How often do you think about the Roman Empire?

 

How this question reveals the need to venerate the image of God in Woman.

Doxological dialogues

Sermon for Trinity Sunday

You finish 

the last verse of the psalm.

Now what do you say?

Glory be to the Father

and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost 

as it was in the beginning,

is now

and ever shall be

world without end.

Amen.

Why do we say that?

[PAUSE]

We really need

to know what we are saying.

To give glory to something

means that we recognise 

the impact something 

has in our lives.

The Hebrew word for glory

has a sense of weight behind it,

something substantial 

that makes a difference 

to our lives.

Glory often comes 

with light.

To see the angels 

in glory

at Christmas

is to see Heaven

impacting upon the Earth,

and this reinforces 

the impact of the Baby born 

in a manger

and the life He lives.

So we say glory to God

in recognition and in gratitude 

for the impact that He has

in our lives.

We end each psalm

with this expression of worship, 

and we now state

how we recognise 

the God Whom we worship.

We worship

God the Father,

God the Son and

God the Holy Ghost

Three Persons,

One God

the Holy Trinity.

In making this statement 

we are directing our attention 

to the One Who is unique.

No other being

can be three distinct persons

in one substance.

This is why all our attempts

to understand the Trinity

must fail:

He is unique 

and this means 

we have nothing with which 

to compare Him directly.

All our analogies,

diagrams, charts, 

formulae and philosophy 

fail to shed light

upon his it is that

God is three distinct persons

and how each of those 

distinct persons 

is fully and indivisibly God.

He stands outside our universe 

and so He stands outside

any means of our comprehension.

All we can do

is state our faith

and turn to the One Great

Incomprehensible.

[PAUSE]

We end our psalm

rehearsing our faith 

and seeing in the Old Testament 

the truth of the Triune God

Whose revelation is

completed in the New.

We are also stating

something important 

about the Glory of God:

it's the same in the beginning,

now and ever shall be,

world without end.

What does that mean?

Literally, "world without end" 

translates the Greek phrase 

"unto the age of ages".

This "age of ages" is rather 

mysterious,

but rather it refers to 

our human conception of age,

all finite and doomed to end, 

being taken up

into God's age

which is Eternal.

This glory of God

is our life in His age,

His Time,

His Eternity.

In glorifting God

unto the age of ages

we are recognising 

His impact in our lives

and yet beyond our lives

to Eternity.

It is an expression 

of the Christian hope

that we will receive 

Eternal life

by participating in His Eternal life.

And this Eternal life

will be all the Church together

worshipping the One God

in unity.

It is as if the whole Church

will become one human being

in a multiplicity of persons 

to reflect the truth 

of one God in three persons.

[PAUSE]

The Gloria at the end of the psalm

is called a doxology in Greek

Doxology means "word of glory"

and it is something which,

when prayed heartily

brings us into contact 

with the One Who stands

beyond our understanding 

and yet gives us

some way of knowing Him.

This is His glory for us.

Glory be to the Father 

and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost 

as it was in the beginning,

is now and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Anglican Catholic Revisionism?

 

Are Anglican Catholics guilty of trying to alter history?

Spiritual Sticking Power

Sermon for Whit-Sunday

By now,

we should understand 

how our relationship 

with the Holy Ghost 

pans out.

He's there

moving over 

the face of the waters,

the unformed 

and pure potential 

from which

all Creation springs.

We next see Him 

visible in the explanation 

of dreams

in Joseph.

Here, he is recognised 

by Pharaoh,

not by Jacob

and his other sons.

Then we see Him

in the craftsman

Bezaleel 

in building

and decorating 

the instruments 

for the Worship of God,

chosen by God

so that,

through his skill,

he might show to us

the vision that God has

for worshipping Him.

In the books 

of the history of Israel

He is known as 

the Spirit of the Lord.

We also see that

He falls upon 

Baalam, Saul,

Azariah, Zechariah

and even dear old Job

claims that He was made

by the Spirit of God.

So it's not as if

the presence of 

the Holy Ghost

should be a surprise to us.

Why does it matter now?

Why is Whitsun important?

[PAUSE]

We see in the Apostles

something old.

Prophecy.

No, not telling the future,

but telling the truth,

explaining the mystery.

St Peter becomes 

a prophet 

in the same manner

as St John the Baptist 

but more so.

In the Old Testament 

the Spirit of God 

would descend,

do the work

and then no more.

We see this in 

Baalam

who could only

bless Israel 

rather than curse

as he was bidden to do.

He still remains

an enemy of Israel 

and meets his end

in Hebrew hands.

Similarly, 

the Holy Ghost

descends upon King Saul

and yet still he loses his kingdom 

to David.

The Holy Ghost descends 

upon people

but it's as if 

there's nothing for the Holy Ghost 

to stick to.

[PAUSE]

This is not like the Apostles.

The idea of prophecy 

might not be new

but what is new

is the company of the Apostles.

The Holy Ghost 

stays with them

and works through them 

because they have gained

some sticking power.

What is this sticking power?

It comes from Christ Himself.

The Incarnation of Our Lord 

is precisely the difference 

between the 

Old and New Covenants.

Just as King David

was not able to build the temple 

for God 

but his son Solomon was,

so Christ builds His Church

not on the Old Covenant 

but upon His blood

which the Apostles receive

at the Last Supper.

This fulfils Our Lord's promise

to be with us

to the end of the Age.

This is why

Whitsun is called

the Birthday of the Church

even if the Church

had always sort of existed

in the Israelite people 

and the Levitical priesthood.

It's when the Church

becomes visible to the world

just as He is visible 

to Pharaoh centuries before.

As Pharaoh hears the prophecy 

of the need to obey

God's plans 

for the good of his people.

Likewise,

the people from all around

the Middle East

hear the mystery explained

in their own language 

for them

to obey and receive 

not just hope in dark times,

not just good news of joy to come

but the real, visible

and permanent

presence of God with us.

[PAUSE]

And we, too,

see the movement 

of the Holy Ghost 

in our little church

as we see new opportunities 

new ways to live the old faith,

not by abandoning 

the faith once delivered to the saints,

not by altering the covenant 

of the sacraments

to fit modem sensibilities 

but by being here

and speaking the wonderful words of God

to the people of today

with the same faith,

same hope

and same love 

that move on the face

of the waters of Creation itself.

And we turn to God the Holy Ghost

and we thank Him

profusely for dwelling with us

and devote ourselves 

to His will 

in His service

for His glory

and the joy of Mankind.

Anglican Catholics and Anglicans

How the cool-down from a passionate debate can be used for learning languages.

What comes down must go up.

Sermon for the Sunday in the octave of the Ascension

Ten days.

We now have ten days wait

after the Ascension 

until the Birthday of the Church

when the Holy Ghost descends

and causes order 

from chaos.

What were the Apostles doing

for those ten days?

Were they sitting 

drawing up blueprints 

for the Church,

putting together 

codes of Canon Law,

and making sure that 

the priests will wear

the right colour

in the right liturgical season?

No. That's not what they do.

They meet together,

pray,

and wrestle with what they 

understand of the memories

of Jesus.

But they don't build a church.

They have realised that 

building a Church is a 

top-down activity.

[PAUSE]

If you think about it,

it's an odd way to build.

Can we really 

build a church 

starting with the spire

and building down 

to the floor?

Well, we can't do that.

We're subject to 

all the limitations of gravity.

But we need 

to realise these limitations.

The Day of Pentecost 

is not yet with us

and the Day of Pentecost 

is the undoing 

of the tower of Babel.

It's in these ten days

before Pentecost 

that we witness 

the deconstruction of Babel

and the safest way

to deconstruct a tower

is from the top down.

The building of the Church 

starts with the demolition 

of all that opposes it.

The crooked has 

to be made straight 

and the rough places plain

for the Gospel to be preached.

This demolition 

is a form of repentance.

These ten days of prayer

and preparation

in which the Apostles are silent 

are a form of repentance.

Of course,

you remember that 

repentance is not just

turning away from sin:

it is a turning towards Christ.

If we turn to Christ

then we necessarily 

turn away from sin.

The Apostles reflect 

upon the Ascension 

and what it means

and thus they turn their minds 

to Christ.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord's Ascension 

proves to us 

that He has descended 

from Heaven.

It strengthens our minds

that, truly, Jesus is the Son of God,

fully human and fully divine.

The Apostles see

exactly how Our Lord is the Way.

In ascending,

He has punched 

a human-shaped hole

in the veil

that separates us from God

and it is through this gap

that we see the Glory of God

and the joys of Heaven.

This shows them how

they are to build top-down.

[PAUSE]

When we try to build 

bottom-up,

the result is confusion

because we can only bring

earthly things 

into the building.

If we try to build a church

based on human ideas

of justice and mercy

all we will get is

confusion, conflict and 

consternation.

But,

to reach into the heavens

through Christ's Way

we build something 

that comes down from Heaven

to us.

This Church

separates Christians

from the World

and sanctifies their lives 

because it is built 

from the top down.

A building 

that does not separate 

from the World

bur rather blurs the

distinction between

the Church and the World.

It allows sin into 

the sanctuary 

and thus the sanctuary 

loses its sanctity.

[PAUSE]

That which is built 

from the bottom up

falls down.

That which is built 

from the top down

falls up.

Just as Christ descends

for our Salvation 

so He must ascend

so that we may too.

What comes down 

must go up.

Anglican Catholicism Vs Anglo-Catholicism

 

How Anglo-Catholicism differs from Anglican Catholicism.

Trouble Praying

Sermons for the fifth Sunday after Easter

Why don't we pray

for no tribulation?

If we ask in Jesus' Name

then God will give it.

What's gone wrong?

[PAUSE]

Isn't it a bit rich of Our Lord 

to tell His disciples

that their prayers in His Name

will be answered 

and then to tell them

that they will suffer tribulation?

If God wants our joy to be complete 

why put us through the mill?

Why not hear our prayer

and prevent us from pain?

[PAUSE]

This is a hard question 

and one that many will use

as a reason for leaving Christianity

or for not taking it seriously.

It's a question that will 

never really be answered,

not in this life.

There are two points

to consider

which give us some clue

as to what Our Lord means.

First,

we are to ask 

in the Name of Our Lord.

How often do we pray

in the Name of Our Lord.

Just tacking on

 "in Jesus' Name" 

to our prayer 

doesn't make it a prayer

in His Name.

It needs to be a prayer

that He would want

to put His Name to.

It needs to be a prayer 

that we make in dialogue

with Him,

a prayer in keeping 

with His character 

and not ours alone.

It needs to be a prayer 

that is part of our ongoing 

conversation with Our Lord

that seeks His glory

and our happiness.

Indeed, His glory is our happiness.

This brings us to the second point.

[PAUSE]

Our prayers will be granted

so that our joy may be complete.

But our joy will not be complete 

not in this life.

Our lot as human beings

is to die.

We are only happy

for a short space of time

before we fall I'll

get hurt 

or die.

Our joy is never complete

in this world.

Our joy is not 

in this world.

Our joy is complete 

only after we have passed

from this life 

into the next.

Let's be clear,

God loves us now

and will answer our prayers

that we need now

but the purpose of our prayer

must be directed 

to our joy in Heaven 

and what is Heaven

if not to see

the glory of God Himself?

St Philip asks Our Lord

to show him the Father 

but Jesus says

that the disciples have seen the Father

in Jesus Himself.

Their joy will not be complete 

when they see Our Lord

bleeding and gasping

upon the wood of the cross.

It will not be complete 

when they see Him standing with them

but they do get a foretaste

of the joy that they are promised.

[PAUSE]

We will not see our prayers

not so suffer answered in this life.

They will be answered

in the next

where all our pain, sorrow and suffering 

will be given context,

explanation if we need it,

and sanctification 

as proof of Love.

Our prayer cannot

be a simple set of instructions 

for God to fulfill

like a genie on Checkatrade.

For then we will be 

disappointed.

If our relationship with God

is purely based on

transaction 

or wish-fulfillment

then we cannot expect 

our faith to grow

and we are in danger of losing it.

Our prayer must be

our continued contact with God

seeking His presence 

His will 

His glory

His love for everyone.

Our relationship with God 

must be rooted deeply in Him

and that means accepting 

the mystery of His fathomlessness

and of our own.

It means accepting pain

as our lives are bent 

back into shape

by the growing awareness 

of the presence of God in us.

But there are things

that God will always give us

if we ask for them now

in our continued conversation 

with Him 

- faith, hope love.

There is always 

a plenteous supply of those 

for us.

Charles I: an Anglican Catholic saint?

How King Charles I influences Anglican Catholicism.

Trinitarian displacement?

Sermon for the fourth Sunday after Easter

We see

Our Lord Jesus Christ 

talking with His disciples.

They have had 

their last supper 

and the Lord has told them

of His departure.

The Lord knows 

that they understand 

that He will be taken from them

and return to the Father.

But they sorrow

and their sorrow is clear

to the Lord 

as he talks with them.

His response is 

to tell them that 

He must go away

or the Holy Ghost will

not come to them.

Why?

Is it impossible 

for the Holy Ghost 

to walk the world

alongside Jesus?

Don't they have

a ministry on Earth 

together?

Why do we get

One of the Trinity 

at a time?

[PAUSE]

The first thing is

we have to know

where Jesus is going.

This isn't the Ascension.

He's walking to crucifixion here.

He is about to die,

and we know why

He has to die.

[PAUSE]

In His death,

Jesus redeems Mankind,

opens the door to Heaven,

brings us back to God.

Only after Our Lord 

accomplishes

this great task

of reconciliation 

and atonement 

as only He can,

do we find ourselves 

able to receive 

the Holy Ghost.

This reconciliation 

can only take place

because of Our Lord's uniqueness

as being fully God and fully Man.

But being fully human

Is a limitation.

In order to be human

Our Lord has to empty Himself.

He becomes visible

so that we can see the Father.

He becomes human

so that He can sanctify 

our humanity

so that God can be with us.

And He gives us 

the Holy Eucharist 

precisely so that 

He can be with us physically 

unto the end of the age.

It's not that the Holy Ghost 

and Our Lord cannot work

alongside each other.

Jesus doesn't go away from us

to make room for the Holy Ghost 

but rather He goes to the Father 

in order to send the Holy Ghost.

He brings the Holy Ghost with Him

at His Resurrection 

and breathes Him upon the Disciples.

It is not that the Holy Ghost is absent

from us until Christ brings Him.

He has always been present,

but Christ brings Him 

in order to introduce Him

to us who have not fully known Him.

The reason is clear.

Jesus is sanctifying

the ministry of the Church

with the gift of the Holy Ghost 

operating with us and in us.

The Holy Ghost comes to us

precisely for Him to work

with us in His Church.

Our work is important to Him

- vitally important!

It is the Holy Ghost

that gives the Church authority 

to make clear to the world 

the presence of sin

because the world does not 

believe in Christ.

It is the Holy Ghost 

that gives the Church the purpose

of making clear to the world 

the presence of righteousness

because Our Lord goes to the Father 

and becomes invisible 

to those who do not believe.

It is the Holy Ghost 

that gives the Church the right

to proclaim the judgement 

that God has made 

against the prince of this world,

exposing his temptations

as he leads people into sin.

[PAUSE]

Of course, 

each one of us sins

and falls short,

but it is the righteousness

that the Holy Ghost 

reveals to His Church

that exposes our sins,

not for our condemnation,

but for our repentance 

and reconciliation in Christ.

[PAUSE]

We cannot think 

that one Person of the Trinity 

displaces another

but that God is present to us

in His Trinity 

at all times and in all places.

Through Christ,

we have seen the Father

and know the Holy Ghost.

It is His desire

that we work with Him

to present His process of salvation 

to the world 

and He gives our work

the dignity that 

our actions of worship 

and evangelism

are precious to Him.

We may think 

our worship small

and insignificant

but it is the Holy Ghost's presence

that makes our little actions

glorious in the sight of Heaven

An Anglican Catholic approach to Confession

 

Why is general confession permitted in the Anglican Catholic Church?

Labouring under an apprehension

Sermon for the third Sunday after Easter 

There are many great 

mysteries in life.

Some mysteries 

emerge from facts

lost to History

and exist as ghosts

of speculation.

Some mysteries 

lie in the fathomless 

depths of space

barely penetrated 

by the telescopes

and proves

sent out by astronomers.

And some mysteries 

exist within our own species.

One such mystery 

can be found troubling 

the minds of men

when they are confronted 

with something that they

can never truly know 

- the pain of childbirth.

[PAUSE]

The husband

who joins his wife

In the delivery room

is confronted

with a wall of 

impenetrable ignorance.

He works hard to support 

and understand the needs

of his wife as she struggles 

to bring the baby into the world

but he is at a loss because 

for all his care and attention 

he cannot supply anything

that she needs

based on his experience.

All words he says to comfort

and encourage his wife

cannot be based

on anything other than 

his own imagination 

of what she is going through 

and it usually falls short

of the pain that she is enduring.

All he can do

is faithfully and actively 

extend his love, respect 

and gratitude 

to his wife

and prepare himself 

for fatherhood.

A man cannot know

his wife's pain.

Can she know his?

Can anyone know

another's pain?

[PAUSE]

This is a mystery indeed!

We can only know

our own pain and suffering.

We can only know 

what it is like for us

to sprain an ankle,

cut a finger,

or even give birth.

No two labours

are the same 

because no two women

are the same 

and no two babies are the same.

This is the deep mystery 

of being human.

We cannot truly 

know the pain of others.

This means

all our Christian attempts

to love each other

fall at the first hurdle

because we do not know

what our neighbour 

wants or needs to be perfect.

This is why human love

fails to unite humanity.

This is why the rule

"do unto others 

as you would have them

do unto you"

cannot work.

Indeed, 

this is why the Church appears divided

because 

we are ignorant 

of how to love each other

properly.

But because we try so hard 

to love 

we end up doing damage

to the Church

to the world 

and to each other.

Our sin,

even our unintended sin,

causes pain

from the very moment 

Eve grasps that fruit.

From that moment 

we are blind to God

and we are blind 

to what true love is.

[PAUSE]

And so Love comes among us

to show us Who He is.

We are born, so He is born.

We struggle, so He struggles.

We weep, so He weeps.

We due, so He dies.

And in so doing 

He supplies what is lacking

and corrects what is done amiss,

so that the pain of living

has a purpose

even as bringing a baby into the world 

makes the pain tolerable.

A woman may remember 

the ordeal of labour

but the baby she holds 

means she needs not choose 

to remember the pain.

But then, 

not all labour goes to plan.

[PAUSE]

There are labours 

that go badly 

that have the worst possible outcomes.

There are countless women 

who after the pain of labour

hold in their arms

one whose life has ended

before it even saw the light of day.

And that pain 

frightens us

causes our hearts to break

and to call up to God,

"Why?"

"Why is my baby dead?"

And we might be tempted 

look at Our Lord's words

about sorrow being turned to joy

and to brand them glib

- even an insult -

ignorant of the mother crying out

over her dead baby,

ignorant of the husband,

dazed and confused as

to why he's not a father 

or even no longer a husband,

ignorant of every human being

who has cried our in despair

at the injustice of life.

Words cannot be enough.

But the explanation 

cannot take the pain away.

Answering the "Why?" 

will not return breath to the little body.

There has to be action.

So God dies

horribly,

terribly,

in agony,

surrounded by those who hate Him

who laugh and mock and jeer.

And then He comes back,

not to show off 

but to show that He is faithful,

that He sees our pain 

and the utter devastation

of the human heart 

and to remind us of His promise 

that the pain we feel now

is nothing,

nothing to the joy we feel

with Him in Heaven.

The Cross is not something 

with which we should 

compare our pain:

it is the vehicle 

of the promise we have

received.

It is not a question of

"well, God suffered

so your pain means nothing."

It is more,

"you're in pain

but God is with you

and will bring you through

even though 

you can only know your pain."

[PAUSE]

We look out

onto a world 

filled with so much pain

and suffering 

and we cannot truly know

what that pain and suffering are.

But we Christians hold fast

to the Cross

while bearing our own crosses,

venerating them 

as much as we venerate 

the Cross of Christ,

knowing that God

is never ignorant of our pain

but will bring to birth in us

Faith, Hope and Love 

and that these will last

much longer than any pain can.

Making saints the Anglican Catholic way

 

How does a person become a saint in the Anglican Catholic Church?

Sorry, my video got cut off.

I meant to add:

God bless you in your progress to sainthood. May you always bear witness to Almighty God.

And God bless you that you may join all your favourite saints in the glory of God.

And please pray for me

Ovine Comparisons

Sermon for the second Sunday after Easter

Analogies and metaphors 

can only go so far.

Our Lord describes us

as His sheep.

To our ears,

that makes us sound

like dumb animals.

Perhaps we object to that

as it hurts our dignity

as human beings.

But if we compare ourselves 

with God

we are not even sheep.

What is a pot 

compared with the potter?

Or the stick man

idly doodled onto the page

of an exercise book

compared with the bored

schoolboy trying to cope

with learning 

the politics of World War I?

To be compared as a sheep

with the Divine Master 

is a compliment.

But if we are concerned 

about being compared with sheep

in the first place 

then we're missing the point.

[PAUSE]

To compare two things

puts them in opposition.

We look at two things

to see which is bigger,

which is worth more money,

which is prettier,

which smells worse.

The moment we try that with God 

then the comparisons 

stop making any sense.

Which is redder:

the post box,

or the colour red?

Which is brighter:

the sun,

or light itself?

Which is more holy 

the saints,

or God Himself?

[PAUSE]

We are always so ready

to compare ourselves with others

that frequently we miss the point.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd 

we are His sheep,

not of the fold

of the inheritance of Israel

but of the gentile fold 

that Jesus has taken to Himself.

Yes,  the metaphor 

compares us with sheep

but the point is clear:

God is with us.

He isn't against us.

He is not comparing Himself with us.

He is not setting Himself up

in opposition to us.

If Jesus is using 

the metaphor of the sheep 

to make the point

that He is greater than us

then He would have to deny 

the fact that He has a human nature

like us.

To reinforce His difference from us

would be to despise His Incarnation 

and that would defeat the whole object

of why He became flesh for us.

If humans are sheep

then He would be a sheep as well.

In saying that He is the shepherd 

Jesus is not exalting Himself over us.

Quite the reverse.

He is saying that He is with us.

He is on our side.

He has our backs,

won't let us go,

will fight for us

will die for us 

will lead us into the ecstasy

of Heaven itself

all because He loves us

and enjoys 

to be around us.

[PAUSE]

However we appear

in Our Lord's parables

we can trust 

that He means us

in the best possible way

in order to bring us to our perfection 

and happiness 

which can only happen 

when He is in our midst.

Announcing Time's Tapestry

 

Why transferring the Feast of the Annunciation reminds us of the promise of Eternity.

Proceedings from Easter

Sermon for Low Sunday

The Lord breathes

on the Apostles

and then says,

"Receive the Holy Ghost."

But don't they receive

the Holy Ghost

on the day of Pentecost?

What's going on?

[PAUSE]

The first thing to note

is that the Holy Ghost

is proceeding from the Son.

But the Son is not the source

of the Holy Ghost.

Jesus is the means 

by which the Holy Ghost

proceeds to us.

The scripture here 

is very clear.

The Spirit proceeds

from the Father as the source

of all being and yet

through the Son

and upon the apostles.

Why should this be important

to us?

Does it matter how 

the Persons of the Trinity

relate to one another?

Does it matter how

the Holy Ghost shows Himself to us?

[PAUSE]

What do we see?

The Lord Jesus breathes

the Holy Ghost

into the Apostles

and He gives them authority

to bind and loose sins.

This authority

is not just some certificate,

not some rubber stamp,

or ID card that says

"Licence to forgive sins."

This authority

is the Holy Ghost Himself.

It shows us

that when the Apostles forgive sins

in the name of

the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,

they really are forgiven

that the relationship

between God and those who repent

is healing and strengthening.

This authority has its source 

in God the Father

because God the Father

is the source of all things good.

This authority proceeds through

God the Son,

because the Incarnation

of Jesus Christ was expressly

for the purpose of redeeming souls

and the forgiveness of sins.

So we see that the Holy Ghost

proceeds from the Father

through the Son

to us 

for the purpose

of freeing us from our sins.

[PAUSE]

The Apostles clearly receive

the Holy Ghost here

and here He begins His work

of transforming

Disciple to Apostle.

When that transformation is complete

then the Holy Ghost

makes His presence visible

fifty days after Easter.

But that is another story.

The meaning of Resurrection

 Why Resurrection is not reanimation.

The business of standing and staring

Sermon for the Feast of the Resurrection

We've been minding

our own business

this Lent

trying to understand

how the things

we busy ourselves with

fit with our Faith.

We've been asking,

"Is our everyday faith the Faith?"

[PAUSE]

But today is not like everyday.

Today,

we stand at the door of the tomb

staring in

looking at the folded graveclothes

and the napkin lying by itself

trying to make sense

of what has happened.

And we are not alone.

For many people 

stand by us gazing into

the tomb

but they are very busy indeed

asking what has happened,

arguing and debating,

looking for clues and evidence

looking for a lack of clues

and evidence.

Many people busy themselves

with trying to deconstruct

the tomb

to show it's all a myth

an illusion

a folly of history.

Other people busy themselves

today

showing that the empty tomb

that we gaze into

is a historical fact.

Yes!

Yes it is a historical fact.

But we don't always need

to have to prove that it is.

We don't always need to argue

with those who rubbish 

the Resurrection.

Sometimes,

we just need to stand and stare

into the empty tomb

and allow our spirit

to busy itself

drinking in the Truth

basking in the Light

that ruptures this world's 

business of transaction

and competition

of evidence and matter.

The difference is

that the world will still 

stand and stare into the empty tomb

and try and make it fit

with its interpretation

that the dead do not rise.

But we, 

above the chatter of those

who seek to explain what they see 

before then,

we hear the invitation

to stop standing and staring;

we hear the invitation

to turn around

and listen to the angels

tell us that HE IS RISEN!

The world is deaf to that,

but we need not be,

we must not be.

Because we know 

that sometimes

our business is not doing,

sometimes 

our business is just 

to stand still 

and look up into the face

of the Risen Lord

and that's all we need to be doing.

We don't need to be

agonising about fasting,

we don't need to be 

calculating our alms,

we don't need to be 

finding the right prayer

in the Prayerbook.

Sometimes,

we just need

to stand still,

see Him with us,

and unite our everyday faith

with the Faith of Today,

the Faith of Easter Day

with the words

"My Lord and My God."

This is the day 

that the Lord hath made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Holy Week 2024: Pushing back the Annunciation

 

Why pushing back the Annunciation reminds us of the point of the suffering of Jesus Christ.

Question for Palm Sunday

In lieu of a sermon for Palm Sunday, I ask one question to consider in the Long Gospel:

Who do you think is busiest in today's Gospel?