fanatical tyrants terrified of losing their grip on their glimmering sceptres. 

 It is with this background that we approach the Gospel from Mark in a new light: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” Mar 1:1 KJV. Mark’s beginning proclamation would not be lost on his audience who were familiar with such ones we found in Priene. He is now declaring a new beginning, hearkening back to Genesis, yes, but also countering the idea that Augustus and all that he stood for was the centerpoint of history. The centerpoint of history is not Augustus but Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

These are competing Gospels, and there are more, of course. We have the choice of which Gospel to follow with our lives. Paul was right: we are all living sacrifices. Sacrifices must be given upon an altar–upon which altar will you be sacrificed? 

We may live our lives dedicated to ourselves, warping our loves and desires so that they wrap around each other and look inward. We may live our lives dedicated to another fleeting end, like Caesar Augustus. But in all other gospels, the end is finite, a fleeting hope. Or we may put our lives in the hands of God Almighty, to worship him and serve him only. Come and listen to the liturgy and let our prayers and actions here direct your life, and again offer up your life to God Almighty upon the altar of love.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another… Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Having then gifts differing…

It is one thing to say that I ought not to think too highly of myself but rather to think soberly with regard to personal self-esteem, but it is another matter to understand that Paul literally expects each and every one of us to appropriate our ability to understand what he is saying. Furthermore he expects us to behave responsibly as Christians with regard to what we understand. The phrase translated as “think soberly” means not merely “clearheaded,” but more to Paul’s point “arriving at the right judgment by being attentive and careful.” Further more this verse is highly formal in structure — one could even say that Paul is handing over a formulary, a practice, or even activities. And these activities go back to the beginning of chapter 12 where the emphasis is upon the reasonable worship of the Creator that renews, refreshes, and transforms the mind of the worshipper. The mind of the worshipper is formed as a Christian mind so that it conforms to ultimate reality, which is the worship of Jesus Christ. The upshot is that the Christian can and must intellectually grasp God’s perfect will. One thing I want you to see is that far from endorsing a slack, anti-intellectualism that regards the Christian way in life as a leap in the dark, Paul is absolutely committed to the role of disciplined thinking as the very ground of Christian living. The Christian way has absolutely nothing in common with the anti-intellectual, lazy, conspiracy theories that dominate our day. 

Paul knows that our desires and our minds need training and formation and he is robustly confident that the worship that pleases God will also form the desires of our hearts and the life of our minds. As I have reminded you before, the word “orthodox” does not mean believing the right thing — the word literally means worshiping the right way — (ortho) correct, (doxa) worship. Thus the worship of the Blessed Trinity may, by the grace of God, become remedial, corrective in the sense that worship is God’s instrument of choice for our salvation and for our perfecting in grace. Worship will correct our crooked hearts and mend our twisted thinking. This week I want us to see that orthodox worship is a matter of parishioners gathering around a specific altar in a specific parish church. Our lives are gathered up, collected, re-collected over and over again around a common altar, with untrammeled loyalty to Jesus Christ and non other, where we worship God the Father and where Christ comes to us objectively in the Holy Communion. And this is the perfect image and the perfect instantiation of our participation in Christ:

“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another…?

Paul drew the conclusion that perpetually eludes many Christians — though his is an utterly logical conclusion: If we are members of Christ we are also “every one members one of another.” The Greek is very strong and it is as though Paul is underscoring the reality of both the Body of Christ and the reality of the individual Christian who is, as it were, a body-part of Christ. Both are important: the union of the Body and the integrity of what we call the individual human person. To not think to highly of myself may begin by realizing that I am a member of you and you are a member of me and that is our reality as members of the Body of Christ, the Church and that is specifically, really and truly known in the parish. But honestly it is a hard thing to live up to and it is a hard thing to understand because I am not you and you are not me and all we have to go on regarding our ultimate concerns with regard to one another is what we say to one another, that Jesus Christ is Lord, and what we do, that we have been baptized and partake of the Holy Communion. And I warn you all that there is a gnostic tendency today that tries to dispense with demands and commitments of parish life by saying that what really matters is our commitment to American politics because that is where real differences are made and where real life is lived. Parish life is a nice place to raise your family and find some peace, but real Christians are Republicans and no way can a real Christian be a Democrat, or real Christians are Democrats and no way can a real Christian be a Republican. Both are lies because real Christians have no higher loyalty than God Almighty and our ultimate citizenship as St. Paul says, is in Heaven. 

As we worship God the Father in the mass, standing at the Altar or kneeling in the pew, we are in Jesus and we are in one another in the most perfect manner possible for any of us in this life till he returns. This is the one perfection, the one perfect action, the one really, real act that makes an eternal difference for all creation, that we all may participate in repeatedly every time we celebrate the Holy Communion. And from our participation in the sacramental life of the Messiah the gifts flow into the life of the Body of Christ really and truly through the parish to all her children. And at the end of the mass, we recess out, led by the Cross of Christ held high enough for all to see by the crucifier — and we exit the parish Church and return home, to our neighborhoods and the workplace, through you, the loyal Christian parishioner, his gifts of life and light are carried into the world.

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.  And when they saw him, they were amazed. St. Luke ii. 41

+

St. John Henry Newman wrote this about the season of Epiphany: “THE Epiphany is a season especially set apart for adoring the glory of Christ. The word may be taken to mean the manifestation of His glory, and leads us to the contemplation of Him as a King upon His throne in the midst of His court, with His servants around Him, and His guards in attendance. At Christmas we commemorate His grace; and in Lent His temptation; and on Good Friday His sufferings and death; and on Easter Day His victory; and on Holy Thursday His return to the Father; and in Advent we anticipate His second coming. And in all of these seasons He does something, or suffers something: but in the Epiphany and the weeks after it, we celebrate Him, not as on His field of battle, or in His solitary retreat, but as an august and glorious King; we view Him as the Object of our worship.” 

This is the season of His glory. But it is a remarkable glory, noted in a heavenly way, not in a way expected by the world because His glory is one neglected by the world. “The light shone in the darkness but the darkness comprehended it not.” Though king of the universe, his castle was a lowly manger, his throne was his own mother’s lap, and his attendants were poor shepherds. Even when he grew up and started his ministry, his preaching was to the poor and downcast, to the sick sinners who are humble and meek. His way of conquering was to submit to all the darkness of the world and die a despicable death so that he could bring life to the world. Glimpses of what we might think Glory should look like appear at times. The Transfiguration, the few events after the Resurrection, and then His Ascension. All of these hint at something so unimaginable, that we realize, like Peter at the Transfiguration, that there is some mercy in hidden glory, for how could we stand in such majesty?

But what I want us to see is that just because the Glory of God does not appear in ways we think it should, this does not mean that it is absent. In fact, we must learn from the revelation given to us!

Take the Gospel lesson appointed for today as an example:

First, God’s glory was manifested to us in a child, in a small boy. We often think of God’s Almighty power, which He has, and yet, and yet he deigns to come to us as a child! Almighty power in a fragile and helpless child! This shows how God’s glory is also his love. The humility expressed by this mission is striking compared to the worldly obsession of political dominance through power and violence. 

Second, God’s glory was held within a human who learned in human ways. Step by step, day by day. And here he is learning His own story, prophecy by prophecy, accepting his Father’s plan as he learns His own identity. I think about the rabbis who were in the temple those three days learning and listening to the questions of Jesus. Here the young boy bringing out new interpretations and asking piercing questions that brought out new truths they had never seen. They were amazed by his human understanding as they sat in the Light.

Third, God’s glory was bound by time, gravity, flesh, law, relationships, parents, and yet it was not diminished. We too are bound by these same inevitable features of our lives. And yet, all of these need not hold us back from the worship of the glory of God, for that same glory inhabited these very same features of our lives. We are bound by our bodies, we are bound to the relationships we have been given and the relationships we choose. And yet, all of these are not the end in and of themselves but serve, in different ways, our worship of God.

Glory of God is often hidden. We want to respond in our own bodies to that Glory with all the might we can muster, with all the beauty we can find, with the most exquisite music and liturgy possible, and this we should do. Yet, for this strange season, we live in restriction and sacrifice.

Where is the glory of God? I can tell you this: God’s glory is not diminished. His love is not diminished, His majesty is not diminished. As ever, he comes to us these days in the most humble way, not with apparent power and might but in the most common items: bread and wine. Have you stopped to think about that? In your hand I place a host–and you hold the body of God, the glory of the Almighty for you to eat and partake. This is the glory of our faith! Christ has truly come and appeared on earth–kings fell at his feet, all creation witnessed the birth of their Creator, and yet today, he comes to you in unique and hidden glory. 

How do we respond? We want to give him our voices, our fellowship, our music, but we cannot right now. What else can we give? I love the image of the three kings coming all that way and still giving the gifts to the king who was not in a palace but in a stable, surrounded by animals. They gave him Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. We, likewise, can give to Christ what he truly wants. We can give him the Gold of our free will as we submit to his law of Love. We can offer him the frankincense of our prayers as we turn all of our thoughts to Him. And finally we can offer him the Myrrh of our own penitence as we bare our sins and shortcomings before Him. 

This is how we can worship our True King and escape the false imitation that is heralded by the world. 

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.  And when they saw him, they were amazed.