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Trinity 19, 2008
"Put on the new manhood, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4.24) In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. In the Gospel this morning we meet a man who is paralysed -- "sick of the palsy" -- as the King James Version says. This is the same man, in St. Luke's Gospel, whose friends, when they could not get him near Jesus, took him up on the roof of the house and dismantled a section of it in order to lower him down in front of the Lord. And what did Jesus do? Seeing their faith, He said to the paralysed man, 'Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee. Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house'. Then what happened? The man got up and went to his house, and those who stood by "marvelled and glorified God". It is interesting how each week the Gospel introduces us to somebody who is touched and changed by the Lord Jesus. Let's count up all the different people we have met over the past few weeks:
Last week, we met Matthew, a tax collector who left his business to follow Christ;
Two weeks ago, it was a man sick of the dropsy (swelling) who was healed;
Three weeks ago, the dead son of the widow of Nain was raised back to life by Jesus;
Four weeks ago, we heard, 'No man can serve two masters', and 'Be not anxious about your life'; and,
Five weeks ago, ten lepers -- of which only one returned to give thanks -- were healed. Hopefully that quick review is helpful to you as we think about the meaning of today's reading. In each case except one, we have met someone who has been changed dramatically by the living Christ. And, in each case, we should see our self. For example, today, with the paralysed man, we are reminded how our sins can and will cause spiritual paralysis. What sins? Well, that's where today's Epistle comes in -- St. Paul makes quite a list, which he says belongs to 'the old manhood'. Two-thirds of the way down page 249, we can see it for ourselves. He says: 'Put away lying, and speak truth with your neighbour; the thing that is good, so Be angry and sin not; Steal no more, but rather work with your hands (for) that you may something to give to somebody in need; Let no evil speech proceed out of your mouth; Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God; Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ' It is definitely quite a list, but it is not as complicated as it sounds. When you stop and think, each of these sins -- lying, or the misuse of anger, stealing, cursing or gossiping, bitterness, and wrath -- each one of them involves an offence against Love. Each one is an attempt at preserving SELF's selfish agenda at the expense of someone else. Each one is the result of a hard heart; of greediness; and of (in St. Paul's words) 'walking in vanity with a darkened understanding, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance'. That is a terrifying picture: a soul walking in darkness away from his neighbour, and away from God Who is perfect Love and the Giver of everlasting Life. And yet, how easy that can happen if we ignore His call and shut our hearts to His Voice. It is true that if we persist in sin and do not try to stop it, our souls will become paralysed and unfeeling to the needs of our neighbour and ultimately to God's Presence, Purpose and Power. As we consider the devastating effects of our sins, and how quickly they will paralyse us, and how easily we can become alienated from God, it is all the more critical that we seek Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness. This morning's readings make it clear that we have no righteousness or holiness of our own. Without Christ we are in spiritual darkness. In fact, if He had not died and rose again for us we would still be bound by Satan and his forces of deceit. So, what does it mean to seek Christ and His righteousness? Last week we considered a similar question: What does it mean to follow Jesus as St. Matthew did? St. Paul uses a helpful image: he says, “Put off, concerning your former manner of life, the old manhood, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new manhood, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The aim is... transformation -- a complete change. A change of thinking which results in a change of living. Behaviour is the bottom line in this putting off of the old and putting on of the new. My father always emphasized this whenever we came with a half-hearted apology. He would say, "There is no point in being sorry unless you're going to do something about it." The same is true for us in our relationship with the Lord: there is no point going through the motions. God is no fool: He knows the depth of our sincerity and repentance not by our words, but by our actions. But where should this change in behaviour begin? How do we start? First, like St. Matthew, we must leave our old ways and follow Jesus. Second, we not just walk behind Him, we must really imitate Him. The Collect gives a helpful hint about imitating Him when it speaks of 'pleasing' "O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee." That is very helpful because it gives us a measuring stick for our words and thoughts and actions. We can ask ourselves: would this be something that pleases the Lord? The next phrase in the Collect is equally important: "Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts...” This a good reminder of what it means to call Jesus 'the Lord'. 'Lord' refers to the One with all power and authority -- the Ruler. And, insomuch as Christ is our Saviour -- the One Who saves us from the power of sin and death -- we also need Him to be our Lord and King: the One Whose authority we obey, Whose subjects and servants we are. Of course, in order to obey our Lord, we must know His Word -- we must know what He wants; what He would have us do -- that means immersing ourselves daily in Holy Scripture. Just as we feed our bodies three times a day, so we need to feed our souls every day. And there is no better food for our souls than the Eternal Word of God. His Word is the best Food because it is He that has given us life in the first place. This conviction was so important to the people of this area in the early 1900's that they set up Scripture Union chapters all over the countryside -- even in the smallest settlements. The idea was very simple: subscribers would receive and distribute copies of the daily devotional to families and individuals in their area in an effort to encourage Bible Reading and Prayer in as many homes as possible. That's the key: making regular time for the Lord; offering to Him the best of ourselves, our souls and bodies -- our time, talent and treasure -- that's what should happen after we meet the Lord Jesus Christ. Our lives should demonstrate a change -- people should see Jesus in us. The new manhood should be evident. C Of this, there were continual reminders, such as this one found in (September, 1902) a Parish newsletter, from the Parish of Greenwich (near Westfield) called the Church Bell:
" That the home may be a sacred place, family worship must be there. The sacred Day of Rest must be observed, and regular attendance at Church, God's Holy Temple, provided for. In such a home, and oh we need more of them, God's benediction will surely rest."
Is our need any less today? If anything, it is greater. Then let us make our homes
sacred places where the Bible is daily read and where He is worshiped and adored. At the end of today's Epistle, St. Paul makes this simple summary which captures the essence of the Christian life. He says: 'And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you.' And so, dear friends, as miserable sinners who have been redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ; as those for whom He suffered and died and rose again; as those whom He has forgiven and continues to forgive, let us be kind and tender-hearted, forgiving one another. |
Saint George's Anglican Church
