THE ANGLO-CATHOLIC GENTLEMAN

The following homily was preached on July 16, 2023, being the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost–Proper 10A, at the 9:00am Rite II Eucharist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Lappans Road), Boonsboro, Maryland.

Collect of the Day: “O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.“

Readings: Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-14; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

“My word…shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”—Isaiah 55:11

“He who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”—Matthew 13:23

In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.

            As many people still do, I used to think that the Old Testament was boring, irrelevant, and God portrayed in it as legalistic and vengeful. This made me not like the Old Testament. Like the Christian theologian Marcion of Sinope in the second century, I could not see the God of the Old and New Testaments being the same God. Where in the Old Testament was love? Why did I need to take the Old Testament more seriously? That is where I once was.

            I recalled during last Wednesday’s pancake supper how it wasn’t until my first semester in seminary in my introductory Old Testament studies course that my views began to change. Very early on, my professor said, “There is grace in the Old Testament.” I saw over time how right he was. I started seeing how the promises of the God of Israel and events orchestrated by Him all prefigured what He would accomplish in the fullness of time in the Person of Jesus. I saw for the first time how, as noted by St. Augustine, the New Testament lies hidden within the Old and how the Old Testament is unveiled throughout the New.[1] Seeing this scriptural unity caused me to fall in love with God all over again. Indeed

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

            This point and the relationship of all Sacred Scripture is reinforced all through today’s lectionary readings. Through Isaiah, God entreats His people to repent and come back to Him whose Word has consistently come to pass. Because of the proven truth of God’s Word, God’s people should not fear but trust Him in that they may “go out in joy, and be led forth in peace” (Isaiah 55:12). Throughout his Epistle to the Romans, Paul shows how both joy and peace come by trusting and obeying the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. His Word and cross free us from the law of sin and death, our obeying His Word causing our old selves to pass away and us to become through Him new creations (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17). And Jesus, via the Parable of the Sower, shows how those who wholeheartedly believe in God’s Word will go from strength to strength bearing good fruit, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” They prove the truth of God’s Word given by Isaiah of going out and being led forth in joy and peace.

            But just as it was in the past, it is not easy now to proclaim and hear, “God’s Word will not return empty, but will accomplish its work.” Yes, it is true, but the state of the world makes it doubtful to believe. At the time of Isaiah 55, the Israelites had undergone many years in exile, thus had become discouraged and sorrowful. Many early Christians (and some present ones) faced harsh persecution for following Jesus. And there are many in our time who suffer due to the judgmental, self-righteous, arrogant, racist, sexist, and nationalistic actions of others, even some Christians. How can we sing and hear the Lord’s song amid such things?

            A struggle we often face when confronted with such things is our anguish and sorrows keeping us from hearing the comfort, relief, and good news God speaks to us. His Word from Isaiah is one of healing, forgiveness, and restoration. Isaiah 55 starts with God inviting us into an abundant life.

Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)

He still offers us this very invitation through Jesus the Incarnate Word, who invited us in last Sunday’s Gospel and does right now to

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)

Because of Jesus, though we continue to bear the wounds and effects of sin in this world,

God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up with Him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places. (Ephesian 2:4-6)

From true repentance comes real joy, peace, and renewal.

            But as Jesus describes in the Parable of the Sower, not everyone’s response to God’s call to repentance and renewal is the same. There are those who do not take the time to understand God’s Word, opening themselves to the Devil’s wiles. There are those who immediately accept the Word, yet immediately retreat at the threat of persecution. There are those whose devotion more to temporal treasures than to God cause His Word to bear no fruit in them and be choked out. They are who hear God’s Word but do not take the time to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, failing to see the grace and God’s fulfilled promises of deliverance coming from all of it. How unfortunate for them.

            For those that respond to God’s Word by taking out the time to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, to bear things out with God despite all the struggles and hard times, it brings the confidence of knowing that God is truly with them. Their belief in God’s Word matched with comparable words and deeds show us how God is still saving and redeeming people. From their belief comes to us the courage to trust God and join with them in cultivating good ground for the further spread, reception, and fruitful growth of God’s Word. Trusting in God’s Word is what powers us to combat the discrimination, violence, and political corruption that infects so much of this world. We can do this because all of God’s Word has been proven not to come back empty. By the power of the Holy Ghost, God’s Word prospers within and through every person who submit their whole self to it. History proves this true.

            This parish has suffered many hardships in the past few years. They have surely caused many here at times to find it hard to proclaim and hear how God’s promises come to pass because it may not have felt like it. But the fact that you are still here shows your faithful trust in God’s Word despite the hard times. Two Sundays from now we will commemorate the 174^th anniversary of this building’s consecration, asking God that all who seek Him in this edifice will find Him and be filled with His joy and peace. If 174 years of fruitful ministry isn’t enough proof of God’s faithfulness having come to pass, I don’t know what else is. And God is bringing about renewal among us. There is a sweet Spirit here in this place; it is the Spirit of God present all around us.

Continue to trust God. In the words of C. S. Lewis, “Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.” Therefore, may God’s true Word bear within and from you abundant fruit and we all see God’s work be done. In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, ¶128-130.