Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This morning participating in morning prayer with the good people of St Paul's Tombstone lead by Deacon Heather Rose, as we recited the Apostles Creed, I thought of its unfamiliarity to Sunday morning worship in the days of weekly common Eucharist. (Other days and daily offices, sure.) And I thought of the affirmation of faith it contains that echoes Simon Peter's brave announcement to the assembled powers-that-be in Jerusalem, the very ones he feared so much during the trial of Jesus.
He is not afraid and we should not be either. We are more likely now to face people who think it is all just a story, that Jesus did not live, that at best he is a good example of a moral teacher. But those powers that be - including Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, who name and rank are chiseled into a stone stele found recently in Lebanon - did not crucify Jesus because of his resurrection. That is not what they feared, at least not yet.
Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate because of how he lived: his faithful adamant witness to the truth, as the Gospel of John puts it so clearly. He confronts everyone with reality. It is not convenient. Just like his cousin John the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth before him, Jesus is quite willing to speak truth to power. And he is willing to tell truth to ordinary people too.
"What do you want me to do?" he asks a blind beggar. The response to the respect Jesus shows is immediate. Bartimaeus does not ask for something comfy. No, not at all. "That I might see!"
And see he does.
It is not always pretty.
And his fate, as a witness to the power of Jesus alive, is subject to the threat of the we-don't-want-to-hear-it people of his time.*
This courage Peter shows as well as he stands before the assembled authorities and bravely loudly proclaims the power of God manifest in the death, resurrection, and life of Jesus of Nazareth.
And now it is our turn. All of us are witnesses, now, to the power of God, the triumph of life, made manifest in Jesus. "Receive holy Spirit" Jesus said, as he breathed upon the disciples: it is this empowerment, this equipment, with the presence of the Spirit of God in us, that makes us able to stand up and testify, to be witnesses to the resurrection and power of God, in our own time.
Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
*Authorities in our own time did not want to hear it, and certainly did not want the news to spread and undermine their self-conscious authority, that there was a virus in town...
Thanks to Deacon Heather Rose for her sermon this morning for the people of St. Paul's Tombstone.
No comments:
Post a Comment