RCL - Christmas Eve - 24 Dec 2007

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY

Br. Reginald Martin Crenshaw, OHC

RCL - Christmas Eve - Year A

“Oh I’m so Glad”

At this feast of the Nativity let each person wreathe the door of his heart so that the Holy Spirit may delight in that door enter in and take up residence there; then by the Spirit we will be made holy. Ephrem of Syria

With these words let each of us say to ourselves “Oh I’m so glad”. I am so Glad that by Christ’s birth we are able to experience the divine in a profound way. Glad that each of us with all our limitations and gifts, and foibles have within us the space in our very being to receive the Spirit so that we can be made holy.

Then how do we become holy? How do we let the door of our hearts open so that the spirit may enter? How do we welcome the event this day celebrates that is, the entrance of the divine into human life. How receptive are we really to this Christ, this wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace into our lives? What is this peace and righteousness that his birth brings into our space? And more specifically, the question is: “To whom do we belong? And how do we travel together as people of God?

This evening’s Isaiah reading tells us that we were once a people in darkness and upon this people (that is us-humanity) light has shined on us and the result is that we will live differently. A child has been born who is mighty the Prince of Peace, a wise counselor. He will establish and uphold the earth with justice and righteousness from this time onward. This child who is God among us brings salvation to all. That is what we celebrate and it is to that hope and reality that our identity as a people becomes enfleshed.

I have just returned from an extended trip to the West Coast, and as usual people still ask, “How do you like New York?” or better yet, “Do you still like New York? You of course are aware of the answer they are looking for. It should be a hesitant yes, or I getting tired of the hustle and bustle. And of course they all sigh with gratitude that once again the “Big Apple gets trashed.”

If we look at New York City this time of the year we find that it is a wonderful place to be at during the Advent and Christmas Seasons. New York City itself is festive. Many of the great Biblical oratorios that are usually sung in concert halls are done in the great churches and the acoustics allows a true spiritual experience and engagement with the music. People seem to be less edgy, there is a level of tolerance and a live and let live attitude that is amplified with graciousness, kindness and an apparent sense of community. This festive behavior is a tacit agreement by all of us to suspend the normal hustle and bustle of hurried city existence in the name of a “peace”. Yet this peace exists side by side with commercialism and consumerism. But somehow the winter weather and the implicit belief of most people that this is the time of the year when peace, peacefulness, graciousness should be exhibited in day to day behavior. And then the season ends and we return to the day to day behaviors that we have put on hold for the season. We return to what we call reality.

The Highest Point in New York City’s History
Originally uploaded by Rami Efal

What is reality? Reality are the things that are covered up, the things that are covered up and are very hard to unearth. One of those things that we seem to cover up is hope. We often live without hope. But Hope is a crucial component of human life because it is the energy that gives us the will to live and provides the vision for knowing what the good life is.

Reality is the good news that this incarnation of God in human life and consciousness is not a seasonal salvation, it is about the essence of human and divine life together, it is a partnership. It is through this birth of Christ, God becoming one of us. The incarnation is the place, the entrance to the communal and individual heart so that the Spirit may enter and take residence among you and us and make you and us holy.

The entrance is where the human meets the divine and in the intermingling of human and divine each partakes of the other. It is in God entering into human existence that makes all human life and all social contexts a part of the salvation scheme. This morning’s Isaiah reading makes this clear. No matter how much we try we are not permitted to forget about the people and the world around us. The question of who is our neighbor and what our relationship must be to our neighbor is laid before us in this birth of Christ with astounding clarity.

And what realities do we need to unearth and keep before us during this season? Besides individual acts of kindness, and the exercise of patience, and festivity we need to pay attention to the realities of our communal life. Realities such as the extreme global poverty and disease as well as the unnecessary poverty in the US, the need of finding a better path to national and global security, the hope of advancing a consistent ethic of the sanctify of life, the hope to healing the wounds of racism so that what happened in Jena LA this past year and in other places are addressed & effectively eliminated. The need and importance of a positive understanding and appreciation of the body so that the reality of exclusion due to sexism and homophobia is addressed, and eliminated, The need for ending human trafficking and for promoting human rights, the strengthening of families, the renewing of the moral fabric of our culture, and protecting all of God’s creation. These are the realties that are held up to us, for action by the birth, the incarnation of the mighty God, Counselor, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace who through his becoming one of us as Isaiah says, establishes a new humanity that will be secure in justice and integrity from this time onward and forever more. All of this we carry into this festive occasion and we celebrate all of it as INCARNATION.

Let me end with the words of Julian of Vezelay:

I pray that the Word of the Lord may come again this night to those who wait in silence, and that we may hear what the Lord God is saying to us in our hearts. Let us therefore, still the desires and cravings of the flesh, the roving fantasies of our imaginations. So that we can attend to what the Spirit is saying.

Amen.

RCL - Advent 3 A - 16 Dec 2007

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Fr. Tony Cayless, AHC
RCL - Advent 3 A - Sunday 16 December 2007

Isaiah 35:1-10
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
"John the Baptist preaching" by Antonio Allegri Correggio, Italian baroque painter (c. 1489-1534)

John the Baptist was a great preacher, a man of influence, and a powerful figure. He dressed like an ancient prophet and he proclaimed God's Word. He started a movement. He gathered a following. He had an effective and successful ministry. His influence continued long after his execution by Herod Agrippa in the fortress palace of Machaerus built by Herod the Great on the heights of Moab near the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. There John was beheaded. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

Around the year 53 AD a Jew of Alexandria named Apollos arrived in the Greek city-state of Ephesus. Apollos is described in as an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures, who had been instructed in the Way of the Lord. We are told that he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. A Christian couple Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching and they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. Apollos was baptized a Christian, went to Corinth and exercised an important ministry in the Church there.

A year or two later Paul on his third missionary journey found a band of John the Baptist's disciples in Ephesus. He passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— altogether there were about twelve of them.

Disciples of John the Baptist carrying on his mission of preaching repentance in this far off Greek city-state. In the early days of Christianity a Church dedicated to St. John the Baptist was built to house his relics in Damascus. When the Muslims conquered Damascus in 635 they used the building on Fridays for their ritual prayers and the Christians continued their Sunday liturgies. This sharing went on for 70 years. Then came Caliph al-Walid ibn Abdul Malek who in 705 A.D. decreed that he shall build the greatest mosque ever - one "whose like was never built before, nor will ever be built after." He bought off the Christians and took 10 years and 11 million gold dinars to replace their church with his mosque. A grand prayer hall with mosaic walls, a huge marble courtyard and a minarets. The marble embellished shrine of St John the Baptist, still lies within the mosque’s prayer hall.

Some years ago I researched the ceremonial use of oil in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Oil lamps, especially Menorahs are a symbol of Judaism. Jews used oil to anoint priests and kings. The "Massiach" from which we get our word Messiah literally means the Anointed One. Christians use oil at baptism, confirmation, ordination, and for the sick and dying, holy unction. Oil is used at coronations. in 1952 Queen Elizabeth II was anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey. In Islam I found only two uses of oil. One of them is that once a year in the Great Mosque, in Damascus, the marble tomb of John the Baptist (whom Muslims revere as a prophet) is ceremonially anointed.

The prominence of John’s ministry is attested by the care with which the Gospel writers compose their accounts of him. In the fact that Herod Agrippa had him executed. In the fact his disciples continued to proclaim his message of repentance. In the fact that years after Jesus’ death Christians still encountered groups that knew only the baptism of John scattered around the Roman Empire. In the fact that he is revered by Muslims evidenced by the anointing of his shrine in Damascus and revered by us Christians.

John the Baptist is the forerunner, Isaiah's messenger, a voice crying in the wilderness, the one who goes before and prepares the way. He engaged in evangelism, he was missionary minded. He went out and preached that the Kingdom is near and that the Messiah is coming. People must turn around, repent, be baptized, and be ready and willing to follow the coming Messiah. John the Baptist pointed to and prepared people for the coming of Jesus.

The portrayal of John in the Gospels is that of a prophet who came out of the desert to proclaim the Kingdom of God and issued a call to repentance According to Luke, he was of priestly descent, son of Zechariah, and Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, so John and Jesus are related. Matthew and Mark describe John’s appearance and diet: he wore a camel-hair cloak with a leather belt and he dined on locusts and wild honey.

He is called John the Baptist for he baptized in the waters of the Jordan River, those who repented of their sins. He proclaimed the Coming One, the Messiah, the One greater than himself who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Jesus regarded John the Baptist as the last and greatest the prophets. The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed. John proclaimed the nearness of the Kingdom of God. In Jesus God came, in Jesus God comes, Where God is there is his Kingdom. Where Jesus is, the Kingdom, the dominion, the reign, the rule of God is present.

Imagine John the Baptist in prison. Was his preaching and baptizing in vain? Was there hope? Was God about to act in the history of the world or had he got itl wrong? Was Jesus the Messiah or not? He sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"

Jesus' answer was simply to point to his own ministry and what was happening. Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.

Then Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John and to offer his assessment of the man and his message: What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one who will prepare your way before you.

The Season of Advent is a time to contemplate one reality which inevitably affects all of us— the precariousness of the human condition. We live in an uncertain world. Traditionally in Advent we meditate on the last things, Death, Judgement, Hell, Heaven.

Christmas will soon be here. Then we celebrate the Birth of Jesus the Son of God. The miracle of birth, the miracle of new birth, the miracle of God's Word, the Incarnate Word, the Word became flesh and lived among us– a more important reality so let us not lose sight of this. Death, and Judgement, and Hell pale into insignificance. Heaven comes into its own.

The prophet Isaiah in our O. T. Reading: They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come and save you."

James' message in today’s Epistle is that Christian hope resides in patience. Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord . . . Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

John the Baptist proclaimed the nearness of the Lord. Jesus said that no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; and then he adds, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Least in the Kingdom of Heaven. You know - that might be you, or it might be me. But are we really greater than John the Baptist? Jesus says we are. What a responsibility. What a challenge!

So we pray:
Stir up your power, O lord and with great might come among us; and because we are hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and
glory, now and for ever. Amen

RCL - Advent 2 A - 09 Dec 2007

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Mrs. Suzette L. Cayless
RCL - Advent 2 A - Sunday 09 December 2007

When my copy of “Southern Living” arrives, the first section I turn to is the selection of recipes for the month. For each of the recipes there is a photo of the finished dish, in color, showing what one can expect to create; then comes the list of ingredients - often unusual and intriguing; finally there are detailed instructions for actually making the dish. I have found that these recipes are reliable - they turn out to be just like the photos - and they taste delicious.

The readings for today resemble those recipes! Isaiah 11:1-10 is like the photo of a finished dish. It gives us a vision of God’s Kingdom with a new and ideal King whose rule will be shaped by the spirit of the Lord. In this Kingdom, the peaceful kingdom, “they shall not hurt or destroy.” The usual order is reversed: predators are friends with prey. Children feature three times in the passage, mingling with the animals without fear and in safety. This seems to foreshadow the words of Jesus: “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The political situation that we are familiar with is literally turned upside down. The vision of God’s kingdom requires what T.S. Eliot so movingly described in “Little Gidding” as
“A condition of complete simplicity”
adding in parentheses
“Costing not less than everything.”

In Romans 15:4-13 we find ingredients required for the creation of this kingdom: “live in harmony with one another;” “with one voice glorify ... God;” “welcome one another, ... as Christ has welcomed you, ...;” “abound in hope.” A challenging list indeed. These are not items that we would necessarily choose to select and live by. We give lip-service to them - but as for actually implementing them as the way to live - that finds us all wanting! We all know how hard it is to live in harmony, whether it is in a family, a church congregation, a monastic community. The problem is that in God’s kingdom it is God who selects the ingredients. He is the master chef who knows what will produce the desired end product. “With one voice glorify God.” And here we are, living in a church divided within itself. We try to defend God and what we believe is the righteousness of God - and ignore God’s desire for the unity of the family. “Welcome one another, ... as Christ has welcomed you.” Genuine hospitality is required of the Christian disciple - it is an essential ingredient, not an optional seasoning. It applies whether we like a person or not; whether we approve of a person’s life-style or not. It is God’s choice. “Abound in hope.” There are many nay sayers among us who see only splits in the church family and nothing good to report. But we are bidden to hope; which requires trust in God, in His (or Her) judgment and ability to bring to fruition the vision of the kingdom. We are called to embrace God’s ingredients and allow ourselves to be a part of God’s work.

Matthew 3:1-12 gives the instructions for making it all happen: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” John spares nothing in his warnings; John, who was identified with the wilderness - beyond the bounds of polite society. His call to baptism in the River Jordan was no meaningless symbol but rather the sign of a complete change of life, a cleansing to enable the coming of the kingdom. His words to the Pharisees and Sadducees, the socially acceptable people of the day, were very stern. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentance.” There can be no clinging to tradition as a way of salvation but only a total dedication to the one who comes to bring in God’s kingdom. The instructions for the making of the recipe are direct, require much effort, but are doable!

Both Isaiah and Matthew make it clear that evil cannot exist in the presence of holiness. “...he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4) “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12) These are terrifying images, that we do not often take seriously. But perhaps Isaiah and Matthew are only stating the obvious! Perhaps it is that evil just cannot exist ultimately in the presence of holiness. By way of illustration I want to use part of a favorite story of mine: one of the Harry Potter books. In the first book of the series by J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger discover the place where the mysterious stone has been hidden, a stone that can bring immortality and therefore sought by the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry reaches the chamber to find Professor Quirrell there ahead of him. This strange man, the Defense against the Dark Arts Teacher, always wears a turban and when Quirrell unwinds this Harry sees that the back of Quirrell’s head is actually the face of Lord Voldemort who has taken possession of the man. Harry has a scar on his forehead left by Voldemort when he tried to kill Harry as a baby after killing both his parents. Now, Voldemort instructs Quirrell to attack Harry. and I quote from p. 294:

“... Voldemort screamed “SEIZE HIM!” and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell’s hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry’s scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.
“Seize him! SEIZE HIM!”shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet, landing on top of him, both hands around Harry’s neck - Harry’s scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.
“Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!”
And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.
“Then kill him, fool, and be done!” screeched Voldemort.
Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell’s face -
“AAAARGH!”
Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn’t touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain ...”

In the film version of the story, at this point, Professor Quirrell crumbles into dust and is no more - a very dramatic moment. Harry survives; the stone is destroyed putting it finally out of reach of Voldemort. During Harry’s recovery from his ordeal he asks the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore why Professor Quirrell couldn’t bear to touch him. The reply was as follows,

“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign ... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.”

I cannot but be reminded of the fact that as Christians we are each marked by the Love of Jesus who gave his life for us. We bear his sign. Also, of the words in John’s Gospel 1:4-5: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Evil cannot finally exist in the presence of the holy.

We have the vision of God’s kingdom, with the usual order of things reversed; we have the ingredients needed to bring it about; John the Baptist tells us how to do it; by repenting and turning wholeheartedly to the service of the Christ. Our choice is how seriously are we going to follow the one who gave his life for love of each one of us? How deeply are we going to welcome the Christ child anew this year?

Let us pray:
May God’s kingdom come,
His will be done,
in me,
today. Amen.