Quinquagesima Sunday 7.2.16 Suspense
Suspense – not knowing what is going to happen next. We enjoy it if it is a film but not so much in real life.
Most films have a happy ending. We are not so sure with some of the problems we confront.
God can see past, present and future all at once, but for us the future is very hazy.
So He takes pity on us in our anxiety, and assures us that we will be alright if only we trust in Him.
He does not tell us everything, just enough to get by.
For instance, in Acts 1,7-8 He says, Do not worry about dates and times but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…
There are countless biblical stories of people being given a little information, and expected to take the rest of the message on trust.
To Abraham you will have a son (already improbable); and then, a little later: kill the son as a sacrifice. Yet the prophecy is fulfilled.
The Annunciation. And you will have a son. How can this be since I am a virgin?
And today’s Gospel: The Son of Man is going to be killed and then rise again. How often does that happen?
Yet all these things happen, despite seeming improbable or impossible.
God is refining us, like gold in the fire, so that we come to a point of trust in Him; where we would believe anything He said, without argument, doubt, or even hesitation.
We don’t know a lot of the details but we know this much: that God is in command, and that is enough.
If we trust Him we do not care that there are things we do not understand. He is the most reliable reality in our life. Nothing or no one could give that much security.
Strangely, we cling to our own experiences and calculations, and we say that such things cannot happen, because we in our tiny world have not seen it.
eg resurrection cannot happen, because I have not seen it!
We dare to put God on trial and say, You don’t exist; or You don’t keep Your promises.
Every single miracle someone will say, It can't happen. A man can't be God. A dead man cannot rise. A virgin cannot have a child. God would not become man. You can't get water out of a rock; nor bread from the sky. Nor divide a river to walk through.
These are all things which did happen.
We have a big record of past stories that had surprise endings.
They all point to the same thing; that God keeps His word.
We still have some things to happen - such as the Second Coming of Christ, and the general Judgment; and other things like the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart
These things are as certain as the things which have already happened.
We have made it difficult for ourselves because of our sin. We have made the obvious obscure.
So we are training ourselves to see things in a different way, and so to come to that happy ending.
We can control at least our own destiny, and we help the overall story when we do that.
We hold on to that trust in God like it was the last piece of wood on the high seas, and we will come through however rough the ride can be.
Not every prophecy or prediction we hear is necessarily from God. We have to sift the wheat from the chaff. But we do not exclude the miraculous simply because it is miraculous. With God all things are possible.
No matter what, we will be there at our post, all the time.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Monday, 8 February 2016
Ash Wednesday Mass times
Ash Wednesday Mass at St Monica's Church, Walkerville: 6.45am
Masses at Holy Name, Stepney: 7am, 9.30am, 6.30pm (Solemn)
Masses at Holy Name, Stepney: 7am, 9.30am, 6.30pm (Solemn)
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Sexagesima Sunday 31 Jan 2016 Sermon
Sexagesima Sunday 31.1.16 Perseverance
Both readings today tell us to persevere. Once we have put our hand to the plough we should not look back (Lk 9,62). If we have set out in following Our Lord, we should keep doing that until the last moment of our lives.
Last Sunday St Paul gave us the image of the athlete who runs to the finish (1 Co 9,24). Today he refers to his own history as a disciple of Christ, revealing the incredible intensity of his life. We cannot match such a record, but we can at least apply the same principle, and give all that we have to the cause.
And in today’s Gospel – the parable of the Sower – there is only group that gets through all the obstacles, and is still doing the Lord’s will some time later. Everyone else has dropped out.
As a test of love - to find out what sort of disciples we are - there has to be a time dimension. Anyone can say, I give myself to God, or, I love God. Anyone can look and sound impressive, but the only real test of such statements is - as the song says, Will you still love me tomorrow? Will you be there in one, ten, or fifty years time?
The only way we can prove our commitment is to stay committed! If we are anywhere but still with Our Lord, it must be we have abandoned our commitment. We have been tricked somehow; fallen for one of those old tricks the devil uses.
Either intimidated by the difficulty of the task; or seduced by the pleasures of the world.
We have to be in that final group that has resisted all temptations to turn this way or that, and kept on the straight line through to the Promised Land.
So we have to persevere. There are many who do not.
We could say there are two wrong approaches – to say that salvation is assured and no special action on our part is required.
And to say that salvation is beyond us, and nothing we can do will change that.
So for opposite reasons – that salvation is easy and salvation is hard – people do not strive as they should to reach the Promised Land.
Yet look at St Paul’s life, or that of any saint, and we see a great deal of energy expended in seeking their own salvation and that of others.
It takes energy to be saved. We do not earn our salvation by works. We understand that salvation is a free gift. But we also understand that to receive that free gift we have to do a certain amount of ‘work’.
A rich man comes into a town where everyone is unemployed. He could give them all money and that would be some help. But if he gives them all a job that is much more help.
However, in the second case, the people do have to work – they must do whatever the job requires.
This is how it works with us. Our good works, and prayers, have the effect of putting us in the right disposition to receive the grace God wants to give us.
So as regards salvation we are not over or under confident. It is not automatic; but neither is it out of our reach.
We just have to remember the urgency of the whole thing so we do not get distracted. This is the biggest project of our lives. The stakes are eternal.
Will we be there for Him tomorrow, ten, fifty, a thousand years? Yes, by His grace.
Both readings today tell us to persevere. Once we have put our hand to the plough we should not look back (Lk 9,62). If we have set out in following Our Lord, we should keep doing that until the last moment of our lives.
Last Sunday St Paul gave us the image of the athlete who runs to the finish (1 Co 9,24). Today he refers to his own history as a disciple of Christ, revealing the incredible intensity of his life. We cannot match such a record, but we can at least apply the same principle, and give all that we have to the cause.
And in today’s Gospel – the parable of the Sower – there is only group that gets through all the obstacles, and is still doing the Lord’s will some time later. Everyone else has dropped out.
As a test of love - to find out what sort of disciples we are - there has to be a time dimension. Anyone can say, I give myself to God, or, I love God. Anyone can look and sound impressive, but the only real test of such statements is - as the song says, Will you still love me tomorrow? Will you be there in one, ten, or fifty years time?
The only way we can prove our commitment is to stay committed! If we are anywhere but still with Our Lord, it must be we have abandoned our commitment. We have been tricked somehow; fallen for one of those old tricks the devil uses.
Either intimidated by the difficulty of the task; or seduced by the pleasures of the world.
We have to be in that final group that has resisted all temptations to turn this way or that, and kept on the straight line through to the Promised Land.
So we have to persevere. There are many who do not.
We could say there are two wrong approaches – to say that salvation is assured and no special action on our part is required.
And to say that salvation is beyond us, and nothing we can do will change that.
So for opposite reasons – that salvation is easy and salvation is hard – people do not strive as they should to reach the Promised Land.
Yet look at St Paul’s life, or that of any saint, and we see a great deal of energy expended in seeking their own salvation and that of others.
It takes energy to be saved. We do not earn our salvation by works. We understand that salvation is a free gift. But we also understand that to receive that free gift we have to do a certain amount of ‘work’.
A rich man comes into a town where everyone is unemployed. He could give them all money and that would be some help. But if he gives them all a job that is much more help.
However, in the second case, the people do have to work – they must do whatever the job requires.
This is how it works with us. Our good works, and prayers, have the effect of putting us in the right disposition to receive the grace God wants to give us.
So as regards salvation we are not over or under confident. It is not automatic; but neither is it out of our reach.
We just have to remember the urgency of the whole thing so we do not get distracted. This is the biggest project of our lives. The stakes are eternal.
Will we be there for Him tomorrow, ten, fifty, a thousand years? Yes, by His grace.
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Septuagesima Sunday 24 Jan 2016 Sermon
Septuagesima Sunday 24.1.16 The Promised Land
The Israelites took 40 years to reach the Promised Land. If they had walked in a straight line it is estimated they would have got there in 11 days!
The main reason that things took so long was that they continuously rebelled against God, either by complaining, or disobeying, or doubting Him.
If they had simply kept their heads down, their mouths shut, and done as they were told, they would have arrived much sooner.
So we are much wiser than they were? Highly doubtful. The human race in every generation seems to repeat the same sins, and for the same reason.
Pride, stubbornness, lusts of the flesh - all have their impact. God is routinely ignored, mocked, disregarded. And we make things much harder for ourselves as a result.
If we could think of our lives as a pathway from earth to Heaven then the straightest line would be one which required humility, obedience, gratitude and the like.
Clearly our ancestors did not take that straight line. And we are not doing much better. But we could do better.
This is one of the reasons we come here – to receive wisdom, and mercy, and grace for the future.
And it is why the Church gives us seasons like Septuagesima, and Lent, and Advent – penitential seasons, which actually cover 13 out of 52 weeks.
So much time is needed to address the problem of Sin. Sin is that peculiar thing that takes us backwards when we want to go forwards.
I met a lady once who thought it was a pity that the Church starts every Mass with a mention of sin. She thought this was too negative a note on which to start.
It is a pity that we do sin, but while we still do we must mention it, because it does so much damage, and puts at risk whether we even reach the Promised Land.
Confessing sin is ‘negative’ but we do it to achieve a positive result. We clear away whatever is false, and that leaves us only what it is true.
If we could remove all sin we would still need to pray to remain on the right path.
If there were no need for Penance there would always be need for humility.
When saints pray they do not have a lot of sin to confess, but they do express a lot of humility. They see how inferior they are to God. And they ‘confess’ that point.
Even in Heaven the angels and saints show profound humility, knowing that they are there only because of God's goodness.
This is how we seek to be. The more we humble ourselves the more we can be raised up.
We have to work on it like the athlete (Epistle) or the labourer (Gospel) and keep at it.
It is not easy getting this right, but it is worth every effort.
And if we do find ourselves improving in holiness we never say ‘that is enough’, and ease off.
We want to make the path to Heaven as simple and straightforward as it can be. We have enough trouble with the sins of others without adding any of our own.
And we want to reach the end of our quest, where all our yearnings and strivings will be fulfilled.
We are used to having a desire then satisfying it. For example, if I am thirsty I have a cold drink and I find it refreshing. But once the thirst is gone I have no more enjoyment from the drink.
With God, there is for us a constant state of yearning, yet also enjoying as much of Him as we possess. We are always thirsty, and always relieving that thirst. That way our joy is always at its fullest.
We can begin this process now, and experience it much more fully in Heaven.
It is a lot better than travelling backwards through sin!
The Israelites took 40 years to reach the Promised Land. If they had walked in a straight line it is estimated they would have got there in 11 days!
The main reason that things took so long was that they continuously rebelled against God, either by complaining, or disobeying, or doubting Him.
If they had simply kept their heads down, their mouths shut, and done as they were told, they would have arrived much sooner.
So we are much wiser than they were? Highly doubtful. The human race in every generation seems to repeat the same sins, and for the same reason.
Pride, stubbornness, lusts of the flesh - all have their impact. God is routinely ignored, mocked, disregarded. And we make things much harder for ourselves as a result.
If we could think of our lives as a pathway from earth to Heaven then the straightest line would be one which required humility, obedience, gratitude and the like.
Clearly our ancestors did not take that straight line. And we are not doing much better. But we could do better.
This is one of the reasons we come here – to receive wisdom, and mercy, and grace for the future.
And it is why the Church gives us seasons like Septuagesima, and Lent, and Advent – penitential seasons, which actually cover 13 out of 52 weeks.
So much time is needed to address the problem of Sin. Sin is that peculiar thing that takes us backwards when we want to go forwards.
I met a lady once who thought it was a pity that the Church starts every Mass with a mention of sin. She thought this was too negative a note on which to start.
It is a pity that we do sin, but while we still do we must mention it, because it does so much damage, and puts at risk whether we even reach the Promised Land.
Confessing sin is ‘negative’ but we do it to achieve a positive result. We clear away whatever is false, and that leaves us only what it is true.
If we could remove all sin we would still need to pray to remain on the right path.
If there were no need for Penance there would always be need for humility.
When saints pray they do not have a lot of sin to confess, but they do express a lot of humility. They see how inferior they are to God. And they ‘confess’ that point.
Even in Heaven the angels and saints show profound humility, knowing that they are there only because of God's goodness.
This is how we seek to be. The more we humble ourselves the more we can be raised up.
We have to work on it like the athlete (Epistle) or the labourer (Gospel) and keep at it.
It is not easy getting this right, but it is worth every effort.
And if we do find ourselves improving in holiness we never say ‘that is enough’, and ease off.
We want to make the path to Heaven as simple and straightforward as it can be. We have enough trouble with the sins of others without adding any of our own.
And we want to reach the end of our quest, where all our yearnings and strivings will be fulfilled.
We are used to having a desire then satisfying it. For example, if I am thirsty I have a cold drink and I find it refreshing. But once the thirst is gone I have no more enjoyment from the drink.
With God, there is for us a constant state of yearning, yet also enjoying as much of Him as we possess. We are always thirsty, and always relieving that thirst. That way our joy is always at its fullest.
We can begin this process now, and experience it much more fully in Heaven.
It is a lot better than travelling backwards through sin!
Thursday, 21 January 2016
2nd Sunday after Epiphany 17 Jan 2016 Sermon
2nd Sunday after Epiphany 17.1.16 Divine and human
People question Our Lord’s divinity. How can a man be God? A man cannot be God but God can become man; that is, take on human nature.
This is surprising, but not so much so when we consider that God will go to great lengths to save us from sin and death.
And He chooses to save us by becoming one with us; teaching us by His example how we should live; and taking on our sufferings; suffering with us so He is not just telling us what to do, but doing it Himself.
People find reasons for not accepting Him, being addicted to sin and the status quo, thinking Heaven too far away, both in time and distance.
The miracle of Cana demonstrates Our Lord’s power, and symbolises movement from human to divine. Water becomes wine. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. Humanity is taken up into divinity.
To be upgraded like this can be a challenge we do not want to meet. So we tend to dig in and stay where we are. Ask a 3 year-old who is playing in the sand: would he still like to be doing this in twenty years’ time? He would probably say yes. But the 23 year-old would be bored playing in the sand. So we really do want to graduate to higher things.
O God…grant that, by the Mystery of this water and wine, we may be made partakers of His divine nature, who vouchsafed to be made partaker of our human nature.
What does this mean, to share in the divine? We are not gods, but we take on certain of His attributes (such as Love), which we express within the limits of human nature.
We are still human, but much better than before. We are able to cope with more things, with less frustration, less likelihood of sinning, or even making a mistake. We are more in tune with the sufferings of others; we have more desire to share their burdens.
It is not just that we do what God wants us to do, but that He is actually expressing His divinity through our humanity. We are transformed into copies of the divine. Not as good as the original, but a lot better than we would be otherwise.
Various forms of goodness will come out more obviously. And various sins and faults will disappear.
Our Lord gives us access to His richness through the sacraments, especially Holy Communion. In the sacraments He regenerates, revivifies. When we are forgiven our sins we are made new again each time. It is like a re-birth. The more expectantly we encounter Him the more difference will be evident.
Ever since Adam and Eve the quest of the human race has been to move from rejecting God to accepting Him.
The question we all face: Do you want to stay in sin and degradation? Or do you want to risk moving to a higher level, less familiar, but where you are promised a much greater happiness?
We must each answer for our own self. We may have more than one chance to get this right, but we do not have forever. We must not leave it too long.
People generally do not realize either the scope of what they are offered, or of how much they have demeaned themselves so far by refusing the offer.
We have been content simply to graze like cows, not worrying what else there might be, just eating our version of grass. We are called to much more and much higher than that. Let Him turn us into wine – the highest quality we can be.
People question Our Lord’s divinity. How can a man be God? A man cannot be God but God can become man; that is, take on human nature.
This is surprising, but not so much so when we consider that God will go to great lengths to save us from sin and death.
And He chooses to save us by becoming one with us; teaching us by His example how we should live; and taking on our sufferings; suffering with us so He is not just telling us what to do, but doing it Himself.
People find reasons for not accepting Him, being addicted to sin and the status quo, thinking Heaven too far away, both in time and distance.
The miracle of Cana demonstrates Our Lord’s power, and symbolises movement from human to divine. Water becomes wine. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. Humanity is taken up into divinity.
To be upgraded like this can be a challenge we do not want to meet. So we tend to dig in and stay where we are. Ask a 3 year-old who is playing in the sand: would he still like to be doing this in twenty years’ time? He would probably say yes. But the 23 year-old would be bored playing in the sand. So we really do want to graduate to higher things.
O God…grant that, by the Mystery of this water and wine, we may be made partakers of His divine nature, who vouchsafed to be made partaker of our human nature.
What does this mean, to share in the divine? We are not gods, but we take on certain of His attributes (such as Love), which we express within the limits of human nature.
We are still human, but much better than before. We are able to cope with more things, with less frustration, less likelihood of sinning, or even making a mistake. We are more in tune with the sufferings of others; we have more desire to share their burdens.
It is not just that we do what God wants us to do, but that He is actually expressing His divinity through our humanity. We are transformed into copies of the divine. Not as good as the original, but a lot better than we would be otherwise.
Various forms of goodness will come out more obviously. And various sins and faults will disappear.
Our Lord gives us access to His richness through the sacraments, especially Holy Communion. In the sacraments He regenerates, revivifies. When we are forgiven our sins we are made new again each time. It is like a re-birth. The more expectantly we encounter Him the more difference will be evident.
Ever since Adam and Eve the quest of the human race has been to move from rejecting God to accepting Him.
The question we all face: Do you want to stay in sin and degradation? Or do you want to risk moving to a higher level, less familiar, but where you are promised a much greater happiness?
We must each answer for our own self. We may have more than one chance to get this right, but we do not have forever. We must not leave it too long.
People generally do not realize either the scope of what they are offered, or of how much they have demeaned themselves so far by refusing the offer.
We have been content simply to graze like cows, not worrying what else there might be, just eating our version of grass. We are called to much more and much higher than that. Let Him turn us into wine – the highest quality we can be.
Thursday, 14 January 2016
The Holy Family 10 Jan 2016 Sermon
Holy Family 10.1.16 Healing a broken world.
Mary stored all these things in her heart! She knew a lot anyway, but she could still add to it.
The mysteries of God's working among us take a lot of understanding. If even Our Lady has things to learn, what must that mean for the rest of us?
People of little or no faith will make demands of God. If He exists, let Him show me! Or angry accusations: why does He let such and such things happen?
First lesson: we cannot tell Almighty God what to do. He is a great deal smarter and better and more powerful than we are.
The smartest thing we can do is agree with Him before we start. He is always going to be right. And whatever way He deals with the situation is always going to be the best way.
Mary agreed with Him at the Annunciation, and now during the childhood of Our Lord, and then more again during His adult life.
We have the benefit of having the whole story laid out before us. The temptation for us is to be too hasty in hearing the story but failing to give it its full significance.
One thing we need is Patience. The Holy Family teaches us this virtue.
They went about their work without trying to set the world on fire – yet that was the ultimate aim.
God had a message to deliver but was in no apparent hurry to deliver it.
Not only did it take a long time for the Messiah to come to the world; even when He had come He was content to wait thirty years before making Himself known.
God is teaching us patience – be prepared to wait for the desired blessings. And trust – God does not forget His promises. And humility – He knows best.
God put Himself in the position that He asks us to take! He was prepared to wait years for what had to come. And He wanted these things more than we do: I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Lk 12,49).
If we want to solve the world’s problems - of which there are many - one of the best things we can do is attend to the basic daily obligations we have.
There is great power in a lot of people doing God's will in small humble ways.
In fact if we all did this, or at least a sizeable number of people, we would see a great improvement in the state of the world.
If we would obey His commands about family life: such as charity to each other (epistle), not committing adultery, being generous in having children, looking after the very old and very young (no euthanasia or abortion) - these things add up, and present the world with a strong witness.
Our Lord was not wasting time by spending so long in Nazareth. He was showing us what we have to do to help Him save the world.
Just be attentive to whatever obligations we have. Do them well. Do them again and again. And we have a revolution (of goodness).
We don’t try to set the world on fire, and so we do set it on fire (with love for God and man).
There are two levels to what is happening here:
One is that the family has its own very useful purpose (such as making good citizens).
The other is that the family provides the means for faithful humble service to God from millions of His children. This service to God will win His graces which will in turn have a healing effect on all that is wrong with the world.
Jesus, have mercy on us. Joseph and Mary, pray for us.
Mary stored all these things in her heart! She knew a lot anyway, but she could still add to it.
The mysteries of God's working among us take a lot of understanding. If even Our Lady has things to learn, what must that mean for the rest of us?
People of little or no faith will make demands of God. If He exists, let Him show me! Or angry accusations: why does He let such and such things happen?
First lesson: we cannot tell Almighty God what to do. He is a great deal smarter and better and more powerful than we are.
The smartest thing we can do is agree with Him before we start. He is always going to be right. And whatever way He deals with the situation is always going to be the best way.
Mary agreed with Him at the Annunciation, and now during the childhood of Our Lord, and then more again during His adult life.
We have the benefit of having the whole story laid out before us. The temptation for us is to be too hasty in hearing the story but failing to give it its full significance.
One thing we need is Patience. The Holy Family teaches us this virtue.
They went about their work without trying to set the world on fire – yet that was the ultimate aim.
God had a message to deliver but was in no apparent hurry to deliver it.
Not only did it take a long time for the Messiah to come to the world; even when He had come He was content to wait thirty years before making Himself known.
God is teaching us patience – be prepared to wait for the desired blessings. And trust – God does not forget His promises. And humility – He knows best.
God put Himself in the position that He asks us to take! He was prepared to wait years for what had to come. And He wanted these things more than we do: I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Lk 12,49).
If we want to solve the world’s problems - of which there are many - one of the best things we can do is attend to the basic daily obligations we have.
There is great power in a lot of people doing God's will in small humble ways.
In fact if we all did this, or at least a sizeable number of people, we would see a great improvement in the state of the world.
If we would obey His commands about family life: such as charity to each other (epistle), not committing adultery, being generous in having children, looking after the very old and very young (no euthanasia or abortion) - these things add up, and present the world with a strong witness.
Our Lord was not wasting time by spending so long in Nazareth. He was showing us what we have to do to help Him save the world.
Just be attentive to whatever obligations we have. Do them well. Do them again and again. And we have a revolution (of goodness).
We don’t try to set the world on fire, and so we do set it on fire (with love for God and man).
There are two levels to what is happening here:
One is that the family has its own very useful purpose (such as making good citizens).
The other is that the family provides the means for faithful humble service to God from millions of His children. This service to God will win His graces which will in turn have a healing effect on all that is wrong with the world.
Jesus, have mercy on us. Joseph and Mary, pray for us.
Thursday, 7 January 2016
The Holy Name 3 Jan 2016 Sermon
Holy Name 3.1.16 The centrality of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col 1,15-20)
This passage bears out how important Jesus Christ is; how central to the plans by which the world runs.
Some people say the world just happened along by itself, without being created or designed.
Our belief is very different. We say that the whole thing has been planned in the mind of God. And planned in such a way that even the things that have gone wrong (because of sin) have been accounted for. Christ is at the centre of all reality.
He is not just another person. And He did not start just another religion. He is uniquely the only Creator and Saviour, the one in whom we dwell, the means by which we reach salvation.
He is not an option, a peripheral figure that we can take or leave.
We rely on Him for everything. To say we don’t need Him would be like the branch saying it does not need the tree, or the fish saying it does not need water.
Whenever we think we can get by on our own we have forgotten where we came from.
We cannot do anything except by God’s permission, not even breathe! The people that deny Him can do that only because He lets them. And He lets them so they might make use of the extra time to repent – as many have done over the years.
We cannot do this thing on our own. We cannot get ourselves to Heaven. We cannot bring ourselves back to life.
Only God can put the spirit back in the body. And only God can restore holiness to the spirit.
So we acknowledge the name of God, the whole significance He has. He is there at the start and the finish, and every point in between.
Many try to build a world without God, and they go to great lengths to try to keep Him out,
But they cannot stop Him from existing, or from having the ultimate importance which He has.
So they rage against Him, in demonic style. This is why there is so much blasphemy.
He is worth hating if He is not loved. The fact that His name is cursed more than any other bears out His centrality.
To have Him or not have Him is the difference between life and death, Heaven and Hell.
So we come in at this point and do all we can to honour Him, to realize His importance; to make Him known to others.
We submit, like the wise men, and kneel before the Saviour.
And then we discover how it all fits in. Once we acknowledge His sovereignty and supremacy, it all becomes clearer.
Every knee shall bend before Him. We do so now, and willingly.
At least if His disciples can be clearer about His importance it gives everyone else a better chance of realizing it.
And when it comes to prayer what doors will open when we realize how explosively powerful is His Name.
When we utter that Name, with full awareness, we are calling upon all the power and love in the Universe. Good things will happen, even if we are not sure what they will be.
We long for the day when He will be recognized in all His glory.
In the meantime, Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name!
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col 1,15-20)
This passage bears out how important Jesus Christ is; how central to the plans by which the world runs.
Some people say the world just happened along by itself, without being created or designed.
Our belief is very different. We say that the whole thing has been planned in the mind of God. And planned in such a way that even the things that have gone wrong (because of sin) have been accounted for. Christ is at the centre of all reality.
He is not just another person. And He did not start just another religion. He is uniquely the only Creator and Saviour, the one in whom we dwell, the means by which we reach salvation.
He is not an option, a peripheral figure that we can take or leave.
We rely on Him for everything. To say we don’t need Him would be like the branch saying it does not need the tree, or the fish saying it does not need water.
Whenever we think we can get by on our own we have forgotten where we came from.
We cannot do anything except by God’s permission, not even breathe! The people that deny Him can do that only because He lets them. And He lets them so they might make use of the extra time to repent – as many have done over the years.
We cannot do this thing on our own. We cannot get ourselves to Heaven. We cannot bring ourselves back to life.
Only God can put the spirit back in the body. And only God can restore holiness to the spirit.
So we acknowledge the name of God, the whole significance He has. He is there at the start and the finish, and every point in between.
Many try to build a world without God, and they go to great lengths to try to keep Him out,
But they cannot stop Him from existing, or from having the ultimate importance which He has.
So they rage against Him, in demonic style. This is why there is so much blasphemy.
He is worth hating if He is not loved. The fact that His name is cursed more than any other bears out His centrality.
To have Him or not have Him is the difference between life and death, Heaven and Hell.
So we come in at this point and do all we can to honour Him, to realize His importance; to make Him known to others.
We submit, like the wise men, and kneel before the Saviour.
And then we discover how it all fits in. Once we acknowledge His sovereignty and supremacy, it all becomes clearer.
Every knee shall bend before Him. We do so now, and willingly.
At least if His disciples can be clearer about His importance it gives everyone else a better chance of realizing it.
And when it comes to prayer what doors will open when we realize how explosively powerful is His Name.
When we utter that Name, with full awareness, we are calling upon all the power and love in the Universe. Good things will happen, even if we are not sure what they will be.
We long for the day when He will be recognized in all His glory.
In the meantime, Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name!
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